Author's note:
This is my English translation of the story I had written in Hungarian, my mother tongue. Special thanks to Hero Beater and Fluffy Pillow for helping me every step of the way.
POINTS OF DIVERGENCE
Yugi thought himself very fortunate that he lived so close to the park and it would take but a few minutes on foot to reach his grandfather's Game Shop. He could hardly wait to get there, desperately craving some reassurance that this world was not completely alien from his own, and any clue that would have shed some light on their current situation. He had a sneaking suspicion that, had Bakura any choice in the matter, he probably banished them to a world where none of them would be safe – and yet, oddly enough, he was not afraid at all. The idea that he had his friends by his side and could rely on them in need meant the world to him, and when he measured his own safety that way, Kaiba and Mokuba seemed particularly defenseless in his eyes. He was long sorry, almost ashamed, that he didn't try and persuade them to stay, but it was too late to turn back now. His only hope was that they would soon reunite safe and sound, and perhaps have some good news to share with each other.
They soon reached the street that would eventually lead them to the Game Shop. All four of them were a bundle of nerves by now, Yugi's heart beating in his throat as they slowly crept towards the front entrance. Only then did he check his watch and realize that it was still too early to open the Game Shop, and so they carefully snuck around to the private entrance on the other side. Yugi's breath grew scarce as he stepped to the door and fished out his keys to open it, but just then, he heard footsteps from within, jerking back in fright. Joey, Tristan and Téa had all huddled together behind a large garbage container by the side of the house by then, and Yugi took cover beside them just in time as the door swung open with a small chime. They heard slow, shuffling steps and then a scraping sound, like a groom sweeping the ground. It must be Grandpa, thought Yugi, breaking into a smile. He hoped he would soon have a chance to exchange a few words with him. However, just then, he heard an angry voice, and his hopes faded away like twilight fog.
"I'm not finished, old man! Do you hear me?"
Yugi found to his eternal shock that he had heard his own voice. A sense of confused shame washed over him, and his friends, too, were astonished by the idea of an angry, aggressive Yugi Muto. However, his grandfather stood his ground. He stopped sweeping, and they could hear the dirt screeching under his feet as he turned to face his grandson.
"I heard you, but I don't care, you're not getting Exodia and that's final! Wasn't Hawkins's card enough?"
"That piece of trash is nothing compared to Exodia, you old fool!"
"That's just it, that I'm not a fool – I would be mad to part with the world's most powerful cards! Besides, cards aren't everything. If you can't win with what you have, then you are a loser, sonny boy, and losers deserve nothing!"
"I'm not a loser," hissed Yugi Muto. His grandfather snorted scornfully.
"We'll see about that," came the dismissive reply, and the door slammed with a thundering crash – Yugi must have slammed it shut in anger.
A few moments later, Solomon Muto picked up his broom again, and as it scratched away at the cool concrete, Yugi and his friends finally decided to take their chance and slip away from the container. They carefully started sneaking towards the entrance of the shop. Yugi wasn't even sure what to do next, but he just couldn't bear to stay there and listen to his grandfather wage war against the dirty ground, torn with shame that his counterpart could be so disrespectful towards the elderly man who had taken him into his home and cared for him. However, he tried to escape in vain, suddenly trapped as the entrance of the Game Shop swung open, and they remained where they were, defenseless, because there was nothing else to hide behind…
Fortunately for them, the quickest way to school was on the other side of the shop, and this was the only thing that kept them from total despair. However, they weren't safe just yet, for Yugi Muto didn't leave right away. There was a flash by the entrance, a school bag landing on one of the steps, and down sat Yugi as if he were waiting for someone. The four friends looked at each other alarmed. They had nowhere to run, and there was nothing left to do but wait with him, hardly able to contain their anxiety. And then, they heard footsteps at last. Somebody was approaching the shop from the other side, arriving with a dull thump – another school bag ended up on the steps and its owner sat down next to Yugi Muto.
"Hey," spoke a new voice. It was Tristan Taylor.
"You're late," came the unfriendly reply.
"Maybe if I didn't have to play postman, I could have been here on time."
"I don't know why you're whining, it's not like it was a detour, was it? …Where did you leave the message?"
"In the mailbox."
"He didn't see you, right?"
"Nope."
"Good."
"I don't get it, Yugi. What was the point? Why don't we just go over to him and beat him up like last time?"
"Because that wouldn't prove a thing, you idiot! My reputation is at stake! I should have asked for that rematch a year ago… who knew that somebody still remembered it."
"Somebody blabbed."
"Then somebody's gonna get their lip busted."
"But I still don't get why we can't just go up to him and tell him that tomorrow it's showdown."
"Because I don't want him to have time to prepare, you moron. He might inform somebody or ask for help, and I bet there are people out there who would be willing to help just to mess with me. Well, they won't! Let him think he's having a good day. It'll hurt all the more when he realizes that he's going to spend his weekend in a coffin. By the time he gets home tonight, it'll be too late, and I want him to squirm a little before he gets what he deserves.'
"If you say so…"
"I say so."
"Are we waiting for Joey?"
"Who else? If you are this slow, then I'll definitely have to tell him to lay low and leave that deadbeat mongrel alone. You'll get him tomorrow. You can wait for one day, can't you?"
"I don't care. It's not like he was much of a challenge in the first place."
There was a moment of silence – by the sound of it, Taylor was rummaging through his school bag. Yugi and Tristan glanced at each other. Both of them had turned green.
"Hey, there's Joey," said Taylor, breaking the silence.
"Then let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better," replied Muto, and both of them stood up, walked to the other side of the shop and headed off to school. Slowly but surely, Solomon Muto stopped sweeping the street as well and returned to the house, and the four friends looked at each other, their hearts clenching and their shock turned to disgust and alarm.
"Not for nothin', Yug, but you're a real jerk in this world," said Joey, but once he saw Yugi's face, he added, "And from what I've heard, so am I… I thought I had grown outta this."
"We have grown out of it, Joey," sighed Tristan. "Just not in this world, that's all."
"I'm almost glad I wasn't with them," said Téa, her voice trembling. "If your counterparts are like that, then I don't even want to know what I'm like."
"I just want to know one thing – who they were talking about," said Yugi, his heart sinking. "Whoever it is, they are in trouble and need help."
"Yeah, but what can we do?" asked Tristan. "You heard them: they're going to act like everything's fine. How are we going to spot the victim if they are going to ignore him?"
"No how," conceded Yugi, growing despondent. "But we can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to think of a plan."
"But what?" asked Téa. Nervous silence followed.
"Let's find Kaiba," said Yugi all of a sudden. "They probably wouldn't suspect Kaiba. Maybe he could talk to them and find out who they want to attack, and I don't care if I have to beg him on my knees. It's worth a try."
"Yugi's right," said Tristan, his voice agitated. "We don't have a better plan anyway, and until we find out the truth, maybe it's best if nobody finds out there's two of us."
"Then let's go," said Joey as though it was a bitter pill he had to swallow. "The sooner we get this over with, the better, 'cause somethin' tells me we ain't gonna live down askin' rich boy for favors."
