Chapter 8

What You Think You Know

It had been a quite pleasant afternoon for Yugi and his son. Yugi took half the day off from the shop and Simon accompanied him to the computer store to pick out a new laptop. Simon spouted out all kinds of technical jargon about megabytes, RAM, and download capacity that Yugi didn't understand. Simon might as well have been speaking Swahili, Yugi wouldn't have known the difference. Finally Yugi just asked Simon to pick out one that would suit his needs and stay within a certain price range. Much to Yugi's surprise, Simon picked a computer that he liked. It was sleek, compact, and in black. All the way home Simon talked about how he could use the computer to help boost the shop's business. He had all kinds of ideas, many of which Yugi thought were very good. Simon even offered to redesign the Game Shop's logo to attract more people. Yugi couldn't believe how easy it was for them to talk, and he was finally seeing some life in Simon's eyes. Simon felt the same about advertising as Yugi did with Duel Monsters. He was passionate about what he did and he enjoyed it vastly. If anything, that afternoon taught Yugi that there was hope and that to really connect with his son, he just had to find things that interested him. Even if he didn't understand most of what Simon said, he thought it was a good start.

As they came around the side of the building to the main entrance of the Game Shop, Yugi spied through the windows. There were only two people in the shop. Joey, who was sitting on a stool leaning a far distance on the counter. And Grace, who was smiling and laughing at whatever Joey was telling her. Unaware of the eyes that watched them from outside, Joey said something else to her. Yugi immediately recognized that slick look on Joey's face. He was making a move on her. That made Yugi mad, but it turned into rage when Joey reached out and touched her hair. Yugi grabbed the door handle and flung the door open with such force that the bell made a clank noise and then fell from it's post on the top of the door to the floor. Yugi's sudden arrival took both of them my surprise. He just stared at Joey. One look at Yugi's face and Joey knew he had overstepped his bounds. In typical Joey fashion he tried to defuse the situation with a goofy grin and a scratch to the head.

"Hey, Yugi!" Joey said jovially. "Where ya been? I've been waiting here for an hour."

The thought of Joey alone with Grace for a whole hour made Yugi even more unhappy.

"I was so bored I had to entertain myself by talking to Grace here." Joey continued.

"Oh yes, he's been regaling me with stories of your dueling triumphs." Grace added innocently.

"Is that all you've been telling her?" Yugi said bluntly.

"Sure!" Joey squirmed a little. He turned back to Grace, "Like this one time, Yugi, Honda, and me were at the World Championship Tournament in Las Vegas. Well, the night before the finals, we got so drunk off our asses. We couldn't help it though, because these three fine showgirls challenged us to a drinking contest, and we never passed up challenge."

Yugi's eyes widened in panic. He was not telling her that story!

"Anyways, we wake up the next morning..."

"Joey, can I see you for a minute!" Yugi nearly shouted as he grabbed Joey by the arm and pulled him into the back room. "What are you doing?" Yugi said in a heightened whisper.

"It's just a story."

"No, not that! What are you doing with Grace?"

"Sorry, man. I didn't realize she was your girl."

"She's not my girl!"

"You're sure acting like she's your girl."

"What are you thinking? She's too young for you."

"It's just a little fun. Besides, if she's not your girl then why do you care if I ask her out?"

"Because I care about her, she's like a daughter to me and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"That's low! You actually think I'd hurt her?"

"You and I both know that next week or next month you'll dump her and get back together with Mai. And where is that going to leave Grace? I'd rather you not start something you have no intention of finishing."

Joey just looked at his friend. Yugi was right. Joey would drop Grace in a heartbeat if Mai even batted her eyelashes at him. Plus it was quite obvious to Joey that by the way Yugi got so defensive that their was more to his relationship with Grace than he was willing to admit. At this point, Joey thought it better not to make Yugi any madder, besides he had something planned for tonight and he needed Yugi to go willingly. So apologizes were in order. "Sorry man, you're right. I'll back off. But you better make a move on her soon; or else some other guy is going to steal her from you."

"Why is it the first time I hire a girl to work in the shop everyone automatically assumes I'm having an affair?" Yugi face was covered with frustration.

"You still don't know nothing about women." Joey slapped him on the back. "Come on, I think you need a drink, and I know just the place."

Joey gave Simon and Grace a hurried excuse about them going out as he hauled a somewhat reluctant Yugi by the shirt out of the shop. The two remaining people in the shop gave each other a dazed look then quickly found something to do. Neither was exactly comfortable being left with the other. Simon went about setting up the new laptop and Grace picked up the wayward bell from the floor and tried reattaching it to the door.

Simon gave a hesitant glance in Grace's direction. He was dreading this; he was never good at apologizes.

"About the other day." Simon began. Grace pivoted in place so she could face him. "I'm sorry about what I said. For me, talking about my dad is a touchy subject." Simon kept his attention on the computer so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes. "It's just...I get tired of people who think they know him just because they saw him duel once or because he signed an autograph for them. They don't know him at all, none of them do. Not those stupid fan club kids or the groupies. Then they try to lecture me about how great he is and how I should be more like him. I'm not my father. I don't want to be... But he is my dad, he'll always be. It doesn't matter if he's a Duel Monster champion or a janitor, I know exactly who he is, and no one can tell me otherwise."

"I'm sorry too." Grace bowed her head. "It wasn't my place to say such things. I consider your father my friend and I just wanted to help him. I shouldn't have been so bold. My mother always said that I was too outspoken. It's one of my worst traits."

"No, I don't think so." Simon said flashing his eyes back to her. "I wish I were more like you. I never have the guts to say what I want to." Simon's mind started to wander and images of Isabella appeared. "If I could, then some of my dreams wouldn't seem so distant."

"What are we doing here?" Yugi asked as Joey led him into an unscrupulous part of town specifically known for hoodlums and roughiens.

"We're going to get a beer." Joey said through the cigarette in his mouth.

"We could have done that at my place." Yugi was getting nervous as dangerous looking men starting eyeballing the pair.

"Here we are." Joey announced as they stood outside the bar.

Yugi noted the men walking in and out and the row of motorcycles lined up outside. This was a biker bar. What had possessed Joey to go there?

"Let's go in." Joey gave Yugi a cheerful pat on the back as he stepped inside.

As soon as they entered it was like the entire place stopped and stared at them. Joey seemed undaunted by the stares and went straight to the bar and sat down. Yugi cautiously followed and sat next to him. The glares from the patrons were hard for him to ignore.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Yugi whispered. "If this is about earlier..."

"Nah, I've forgotten all about that."

"Then why did we come here?"

"We're here to meet someone."

Yugi wondered who the hell Joey would want to meet in such an establishment. Certainly no one they knew would go there.

Joey motioned to the bartender, but was ignored. Joey called out to him. The bartender, a burly man of six foot covered in tattoos and scars, then walked over and slammed his hands down on the bar in front of them. "Aren't you two in the wrong place?"

"We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for a couple of beers." Joey said with his best poker face.

"We don't serve your kind here." The bartender grunted.

"It's obvious we're not welcome here. Let's just go." Yugi pleaded to Joey, but it fell on deaf ears.

"We aren't going until we do what we came here to do." Joey said in his normal bravado.

"Stick around if you want." The bartender snickered. "But I won't be held responsible for what happens to you."

Yugi kept his senses keen, listening to everything and everyone. They couldn't afford to be caught off guard. Joey and Honda had always been the fighters of the group, and although Yugi had toughened up over the years, he was still more passive than Joey. He preferred not to put himself in dangerous situations so he didn't have to fight his way out. But Joey still felt the need to prove himself. Yugi wondered if that was the real reason that they had gone there.

Mainly the room was talking. Snide comments passed between people about the pair. Someone said that the blonde must be crazy or incredibly stupid. Some wondered if they had come in there on a dare or as a joke, and if so they would most likely regret it. Then there was the talk about how Yugi's black leather outfit was more appropriate for the gay bar on the other side of town. Then the words Yugi didn't want to hear. Some of the men decided to teach them a lesson. Before they knew it four men surrounded the pair. Each of sizable matter and ready to rumble. The men starting making threatening gestures and comments. Yugi looked toward the door. Even if they wanted to get out, it was too late. The men blocked the way. They were trapped. Joey stood up. He was no match for these brutes, but he never gave up without a fight. Just as the men were joking about how few of them it would take to pummel the blonde another voice broke into the conversation.

"These two are mine."

The small sea of men parted and a rough looking blonde haired man with dark skin approached them. He crossed his eyes and stared at them through sunglasses. He had a thick beard and his sleeveless shirt showed off his muscles and tattoos. He didn't look pleased.

"You two haven't changed a bit." The man said.

A smart-ass smile crept across Joey's face. "Marik."

"Marik?" Yugi said in amazement.

"Are they friends of yours?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, I know 'em." Marik stated.

That was good enough for the bartender and the group of men, who disbanded and went back to their respective corners. Apparently, Marik pulled some weight amongst them.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Marik asked.

"Looking for you." Joey said it like it was no big deal going into a biker bar looking for someone they hadn't seen in ages.

"You always did have more balls than brains." Marik smirked. He then ordered the bartender to send some drinks their way and he led the two outcasts to new seats. Marik pulled out his own chair and sat down, plopping his boot-clad feet onto the table. His eyes studied them behind his dark shades. "So you're married, huh?" Marik said giving a nod toward Yugi's wedding ring.

"Oh yeah." Yugi said with a little more ease now that they had someone in their corner.

"I bet it's that brunette that kept trailing you everywhere. What was her name? Amanda...Ann..."

"Anzu."

"Yeah, that's it." Marik turned his attention to Joey. "And what about you?"

"Aaa, divorced. As of last month I am a free man." Joey stretched. He didn't seem to be at all bothered by the divorce. "But give it some time and I'm sure Mai will come crawling back to me. She can't live without me ya know." Joey boasted.

"You married Mai?" The look of shock evident on Marik's face. "She was one hot piece of ass."

Yugi thought Joey might be offended by that remark, but he was proud of it. "She still is." Joey hinted with a nudge and a devilish smile.

"What about you, Marik? What have you been doing?" Yugi asked because he was both curious and wanted to keep the conversation off of the hotness of said men's wives.

"I do what I've always wanted to do, I ride. I go anywhere I want, when I want, and I don't give a damn about rules or laws. Just me and my bike. Sometimes some of these guys will come along." Marik gestured to the room of bikers. "Sometimes they don't. I don't really care. As long as I got an open road ahead of me."

"So where do you call home?" Yugi asked.

"Don't have one. I keep moving. It's better that way. Then your past can't catch up with you."

"Hey, where is Rashid?" Joey asked as he searched the room. He didn't think a guy with an ancient Egyptian incantation scratched into his face would be so hard to spot. And he never left Marik's side.

"I dumped him years ago." Marik noted the look of surprise on the two men's faces. "I got tired of him following me around like a little lost puppy, so one night I ditched him and Isis and took off. I haven't seen them since."

"Not once?" Yugi was depressed thinking that someone could just run off like that and not care about their friends and loved ones.

"Don't get me wrong. I keep tabs on them. She is my sister after all." Marik lit a cigarette. "They're in Egypt now. Rashid didn't know what else to do with me being gone, so he devoted himself to protecting her. She seemed to take it better than I did. Maybe she enjoys having a personal slave? Well, anyways. One thing leads to another and I come to find out she's pregnant with his kid. Of course, she wouldn't say who the father was, but I knew. He's had a crush on her for as long as I've known him. But I never thought he'd make a move on her. He was always too submissive. Anyways, after the second kid she gets all uptight because he won't marry her. He claimed he wasn't worthy to be her husband and actually encouraged her to go out with other guys and find a suitable man. And she did. Can you believe that?" Marik took another puff of his cigarette and flicked the ashes into a tray. "She's seeing somebody else and their kids have no clue that their dad is the overprotective bodyguard standing ten feet from them. Talk about being totally screwed up. But then again, who am I to talk? I've been screwed up since the day I was born. Maybe that's the real grave keeper's curse, that no matter what, your life is going to be severely fucked up." Marik gave out a small sigh. It felt good for him to vent. No one else would have understood. He wondered if maybe the appearance of Yugi and Joey was some kind of good sign. At least it was a welcome change.

Before the pair were able to comment about the details found in Marik's story a waitress came to the table with a bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses.

"Thanks babe!" Marik said as he slapped the waitress on the ass. Surprisingly, she seemed to like it. Or perhaps she just liked him. The waitress was okay looking in Yugi's mind, not his type at all. The word that popped into Yugi's mind when he saw her was 'scanky'. Not a nice word, but appropriate.

Marik poured three shots and made a toast. "To old friends." Then all three took a hit. Yugi winced a little at the taste. He wasn't used to whiskey. He had only had it a few times and wasn't particularly fond of it. But it was a special occasion. Joey on the other hand loved whiskey. He was a connoisseur of many different types of alcohol. He wouldn't say he was an alcoholic, but a man who could appreciate a good drink. He swore he only drank socially, but he never once passed up an opportunity that was laid out before him.

Another shot, another toast. Once Yugi's eyes opened and they came back into the focus he caught sight of Marik's tattoos. He hadn't gotten a clear view of them before.

"Obelisk?" Yugi muttered as he recognized the three gods intricately scrolled on Marik's arms.

"Yeah." Marik rubbed his arm. "I'm still haunted by them too. Hey, you still got the three god cards?"

Yugi nodded.

"I guess they're useless now that Pharaoh is gone, but since they're one of a kind I bet the collectors are dying to get their hands on them." Marik took another puff from his cigarette which was almost burnt to its end. "Don't ever sell them. They were meant to be yours, and no one else's. Especially not Kaiba's."

"Amen to that!" Joey butted in as he took another shot of whiskey.

"You're still holding a grudge?" Yugi asked Marik.

"And you're not?"

"Even after all we did to help them?"

"That was different. You and I both know what it's like to be possessed. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. Not even them."

Yugi just nodded.

"You are way too forgiving, Yugi. He stole your woman. In the past he took Pharaoh's wife. And he's the reason my family suffered in darkness for three thousand years. He's the same now as he was then. If he wanted something he took it, damn the consequences. So pardon me if I can't be as nice as you." Marik poured himself another shot of whiskey.

"He didn't steal her; Anna wanted to be with him." Yugi's eyes stared down at the table. "She's happy with Kaiba."

"I hate to break up this magical moment." Joey interrupted. "But what the hell are you talking about? When did you two help Kaiba?"

Marik and Yugi looked at each other. They were so involved that they had actually forgotten Joey was there. Neither of them knew how to respond to his question or even how to begin the story.

"It was a long time ago." Yugi explained.

"So what?" Joey piped in. "I'm your best friend and I'm just now hearing about this?"

"It's a long story." Yugi was half trying to talk him out of it.

"Well, we got plenty of whiskey, so start talking." Joey commanded as he leaned back in his chair.

Over the next couple of hours the two men told him about the strange circumstances surrounding the event. Joey listened intently as each man explained his role in the story. Joey couldn't help but think it would make a great science fiction novel or maybe a movie. And it would have been funny, if it weren't true. After all was said Joey amazingly didn't have any smart-ass comment to say. Nothing about how Kaiba deserved it or that he was being punished for his deeds. Instead Joey felt a kind of pity. Not like he was going to cry, Joey would never do that especially for Kaiba. But it gave him a whole new perspective on the man he had come to hate. A tragic whim of fate, or maybe it was destiny, found great pleasure in torturing him. And no one could deny Kaiba some pity, not even Joey.

The one thing Joey hated about sad stories was that they were so damn depressing. He much preferred something that but a smile on your face. So to relieve the seriousness at the table he began telling stories of Yugi and their more unusual exploits. As the second bottle of whiskey appeared and then disappeared, Joey showed no signs of stopping. All the while Yugi wondered if these were the same stories he had told Grace earlier. And if so, that was very frightening. Every time that Joey elaborated on another embarrassing moment, Yugi took a drink to ease his nerves. Needless to say, Yugi was getting used to the taste of whiskey. As the early morning hours crept in on the three men, the bar emptied out, the whiskey was gone, and Yugi had his head buried in his crossed arms on the table. Marik knew that Yugi was out for the count and that they should call it a night, but he was having too much fun watching Joey trying to tell stories and hold his liquor at the same time. At this point Joey was slurring words and having a hard time remembering details. But that didn't deter him, he kept on going.

"And we were doing shots of tequila...I like tequila, it's from Mexico ya know...I went to Mexico once...you don't want to drink the water down there...I was sick for a month...anyway...where was I?...Oh yeah! And the three showgirls, they were hot...and boy could they drink...but ya know what?" Joey leaned toward Marik. "They weren't showgirls, they were guys. They only worked as showgirls." Joey sat back and stared in a daze. "I forget the next part..." Joey said as he scratched his head. "But the next day...we three are tryin' to sneak back into the hotel cause the tournament was about to start and we were wearing nothing but women's under ware...I think..." Joey concentrated a little harder. "I don't know, Honda could have been naked."

Marik chuckled under his breath. Partially because of the story, and also because Joey looked like he was going to fall over. That was his sign to end the party. "Time to call it a night."

"Na...It's still early. Let's get another bottle." Joey swayed a little in his seat.

"You've had more than enough." Marik stood and helped Joey out of his seat. "Can you walk?" Marik asked.

"Sure..." Joey said with a wave of his arm and whiskey breath.

"Okay." Marik let go of him and Joey fell face first onto the floor. Marik made no attempt to catch him. He just stared at him as he lie there. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Simon had stayed up for hours waiting for his father to return. He kept telling himself that he wasn't worried about his dad and that he could take care of himself. Yet he couldn't help but be concerned about what kind of trouble Uncle Joey might have gotten him into. His dad was never out this late, and if was going to be gone all-night he would have called. Simon tried working on his portfolio for a while, but by midnight his nerves were shot. He paced for a while like an anxious father waiting for his daughter to come home from a date. Eventually he plopped back down on the couch and attempted to get more work done. That's where he fell asleep. A sounding boom from a knock on the back door and the ring of the doorbell woke him suddenly. He hurried downstairs and opening the door found a tattoo laden blonde man holding up his unconscious father.

"He yours?" The man said.

"Yeah, he's mine." Simon said with disappointment as he saw what a sorry condition his father was in.

The man handed him Yugi then pointed over to the blonde near his motorcycle. "You know where I can drop him?"

Simon looked over and spotted Joey. "I'll take him too." Simon sighed.

Simon struggled a little to get Yugi up the stairs. He was taller and a bit stronger than his father, but even so it was difficult to haul a hundred and forty pounds of dead weight up a flight of stairs. Slowly but surely he made it and depositing Yugi in his bedroom went back to get Joey. But Simon was stopped dead in his tracks for as he entered the living room he was met by the man. He had Joey slung over his shoulder. Simon thought he would drop Joey at the door and leave, but he didn't.

"Where do you want him?" The man asked.

"On the couch will be fine." Simon pointed at the piece of furniture.

"It's a good thing I remembered where Yugi lived." Came the man's deep voice as he placed Joey on the couch.

"You know my father?"

"Yeah, he's a good man. He saved my life once." The man didn't give Simon a second look as he headed out the way he came in.

"Who are you?"

He stopped just before the stairwell. "Just a man cursed by his past." The man started moving again. "You take care of him."

The strange man's identity and his cryptic message baffled Simon. But then again, some things about his father never made sense. And how exactly did his father save a man like that's life? He would have thought it was the other way around.

The man left on his motorcycle and Simon locked up before returning to the bedroom to deal with his father. He removed his father's boots and extraneous clothes and accessories and pulled the sheets over him. He eyed his father for a moment as he nuzzled drunkenly into his pillow. There was still a lot he didn't know about his father.

Author's Note: Okay, don't get your panties in a bunch (that includes you Tym), I'm going to tell you the full story. No, not the one about the showgirls, the one about Kaiba. The showgirls one, really! I'm not like Joey; I don't kiss and tell. But you will get the Kaiba story next chapter. It was unfortunately too long to put in this chapter, so it gets it's own. And I think you'll be a bit surprised at what happens. Or at least I hope you will be.

On a side note. Hey CM! Funny that you should say you wanted to be Mokuba's girlfriend, because I was going to give him one. You want the job? I haven't named the character yet, so if you give me a name I'll give it to her. Sound good? Gee I hope I don't start a trend where everyone wants to be written into my stories. (Ahem, Tym)