Yami grimaced. He was waiting at the end of the stairs when his headache came back with a vengeance. It wasn't a small area of pain. His entire head seemed to throb every few seconds. He tried to ignore it, but eventually, he reached up to rub his forehead — anything to make the pain go away.
"Are you ok?" Of course, Grandpa just had to come down the stairs at that moment.
"Yes, just a headache," Yami answered as he quickly put down his hand.
"Do you want some medicine before we go?"
"Medicine?" Yami asked, thinking back to the mountain of multicolored pills he had seen Yui take earlier. "I'm fine-" He started to say when another wave of pain hit him. "Will it really make it go away?"
"It will at least lessen it," Grandpa said with a tint of worry coming to his eyes. He walked towards the kitchen and had Yami follow him. He gestured for Yami to sit at the small dining table as he went to a side closet in the hall. There Grandpa pulled out a plastic pill bottle. At the same time, Junior came down the stairs. He was again wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, despite the forecast being hotter and even more humid than yesterday. Not that Yami could comment since he was wearing Yugi's school jacket and layers of black leather.
"Something wrong?" Junior asked as he turned into the kitchen and saw the pill bottle.
"The Pharaoh has a headache," Grandpa said as he set the bottle on the table and headed for the kitchen cupboards. As Grandpa got some water, Yami stared at the bottle. He had seen Yui take these. He knew he could do it. The spirit grabbed the bottle and opened it. (He figured out the child safety by merely reading the instructions. Not that Yami was proud or anything for opening it first try.) He then shook out his own pile of pills.
"Whoa, there, champ. I'm pretty sure you only need two," Junior said as he quickly took the bottle and read the directions on the side.
"Only two? Yui needed a lot more." Yami murmured as he grabbed two pills and popped them in his mouth. He tried to swallow like he had seen earlier this morning, but it seemed like his throat suddenly decided to close. Something about the pills' weird shape and chalkiness made Yami reject the medicine, violently. Yami gagged as one rebel pill hit the top of his throat in one of his swallowing attempts. By this point, both Grandpa and Junior were by his side as he choked. It was a hard slap from Junior on Yami's back that finally got the pills out. As Yami took in some much-needed breaths, Grandpa handed him the glass of water.
"Let me guess. You have only ever seen Yui take pain meds before?" Grandpa asked with a sigh.
"Yes…" Yami quietly said, shrinking down in his chair.
"You did nothing wrong." Junior chuckled as he helped clean up the mess Yami made. "It's our fault for not explaining. Most people take pills with water to help them go down. Yui has many strange abilities, some that others would call unnatural. Swallowing pills without anything to wash them down is one of her stranger powers."
Yami glanced at the glass of water Grandpa had put in front of him. "You were getting this for me?"
Grandpa gave an embarrassed smile as he sat across from Yami. "Yes, it was my mistake for expecting you to understand right off the bat what I was doing. Please, if anything confuses you, even if it seems easy, tell us. We will happily explain it."
Yami slowly nodded as he took two more pills from the bottle and, this time, swallowed them down with some water. As he did, he had to bury his growing frustration. It seemed all so simple, yet why wasn't he getting it? Was he that useless outside of card games? Yami stared at the tablecloth, not looking at anything in particular as he took a couple more sips. What was he expecting? Sure, he hung out with Yugi and their friends as they lived their non-game-related lives, but he rarely got involved. No matter how often Yugi tried to get him to take control during peace times, Yami never felt right. It was Yugi's life he was barging into, after all. That didn't leave the Pharaoh with much of his own life, just wandering the twisting passages of the Millennium Puzzle in his copious amounts of spare time.
Yami suddenly felt the weight of his thousands of years of age. He felt so fragile, like he would turn to dust at the smallest push. He didn't belong in this time, at least not in the state he was. Even after years of being with Yugi and their friends, he still felt like an outsider. An out-of-time spirit in an out-of-place body.
'Not that I don't want Yugi or any of the others by my side!' Yami quickly thought, guilt now adding to his headache.
"Hey, you ok?" Junior asked. Yami blinked in surprise. There should have been nothing in his expression that tipped them to his inner fight. Yami glanced at Grandpa to see if he had accidentally emoted anything. Grandpa seemed just as in the dark as Yami.
"The medicine hasn't worked yet. I know it's going to take some time, but I was hoping it be quicker." Yami answered. Junior didn't seem particularly convinced but shrugged.
"Well, modern medicine can only go so far, but I think you'll start feeling a little better by the time we get to the station. We ready to get going?"
"You're heading out already? No breakfast?" Yui asked as she came into the kitchen, eyeing Yami slightly. Yami quickly turned away and stared at the all-so-interesting tablecloth again.
"We want to get going as soon as possible," Grandpa answered as he got up from the table. "We'll probably get something on the way back, though. Do you need anything?"
"Not right now-" She began to cough but managed to stop a full attack from coming. "Wait. Are we still doing the barbeque at the end of the week?"
"Barbeque?" Yami asked as he looked up.
"We always have one at the end of your father's visits?" Yui asked with a raised eyebrow. The last time the family had a barbeque that Yami remembered was for Yugi's birthday. Of course, Junior hadn't been there.
The barbeque had been a fun time as Yugi's friends were invited to eat and play with the family in the park. Yami even got to join in on a water-gun fight. He had been thoroughly soaked by everyone and unable to retaliate thanks to not knowing he had to refill his gun after a few shots. That loss he could happily shrug off; it had been much too fun for him to care. After everyone dried off, they all sat together for cards and dessert as Grandpa passed around sparklers. Yami couldn't help but smile at the memory. While Yugi had been in control of the body most of the night, Yami could still remember the smoky smell of the air and how relaxed the evening had been. A life without the world ending… Part of Yami liked the idea of another barbeque; the other half worried it would get in the way of finding Yugi.
"Oh, right." Yami kept his head down as he glanced at Junior for what to say. Junior seemed to be looking to him for an answer, but when Yami said nothing, Junior quickly threw on a smile.
"Ahh, sure! We can pick up supplies for that. You know I always love the taste of your grilling skills." Junior said.
"Let me write a list real quick then," Yui said. As she started writing, Yami looked to Junior for an explanation.
"Play along for now. Hopefully, we'll have Yugi by the end of the week anyway, right?" Junior whispered as he stood up and took Yui's list.
The goal was still to get Yugi back as quickly as possible then. Yami agreed that if it took more than a week to find his partner, they would be in trouble whether or not they planned a barbeque. The fun little get-together would even be right before the gang headed for Egypt.
Egypt…
When Yami thought about that far-off place, he couldn't help but shiver as that old weight returned. He chose not to focus on that future too much and instead followed Grandpa out of the kitchen.
"I added more to the list than usual because Yugi said he wanted to invite his friends this time around." Yami heard Yui say in the kitchen. At this point, Grandpa had already walked out the front door, but Yami stopped in the storefront to wait for Junior.
"Right, we should be back before lunch. I'll call if anything goes wrong, which it shouldn't." Yami smiled at the defensiveness in Junior's voice. There was a wall that stopped him from seeing the kitchen, but he could imagine the skepticism on Yui's face. Yugi's penchant for things going wrong must run in the family. Yami started to head out, expecting Junior to follow behind. However, he stopped when he heard Junior's steps pause.
"Hey, honey? Have you…noticed anything odd with Yugi lately? Not just today, but…?" Junior trailed off. Yami froze. Was Junior trying to explain it all now? Yami swallowed hard as he leaned up against the wall to listen in. Yui didn't immediately answer. Yami wished he could see her expression. He didn't sneak a peek though, guessing Junior wouldn't have asked this question if he thought Yami was still inside.
"Other than him being sick? Well, he was a bit clingier this morning. But that would be expected after being nearly robbed at gunpoint and then seeing his father… change the situation." Yui's words became quieter, to the point of a whisper.
It felt like cold water had splashed on Yami's back. Of course, he desperately hugging her this morning would make her worry. Now Junior would be on extra alert. Yami didn't need him to think he was scared or anxious. It was a one-time thing; the Pharaoh was just fine.
"I understand that. I mean when times were normal. Did you notice him act strange? Like he wasn't the same person from one moment to the next?"
A much colder silence followed this question as Yami leaned in closer. He knew from Grandpa that Yui had her suspicions about Yugi. Now Yami understood how scary those suspicions must have been for Yugi's grandfather and mother. With Junior's mental history, Yami must have caused a great deal of worry for the two these last few years. Was that what Junior was trying to get her to admit?
"What are you talking about? Yugi's been fine, other than getting into some teenage trouble." Yui's cheery voice answered. Yami listened in for Junior's response, but none came. It seemed like a while before he heard the man sigh.
"Of course, I'm just not quite used to how much he has changed. He really has grown." Another silence. "I'll get going now. Love you. Keep your phone by you in case you have another seizure and need help."
"I'm fine, Solomon. Yesterday was a fluke and nothing more. Love you too." She said with a bit of good-natured annoyance.
Yami tried to get to the front door before Junior came out of the kitchen, but he wasn't fast enough. Junior walked into the storefront, his brows furrowed and an almost shameful look on his face. When he saw Yami, he paused for a moment, but he didn't look surprised. He then looked back into the kitchen. When both heard as Yui went out the backdoor, Junior shook his head.
"I wonder how long those two were going to try and hide their suspicions." Junior quietly said as he headed over to the wall-hooks that held the car keys.
Yami gripped the chains of his necklace and said. "I don't believe they were hiding anything. I think they simply didn't know what to do. They didn't even confront Yugi with their worries."
"Yeah, why let me get involved with my own son's health? Especially when it's symptoms similar to what I've been spending more than a decade in therapy for?" Bitterness sharpening his words. Yami remained quiet, not knowing if he could say anything helpful. He merely watched as Junior stood silently, his expression unchanging. Then, the man let out a long exhale, the hardness in his face disappearing. "It was for the best. It's my fault for not noticing something sooner. Years of training, and I didn't see a thing."
Yami paused. A small part of him wanted Junior to feel guilty. It WAS his fault. If he had been around Yugi more, it would have been obvious to someone of his seeming talents that something was up. The other part of Yami knew that was a childish thought. If Junior had suspected something, it would have been more trouble to add to saving the world. While admitting he was a spirit in a late-night gas station surrounded by old enemies was definitely not the best way to tell Junior, it was much better than convincing the father if he firmly believed it was a mental issue. While Junior usually had been the first to back down from opposition, Yami had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't have been so understanding if he believed his son had inherited some of his illnesses.
"I think you're putting too much responsibility on yourself-" Yami began to say before he noticed Junior's eyes widen.
"Where are the keys?!" Junior asked, nearly desperately. This was a tone Yami had never heard from the man before.
"Ah, Grandpa grabbed them." Yami stammered as he gestured outside.
"We can't let him drive, not when there's a better driver around! He's one bad eye exam from losing his license!" Junior yelped as he rushed past Yami and out the door.
Yami was too shocked at the sudden turn to follow. He stood in the closed storefront, blinking the surprise and sunlight from his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if Junior purposefully did that to change the subject or if he was honestly that worried? Yami thought it more likely Junior was avoiding that particular conversation. Still, the Pharaoh's aching brain and body didn't give much space to think on that long. When Yami managed to heal enough from the whiplash, he turned to the shining outside and walked into the light.
In the small parking space beside the shop, Grandpa was leaning against the trunk of the family car as he flipped through his deck, keys in one hand.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Junior then flashed by him. Grandpa blinked in surprise and turned to the car's front to see Junior had unlocked it and was stepping into the driver's side. Grandpa then looked down at his empty hand in utter shock.
"He-Hey!" Grandpa shouted as he stuffed his deck in his pocket and ran to the front. "I believe I'm driving." He said as he held the door open.
"Nope, I rather not die today, thanks," Junior said with a Cheshire cat smile.
"With you driving, we won't get there by the time the sun goes down!" It looked like Grandpa was actually considering pulling his son out of the front seat, but Grandpa was good enough at physics. A little old man tugging on an adult two times his size did not equal an outcome in Grandpa's favor. So, he continued grumbling under his breath as he slammed the car door closed and walked around to the passenger side. As he did, he noticed Yami by the shop and his undoubtedly confused face.
"Are… you two, alright?" Yami had to ask.
"Oh yes, we're fine." Grandpa immediately dropped his seeming frustration and laughed. "Who drives is an old fight between my son and me. It used to be a lot more serious when we were younger, both of us once being stubborn and proud men. Now it's nothing more than a joke." Grandpa then eyed the car. After making sure they were out of range, he leaned in and whispered to Yami. "If we were comparing best driving, Junior has had no tickets his entire life, even in other countries. Compare that to my… many little law breaks." He whispered, then he turned away and yelled. "But, my SON just never gets anywhere on time EVER!"
"Ha-ha, Suf-fer." Junior laughed as he rolled down the window. "Get in here ya sore loser. We got places to be!"
Grandpa chuckled as he walked up to the passenger side. As Yami followed, he once again found a smile coming to his face. It was small and a little stupid, but seeing this side of the older Mutos made his day. It just seemed so normal. An average family that loved each other even as they got on their nerves. The family Yugi grew up with to be the kind and caring boy he was. A family Yami was coming to feel somewhat close to. He couldn't help but think back to his own missing family. He hoped they could laugh at each other with no hard feelings too.
…
As the three got on the road, it became comfortably quiet for a bit. Yami enjoyed it because his headache had just started to diminish as the medicine and sunshine took effect. Yami put his cheek on the warm window and closed his eyes. 'It would be ok. They were getting things done. They could get Yugi back.'
Just then, a shadow flew over Yami's face. He opened one eye to see Red-Eyes fly overhead. The dragon didn't notice him and continued to glide past. Yami then noticed how Junior's grip on the wheel tightened, but that was the only sign Junior had even seen the dragon. He kept his eyes on the road and his face emotionless.
"That was Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The dragon doesn't stay in the city often, but he always comes when Joey or Yugi summon him." Yami said, reminding himself that Junior was just as new to duel spirits as he was to being a real boy.
Junior let out a pent-up sigh. "Really? That's good. Was Joey at Téa's house yesterday? Is that why the dragon was on her roof?" He asked, almost pleadingly.
"Yes, Red-Eyes means no harm. No duel spirit really means harm." Yami answered as he sat up. He was surprised to see such relief on Junior's face, and even Grandpa seemed thankful.
"What are these duel spirits anyways? Where do they come from, and have they always been here?" Junior asked. Grandpa then turned around in his seat to face Yami.
"You didn't tell him?" Grandpa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't have the time to tell him much of anything last night," Yami admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Well," Grandpa sighed. "I suppose it's good you're driving. Because we have a lot to go over then."
Junior glanced at them with a bit of trepidation but nodded. Yami decided to start with the fact the duel monsters' world was parallel to their world, allowing the creatures to come over to this dimension occasionally. He then explained how Atlantis and Egypt created things like the Shadow Games or the Orichalcos to bring these monsters over. These civilizations left portals in important places that spirits could use to travel to this world. Once here, they could remain in the human dimension until their energy ran out. How they ended up as a card game was because of Maximillion Pegasus. The game maker recreated the old Egyptian summoning power in a new card game. With these cards, monsters didn't need the stationary portals anymore and could teleport immediately to wherever their card was.
"So that's how I saw them before the Duel Monsters game was invented," Junior said, his smile showing how much he had wanted that answer.
"It explains so much too," Grandpa added. "As soon as I heard about duel spirits yesterday, I wanted to tell you immediately. I ended up waiting, hoping to get more information from both you and the Pharoah. Maybe that is why Yugi waited on telling you too?"
"It was always a little odd that with my long list of problems, occasional hallucinations had to be tacked on with none of the other symptoms that usually comes with illnesses like that." Junior then frowned as he reached up to trace his facial scars. "Then again, maybe we shouldn't be getting our hopes up."
Both Grandpa and Yami leaned a little closer when Junior's demeanor suddenly fell so fast.
"I've seen beings that have never been in the Duel Monsters game before," Junior admitted. The atmosphere in the car darkened at that statement. Yami could tell it was hard for Junior to admit. It would be so much easier to say every weird thing he saw was a magical creature from another dimension, but Yami knew he was right to bring it up.
"Not every creature in that world has been made into the game yet. This is an entire dimension we are talking about. That's more species than can ever be made into cards." Yami said. This made both Mutos perk up a little.
"But how can I tell the difference?" Junior asked. "I would love to chalk this all up to magic, but I don't want to ignore it if I do have a problem."
The car once again fell quiet, each thinking about an answer when Grandpa lit up. "You said some spirits like to stay with a partner?" Yami nodded at him. Grandpa then turned to Junior. "Then maybe we can get one for you. If we found one creature that both the Pharaoh, Yugi, and you agree is real, then that spirit could help you decipher what is actually there."
"Is that possible?" Junior asked, hope lifting his tone.
Yami stayed thoughtfully quiet for a few moments. While he put a high amount of confidence in his explanation so the other two could feel reassured, if Yami was honest, he really didn't know that much about spirits. He had only known about their existence for a couple of months. He knew that they were connected to the old shadow games, something he initially stopped, so all spirits seemed to have a great amount of revere for him (even before he helped save them from the Great Leviathan). But other than the occasional visits by Dark Magician Girl, he hadn't spent a lot of time with spirits that could talk. All information on this subject he had gotten from her quick conversations before she went running back to her domain to fix some new problem.
Yami knew duel spirits needed energy to stay in this domain, something the Blue-Eyes made abundantly clear. While having something like a guiding spirit would be useful for Junior, Yami didn't want to get his hopes up if this was asking too much of a spirit. Yami eventually decided this was something they could hash out later when there wasn't a lockdown on the spirit world.
"When we get Yugi back, there are a few spirits we can talk to, but I can't promise anything. I will say I noticed that most spirits only want to stay with duelists." Yami said, sticking to the facts he knew personally.
Grandpa chuckled. "Looks like it's time to get you back into Duel Monsters."
"Again?" Yami asked, not seeing Junior as the gaming type.
"When the game first came out, I fell for it hard. I even got a few tattoos of the original characters. It was a fun distraction from the… things I was doing at the time. Then I left Gozaburo's army. In my therapy sessions, I realized that the monsters I saw were always modeled after the game. I gave all my cards to Grandpa and swore never to pick it up again." Junior then shrugged and even chuckled a little. "With how the world is treating the card game now, I might need to become a duelist just to keep my job. Whether or not I need a seeing-eye duel spirit. You think I could have Gaia The Fierce Knight and Swords of Revealing Light back?"
"Those were originally your cards?" Yami gasped. Yami's surprise made Grandpa laugh more as he turned to Yami.
"It was. The original deck I gave you had cards from both my son and daughter-in-law. I said there was a great deal of heart in them, didn't I?"
Yami couldn't help but grasp at his duel pouch with his deck inside. So, it wasn't just Grandpa's heart in these cards?
"You know I'm joking about taking back the cards, right, Yami?" Junior asked. "They're definitely your cards now. I'm sure once this is all over, Yugi and my Dad will leap at the chance to help me build a new deck."
"You know it! What do you think you'll be going for this time? More of an aggressive deck again, or do you want to try a strategy deck?" Grandpa did indeed seem ready to jump into deck building, right in the car. Seeing this made both Junior and Yami smile. For a few moments, Yami forgot about his tired headache.
"We can deal with my dueling chops later. I still have a few other questions." Junior said. "Why have more duel spirits been coming over the last few years? It went from me seeing maybe one or two in a year to spotting a veritable guided tour of them every few weeks. Is it because of you?" Junior asked. Yami felt a bit of heat flare up at Junior immediately blaming him, but then he reminded himself it wasn't much of a stretch to guess. He had been the reason for stranger things.
"It's less my fault and more Pegasus's growing game…." Yami petered off. In front of their car appeared a roadblock made of miles of traffic. It seemed to fill every road to the center of the city with line upon line of vehicles.
"What the-" Junior cut himself off as he hung out the window to see ahead. It was a good thing he was such a slow driver because he had time to turn off before getting stuck in the mess of angry cars. Junior then pulled over in a parking lot and pulled a city map out of the car's compartment to get an idea of how to avoid the traffic.
"See? This is why I said we should get one of those new TomToms for the family," Grandpa grumbled as he looked over the map too.
"I've deciphered nearly ruined maps in the jungles of the Amazon and got my whole team back earlier than expected. I can lead us through a bit of traffic." Junior shot back. As Junior and Grandpa argued over the best way, Yami noticed a few posters hung at a nearby shopping center. They were posters with Pegasus's face plastered all over them.
"Pegasus is in town?" Grandpa asked once he noticed that painted blue eye staring him down, a bit of apprehension in his voice.
"Right. With the new series of Duel Monster cards being released, Pegasus was doing a country-wide tour." Yami sighed, putting his face in his hand. More pieces to account for in this ever-expanding problem.
"The creator of Duel Monsters…Isn't he a friend of Yugi's?" Junior asked as he put away the map and pulled onto a side street.
"I wouldn't call him a friend. More like an acquaintance." Yami said in a low voice as he eyed Grandpa. Though he tried to hide it, Grandpa was still uncomfortable whenever the man that stole his soul was brought up. Even before everything was explained to him, he always connected his coma to Pegasus's VCR.
Junior glanced to both Yami and Grandpa, worry now coming to his eyes. "Oh, when Yugi talked to Yui or me about him, he always referred to him as a friend."
"Yugi does tend to adopt anything remotely friendly," Grandpa said.
"True…" Junior studied Grandpa for a few moments before he pulled over into a parking garage. "Ok, what's going on here? How did this random game creator figure out something decades of archeologists seem to miss, and more importantly, why are you so unnerved by him, dad?" Both Yami and Grandpa paused. Not quite sure where to start. When no one spoke, Junior chose to park the car. He then turned to face the two. "Let's start with question one then. Does Pegasus see duel monsters too? Is that how he found out about them?"
"Maybe. It would explain how Pegasus knew about so many monsters, more than what was on the walls in ancient Egypt. He even knew about monster species before they were discovered in Atlantean ruins." Yami answered with a shrug. "The ability to see duel spirits outside of holograms doesn't seem to be connected to any dark power. People are either born with it or not, though…." Yami glanced at Junior. "It might be hereditary."
"I certainly don't see them. However, I don't know if your mother had the ability." Grandpa added.
"She was always more understanding when they scared me growing up." Junior sighed. Yami suddenly felt a wave of real tension between the two Mutos. The way they both stiffen and seemed unwilling to face each other, it felt like Junior had accidentally dug out an old wound. Yami didn't think it was a good idea to pick at it, so he quickly moved on. The two seemed all too happy to follow.
"To answer the second question, well…" Yami looked to Grandpa, wondering if this was the right place to start the story. Explaining how Grandpa got his soul stolen would involve why Seto had the gang go through his Death-T games, and that would require going through Yami's first year. If they were going to start, they might as well explain everything else that happened, too. Grandpa understood his silent question and nodded to him.
"Do you have to be at the police station at a certain time?" Grandpa asked.
"Just some time today," Junior answered.
"Good, because I think it's time we told you the whole story," Grandpa said as he gestured for Yami to start.
….
Throughout the explanation, Junior asked many questions. More questions than Grandpa asked when at the museum. Along with more, Junior asked harder questions. The kind of questions that Yami didn't quite know the answers to. He still did his best to answer them, but it was Grandpa that took the reins there. He would let Yami attempt to answer first, then fill in blanks the Pharaoh didn't even think about. What Grandpa really explained was WHY something was done. Yami did a good job of explaining how something happened, but it seemed what Junior needed was the motives. Why Yami felt the need to protect Yugi with dark magic he had seemingly locked away in the first place, why Pegasus was a friend-ish now if he once stole Grandpa's soul, and probably the hardest to answer, WHY didn't Yugi tell his family anything?!
While it took longer to get through Yami's story when they continually stopped to explain everyone's motives, it seemed to make Junior understand better. He didn't need much help figuring out what happened after listening for a while, even guessing the entirety of Battle City, including how the Ishtar family related to everything, all without Yami saying much. All he needed was the why's of their adventures, the answer usually being dark magic.
Where Junior's questions stopped was when it came to the Big Five, Noah, and Gozaburo. Yami hadn't thought about how hearing his old co-workers' fates would affect Junior in his rush to get through years of adventures. Yami had planned to simply mention them and move on when he noticed Junior's change. He became eerily quiet as Yami explained first how the Big Five got trapped in cyberspace. Then a shadow seemed to fall over Junior's face when Yami told of his and his friends' dealings with what remained of Noah and Gozaburo.
"Noah kept Gozaburo's code in that one station. When it was destroyed, they were both…deleted. At least that is what Seto was able to glean from the station's black box." Yami ended. Junior still didn't say anything. He continued to look out the front window into the garage. Yami glanced worriedly to Grandpa, but the older man shook his head. A hint for Yami to remain quiet. The two remained still as Junior processed what had happened. His expression didn't show anger like Yami thought might come. Instead, his head slowly lowered.
"Well, that's that." Junior quietly said. He then snapped his attention back to Yami. "It sounds like you did very well against them. I'm glad you're safe. And to think this all happened relatively recently."
Yami nodded as his grip on one knee became a little tighter. He usually left his curiosity alone; it wasn't his place to ask. But with everything he had learned about the Muto family lately, Yami felt it needed to be answered. "Did you know them well?" Grandpa immediately shot Yami a look, but Junior didn't seem too phased.
"Well enough, I suppose. Not so much Noah. I only got to meet him after his accident." Junior said, a shiver rolling down his spine. "I hope that boy has found some peace. Watching him slowly go insane in the virtual world was… I left KaibaCorp right around that time, so I never got to see the end. I just took one key to the boy's system so I could add it to my Gozaburo blackmail." Junior shook his head. His frown was becoming more pronounced every passing second.
"It's strange. While the Big Five were corrupt, I could never see them going as far as stealing children's bodies. They were always Gozaburo's stuffed shirts that wilted at the smallest hint of opposition. I still have one of those stupid penguin ties Crump gave out every Christmas party." There seemed to be an almost nostalgic mist that came to Junior's eyes as he looked down.
Yami then felt as an ice block rolled down his innards. He had never thought much of the Big Five, just minor villains in his world of universe-ending troubles. But unlike his other villains, they weren't controlled by some great evil force. They were just bad people. Bad people that had lives and probably families. The same guilt that weighed on Yami regarding his first few months now crushed with more force. He and his friends did what they had to do. They were protecting themselves. There was no excuse for what those men did. But that didn't stop Yami's terrible feeling. Everywhere he seemed to go, destruction followed. All in the name of saving the world, right?
Junior looked over Yami for a few seconds. Yami once again tried to hide his inner battle. He thought he was doing well when suddenly Junior shifted. Just as quickly as the sentimental mist came, it immediately left Junior's eyes. His frown turned from sad to completely disgusted. "Strike that. I can absolutely see them doing that." Junior said with a hint of a growl.
"That's quite the shift in attitude," Grandpa said. Something about Grandpa's tone was different to Yami like he was only mildly surprised at Junior's opinion doing a one-eighty.
"I have to remember that the versions of the Big Five I met weren't the real men's personalities. I was Gozaburo's big scary attack dog, after all. They were most likely so polite and accommodating to me because of fear and the fact I was Gozaburo's oldest 'friend.' To get their place in the company, they would've had to be as cutthroat as Gozaburo himself. They wouldn't have shown mercy. You and the others had every right to defend yourselves from them in the manner you did." Junior said as he nodded to Yami. While Yami was glad he had another person that approved of his and his friend's decisions, there was a little thing that nagged at him. There was something else Junior was thinking of.
Grandpa reached out and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Junior jumped slightly but kept Grandpa's hand there when he realized it was a gesture of comfort.
"You're thinking that might have been you," Grandpa said in a gentle yet steady voice. Yami could tell he was doing his best not to sound accusatory. It sounded so similar to Yugi's way of speaking that Yami felt a sudden lonely pang.
Junior stared at his father for a few moments before taking in a sharp breath. "If I had stayed in KaibaCorp and hadn't spent all those years working to heal myself, I could very well have been with them. My division would have been one of the first to get cut by Seto when he took over, and I could very easily see myself looking for revenge." One of Junior's hands returned to the bottom of the steering wheel, seemingly in search of anything to squeeze. "Then what would I have done if I found out my son got stuck in virtual reality too? Would I still have gone forward? What if I lost my body completely like the others? Could I-?"
"You would not do that now!" Grandpa cut into the coming storm with a firm word. Junior immediately shut his mouth as Grandpa continued. "You care too much for others to ever be that selfish. These are what-ifs, not reality."
Yami was taken aback. That answer was strong, but it was still filled with love. Grandpa truly believed Junior would never do something like that, and it showed through his words and expression. What's more, it seemed like Grandpa was prepared for this. Was this something he had to do often for Junior? This also brought Yugi to the Pharoah's mind. After Duelist Kingdom, when Yami had pulled entirely out of the Millennium Puzzle's shadows for the first time, he spent many weeks stewing over his past actions. A few years down the line, he could easily see how the Puzzle's shadows had initially influenced his confused mind. But at the time, Yami truly feared what kind of spirit he was when he had so easily thrown his conscience away in the past.
When Yugi had finally gotten what had been bothering him out of the spirit, the boy had done something very similar to what Grandpa just did. He had listened to the Pharaoh's worries, but when Yami started spiraling into darker thoughts, Yugi had immediately stopped him with a firm but heartfelt sentence.
"You are not like that! You are my friend and partner!"
It was so simple, yet it broke straight through Yami's growing worries, even if it was just for that moment. Yami couldn't help but wonder, was that something he learned from Grandpa, something the whole family had to learn for Junior's sake, or just these two's natural caring instincts taking over?
Junior paused. He at first seemed ready to brush off Grandpa's words. Then Grandpa squeezed Junior's shoulder slightly. This physical touch seemed to bring Junior back to reality. "Right. You're absolutely right." Junior said, seemingly more for himself than anyone else in the car. "Those men have been gone for over a year now. The fact I am not with them just shows how many things have changed. I have to stay in the now." Junior said as he closed his eyes. Grandpa waited a few seconds and then pulled his hand away when Junior opened his eyes. He then turned to Yami.
"Sorry for interrupting your story, but I really must thank you. I know you have helped save the world multiple times, and that's still a hard fact to get over, but putting that group to rest is probably one of the better for the world." Junior said with a genuine smile that Yami happily grinned back to. "How many stories do we have left? Do you guys think you can finish the rest on the walk over to the station? It's still fifteen minutes from here, thanks to all this traffic."
…
Everything was laid bare once again, and this time Yami didn't feel so bad about outing Yugi's secrets. He did feel just as tired as last time, but he didn't think it was because of the same emotional release. It was more thanks to the clear and boiling hot summer day. Their walk had some shade thanks to all the tall buildings the city's center had, but it wasn't enough for Yami.
Yami also updated the two Mutos on where Yugi was and how to get him back using Red-Eye's plan between his gasps for air. He admitted he didn't know where the glowing red card was, and the three agreed that once they talked to Yui, they would tear apart the house to find it. Even after that was told, there was still a little while until they got to the station. Junior and Grandpa started asking more random questions about Yami and Yugi's adventures in this empty time. Some made Yami laugh, and some made him quirk an eyebrow.
"Dartz really was an ancient Atlantean king?!" Junior chuckled as the family walked.
"Yes, though I don't know what happened to him and his family when the island fell into the sea," Yami explained, doing his best to keep up with the two Mutos. Seriously, how were they not affected by the heat? Even Grandpa was walking faster than Yami!
"No wonder you and your colleagues could find nothing on that man," Grandpa laughed as he patted Junior's back. Junior could only shake his head.
"If we had known all this, it would have saved months of work."
"Work?" Yami asked. Junior turned back to him and gave a small smile.
"I work for the government fixing 'unusual' problems, remember? Dartz was a rather large one, even before he released an army of real monsters on our planet. My team and I were trying to track him down for months." Junior then sighed as he put his hands on his hips. "It really was hell on earth for me during that time. Not knowing if I saw an illusion or an actual monster. My poor therapists had a time trying to unwind that fun." Junior ruefully chuckled.
Yami understood the dark humor and knew he wasn't supposed to take Junior seriously, but he couldn't help the small frown that found its way to his face. It reminded him that there were probably other people out there like Junior, people who could see duel spirits but didn't have the explanation. It really would be a scary world to be in. But how to get the information spread was something Yami had no idea how to start. Another idea that would have to be stored away until they got Yugi and his memories back…
If there is a time after that.
Yami pushed that thought and the trip to Egypt out of his mind. There was such a finality surrounding that journey that Yami couldn't explain. It felt like it would be 'the end' without any real reason why Yami thought of it as so. It was just another adventure, an adventure that would get him what he most wanted in this world. Yami's headache throbbed again, and he dropped the thought.
'With my body suddenly seeming so intent on falling apart on me, the real question is if I will even make it to Egypt.' Yami had meant the thought as a joke, but he felt as goosebumps grew across his arm, even in this intense heat. The rocky puzzle seemed to respond to his comment with a dark pulse. Something he hadn't felt from the item in years.
"Ok, explain one other thing for me." Junior cut into Yami's thoughts. "Why will getting this glowing card help get Yugi back from the Duel Monsters world?"
"I don't know," Yami admitted. "Red-Eyes seemed pretty confident in the plan, though."
"Maybe we can ask him when we pick up Joey and Téa. He does hang around Joey, right?" Grandpa asked. Along with Yami's backstory, the family had discussed how to explain things to Yui. Eventually, they decided it would be best to have as many witnesses as possible. It was agreed Grandpa would call Yugi's friends to update them. At the same time, Yami and Junior gave their statements at the police station. Whoever finished their mission first would then grocery shop.
"Yes, duel spirits tend to stay with their card holders. Something about losing less energy when they do so." Yami explained.
"With all the cards we carry, I'm surprised that the shop's not constantly filled with monsters. The most I ever saw was that Blue-Eyes when we first moved in." Junior cringed. Yami couldn't figure out why he'd be embarrassed by the Blue-Eyed spirit's mention but chose to ignore it for now. They were then coming up to the police station.
"Ok, you two give your statements. I'll call Yugi's friends and see if we can pick them up on the way back." Grandpa said before the two went inside.
"Sounds good," Junior said. He was about to wave off his father when his hand absent-mindedly went into his pocket. He suddenly became very frantic as he groped around in it for a bit, even turning out the pocket. It was then Grandpa grinned his own toothy grin as he produced the car keys from his overalls.
"It might be faster for me to get the car if you guys take long. So, consider this revenge for this morning." Grandpa laughed before sauntering off.
Junior seemed frozen for a few moments, then grinned and led Yugi into the police station. "Still so skilled at sleight of hand, even after all these years." Junior chuckled to himself.
When the two entered the station, the air conditioner hit them first, much to their relief. The two of them were definitely not wearing clothes for walking in the summer sun. Yami wanted to collapse in a chair but obediently followed behind Junior to the front window. The station was relatively empty thanks to the commotion in the center of the city. The two walked right to the front. After explaining their situation, they were then told to sit and wait. Yami was all too grateful to flop in a chair, breathing in deep to try and cool his body.
"And you said you walked for a day in the California desert?" Junior chuckled at Yami's tiredness.
"I was driven by the impending end of the world," Yami answered, a bit more sharpness to his voice than he was intending. Junior merely smiled and leaned back in his chair. While Yami didn't want Junior worried, he too was wondering why he had gotten tired so quickly. Sure, the sun was hot, but not enough to make him so exhausted this fast.
Movement in the side of Yami's eyes cut this train of thought short. It was the all too familiar movement, at this point, of a tall boy running by. Yami immediately froze, and even Junior took an interest as the boy ran up to the front.
"Got the coffee, sir! Did you want my statement now then-?" The boy then noticed the pairs of eyes on him, and he turned, becoming rigid also.
"Hello again, Tetsu."