I apologize for the very late upload! Once again, I thank you guys for all of your support!
"So, tell me. How exactly are we going to go about explaining this to Yugi's grandpa? It's not like we found a puppy." Téa asked as the three made their way back to the game shop.
Fortunately for them, getting Shu out of the museum was far easier than expected. With the help of Téa's explanation that he was Yugi's little cousin from Egypt that his relative had dropped off earlier for a visit, that is. She also prayed that they didn't review the camera footage of the "ghost" and realize it had been Shu! Anyway, keeping an eye on the boy was a little more challenging. He was very well mannered and behaved himself, but he was still a kid. A kid that had been transported 3,000 years into the future. Everything was strange and exciting to him! Even something as mundane as a traffic light would fascinate him. It was a little comical to watch him since he was wearing Yami's jacket to avoid unwanted attention to his outdated clothes. Waving or pointing at something resulted in nothing but a jacket sleeve fluttering. Thank goodness he was somewhat afraid of the cars, but that didn't stop his father from keeping an iron grip on his hand.
"To be honest, I haven't thought that far." Yami answered continuing the conversation. "Sugoroku has always been accepting of me, so he's obviously not bothered by spirits or anything of the sort."
Téa sighed. "I'm not talking about that. What I mean is how are you going to explain Shu being here? I know that he's your son, but what if he doesn't believe you? Besides that, people are going to wonder why there's a little kid hanging around the shop all of a sudden."
"Oh, that!" Yugi said suddenly swapping with the Spirit. "Eh, I'm not too worried about it. Grandpa will believe us!"
"Yugi, are you sure? He is my son after all, I should be the one explaining." Yami asked taken by surprise from the sudden switch.
Yugi waved off his concern. "It's fine! Don't worry, I'll handle it." By this time, they arrived at the game shop. "Here we are, Shu, home sweet home!" He said looking down at the boy.
Shu let go of Yugi's hand and looked at the building unimpressed. "You live here? It's so small!
As soon as the remark was said, Téa noticed Shu do a double take then frown at the spot next to him. Huh, maybe the Pharaoh had gotten onto him?
"Ha! I guess it is a lot smaller than what you're used to! But, enough about that, there's someone I want you to meet." Yugi pulled the door to the shop open. "Gramps! We're home!"
"How'd it go? Find anything interesting?" Sugoroku answered from somewhere in the back.
"You could say that..." Téa laughed nervously as Shu peered out from behind Yugi. Sugoroku came up to the front of the store.
"Did you meet a potential customer there? He seems a tad young though." He smiled down at the boy.
Shu's face lit up at the sight of him. "Shimon!" He yelled out hugging the old man.
Yugi frowned in confusion. "Huh? Shimon? What are you talking about Shu? That's my grandpa, his name's Sugoroku."
"But he's…" Shu looked at him then back at Sugoroku.
"Sounds like I must have a doppelgänger!" The old man laughed. "But that's ok." He said patting Shu on the head. "What's your name, my boy?"
"Believe it or not, Gramps, you're actually in the presence of royalty. His name's Shu, and he's the son of the Pharaoh." Yugi answered removing his jacket from the boy.
"What…?" Sugoroku said in disbelief quickly looking back at Shu to study him more closely. "Oh, my, it really is you…" Just for a brief moment, Yugi swore he saw a flash of sadness in his grandfather's eyes.
"This is extraordinary!" Sugoroku placed a hand on Shu's shoulder. "He's not a spirit?"
"Huh?" Yugi shook his head to get back on topic. "Nope, the Pharaoh said that he's actually living."
"We just found him hanging out in the museum." Téa said. "I actually saw him yesterday, but he disappeared on me. The workers were all freaked out because they thought he was a ghost!"
"So very interesting!" Sugoroku said turning his attention back to Shu. "Do you remember how you got here, young one?"
Shu shook his head sadly. "No, I just remember being with my Momma and then I woke up in that weird place. I tried asking for help, but no one would listen."
"I'm thinking that maybe he's been sealed inside the Puzzle this whole time since the Pharaoh said he could sense him in there. Maybe something in the museum triggered him being unsealed? Still doesn't explain why the workers didn't notice him though." Yugi suggested.
"Possibly…" Sugoroku said in a distant way making Yugi take notice. What was he thinking about? "Anyway, what's your plan for him now?" He asked turning to his grandson.
Yugi was a little caught off guard. He was confident that his grandfather would accept Shu beforehand! But what if he actually didn't? "Oh, um… I was wondering if it would be ok if he stayed here a bit. At least till we get something figured out for him. He doesn't really have any place to go plus, you know, the Pharaoh's already here." He said holding up the Puzzle.
His grandfather gave him a stern look then looked down at Shu. "Do you really think I'd be that heartless?" He laughed giving Shu a hug. "Welcome to the Mutou family, my boy!"
Shu looked at Yugi and Téa excitedly as he hugged the old man back.
"Aw! Shu Mutou does have a nice ring to it!" Téa laughed.
"Sure does." Yugi smiled looking over at the Spirit next to him. He seemed to be just as happy about the decision.
Evening soon arrived prompting Téa to be on her way. "I'll give Joey and Tristan a call and tell them what's up." She said as Yugi walked out the door with her. "Maybe we could have them meet Shu tomorrow and show him around!"
Yugi nodded. "That'd be cool! He can see how we do things in this time." Hearing the two outside, Shu came to join them.
"Where are you going, Téa?" He asked disappointed.
"I've got to go home. But don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow!" She said bending down to his level.
"You promise?" He asked.
"Promise." She replied ruffling his hair. Standing back up she looked over at Yugi. "See you at school tomorrow!"
"Yup, see you!" He waved back. Once he knew that she was safely on her way, he led Shu back into the house. "Let's get you settled in, you can sleep in my room for now. Tomorrow's going to be a big day." Yugi said while Shu followed him upstairs into his room.
"Wow! How'd you light your torch so fast?" Shu asked running under the ceiling light after it had been turned it on.
"Huh? Torch...? Oh!" Yugi laughed. "We don't use those anymore, we use electricity!"
"Elec…tricity…?" Shu mimicked not understanding.
"It's complicated." Yugi said disappearing down the hallway. In the meantime, Shu looked around at the bedroom. It was certainly smaller than the one he had in his own time! There was a bed, a desk, a weird looking gray shiny box thing, and some shelves…that was it. Not wanting to be scolded by his father again, Shu kept his opinions to himself. Yugi by this time had come back with an armload of bedding. "Alrighty, here you go." He spread the blankets out on the floor. "And…" Grabbing a Kuriboh plush off the bookshelf he placed it next to the pillow. "There! All comfy!"
Shu came over to inspect the makeshift bed. Flopping down on it proved to be more comfortable than it looked! He picked up the plushie surprised by how soft it was. Strange, he could have sworn he'd seen a creature like this before.
Yugi in the meantime was rummaging through the bottom drawer of his dresser. "Here, put these on." He said tossing a pair of blue pajamas covered in white stars.
"What are these?" The boy asked curious while holding them up. "They look funny!"
"They're pajamas. You sleep in them instead of your regular clothes. We'll get you some other stuff to wear tomorrow. All of my clothes are too big for you."
"What's wrong with my clothes?" Shu pouted.
Yugi laughed. "There's nothing wrong with them! It's just that they're not really of this time anymore. You've got to blend in."
"Aw, alright." Shu said reluctantly. "I get to keep my scarf, don't I? Dad gave it me." He said untying it before slipping his shirt off.
"Of course! There's no way we'd get rid of that…" Yugi stopped mid-sentence, stunned by what he saw. From the middle of Shu's stomach to the left side of his back ran four jagged lines that shockingly resembled claw marks. "Shu…h-how'd you get those scars?"
"These?" Shu pointed down at them. "I really don't like talking about them…"
Yugi quickly tried to change the subject. "Oh! That's ok! We don't have to!" He wracked his brain for something to cheer the boy up. "Hey, if you want, I can show you one of my favorite games! Your dad loves to play it too!"
Shu's expression immediately changed. "Ok!" He said slipping the pajama top on.
"Those looked really bad… you remember anything, Pharaoh?" Yugi asked the Spirit as he appeared next to him. He didn't get a response, but by the way the Spirit looked he could tell that he was deeply upset.
Once Shu was dressed, Yugi went over and got his box of cards. "These are called Duel Monster cards!" He said taking out a deck. "It's a really fun game where you use monsters to battle your friends. And you're looking at the champ right here!" He spread a couple of cards out on the floor. "See the number of stars up in the corner? That shows…Wait you can count, can't you?"
Shu nodded allowing Yugi to continue. "Ha, of course you can. Anyway, the number of stars show how strong the monster is. If it has a lot of stars that means it's super strong! But even the strongest monster may not win sometimes. You'll need these." He placed a couple of different cards down. "The green are spell while the purple are traps, you can use these to strengthen your monster or mess with your opponent's strategy."
Yami in the meantime sat at the desk watching the two. Maybe some Duel Monsters would take his mind off things for a bit.
Shu looked at all the different cards in wonder. There was so much to look at! The text descriptions were unknown to him, but the pictures were enough. "Can we play? It looks fun!"
"Sure! We'll play an easy way." He handed Shu a deck. "There's forty cards there, they're all monster cards of different levels. We'll duel based on how high leveled the monster is. For instance…" He placed Kuriboh and Feral Imp down. "Kuriboh loses because he has less stars than Feral Imp. We can go until someone's monster loses three times. How does that sound?"
Shu looked beyond excited. "I'm ready!"
"Awesome! Now draw five cards for your hand. Meaning, the cards you'll be holding." Yugi said fanning out his hand. "This ought to be fun! He's young, but he's still the Pharaoh's kid."
"Ok…1,2,3,4 and 5." The boy drew his hand and tried to mimic Yugi's draw motion but failed spectacularly resulting in his cards soaring through the air. Yugi held it together pretty well on the outside but was laughing to the Spirit in his mind.
"Wow, didn't you teach him any better?" He joked. Yami gave him such a glare that he quickly dropped the subject.
The rest of the night continued with nothing but Duel Monsters. It was around ten before Yugi even glanced at the time. "Ugh, I hate to say it, but we've got to stop, Shu. I've got school tomorrow."
"Is that where you go to learn things?" The boy asked interested. "Can I go?"
"Ha, I wish I liked school like you do." Yugi said cleaning up the cards. "But you're going to stay here with Gramps tomorrow."
Shu accepted the answer and looked over at his father. "Does that mean you have to go too, Daddy?"
Both Yami and Yugi were shocked. Shu could see him?
"You…can see me, Little One?" Yami asked still unsure.
Shu cocked his head to the side. "Yes, but you look funny, how come I can see through you?"
Yugi removed the Puzzle from his neck and placed it on the desk. "That's so weird. So, you can see him even if I have this off, Shu?"
The boy nodded. "I've always been able to see him." He went over and picked the Puzzle up looking at it in different angles. "Do you live in here now, Daddy?"
Yugi shot a glance over to Yami who returned it. There was certainly some explaining to do.
"Hey, Pharaoh, if you need to talk to him, I'm going to ask Gramps about tomorrow. You'd probably explain it better than me." Yugi said going to the door. "I'll be right back." Seeing the Spirit nod, he went downstairs to find his grandpa.
Entering the kitchen, he saw his grandfather at the table with a book. "Whatcha reading?" He asked taking a seat.
Sugoroku looked up from his book. "Oh, nothing." He quickly flipped the page he had been reading. "Just trying to find information on our newest resident. Speaking which, where's the Millennium Puzzle?"
"Oh! We found out that Shu could see the Pharaoh even if I'm not wearing it. I took it off so he could be with him."
Sugoroku nodded slowly. "It might be good that he can't hear us then. But I'm sure he already knows…"
That caught Yugi off guard. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
The old man looked like he said too much. "It's nothing. Just some of my ramblings!" He gave Yugi a look. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"
Yugi gave him a look back. "After hearing that, I'm not going anywhere. What does the Pharaoh already know?"
Sugoroku sighed. "As soon as I saw Shu today, I knew who he was. Not in his time mind you, I'm not that old!" Yugi looked unamused by the joke, so his grandfather continued.
"Anyway, I've told you about the time I discovered the Pharaoh's tomb but one part of it never made sense to me until now. I had been separated from my guides. Well, actually, I left them. You see the tomb had two adjacent passages. One doorway was made look like the god Horus personified as the Pharaoh. Naturally, my guides took that path. They were only interested in treasure while I wanted to complete the "game" of the tomb. I entered into the other passageway and noticed that it had been hastily done. As in, most of the murals were not completed or painted. I was convinced that it would just lead to a false door or a dead end. Instead, it led to another room that's door was still sealed wrapped with the original rope. I now regret what I did, but I cut the seal thinking maybe it was a clue to solving the Pharaoh's game. The room was small, but full of typical funerary items and a sarcophagus. I didn't bother the sarcophagus because the lid would have been too heavy to pry off and I knew it was too little for the Pharaoh. I did search through the items and realized they were a child's belongings. Thinking it was odd for these to be in the tomb, I looked at the walls."
Yugi knew what was coming next but nodded for his grandpa to continue.
"Like I said earlier, the murals were mostly incomplete, but I could make out a few things. There was a chapter from the Book of the Dead along with some scenery paintings. Then that's where I saw him. One of the paintings depicted Shu, the Pharaoh, and I presume his mother. Shu's name was the only one that was mentioned in both the murals and his belongings. The Pharaoh and his wife's appeared to have been gouged out whenever they were brought up."
Yugi sat back for a moment. Shu was…? In all honestly it made perfect sense for him to be dead. He was after all thousands of years old. But then again… "Hold on though, the Pharaoh said he wasn't a spirit and that he's living, remember?"
Sugoroku nodded his head. "I do, but I'm sure the Pharaoh knows the truth deep down. Memories or not, pain of that magnitude is never forgotten. Shu may have passed on before him. That would explain why the tomb was done in such haste."
"But how is here then? He has his own body." Yugi asked still not understanding.
"There are spirits that are referred to as a'akhs in the Ancient Egyptian religion." Sugoroku opened back up to the page he had been reading. "It's a soul that no longer has a physical attachment to its former body. It's said they can assume human forms to visit those still living. I believe this is what Shu is."
Yugi didn't even know how to respond. He was just going to ask his grandpa if he could keep an eye on Shu tomorrow while he and the Pharaoh were away. Talk about a three-sixty.
"Don't worry, I'll still look after him. I just wanted you to know my thoughts." Sugoroku closed the book.
The only thing Yugi could do was nod. He really didn't know how else to respond.
Seeing his expression, Sugoroku tried to offer some encouragement. "Perhaps when you meet with Ishizu again she can give you some more information. Who knows? Maybe I'm just over thinking things."
Yugi gave him a slight grin and told him goodnight before going back to his room. Walking in, he saw that Shu was sound asleep. Trying to hide his concern, he laughed at the sight. "Geez, wish I could fall asleep that fast!" He joked turning off the light and sidestepping around the boy to his bed.
"I think today's excitement got to him." Yami said smiling before his face fell. Despite Yugi not wearing the Puzzle he could still sense his emotions. And the feeling he was getting wasn't a good one. "Did everything go alright with your grandfather?"
"Darn it! He knows somethings up." Yugi thought as he set the alarm clock. "Uh, yeah! Everything's fine! Gramps is really looking forward to watching Shu tomorrow. He said they're going to play games all day!"
Yami could tell that he was hiding something, but he decided to drop it. "That's good…"
"Huh? Something the matter?" Yugi asked still fighting with the alarm.
"I just thought that I had finally solved the mystery of my past, but it seems to just deepen. I know that I was once pharaoh and fought against a powerful evil. But there is very little I know about this monster from my past…and yet I'm expected to fight it again." Yami said before looking over at Shu. "I don't know what divine intervention brought us together, but I'm thankful for it. Knowing that he was able to survive the battle has given me hope."
Yugi felt like he was kicked in the gut after hearing that. There was no way he could tell the Pharaoh about what his grandfather had said. Staying on topic, he tried to lighten the mood. "I think the craziest part about today for me was finding out he's your kid." He eyed the Spirit suspiciously. "I mean, seriously, how old are you? Shu told me he's five!"
"My age is what concerns you the most? Not the fact that another person from 3,000 years ago is living in your house? Or anything else about this whole situation?" Yami asked chuckling.
"Well, yeah." Yugi scratched at his head slightly embarrassed. "I mean, spirits and ancient magic don't really bother me anymore since you came around."
Yami rolled his eyes. "To answer your question, I only appear young because my soul is inhabiting your body."
"Huh, I've always thought you were sealed in the Puzzle around my age. Anyway, answer this. Why do we look so much alike? I saw the tablet! We look exactly the same!"
It was Yami's turn to be stumped for once. "That is something I'm still unsure about."
Yugi laughed. "So, I've been thinking on it, and this is what I've come up with. You're either my ancestor from like a million years ago or somehow a relative that's been removed a thousand times. I mean, who wouldn't want to say they were related to a pharaoh?"
"True, I haven't thought of it that way. Although, I don't think I'm quite "a million" years old yet." Yami grinned at him before turning his attention back to Shu. "Is it alright if we switch for now? I want to stay with him."
"Yup, that's fine with me. Wait a minute, does that mean you're going to go to class for me tomorrow? Yugi asked hopefully. " Coach is making us run a mile in gym class. You know how much I hate it!"
Yami gave him a disapproving look. "Not likely. Rest assured I'll get you up in plenty of time for school. In fact, if I were you, I'd be ready to be up an extra hour early. You're not going to be late again this week."
"Alright. Sheesh, I'll get up." Yugi said allowing the Spirit to take over. "Please don't make it too early though." He added sheepishly.
Yami ignored the request making him sulk in his soul room. Standing up, he fixed the covers around Shu before leaving the room. He needed to thank Yugi's grandfather before he went to bed. Seeing that the light was still on the kitchen, he went in there. Sugoroku was still at the table but this time fiddling with some kind of toy from the shop.
"Sugoroku?" Yami said somewhat unsure of how to begin.
The elderly man turned to his name. "Ah, Pharaoh. What can I help you with?" It hadn't taken him long to recognize when Yugi and Yami swapped. It did surprise him that he was talking to the Spirit though, he very rarely spoke to him.
Yami stared down at the floor. "I just wanted to thank you for your generosity. I'm so sorry to be an even bigger burden to you. I didn't know what else to do or where to take Shu. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."
Sugoroku stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, my boy. It's no burden at all! I'm excited to have another youngster around the house. It'll be like having another grandson!" He gathered up the remains of the toy off the table. "As for the payment, you've already paid in full. I'm so thankful that Yugi was able to meet you. You've helped him in ways that I was unable to. So, I should be thanking you. By the way, it's "Grandpa", you're family too."
Yami smiled at him. It was so strange, but from the very first day he had met the man he felt like he knew him. The two said goodnight and parted ways.
Shu was still asleep and hugging his Kuriboh plushie when Yami walked back into the room. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was such a strange thing that Shu was here now, but he knew without a shadow of doubt that he was truly his son.
The happiness soon faded as the image of his scars came creeping back into his mind. Shu seemed to be able to remember a lot about the day they were sealed inside the Puzzle. If they talked to him, he might be able to shed some light on what needed to be done. Only, Yami was afraid to ask. His son was clearly traumatized by the memory, in all honestly, who wouldn't be? Maybe given some time he would tell them but not now. He was going through more than enough at the moment. The boy's sudden whimpers turning to cries caught his attention.
"Mwt? Mwt!" Shu cried out in his sleep.
"What does that mean?" Yami thought. It took him a second, but the meaning of the ancient word came to him. "He wants his mother…" That realization made him feel a mix of emotions. He did say that the last thing he remembered was being with her. Shu's dream seemed to be getting worse as he started to toss around. Yami snapped out of his thoughts to try and calm him.
"Shhh… I'm right here, Little One." He said lying next to him. Sensing his father, Shu curled up in his arms crying softly. It took a little bit, but he finally calmed down enough to drift back off to sleep. Deciding that it was safe to move without waking him, Yami picked him up and laid him on the bed next him. What happened to Shu's mother…his queen…had she been safe? Or did she perish in the battle? Could it be possible that she was the one he heard in his dreams? He started to feel drowsy. The sensation was almost foreign to him since he hardly ever slept while in physical form, Yugi was the one that did. Closing his eyes, he thought he would rest just for a moment…nothing too long…
~
He could feel Shu trembling in his arms as he ran. Fragments of stone crackled beneath his feet as they fled down the ruined road. The blood-red sky along with the unrelenting stares of ram-headed sphinxes lining the path only fueled his fear.
A low rumble reverberated through the barren landscape before turning into a deafening roar. Shu let out a sudden sickening cry before he was ripped from his father's arms. The impact was so violent that it yanked Yami backwards and onto the ground. Struggling to his feet, he frantically searched for his son. The sight that met him made his blood go cold. Hideous, crimson-stained marks ran around Shu's side to his back. Standing over him was a monster that was taller than Yami and whose fur shared the same color as the red sky. It's body was long and sleek like a jackal's. The way the beast's ears were cropped made them appear to be squared off. The muzzle, though, was the most unnatural looking. It was bent downwards in such a grotesque angle that it looked broken.
The monster stared back at him with a malicious grin. Baring its fangs, saliva oozed from its mouth. Shu clutched his side while weakly reaching out toward his father. His painful cries made the monster place a clawed hand on his back in a taunting manner. Yami could feel pure hatred and anger rise up in him. Not caring about his own safety, he gathered himself and raced to save his son. Seeing the father's desperation, the beast slammed its claws down on the boy resulting in a sickening snap…
~
Yami bolted awake drenched in a cold sweat. Just what was that?! Taking deep breathes, he tried to calm down. Looking down, he realized what he had been holding so tightly was Shu. Relaxing his grip, he started to think. What had brought that dream on? Was it from seeing Shu's scars? He didn't even get that good of a look at them. Another thing was the monster. He had never seen anything like it, mythical or not. There wasn't even a creature in Duel Monsters that came close to resemble the thing. Its aura seemed to be dark and cold. Much like the feeling of when a Shadow Game was taking place.
Why had it been so vivid? Weren't dreams supposed to be usually devoid of most of the senses? Not this one. The color of the sky, the monster, Shu…he hugged and kissed his son. He was at the point to where he was starting to think it was more than just a nightmare. The scene of Shu and the monster kept replaying in his mind making him feel sick to his stomach. Why did this have to be one of the first experiences with his son? He didn't even want to think about it anymore. Laying back down, he tucked Shu into the crook of his arm. It wasn't much, but at least for the moment, he was able to make his son feel safe.
I'm so glad I'm finally able to get this posted! Originally, this part was going to include more, but I split it into two so it wouldn't be as long. The next part WILL be the finale. Anyways, what do you guys think so far? Can you guess what the monster is that Yami dreamed about?
