Solomon, who was sitting at the dinner table, watching the sunrise through the nearby window as he does some mornings, stared at the sun for a few more seconds after his grandson asked his question. After that pause, Solomon methodically turned his body in his chair and faced Yugi.
"This is the strangest thing I've seen in a very long time, Yugi," Solomon replied, "I have never heard of anything like this before in my life. I knew the Millennium Items had great power, but I'm kind of surprised by this particular reaction. It's almost like the spirit of Millennium Ring is being held back by something. The spirit is working hard to keep Bakura as strong as possible and is even trying to help keep Bakura's soul alive. This makes less sense than anything I've seen before."
While Solomon spoke, Yugi took his glass of milk and plate of bacon and eggs and sat at the dinner table across from his grandfather. As he salted and peppered his breakfast, Yugi asked, "How can we explain what's wrong with Mokuba though? He doesn't have a Millennium Item."
"Remember the prophecy that Kaiba keeps locked up as if it were a massive fortune?"
"Yes... What about it?", Yugi muttered with his mouth full of fried egg.
Grandpa gave him a slightly disapproving look and then continued, "I'm willing to bet that Mokuba could be destined to have contact with a Millennium Item of some sort. I'm not sure if he's fated to be the owner of such a thing, but I am almost sure that the Millennium Items have something to do with his illness."
Yugi drank a bit of milk and cleared his mouth of anything that could impede speech. In a less nonchalant manner, he replied to his grandfather.
"Kaiba and I have done a lot of research regarding all the Millennium Items. Yami's interpretation of the prophecy was that certain items would switch hands. We came to a general consensus that the prophecy could, I repeat, could mean that Kaiba and Mokuba were destined to hold Millennium Items for a time for the specific purpose of protecting the pharaoh. It said later on in the prophecy that people with Millennium items would have to stick together and put aside their differences, no matter how great, to protect what they have."
"What are you saying, Yugi?"
"What I'm saying is for everyone to be able to keep the Millennium Items we have, we have to help each other and not get greedy. There is a great imbalance due to Pegasus' exile and Marik's death, both causing rightful owners to be separated from their Millennium Items. I believe the intangible imbalance is what's causing Bakura and Mokuba to be ill. The evil divinity within the Millennium Ring is helping Bakura to keep his strength, but I'm afraid Mokuba has nothing to help him cancel out the sickness. It's almost like there is a spirit flow that wraps around those involved with the items that resembles human influence. The spirit flow is not totally good or evil; it actually is neutral when things are relatively normal. Things are far from it though."
"In other words, until all the Millennium Items are safe, the 'spirit flow' will be unable to balance and we will continue to have to worry about Bakura and Mokuba?"
"Not only that, but also those who threaten the rightful owners will have a big advantage and try to harm us. As long as the spirit flow is in disarray, we are all in danger."
Solomon sighed and hung his head at this information. He knew that Yugi would have a constant uphill battle as owner of the Millennium Puzzle and vessel for the spirit of the pharaoh, but he never accounted for the fact that danger would seem to always be in sight. Yugi's having the Millenium Puzzle was his destiny and there was no turning back nor will there ever be. This was a reality that Solomon had no choice but to accept for the good of mankind. Solomon was proud his grandson was saving the world, but he was also the worried grandfather of a sixteen-year-old boy and he never wanted any harm to come to him.
Another thing that worried Grandpa was the fact that Duel Monsters was no longer a simple card game. People no longer played the game to simply have fun or win tournaments. Every duel seemed to have something extremely major on the line anymore. Someone's life seemed to be the wager in almost every game. He was tempted many times in recent months to take Yugi's cards and tell him to never duel again, but he just could not, for he knew this was Yugi's fate and only complete pandemonium would result from such an action.
"Yugi, if something happened to you, I could never forgive myself..."
Yugi finished off his bacon and eggs and swallowed his last drop of milk in virtual silence. He noticed his grandfather's change of demeanor, but decided to say nothing for the time being. He figured Grandpa was just pondering one of the many scenarios explained to him a few minutes ago. He respected his grandpa as a deep thinker and tried to give him the space he deserved.
Yugi has begun to feel guilt lately about how much his grandpa has been through on account of him. He has felt bad that his grandpa has had to suffer in some way due to his destiny with the Millennium Puzzle. The fact that his grandfather's soul was a bet in a duel sickens him to the core. Yugi feels he lost his innocence the day Pegasus did that to his grandpa. Yugi feels his childhood slipping from him all too quickly and it breaks his heart.
Solomon broke the silence and asked, "Did you get a chance to check up on Bakura this morning, Yugi?"
Yugi shook himself out of his semi-daze and answered, "Yes, Grandpa. He was snoring away. I doubt he'll be out of bed for a few hours."
"...I have a question for you, Yugi. And answer honestly."
"Yes, Grandpa?"
"Do you think Bakura is safe here?"
"Other than maybe in a vault at KaibaCorp, this is probably the safest place for him."
"Do you think we are safe here with Bakura?"
"I think we are. We're the hands that are feeding him. If he bites down, he'll be in worse trouble than he could ever imagine, Millennium Ring or not."
