Angel: YAY!! I'm outta school! ... almost. But I'm done with my finals! YAY!!!! NOW I CAN UPDATE MORE OFTEN!!! Reviews would help *hint* *hint*. NO MORE PENCILS, NO MORE BOOKS! NO MORE TEACHER'S DIRTY LOOKS! *cough, cough*. I'm done.
I have written an entire outline of this story. It's about ::checks outline:: eight pages long, with seventeen designated chapters. And that's only book one, cuz this ends in a kind of cliffhanger. The last chapter is entitled "Shirana Iaidani" which literally means "I don't know for how long." It's a bit of a boring chapter, 'cept for a fight between two of the yamis (Setsuna [Yami Ai] and Kerihk), but so what? Book two is called "Tsuyosa no Kibou," which means "The Power of a Wish." It'll probably be up sometime next year (considering how terrible I am at updating.) Reviews would keep me into the storyline! *hint* *hint again*
S'more kewl info: Yuugi means game, and -o sometimes means king, so Yu-Gi-Oh literally means Game King (so what if it's spelt oh instead of -o)! Way past cool!
Also, even though I'm using japanese title (i luv my japanese quick-trans program!) I'm
not always sure if that is how you'd say it in Japanese, so don't sue me if I mess it up a bit. This chapter has a very uncreative title but... maa, naa.
PS: REMEMBER THE SAKURA BLOSSOMS! THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR CHAPTER SEVEN!
::Sighs:: Nope... no -tachi involved this time! ::sobs:: We begin with Bakura and Kamui finishing up their conversation... and then Yugi and Hikaru meet... but something not too good happens after that comes about... I hope you've all seen the third YGO episode, or at least the beginning of it. You'll see why, mwahahaha! I'm mean to people I like.
Legolas: Oh, yeah!
Angel: Legolas! Get back to In Places No One Will Find! You're supposed to be - actually Casia hasn't written that chapter yet, so I suppose you're still hanging out with Gandalf. Anyway, Casia will be worried!
Legolas ::snort:: Exactly! I can't handle her gung ho!
Angel: Oh, shove off. She's nothing compared to Kit.
Legolas: ::horrified expression::
/ - Any Hikari talking to his or her Yami in his or her mind
// - Any Yami talking to his or her Hikari in his or her mind
Hikari No Yuugi
Play of Light
by Angel
Chapter Three: Chibi Akarui Shonen Yuugi
Little Bright Boy Yugi
**********************************************************************************************************
Bakura waited until everyone else was out of the classroom, then wandered up to Kamui's current classroom. It was the end of the day, and he knew he needed to talk to her - alone. He wasn't trying to be mysterious or anything - but boy, was he ever confused.
Kamui didn't even turn around when she heard the door open. "Ryou, come in."
Bakura didn't ask how she knew he was there. He stepped up to her desk.
"Kamui," he said. "You're back."
Kamui smiled. "Yes, jakutei. I'm back."
**********************************************************************************************************
"So... did things happen like I told you they would when I left?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know... that things would change drastically in our lives... for both of us. New lives, new perspectives."
"..."
"I must be right, since you aren't saying anything."
Kamui and Bakura were sitting in a diner, each with a cup of scalding Chinese tea in front of them. Kamui's black hair was swept back in a high ponytail; boys who passed by goggled at her.
Bakura sipped his tea, and grimaced slightly when it burned his tongue. Then he placed the cup down, stared at it, and finally looked at Kamui. "It isn't fair that everything happened the way you said it would," he accused (a/n: kamui's sort of a miss mackenzie character, no?). "On top of it all, you came back in my sophomore year, like you promised."
Kamui laughed. "I never break my promises, Ryou. So... how're Kaasan and Keihu?"
"Don't you already know, neesan?" Bakura joked. "Tousan and Keibo are okay. It was quiet without you, though. Tousan went to Egypt and got me... this." He showed her his Millennium Ring.
Kamui gazed at the golden ring hanging around her stepbrother's neck. He had it... her Ryou had acquired one of the Millennium Items! Did he know that was what it was? Kamui decided not to mention it.
"Tousan said he felt I was... destined to have it," Bakura went on.
Kamui didn't say anything. Then,
"And how are you? With the Juri incident, I mean."
Bakura nearly dropped his tea. "J-Juri?" he repeated. "Oh - well, she... you know..."
"Ryou, won't you just forget about her? Please? Do it for me."
"Iie! I can't. Never! I'll never forget her," Bakura choked out, tears spilling down his cheeks.
//Oh, please!// Kerihk cried, exasperated.
/Shizuka ni!/ Bakura retorted.
//Don't tell me to be quiet, you-!//
"Ryou?" Kamui asked. "Are you okay?"
"Hai," Bakura responded, wiping his face. "I can't forget about her though, Kamui. Don't try and make me." He pointed to a purple bracelet hidden under his sleeve with the name JURI written in gold on the outside. "She lives in me."
Kamui sighed. "All right, then, jakutei. I won't force you to." She looked from the Millennium Ring to the bracelet on her stepbrother's wrist. "Ryou, you're wearing way to much jewelry!"
Bakura laughed. "I was thinking about getting a nose ring, d'you think I should?"
"Why don't you add some spangled shawls and sparkly barrettes, too?"
"What, and get called 'cross dresser?'"
"Ha!"
***
"You're joking."
Bakura had joined his friends at the park. Yugi was sitting on the stone wall, his feet dangling two feet above the ground. Honda and Jonouchi were arm-wrestling on the picnic table, while Anzu was supposedly reading her favorite magazine ("Animerica") but was really hanging onto Bakura's every word.
Jonouchi voiced his surprise again. "Ms. Tsumura is your stepsister? How come you never told us you had a stepsister?"
Bakura shrugged. "It never came up, I guess."
"You looked pretty surprised to see her there, Bakura," Yugi observed. "Why?"
"She was studying abroad in Hong Kong, remember?" Bakura explained. "She got home late last night, when I was already asleep. Mind you, I did take a while to actually fall asleep - Kerihk was being himself again."
//Shut up, twit,// Kerihk hissed.
"Can we meet her?" Yugi asked brightly. "She seems nice. She's a really good student teacher."
"Thanks, Yugi," Bakura smiled, but was cut off by Jonouchi.
"Meet her? Visit a teacher?" he cried. "Yuge, you've finally cracked! We spend enough time at school with her! Now you wanna take up your afternoon with her?"
"We could just go for a few minutes tomorrow," Yugi pouted.
Anzu shook her head. "I can't come," she sighed. "My cousin's birthday is tomorrow, so we're going to Yokohama to visit him."
"Too bad," Honda said. "But I'll go with you, Yugi."
"Same here," Jonouchi added.
"Great!" Yugi said happily. "Is that okay with you, Bakura?"
Bakura nodded. "I'm sure she'd like to meet all of you. See you tomorrow, then."
The friends stood up (or, in Yugi's case, jumped off the wall) and dispersed to do their homework.
***NEXT DAY***
"Yawn."
//Tired, Yugi?//
/I'm okay./
Yugi yawned again. He was tired. But it was Tuesday, so he had to go to school. He was waiting outside Honda's house for Jonouchi to get Honda outside so they could walk to school together. There was no point in waiting for Anzu - she was already on her way to Yokohama, and Bakura was going to school early with Kamui.
//Maybe you should go to bed earlier.//
/Maybe you should let me sleep later./
//No more eight o'clock shows for you, aibyou!//
/Chill out, Yami, I'll catch up on my rest in math class./
//::tutting:://
/Kidding!/
Jonouchi dashed back outside after talking to Honda's mom. "Bad news, Yuge," he panted. "Honda came down with a bad cold last night. He's not going to school today."
"Oh, too bad," Yugi said anxiously. "I hope he's okay."
Jonouchi snorted. "Too bad, I hope he's okay," he repeated mockingly. "Oh, dear! Poor Honda may die from this little cold! It's such a tragedy! The world will end!"
"Jonouchi...?"
"Well, you always act like it's the end of the world when something happens to one of us!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
Jonouchi decided to change the subject before things turned nasty. "Looks like it's just you and me goin' to Bakura's today."
"Yep."
They talked about other stuff as they walked to school. They talked about other stuff during free period. At lunch they talked about other stuff and picked at their food (tuna cassarole, yuck). The day seemed to be going smoothly, until fifth period - science class.
"The composite family is the largest group of flowers, consisting of such flowers as Sunflowers, Asters, Daisies, Black-eyed Susans, Ragweed, and Goldenrod. The ray flowers surrounding the composite flowers head protect..."
Jonouchi yawned as he listened to the new girl, Naoko Takaya, read about flowers from their science text book. Nothing could be more boring than this. Except white-washing a fence. Well, at least you were outside then so maybe this was more boring. He looked over to Yugi, who was sitting right next to him.
"Hey Yugi," he murmured. Yugi looked up from the text book (which he had been doodling chibi Fushigi Yuugi Chichiri's on) and met Jonouchi's gaze. "Nan desu ka, Jonouchi-chan?" he asked softly.
"Didja see how quickly that Hikaru girl got through her math homework?"
"Yeah..."
"Think she'd gimme a hand with the distribution process if I asked nicely?"
"I bet she would."
"Would you ask her for me?"
Yugi looked surprised. "Nan - nandatta?" he whispered. "Why can't you do it?"
Jonouchi looked uncomfortable. "Well... ya see... I'm a little self-consious around women. Even a totally harmless one like chibi Hikaru. Anzu's a different matter, though. I don't mind hanging around with her... and my sister Shizuka is - well, she's my sister! After that incident with Mai last year, I haven't been too comfortable around bishoujos."
Yugi was about to reply when Jonouchi was called on to read. Jonouchi stood up, embarrassed, as he didn't know where they were in the chapter. Luckily Bakura (who was sitting behind Yugi) came to his rescue.
"We're on line 32," he hissed.
Jonouchi nodded. "Sages, basil, thyme and catnip make up the mint family, which have stems that are square and stout. Mint plants give off herbal odors when they are crushed. Some mints have nettles, sharp prickers on the stem..."
"Mr. Jonouchi," Mr. Nagamatsu, the science teacher interrupted, frowning. "That is not where we are. We are on line thirty-two, the Buttercup Family. You are obviously not paying attention."
"Nani?!" Jonouchi cried. "But that is line... ...twenty-two..." He groaned inwardly. He was reading the wrong line!
"I told him line thirty-two, I guess he still messed up," Bakura whispered to Yugi.
"Th-that - that's line - I meant - line -" Jonouchi stuttered, red in the face. Some of the kids began giggling. Tetsuya Gotoh shot Jonouchi an apologetic look - Tetsuya himself had already been given detention for goofing off.
"Detention, Jonouchi," strict Mr. Nagamatsu commanded. "After school. You can help Gotoh here sort papers."
"Yes, Nagamatsu-sensei."
Jonouchi slumped back in his seat, ignoring the sympathetic looks Bakura and Yugi were giving him. Detention on the second day of school... how pathetic was he?
It appeared that only Yugi would be going to Bakura's house that day, but he and Bakura had a talk and decided to postphone the visit to a day when everyone could make it. Anzu was in Yokohama, Honda had the flu, Jonouchi was in detention, Bakura was staying after school with Kamui... Yugi had to walk home alone that day, something he hadn't had to do ever since Jonouchi and Honda had become his friends. But he could deal with one day, couldn't he?
Sitting at one of the outdoor lunch tables under the sakura tree after school (he might as well get his homework done now, and maybe by that time Jonouchi would be released from his torment - maybe he was a little lonely after all), Yugi opened his arithmetic book and started on the math homework Kamui had assigned. He stopped at a problem which he had no idea how to work out.
"6!?" he exclaimed. "What the heck does 6! mean?" Frustrated, he shoved his bangs aside, thinking hard.
"1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6," a cute, high-pitched voice said beside him.
Yugi started, and looked up, only to see the top of a mop of rich brown hair. He lowered his violet gaze and locked it with a lavender stare - it was Hikaru Daichi, the girl who was strangely the same size as him. She was standing below the sakura blossom tree, looking at him.
"Wha - sorry, what did you say?"
Hikaru blushed. "6! means multiply all the numbers until six," she mumbled. "1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 = 720."
"Oh." Now that she mentioned it, Yugi did remember Kamui explaining something about the ! numbers. "Th - thanks."
Hikaru sat herself down next to a very self-conscious Yugi and pointed to his math book. "5² simply means 'five squared.' 5 x 5. If it was 'five cubed,' 5³, then you'd do 5 x 5 x 5. And here, with the -3³, you do -3 x -3 x -3, which equals -27. But you'd gotta remember that -3² would equal +9, because two negatives or two positives make a positive, but two negatives and a positive make a negative. And here - the one where you put the ? next to the number - the question is, what is 70% of 789? All you have to do is turn 70% into a decimal (.70) and times it by 789. OK?"
(A/N: don't ask me to explain it any further - I hardly understand it myself! Note to myself: stop using my ff.net stories as math journals.)
"Thanks, that really helps," Yugi said, smiling at Hikaru. He felt strangly comfortable around her. In fact, part of him seemed to know her from somewhere...
/Yami?/
//Yugi... this could be...//
/What?/
"Are you okay?"
Yugi blinked. He had been talking to Yami in his head - this girl wouldn't understand why he had been zoning out. "Oh, I'm okay. Um, your name is Daichi Hikaru, right?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Call me Hikaru. Everyone does. And you're Muto Yugi?"
"Mmhmm. Call me Yugi. Everyone does."
They laughed. Her laugh was very bright, and Yugi's heart jumped in bliss.
//It could be...//
/Who?/
"You're really good at math," Yugi complimented.
Hikaru blushed. "I'm not that good. I don't really like it, but it's just easy for me to understand." She laughed again. "My last year's teacher says that it's because I'm good at strategy and puzzles."
Yugi's eyes sparkled. "You like puzzles? Games?"
Hikaru gasped. "Like them? I love them! Ask my brother, Keikeru, and he'll tell you how I spent every spare moment at the local game shop back in Okinawa. Do you?"
"Yeah!"
As the sakura blossoms floated about them, they launched off in a conversation of their favorite games, which eventually led to a discussion about Duel Monsters, which, Yugi found out, was one of Hikaru's hobbies that she was very good at. She told him she'd even been to Duelist Kingdom!
"You won the tournament, didn't you?" she asked Yugi rhetorically. "Good for you! I didn't get ten star chips in time, but eventually Pegasus and I faced off..."
Yugi gasped, thinking back to Duelist Kingdom.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE*
Yugi had just defeated Jonouchi in the final tournament, and won the ¥3,000,000 reward, which he gave to Jonouchi to help his sister. Soon, he would be facing Pegasus.
It was late at night, and Yugi had gotten up to go to the bathroom. He had to admit, the
rooms at Pegasus's castle were nice. The bathrooms even had colorful hand soaps shaped like fish! After he finished doing his business (for lack of a better phrase), he wandered back to his room, not really paying attention to where he was going. In time he found himself next to the dueling room. To his surprise, he found the door slightly open, and two voices speaking inside.
"You're too late, little Hikaru," said Pegasus's voice, slightly muffled. "The tournament is over. Yugi Muto has won the privelage to duel me, not you."
"On contraire, Pegasus," the soprano voice of a girl demurred. Yugi hadn't known it then, but the voice sounded a lot like Hikaru's, except that it was slightly deeper. "I didn't come here to duel you with permission. You forced me to come to this stupid tournament by threatening me with my brother's life. The game's over, Pegasus. You've had your fun. I want my brother back."
Pegasus chuckled mildly. "Oh, Hikaru-child," he sighed with a smirk. "I suppose you'll just have to learn the hard way. It's time to duel."
*YUGI REPLAY MODE END*
"Hi... karu..." Yugi said hoarsely. "You didn't happen to... duel Pegasus at midnight one night, did you?"
Hikaru looked surprised. "Actually yes, I did," she responded. "But we didn't get to finish because -"
"One of Pegasus's bodyguards interrupted you with serious problems?" Yugi interrupted.
"How'd you know?"
"I was there, Hikaru. I don't really understand it, but I -"
She stared at him. Her face twisted, and suddenly her eyes looked a big different - a little lighter in color, even pinkish, like lilacs, slanted, more serious.
Yami jolted. //Kiara!//
/Who?/ Yugi demanded, exasperated.
Just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared, and Hikaru's face was once more gentle and child-like.
Just then, a familiar said over Yugi's shoulders, "Well, well, getting our homework done early, hmm? That's good study habits."
Yugi yelped in surprise and looked up. Kamui was leaning over him, her long black hair caressing her shoulders.
"Hello, Mr. Yugi Muto," the lovely young teacher said with a smile. "And Miss Hikaru Daichi."
"Hello, Ms. Tsumura," Hikaru replied, grinning back at her.
"Hi," Yugi greeted.
"Are you having trouble with the math I assigned?" Kamui inquired, pointing to Yugi's
open math book.
Yugi blushed. "No, actuallly, Hikaru explained it all to me -"
At that moment, a teenage male voice called over the fence, "Hey Hikaru! You've got a flute test tomorrow? You forgot this!"
Yugi looked around, puzzled, and saw a tall, dirty-blond-haired boy waving a recorder, shouting at Hikaru. A teenage girl with short, wavy auburn hair stood beside him (think CardCaptor Sakura, Rika with auburn hair) Both were dressed in university attire.
Hikaru gasped. "Domo arigatou!" she shrieked as she rushed to the fence to grab the recorder from the boy.
Kamui straightened up, a pleasant but unusual look on her fair face. The boy just seemed to notice her standing there.
"Kamui..." he gasped, looking exceedingly surprised.
"You've grown, Keikeru," she giggled.
Keikeru Katsura was Hikaru Daichi's brother. Well, technically they weren't really brother and sister. It turned out that Hikaru had been adopted by Takashi Katsura because she reminded him much of his deceased wife, Hana. This explained why nineteen-year-old Keikeru was so tall and fifteen-year-old Hikaru was so short. Yugi also learned that Hikaru's birthday was in the beginning of that same month (April 2). After wishing her a happy (belated) birthday, Yugi went on to his Japanese homework and Hikaru went home with Keikeru and his friend, who turned out to be Tali Takada. Kamui strangely knew Keikeru from somewhere, much to the astonishment of Yugi, Hikaru, and Tali.
Jonouchi still hadn't been released from detention. Sighing, Yugi took out his Japanese booklet and began working on his calligraphy.
The wind blew his spiky hair out of his face, cooling his skin. He brought the pen thoughtfully to his mouth, and watched a crow fly overhead. The spring flowers were blooming all around him, releasing their gentle scent into the wind, which carried it over the land. The sakura tree above his table swayed gently in the breeze.
"It's so peaceful," he murmured. "I never noticed how the flowers make me feel so serene before." He sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the atmosphere.
Suddenly the peaceful minute of time was destroyed when a shout of, "Oi!" brought him back to his senses. He stood up as crashes, bangs, and another yell were heard.
//Nan desu ka?//
/Dunno... but I'm gonna find out./
Yugi tucked his Japanese book back in bookbag and tucked the math book under his arm. The pen he shoved in his pocket, and ran toward the noise.
He found himself in a narrow alleyway. The voices were getting louder. Throwing himself past some garbage cans, Yugi spotted some shadows moving in the afternoon light. Looking closer, he saw the new Takehiko Midori boy lying on the ground, beat up and bruised, with two mean-looking bullies standing over him, snickering.
"Not so hot now, huh flame-boy?" sneered one of them.
"Wassa matter, lost your fire?" the other laughed.
Takehiko tried to get up, but one of the boys kicked him aside. "I'm w-warning you, I c-can m-make fire - fire on m-my own," he panted. "You'd b-better w-watch out."
The bullies laughed maliciously. "What a baby! Let's finish him off," said the first gruffly. They began to advance on Takehiko.
Without thinking about what he was doing, Yugi jumped out with a cry of, "Yamete!"
The two bullies glanced around, and finally spotted Yugi glaring at them. "Whudya want, kid?" asked the first.
"Leave Midori alone!" he yelled, surprised at his own bravery.
//Yugi... I don't think you should be doing this...//
/But they're hurting him!/
"Leave him alone? He's in our territory now," the second bully growled. "Come to think of it, so're you. Better leave, punk, or you'll end up just like Midori!"
Although he was scared witless, Yugi then did something very foolish and very brave at the same time. As the bullies looked back at poor Takehiko, Yugi ran up to them, and, being so tiny, squeezed between them and stamped with all his might on their feet. With a cry of "Itai!" the bullies turned on Yugi, glaring down on him with utmost detest.
Yugi took a step backward. Flexing their large hands, the two bullies growled and towered about Yugi. "Yer gonna get it, punk!" roard one of them.
The next thing Yugi knew, he was on the ground. One of the bullies had punched him in
the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for breath, Takehiko jumped up and ran out of alleyway.
The bullies didn't stop there. One grapped Yugi's shoulders and forced him back; the other hit him hard across the face. Then they shoved him in the dirt.
Yugi groaned and tried to stand up. He tasted the salt of his blood in his mouth - his lip was bleeding. It had been a while since he'd been beaten up like this... normally he had Jonouchi with him.
//Yugi! Are you okay?//
/... yeah./
//I'm coming out!//
/No! Do you have any idea of the consequences if I suddenly transform into you? Bullies plus magic equals disaster!/
//I don't care! I've done it before! I'm -//
Just then, a foot swung out of nowhere, knocking one of the bullies over. "What da heck?!" shrieked the bully who was still on his feet.
Yugi looked up. There stood Takehiko... or what he thought was Takehiko. This kid was the same height as Takehiko (was was of average height, except for his hair, which was styled like Narutaki's from Steam Detectives except it was blond), but his uniform was orange, and much cooler-looking. His slanted blue eyes were burning fiercely, reminding Yugi of Yami when he was dueling.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he said, and his voice was deeper than Takehiko's, but something of Takehiko's alto voice hung in the notes. "Bullying people smaller than you is a sign of cowardice. It shows that you're afraid to stand up to any worthy opponents. There's no excuse for bullying, a lesson you won't soon forget when I'm through with you."
"Who're you?" one of the bullies asked. Yugi saw something of fear shining in his eyes.
"I am a summoner of fire and protector of families," the boy said. "And if you don't move, you'll have to face my formidable wrath."
Maybe it was because of his powerful way of talking, or simply because he was the same size as them (though much thinner), but the bullies gave one last hiss of anger, then dashed away.
The strange boy stared after them until they were gone. Turning his sapphire gaze to meet Yugi's violet one, he stepped over to him and helped him to his feet.
"Daijobu desu ka?" he asked gently.
"Daijobu desu," Yugi answered, looking puzzled. "How - who - are you Takehiko?"
He smiled and nodded. "In a sense, you could say that." He pointed to Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. "Are you Yugioh?"
"Sort of," Yugi said, expecting he was referring to his yami. "How'd you know?"
Then he noticed the golden sword sheathed in his belt. The symbol of the Millennium Eye was engraved on its hilt.
Yami grunted. //I'm coming out.//
/Er... okay./
Yugi closed his eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up, and he felt like his was being sucked through a vortex until he reached his soul room. He always closed his eyes for this part - the scenes around him unnerved him. One time he had kept them open, just to see what it would be like. He saw memories swirling all around him, like a twisted dream. When Yami was taking over, the words were all in a different language - Egyptian, probably. When Yugi was taking control, they were in Japanese, of course. Strangely, both could understand the other's memories, although Yami's were just quick flicks that he couldn't remember, because, as he had once explained to Yugi, there is a price to pay for immortality, and the price was the loss of his memories.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE*
"So you can't remember anything at all?" Yugi asked, surprised, as he and Yami sat on the edge of his soul room bed.
Yami considered this. "I don't know. I can remember some things, but they're mostly the bad memories so I try to keep them out of my mind."
Yugi looked shocked. His eyebrows furrowed sympathetically. "Don't you get... depressed? I mean, I sometimes cry because I can't remember my mom and dad very well... I can't imagine how it would be to lose an entire lifetime's worth of memories."
"Depressed? Not really. Sometimes I wish it were different... but without any memories, I can't miss anyone I loved, if I did love at all. I think, perhaps, it's better this way, so I don't brood over the past, but can dedicate myself to helping you and making new memories." He flashed a rare smile. "If I didn't love back then, I know I do now. And that's all the matters."
Yugi grinned back, the truth of Yami's words flooding warmth over his heart.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE END*
Now Yami was standing in front of the Takehiko-person. He opened his reddish-purple eyes and stared at Takehiko. "You're someone I knew, aren't you?" he asked almost rhetorically. Although he didn't show it, Yugi could sense slight uncertainty in his voice.
Takehiko said nothing for a moment, then gave a stiff nod. "Your memories dispersed too?" he asked.
"Yes, and if yours did too, how do you know my name?" Yami asked suspiciously.
"It's not a happy memory that enlightened me. I was there at your death," Takehiko said
quietly. Yugi guessed that it was no longer Takehiko speaking. "My name is Ahmose. In this life my young other half is called Takehiko Midori. I have the Millennium Sword."
Ahmose... Flashes of memories zipped across Yami/Yugi's mind. Yugi closed his eyes tightly, shading them from the light. Yami, on the other hand, tensed in a way Yugi had never seen before - he seemed to be utterly confused. As memories came together like a puzzle, Yami only became more puzzled himself. Finally the flash-backs ended, and Yami found that all his memories concerning Ahmose had been restored.
"N-nani?!" he exclaimed, surprised.
Takehiko - that is to say, Ahmose - was shaking. It appeared that he, too, had been restored to all his memories of Yami, instead of just the one of Yami's death. He shook his head, looked curiously back at Yami, and then shook his head again.
"So - I knew you were my pharaoh, at least," he said slowly. "Now I know more."
Yami gave a hesitant nod. "You were a soldier-in-training, Ahmose son of Ramose," he murmured. "You could create fireballs out of thin air."
They stared at each other uncertainly. Then, to Yugi's surprise, Yami began to laugh. Not just the short I-know-something-you-don't laugh he reserved for his dueling opponents, but a real, full forced laugh, and the tenseness left him, leaving him relaxed like Yugi had never seen before.
"Did you know," he said through his giggles as he noticed Ahmose chuckling along with him, "that Kiara's here too? We saw her just a few minutes ago."
Ahmose smirked. "I knew alright!" he said triumphantly. "We traveled through Duelist Kingdom together. You know, nearly all my memories have come back to me, because not only have I met the Princess Kiara and now you, but also Setsuna and Ay!"
Yami looked surprised. "That means that six of the thirteen have been reunited," he said, "because Kerihk was with us. Zhur, of course, is within Pegasus's Millennium Eye."
Yugi was confused. This was all very strange. Kiara? Setsuna? Zhur? Who were all these people? He stood up to ask Yami, but gave a groan as a jolt of pain shot up his arm.
//Yugi!// Yami cried.
/I-I'm okay./
//No, you're not. I'm taking you to the nurse's office now.//
/::stupified expression::/
//Well, not like this, of course. Ahmose and I will take you there, then transform when no one's around so you can see to the nurse. You and Takehiko are in pretty bad shape.//
Yugi nodded slightly. There was no point in arguing. He vaguely heard Ahmose and Yami conversing quickly as he stared around his yellow soul room, which consisted of a floating, sleeping bag-like bed, many swirling windows, one large window with the sun peeking in through it, no floor, and a box loaded with never-ending possibilities of things to do so he would never get bored. Yep, he was pretty set if he ever needed to let Yami have total control for a while.
There was also the door that led to Yami's blue and green-swirled, cryptic soulroom. It was a large steel door that gave the impression that you weren't to go in there. It was the same going from Yami's soul room to Yugi's. They normally didn't intrude in each other's privacy, Yami being brought up to be a pharaoh and Yugi just considerate by nature, but the coldness of the doors served as a reminder, just in case. Sometimes, if they wanted to talk, Yami or Yugi would peak out the steel door and find themselves looking into a room of ever-changing colors. The colors represented their mood. When Yugi looked in that room, he saw Yami's mood, and knew when and when not to bother him. The same went for Yami, although he had better luck because Yugi was hardly ever in too foul of a mood to talk. For such a little, kid, he sure had a lot to say.
Yugi found that Yami and Ahmose were already inside the school. Figures. Yugi quickly shut his eyes as Yami returned to his soul room, returning Yugi his body. When he opened his eyes again, he and Takehiko were standing directly in front of the nurse's office, staring at each other.
"Well," panted Takehiko.
"Well," Yugi repeated.
They smiled.
"Shall we bother the poor nurse together?" Takehiko asked timidly.
"I think so," Yugi replied. To himself, he added, "Wait till I tell Jonouchi about all this!"
Angel: WOW! Was that really nine pages long? Jeez, I typed that fast, considering most of the time I was busy rereading it and working on the outline. I am a fast typer. This is very true.
Yami: Nobody likes a bragger.
Angel: Hmph! Just for that, you can do the translations today.
Yami: No, I can't. Neither Japanese nor English are my first language. I'm no good at this sort of stuff.
Kerihk: HA! The game king always loses the spelling bees!
Yami: :::whacks Kerihk with a large red hammer:::
From the Desk of Pharaoh Yami, son of Pharaoh Ramses III and Nefertari (well, I think it's possible):
Kaasan - mother
keihu - stepfather
neesan - older sister
tousan - father
keibo - stepmother
iie - no
shizuka ni - be quiet
hai - yes
nan desu ka - what is it?
nandatta - what did you say?
bishoujo - beautiful girl
nani - what
¥3,000,000 - three million yen (the little ¥ sign is ALMOST the same as the real yen symbol, except that has only one line across its middle as far as I know)
domo arigatou - thank you very much
yamete - stop
daijobu desu ka - are you all right?
daijobu desu - I am all right
CHARACTER OF THE DAY:
Today's Character of the Day is Takehiko Midori, age 15. Takehiko is somewhat rambunctious and tends to leap before he thinks, but somehow he always manages to come out clean when he makes a mess. Takehiko is great at basketball and excells in chemistry, but has a lot to live up to because he's got four older brothers. Takehiko sometimes resents having such a large family and the togetherness sometimes embarrasses him in front of his friends, but when you get right down to it he's darn glad to have a family that loves him and brothers willing to give him a ride in their motorcycle.
Takehiko received the Millennium Sword as a gift from his third oldest brother, Izumi. Izumi knew Takehiko enjoyed collecting battle figures (anything from battle ships to guns to swords and shields) so he picked up the golden sword at a historical convention the year before Pegasus announced the Duelist Tournament at Duelist Kingdom. Takehiko did receive a duelist's glove and star chips and entered the tournament for the prize money. He was beaten in a duel by Hikaru Daichi, and after that joined up with Hikaru's crew, which then consisted of Hikaru, Naoko, Tetsuya, Ryoku, and even Ai. Takehiko's best friend is Dajan Hada, his partner-in-crime. A terminal prankster, you can always count on Takehiko to keep things "livened up" in a crisis (which explains why Takehiko gave Hikaru the nickname "Kiki" which means "crisis" because trouble seems to follow her like mosquitoes). All in all, Takehiko is a fun person to be around, but whether or not he has any true courage is yet to be discovered.
Next time (I can do this now cuz I have a complete outline! YAY!): Chapter Four, Bakura Kyoujuu (as told by Tea): We had all become friends with Hikaru's gang, and Naoko and I hit it off right away. She was very quick to notice things, and right away realized the feelings I had for Yugi. We decided that the best place to talk about the Millennium Item's was Bakura's, because Yugi's place was too small and we had been planning to go to Bakura's anyway. We found out that poor Bakura, rich as his father is, is having some trouble with a certain clingy maid called Umi (poor thing, having a name like Umi). But I don't understand why he's so troubled about that dream, and is it just me, or is the sky redder than usual?
I have written an entire outline of this story. It's about ::checks outline:: eight pages long, with seventeen designated chapters. And that's only book one, cuz this ends in a kind of cliffhanger. The last chapter is entitled "Shirana Iaidani" which literally means "I don't know for how long." It's a bit of a boring chapter, 'cept for a fight between two of the yamis (Setsuna [Yami Ai] and Kerihk), but so what? Book two is called "Tsuyosa no Kibou," which means "The Power of a Wish." It'll probably be up sometime next year (considering how terrible I am at updating.) Reviews would keep me into the storyline! *hint* *hint again*
S'more kewl info: Yuugi means game, and -o sometimes means king, so Yu-Gi-Oh literally means Game King (so what if it's spelt oh instead of -o)! Way past cool!
Also, even though I'm using japanese title (i luv my japanese quick-trans program!) I'm
not always sure if that is how you'd say it in Japanese, so don't sue me if I mess it up a bit. This chapter has a very uncreative title but... maa, naa.
PS: REMEMBER THE SAKURA BLOSSOMS! THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR CHAPTER SEVEN!
::Sighs:: Nope... no -tachi involved this time! ::sobs:: We begin with Bakura and Kamui finishing up their conversation... and then Yugi and Hikaru meet... but something not too good happens after that comes about... I hope you've all seen the third YGO episode, or at least the beginning of it. You'll see why, mwahahaha! I'm mean to people I like.
Legolas: Oh, yeah!
Angel: Legolas! Get back to In Places No One Will Find! You're supposed to be - actually Casia hasn't written that chapter yet, so I suppose you're still hanging out with Gandalf. Anyway, Casia will be worried!
Legolas ::snort:: Exactly! I can't handle her gung ho!
Angel: Oh, shove off. She's nothing compared to Kit.
Legolas: ::horrified expression::
/ - Any Hikari talking to his or her Yami in his or her mind
// - Any Yami talking to his or her Hikari in his or her mind
Hikari No Yuugi
Play of Light
by Angel
Chapter Three: Chibi Akarui Shonen Yuugi
Little Bright Boy Yugi
**********************************************************************************************************
Bakura waited until everyone else was out of the classroom, then wandered up to Kamui's current classroom. It was the end of the day, and he knew he needed to talk to her - alone. He wasn't trying to be mysterious or anything - but boy, was he ever confused.
Kamui didn't even turn around when she heard the door open. "Ryou, come in."
Bakura didn't ask how she knew he was there. He stepped up to her desk.
"Kamui," he said. "You're back."
Kamui smiled. "Yes, jakutei. I'm back."
**********************************************************************************************************
"So... did things happen like I told you they would when I left?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know... that things would change drastically in our lives... for both of us. New lives, new perspectives."
"..."
"I must be right, since you aren't saying anything."
Kamui and Bakura were sitting in a diner, each with a cup of scalding Chinese tea in front of them. Kamui's black hair was swept back in a high ponytail; boys who passed by goggled at her.
Bakura sipped his tea, and grimaced slightly when it burned his tongue. Then he placed the cup down, stared at it, and finally looked at Kamui. "It isn't fair that everything happened the way you said it would," he accused (a/n: kamui's sort of a miss mackenzie character, no?). "On top of it all, you came back in my sophomore year, like you promised."
Kamui laughed. "I never break my promises, Ryou. So... how're Kaasan and Keihu?"
"Don't you already know, neesan?" Bakura joked. "Tousan and Keibo are okay. It was quiet without you, though. Tousan went to Egypt and got me... this." He showed her his Millennium Ring.
Kamui gazed at the golden ring hanging around her stepbrother's neck. He had it... her Ryou had acquired one of the Millennium Items! Did he know that was what it was? Kamui decided not to mention it.
"Tousan said he felt I was... destined to have it," Bakura went on.
Kamui didn't say anything. Then,
"And how are you? With the Juri incident, I mean."
Bakura nearly dropped his tea. "J-Juri?" he repeated. "Oh - well, she... you know..."
"Ryou, won't you just forget about her? Please? Do it for me."
"Iie! I can't. Never! I'll never forget her," Bakura choked out, tears spilling down his cheeks.
//Oh, please!// Kerihk cried, exasperated.
/Shizuka ni!/ Bakura retorted.
//Don't tell me to be quiet, you-!//
"Ryou?" Kamui asked. "Are you okay?"
"Hai," Bakura responded, wiping his face. "I can't forget about her though, Kamui. Don't try and make me." He pointed to a purple bracelet hidden under his sleeve with the name JURI written in gold on the outside. "She lives in me."
Kamui sighed. "All right, then, jakutei. I won't force you to." She looked from the Millennium Ring to the bracelet on her stepbrother's wrist. "Ryou, you're wearing way to much jewelry!"
Bakura laughed. "I was thinking about getting a nose ring, d'you think I should?"
"Why don't you add some spangled shawls and sparkly barrettes, too?"
"What, and get called 'cross dresser?'"
"Ha!"
***
"You're joking."
Bakura had joined his friends at the park. Yugi was sitting on the stone wall, his feet dangling two feet above the ground. Honda and Jonouchi were arm-wrestling on the picnic table, while Anzu was supposedly reading her favorite magazine ("Animerica") but was really hanging onto Bakura's every word.
Jonouchi voiced his surprise again. "Ms. Tsumura is your stepsister? How come you never told us you had a stepsister?"
Bakura shrugged. "It never came up, I guess."
"You looked pretty surprised to see her there, Bakura," Yugi observed. "Why?"
"She was studying abroad in Hong Kong, remember?" Bakura explained. "She got home late last night, when I was already asleep. Mind you, I did take a while to actually fall asleep - Kerihk was being himself again."
//Shut up, twit,// Kerihk hissed.
"Can we meet her?" Yugi asked brightly. "She seems nice. She's a really good student teacher."
"Thanks, Yugi," Bakura smiled, but was cut off by Jonouchi.
"Meet her? Visit a teacher?" he cried. "Yuge, you've finally cracked! We spend enough time at school with her! Now you wanna take up your afternoon with her?"
"We could just go for a few minutes tomorrow," Yugi pouted.
Anzu shook her head. "I can't come," she sighed. "My cousin's birthday is tomorrow, so we're going to Yokohama to visit him."
"Too bad," Honda said. "But I'll go with you, Yugi."
"Same here," Jonouchi added.
"Great!" Yugi said happily. "Is that okay with you, Bakura?"
Bakura nodded. "I'm sure she'd like to meet all of you. See you tomorrow, then."
The friends stood up (or, in Yugi's case, jumped off the wall) and dispersed to do their homework.
***NEXT DAY***
"Yawn."
//Tired, Yugi?//
/I'm okay./
Yugi yawned again. He was tired. But it was Tuesday, so he had to go to school. He was waiting outside Honda's house for Jonouchi to get Honda outside so they could walk to school together. There was no point in waiting for Anzu - she was already on her way to Yokohama, and Bakura was going to school early with Kamui.
//Maybe you should go to bed earlier.//
/Maybe you should let me sleep later./
//No more eight o'clock shows for you, aibyou!//
/Chill out, Yami, I'll catch up on my rest in math class./
//::tutting:://
/Kidding!/
Jonouchi dashed back outside after talking to Honda's mom. "Bad news, Yuge," he panted. "Honda came down with a bad cold last night. He's not going to school today."
"Oh, too bad," Yugi said anxiously. "I hope he's okay."
Jonouchi snorted. "Too bad, I hope he's okay," he repeated mockingly. "Oh, dear! Poor Honda may die from this little cold! It's such a tragedy! The world will end!"
"Jonouchi...?"
"Well, you always act like it's the end of the world when something happens to one of us!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
Jonouchi decided to change the subject before things turned nasty. "Looks like it's just you and me goin' to Bakura's today."
"Yep."
They talked about other stuff as they walked to school. They talked about other stuff during free period. At lunch they talked about other stuff and picked at their food (tuna cassarole, yuck). The day seemed to be going smoothly, until fifth period - science class.
"The composite family is the largest group of flowers, consisting of such flowers as Sunflowers, Asters, Daisies, Black-eyed Susans, Ragweed, and Goldenrod. The ray flowers surrounding the composite flowers head protect..."
Jonouchi yawned as he listened to the new girl, Naoko Takaya, read about flowers from their science text book. Nothing could be more boring than this. Except white-washing a fence. Well, at least you were outside then so maybe this was more boring. He looked over to Yugi, who was sitting right next to him.
"Hey Yugi," he murmured. Yugi looked up from the text book (which he had been doodling chibi Fushigi Yuugi Chichiri's on) and met Jonouchi's gaze. "Nan desu ka, Jonouchi-chan?" he asked softly.
"Didja see how quickly that Hikaru girl got through her math homework?"
"Yeah..."
"Think she'd gimme a hand with the distribution process if I asked nicely?"
"I bet she would."
"Would you ask her for me?"
Yugi looked surprised. "Nan - nandatta?" he whispered. "Why can't you do it?"
Jonouchi looked uncomfortable. "Well... ya see... I'm a little self-consious around women. Even a totally harmless one like chibi Hikaru. Anzu's a different matter, though. I don't mind hanging around with her... and my sister Shizuka is - well, she's my sister! After that incident with Mai last year, I haven't been too comfortable around bishoujos."
Yugi was about to reply when Jonouchi was called on to read. Jonouchi stood up, embarrassed, as he didn't know where they were in the chapter. Luckily Bakura (who was sitting behind Yugi) came to his rescue.
"We're on line 32," he hissed.
Jonouchi nodded. "Sages, basil, thyme and catnip make up the mint family, which have stems that are square and stout. Mint plants give off herbal odors when they are crushed. Some mints have nettles, sharp prickers on the stem..."
"Mr. Jonouchi," Mr. Nagamatsu, the science teacher interrupted, frowning. "That is not where we are. We are on line thirty-two, the Buttercup Family. You are obviously not paying attention."
"Nani?!" Jonouchi cried. "But that is line... ...twenty-two..." He groaned inwardly. He was reading the wrong line!
"I told him line thirty-two, I guess he still messed up," Bakura whispered to Yugi.
"Th-that - that's line - I meant - line -" Jonouchi stuttered, red in the face. Some of the kids began giggling. Tetsuya Gotoh shot Jonouchi an apologetic look - Tetsuya himself had already been given detention for goofing off.
"Detention, Jonouchi," strict Mr. Nagamatsu commanded. "After school. You can help Gotoh here sort papers."
"Yes, Nagamatsu-sensei."
Jonouchi slumped back in his seat, ignoring the sympathetic looks Bakura and Yugi were giving him. Detention on the second day of school... how pathetic was he?
It appeared that only Yugi would be going to Bakura's house that day, but he and Bakura had a talk and decided to postphone the visit to a day when everyone could make it. Anzu was in Yokohama, Honda had the flu, Jonouchi was in detention, Bakura was staying after school with Kamui... Yugi had to walk home alone that day, something he hadn't had to do ever since Jonouchi and Honda had become his friends. But he could deal with one day, couldn't he?
Sitting at one of the outdoor lunch tables under the sakura tree after school (he might as well get his homework done now, and maybe by that time Jonouchi would be released from his torment - maybe he was a little lonely after all), Yugi opened his arithmetic book and started on the math homework Kamui had assigned. He stopped at a problem which he had no idea how to work out.
"6!?" he exclaimed. "What the heck does 6! mean?" Frustrated, he shoved his bangs aside, thinking hard.
"1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6," a cute, high-pitched voice said beside him.
Yugi started, and looked up, only to see the top of a mop of rich brown hair. He lowered his violet gaze and locked it with a lavender stare - it was Hikaru Daichi, the girl who was strangely the same size as him. She was standing below the sakura blossom tree, looking at him.
"Wha - sorry, what did you say?"
Hikaru blushed. "6! means multiply all the numbers until six," she mumbled. "1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 = 720."
"Oh." Now that she mentioned it, Yugi did remember Kamui explaining something about the ! numbers. "Th - thanks."
Hikaru sat herself down next to a very self-conscious Yugi and pointed to his math book. "5² simply means 'five squared.' 5 x 5. If it was 'five cubed,' 5³, then you'd do 5 x 5 x 5. And here, with the -3³, you do -3 x -3 x -3, which equals -27. But you'd gotta remember that -3² would equal +9, because two negatives or two positives make a positive, but two negatives and a positive make a negative. And here - the one where you put the ? next to the number - the question is, what is 70% of 789? All you have to do is turn 70% into a decimal (.70) and times it by 789. OK?"
(A/N: don't ask me to explain it any further - I hardly understand it myself! Note to myself: stop using my ff.net stories as math journals.)
"Thanks, that really helps," Yugi said, smiling at Hikaru. He felt strangly comfortable around her. In fact, part of him seemed to know her from somewhere...
/Yami?/
//Yugi... this could be...//
/What?/
"Are you okay?"
Yugi blinked. He had been talking to Yami in his head - this girl wouldn't understand why he had been zoning out. "Oh, I'm okay. Um, your name is Daichi Hikaru, right?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Call me Hikaru. Everyone does. And you're Muto Yugi?"
"Mmhmm. Call me Yugi. Everyone does."
They laughed. Her laugh was very bright, and Yugi's heart jumped in bliss.
//It could be...//
/Who?/
"You're really good at math," Yugi complimented.
Hikaru blushed. "I'm not that good. I don't really like it, but it's just easy for me to understand." She laughed again. "My last year's teacher says that it's because I'm good at strategy and puzzles."
Yugi's eyes sparkled. "You like puzzles? Games?"
Hikaru gasped. "Like them? I love them! Ask my brother, Keikeru, and he'll tell you how I spent every spare moment at the local game shop back in Okinawa. Do you?"
"Yeah!"
As the sakura blossoms floated about them, they launched off in a conversation of their favorite games, which eventually led to a discussion about Duel Monsters, which, Yugi found out, was one of Hikaru's hobbies that she was very good at. She told him she'd even been to Duelist Kingdom!
"You won the tournament, didn't you?" she asked Yugi rhetorically. "Good for you! I didn't get ten star chips in time, but eventually Pegasus and I faced off..."
Yugi gasped, thinking back to Duelist Kingdom.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE*
Yugi had just defeated Jonouchi in the final tournament, and won the ¥3,000,000 reward, which he gave to Jonouchi to help his sister. Soon, he would be facing Pegasus.
It was late at night, and Yugi had gotten up to go to the bathroom. He had to admit, the
rooms at Pegasus's castle were nice. The bathrooms even had colorful hand soaps shaped like fish! After he finished doing his business (for lack of a better phrase), he wandered back to his room, not really paying attention to where he was going. In time he found himself next to the dueling room. To his surprise, he found the door slightly open, and two voices speaking inside.
"You're too late, little Hikaru," said Pegasus's voice, slightly muffled. "The tournament is over. Yugi Muto has won the privelage to duel me, not you."
"On contraire, Pegasus," the soprano voice of a girl demurred. Yugi hadn't known it then, but the voice sounded a lot like Hikaru's, except that it was slightly deeper. "I didn't come here to duel you with permission. You forced me to come to this stupid tournament by threatening me with my brother's life. The game's over, Pegasus. You've had your fun. I want my brother back."
Pegasus chuckled mildly. "Oh, Hikaru-child," he sighed with a smirk. "I suppose you'll just have to learn the hard way. It's time to duel."
*YUGI REPLAY MODE END*
"Hi... karu..." Yugi said hoarsely. "You didn't happen to... duel Pegasus at midnight one night, did you?"
Hikaru looked surprised. "Actually yes, I did," she responded. "But we didn't get to finish because -"
"One of Pegasus's bodyguards interrupted you with serious problems?" Yugi interrupted.
"How'd you know?"
"I was there, Hikaru. I don't really understand it, but I -"
She stared at him. Her face twisted, and suddenly her eyes looked a big different - a little lighter in color, even pinkish, like lilacs, slanted, more serious.
Yami jolted. //Kiara!//
/Who?/ Yugi demanded, exasperated.
Just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared, and Hikaru's face was once more gentle and child-like.
Just then, a familiar said over Yugi's shoulders, "Well, well, getting our homework done early, hmm? That's good study habits."
Yugi yelped in surprise and looked up. Kamui was leaning over him, her long black hair caressing her shoulders.
"Hello, Mr. Yugi Muto," the lovely young teacher said with a smile. "And Miss Hikaru Daichi."
"Hello, Ms. Tsumura," Hikaru replied, grinning back at her.
"Hi," Yugi greeted.
"Are you having trouble with the math I assigned?" Kamui inquired, pointing to Yugi's
open math book.
Yugi blushed. "No, actuallly, Hikaru explained it all to me -"
At that moment, a teenage male voice called over the fence, "Hey Hikaru! You've got a flute test tomorrow? You forgot this!"
Yugi looked around, puzzled, and saw a tall, dirty-blond-haired boy waving a recorder, shouting at Hikaru. A teenage girl with short, wavy auburn hair stood beside him (think CardCaptor Sakura, Rika with auburn hair) Both were dressed in university attire.
Hikaru gasped. "Domo arigatou!" she shrieked as she rushed to the fence to grab the recorder from the boy.
Kamui straightened up, a pleasant but unusual look on her fair face. The boy just seemed to notice her standing there.
"Kamui..." he gasped, looking exceedingly surprised.
"You've grown, Keikeru," she giggled.
Keikeru Katsura was Hikaru Daichi's brother. Well, technically they weren't really brother and sister. It turned out that Hikaru had been adopted by Takashi Katsura because she reminded him much of his deceased wife, Hana. This explained why nineteen-year-old Keikeru was so tall and fifteen-year-old Hikaru was so short. Yugi also learned that Hikaru's birthday was in the beginning of that same month (April 2). After wishing her a happy (belated) birthday, Yugi went on to his Japanese homework and Hikaru went home with Keikeru and his friend, who turned out to be Tali Takada. Kamui strangely knew Keikeru from somewhere, much to the astonishment of Yugi, Hikaru, and Tali.
Jonouchi still hadn't been released from detention. Sighing, Yugi took out his Japanese booklet and began working on his calligraphy.
The wind blew his spiky hair out of his face, cooling his skin. He brought the pen thoughtfully to his mouth, and watched a crow fly overhead. The spring flowers were blooming all around him, releasing their gentle scent into the wind, which carried it over the land. The sakura tree above his table swayed gently in the breeze.
"It's so peaceful," he murmured. "I never noticed how the flowers make me feel so serene before." He sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the atmosphere.
Suddenly the peaceful minute of time was destroyed when a shout of, "Oi!" brought him back to his senses. He stood up as crashes, bangs, and another yell were heard.
//Nan desu ka?//
/Dunno... but I'm gonna find out./
Yugi tucked his Japanese book back in bookbag and tucked the math book under his arm. The pen he shoved in his pocket, and ran toward the noise.
He found himself in a narrow alleyway. The voices were getting louder. Throwing himself past some garbage cans, Yugi spotted some shadows moving in the afternoon light. Looking closer, he saw the new Takehiko Midori boy lying on the ground, beat up and bruised, with two mean-looking bullies standing over him, snickering.
"Not so hot now, huh flame-boy?" sneered one of them.
"Wassa matter, lost your fire?" the other laughed.
Takehiko tried to get up, but one of the boys kicked him aside. "I'm w-warning you, I c-can m-make fire - fire on m-my own," he panted. "You'd b-better w-watch out."
The bullies laughed maliciously. "What a baby! Let's finish him off," said the first gruffly. They began to advance on Takehiko.
Without thinking about what he was doing, Yugi jumped out with a cry of, "Yamete!"
The two bullies glanced around, and finally spotted Yugi glaring at them. "Whudya want, kid?" asked the first.
"Leave Midori alone!" he yelled, surprised at his own bravery.
//Yugi... I don't think you should be doing this...//
/But they're hurting him!/
"Leave him alone? He's in our territory now," the second bully growled. "Come to think of it, so're you. Better leave, punk, or you'll end up just like Midori!"
Although he was scared witless, Yugi then did something very foolish and very brave at the same time. As the bullies looked back at poor Takehiko, Yugi ran up to them, and, being so tiny, squeezed between them and stamped with all his might on their feet. With a cry of "Itai!" the bullies turned on Yugi, glaring down on him with utmost detest.
Yugi took a step backward. Flexing their large hands, the two bullies growled and towered about Yugi. "Yer gonna get it, punk!" roard one of them.
The next thing Yugi knew, he was on the ground. One of the bullies had punched him in
the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As he gasped for breath, Takehiko jumped up and ran out of alleyway.
The bullies didn't stop there. One grapped Yugi's shoulders and forced him back; the other hit him hard across the face. Then they shoved him in the dirt.
Yugi groaned and tried to stand up. He tasted the salt of his blood in his mouth - his lip was bleeding. It had been a while since he'd been beaten up like this... normally he had Jonouchi with him.
//Yugi! Are you okay?//
/... yeah./
//I'm coming out!//
/No! Do you have any idea of the consequences if I suddenly transform into you? Bullies plus magic equals disaster!/
//I don't care! I've done it before! I'm -//
Just then, a foot swung out of nowhere, knocking one of the bullies over. "What da heck?!" shrieked the bully who was still on his feet.
Yugi looked up. There stood Takehiko... or what he thought was Takehiko. This kid was the same height as Takehiko (was was of average height, except for his hair, which was styled like Narutaki's from Steam Detectives except it was blond), but his uniform was orange, and much cooler-looking. His slanted blue eyes were burning fiercely, reminding Yugi of Yami when he was dueling.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he said, and his voice was deeper than Takehiko's, but something of Takehiko's alto voice hung in the notes. "Bullying people smaller than you is a sign of cowardice. It shows that you're afraid to stand up to any worthy opponents. There's no excuse for bullying, a lesson you won't soon forget when I'm through with you."
"Who're you?" one of the bullies asked. Yugi saw something of fear shining in his eyes.
"I am a summoner of fire and protector of families," the boy said. "And if you don't move, you'll have to face my formidable wrath."
Maybe it was because of his powerful way of talking, or simply because he was the same size as them (though much thinner), but the bullies gave one last hiss of anger, then dashed away.
The strange boy stared after them until they were gone. Turning his sapphire gaze to meet Yugi's violet one, he stepped over to him and helped him to his feet.
"Daijobu desu ka?" he asked gently.
"Daijobu desu," Yugi answered, looking puzzled. "How - who - are you Takehiko?"
He smiled and nodded. "In a sense, you could say that." He pointed to Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. "Are you Yugioh?"
"Sort of," Yugi said, expecting he was referring to his yami. "How'd you know?"
Then he noticed the golden sword sheathed in his belt. The symbol of the Millennium Eye was engraved on its hilt.
Yami grunted. //I'm coming out.//
/Er... okay./
Yugi closed his eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up, and he felt like his was being sucked through a vortex until he reached his soul room. He always closed his eyes for this part - the scenes around him unnerved him. One time he had kept them open, just to see what it would be like. He saw memories swirling all around him, like a twisted dream. When Yami was taking over, the words were all in a different language - Egyptian, probably. When Yugi was taking control, they were in Japanese, of course. Strangely, both could understand the other's memories, although Yami's were just quick flicks that he couldn't remember, because, as he had once explained to Yugi, there is a price to pay for immortality, and the price was the loss of his memories.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE*
"So you can't remember anything at all?" Yugi asked, surprised, as he and Yami sat on the edge of his soul room bed.
Yami considered this. "I don't know. I can remember some things, but they're mostly the bad memories so I try to keep them out of my mind."
Yugi looked shocked. His eyebrows furrowed sympathetically. "Don't you get... depressed? I mean, I sometimes cry because I can't remember my mom and dad very well... I can't imagine how it would be to lose an entire lifetime's worth of memories."
"Depressed? Not really. Sometimes I wish it were different... but without any memories, I can't miss anyone I loved, if I did love at all. I think, perhaps, it's better this way, so I don't brood over the past, but can dedicate myself to helping you and making new memories." He flashed a rare smile. "If I didn't love back then, I know I do now. And that's all the matters."
Yugi grinned back, the truth of Yami's words flooding warmth over his heart.
*YUGI REPLAY MODE END*
Now Yami was standing in front of the Takehiko-person. He opened his reddish-purple eyes and stared at Takehiko. "You're someone I knew, aren't you?" he asked almost rhetorically. Although he didn't show it, Yugi could sense slight uncertainty in his voice.
Takehiko said nothing for a moment, then gave a stiff nod. "Your memories dispersed too?" he asked.
"Yes, and if yours did too, how do you know my name?" Yami asked suspiciously.
"It's not a happy memory that enlightened me. I was there at your death," Takehiko said
quietly. Yugi guessed that it was no longer Takehiko speaking. "My name is Ahmose. In this life my young other half is called Takehiko Midori. I have the Millennium Sword."
Ahmose... Flashes of memories zipped across Yami/Yugi's mind. Yugi closed his eyes tightly, shading them from the light. Yami, on the other hand, tensed in a way Yugi had never seen before - he seemed to be utterly confused. As memories came together like a puzzle, Yami only became more puzzled himself. Finally the flash-backs ended, and Yami found that all his memories concerning Ahmose had been restored.
"N-nani?!" he exclaimed, surprised.
Takehiko - that is to say, Ahmose - was shaking. It appeared that he, too, had been restored to all his memories of Yami, instead of just the one of Yami's death. He shook his head, looked curiously back at Yami, and then shook his head again.
"So - I knew you were my pharaoh, at least," he said slowly. "Now I know more."
Yami gave a hesitant nod. "You were a soldier-in-training, Ahmose son of Ramose," he murmured. "You could create fireballs out of thin air."
They stared at each other uncertainly. Then, to Yugi's surprise, Yami began to laugh. Not just the short I-know-something-you-don't laugh he reserved for his dueling opponents, but a real, full forced laugh, and the tenseness left him, leaving him relaxed like Yugi had never seen before.
"Did you know," he said through his giggles as he noticed Ahmose chuckling along with him, "that Kiara's here too? We saw her just a few minutes ago."
Ahmose smirked. "I knew alright!" he said triumphantly. "We traveled through Duelist Kingdom together. You know, nearly all my memories have come back to me, because not only have I met the Princess Kiara and now you, but also Setsuna and Ay!"
Yami looked surprised. "That means that six of the thirteen have been reunited," he said, "because Kerihk was with us. Zhur, of course, is within Pegasus's Millennium Eye."
Yugi was confused. This was all very strange. Kiara? Setsuna? Zhur? Who were all these people? He stood up to ask Yami, but gave a groan as a jolt of pain shot up his arm.
//Yugi!// Yami cried.
/I-I'm okay./
//No, you're not. I'm taking you to the nurse's office now.//
/::stupified expression::/
//Well, not like this, of course. Ahmose and I will take you there, then transform when no one's around so you can see to the nurse. You and Takehiko are in pretty bad shape.//
Yugi nodded slightly. There was no point in arguing. He vaguely heard Ahmose and Yami conversing quickly as he stared around his yellow soul room, which consisted of a floating, sleeping bag-like bed, many swirling windows, one large window with the sun peeking in through it, no floor, and a box loaded with never-ending possibilities of things to do so he would never get bored. Yep, he was pretty set if he ever needed to let Yami have total control for a while.
There was also the door that led to Yami's blue and green-swirled, cryptic soulroom. It was a large steel door that gave the impression that you weren't to go in there. It was the same going from Yami's soul room to Yugi's. They normally didn't intrude in each other's privacy, Yami being brought up to be a pharaoh and Yugi just considerate by nature, but the coldness of the doors served as a reminder, just in case. Sometimes, if they wanted to talk, Yami or Yugi would peak out the steel door and find themselves looking into a room of ever-changing colors. The colors represented their mood. When Yugi looked in that room, he saw Yami's mood, and knew when and when not to bother him. The same went for Yami, although he had better luck because Yugi was hardly ever in too foul of a mood to talk. For such a little, kid, he sure had a lot to say.
Yugi found that Yami and Ahmose were already inside the school. Figures. Yugi quickly shut his eyes as Yami returned to his soul room, returning Yugi his body. When he opened his eyes again, he and Takehiko were standing directly in front of the nurse's office, staring at each other.
"Well," panted Takehiko.
"Well," Yugi repeated.
They smiled.
"Shall we bother the poor nurse together?" Takehiko asked timidly.
"I think so," Yugi replied. To himself, he added, "Wait till I tell Jonouchi about all this!"
Angel: WOW! Was that really nine pages long? Jeez, I typed that fast, considering most of the time I was busy rereading it and working on the outline. I am a fast typer. This is very true.
Yami: Nobody likes a bragger.
Angel: Hmph! Just for that, you can do the translations today.
Yami: No, I can't. Neither Japanese nor English are my first language. I'm no good at this sort of stuff.
Kerihk: HA! The game king always loses the spelling bees!
Yami: :::whacks Kerihk with a large red hammer:::
From the Desk of Pharaoh Yami, son of Pharaoh Ramses III and Nefertari (well, I think it's possible):
Kaasan - mother
keihu - stepfather
neesan - older sister
tousan - father
keibo - stepmother
iie - no
shizuka ni - be quiet
hai - yes
nan desu ka - what is it?
nandatta - what did you say?
bishoujo - beautiful girl
nani - what
¥3,000,000 - three million yen (the little ¥ sign is ALMOST the same as the real yen symbol, except that has only one line across its middle as far as I know)
domo arigatou - thank you very much
yamete - stop
daijobu desu ka - are you all right?
daijobu desu - I am all right
CHARACTER OF THE DAY:
Today's Character of the Day is Takehiko Midori, age 15. Takehiko is somewhat rambunctious and tends to leap before he thinks, but somehow he always manages to come out clean when he makes a mess. Takehiko is great at basketball and excells in chemistry, but has a lot to live up to because he's got four older brothers. Takehiko sometimes resents having such a large family and the togetherness sometimes embarrasses him in front of his friends, but when you get right down to it he's darn glad to have a family that loves him and brothers willing to give him a ride in their motorcycle.
Takehiko received the Millennium Sword as a gift from his third oldest brother, Izumi. Izumi knew Takehiko enjoyed collecting battle figures (anything from battle ships to guns to swords and shields) so he picked up the golden sword at a historical convention the year before Pegasus announced the Duelist Tournament at Duelist Kingdom. Takehiko did receive a duelist's glove and star chips and entered the tournament for the prize money. He was beaten in a duel by Hikaru Daichi, and after that joined up with Hikaru's crew, which then consisted of Hikaru, Naoko, Tetsuya, Ryoku, and even Ai. Takehiko's best friend is Dajan Hada, his partner-in-crime. A terminal prankster, you can always count on Takehiko to keep things "livened up" in a crisis (which explains why Takehiko gave Hikaru the nickname "Kiki" which means "crisis" because trouble seems to follow her like mosquitoes). All in all, Takehiko is a fun person to be around, but whether or not he has any true courage is yet to be discovered.
Next time (I can do this now cuz I have a complete outline! YAY!): Chapter Four, Bakura Kyoujuu (as told by Tea): We had all become friends with Hikaru's gang, and Naoko and I hit it off right away. She was very quick to notice things, and right away realized the feelings I had for Yugi. We decided that the best place to talk about the Millennium Item's was Bakura's, because Yugi's place was too small and we had been planning to go to Bakura's anyway. We found out that poor Bakura, rich as his father is, is having some trouble with a certain clingy maid called Umi (poor thing, having a name like Umi). But I don't understand why he's so troubled about that dream, and is it just me, or is the sky redder than usual?