THE ENCOUNTER OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Five: The Prelude
Before they reached the recreation room's entrance, Kaiba and the other Yugi's eyes met.
"So how long will this trip of yours be?" the other Yugi inquired.
With hands buried in his pockets, Kaiba responded, "I'm returning to Domino City as soon as I solidify construction contracts regarding Kaiba-Land. It may take a month or two. I want the wait to be less, so that Mokuba and I could enjoy a week or two's worth of school vacation."
"Finally…we've been worried about you two," Anzu kidded as she saw the two duelists enter the room.
The rest of the gang played billiard while the two duelists were away. Mokuba, Anzu, and Emrys were in one team. Jonouchi, Honda, and Bakura were in the other team.
Mokuba placed the cue on the pool table and ran towards his older brother. He approached Kaiba and looked up. "Is everything okay, Ni-sama?"
Reminded of the earlier conversation he had with the other Yugi, Kaiba patted his younger sibling on the shoulder, smiled for the first time in a long while, and nodded as his positive response.
Mokuba's eyes brightened as he gave his elder brother a bigger smile.
Kaiba approached the billiard table and leaned against it with both hands. "So, what did we miss?"
Jonouchi replied, "Plenty. So, come on."
The next couple of hours quickly flew by. Everyone – even Kaiba, who mostly kept his silence – enjoyed one activity or conversation after another.
As their afternoon together wrapped up and everyone prepared to leave, Emrys came up to the other Yugi. "It's the second night of my concert. If you guys have no plans tonight and if Jii-san will let you, I'd be honored to have everyone as my guest."
The other Yugi heard his young vessel say, "What are you waiting for? Go for it!"
"Why – sure," the other Yugi replied.
"Then it's set," responded a happy Emrys as she handed her card. "Call me at that number and let me know if you could make it tonight. If everything goes well, I'll see you backstage at six."
The other Yugi and Emrys' attentions were now focused on an approaching Kaiba and Mokuba. The rest of the gang joined in as everyone walked outside.
Emrys cordially and gratefully shook Kaiba's hand. "Good luck on your trip. I enjoyed the entire day as well as our talk. I might catch up with you in the United States."
"We'll watch your concert when you get there," Mokuba interjected.
"I'll make sure of that." Emrys knelt down on one knee, hugged the boy, and then gave him a business card. "Once you get there, call and let us know that you're both safe."
Mokuba's grin was from ear to ear as he accepted the card and looked up at his big brother.
Anzu smiled at Kaiba brothers. "Thanks for having all of us. Have a safe trip."
Jonouchi, Honda, and Bakura also imparted their gratitude as well as their respective wishes for a safe trip.
"Good luck to both of you, Kaiba." The other Yugi then extended a handshake to his rival.
The tightlipped CEO stared at his rival's hand and then gazed into amethyst eyes. "Maybe not now, but I'll be ready one of these days." He then accepted the handshake. Although his handshake was not as firm as his rival's was, the fact that he shook hands with him was already a good start.
"I know you will," said the other Yugi confidently to Kaiba.
Diverting his focus on Mokuba, the amethyst-eyed duelist then placed his hand over the young boy's shoulder. "Take care of each other."
"You bet!" Mokuba exclaimed with a smile.
The roar of Emrys' motorcycle reverberated. She waved with one hand as she sped out of the mansion grounds. As soon as she departed, the rest of the gang went inside the limousine.
The other Yugi then went inside the limousine to join the others. He looked behind, until he could no longer see the Kaiba brothers in view. When he turned around, four pairs of eyes were glued on him.
"What were you guys talking about back there?" Anzu asked.
"We were all wondering what Kaiba wanted from you. The two of you were gone for a while," Bakura added.
"It was just a civil conversation…nothing noteworthy," the other Yugi nonchalantly responded.
"Ah, you have a date!" Sugoroku exclaimed.
Yugi sheepishly defended, "Jii-chan, it's not a date. Jonouchi and Honda are waiting for Mai and Shizuka's phone call. Anzu had to work. Bakura had prior commitments. So that leaves just me and you to see Emrys' concert tonight."
"I'm not going with you, so that makes it a date," Sugoroku continued teasing. He then nudged the younger Mutou with his elbow, saying, "She's a pretty girl, Yugi."
"Just for the record, it's the other me who's interested in Emrys – not me."
The elderly man chuckled. "You and he are one and the same. With all jokes aside, go on and have fun. Just take care of yourselves, okay?"
"Thanks, Jii-chan!"
"Oh, Yugi..."
The grandson turned around.
Once he had Yugi's attention, Sugoroku smiled, saying, "It's okay if you go over your curfew tonight. Just make sure that you give me a call, okay?"
The younger Mutou smiled from ear to ear and then gratefully nodded. He then ran up to his room and locked the door behind him. Glancing down at the Millennium Puzzle, he told the spirit, "Tonight's your night!"
The other Yugi said, "I'm not sure about this. There's no duel, no one's in danger, and I've been out since this afternoon. Don't you want your body back?"
"Now you're the one who's being silly," admonished Yugi. "Don't you think you owe it to yourself to live normally, even just for an evening? Jii-chan even extended my curfew infinitely. He's never done that before. He may never will after this."
"But –"
"There's no 'but' in this case," Yugi argued. "What are you waiting for – Christmas?"
The other Yugi remained silent.
After a brief pause, Yugi then explained, "I don't care how much you'll tease me this time about Anzu. I'm telling you to take advantage of this one normal evening." He then sat down on his bed, leaning against the headboard with his hands behind his head. "You like Emrys. Why can't you face that truth and admit it?"
The other Yugi let out a resigned sigh. "I've never been in this predicament before."
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Yugi in non-customary impatience. "We only have less than two hours left. For everyone's sake, please call her."
Yugi then switched into the other Yugi and called Emrys.
"That's great! I wish the others could make it, too," said Emrys over the telephone. "I'll have my chauffeur pick you up – say, around five-thirty?"
"Five-thirty's okay," the other Yugi agreed.
"I have another favor to ask you, Yugi. I'll be greatly honored if you'd be my escort tonight at the after-party."
A light smirk slowly crept on the other Yugi's face. "Sure. So, I'll see you tonight."
The other Yugi hung up the telephone, closed his eyes, and then said, "Aibou, thank you. Now I owe you one..."
"Good evening, Mister Mutou. Come with me, please." Emrys' manager said as she led a well-dressed other Yugi through a heavily trafficked hallway.
The various stage crews cast curious glances as they saw the two walk towards the dressing rooms.
The professional-looking manager wore a slate-blue pantsuit and glasses. About three inches taller than Emrys, she had shoulder length black hair, light gray eyes, a small but shapely nose, thinly shaped lips, square-shaped face, and an athletic physique.
"I'm glad that you came to the after-party yesterday," the manager commented.
The other Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Were you the one who sent the invitations to my home?"
"Alexa wrote the note and I sent out the invitations per her request."
"Thanks for sending those to us. Your name is?"
"Yoshiko," she responded and then stopped walking for a second, bowing before the other Yugi. "I'm pleased to meet you."
The other Yugi did the same gesture before he continued his walk with Yoshiko.
After going through a series of hallways, Yoshiko then stopped in front of a door with a big star. She then rapped on the door. "Alexa…Mister Mutou's here."
The door slightly opened and Emrys peeked out. "Thanks, Yoshiko-chan. I'll take it from here."
Yoshiko then bowed her head and left.
Emrys, now leaning against the doorway, grinned as she looked at the other Yugi.
The other Yugi wore a midnight navy suit, a royal blue silk shirt with the collar unbuttoned, silver cuff-links, a dressy black leather belt with a silver buckle, and shiny black dress shoes.
"My, my…formal and comfortable at the same time," Emrys said in approval as she feasted her eyes on her escort. "You look sharp!"
"So do you," the other Yugi commented with a smirk as he noticed Emrys' attire: a two-piece silky black bell-bottom outfit. The long sleeves of her top were loose with the collar slightly raised from the back and ended a couple of inches before her navel. A multi-faced ruby accentuated her bare navel. Black t-strap shoes dressed up her feet.
After a minute of stares and silence, Emrys cleared her throat and then teased, "Are we just going to be each other's fashion critic or are you coming inside?" She then swung the door wide open for her guest.
Smirking and shaking his head, the other Yugi went inside her apartment-sized dressing room. After Emrys closed the door behind them and faced him, he then handed her a single long-stemmed white rose, saying, "For you..."
"It's beautiful," Emrys said with a smile as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the rose's fragrance.
"Aren't you performing in about two hours?" the other Yugi asked with one raised eyebrow.
"Well, I'm already dressed up for my first set," Emrys responded while motioning him to take a seat. "I normally spend this time to relax. Oh, by the way, do you want anything to drink or eat?"
"Water's good, if you have it," the other Yugi answered. He then observed her as she walked towards the corner and opened a small refrigerator. Minutes later, his gaze broke once she returned to where he was seated.
As Emrys handed him bottled water, an apple, and a napkin, the other Yugi looked up and said, "Thanks."
"Well, I'm joining you on this." Emrys then held up an apple she had already bitten into.
"You call entertaining and conversing with a guest a form of relaxation?" the other Yugi inquired with a probing smile.
Emrys sat down on the opposite side of the sofa, leaning back and crossing her legs while facing him. "It depends solely on who I'm with. As with you, yes…. I definitely call this relaxation." She then took another generous bite into her apple.
After spending the first portion of their time together in sharing anecdotes and other topics, the other Yugi then asked, "I never got the chance to ask you questions such as where are you from?"
"Does it look that obvious that I'm not from around here?" Emrys heartily laughed.
The other Yugi turned his body further to face Emrys. "Well, you have that foreign look."
Sighing, Emrys said, "The question should be – where am I not from."
With his customary frown, the other Yugi asked, "What do you mean?"
"My mother was half-Greek and half-Egyptian. My father was half-Egyptian and half-English. They were field archaeologists just as their parents were. We moved from place to place since I was a baby, but kept a home in England. They kept friends all over the world, a handful of them here in Japan and in the United States...I kept in close contact with one of them. I lost my parents too soon. They died in an excavation when I was nine."
"I didn't know. I'm sorry," the other Yugi murmured as he leaned forward to rest his left elbow on the couch.
Emrys ruefully smiled. "As far as I could remember, I shared their passions. I hop to England, the United States, and Japan when things slow down a bit."
"So based on your story, you're suggesting that you should be digging as a profession instead of singing and dancing?"
Now sitting in agura style and facing him, Emrys said, "I just can't make up my mind as to what I want in life yet. For now, I guess I could relate better in a song." After pausing, she then told the other Yugi, "I've said more than enough about me. What about you…what's your story?"
After moments of silence, he replied, "With the exception of Jii-chan, my family always lived in Japan. My parents separated when I was a baby. My mother went back to her hometown while my father and I lived with Jii-chan. My father passed away when I was five, so Jii-chan single-handedly raised me ever since. My mother rarely visits us."
"I'm sorry about that." Emrys then paused a little bit, gave the other Yugi a more intent look, and then further probed, "I don't think that's all there is about you."
The other Yugi was speechless for the second time.
Emrys maintained her curious expression and then pointed at the Puzzle. "What I meant was that Millennium Item you're wearing around your neck."
"Oh, this?" the other Yugi lifted the Millennium Puzzle. "Jii-chan got it from Egypt during an excavation. He accompanied Professor Arthur Hopkins at a couple of expeditions." His gaze towards Emrys deepened as he asked with a raised eyebrow, "How did you know what this is?"
"From excavations, reading, plus traveling to remote places. Professor Hopkins and my parents were professional and personal friends. He's a pioneer in the theory that duel monsters originated from ancient Egypt. Most of his colleagues mocked him when he presented his thesis on the subject. They were so cruel that they didn't even let him finish his presentation."
"Were your parents there during his presentation? What did they think about it?" the other Yugi inquired, now sitting agura style as well.
"We were away on an excavation. My parents were working on an angle that may tie in with Professor Hopkins' theory."
A light knock broke up their chat, followed by Yoshiko's voice. "Twenty minutes before the show starts, Alexa."
"Thanks. I'll get ready," Emrys responded.
They then heard Yoshiko's footsteps fade as she left to attend to other matters before the concert.
"Do you need me to leave?" the other Yugi offered.
Emrys nodded and then pursed her lips. "Your seat's been reserved at the first row. Yoshiko-chan will show you where it is." Deeply sighing minutes later, she said, "Time flies so quickly. I enjoyed talking with you," she expressed with disappointment as she looked deeply into the other Yugi's eyes.
After their gazes met, the other Yugi then suggested, "Why don't we resume our time together after your performance?"
Emrys' expression lit up and her pursed lips curved into a smile. "We'll meet up here after the concert. After the backstage party, we'll continue our evening together."
"It's a date," the other Yugi confirmed as he and Emrys walked out of her dressing room for tonight's concert.
End of Chapter Five
If you want to find out more about Emrys' parents, how they die, and how she takes it, read my short story There Will Come Soft Rain - a prequel set two years before the events narrated in The Encounter of Lost Souls.
Normal Disclaimer
Yu-Gi-Oh is the copyrighted property of Kazuki Takahashi. Alexa, Yoshiko, Koji, as well as this fan fiction, is the property of the author. This fan fiction is written for entertainment purposes only – thereby releasing the author from any liabilities.