THE ENCOUNTER OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Six: The Night to Remember
Immediately after Alexa Emrys' performance, the other Yugi went back to the dressing room.
A couple of minutes later, Emrys arrived and asked, "Did you enjoy it?"
The other Yugi leaned against the wall with his hands crossed in front of him. With a teasing smirk, he said, "I'm so glad that you didn't stay in archaeology."
Emrys gave the other Yugi a sly glance and then shook her head while chuckling at the comment. After opening her door, she asked him, "Is it okay if you stay outside while I changed? I'll be quick."
"No problem," the other Yugi responded.
A couple of minutes later, Emrys opened the door and motioned the other Yugi to come inside. She closed the door behind them, stood straight, and asked, "Well, how do I look?"
"You look great," the other Yugi remarked after assessing Emrys' shell-pink pantsuit and matching t-strap shoes.
"Then this is what I'll wear," Emrys replied with a coy smile. She then grabbed an evening purse that matched her outfit.
The other Yugi opened the door and motioned Emrys to go ahead. Once the door closed behind them, he asked as he offered his arm, "Ready?"
Emrys gave a disarming smile, as she accepted her escort's arm. "Yes, I am."
As the young, well-dressed couple walked towards the ballroom for the after-party, some members of the stage crew beamed at the sight. Some of the workers stopped what they were doing, not missing a second that the couple was within view.
Emrys then whispered in the other Yugi's ear, commenting about his gentlemanly demeanor, "And they say chivalry is dead. I strongly disagree."
The other Yugi smirked.
Yoshiko followed about five feet behind them, anticipating the media frenzy once they walked in.
The word frenzy was a euphemism.
The reporters had a field day when the couple entered the ballroom. There was an endless series of flashbulbs lighting the room followed by the sound of innumerable cameras whirring and clicking as photographers took one picture after another. There was ceaseless buzz and commotion coming from the excited press.
After Emrys entertained a couple of questions from the media about her concert and professional plans in the near future, a member of the press boldly probed, "Alexa, are you and Mutou Yugi an item? Are you guys dating?"
Emrys modestly smiled as she uncomfortably stroked her hair. "We're very good friends."
Another member of the media interjected, animatedly blurting out, "Isn't that where everything starts?"
Another press member butted in, "You may be good friends now, but will we see more of you guys together in the future? Will this be leading to something deeper than friendship?"
"Please don't jump to conclusions," Emrys waved her right hand from left to right and pleaded to the rumor-hungry press. "We're just good friends…nothing more."
"Mutou Yugi, after your success in Battle City, what's next on your agenda?" asked another reporter.
Emrys stood a bit off-stage to give the other Yugi a chance for the microphone to reply, "I haven't thought about it. It's just too soon."
Emrys looked at Yoshiko's direction, her eyebrows meeting closer together and her eyes begging for help.
This prompted Yoshiko to raise both of her hands up in the air. She audibly told the press, "Thank you. That's it for tonight. No more questions, please."
The press grudgingly followed Yoshiko's announcement, leaving only those with invitations to enjoy the remainder of the evening.
After the media circus calmed down, the other Yugi invited Emrys to dance to a slow song.
"I'm so sorry about that," Emrys whispered while dancing with the other Yugi. "I didn't mean for us to be bombarded with such questions."
The duelist reassured his partner, "It wasn't your fault if they have imaginative minds."
Emrys explained after a sigh, "I like what I do, but anonymity's good, too. When hardly anyone knows who you are, you're free to do almost anything without scrutiny."
With a gentle grin, the other Yugi said, "Well, no one's scrutinizing us now. Why don't we enjoy the party for a couple of hours. Afterwards, we'll go somewhere quieter and more private."
The two continued dancing close to each other. Her arms tenderly rested over his shoulder and her hands were loosely locked behind his neck. His hands were wrapped around her waist. For most of the duration of their stay at the party, they concentrated on enjoying each other's company as they danced.
An hour had passed. The other Yugi and Emrys gave their gratitude and bade farewell to Yoshiko.
Borrowing Emrys' cell phone, the other Yugi called Sugoroku to let the elder man know that he would be extending his curfew.
"My car's parked at the garage," Emrys stated as they headed towards the lot where the private garages were located.
"So, where do you want to go?"
"Well, surprise me. Is there a coffee shop that's open after ten?"
The other Yugi paused for a minute, his forehead crinkling as he thought of a place that they could go to at this hour. "Hmmm… I know of one. We can start there."
Their walk stopped at a locked garage. Emrys used a garage door opener.
Eventually a midnight blue, four-door convertible appeared before them. The car's windows and windshield were heavily tinted. Right beside the automobile was her motorcycle.
Emrys then deactivated the alarm and both of them went inside the car. Then lightly tapping her date on the shoulder, she said, "I'm the newbie in town, so you're navigating and I'm driving."
After reaching their destination, they picked a booth at the back of the coffee shop for privacy. They ordered tea and honeyed bread to share while they continued talking about anything and everything under the sun.
Glancing at her watch, Emrys asked, "What time do you need to be home? I don't want you to get in trouble."
The other Yugi looked at his watch, noting that it was twelve in the morning. "Jii-chan said I could extend my curfew. I can still stay out for an hour or two. Where do you want to go next?"
"Oh, no…you're not getting away that easy," Emrys teased as she wagged her finger. "I'm the one who chose to go here. It's just fair that you make the next choice. Do you want to go home, or somewhere else?"
The duelist could hear his young spirit vessel mentally reach out to him, as the other said, "Don't worry. You've already told Jii-chan that we're staying out late. You're not the only one enjoying this whole evening. I am, too."
"How can you say that after I've been using your body all evening?" an incredulous other Yugi asked.
"You like being with her. You've never been this happy before. If you're not enjoying her company, let us go home and we'll never see her again," Yugi quipped.
"Hello? Are you there?" Emrys asked in jest as she knocked on the table.
After a good minute of silence, the other Yugi said, "Why don't you come over to my house? We'll hang out for a couple of hours at the game shop."
"Well, if we're not going to disrupt Jii-san and if he doesn't mind then okay. Before we go, let us order some more of this honeyed bread to take home for him."
Liking the idea, the other Yugi nodded and rose from the table. Walking side-by-side, they went up to the shop owner to pay for their bill and the bread.
As they were leaving quietly, the shop owner asked, "Excuse me, Miss. Aren't you Alexa?"
Emrys turned around and replied, "Yes, Ma'am."
"You're Mutou Yugi!" the owner's voice went a couple of pitches higher as she immediately recognized the amethyst-eyed duelist. "Would you both give me your autographs? It's for my little boy. He's a big duel monster's fan and he loves your songs!"
"Sure," the other Yugi and Emrys respectively replied and then they once again approached the counter. After giving their respective autographs, the other Yugi handed back the small notepad to its owner.
The shop owner was elated. "Thank you very much! My son will be so happy!"
"Thanks for having us here," Emrys said to the proprietress.
"Thanks for serving us," the other Yugi politely waved goodbye. "Have a good evening."
"By the way…" the owner remarked as the duelist and the singer were about to head out again.
The two glanced behind them, facing the shop owner.
"You're a lovely couple. Please come back soon."
When the other Yugi and Emrys got inside the car, they blankly stared at each other and eventually roared in laughter.
The other Yugi laughed as he shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "We need to get used to that..."
Emrys then said in between laughs as she held her stomach from laughing so hard, "Geez. That's already the fifth time I've heard that, and we've only been together for hours..."
After the hilarity naturally died down and before starting the car, Emrys gently held the duelist's hand and stared into his eyes. "Yugi, thanks for accepting my invitation tonight. This has been such an amazing evening. You've been a perfect gentleman and the most gracious escort and friend I – or anyone – could ever have."
The duelist looked into Emrys' eyes with a light grin. "The privilege was mine. I had a great time tonight, too. I hope this won't be our last time together."
"It won't be..."
They exchanged smiles. As the seconds passed, they found themselves drowning deeper into each other's gaze.
Emrys leaned towards the other Yugi, closed her eyes, and then gave him a long affectionate kiss on his left cheek.
The duelist took the singer's hand, lifted it, and kissed it – noticing the ring on her finger that had the same ornate design as her pendant. As he looked into her eyes, amethyst and hazel locked again for a few moments more. Their gazes spoke louder than words ever could.
Emrys then gave her date a sweet smile. As she did so, she could feel the warmth and tenderness of his touch.
In the back of the other Yugi's mind, a reminder that they need to drive back home broke the moment. He then told Emrys with slight regret, "I guess it's time to go." Immediately after his comment, they gently let go of each other's hand.
Comfortable silence dominated throughout the time they drove towards the Mutou home.
The other Yugi unlocked the back door. Noticing that a light was still on, he held Emrys' hand and guided her towards the living room. He confirmed his guess that Sugoroku was still awake.
"Good morning, Jii-chan. Were you waiting for me?"
"I'm just about to have some tea. Please join me," Sugoroku motioned them to sit down.
"Good morning, Jii-san. I hope I'm not disturbing you," Emrys meekly said.
Sugoroku, slightly but delightfully surprised with Emrys' presence, responded, "Nonsense! I'm glad that you're here. Please sit down with us. Make yourself comfortable."
The young couple sat on the love-seat opposite Sugoroku. The old man slowly poured some tea for all three of them. "You came home early, considering that your curfew has been extended."
His grandson sipped some tea. "I invited Emrys to come over. We plan to hang out at the game shop. Before I forget, Jii-chan, we got this for you..."
The elderly man grinned as he held the sweet gift with both hands. "I love this bread."
The other Yugi stood up and placed his left hand on Sugoroku. "I know. That's why we got it for you."
"Are you hungry? I'll get a knife and cut this bread into portions," the elderly man offered.
"I'm fine, Jii-san. I already ate," Emrys responded as she placed her right hand on her stomach.
The other Yugi also shook his head.
Sugoroku placed the bread on the table. To quench his curiosity about the gang's new friend, he leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs. "You told us yesterday that your last name is Emrys and that your first name is Alexandra. How are you related to Ariadne and Dylan Emrys?"
"They were my parents," Emrys replied with slight surprise reflected on her voice.
"I first met your parents at an archaeological symposium. We even had lunch together a few times. They constantly talked about their daughter Alexa. I had never seen or met you until now. Your parents made an excellent team, both as archaeologists as well as husband and wife."
Emrys appreciatively looked at Yugi's grandfather as her eyes misted over his words.
Sugoroku, after giving her some seconds of silence, switched gears and said, "Why don't we do this? When you kids are ready, we'll go to the game shop. We can also duel, if one or both of you are up for it."
Emrys responded, "We'll duel another day. However, I'd still like to go to your shop to check out on some cards."
"Then we'll go." Sugoroku stood up and stretched his back a little.
The men led the march towards the shop. The other Yugi unlocked the door leading to the game shop and held it open for his other two companions.
Out of respect, Emrys motioned Sugoroku to go ahead before her.
The elderly man disagreed with a smile. "Ladies first, my dear…."
Emrys went inside the shop and browsed at the single cards encased on display.
The elder Mutou, before entering the store, stopped on his tracks and noticed something unusual on the other Yugi's face. He squinted and leaned towards the young man. When he could not figure out the peculiarity, he leaned further forward, tilted his head to see what it was, and squinted more.
"What's wrong?" the other Yugi asked Sugoroku with raised eyebrows.
The elderly man did not respond. His eyes then went wide as he confirmed that his suspicions were correct. He cleared his throat so that he could to hide his chuckles as Emrys continued browsing through the single cards counter. He kept shaking his head with a wide grin in hopes of smothering his laughter.
The other Yugi's eyebrows met as he was stumped with Sugoroku's reaction.
The elder Mutou now turned his back from the other Yugi and cupped both his hands on his face – still laughing softly, but uncontrollably, for some unknown reason.
"What, Jii-chan? What's wrong?"
With his fingers, the elderly man pointed at a part of his own cheek to illustrate something to the youth. He teasingly whispered to his grandson in between poorly stifled laughs, "You still have lipstick marks on your cheek…."
End of Chapter Six
Author's Note
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.