THE ENCOUNTER OF LOST SOULS
Chapter Seven: The Glimpse from the Past and Future
After thirty minutes of hanging out at the game shop, Emrys bade farewell.
"Visit us soon and more often, my dear," said Sugoroku as he waved goodbye.
"I will, Jii-san. Thank you very much for your hospitality," Emrys replied while bowing to the elderly man.
The other Yugi slowly walked Emrys to her car. Before they bade each other farewell, they agreed that he would call her in the morning. She drove off into the night as he stood and stared at her departure with a customary and thoughtful scowl on his face.
While walking back towards the Mutou home, the other Yugi was still thinking if he and Emrys were going down that path too fast. Part of him also thought that he was being too bold about letting her know his feelings this soon. He also questioned his judgment since he did not customarily acted the way he had been for the past months.
As soon as he went inside the house, the other Yugi saw the elderly man's highly amused demeanor. Surmising that Sugoroku laughed his heart out while he was alone, his frown slowly melted away and was replaced with a sheepishly incriminating grin.
"I guess I don't have to ask how your date went. Judging by the lipstick mark on your face, it's obvious that it went very well. By the way, you still have some marks left over." The elderly man approached his grandson, pointed out the spot underneath his chin, and rubbed off the remaining lipstick mark.
The other Yugi guiltily smiled while rubbing the back of his neck. "Jii-chan, nothing serious happened between us. All we did this evening was spend time together..."
"I believe you, my boy," Sugoroku gently clarified as his light laughter subsided. "It's completely normal for people your age to fall in love with a girl. In fact, it's rather touching."
"We're just friends, Jii-chan," the other Yugi defended politely. This time, he had his arms comfortably crossed in front of him. Trying to brush off his embarrassment as well as the topic, he kidded, "Come to think of it, you are the sixth person we have encountered tonight that has a fertile imagination."
The elderly man wondered what he meant. When his grandson slumped down on the couch, he sat down beside him.
The amethyst-eyed young man cleared his throat and then said, "Don't be surprised if you see our pictures in the newspapers or tabloids starting tomorrow. Just because they saw us together at her after-party, they all thought that we're dating. Even the proprietress at the coffee shop thought so, too."
"It's because you do look good together," Sugoroku reiterated, his eyes widening more than they normally were. "You should be dating each other."
"And why is that, Jii-chan?" the other Yugi inquired as he leaned towards Sugoroku.
The elderly man gave him a faint but knowing smile, "She seems to be a nice girl. She's not only a successful singer, but she's also an archaeologist. She traveled worldwide, published a couple of books regarding her work, and presented many papers under a different name."
The other Yugi gave the elderly man a puzzled look for two reasons. First, he wondered what Sugoroku's source of information was. Secondly, he wondered how was Emrys able to accomplish everything he just heard at such a young age. His face reverted to a frown as he tried to unravel this new mysterious wrinkle about her.
Sugoroku enlightened his grandson, saying, "I called Professor Hawkins to see how he and Rebecca are doing. He confirmed my hunch that Alexa is Ariadne and Dylan Emrys' daughter. He told me that she graduated top of her class in Oxford University at age nine shortly before her parents died. She got her masters degree by her eleventh birthday. If that wasn't enough, she received her doctorate when she was thirteen. I bet she didn't tell you that, huh?"
Sugoroku saw the other Yugi's amazement when the latter had another startling revelation about Emrys. He continued by saying, "There are child prodigies out there. Kaiba Seto, as you know, is one. Rebecca is another. Emrys is another one. By the way, Arthur's granddaughter is in the university now and she's doing her best to follow Arthur's footsteps."
The other Yugi completely missed the elderly man's last statement about Rebecca. He leaned further forward and did not let his puzzling gaze leave Sugoroku when he asked, "So, what does Professor Hawkins think about Emrys? If she's such an accomplished archaeologist, why is she now a singer?"
The elderly man looked intently at the youth, "Arthur knows her very well, but he has no clue what made her change professions. He finds it refreshing that she remains gracious and caring no matter how successful she became, either through her parents or from her own hard work. He kept using the word 'intense' to describe her."
"She is humble and down-to-earth. She demonstrated it tonight..." said the other Yugi as he now remembered the tender moment they had earlier and how his soul sank into a feeling of absolute contentment and peace. A light smile slowly crept out from his face, reflecting some of the bliss that he earlier felt.
Sugoroku observed his grandson intently during this whole time. He knew that the young woman had been in his grandson's mind for a while. He could absolutely relate to the feeling, being that he was young and smitten once or twice in his life before.
"You're putting too much meaning into it, Jii-chan... All we did tonight was spend an innocent evening together as friends."
The elder Mutou warmly and empathetically patted the other Yugi on the back. "Look, my boy. I didn't tell you all these things to intimidate you. Emrys is not like other girls. She's a rare find. From what I can see in both your eyes, you're interested about each other. It would be such a loss if you let each other slip by without knowing if you're both truly meant for each other."
"I thought grandfathers are supposed to tell their grandsons to avoid women until they are at that age," the other Yugi quietly kidded.
"You know that I'm not like any typical grandfather. Both of you are not typical teenagers. Both of you are at the right age. Just humor an old man and at least think about this."
The other Yugi leaned forward, eventually placed his elbows above his thighs, and cupped his right hand to support his cheek and chin. He then looked down at the hardwood floor and focused his gaze there for a while. After indulging to a minute of silence, he looked at the elderly man and admitted, "I've been thinking about her. I don't know why, but I want to know more about her. I wanted to kiss her this evening, and I could've done so…but I didn't want to disrespect her."
Sugoroku sighed, reminiscing similar tender moments in his younger days when he was courting Yugi's grandmother – the first and most meaningful love in his life. "So you didn't kiss her. By doing that, you just proved that you do care for her. You shouldn't be holding yourself back."
"I don't know, Jii-chan. All I know is that we're good friends. I don't want to ruin a potentially good friendship by moving too fast."
Morning came. Yugi woke up early, knowing that his other self and Emrys had an agreement to call each other. His other self, however, was hesitant.
"Jii-chan's right. You shouldn't let her slip by like that."
"I have my reasons," the other Yugi quipped.
"And what reasons might that be?"
"First, this is not my body. I'm just sharing it with you. I have been using this body substantially since yesterday, and I do not want to abuse this privilege. Secondly, I think that this whole thing about Emrys and me is premature. Third, she does not know everything about the Millennium Puzzle or us. Do you still want me to go on?"
"You know that those aren't your real reasons. What's the harm in finding out whether you guys are meant for each other?"
"What about Anzu? How are you going to explain it to her when she sees you and Emrys on a date? Do you think Emrys would understand it, too?"
The young spirit vessel kept his silence.
Yugi's other self let out a heavy sigh, and then said, "Pursuing this any further will hurt everyone. I like Emrys a lot. The last thing I want to do is to hurt her. I know how much you like Anzu, but you chose to keep your feelings to yourself. I don't want to hurt both of you, either."
"Anzu and I have been friends since childhood. I'd love it if we were more than friends. When it comes to Anzu and me, if we are meant to be more than friends in the future, then I have faith that she'll understand. As to you and Emrys, the two of you just met. If your heart tells you to go out with her, then do it."
"It's not that easy, Aibou..."
The young spirit vessel shifted to more comfortable position on his bed, and then said, "We are destined to share this body. Who knows, maybe you have been rewarded to live life again since you lost it before at such a young age. I have no problems with sharing my body, or you using it to live your life, so why should you?"
The other Yugi walked towards the bed and sat beside his young protégé. He looked into the other's eyes and asked, "What if all of this goes too deep?"
Yugi then directly gazed at the spirit. "If it does come to that point, then tell her the truth. See what happens next."
The other Yugi and Emrys agreed to enjoy the afternoon at Domino Park. They invited Sugoroku to come with them, but the elder man graciously declined.
When the young couple arrived at Domino Park, they picked a spot underneath a huge tree and nearby the man-made lake, spread a blanket, and ate lunch. After their meal, they spent the seemingly idyllic afternoon by strolling around the lake.
The other Yugi extended his open hand for Emrys to take. A sudden rush of assurance surged within him when she accepted the gesture.
They firmly and affectionately held hands mostly throughout their walk.
When they got back to their spot, the duelist suggested for them to go nearby the lake and enjoy the serene view. Reaching the lake and thinking that Emrys might get cold, he gently placed his royal blue jacket over her shoulders.
After giving him a grateful smile, Emrys intently asked the other Yugi, "Do you believe in anything being too soon?"
"Well, it depends on what it is," the other Yugi cautiously replied.
"Is there such a thing as too soon when it comes to falling for someone?" Emrys clarified her question as she gazed at her date.
"Just as you told me yesterday, it depends on who it is." As hazel-brown and amethyst met once more, the duelist tenderly drew the singer close to him and passionately kissed her on the lips. It was something that he had wanted to do since they first met.
Emrys, on the other hand, readily reciprocated the affectionate gesture by hugging the other Yugi. She kissed him back with heart-felt warmth and passion and allowed herself to immerse deeply in this moment.
As their kiss lingered, something strange happened.
The Millennium Puzzle activated and Emrys' ring and pendant glowed. Together, they emitting a mixture of red, gold, and green lights. The respective mystical powers of his Puzzle, her ring, and her pendant combined and gave two distinct visions.
The first vision, one of ancient Egypt, was a similar intimate moment with each other. Although their counterparts were dressed in royal garb, there were some characteristic cultural differences in Emrys' counterpart's attire compared to the other Yugi's ancient clothing.
The second revelation, set in the future, was a fiery duel monsters battle with five individuals on each side.
With the exception of the other Yugi and Emrys, the faces of his five opponents and his three teammates fighting alongside them were blurred out. Each controlled a duel monster that they have never seen or encountered before. This second vision ended in an enormous explosion.
After being released from the visions, Emrys fell unconscious in the other Yugi's arms.
End of Chapter Seven
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.