Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong me *sob* as much as I would love for it to. It is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, TV Tokyo and Nas..I'm just playing around with the characters. If they really belonged to me, all the male characters would be running around with only loincloths and making out with each other, Anzu would be comatose, and Mai would be in a skimpy bikini……
Please don't sue. If you do, the only things you'll get are my student loans and dust bunnies from my jeans pocket...
Warning: This fic contains shounen-ai and yaoi. Yes, YAOI. This means boy lovin' boy! If you don't like that sort of thing, what in the 13 hells are you doing here?! Click the back button, quick!
RyuArashi refuses to take responsibility for any foolish person that suffers any trauma from the contents of this story. So there. Be a good girl/boy and listen to your elders. You'll live longer that way….
A/N: Well, here I am again! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of This Time Around. A little explanation about our characters….I would very much like to thank everyone that reviewed: jkateel, (I adore your stories! Pls update soon!), Sansi, Kawaii-Baka-Neko, Miami-chan and Fairy of Fortune….You guys rock! This chapter is dedicate to you! Thanks so much for your kind words! The rest of you readers….REVIEW!!!! I like to know who's reading my stories. I also encourage e-mails and feedback…I like to think I'm a friendly gal….
This story is set in an A/U. Unfortunately, there won't be any mention of the Millennium items. There will be Duel Monsters, but only in passing, as they are the basis of Kaiba's company, and a part of Yami's business holdings, as well as Sugoroku's shop. We will be seeing bits and pieces of Yami's past (not Egypt, though. He does have ties to Egypt, it will be explained more as the story develops) and the reasons why he has problems with his family and how he met Yugi.
Anyway, we'll see more of Yami and Yugi's past as the story continues. Now on with the show!
Chapter 2: Party Preparations
"Yugi-sama! Yugi-sama….!"
Yugi Mutou cringed as he heard his name being yelled. He didn't really want to be found, which was why he was ensconced in an out of the way corner in the huge attic of the Nagareboshi Gallery. He was hoping against hope that no one would think to look for him there. But knowing the relentless tenaciousness of the girl calling his name, he didn't think he stood a chance.
Things had become quite hectic, what with the preparations for his art showing and the after party that was to follow in a couple of weeks. It seemed quite a lot of people were looking forward to the occasion. It was all together quite surprising and very over whelming for Yugi, who in his wildest dreams, never imagined that his dabbling with paints as a hobby and sanity-saver would become such a huge sensation. He had been shocked when he had learned that just one of his paintings fetched anywhere between sixty to two hundred thousand yen. The thing was, no one he told ever believed he had fallen into painting by accident-and necessity.
To say the first couple of months after his lover, Yami Kagehito, had left him behind to go pursue his music career in America was hell would be an understatement.
The first week after Yami had left, he had cried. He cried the whole week. He had shed so many tears that he had quite alarmed his grandfather, who was afraid he would fall ill and die of dehydration. Sugoroku had to resort to trickery to get him to their family physician, who had sedated him, and promptly admitted him into the hospital. While at the hospital, he had been hooked up to tubes that passed intravenous saline liquid directly into his body to replenish all the electrolytes he had lost. He had remained in the hospital for a week.
Their family physician, Dr. Aoyama, had very sternly forbade him from shedding any more tears and threatened to have his tear ducts removed if he did. The doctor had been very serious. Yugi had agreed, albeit under duress. He had still cried from time to time, but he made sure to do so in the privacy of his bathroom, and never where Sugoroku could see him.
Three weeks after the hospital debacle, he had fallen into depression. His appetite suffered, as well as his overall well-being. Since he wasn't allowed to cry, there was no other way for him to express his sorrow. Once again, he seriously alarmed his grandfather, who promptly, when he finally realized Yugi was not ready to get out of his funk or rather couldn't get out of his funk, at least not without professional help, had taken it upon himself to ask Yugi's college for an indefinite leave of absence. It helped that Yugi was an excellent student; and had stellar grades. The only reassurance his guidance counselor had needed was that Yugi would return to finish his studies in computer science and design and graphic arts (he was a double major)-a throwback to his love of games, puzzles and drawing. After making sure that Yugi's college career wouldn't be derailed, Sugoroku had resorted to trickery again to get Yugi to see a psychologist.
The road to recovery and making a normal life without Yami had been long and hard. He and Yami had depended on each so much, especially in terms of emotional support. Yugi adored his grandfather of course, but it just wasn't the same. The love one had for a partner and for a parent…well, they were just different. To Yugi, Yami was much, much more than just a lover. He had been a mentor, someone to look up to, and someone who protected him and loved him, faults and all.
To any other person, taking Yami's departure so hard was stupid and insane. Yami was just a boyfriend. People come and go. But really, it wasn't so surprising to Yugi. It was actually very simple and apparent to him.
Yami had been the center of his life and world, next to his grandfather.
Yugi had always been a not-so-normal child. For one thing, he had always been tiny for his age, genetics having had their fun at his expense. While everyone around him had been growing in leaps and bounds, he basically stayed the same when he reached age ten. His grandfather had smiled sympathetically and even laughed when the ten-year-old Yugi had taken to eating vegetables twice a day so he could grow like the kids in his school did. His life was further complicated by the fact that he was very intelligent, and all his teachers adored him, which for some strange reason, alienated his schoolmates and caused him to become a target for bullies. Yugi had no friends, and was basically alone. Yami had come into his life at a time he had needed someone like him the most.
Ironically enough, it was an encounter with a particularly vicious bully that had brought Yugi and Yami together, and changed both their lives forever.
When Yugi had first taken up with Yami, back in high school, Sugoroku had at first thought it was one of those teenage crushes. Everyone knew teenage boys had sex on the brain, and their hormones had basically gone haywire. He wasn't too pleased at first to find out that his beloved grandson was bi-sexual. But having lived long enough to see everything under the sun, he hadn't protested too loudly. Then he found out that Yami was a bouchama*-basically a boy who was heir to a conglomerate and whose family had way too much money for their own good-and everyone else's around them. He had heartily disapproved of the Kagehito boy, as Sugoroku had first referred to Yami and he had never heard anything good at all about the boy's sire. So it was safe to assume the boy would be as bad, if not worse- as boys like that had been indulged all their lives. It was a given, as Sugoroku had yelled at Yugi when he had found out he was dating Yami.
For the first time in the twelve years Yugi had lived with his grandfather, Yugi had defied the old man's wishes.
"No, jii-chan, I won't break up with Yami!"
"What did you say?! Yugi, he's a bouchama! I'm pretty sure he's leading you on! Boys like that are never serious, and they almost always have someone else in the wings!"
"Jii-chan, my boyfriend is gay….I seriously doubt he has a fiancée…"
"Whatever…in any case, this isn't the time for you to be entangled in some doomed romance! You have to face your studies. You have no time to be experimenting or dating, or whatever they call it now….You have to face your studies!"
"You don't understand, jii-chan! I love him. I love him very much.!" Yugi yelled back at his grandfather in exasperation and defiance. Kami, it was difficult getting a point across to his grandfather when he was like this..!
Sugoroku was taken aback. Yugi had never, ever expressly refused to do what he asked him to do before. His grandson was actually an unusually well behaved boy. He never rebelled, never yelled or raised his voice. He never stayed out late; he didn't even have any friends, and didn't seem to be even interested in a lot of the things boys his age were interested in, preferring to read, play games and draw. So for him to actually yell and defy him…well, maybe the boy was serious. But still, he had to put a stop to what he felt was going to be a very detrimental relationship to his much loved grandson.
Sugoroku snorted and folded his arms. "Love? Please, grandson, you are only fourteen years old. What do you know of such things?"
Yugi scowled at him. "I'd rather you didn't patronize me, jii-chan. I know all about love." Yugi walked to a window, looking out, but not really seeing anything. His mind was just full of hurt and confusion. Why wouldn't jii-chan understand and accept his choice? "I know he loves me and that I love him back. Even if he didn't feel that way about me, I'd still love him with all my heart." Yugi turned back to face his grandfather. "How could I not? He saved my life, jii-chan…." Yugi finished quietly.
Sugoroku stared at his grandson in apprehension and confusion. "What do you mean by that statement, Yugi? Did something happen that you didn't tell me about?"
Yugi sighed. "Yes, jii-chan. Something did happen. Remember that night two months ago when I stumbled in? You patched me up, remember?"
Sugoroku nodded, remembered anger twisting his face into an angry scowl. "You had just had a run-in with bullies as usual. I do remember being very angry and upset at the time. Did something else happen in addition to that?"
"Yes…." Yugi hung his head. "Yami told me to let you know, but I didn't want you worry….and I knew you wouldn't let the issue go, at least not this time. You probably would have called the police, but that would have made an already bad situation even worse, trust me…."
"So, what happened, then?" the elderly male demanded impatiently.
"My tormentors apparently had enough of my escaping them, so they decided to ambush me a few blocks not far from school…..they were very serious this time, jii-chan. They brought along all sorts of weapons. The leader of the bunch, Keisuke Hattoru, was about to carve me up like a Christmas turkey. He had two of his goons hold me while he brandished his knife. I started yelling hysterically…before I knew it; Yami had arrived on the scene with some friends of his. He had heard me yelling and came to see what was wrong. I was so lucky that day, jii-chan. The area around our school is usually deserted by six o'clock. Apparently, Yami had been looking for Keisuke…they're enemies, and it seemed this same boy had done the same thing to a relative of his friends'. Yami had heard Keisuke was around the area, which was why he was able to rescue me. And the rest you know."
Sugoroku was stunned. He stared at Yugi in horror. "Yugi…how could you hide such a thing from me?! What if Yami hadn't appeared on the scene? You could have been seriously hurt, or Kami forbid, dead!"
Yugi sighed again. "But there was no harm done, jii-chan. I really didn't want to worry you. You already do enough of it as it is. Especially about me…"
"That's not true, Yugi. You are my beloved only grandson. How could I not worry? There's no parent on this earth that doesn't worry about their offspring, unless they're dead or crazy. We will always worry, no matter what age our children are." By this time, Sugoroku had the boy clutched to his diminutive body, worry creating a furrow in his brows. "Promise me….promise me you won't hide such things from me again, Yugi."
"Jii-chan…"
"Promise me!"
"Very well…I promise. But I have something to ask in return. Please give Yami a chance…." Yugi turned his eyes to his grandfather in supplication.
Sugoroku frowned, and grumbled in response. Yugi raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Jii-chan?"
Sugoroku realized he had no choice. Yugi was a very good judge of character…but a person named 'Yami'…
"Very well, grandson, You may date him…but no hanky-panky….!"
"Jii-chan!"
Sugoroku ignored his furiously blushing grandson and continued as if Yugi hadn't spoken. "You are still too young to be engaging in that sort of thing….though I can't see how you can fall in love with a person named 'Yami'…it doesn't bode well…"
Yugi forgot his embarrassment and laughed at his grandfather's grumbling. "It's just a nickname, jii-chan. His real name is Kaname. His family and friends call him Yami because of the color of his skin and his quiet, enigmatic nature…." Yugi's voice drew to a slow stop. The young teen had closed his eyes, a smile playing about his perfect, rosebud shaped mouth. Sugoroku quirked a grayed eyebrow. Apparently, his grandson had started to indulge in a fantasy involving his new boyfriend. This Yami character had to be something if his usually down-to-earth grandson was dreamily fantasizing about him. The old man shrugged. If the boy made Yugi happy, who was he to object?
While Sugoroku was not pleased at the relationship, he was ecstatic that Yugi was happy. Yugi had always had a hard time making and keeping friends. He had despaired at his grandson ever making any. He had watched, unhappily, as his bright, loving, and friendly grandson turned from a happy little boy to the quiet loner he had been before he had met this unknown boy. It had made him so angry as to how cruel children could be to someone they deemed different than they. And what made it worse was that it was behavior they emulated from the adults around them.
Sugoroku smiled at his grandson's antics. It was very refreshing to see Yugi bubbling with happiness like this. In any case, for him to get a romantic interest at such a young age and to another male…well, it bore careful watching.
He finally got to meet the much cooed and talked about Yami Kagehito-and he was shocked and impressed.
Not only was the boy unbelievably handsome, it seemed his fondness for his grandson was genuine, and it was apparent how much he adored Yugi. He was strangely solicitous of the younger boy and treated him like he was handling delicately spun glass. Now the emotion the elder Mutou had to battle was…jealousy. Yugi had found someone else to devote his time, love and energy to. These new feelings did nothing to endear Yami to him…not one bit. But for Yugi's sake, he managed to hide it. Yami made Yugi very happy, and that was all that mattered to Sugoroku….for now.
+++++++++++++++++
Yugi shook his head briskly, trying to banish his memories. Whatever else transpired between him and Yami, they had been extremely happy with each other, until the day Yami departed for America.
Over the years, Yugi had finally come to an understanding of what Yami had been thinking. At least the reasoning behind why Yami had refused to take him along.
A couple of years ago-about four years after Yami's departure, Sugoroku had fallen seriously ill. All the doctors Yugi had ferried him to all came to one conclusion-old age. His grandfather's age was finally catching up to him, and his body was naturally worn out. Yugi had vehemently refused to accept the verdict that his happy-go-lucky, cheerful, loving, game genius of a grandfather was going to die. There was no way in the world he was going to wait for his grandfather to depart the world of the living.
Of course, he knew his beloved grandfather was going to die one day. But not now. He wasn't ready! He had hoped to give Sugoroku a couple of great-grandchildren to bounce his knee and spoil. He could get married- he was bi-sexual, after all. But after having Yami as a partner for so long, he knew that would never happen. He was going to adopt. But now….
Yugi had nursed his grandfather with fierce love, devotion and tenderness that surprised no one that knew him. By the time all this happened, he had finished his degrees, and was starting to gain recognition in the art world for his beautiful, surrealistic art that had elements of dark emotions, but called out to people anyway. Much to everyone's relief, Sugoroku had recovered slowly, but surely.
Yugi finally realized that if his beloved Yami had acquiesced to his demands and taken him along, he would have never been able to be there for Sugoroku the way the old man had been there for him during the dark days that had followed after Yami's departure. If his grandfather had died while he had been away, it would have been a blow Yugi would have never been able to recover from, despite Yami's support and love.
It had taken Yugi a very long time to accept this truth-but by then, he had burned his bridges with his former lover.
Over the years, Yami had tried contacting him, but Yugi had still been so hurt by his decision to leave that he had rebuffed his loves' apologetic overtures. Yami and his band had gotten to a critical stage in their development and couldn't leave the States for any amount of time unless it had to do with business. But Yugi hadn't known this at the time, and felt Yami didn't care enough to even return in person to try to patch things up.
Now, he regretted behaving like a spoilt brat. This hadn't stopped him from buying everything and anything about Shadow Kiss, though. He had all their albums-all six of them-and various paraphernalia. He watched all their videos and couldn't get over how beautiful and photogenic Yami was on camera.
He had heard Yami's band was coming to Domino-cho for a concert. It was going to be the hottest the city had ever seen. Yugi didn't think he was going to go; he hated crowds and the squished together feeling, not to talk of the smell of sweat and overly ripe bodies.
Yugi laid his forehead on the glass of the attic's single, large window and sighed wearily. He had forgiven Yami his departure. What he couldn't forgive, though, was how the choice was taken away from him. Forget the fact that he had been able to be with his grandpa when he needed him the most. The least Yami could have done was explain his reasoning-though Yugi doubted he would have listened. But he could have at least tried. Well, that was a moot point, now. He was sure Yami would have found a new lover by now. Yugi smiled to himself sadly. He and Yami had never been able to keep their hands off each other. Yami had been a horny bastard, and had never been able to control himself around Yugi or go without sex for long. How he had been able to wait till Yugi was seventeen before making love to him was a huge mystery….
"Yugi-sama! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" An overly cheerful voice interrupted Yugi's introspection. Yugi groaned silently. Anzu Mazaki, his assistant and all round gofer, had found him. She was a cheerful, blue-eyed, red-haired young woman, who also happened to be the niece of the gallery owner, Takeshi Kawamura. A dancer by profession, she was also a rising artist in her own right, who also happened to have a crush on Yugi, something her uncle actively encouraged. Takeshi was very fond of Yugi, and he also had a suspicion the man also wanted him. The two of them knowingly or unknowingly (one could never tell with the two of them) made his life a living hell.
Yugi did nothing to encourage the Anzu and Takeshi's amorous feelings for him. In fact, he was quite standoffish, though in a very nice way. Yugi didn't have a mean bone in his beautiful body, and he had never been able to be deliberately rude to people. He hadn't been raised that way, was his reasoning.
Reasoning that probably didn't help his situation one bit. He supposed they thought he was fair game, since he never showed any interest or inclination to date any one, male or female.
In retrospect, Yugi thought it was inevitable. Yami, as a lover, was very hard to top in the looks or the wealth department, though if he thought about it, the young genius billionaire, Seto Kaiba, could give his Yami a run for his money. But he had heard rumors that the billionaire had a lover he was extremely crazy about. No one had been able to confirm it though, since the young billionaire was also famous for being very reclusive and protective of his privacy. Yugi sighed. He missed Yami so very much. He had been one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. Even to this day, though it had been seven years, he still couldn't recall seeing anyone as handsome and sexy as his former lover had been.
While Yugi continued woolgathering, Anzu continued to chatter. Getting no replies to her questions, she finally noticed that Yugi wasn't paying her any attention. She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Yugi-sama!" Startled, Yugi turned to her in surprise. "Anzu? You're still here?" Anzu narrowed her blue eyes at him. He sighed inwardly.
He had been trying to avoid the overly amorous young woman all day, but she had a knack for locating him. He wondered if she had planted a homing device on him or something. He made a mental note to buy a metal detector and inspect his clothing just to make sure.
He really hadn't wanted to be found, especially by her. He was already nervous and full of anxiety because of the upcoming showing. He totally hated this-energy that he was supposed to use to get work done was being expended in trying to avoid her. He always cursed his inability to be mean. At least, he could give a reason for being that way-everyone knew artists were eccentric. Anzu annoyed him to no end. She talked a lot, flirted with him and also batted her eyelashes, making her look like she had dirt in her eye. Didn't anyone tell her those ploys never worked on smart guys? While she was attractive, Yugi was totally not interested in her, and she gave him a headache.
"I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! And now when I found you, you weren't even paying attention to me!"
'What is it, Anzu-chan? I thought we were done with all the art placements. If whatever you're going to say to me isn't an emergency, I would appreciate being left alone for the time being. I'm trying to finish this particular painting in time for the showing. I don't have time to chat with you. What are you doing here, anyway?" He used a cool tone of voice, hoping it would dissuade any amorous behavior she may have been planning to indulge in. The girl cringed.
"I…I'm sorry, Yugi-sama…I didn't mean to be forward. I was only trying to deliver a messageTakeshi-ji-san wanted me to deliver to you." Anzu replied, apparently chastised. Now Yugi felt like an oaf. But he wasn't going to apologize. Maybe this would dissuade the girl from playing those games with him? He didn't think so. Anzu was nothing if not tenacious. He grunted in response, turning to his painting.
"So? What was the message Takeshi-san wanted you to tell me?"
"He wanted to know how many guests you were going to invite to the after party, and for me to get a list from you. The guest list for the showing is complete. Everyone who is anyone is coming."
"I already knew that. All the movers and shakers of Domino-cho, huh? So? Why does he need a list? He can just duplicate it for the party."
"Well, Takeshi-ji-san wanted the party to be more exclusive. He said there was to be a surprise…..I'm not sure myself what it is. Also, he said wanted to start making preparations. You know, calling the caterers, decorators and the other stuff….."
Yugi thought about that for a moment. Over the years, he had finally begun making friends, especially after he got to University. Being in college was totally different from high school, and he had a close circle of friends now, many of which weren't even from Japan. They were the ones that helped him with his language studies and helped feed his obsession with Shadow Kiss.
"Sou ne…I'd have to think a bit about that. How soon does Takeshi-san want the list?"
"Well, the whole event is going to in about two and half months. Takeshi-ji-san says the sooner we begin preparations, the better. That means less time for things to go wrong. Rushed events never turn out right. So, about a week."
"Sounds like he's talking from experience. That's okay….I should be able to come up with a fairly comprehensive list by then…..Wakatta. Tell him I'll fax it to him as soon as I compile it."
Anzu smiled coyly, her body movements becoming sultry as she drew nearer to Yugi. "Ah…Yugi-sama…..there's no need for you to go through all that trouble. I can come over and get it personally…." It seemed she had forgotten the abrupt welcome Yugi had given her a few minutes ago.
Yugi eyed the girl apprehensively, at the same time subtly moving away from her. It looked Anzu was getting ready to plaster herself to him. Kami…how was he going to get rid of the girl without embarrassing both of them?
Just then, his cell phone rang. Yugi was so relieved, he almost hooped in joy. Anzu pouted, and straightened and looked away, folding her arms in annoyance. Yugi ignored her, turning his back on her to take his call.
"Moshi-moshi, Mutou desu…."
:Yugi?
"Ji-chan? Is everything okay?"
As soon as Sugoroku had recovered to Yugi's satisfaction, he had gotten cell phones for the both of them. It was a way for Yugi to check on his grandfather, and to keep track of him. He had also hired two people to help with the store. The Kame Game Shop had become extremely successful, as the years had gone by. Sugoroku hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had needed and was grateful for the help, as he wasn't strong enough anymore to do the heavy lifting needed in the store.
After conversing with his grandfather for about 10 minutes, Yugi dropped cut the connection, laughing softly. Apparently, an old flame had dropped in unexpectedly and invited Sugoroku to come visit her at her grandson's house, which was about 3 hours from Domino-cho. It was going to be an overnight trip, and he didn't expect to be back until tomorrow evening. Yugi had teased the old man, but he was happy that his grandfather was being active again.
Turning back to Anzu, who, by now was busy tapping her foot, Yugi stared at her for a moment and shook his head.
"Anzu, I'm leaving. Was there anything else?"
"Yugi-samaaa…." The girl whined. "I thought you wanted to finish that painting!"
Yugi snorted. "Too many distractions…" he stared pointedly at Anzu, who had the grace to flush in shame.
"I can finish it later. Is there anything else? I need to leave soon, but I won't have the time to clean my brushes. Why don't you do that for me? And tell Takeshi-san I'll get on the list thing as soon as possible." Yugi continued, dipping the said brushes in the water container he retained for resting his used brushes in.
Anzu sighed. "Hai, Yugi-sama." She picked up the brush container and started picking up the stuff Yugi had been using while painting. Yugi moved away, cleaning his hands on a rag. He balled up the piece of cloth and was about to throw it in a nearby garbage can and walk away when Anzu called out to him again.
"Yugi-sama!"
He turned to face her. "Nani, Anzu-chan?"
"Who are you bringing to the party? Have you a partner, yet?"
Yugi held a delicate hand to his head. "Anzu…the whole event is still in two months. I've been trying to finish all the paintings we need for that same event. I haven't had time to think of that! Weren't you the one that just told me your uncle needs my guest list?! You know what? I don't know! Leave me alone. And don't ask me that question again until after I finish all the paintings. You got me?" With that, Yugi turned on his heel and stalked away. He didn't bother to look back. If he had, he would have seen Anzu's mouth agape.
She discovered too late that Yugi Mutou harbored a temper. A nasty one at that.
Anzu sighed in joy. Damn…she wanted him more, now than ever.
TBC
So, how are you guys liking this so far? Come on people, pleaaaassseee!!! Read and review! How will I know whether this is working or not if you don't give me feedback? *tears in eyes * Please?
Next time: Yami arrives in Japan…..