It was a dark day as the clouds didn't seem as if they were moving, just
sat there silently, almost as if they were possessed with rain. A young boy
with perfect spikes coloured neatly, sat looking out of the shabby bus
window, covered in dirt and barely able to see the street outside.
This wasn't a normal day for the young lad, things were to change today, only not even he could have predicted quite how much. This was no ordinary bus journey either; Yugi never had to catch the bus usually. But the pressure of his foster parents hassling him daily about being a daydreamer, never succumbing to more than being a dreamer. Sure, there's nothing wrong with having dreams, but just because he didn't want to be some rich doctor or become some over-rated lawyer, they didn't consider him 'normal'. So he left. After an argument that spiralled so far out of control, young Yugi just had to leave. Famished, Yugi realised he hadn't eaten since the previous night, nor had he satisfied his thirst since being sent to his room for being late home from their neighbours' house. He didn't even like their neighbour, Malik. They never got on, yet Yugi's foster parents didn't stop to listen half the time, they just sent him round when they wanted him out of the way.
Not knowing where he would go, Yugi looked up to see the bus had stationed for lunch. After checking his pockets for change to catch another one he realised that a better idea might be to catch a train somewhere. Slipping past the ticket office, he crept out onto the platform to see a crowd of people standing there; he hid behind a group of businessmen, hoping not to be recognised. Yugi looked at the screen, he saw the next train would be going to the capital, arriving in less than 5 minutes. Five minutes passed and Yugi started to get a little nervous, thinking someone might have spotted him by now, seeing he was on his own without an adult, nevertheless, mid-thought the train arrived and he positioned himself by some women with younger children hoping no-one would question his motives. With a bit of luck, anyone around might just assume he was with one of them.
As passengers sat down he saw a man asking to look at tickets, Yugi decided to hide in the toilet briefly. Sure enough, as he emerged a few minutes later, the ticket man had gone, so he wandered into the carriage to sit by a large group of people hoping no-one would see him and think any strange happenings. It would be at least a few hours before they arrived in the Capital, so he decided to close his eyes for a bit, though as he did he jumped up suddenly. He felt cold, heart racing, he could have sworn he just saw somebody with similar hair to his. Only tall. But as he looked around, he couldn't see anyone similar. A few people looked at him discouragingly, and he decided to sit back down properly and try to get some sleep. He could feel his head getting lighter, though he knew he couldn't do anything from lack of money to get some food.
A few hours later, Yugi awoke to find himself propped against the window of the train. The people he surrounded himself with had gone, and again he saw the man with the ticket machine coming round. Panicking, he went to get up to leave but stopped; there on the seat opposite was a tatty ticket. Those people, who had gone left a ticket behind. Yugi leapt forward to pick it up, straightening it out just as the man came over, 'alright young man. Can I see your ticket?' Yugi looked at the torn paper in his hand, 'er, here'. The old man looked, he laughed. Yugi thought he might throw him off the train, he went to open his mouth to try and explain why he hadn't got a ticket, but the elderly man said, 'Thank you. Try and keep it so it's readable eh?' Yugi sighed a huge relief; it was obvious he would have to toughen up if he was planning to stay away from his foster parents.
Looking in his bag, he pulled out his duel cards and started browsing through them. 'Fancy a duel?' came a voice, scaring him. Yugi looked up, he saw a gorgeous girl with long blonde hair, a bit older than Yugi himself, but he went to speak.. 'I'- 'Oh come on. Surely you're not afraid? If that's your attitude you won't last a second when it comes to a duel'. He stood up, 'I wasn't going to say no.. but I don't think it's a good idea, being on a train, i-' 'Obviously!' she interrupted again. 'I meant when we get off the train stupid. You are going to the league aren't you? Or have you just run away from mommy?' Yugi started to get annoyed. 'I haven't.. I mean, yes. I am going to the league. I shall duel you...' 'Mai,' she held out her hand to shake. 'Yugi'! There was a silence. Mai looked at him and laughed, 'What?' he angrily muttered. 'Nothing.. I'm just not quite sure why I came over here. I mean, how old are you, 12?' she laughed. 'Well, why did you then?' 'Because you look like you know your stuff. Plus I could do with a win, boost my morale before the league.' 'What makes you think you'll win?' he asked. She just smiled at him, and walked off. He glanced at her as she went, thinking how uncontrollably short her skirt was.. and how it didn't seem to be all that great. He sat down again, unamused. At least he had somewhere to go first of all, though Mai didn't seem the friendliest person in the world he figured he might be able to get her to buy him lunch. A few minutes passed and he waited for her to return, but she didn't. Did this mean Yugi was all alone again? Was she having him on?
This wasn't a normal day for the young lad, things were to change today, only not even he could have predicted quite how much. This was no ordinary bus journey either; Yugi never had to catch the bus usually. But the pressure of his foster parents hassling him daily about being a daydreamer, never succumbing to more than being a dreamer. Sure, there's nothing wrong with having dreams, but just because he didn't want to be some rich doctor or become some over-rated lawyer, they didn't consider him 'normal'. So he left. After an argument that spiralled so far out of control, young Yugi just had to leave. Famished, Yugi realised he hadn't eaten since the previous night, nor had he satisfied his thirst since being sent to his room for being late home from their neighbours' house. He didn't even like their neighbour, Malik. They never got on, yet Yugi's foster parents didn't stop to listen half the time, they just sent him round when they wanted him out of the way.
Not knowing where he would go, Yugi looked up to see the bus had stationed for lunch. After checking his pockets for change to catch another one he realised that a better idea might be to catch a train somewhere. Slipping past the ticket office, he crept out onto the platform to see a crowd of people standing there; he hid behind a group of businessmen, hoping not to be recognised. Yugi looked at the screen, he saw the next train would be going to the capital, arriving in less than 5 minutes. Five minutes passed and Yugi started to get a little nervous, thinking someone might have spotted him by now, seeing he was on his own without an adult, nevertheless, mid-thought the train arrived and he positioned himself by some women with younger children hoping no-one would question his motives. With a bit of luck, anyone around might just assume he was with one of them.
As passengers sat down he saw a man asking to look at tickets, Yugi decided to hide in the toilet briefly. Sure enough, as he emerged a few minutes later, the ticket man had gone, so he wandered into the carriage to sit by a large group of people hoping no-one would see him and think any strange happenings. It would be at least a few hours before they arrived in the Capital, so he decided to close his eyes for a bit, though as he did he jumped up suddenly. He felt cold, heart racing, he could have sworn he just saw somebody with similar hair to his. Only tall. But as he looked around, he couldn't see anyone similar. A few people looked at him discouragingly, and he decided to sit back down properly and try to get some sleep. He could feel his head getting lighter, though he knew he couldn't do anything from lack of money to get some food.
A few hours later, Yugi awoke to find himself propped against the window of the train. The people he surrounded himself with had gone, and again he saw the man with the ticket machine coming round. Panicking, he went to get up to leave but stopped; there on the seat opposite was a tatty ticket. Those people, who had gone left a ticket behind. Yugi leapt forward to pick it up, straightening it out just as the man came over, 'alright young man. Can I see your ticket?' Yugi looked at the torn paper in his hand, 'er, here'. The old man looked, he laughed. Yugi thought he might throw him off the train, he went to open his mouth to try and explain why he hadn't got a ticket, but the elderly man said, 'Thank you. Try and keep it so it's readable eh?' Yugi sighed a huge relief; it was obvious he would have to toughen up if he was planning to stay away from his foster parents.
Looking in his bag, he pulled out his duel cards and started browsing through them. 'Fancy a duel?' came a voice, scaring him. Yugi looked up, he saw a gorgeous girl with long blonde hair, a bit older than Yugi himself, but he went to speak.. 'I'- 'Oh come on. Surely you're not afraid? If that's your attitude you won't last a second when it comes to a duel'. He stood up, 'I wasn't going to say no.. but I don't think it's a good idea, being on a train, i-' 'Obviously!' she interrupted again. 'I meant when we get off the train stupid. You are going to the league aren't you? Or have you just run away from mommy?' Yugi started to get annoyed. 'I haven't.. I mean, yes. I am going to the league. I shall duel you...' 'Mai,' she held out her hand to shake. 'Yugi'! There was a silence. Mai looked at him and laughed, 'What?' he angrily muttered. 'Nothing.. I'm just not quite sure why I came over here. I mean, how old are you, 12?' she laughed. 'Well, why did you then?' 'Because you look like you know your stuff. Plus I could do with a win, boost my morale before the league.' 'What makes you think you'll win?' he asked. She just smiled at him, and walked off. He glanced at her as she went, thinking how uncontrollably short her skirt was.. and how it didn't seem to be all that great. He sat down again, unamused. At least he had somewhere to go first of all, though Mai didn't seem the friendliest person in the world he figured he might be able to get her to buy him lunch. A few minutes passed and he waited for her to return, but she didn't. Did this mean Yugi was all alone again? Was she having him on?