When It's No Longer Clich
Well…a few reviewers had quite a few things to say. Many of them wanted to know about the quotes, so I'll tell you where they came from, in the order in which they were said.
Lord what fools these mortals be! I believe this one is from Macbeth, however, I do not have the play in front of me, and this quote is rather estranged to me, so I could not cite exactly who said it.
But, O, what form of prayer can serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder?…' This is from Hamlet. The King, Hamlet's uncle, is caught praying and confessing his sins of plotting to murder his brother the King, take the throne, and marry the Queen. Hamlet catches him, and is filled with a confirmed rage. (After all, the ghost of the dead king comes and tells his son of his murder. This only confirmed what he heard.)
Excellent well, you are a fishmonger. Hamlet plots to act insane, because he needs people in the castle to spill what they know to him. If they think he is crazy, they will not think twice about revealing secrets, especially if they know what happened to kill his father. When Polonius asks if Hamlet knows who he is, this is Hamlet's reply to him while acting to be insane.
'Tis now the very witching hour of night when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes contagion… Hamlet says this while angered, and just before he goes to speak with his mother to reveal about the plot to kill his father. Even his mother was unaware of what her second husband did to her first one.
Plus, one other reviewer stated that I made a couple of mistakes. One of such was when I said that the 'milk went south long ago.' No, I did not mean sour, I meant south. At least where I am from, it is an old statement, because if something 'goes south,' there is much more heat and much more humidity that makes food spoil much more quickly. It's either that, or it was a statement that developed during the civil war, when people from the north, (them Yanks) would believe that if someone's loyalties were for southern slavery, they 'spoiled' and 'went south.' Either way, I surely meant south, not sour. As for the 'sweat peanut butter substance,' yes, that was a typo. Those kinds of typos are my ultimate bane, it seems, and I apologize for the mistake. I hate it when other authors make mistakes, but I really hate it when I make one. Again, I apologize, that was my mistake. Oh, and one more thing, one person said that when I wrote 'Re' I might have meant 'Ra.' Well, please let me tell you, that they are in fact the very same thing. If you notice, they call one god 'Re-Atum, or 'Atum-Re.' That's pretty much the sun, or the fusion of Ra and Atum. It simply all depends on which version of the Egyptian mythology you follow. Each village seemed to have their own slightly different beliefs before the country was unified. Pretty confusing, ne?
And so that everyone else knows, I don't own any of these characters or the quotes.
And a note on Finnegans Wake-if you have literally run out of things to read and would like something really crazy, go to your local library or bookstore and find it. However, I'm warning you, the whole book is pretty much like the first sentence, and I'm not joking when I tell you that it should be read with a very thick Irish accent, and preferably out loud. If you can be, make sure you're intoxicated when you read it. You will enjoy it that much more. And trust me, I'm quite serious about this. The books written on this book will tell you likewise.
And now, on to the story…
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Sugoroku could not help but sit at the counter in his home, still rather stunned about what transpired at the police station. Of all things to say at that moment, why would his grandson thank him for some benign puzzle he gave him over eight years ago?
There was not much he could have done with it. Researchers and geniuses from all over the globe had tried to solve it, but it had literally been deemed impossible. The hieroglyphs on the box were so old, they told no story, and there were no records anywhere that mentioned a golden puzzle created for anything. It was assumed that a second-rate goldsmith had created a practice piece, and it was probably given to a noble's child to play with. It was probably worthless except for its weight in gold, and would only collect dust in a museum as a failed project.
His colleagues had given it to him, since he had been the one to find it, and told him to keep it as a memorabilia of his travels and digs in Egypt.
So he had given it to his grandson, hoping that he might get more enjoyment out of it than he ever would.
But as it seemed to turn out, Yuugi had proved his genius even further, spending the majority of his time in the past eight years solving it, and now wearing it as a necklace.
If any of the people he worked with saw that it was a prefect pyramid now, they would be crawling all over themselves just for a chance to look at it. Its value now would skyrocket so far up both him and Yuugi could retire now and never worry about money again.
But he doubted that Yuugi was going to part with it. Not now. And in all honesty, he could never ask him to. With a sharp mind like his, Yuugi had needed something to get his mind off of his life, and Sugoroku had a strong feeling that it kept Yuugi's sanity in tact for a very long time.
Speaking of which, Yuugi was upstairs right now, sound asleep in the spare bedroom. The old man sighed, needing to get ready for bed himself. He was going to keep Yuugi out of school tomorrow, simply because the boy needed it, and deduced that it would be the perfect time to take him shopping for clothes, school supplies, lunch out, and some things to personalize his new room.
But how was he supposed to sleep with all of this now on his mind? His children dying in the same night, and suddenly taking on another child to finish raising?
Well…he had to correct himself. Yuugi would probably finishing raising himself on his own. He was very aware of what was going on around him; he just couldn't exactly supply the means to support himself until he was out of school. No job would hire him at fifteen. Children in school weren't allowed to have jobs.
But he still needed love. No matter how smart he was, he needed support from a loved one in life, and his grandfather now had every intention to give it to him. But by the time he was eighteen, he would be off to college, and only be back in the summer to stay with him, if he didn't find an apartment somewhere between class and work.
But there was still something that was irking Sugoroku, and he couldn't seem to quite place what it was. He couldn't seem to figure out exactly how he was supposed to act around Yuugi. Could he do something and not even realize that he offended Yuugi? How distant would he be from everyone else around him?
Mr. Motou sighed hard, running his hand through his grayed hair. He had a lot to figure out, and he was afraid that he was running short on time.
The only thing was, he just couldn't figure out why.
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Yami woke up well after the sun came up, feeling soft blankets and clean sheets surrounding him, and a sleeping Yuugi dreaming in his arms.
For a moment, he was worried that Yuugi overslept. He knew that Yuugi did not want to miss school, and he was actually looking forward to doing some more math homework. As silly as it might seem, he enjoyed it. It gave his usually rather dull day something exciting to do, and aside from trying to think of different strategies for games, it was his only stimulus. And just like Yuugi, he did not want to have a sedentary lifestyle or mind.
He didn't worry for long, though. He was going to take a good guess and say that Yuugi's grandfather let him stay in bed, giving him a day off. After studying the man intently the night before, he told Yuugi before they went to bed that he trusted the elder man. Yuugi, despite his hurt at being ignored by the man for most of his life, agreed, and said that he knew his Ojii-chan would never hurt him.
He started rubbing Yuugi's arms gently, bringing his hand up to run through Yuugi's hair. Purple eyes blinked open drowsily.
"Morning, aibou."
Yuugi yawned, flexing his muscles slightly, thus causing his body to become even more spooned against the dark spirit. He frowned harshly. "I over slept, didn't I?"
Yami kissed his forehead softly. "It's easy to do when you have a soft, warm bed to sleep in."
Yuugi smiled, running his hand up to Yami's shoulder and holding it there, suddenly realizing that this was the only place he felt truly safe, and truly secure. Nothing could hurt him so long as Yami was holding him. Oh, gods, he thought. Every time he's out, I'm going to want to cling to him, simply because this is the only place I feel safe, and feeling safe is such a wonderful feeling. I've…I've never felt safe before. He needed Yami. In fact…he had always needed Yami, even when he was trapped in the puzzle and he had to put it together. The puzzle had been his only support for sanity when he was younger. I know I've said this before to myself, but he truly has always been there, even when he couldn't be there physically.
And Yuugi suddenly realized ashamed that he never said something to Yami that he should have the very first night he finished the puzzle. "Thank you," Yuugi whispered. "You have given me so much."
Yami looked at him questioningly. "What did I give you?"
Yuugi almost wanted to laugh. What a silly question! "You gave me yourself, of course! You gave me warmth. You gave me concern…if you didn't come in my life, I wouldn't be here right now. Thank you." He held on tightly, turning his embrace into a desperate hug. I need you so much.
Yami heard that little thought slip through their solidifying link. "You gave me life, Yuugi. It is I that should be thanking you. I wouldn't be here either, if it hadn't been for you."
Yuugi out-right laughed. "What a sappy pair we make, ne? What are we going to do with each other?"
Yami chuckled, kissing Yuugi on the forehead again. That was his answer.
"Yuugi," Sugoroku called up the steps. "Are you up?" Yuugi sat up in bed, and Yami made himself invisible, still lying down.
"Ohayo, Ojii-chan," Yuugi called. His door opened up, and the lavender-purple eyes of his grandfather peered in.
The old man smiled. "Good morning, Yuugi. You've probably already noticed you slept in."
Yuugi nodded.
His grandfather continued. "Why don't you come down for some breakfast, and we'll go out shopping for you today? We'll buy you a whole new wardrobe, and some supplies for school. Maybe even a stuffed animal or two?"
Yuugi laughed. "Breakfast sounds wonderful. I'll be down shortly. I'm going to jump into the shower."
Nodding, Sugoroku began to leave. "I'll see you downstairs."
"A stuffed animal," Yami asked curiously after the elder man was out of earshot.
"Yeah…you know; that would be kind of nice. A bid duck would make a wonderful pillow."
Yami looked at Yuugi skeptically. "It's fake, right?"
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Yuugi laughed, realizing he had never smiled so much in one morning. "Yes, it's fake."
Yuugi and his grandfather could be found later that afternoon traipsing through the local mall, laden down with mass amounts of bags and boxes and other such various things.
Such as, for instance, a brand new belt that held a leather pouch to hold Yuugi's deck of Duel Monster Cards. He'd always had the cards for as long as he could remember. Sugoroku had given it to him when he was seven. Which was, in fact, the last time he'd seen his grandfather, and when he'd received the puzzle.
Currently, they were walking towards the end of the mall, where various odd stores were placed, such as music shops, stuffed animal depots, and salt-water taffy stands.
Yuugi's big purple eyes scanned the multitude of windows that proudly displayed their merchandise, suddenly becoming locked as flashes of brass and silver came into view.
Instruments.
Sugoroku stopped as Yuugi was sidetracked, watching his grandson with interest as he starred open-mouthed at a particular piece in the window. He was beginning to think Yuugi was going to need a towel to suck up all of the drool. "Oh," Yuugi said appreciatively, "isn't that a pretty sight."
Sugoroku walked over and noticed Yuugi looking at, of all things, a clarinet. The lack of shine let him know that it was not made of cheap plastic, but rather strong, well-oiled Indian black wood. Exactly like a clarinet should be fashioned. The silver-or was it chrome? He could never remember correctly-it shined with the gleam of polished rhinestones. Etching of irises and vines across the bottom helped to amplify the one symbol that was also etched in the middle, and the word underneath of that told what the symbol was. Omega.
Yuugi licked his lips. "That ligature on there alone costs near a thousand yen." He pointed to the thick metal band on the mouthpiece that held on the read.
"Is that a good make, Yuugi?" Sugoroku asked.
Yuugi nodded. "The best. What I wouldn't give to use that in school band. The rentals they let me use for free are nothing but crap. They're always flat, or sharp, depending on the mood they're in on any given day, and they're cracked all over. Pads of keys always fall off, lyres don't fit on them right, and the mouth piece always causes me to squeak."
"Well, why don't we go in and take a look?" His grandfather asked.
Yuugi shook his head dejectedly. "Ojii-chan, I couldn't ask you to buy that. You'd go broke. You could spend up to five hundred thousand yen on just that clarinet."
Sugoroku did his best to hide his pale face. "Surely they have some other ones in there to look at. And besides," he gave Yuugi a silly grin. "It's always fun to gawk."
Yuugi chuckled. "Oh, how true." Hefting some of the bags he carried to the other hand, he walked in ahead of his elder and began to look.
:I am intrigued with these instruments you have in this time,: Yami commented. : They look much more complicated than anything I ever came in contact with.:
Yuugi couldn't help but grin a little. : You just wait until you hear what all of them sound like together in an orchestra. You'll be awed into silence.:
"Can I help you?"
Yuugi looked up at the face of the young woman behind the counter, looking to be a working college student. Her silver hair was falling like silk around her shoulders, brushing against her back like fluffy cloud plumes. It was long. Her silver-blue eyes twinkled with good humor and a willingness to help.
"I'm just looking," Yuugi stated. "I play the clarinet at school, and like to stare avidly at all the pretty things I couldn't ever afford."
She laughed. "I feel the same way every time I go into a book store."
Yuugi nodded. "I feel your pain." He turned around and looked at some reeds that were on a turn stand, wincing at the cost. The good brands, such as Vandoren, were by no means cheap, either.
Sugoroku leaned up on the counter as Yuugi immersed himself in a music book. "Do you think you've got anything else in the way of good clarinets I might be able to get for him?" he whispered.
The cashier studied him for a moment. "That Omega in the window is nice. Very nice, but by no means inexpensive. I wouldn't even call it affordable." She pressed her lips together as she thought. "Well, you know…I might have something for you. Just a moment." She disappeared to the back, and the elder man heard quite a bit of rummaging around.
Yuugi looked up curiously when he heard a strange sound of triumph, but shrugged it off as he didn't find the source.
Mr. Motou raised an eyebrow as a yellow and brown case was brought before him, authentic leather binding on the sides. The young woman blew off a bit of dust, frowning a bit. "It's been back there for a while, but it's still in good shape. Here," she opened the latches in the front, prying open the lid. Mr. Motou picked up the dull looking wood pieces, scrutinizing it. "It's a Le Blanc," she stated. "French, obviously. Made in 1923. The cereal number only has four digits, one of the smallest you will ever see."
"It does look nice. Is there anything that might be wrong with it, to keep it in the back?"
The woman shook her head. "No, we primarily sell new things here. Most kids, especially those who start out with their first year, haven't developed their muscles in their mouth to use finely crafted instruments effectively. In fact, they usually end up damaging the nice ones, which is why they are saved for students who have advanced a bit further. This one here," she pointed to it, picking up one of the larger pieces, "weighs a bit more that plastic ones. It even weighs more than that Omega, and most people don't want to continually support that weight when they play."
Sugoroku nodded his head in understanding.
"Him, on the other hand," she nodded to Yuugi, "I believe will handle this beautifully. You can have it for fifteen hundred yen. I won't ask for any more."
"That's it," Sugoroku asked speechless. "That's all you're charging?"
She shrugged it off. "Hey, that old clunker got me through high school. My father got it for me for free. I know how hard it is to get a good instrument, and I was infinitely grateful I didn't have to pay for it. I just need some gas money for the next week." She winked.
Mr. Motou took the cash out of his pocket at put it on the counter. "Thank you so much."
She smiled. "No sweat."
Right on cue, as it seemed, Yuugi walked up to the counter and looked at his grandfather. "Are we done, I suppose?"
His grandfather pointed to the open case. "Did you see that?"
Purple eyes moved to the wooden clarinet on the counter, and slowly grew bigger and bigger. "Is that…" he picked up the one of the larger pieces and turned it over, looking for the bar code. "My Goddess…this thing must be seventy years old!"
"Eighty one, to be exact," the woman said smiling.
Yuugi whistled appreciatively, putting the piece back. "I'm impressed. It's gorgeous."
Sugoroku smiled. "It's yours."
Yuugi looked up at him skeptically. "Mine?"
"All yours," the cashier said.
"You're kidding."
The woman grabbed a small blue cardboard box off of the counter, and tossed it next to the instrument. "We'll even throw in a free box of reeds. Size 4, I presume?"
Yuugi nodded dumbly. "Yeah…that's the size I use."
"You should really think about cutting your own," she said. "You've reached pretty much the top level already. I don't think they go beyond a 4 ½. I certainly haven't found them, though I've looked."
Yuugi closed the lid, bringing the clarinet case closer to him slowly. A silly grin was smothered across his face. "I don't believe this. Thank you, so much."
The cashier smiled. "No problem. If you ever need any help, just look me up." She pointed to her nametag. "Liliu Astarte."
Yuugi had a hard time stopping his rampant 'thank yous ' as he and his grandfather headed out of the door, just as many of them directed at his grandfather as at the woman behind the counter.
Just as they were about to leave, though, Yuugi felt Yami's jaw mentally drop, and unhindered anticipation began to swirl around in the pit of Yuugi's stomach.
Yami's anticipation.
Off to the side was a small crowd of people, all sitting around a rather smug looking teenager who had a mess of cards in front of him.
"Come on, who else will take on the Master? Are all of you people out there afraid to Duel me?"
: Yuugi,: Yami pleaded. : Let me play.:
The teenager shrugged. : Of course, why wouldn't I? It's just Duel Monsters.: "Ojii-chan," Yuugi asked. "Is it all right if I challenge the over-confident fellah over there?"
Sugoroku snickered. "You do know what fellah means, don't you?"
Yuugi gave a cheeky grin. His sparkling eyes said it all. Duh. I read the dictionary for fun. I know what it means.
Mr. Motou learned from his travels in Egypt that one never called someone 'fellah,' for it was Arabic for peasant. Egyptian was no longer widely spoken there except by archeologists and Egyptologists, as Arabic was now the dominant language.
Yuugi set his bags down, now allowing Yami to take over their body as he walked over to the table.
The person sitting down had been rather obscured from view by the rather large crowd, but now that Yami had come closer, he could see who it was.
The person looked up at him and scowled. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the shrimp."
Yami grinned, showing canines that were slightly larger than normal. "Ushiro. Long time no see. How about a game?"
The bully cracked his knuckles. "Sucker. I'm going to cream you. If I win, I get that stupid hunk of gold around your neck, and I get the pleasure of beating you into a boneless pulp."
Yami inclined his head slightly, a malevolent gleam in his now blood-red eyes. "If I win, I get to deal you a penalty game. I won't discern what that is at the moment. Deal?"
Ushiro laughed. "You're not gonna win! Sit down, jack ass, and let's play."
Yami snorted. "wxA."
Ushiro looked at him oddly as he sat down.
Yami grinned devilishly as he pulled out Yuugi's deck of cards, beginning to shuffle them with a seemingly unpracticed ease. Yami's canines glistened even more. He was simply itching for a good game, and Ushiro didn't realize that he had cause the dark spirit to have true, physical pain when he pried out one piece of the puzzle. Yami knew that it would be painful if one was ever removed, but it was the first time he felt the true reality of how much agony would shoot through him if he were separated from Yuugi.
And even though he had screamed himself hoarse in the small amount of time they'd been torn apart, Yuugi couldn't hear him. And the pain instantly disappeared when Yuugi put the puzzle piece back in place.
Yes, Ushiro was going to pay. And he was going to pay even further for the bruises he had given his aibou. Yami simply had to win his right to deal vengeance.
Ha. Like that would be hard to do.
The dark spirit placed his deck of cards down in the appropriate spot, crossed his arms, and waited. Ushiro looked at him confused, his confusion then resorting to anger. He didn't like it when people made a fool of him. "What are you wait 'n for, shrimp?"
Yami raised a regal eyebrow. "Aren't you going to cut my deck? It's custom, after all."
The bully sneered. "Custom? Since when does a little card game have customs? Whatever, I'll humor the little baby." His cronies around him laughed, and Ushiro grinned, liking the ill-placed support. He cut Yuugi's deck in half, and replaced the bottom half on top. Yami did likewise to Ushiro's deck.
They both drew five cards.
Ushiro smirked, liking his draw so far. "Okay, shrimp, I play one card face down in attack mode, and I put one magic card down. Move."
Yami looked down at his hand, contemplating what he should do. "All right, Ushiro." The bully snarled at the mocking of his name. "One card in defense mode, and two face down magic cards. I end my turn."
Ushiro got a nasty look of triumph. This was going to be too easy.
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Sugoroku watched the match from afar, the crowd and all of the purchases he was laden down with inhibiting him from moving any closer. Apparently, Yuugi was winning.
Quickly.
From the noises of anger and dismay and almost anguish coming from the other person Yuugi was Dueling, it was more than just a fast win.
It was a slaughter.
Suddenly, there was a cry from the table, and the larger boy stood up shakily, glassy eyes looking ahead of him in terror. "I didn't mean it, Mama. Honest. Please don't make me do that! I…really! I didn't mean it! No!"
He ran out of the mall, completely forgetting about his cards that lay in disarray on the table. Everyone around the table backed away from Yuugi, and his grandson stood, walking over to his grandfather…confused?
"Yuugi, what happened," Sugoroku asked.
The young teenager shrugged, his eyes looking unusually red. "I don't know, Ojii-chan. He took the loss really hard." Yuugi scratched his head, reaffirming his query about the incident with the other boy. Shrugging, he picked up the bags he had set down earlier. "Are we ready?"
The elder man nodded. "Yeah, we're ready."
Did Yuugi's voice sound deeper? Did he look…taller?
: Yami…what did you do to him,: Yuugi mentally whispered, Yami still in control.
: His past is coming back to haunt him. Only he can fix his internal hell.:
: But how?:
: You need not know, aibou. There's no reason for you to immerse yourself in darkness as I have.:
Yuugi hissed, anger filling him. Who gave the spirit the right to decide what he could learn? Who gave anyone the right to deny him knowledge? He could judge for himself what he wanted to know! Know one needed to shelter him! He did not have the mentality of a child!!! : I will be the judge of what I know. One way or another, I will find the information I seek. No one will control me.:
Yami was beginning to realize that, even though his other half was kind and always warm in his arms…he wasn't always compliant.
In fact, if Yuugi didn't like it, he wouldn't put up with it. Not unless he was forced to.
And the last forced situation ended in blood.
A part of Yami became worried. Yuugi, so far, had shown to be a balance to him. But…if something pushed Yuugi's lust for blood hard enough, Yami wouldn't be able to stop himself from wanting to seek it out.
They would both end up wallowing in blood and pain and madness and darkness, and Yami wouldn't have the strength to pull either of them out of it.
His past would come back to haunt him, too.
Yuugi paused a moment when that little thought slipped into his mind, knowing it was Yami who had thought of it. : Wherever I go, my giants travel with me.:
Yami receded control back to Yuugi, thus allowing him to lower his spiritual head. : I am beginning to realize this.:
: Henry David Thoreau. Maybe I'll find one of his books and let you read it, Yami. I think you might need to.: Whatever it was that happened to be bothering Yami, Yuugi knew that the answer was in a book. And if it wasn't in a book, then he could help Yami through it.
And Yuugi was beginning to realize that Yami did not deal well with opposition, either.
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