Updates ... And here we are again, back to read another segment in the life of Sugoroku Mutou. I've started working on Part 2 (finally!) and its getting scary because the chapters are longer and thus takes more time to write. Me thinks that you all will be catching up to me very soon. I'm only a few chapters ahead and the steam has been running a little low. I do believe I may have to try coffee beans in the engine instead of just Pepsi...

Snow Weaver ... Don't worry about not reviewing for one chapter. I'm just glad you didn't jump ship (or should I say train?) on Sugoroku! LOL. He really has a neat life. At least I think so anyway. Believe me...its VERY far from being complete...and so is he. : )

BabyGatomon ... You still have a little ways to go before we get to how Yugi becomes a permanent fixture in the game shop...which is already plotted out in my story outline. Just remember that there's going to be tons more before then. BTW... Glad you got my e-mail: )

PyroDragon2006 ... Does Sugoroku learn English? Ummm...the answer will be in the next chapter, lol. It was a little weird for me too when I initially started writing this, to think of Sugoroku as anything other than an old man. But I've long since gotten over that. What really helped was reading the Manga on how Sugoroku found the puzzle. It can be found at the following address... http / www . janime . biz / manga / scan . html . Go down to the bottom of the page to "Episode 279 - The Millennium Treasure", and just start going through page by page. If you really study his expressions and body language, you can see a lot of who he was as younger man. It isn't translated, but you can find a full translation here... http / theria . net / yugioh / manga / 279 . html . He was, in my opinion, a very interesting character, and I find that the more I go in to who his was then, the more it helps me understand who is when we finally meet him in Yugi's story. He is a very deep person with his own secrets and mystery, and the only way to get to that, is to have led a very varied and unique life.

Ciardra ... OSC may have had a weird name, but it certainly didn't hurt his writing any, did it? Thank you for sharing this author with me. Perhaps a few others will be encouraged to check out some new works as well. As for winning money, all I can say is...Sugoroku will definitely have his share.

beginner150 ... In answer to your questions... "How far do you plan on doing this? Do you plan to go all the way to when he's in Egypt? Or is it too early to ask?"... my answer...ALL THE WAY BABY! I've got my entire outline for his life from his end of things, set through to the end of the Manga! I even lead into my other chapter fic I've had simmering on my hard drive for some time. No, that one isn't about Sugoroku. Its our normal YGO gang working overtime again! It mostly centers around Anzu and Yugi to some degree - but that's all I'm telling: ) Side note about Sugoroku in Egypt...I will be re-telling it from a much more personal angle than the Manga gives. I am seriously looking forward to doing that and giving him so much more depth.

Scarab Dynasty ... I enjoyed chapter 11 as well and I agree that there has to be some interaction to keep the whole thing grounded to the time frame. If you rush through too much, it doesn't seem real enough. Besides which, it is these interactions that help to define who Sugoroku will become. Glad you enjoyed it though and keep reading, 'cause there's lots more interaction to come!

All aboard everyone! The Sugoroku train leaves now!

Trixie21

Okay, you all know the drill. I have to take up valuable space and time to say that I do not own any part that is the coolness of the Yu-Gi-Oh universe. That honor goes completely to Kazuki Takahashi. Authoress as she bows subserviently before her shrine of great creators... "We're not worthy! We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

This Old Man: Sugoroku's Story

Part 1: Japan

12. A New Job And The Issue Of 25 Yen …

Surprise was not the word.

They had been stunned beyond belief.

When Sugoroku had played every man present twice, and lost not a single game, the men had been in total shock, and it hadn't taken Thomas to translate it for the boy to know. He had in fact, smiled smugly the entire time as the men scratched their heads in confusion over it. It wasn't until Mark finally instructed Thomas to ask Sugoroku how the boy could play so well, that realization dawned on the men. They had been to some degree duped...by a kid.

Having found out that the boy had already been playing a similar game for quite a few years now, the men could only shake their heads while some laughed uproariously. Not a man among them was mad. Not even a fellow that lost 25 yen over his bet that at least someone from the group would beat Sugoroku.

When it was all over, and the men had to return to the ship for some rest and dinner, Mark had opted to sit with Sugoroku, and with Thomas's help, Sugoroku and the man enjoyed a quiet hour of talking about who they were and their experiences so far.

Sugoroku did not mention the military school. Young, eager, but far from being stupid, it was the one piece of advice his father had given him that he did agree with. He was making new friends of these Americans, and he did not want to risk letting them know what he had been a part of.

By the end of their time walking along the wharf, Mark and Sugoroku had become easy friends despite the language barrier.

Sugoroku now knew that Mark was a crew member of a Destroyer ship called the USS Pemberton. He was usually found in the engine room as a machinist, but he also had a fill in position in communications as well. Since landing on the Tokyo docks, he had been in charge of a group of men, who had to regularly transport, and disperse, food and water to the people across the city. The ship's Japanese-American Military Intelligence Service (MIS) interpreter, Thomas, often went along to help the native Japanese understand what the American men said, and what the rules were; such as how many packages of food and containers of water each family could receive.

Thomas though, was often heckled by the very people he was trying to help, as some of them had labeled him a traitor.

Sugoroku hadn't liked that idea one bit. As far as he knew, there was no reason for such dislike towards Thomas, and it wasn't a pleasant thing to imagine. Especially when he was only trying to help the people.

There wasn't much to be done about it though. The Americans had offered to pay Japanese men for guide services, but there had been as yet, no takers. This would have at least left Thomas able to continue his duties, translating information from the Japanese officials that came to the docks often, or when American naval officers went to meetings with them. It slowed things down when he had to be translating road signs instead of contract meetings, and when he was sent to the meetings, the American men often ended up in the wrong places with their food and water. It was, after all, quite difficult to be in two places at once.

Sugoroku was struck then, with the struggle that was going on even within a group as strong as the Americans, and before he knew what he was doing, he was offering to be a guide to them. He did know how to find most areas of the city, especially the more destitute ones, and being a native, he could easily tell the people they met, what needed to done if he knew in advance. Though he was only just beginning to get used to hearing the American words and sounds, he was sure he could learn enough of it reasonably quickly, to understand a few basic commands or orders.

When Mark heard Thomas suggest Sugoroku's interest, the man's eyes widened in surprise. Men with whole families to feed had refused the offer, and here was a kid, a boy, stepping up to the challenge as easily as if he had been asked to say his name.

Mark smiled and clapped his hand on Sugoroku's shoulder as he nodded once. He spoke for several long moments and Sugoroku looked at Thomas expectantly.

Thomas translated, "Mark is most thankful for your offer to help and he says that he is very impressed with your courage and understanding. He says that he wishes there were more boys like you in the world, and even in our own country. He believes that more like you would most likely bring about a stronger, more reliable peace, and there would be less reason to fight if those people were as willing as you, with trying to understand and learn about the other side. He would be very grateful to have your help and asks that if possible, he would need you here early in the morning."

Sugoroku grinned broadly as he nodded enthusiastically. Early morning would not be a problem at all.

"We must return to our ship now, but Mark also asks that you take this, and use it for you and your family."

Sugoroku looked down at Mark's proffered hand and stared. In the man's large hand was the 25 yen he had won off the other man who had lost his earlier bet.

"Why would he give his money to me?"

"Because you are the one who earned it," said Thomas, "You are the one who played the game and won. Besides, he has no need of it at the moment. It is better spent by one who can use it, and since you are a friend, it is happily given."

Sugoroku's hands shook as he reached out and took the money. He was being given money for something he so easily did without hardly thinking. It almost didn't seem right. But then again, who was he to refuse a gift? Not that he would have attempted to anyway. To do so would have been an affront to the customs with which he had been raised. So, he took it.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, that he had made such a fast friend, managed to get a job and made 25 yen all in one day, Sugoroku very nearly floated home on invisible wings what with the excited euphoria that filled him.

It was a shame that his father however, did not share such excitement, or hold much pride to his son's accomplishment. In fact, when Sugoroku had proudly placed the coins on the table, and announced his new partnership with the American naval men, Osamu could only stand in mute shock at the news. Then, as if a switch had suddenly been flicked, the man came to life and grabbing the money off the table, he went to the door and tossed it outside as hard as he could.

Horrified, Sugoroku moved forward in a rush to go and fetch the money off the ground before some passerby could pick it up, but the door was closed before him immediately, and Osamu stood before it, a glare across his face.

"I will not have their piteous handouts in my house," he breathed in barely controlled anger.

Sugoroku looked at the man.

"Father, it isn't a hand out! I won that money. I earned it. I played their game of chess and I beat them all. It was my reward."

"Earned it? You did nothing but play a game! You did not work for it! I tell you, Sugoroku, that you will get nowhere playing games in life. Life is serious. It is hard and tiresome work. It is struggle and strife with little reward, and the sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you will able to live like any other normal man. Until then, you will be nothing but a child, and I will accept no money in my house that is not brought home through hard work. Working for the Americans I can forgive, even though I am displeased with it because it would not have occurred without you disobeying me, but I will not forgive your soft attitudes towards honest money, and laziness. Now go to your room."

Indignation rose in the boy, and he found himself bolder with a growing sense of unfairness for his father's opinions.

"But I did have to work for it! I played 10 games of chess to get this much. Who knows how much more I could get if I had played even more."

Osamu would not hear another word, and instead roared back, "Go to your room!" before Sugoroku could say anymore.

Biting back his tongue so hard it almost bled, Sugoroku did as his father ordered, and flopped down onto his bed, anger raging in his mind.

25 yen wasted! He hated that his father was so stuck in the past and could not see forward to the future. Here was a way to make money with little effort, and he could not see the use of it. The man refused to think that there was any way to work for money other then his way. What was so wrong about doing work his son's way?

He continued to stew over it late into the night, and perhaps would have persisted well past midnight, if his mother had not come in when she did and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Still angry?" she asked.

Sugoroku didn't answer. Instead he gave a sullen look.

"Sugoroku, perhaps you should try to understand how he views work and what you are doing."

"I understand perfectly how he views both. If it is not his way, or I am not like him, he won't accept. What more is there to understand?"

Sayuri pursed her lips slightly.

"You are very much like your father, Sugoroku."
The boy looked at his mother in disbelief.

"It's true," she insisted. "You are every bit as stubborn and bull headed as he."

"Stubborn?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course. Your individual ideas may be different, but your dedication to do what works best for you is most unmovable. It isn't that your father thinks that as his son, you should have to do what he has had to do all his life. He simply dislikes the idea that you could raise yourself out of our world without his help."

"But why would he have a problem with that if I can make enough money to make his life easier as well? Think how much less he would have to work. I could even put myself into a higher schooling."

"But he had wanted to be more a part of that, or even responsible for it. Imagine what that would be like for him, how the people we have lived around for so many years would look at him. 'Look! There is Osamu Mutou. His son is a success because of a father's hard work.' He wanted to be the one to get us free from this house and out of this station. When his son is capable of doing at 15 what he could not do by 50, well, it doesn't take a great deal of intellect to see what a failure he might see himself as."

"No one would call him a failure if he was able to live with ease."

"No one but himself."

"So it's his pride that keeps him from seeing how much I could help?"

"And it is yours that makes you feel you are above his."

There was silence.

"Sugoroku, there is still much you could learn from your father if you would just settle down and give him a chance."

"Will he give me one?"

"That you must ask him yourself. In the meantime you should keep this a secret…," there was the sound of coins clinking onto his bed and Sugoroku looked to see the 25 yen falling from his mother's hand, "…and use it for yourself."

"I brought it home for all of us to use."

Sayuri nodded.

"I know, and I am pleased that you would. But your father won't accept it."

"Then you take this," said Sugoroku as he pushed half the pile back to her, "and I'll keep the rest. Hide it if you have to. Use it when you really need to, or just buy something for yourself."

Sayuri sighed before she gave another single nod, and took the remaining coins.

"Very well, but please Sugoroku...tell me that you will at least consider what I've said. Your father loves you very much, and he doesn't want to be outside your life."

"All right, I will. But, do you think he can ever look at me as more than just a copy of himself?"

"In time, yes. Just be patient. Change does not come easy for him."

"I wish it did."

A gloomy look passed across his mother's delicate face.

"So do I, Sugoroku. So do I."

Next Chapter: The Trying And Learning Of New Things…

R and R's gratefully appreciated: )