Updates ... Wow, chapters 14 and 15 just flew by! I had them done in one day after four hours or so of typing. Boy my fingers hurt afterward! So did my eyes! Come to think of it, my brain was a little slow afterward too... "Zzzzzzzzzz..."

PyroDragon2006 ... Glad you liked the last two chapters! And cyber cookies to ya' for checking out some WWII history. My grandfather was in the war too, but he served over in Europe, doing alot of sneaking around in Germany.

BabyGatomon ... Glad you enjoyed it! Don't worry, I'll be keeping it up for a long time to come!

And away we go!

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

15. Then Came Stage Two …

At the sight of the tall, solemn looking man standing before Mark, Sugoroku swallowed nervously. There was a serious air of authority about the man that was just as recognizable by the boy even without the numerous bars that adorned the man's shoulders. Easily hitting 6 foot three, he stood like a scarecrow, lean and lanky with short, military cropped, gray hair.

Light brown eyes, beneath a thick, slightly furrowed brow, looked at Sugoroku for a long moment before they suddenly softened.

"You must be Sugoroku Mutou," he said almost congenially.

Sugoroku nodded.

"Name's Admiral Chester Faraday, son. You've done quite a job guiding my men about the city. I have to thank you for that. Without our interpreter's help, these knuckle heads probably wouldn't have been able to find their way to the end of the block and back. You've made our time here a great deal easier and freed up Ensign Ito for more important work. Tell me, son, what made you do it? Help us that is?"

Sugoroku mulled the answer over quickly.

"I just wanted to learn about Americans."

"Well hell, son! You didn't have to go offering to work with us. You could have just asked a few questions. I'm sure the boys here would have been happy enough to give you the answers without us paying you."

"Mark said he needed help, and no one would, so I thought I could."

The admiral nodded.

"Too right. You did just that too, kid."

The man studied Sugoroku for a second, then with a contemplative look said, "I hear you're quite the chess player."

Sugoroku perked at the mentioning of the game as he nodded again.

"Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was quite the player in my youth. Won more than a few tournaments in school and in the academy. Beat the Army's best three years in a row. Ol' Douglas hasn't forgiven me for it yet. Tell you what, son. It's been a while since I've had a decent game. You wouldn't mind sittin' down with me for one, would you? After you finish your dinner, that is."

Sugoroku gave a tentative smile and the admiral smiled in return.

"That's a boy. Have Mark bring you up to the officer's wardroom whenever you're done, son. I'll be ready."

Admiral Faraday turned to leave then paused as he looked back over his shoulder with a half grin.

"You other bozos," he said with rough affection, "as you were."

With that, he left.

The men all around Sugoroku let out their breaths and seemed to turn on the boy all at once.

"Holy cow! Can you believe that?"

"Never seen nothin' like it!'

"The admiral don't just talk to anybody that freely."

"You really going to play him?"

"Sure he will! This kid never backs down from a challenge. Right Sugoroku?"

The men chattered excitedly over the whole deal and Sugoroku couldn't even begin to keep up with everything that was being said almost completely at once. All he wanted to think about was the coming game with his new challenger. The way the men reacted to him, it was a sure bet it was going to be an interesting game.

Interesting…and short.

Fifty moves and Admiral Faraday was in checkmate.

He looked at the board for a minute, than Sugoroku. Again the board, and then Sugoroku.

He shook his head, then said, "Another one."

Sugoroku smiled and in fifteen minutes won again. This time in 41 moves.

Admiral Faraday looked at the boy hard, then again said, "Another one."

This one went to 57 moves and the admiral was again in checkmate.

Disbelief slapped across his features, the admiral stared at Sugoroku for a long time before he suddenly broke into a huge grin and exclaimed, "Good God, son! Where in the world did you learn to play like that?"

"I play a game we call Shoji. It is like chess, but harder. There are more pieces and they can be taken to serve your side if captured from the other player."

"So basically, you're saying that our chess is like a baby's game to you?"

Sugoroku shrugged slightly with a small, hesitant smile.

"Well I'll be. Horns waggled by a kid," muttered the man to himself.

Another terrific grin spread across his face before he leaned forward and said, "How would you like to play one more game?" with a sly look.

Sugoroku nodded quickly with a smile.

xxxxxxxxx

On board General Douglas MacArthur's flag ship, the U.S.S. Missouri, Ensign Bob Pritchitt quickly jotted the message down he had just received from one of the many other ships settled along the Tokyo docks. It was a short one and labeled for the General's eyes only. A four word message, cryptic even by naval standards, he could only guess as to its meaning. What he did know, was that when he knocked on the general's door, and interrupted his reading time, the man was not a happy camper.

He very quickily passed the message off and after being dismissed, began walking down the corridor and back to the radio room. He had only made it perhaps twenty feet though when he heard the general's unmistakable voice thunder in insane glee, "Hell yes!"

The ensign shook his head.

What the heck had 'Fancy one more game?' meant that had caused the general to shout like a banshee?

The ensign shook his head again as he took his seat before the radio again.

'Maybe,' he thought, 'It's better not to know.'

xxxxxxxxx

"Hell's bells, man! Where in the mother loving world did you find this kid?"

Sugoroku sat quietly, a sweet smile on his face, trying for all the world to look as completely innocent as he possibly could. It was amazing how no one expected him to just run right over them. It was really quite fun and in a weird way, invigorating.

This General MacArthur man had walked into the room not but ten minutes ago, and had assumed that he was going to play Admiral Faraday.

Admiral Faraday had simply shook his head and motioned towards Sugoroku.

"You invited me to come over here to play chess with a kid?" asked the general.

"I never said I was going to play you in the message," replied the admiral, "Nervous of him?"

"Nervous? About playing a kid? You're clean out of your mind, Chester. Why, it wouldn't be fair."

"For you, or him?" questioned the admiral artfully.

The general's face had flustered then at the remark.

"You think he's good enough to play me?"

"Nope."

"Well, then, why the heck…"

"I think he's good enough to wipe the floor with you."

The general had looked at Sugoroku and then Admiral Faraday.

"All right, Chester. You got yourself a game."

The general then sat down across from Sugoroku and looked hard at the boy.

"You speak English, son?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Then let's play."

And so it happened that ten minutes later, the game was over, and a four star general sat in near shock.

"To answer your question, Doug, I didn't. He found us. A couple of my boys made friends with him a while back and discovered his talent. He volunteered to help guide us around the city and he's been a fixture ever since. If you want a rematch with em', just ask. He never passes up a challenge to play."

"Heck no! I don't want a rematch! Letting you see me get beat by him once is enough torture for a night. Of course with you, that'll be the torture for the next twenty years."

Admiral Faraday grinned, "I could shorten that dramatically."

The general flicked an eyebrow up in wary consternation. He thought for a moment before saying, "Two days, right?"

Faraday nodded.

"Think it's a good idea?" asked MacArthur.

"You think it's not?"

MacArthur weighed it over in his mind.

"Can't waste it, that's for sure."

"Definitely wouldn't want to do that."

The general took a deep sigh.

"I'll see what I can do. In the mean time, best to find out if he'd even want to."

Faraday stood as the general did.

"Will do, Doug," he stated as he shook the man's hand. "And thanks."

"Yeah, well. Just remember your part of the deal."

"Not a problem."

General MacArthur turned and looked at the still smiling Sugoroku in serious admiration. If Sugoroku had known then what a rare thing that look was, he would have burned it into his memory a little more solidly.

"You've got a hell of a talent, kid."

"Thank you, sir."

The general nodded and with that, left.

Admiral Faraday turned and looking at Sugoroku, smiled.

"Congratulations son. You just won yourself a first class ticket to the US of A."

I love this chapter! With the exception of what I've written ahead of time about how Sugoroku meets his wife, this is my personal favorite so far! I've been dieing to use the "Hell's bells" bit since like...forever, lol. And before anyone asks...as a matter of clarification... the United States Navy did bring back a nice little number of Japanese 'immigrants' after the war. I am so stooked right now! More to come!

POP QUIZ! Can anyone guess who I modeled Admiral Chester Faraday after?

Hint #1... A tall, white, cartoon character with a little bit of brown, red and yellow.

Hint #2... Think Southerner.

Hint #3... Can usually be found with a chicken hawk.

Now if hint number three didn't give it away, then I am definately either too old...or I've been watching too much Cartoon Network lately, lol.

Next Chapter: Stage Three and Its Finale …

R and R's gratefully appreciated: )