Updates ... Ahhh summer. Is there anything better? Two and a half months of fun and sun...and blistering heat waves. Lol. Anyways hope you all have a good one. I finally have free weekends, for more typing of TOM:SS course, now that my dog is done showing for a few months. She's shedding all her lovely undercoat and looks like she's half the dog she's supposed to be!

PyroDragon2006 ... I agree that finding trouble is VERY hereditary. So is weirdness. My dad and I are two peas in a pod with that one! Sugoroku will definitely have that effect on people as he continues to grow and progress through the years. I can't tell you everything, but believe me, that wouldn't be the last brawl he manages to get mixed up in!

Ciardra ... Thankfully, he didn't have a broken nose. But bruises do abound. I hated having to hurt him at all, but you know what they say...we always hurt the ones we love. Besides, it was a great catalyst for a major evolution to his future personality. Actually, he didn't like it either, but he eventually forgave me since it really does have a purpose.

Lady Althea ... Glad you liked it. Especially the end. I worked long and hard on that particular portion trying to get it just right.

Scarab Dynasty ... Thank you so much for the fab review! You always seem to see just what I'm trying to go for even when I can't get the right words to pin it down flat. That last chapter is a very (in my mind anyway) pivotal point for him as a developing character. It will help lend a lot to the man he will become in the future. Yes, some card players out there DO NOT tolerate losing well. The cigarette scene is practically right from personal experience. I tried one (at about 16 years) and thought I was going to choke to death. Never touched another one afterward. Bleck! However I do admit to a weird liking for cherry tobacco pipe smoke. I have no idea why, but I smell that and I just float away. My dad smoked a pipe when I was little so I'm not sure if its a regressive thing or what. Oh...I had a moral in there somewhere? COOL! LOL. Just kidding. I knew it was there. Really! I do try to slip some 'edjamacation' in there from time to time as well as a good moral or two. ;)

As usual, I thank you all for being such wonderful, consistent readers and reviewers. Honestly, this story would be nothing without you all and your encouragement. It helps me want to keep on writing when I know that there really are people like you all that follow along and actually make my effort worth it.

Now, forward all! To muse, to laugh, to cry...to read.

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 2: America

24. The Principles of Self Defense…

Sugoroku carefully touched the left side off his face, fingering the large purple bruise that had formed over night. It hurt like hell, but he knew he was quite lucky he hadn't been hurt any worse. The opponent who had punched him the night before had been tackled and soundly decked more than once by Leo, and to hear his friend crow about it to those that it was safe to tell, made Sugoroku more nauseous than the continuing pain of his bruised cheek and puffed nose.

Really! What was so wonderful about beating someone up? Even if they had punched him first! It was nothing to be proud of. Leo willingly had stooped down to the level of some none thinking ape or wild animal. What was the glory in that?

He was of course, grateful that Leo had stepped in and prevented him from getting anymore hit than he had already been, but it still did not, in his mind, justify acting like he had saved the world. He could excuse the man for being excited for grabbing Sugoroku and getting them both out of there in time to avoid being arrested like most of the others. That he could see and was definitely fine with. But being thrilled for being violent? That just did not sit with the young man. War was one thing. Nonsensical violence was completely different.

When Mark had finally caught wind of the story, he sought Sugoroku out and proceeded to have his say whether Sugoroku wanted to hear it or not.

"Sugoroku, I know you're young and eager to get into the world, but you need to be more careful. You're pushing the edge here and I get this feeling that if you push too much more, you're going to fall over it and not be able to get back."

Sugoroku had trouble initially meeting Mark's eye, the slightest bit of remorse for the whole sordid affair and Mark's worry over it making Sugoroku feel bad that he had gone at all.

"I was fine, Mark. Really. I know that I over stepped it, but I'll be more careful the next time."

"Next time? What about all the time? Look kid, you really have to start considering more than just the next day if you want to be able to last. You have pals and buddies now that'll hang with you sure, but looking after you? That's your job. It will always be your job and it will always be your first principle line of self defense. No one else can take that on. I've tried for the little time I've known you to help you stay afloat, but I can't do that anymore because in one day I won't be around to."

Pale lavender eyes went wide.

"What do you mean, you won't be around in one day?"

Mark gave Sugoroku an almost sorry look.

"The ship leaves for San Diego in one day, Sugoroku. But I won't be on it when you get there. My tour of duty is up tomorrow, and I'm staying here."

"But I thought that you would be a part of the chess games. You were the one who got me started."

Mark shook his head.

"Sorry kid. Look, people come and go Sugoroku. Sometimes for a day, sometimes for a year or even more. Some of those people will affect just your day, while others will affect your life. How you look at those people that pass through, will determine how you are affected by them. I've known you for a year. Shorter than any other person I've ever called friend. But of all those friends, you have affected me more than anyone else ever has. You have always challenged the norm…the routine. You've taken every opportunity that passed your way with confidence and were always willing to look at the new side and learn from it. Seeing you live that life has taught me to stop settling for what is offered and reach for more. I've learned to question what the end is perceived as and never stop trying to challenge myself…to think and believe that there can always be better. I'm staying here for a while, Sugoroku, because it is a new place and its different. I'm going to sit and think of who I am, where I'm going to, and what more there is for me. Once I'm as clear on my road as you are to yours, then I'll move on. If that's what I have to do. You, in the meantime, have to be more careful. Leo is good guy and I know he's becoming a close friend to you, but he doesn't always think about the consequences. He takes risks that can be just down right wrong and if he ever gets caught, he's in for major problems. I'm not saying you shouldn't associate with him or be his friend. Just don't rely on him to direct you, that's all. It has to be you, because in the end, it may windup that its all you've got."

Sugoroku nodded. He had made that very decision the other night, but it helped to hear it from another voice. Particularly by one who wasn't as obviously tainted by the need for violence.

"I'll make my own choices. I don't want to let anyone tell me who I am or who I should be. I just want to follow my own path and be true to it. Like you."

"No," disagreed Mark as he shook his head, "Not like me. Like you. Don't be that because of or for me. Its either for you, or nothing at all."

"I understand," replied Sugoroku.

"Good. Now I'm going to make a suggestion. You don't have to follow it, but you might consider it for the future. Get Leo and the others to show you how to protect yourself a little," Mark grinned. "At least so you can better avoid any more punches to the face."

Sugoroku looked away sheepishly.

"I never thought he would do that."

"Unfortunately, they're out there kid. Offence and defense is all about a fist with that type. Standing up to that kind of guy with an attitude isn't really a bad thing, but it helps to be prepared for that kind of response. Heck, I'd have challenged him too if he said I cheated, but the difference is that I would have seen it coming and been ready for it."

"So that kind of self defense is alright to you as well?"

"Only as much as I need to keep myself safe. Its kind of like those card tricks Vick showed you. You don't use them against people, but you know them so you can spot them in case they're used against you."

When put that way, learning how to protect himself did sound like a good idea.

Sugoroku touched the bruise on his face with a grimace. Yes, it was a very good idea. Even if only to avoid further pain.

"I think it might be a good thing to know. I wish you would be here to show me though."

"So do I Sugoroku, but I'm not worried about it. You're a quick enough student so you'll have no trouble picking up anything those characters can teach you, though I might recommend that you try to make sure you're not learning the wrong things as well. Especially since they have more experience at it than I do."

Sugoroku smirked. He supposed Mark was right about that. Mark seemed like too nice of a guy to get so easily drawn into a bad situation. But then again, so had Leo.

The image of a rather pleased, exultant, and ferocious Leo from the other night flashed into his head, and he knew that to some extent, Mark was right. Leo was careless and just like every other man there, he had been caught in the hype of the competition. The edge he had displayed during their cigarette break was proof of it. What had been mistaken as a frustration for the nervous behavior Sugoroku was displaying, was really his own blood running high with the growing tension of the men in the warehouse.

He'd been just as keyed up for a fight as any other man there and Sugoroku was now sure that it wasn't a completely loyal response to a friend getting punched in the face. He'd been ready for a fight all along, and when the American had hit Sugoroku, well, Leo had been given his go ahead and got it started.

It was something Sugoroku understood he was going to have to watch. Leo might not truly intend for Sugoroku to get hurt, but all the same, he was going to have to look deeper at things for himself. He would have to protect himself from Leo and others who might only think of themselves first, even if only unintentionally, to avoid getting caught in their mistakes. It was essentially another principle of defense. Try to avoid getting so drawn to someone he didn't know fully, that they would be in a position to hurt you even if unknowingly.

"Look, I still have to get my stuff together and finish out my last full day, but I'll catch up to you later, alright?" said Mark after a few moments of quiet.

Sugoroku nodded and after Mark left, he stood by the rail and looked out over the sparkling water solemnly.

Another friend come and gone, he thought. It didn't seem fair that the best ones didn't get to stick around. Was this going to be his lot with people? Always passing through? Here today, gone tomorrow?

Then again, maybe he was the one passing through their lives. Maybe that was part of his role in life. Meet them, have an impact on them and then move on… Was that fair to them? Who could say. All he could do was try his best to understand them, play his part the best he could, and hope they did too so both sides got something good from it.

But what was his part really? What did he have to offer to those that he met? Well, he knew he had his open attitude towards new people and new ways of doing things. He accepted offered friendship easily and was happy to give it back. There was a certain amount of loyalty towards those he called friend and he was honest and fair almost to a fault. These were common place attributes that most people he had met so far had displayed as well. Hardly life changing in his opinion.

One of the only obvious major differences he could see, was his determination to go into any game with everything he had. He was willing to give any man who could be a challenge to him the chance to do so, and give every piece of his heart and mind to the match. He gave them everything he himself wanted from it and would not give less. Was that then his one uniquly defining trait? That willingness to throw himself into anything he did no matter who it was that sat across from him coupled with that ability to automatically give respect to that opponent?

It almost seemed a reasonable enough notion. It could be a changing experience with the right person, though he hardly thought that he'd had much of an effect on Richter.

Mark had mentioned that he believed Sugoroku was clear on his path and that he wanted to be as clear on his, but this confused him even more than his first question. He was in no way completely sure of his path. All he knew was that he felt he had to go to America…that his future awaited him there. He even admitted his own nervousness to it. So what did Mark really see in him that could so suddenly define where his next step would be?

For all his insight, for all his logical placing of the world in which he lived, he just could not understand it, so, he left it. Mark knew something he needed, something that made him ready to confidently move on in a new way. And that, Sugoroku found, really mattered more to him than anything else. His friend was content and even pleased, and that would be enough for him to know at this point.

xxxxxxxxx

The following day, was the last full day at Pearl Harbor for the Pemberton. There was a flurry of activity as men scurried about throughout the day, finishing the loading of food and drink supplies, machinery and other necessities. Though it occupied him for much of the day to watch the men work, Sugoroku's mind was settled on the thought that today was the last day he would get to see Mark before they each went their own way. Today he would have to say goodbye.

He didn't look forward to it. As had Captain Hanaka before him, Mark had had an unmistakable effect on Sugoroku and so added to the changes of his life. He had been the first to show Sugoroku open friendship and cultural interest when he encouraged Sugoroku to come over that first day on the Tokyo docks. He had helped show him what chess was. Though an easier game than what he had been used to, it was an open sharing of ideals and a foreign pastime. Mark had shown him immediate respect and gratitude for Sugoroku's returning of the offered friendship and willingness to help them. He had shown him immeasurable patience as he and Thomas had taught Sugoroku how to speak and even read English. He had helped teach Sugoroku Poker, but even more, had helped him think differently about a difficult challenge. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Just because he didn't initially understand why the outcome came as it did, it didn't mean he should give up. He now understand that failure didn't always mean exactly that. Sometimes things just had to be looked at from a different angle.

These would be a part of the legacy that Mark had passed on through his friendship with Sugoroku.

Because Mark was taking his leave in Hawaii rather than wait until the ship's return to the US, a small Order of Honorary Discharge ceremony was held late that afternoon just in front of the gang plank. With Leo, Squawk, and more than twenty other men in attendance, Admiral Faraday, flanked by the officer of the watch, as well as his senior crew members, read the order that granted Mark his right to an honorable discharge. Sugoroku, not being allowed to stand with the navy men, stood on the dock by the bottom of the gang plank and watched as his friend said his goodbyes to his now former commanding officers and shipmates. Again, that familiar feeling of sadness tugged at Sugoroku's heart as Mark turned and began his walk down and off the ship that had been his home for almost four years.

For a brief moment, Sugoroku could not help but wonder if perhaps his definition of self defense principle number two, had to be changed to include avoiding the pain of a friend leaving.

Mark stopped before Sugoroku and smiled gently.

"Don't look so sad kid. It isn't like you're losing your best friend."

Sugoroku looked down as he said, "It feels like it."

Mark put his hand on Sugoroku's shoulder.

"You know, a part of me is a little pleased that you think that much of me that you'd be this sad to see me go. But I wouldn't consider myself the best friend you've ever had. Maybe a good friend, but not really the best. You have too much life to live to say I was at the top. You're going to know a lot of people in your years and I'm sure you're going to meet more than a few that top me without even trying."

"Its hard to imagine."

"Maybe now, but give it time. What I'd really like though, is for you to be happy for me. I belong to myself again. I'm my own man. I get to leave and start doing the things I've been wanting to do, and discover the things that I didn't even consider I could do, and its all my own choice."

Mark winked as he pointed to himself with a thumb theatrically, "No one is bossing this guy around anymore."

Sugoroku couldn't help but smile for a moment, before pulling a box out of his new shirt's top pocket and handing it to Mark.

"What's this?" asked Mark as he looked at the box of cards.

"It's the deck of cards I beat Richter with. I want to give them to you to remember me by."

Mark blinked once as he stared at Sugoroku for a long moment.

"I can't take those," he said at last. "That was your game. You should keep those to remember it."

Sugoroku shook his head.

"I won't forget. Its because of you that I was able to win. You convinced me to try again even after I failed twice before. You put your faith in me, and not only set me in the right direction with Vick, but convinced everyone else they could believe in me too. I've really learned a lot from you and I just wanted to say thank you with this. Its all I really have right now that actually means something, and I really want you to have it."

Mark sighed before taking the cards.

"Alright," he began as he opened the box up and pulled a card out, "I'll make a deal with you. I'll keep the rest of the deck, but you keep this one card, that way, we both have something to remember it by."

"But it won't be a complete deck anymore."

The older man grinned.

"It will be in here," he said as he pointed at his heart.

Sugoroku studied Mark for a second, before he took the card and nodded with a small smile.

"Good. Now its time for me to figure out what I'm doing next and get out of here. Its been great having the chance to know you Sugoroku."

Mark held out his hand and Sugoroku took it. They shook once.

"Good luck Sugoroku."

"You too Mark."

With that, Mark turned and started to walk away.

Looking down at the card Mark had given him, Sugoroku stared at the King of Hearts. He understood in an instant the significance of the card he had been given. It had not just been pulled. It had been chosen.

Suddenly, he turned his eyes up to peer at Marks' retreating form and shouted, "Thank you!"

The sandy brown haired man turned, and walking backwards several steps, put his hand up in the air for a wave and called back with his lopsided easy grin, "You're welcome. Now go show the world what you got kid!"

Sugoroku smiled broadly. Though another good friend was leaving his life, he had to admit that it no longer felt any where as bad as it had with some of the others. Even as close as he and Mark had been, there was no sense of true loss in the parting.

Mark was a happy man, ready to move on and live his life under his own direction. He was hopeful, content and completely assured that he would find his way to becoming everything he wanted to be, and he was thanking Sugoroku for part of it.

Who could find anything sad in that?

No, self defense principle number two would stay the same.

A great friend was always worth the risk.

xxxxxxxxx

April.1,1946

0500 hours (5 am)

The Pemberton pulled out of dock that early morning, and under the picture of a brilliantly clear, early morning sky, it made its way down through the bay and out into the waters of the Pacific Ocean serenely. Like a lady of the highest aristocratic bearing, she gracefully cut the calm of the glassy sea as she began the second half of her journey home.

From the very start, there was so little wave beneath the Pemberton, that the ship felt less like it was pushing through liquid and more like it was gliding on air. It was a rather odd feeling for many of the men on board the sometimes difficult to steer Fletcher class destroyer.

Having gotten up only minutes before the ship pulled out of dock, Sugoroku did not fail to see the irony in the fact that the first leg of his trip could not have started off as tranquil as this second. It certainly would have made it easier to deal with the sea sickness he had suffered through in the beginning. He definitely wouldn't have minded traveling on water like this for the rest of the trip.

But on the reverse, there was the bonus that because it was so calm, his self defense training, slated to begin that very morning, would start off as though he were still on land.

Leo, after procuring the help of several other crew members, including the official smallest among them, who still stood at 5'6", had planned that they would begin Sugoroku's course in self defense once out to sea and fully underway. His thought on it was, that if Sugoroku could defend himself on a rolling ship, he could easily do so on solid ground.

Sugoroku hadn't quite followed that train of logic when he had first been told it. It was too questionable. True, he could walk well enough along without grabbing onto every rail and beam even when there was a steady roll to the ship, but that certainly didn't mean he had sea legs enough to go running around.

At least with the calm seas, he had a chance to begin his training without falling on his rear - or face - too much.

And so, by 6 am, the lessons were in full swing.

As usual, Sugoroku dedicated himself to learning the simple maneuvers shown to him, and when the men that he worked with did not go over board with their attacks, it wasn't long before he was able to quickly read their intentions and follow through with some defense. Sometimes the techniques he used were more like a boxer simply using his arms and fists to protect himself when in very close quarters, and sometimes he used leverage techniques in which he used his opponents own size and momentum against them. The latter he found he liked better, as it afforded even someone of his size a more secure, longer lasting defense. He could only take so many hits when using the boxing methods of protection, before he had to get away quickly or risk being hurt too much.

Being the quick study and analyzer that he was, Sugoroku very soon began to experiment on the styles and movement he was taught and he found new ways to use them and get better advantage of his friends. He used his far smaller size to effect easier shifts away from an attack, rather than defend himself with a physical block. He could use smaller areas for protection and easily fit through gaps in pipes and poles than the larger men could. He even found that the taller his attacker was, the harder it was for that man to hit him effectively. The tallest men had to move down to hit rather than straight on, and that meant that they lost strength behind their punches. With some of the taller men, if they did not hit him square on, they could not knock him down.

These things he learned thoroughly and efficiently, but the one thing that they did not teach him, was his self control.

Sugoroku did not heat up during the training. He did not lose his head if another made contact or managed to get through his defenses. He did not lose his temper in anger, did not lose his focus and never went for them first. This was his own teaching. He would not become an animal and rush forward to be the aggressor. He let them make the first move towards him every time before he answered. He remained calm, cool and infuriatingly unflappable.

The men tried to get him to lose it on more than one occasion, but they failed every time. They just could not get him to break.

Sugoroku refused to lower himself to that level. He had made his decision back in the warehouse never to let himself stoop to such responses, and he worked hard to make sure he did not forget. Even when one of the men accidentally caught too much of his still sensitive nose, and he went down in sharp pain, he did not fall victim to the instinct for retaliation.

He simply sat where he was and waited for the pain to subside before he would do another thing. He completely ignored their questions of concern and said not a word just to be sure it would not end with anything angry or aggressive.

When in defense of his person, he truly tried his hardest to feel nothing but his collected, unruffled, analyzing aloofness, and for the most part he succeeded magnificently.

Until approximately 7:49 am.

That morning, he felt something he had only known once before in his entire life.

He experienced it a minute after he found himself slammed violently against a gunning turret.

That morning, he felt terror.

Absolute terror.

Next Chapter: Tsunami Strike!…

R and R's gratefully appreciated: )