Chapter 2: Permission Granted

Yuugi entered the kitchen to find at least thirty brown paper bags scattered all over the place. There were so many things that you couldn't tell where the oven finished and the fridge started. Walking carefully, so as not to trip over something and have a nasty fall, the teen placed the magazine over some cans of 'Noodle Soup' and addressed his guardian with a devilish smirk playing on his lips.

"Last time I checked, we weren't having an army coming over for dinner."

The elder man stopped piling up some fruit to look at his grandson, an annoyed eyebrow rising up to hide in his greying bangs.

"Ha, ha, ha Yuugi, very funny. But, we must be farsighted. Who knows, maybe the weather will get worse and then we won't be able to go out of the house because the snow is blocking all the doors, and maybe the line will go dead and we'll have no chance to call for aid, and…"

"There's no need to mock me", Yuugi chuckled, dodging the box of cereal flying towards him. "Now, why don't you tell me why did you bought so much of … of everything?"

"The whole market was on bargain, and I wasn't going to waste the opportunity just..."

For the second time in five minutes, the older Mutou was interrupted, but this time the culprit hadn't been his grandson. The jingle of a bell, signalling a new costumer, caught Sugoroku's attention and then the 'I'm-the-owner-of-a-game-shop' personality took over the 'I'm-a-gentle-grandfather-who-just-went-shopping' one.

"I'll get it Yuugi. That costumer deserves my full attention and I don't want to keep him waiting. Time is money."

"Sure, go ahead" the teen replied as he rummaged through the brown bags, looking for that box of chocolate crisp cookies he knew his Grandpa had surely bought. "And they said I was the one with a split personality. Besides, who in his right mind would go out on a weather like this to buy duel card-?...AAHHH!" Yuugi instantly rubbed his forearm, where a small red spot began to appear. "Grandpa? Why did you pinch me?"

Sugoroku stared at his grandson for a while and then shook his head. "My boy, I'm ashamed to say that you have NO sense of business"

Yuugi rolled his eyes and began the boring task of taking all the goods out of the brown bags and placing them inside the cupboards. I think Grandpa bought all the vegetables and fruits existent in Domino. …Why do we need three different kinds of detergent? Oh my…Yuugi kept mumbling to himself while the older Mutou talked with whoever had entered the shop. By the time they both finished, the moon had already appeared and several stars were twinkling brightly in the sky.

Stretching his hands and back, and barely suppressing a yawn, Sugoroku entered the kitchen to grab a pot and chocolate powder from a cupboard above the oven. It had been a long day and that, along with the freezing cold that slipped through the door every time a costumer got into the Game Shop had made his old bones ache in protest. Surely a steamy and hot beverage would let him sleep peacefully. Meanwhile, Yuugi's eyes had landed on the magazine. Feeling a little bit apprehensive, the teen cleared his throat and voiced out his thoughts.

"Uhm… Grandpa? I-I need to talk to you about something important." Great Yuugi, keep stuttering and you'll give it all away.

Noticing the stressed features on his grandson's face, Sugoroku grabbed another mug from the cupboard and poured some hot chocolate into it. Whenever they needed to talk about something serious, a bit of chocolate would bring down the tension and make Yuugi relax. The older Mutou placed the two mugs on the kitchen table and signalled his grandson to sit opposite from him. With a small smile, Yuugi complied and took a sip from his cup. Instantly, warmth spread from his fingers to his chest and all the way to his toesOh yes… he loved hot chocolate. Leaving his hands around the cup to keep them warm, Yuugi took a deep breath.

"What is it Yuugi?", Grandpa asked, seeing that his grandson was still hesitant to start the conversation.

"Well, you see. Every year the most important museums from all over the world hold a convention called 'Artistic Wonders'. It's a huge event in which painters, sculptors and designers get together to show their latest works. This year, Switzerland is the country hosting the convention. And well…last month I read about it in that magazine that comes along with the newspaper, and they promised a ticket to whoever replied a certain quiz and got all the answers right. I thought I could give it a try, and well… I- I won."

"What? How come you didn't tell me before?"

"It's printed in the magazine that came this month. Look." Holding his breath, Yuugi handed the magazine over to his grandpa. The young teen watched intently as the eyes in front of him scanned the paper. "Some of the work is pretty good, and I'm very interested".

"Hmm…"

Sugoroku didn't hear the last comment. His mind was still processing everything Yuugi had said. True, according to the paper there was an 'Artistic Wonders' thingy. True, the editor clearly awarded the young Mutou as the winner. If there was nothing wrong, why did he suddenly felt a slight pang of fear?

"So, my boy, you're telling me that you want to go?"

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd give me permission. I already have the ticket and everything's included, from the airplane trip to the hotel accommodation", the young one replied.

"What about school? You'd miss an entire week!"

Yuugi's face fell. Damn…I didn't think about it. "It would be only a week"

The older Mutou studied his grandson. His first instinct was to say no. But should he? Yuugi had been through a lot recently, but he had successfully overcome all the obstacles. The living proof of it was sitting opposite, looking at him with intense and pleading amethyst eyes. He also knew that, to Yuugi, drawing had become as natural as breathing. Never in his life, besides Duel Monsters, had his grandson showed so fiery passion for something. Denying him permission would surely crush Yuugi's new found ambition. But then…

"Mmm…I'm sure this convention will help you decide if you really want to become an artist. You have a great talent, my boy. We don't want to waste it, do we?"

"Does that mean I can go?", Yuugi's hopes soared high, his knuckles were white from holding the mug so tightly.

"Well my boy, if you truly want to, then you can."

The teen rose up from his char and gave his grandfather a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Grandpa; you don't know how much this means to me."

"Say nothing." Sugoroku laughed, returning the hug. "When are you leaving?"

Yuugi looked at the calendar hanging from the wall. Today is Monday 22, so that makes …"In four days. On Friday night."

"So soon?" Sugoroku frowned. "Then I suggest you go to sleep right away. You'll have a lot of things to do on the following days."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Yuugi. Sleep tight", the old man ruffled his grandson's wild hair.

Ignoring the need to jump all the way to his bedroom, Yuugi rushed upstairs to get ready for bed. The young duellist couldn't believe his Grandpa had let him go that easily. And to Switzerland! He had expected the old man to ask questions or suggest someone to go with him. But then again, the old Mutou proved he trusted his grandson completely. Even though you've only told him half the truth.

Yuugi quieted down his conscience. What he doesn't know, won't harm him.

The young teen stripped off his shirt and pants, and dressed in his plain blue PJ's. Lying down on the soft bed, he wrapped the orange sheets around his body. He could still hear the wind howling as it passed through the leaves of the nearby trees. It was on nights like this when his darker half got out of the Puzzle and hid with Yuugi under the covers. There, sheltered from the outside world, the spirit would hold his light's trembling hands in his own and ramble about anything – Joey's progress in duelling, Malik's latest prank on a fuming Kaiba, Tristan disastrous attempts to get Shizuka's attention, the softness of a blushing Yuugi's body – anything to take the young duellist mind away from the nasty and creepy weather. But that was then... - a loud thunder made the windows vibrate slightly. Yuugi shivered, but there was no one there to hold him - …and this is now.

After a few minutes, Yuugi managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

Downstairs, Sugoroku looked at the moon with a knowing and worried look on his aged eyes.

Well, there goes the next one. I hope you liked it!

Any comments, suggestions, and/or critics will be welcomed.

(Flames will be used to make me some hot chocolate)


Review Reponses:

KNT: I hope I didn't make you wait to long.

csrg: Yep! There's more evil cackle

Scarab Dynasty: I promise you'll get dis-confused.