"Once upon a time, there was a young man. Birthed under an apple tree, he was cursed with the ability to only see monochrome. "

The blonde-haired lady said, brushing her hand over the dress, which was poofy and elegant.

"He was seen as a threat by the villagers. They feared that they may become the same as him."

She breathed calmly and her eyes showed such kind expression that it moved anyone who looked into them.

"However, his curse would be broken"

She closed the ancient book that sat on her lap.

"If he were to make one true friend."

She smiled,

"And turned that friendship into something more."

The lady stood up, looking over the joyous town. The children, who sat around her, watched the movements of her closely.

"This is his story"

Yugi had always taken an interest in the world around him. There was so much he didn't understand, simple things, difficult things…

However, the one thing he never understood was how everyone in his village treated him. Every day, he was ridiculed and avoided. The parents pushed their children to stay away from him and he had no idea why.

He wondered about the hundreds of shades of grey, and why they were so similar. Why people gave names to these shades and why people treated them as different.

He wondered why people killed and harmed each other. Why people cried and laughed and made friends.

Everything was a mystery.

His life

His reason

His everything.

Yugi looked up into the cold sky. Clouds bundled up against each other. They made the sky darker and darker and darker. The young boy stood up. He picked up his bag and the woven basket he's had since birth and looked around.

The village houses were small and tight. Yugi always noticed the smoke that tumbled out of the long tubes on the top of the rooftops. He had always believed that that smoke made clouds.

Yugi slowly walked, the stone making a loud clacking sound as he walked.

"Goodbye…"

Yugi mumbled, his voice high and fruity,

"I'm sure I'll miss all of you…"

As a group of children started throwing trash at him, he turned and ran.

Why was he running? Why did he feel the need to leave his home?

Yugi questioned himself as he ran, he didn't feel sad or angry. He didn't feel happy or excited. He felt nothing.

Numb.

He made sure to pay attention to the shades of grey that clashed against each other. Each shade felt unique to Yugi. He hadn't seen that kind of grey before. It was a lot brighter. It felt warm, unlike the winds that hit him constantly and made him feel cold.

He was walking for days, surviving off what little water and food he had left. Yugi looked around at the place he had managed to find.

The most brilliant shade of grey blasted his eyes. There was a building with a thick, wooden wheel which spun around and spat water. There were lights that glowed and made the grey look lighter than it already was.

There were so many new things, even the long, smoke-puking tubes were different!

He scouted around to find a tree to rest under. There was a small park area with a tree that extended its branches to the sky and held the sun in its twiggy hands. Yugi seated himself under the tree and closed his eyes. The wind was cold and pushed Yugi's light-grey bang's blew against his face and tickled him gently.

He was curled up against the base of the tree and had fallen into a deep sleep for a long while.

«« ʚɞ »»

It was cold. The floor was somewhat soft but also wet. A pair of muted eyes fluttered open and peered around. The floor was white and powdery. The white powder on the floor was also on his head and body. He looked, amazed, at the white stuff around him. He had never seen anything like that before!

Yugi sneezed quietly.

"It's… really cold…"

He shivered and hugged his bag closely. There was a familiar, musty smell to his bag.

The boy looked up as an old man approached him, "Excuse me, would you like to come inside for a moment?"

He had a soft, loving voice. He seemed kind. Yugi jumped, he stood up,

"I-I'm sorry!! I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry!!"

He whimpered, thinking back to all the other times he's had to speak to another. All the other times where he'd apologize for even looking other people's way.

"Huh...?" the old man sighed, giving a small smile, "What is there to apologize for?"

Yugi shrugged, feeling the urge to cry. The cold froze up his ability to even tear up and cry, he felt the warmth of his hands and cheeks fade slowly.

"Come inside for a bit, you must be freezing."

The old man took Yugi's ice-cold hand and walked him to the small building that lay next to the spinning wheel, which wasn't spinning or spitting any water.

«« ʚɞ »»

The boy watched in fascination as the door opened and a small little bell rang. His eyes glowed happily, a rush of warmth running through his body.

"It's so...bright…" Yugi looked around, amazed. There were small shelves that held boxes and little puzzles and there was a counter with a strange, dark grey and shiny metal box which had some buttons on it.

The man led Yugi into the room behind the entry, there was a big chair with peculiar fabric squares which were stuffed. Yugi tilted his head quietly and continued looking around in curiosity.

There was a big black rectangle sitting on a see-through table. There were cables flowing down from the back and inserting themselves into the walls. There were counters with strange apparatus on them, like a tap and a big metal bowl that had funny looking holes in the bottom.

"Is this your first time inside?" The old man asked, simpering. Yugi nodded brightly.

"Oh, you poor thing… " He mumbled, placing his hand on Yugi's head. He told Yugi to sit down on the big chair. Yugi looked up to the man.

"Am I really allowed?"

The man nodded, lightly pushed Yugi down, making him sit.

"It's so soft...and warm…" Yugi gasped, "I've never sat on one of these before!!"

He giggled, the old man chuckling in response.

He had asked Yugi why he was sitting alone in the white powder, named snow. Yugi quietly explained everything, so when he got to the topic of being exiled, the old man stopped him.

"I understand now... "He looked down, taking out a pen and scribbling it down onto some paper.

"I know what you are…" He smiled, "I've heard about you. It's okay now, I'll protect you."

Yugi's eyes glimmered, "Really… I-"

He was interrupted by a loud blast as the door slammed open.

"Oi, Pops!" An orotund voice yelled, "Get 'ere!"

Yugi was startled, the person's voice was very loud and clear. He looked over to where they were, the old man walking over to the entry.

He took a bag in his hands, thanked the loud-voiced individual and invited them in. Yugi tensed up, holding his bag closely to his chest. He was scared, but also anticipated the thought of seeing the mysterious individual.

The person was small-bodied. They were a guy. Yugi noticed how frail he looked, but also how confident he seemed. He had deep, clear eyes which were the deepest grey. He also had spiky hair at the back, very similar to Yugi's hair.

"Who's the kid, Pops?"

The person inspected Yugi, who was frozen in fear for what he was going to do.

The old man chuckled, "I'm taking him in."

"I see." He held his hand out, "I'm Yami. You are?"

Yugi looked down at the tag attached to his bag, he looked back up. The old man encouraged Yugi to shake Yami's hand.

"I am…" He took his hand, "Yugi…"

"Nice to meet ya, I guess. Let's ge-"

He was stopped by someone else entering. A blonde with an arrogant sounding voice.

"Yami! You're 'ere 'ight? Ye know ye not allowed in ye condition!"

Yami glared at the blonde, "Jou, I'm fine! I can walk, see!"

The blonde gently punched Yami and he dropped to the ground.

He looked over in Yugi's direction, "Sorry, see ya around."

He dragged the limp Yami away, waving politely and leaving without saying another word.

Yugi asked the old man about the two who had just walked in, making the old man laugh

"Yami lives in the bakery next door. He's very weak. Jounouchi is his best friend."

Yugi nodded, giving a small smile.

"Oh, yes," the old man started, pushing away the subject, " My name is Sugoroku, but you can just call me your Grandpa, for now. "

Yugi nodded again, "Okay, Grandpa!"

They both laughed and Sugoroku made some food for the boy, afterwards giving him new (although oversized) clothes and tucking him into bed.

As Yugi's new Grandpa said his goodnights and closed the door, Yugi curled up and embraced the warmth of the blankets that covered him. The pillow was thick and comfortable, giving Yugi some support as he slept.

Yugi had never slept like that in his life.

It was so foreign to him.

And yet he adored it.

The blonde lady closed the book she was reading and looked over to the children.

"I think we should take a break, for now"

She gave a charming smile, sliding the book into the ancient, dusty bookcase. The children jumped up and excitedly surrounded the lady, who placed her finger up to her soft lips.

"Sshh… If you're so loud, you'll wake him up!"

The children quietened down and, one by one, returned home.