(Update: 6/1/2022) Hello! I hope you guys are still enjoying this story! This chapter has received a major overhaul with a lot of added information. I hope it makes the storyline even better!
Fortunately for both Yami and Téa, getting Shu out of the museum was far easier than expected. With the help of the made-up explanation that he was Yugi's little cousin from Egypt that his relative had dropped off earlier for a visit, that is. Téa prayed that the staff didn't review the camera footage of the "ghost" again anytime soon. If they did, hopefully they wouldn't recognize Shu!
Both she and Shu walked out first with Yami staying behind to ask about something. "Alright, Shu, let's go." Téa said ushering him out the door while placing a hand on his shoulder. Wait…why did it feel all lumpy and did it just move? Looking down, she quickly removed her hand. "Shu! What is that?!" She screamed.
"What's what?" He asked startled looking at his shoulder. A big grin appeared on his face. "Hey, Kek! Did you wake up?" The large frog crawled out from under the rest of his scarf and croaked as if to answer.
Téa stood staring at the animal. Ewww…that had to be the biggest frog she had ever seen! For that matter, where did it come from? It wasn't there earlier! "Why do you have that thing? Has it been under there this whole time?" She asked totally grossed out.
"Yeah! He's my best friend, he goes everywhere with me!" Shu plucked the frog from his shoulder. "Want to hold him? He only pees on my dad and people he doesn't like. But he likes you!"
Téa made a disgusted face but tried to hold it together. Thankfully, Yami walked out the door at this time. "Um…Maybe later! Look here comes your dad!"
Needless to say, Shu was excited to show his father his pet. Yami was not quite ecstatic as he appeared to be about the frog. He did wonder where Kek had come from though. Add that mystery to the day's on-going list.
"So, tell me. How exactly are we going to go about explaining this to Yugi's grandpa? It's not like we found a puppy." Téa asked as the three made their way back to the game shop.
Keeping an eye on Shu was a little challenging. He was well mannered and behaved himself for the most part, but he was still a kid. A kid that had been transported 3,000 years into the future. Everything was so strange and exciting to him! Even something as mundane as a traffic light would fascinate him. It was a little comical to watch him since he was wearing Yami's jacket to avoid unwanted attention to his extremely outdated clothes. Him pointing or waving at something only resulted in a jacket sleeve fluttering. Yami just knew Yugi would kill him if Kek got anything on it, but it couldn't be helped. Shu was thankfully somewhat afraid of the cars, but that didn't stop his father from keeping an iron grip on his hand.
"To be honest, I haven't thought that far." Yami answered continuing the conversation. "Sugoroku has always been accepting of me, so he's obviously not bothered by spirits or anything of the sort."
Téa sighed. "I'm not talking about that. What I mean is how are you going to explain Shu being here? I know that he's your son, but what if he doesn't believe you? Besides that, people are going to wonder why there's a little kid hanging around the shop all of a sudden."
"Oh, that!" Yugi said suddenly swapping with the Spirit. "Eh, I'm not too worried about it. Grandpa will believe us!"
"Yugi, are you sure? He is my son after all, I should be the one explaining." Yami asked taken by surprise from the sudden switch.
Yugi waved off his concern. "It's fine! Don't worry, I'll handle it." By this time, they arrived at the game shop. "Here we are, Shu, home sweet home!" He said looking down at the boy.
Shu let go of Yugi's hand and looked at the building unimpressed. "You live here? It's so small!
As soon as the remark was said, Téa noticed Shu do a double take then frown at the spot next to Yugi. Huh, maybe the Pharaoh had gotten onto him?
"Ha! I guess it is a lot smaller than what you're used to! But, enough about that, there's someone I want you to meet." Yugi pulled the door to the shop open. "Gramps! I'm home!"
"How'd it go? Find anything interesting?" Sugoroku answered from somewhere in the back of the store.
"You could say that..." Téa laughed nervously as Shu peered out from behind Yugi. Sugoroku came up to the front to greet them.
"Did you bring back a potential customer? He seems a tad young though." He smiled down at the boy.
Shu's face lit up at the sight of him. "Shimon!" He yelled running out from behind Yugi to hug the old man.
Yugi frowned in confusion. "Huh? Shimon? What are you talking about, Shu? That's my grandpa, his name's Sugoroku."
"But he's…" Shu looked at him then back at Sugoroku.
"Sounds like I must have a doppelgänger!" The old man laughed. "But that's ok." He said patting Shu on the head. "What's your name, my boy?"
"Believe it or not you're actually in the presence of royalty. His name's Shu, and he's the son of the Pharaoh." Yugi answered removing his jacket from the boy.
"What…?" Sugoroku said in disbelief quickly looking at Shu to study him more closely. "Oh, my, it really is you…" Just for a brief moment, Yugi swore he saw a flash of sadness in his grandfather's eyes.
"This is extraordinary!" Sugoroku placed a hand on Shu's shoulder. "He's not a spirit?"
"Huh?" Yugi shook his head to get back on topic. "Nope, the Pharaoh said that he's actually living."
"We just found him hanging out in the museum." Téa said. "I actually saw him yesterday, but he disappeared on me. The workers were all freaked out because they thought he was a ghost!"
"So very interesting!" Sugoroku said turning his attention back to Shu. "Do you remember how you got here, young one?"
Shu shook his head sadly. "No, I just remember being with my Momma and then I woke up in that weird place. I tried asking for help, but no one would listen."
"I'm thinking that maybe he's been sealed inside the Puzzle this whole time since the Pharaoh said he could sense him in there. Maybe something in the museum triggered him being unsealed? Still doesn't explain why the workers didn't notice him though." Yugi suggested.
"Possibly…" Sugoroku said in a distant way making Yugi take notice. What was he thinking about? "Anyway, what's your plan for him now?" He asked turning to his grandson.
Yugi was a little caught off guard. He was confident that his grandfather would accept Shu beforehand! But what if he actually didn't? "Oh, um… I was wondering if it would be ok if he stayed here a bit. At least till we get something figured out for him. He doesn't really have any place to go, plus, you know, the Pharaoh's already here." He said holding up the Puzzle.
His grandfather gave him a stern look then looked down at Shu. Yugi felt like he was sweating bullets. Would he accept him?
"Do you really think I'd be that heartless?" Sugoroku laughed giving Shu a hug. "Welcome to the Mutou family, my boy!" Shu looked at Yugi and Téa excitedly as he hugged the old man back.
"Aw! Shu Mutou does have a nice ring to it!" Téa laughed.
"Sure does." Yugi smiled looking over at the Spirit next to him. He seemed to be just as happy about the decision.
Evening soon arrived prompting Téa to be on her way. "I'll give Joey and Tristan a call and tell them what's up." She said as Yugi walked out the door with her. "Maybe we could have them meet Shu tomorrow and show him around!"
Yugi nodded. "That'd be cool! He can see how we do things in this time." Hearing the two outside, Shu came to join them.
"Where are you going, Téa?" He asked disappointed.
"I've got to go home. But don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow!" She said bending down to his level.
"You promise?" He asked.
"Promise." She replied ruffling his hair. Standing back up she looked over to Yugi. "See you at school!"
"Yup, see you!" He waved back. Once he knew that she was safely on her way, he led Shu back into the house. "Let's get you settled in; you can sleep in my room for now. Tomorrow's going to be a big day." Yugi said while Shu followed him to his room.
"Wow! How'd you light your torch so fast?" Shu asked running under the ceiling light after it had been turned it on.
"Huh? Torch...? Oh!" Yugi laughed. "We don't use those anymore, we use electricity!"
"Elec…tricity…?" Shu mimicked not understanding.
"It's complicated." Yugi said disappearing down the hallway. In the meantime, Shu looked around at the bedroom. It was certainly smaller than the one he had! There was a bed, a desk, a weird looking gray shiny box thing, and some shelves…that was it. Not wanting to hear his father get mad again, Shu kept his opinions to himself. Yugi by this time had come back with an armload of bedding.
"Alrighty, here you go." He spread the blankets out on the floor. "And…" He grabbed a Kuriboh plush off the bookshelf and placed it next to the pillow. "There! All comfy!"
Shu came over to inspect the makeshift bed. Kek popped his head out from under his scarf and croaked loudly before jumping on it. Shu followed suit and found it to be more comfortable than it looked! He picked up the plushie surprised by how soft it was. Strange, he could have sworn he'd seen a monster like it before. The frog in the meantime had made his place at the end of the bed and fell asleep.
Yugi looked at Kek a little uneasy. He had dealt with pets before but…a frog? "Hey, Shu, is he housebroken?"
Shu rolled over onto his stomach and laughed. "No he won't break your house! That's silly!"
Yugi looked over to Yami who mentally assured him he would take care of anything that happened. Still really not on board with the whole thing, Yugi went over to his dresser and rummaged around in the bottom drawer. "Here, put these on." He said tossing a pair of blue pajamas covered in white stars over to Shu.
"What are these?" The boy asked curious while holding them up. "They look funny!"
"They're pajamas. You sleep in them instead of your regular clothes. We'll get you some other stuff to wear tomorrow. All of my clothes are too big for you."
"What's wrong with my clothes?" Shu pouted.
Yugi laughed. "There's nothing wrong with them! It's just that they're not really of this time anymore. You've got to blend in."
"Aw, alright." Shu said reluctantly accepting the answer. "I get to keep my scarf, don't I? Dad gave it me." He said untying it before slipping his shirt off.
"Of course! There's no way we'd get rid of that…" Yugi stopped mid-sentence, stunned by what he saw. From the middle of Shu's stomach to the left side of his back ran four jagged lines that shockingly resembled claw marks. "Shu…h-how'd you get those scars?"
"These?" Shu pointed down at them. "I really don't like talking about them…"
Yugi quickly tried to change the subject. "Oh! That's ok! We don't have to!" He wracked his brain for something to cheer the boy up. "Hey, if you want, I can show you one of my favorite games! Your dad loves to play it too!"
Shu's expression immediately changed. "Ok!" He cheerfully said slipping the pajama top on.
"Those looked really bad… you remember anything, Pharaoh?" Yugi asked the Spirit as he appeared next to him. He didn't get a response, but by the way he looked, he appeared deeply upset.
Once Shu was dressed, Yugi went over and got a box of cards. "These are called Duel Monster cards!" He said taking out a deck. "It's a really fun game where you use monsters to battle your friends. And you're looking at the champ right here!" He spread a couple of cards out on the floor. "See the number of stars up in the corner? That shows…Wait you can count, can't you?"
Shu nodded allowing Yugi to continue. "Ha, of course you can. Anyway, the number of stars show how strong the monster is. If it has a lot of stars, then that means it's super strong! But even the strongest monster may not win sometimes. You'll need these." He placed a couple of different cards down. "The green are spell while the purple are traps, you can use these to strengthen your monster or mess with your opponent's strategy."
Yami in the meantime sat at the desk watching the two. Maybe some Duel Monsters would take his mind off things for a bit.
Shu looked at all the different cards in wonder. There was so much to look at! The text descriptions were unknown to him, but the pictures were enough. "Can we play? It looks fun!"
"Sure! We'll play the old school way." He handed Shu a deck. "There are forty cards here, they're all monster cards of different levels. We'll duel based on how high leveled the monster is. For instance…" He placed Kuriboh and Feral Imp down. "Kuriboh loses because he has less stars than Feral Imp. We can go until someone's monster loses three times. How's that sound?"
Shu looked beyond excited. "I'm ready!"
"Awesome! Now draw five cards for your starting hand. Meaning, the cards you'll be holding." Yugi said fanning out his cards. "This ought to be fun! He's young, but he's still the Pharaoh's kid."
"Ok…1,2,3,4 and 5." The boy drew his hand and tried to mimic Yugi's draw motion but failed spectacularly resulting in his cards soaring through the air. Yugi held it together pretty well on the outside but was laughing to the Spirit in his mind.
"Wow, didn't you teach him any better?" He joked. Yami gave him such a glare that he quickly dropped the subject.
"It's Geb!" Shu yelled in excitement waving around a card.
"It's who?" Yugi asked looking up.
"Geb! He's my Summoning Monster!" Shu said holding out the Baby Dragon card. "He's super strong!"
"Your…Summoning Monster? What's that?" Yugi asked placing his cards down interested.
"I'll show him to you!" Shu stood up and removed his cartouche shaped necklace. "Come out, Geb!" Before either Yugi or Yami could react, there was a flash of bright light.
"Geez, what was that?" Yugi asked rubbing the spots from his eyes. A loud squawk behind him made him jump in fright. Slowly turning around, he was greeted by the sight of a small yellow dragon. Or, more precisely, Baby Dragon!
"Yugi, what's going on up there?" Sugoroku yelled from downstairs.
"N-Nothing, Gramps! My, uh, tv turned on!" He yelled trying to cover up the noise of the dragon flapping his wings.
"That's Geb!" Shu announced proudly.
Yugi looked back at him in shock. "Did my Duel Disk switch on or something?" He thought standing up to face the dragon. "Shu, he's not real, is he?"
"Huh? Of course he's real!"
Placing a hand on Geb's head earned Yugi a huge sloppy lick from the dragon. "Ok, yeah! He's no hologram!" He said wiping the slobber off his face while Shu burst out into laughter.
"What on earth?" Yami said looking at the dragon. "I don't remember this."
"Man, Kaiba would be so jealous!" Yugi thought to him. " So, Duel Monsters were real! He looks just like the card!"
"Perhaps Pegasus's Millennium Eye was able to show him more than what we thought. Maybe he was actually able to see all these monsters that resided in the past." The Spirit suggested.
"So how did you do that, Shu? That's awesome!" Yugi asked trying to keep the dragon from licking him again.
"Huh? You don't have a Summoning Monster? Everyone does!" Shu said pulling Geb away from him. "Dad has a blue dragon and a huge red one!"
"Well, dang, Pharaoh! That's awesome!" Yugi said to the Spirit. "I wish I could summon the Dark Magician or something!" He noticed that Geb had suddenly disappeared. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"He can't stay for very long because I'm not strong enough yet." Shu said frowning. "He had to go back home."
Yugi was still at a loss. "Home? Do you think he means the Shadow Realm? Everyone keeps saying that's where all the monsters originate from."
"I don't think so. There was something different about him. He didn't have the same aura as the others we've encountered during a Shadow Game." Yami shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "Today has just been full of surprises."
"That's for sure!" Yugi thought to him. He turned his attention back to Shu. "Well, in any case, I'd say that's a pretty cool trick! You may not want to call Geb outside though; it might freak people out. They're not used to monsters appearing out of nowhere. But you can keep his card if you want!"
"Yay!" Shu said hugging it.
The rest of the night continued with nothing but Duel Monsters. It was around ten before Yugi even glanced at the time. "Ugh, I hate to say it, but we've got to stop, Shu. I've got school tomorrow."
"Is that where you go to learn things?" The boy asked interested. "Can I go?"
"Ha, I wish I liked leaning like you do." Yugi said cleaning up the cards. "But you're going to stay here with Gramps tomorrow. I bet he'll let you play in the shop!"
Shu's smile fell when he looked over at his father. "Does that mean you have to go too, Daddy?"
Both Yami and Yugi were shocked. Shu could see him?
"You…can see me, Little One?" Yami asked still unsure.
Shu cocked his head to the side. "Yes, but you look funny, like you're not really there."
Yugi removed the Puzzle from his neck and placed it on the table. "That's so weird. So, you can see him even if I have this off?"
The boy nodded. "I've always been able to see him." He went over and picked the Puzzle up looking at it in different angles. "Do you live in here now, Daddy?"
Yugi shot a glance over to Yami who returned it. There was certainly some explaining to do. It would probably better if the Spirit did it.
"Hey, Pharaoh, if you need to talk to him, I'm going to ask Gramps about tomorrow." Yugi said going to the door. "I'll be right back." Seeing the Spirit nod, he went downstairs to find his grandpa.
Entering the kitchen, he saw his grandfather at the table with a book. "Whatcha reading?" He asked taking a seat.
Sugoroku looked up from his book. "Oh, nothing." He quickly flipped the page he had been reading. "Just trying to find information on our newest resident. Speaking of that, where's the Millennium Puzzle?"
"Oh! The Pharaoh found out that Shu could see him even if I'm not wearing it. I took it off so he could be with him."
Sugoroku nodded slowly. "It might be good that he can't hear us then. But I'm sure he already knows…"
That caught Yugi off guard. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
The old man looked like he said too much. "It's nothing. Just some of my ramblings!" He gave Yugi a look. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"
Yugi gave him a look back. "After hearing that, I'm not going anywhere. What does the Pharaoh already know?"
Sugoroku sighed. "As soon as I saw Shu today, I knew who he was. Not in his time mind you, I'm not that old!" Yugi looked unamused by the joke, so his grandfather continued.
"Anyway, I've told you about the time I discovered the Pharaoh's tomb but one part of it never made sense to me until now. I had been separated from my guides. Well, actually, I left them. You see the tomb had two adjacent passages. One doorway was made into the god Horus personified as the Pharaoh. Naturally, my guides took that path. They were only interested in treasure while I wanted to complete the "game" of the tomb. You probably won't believe me when I tell you why I took the other path."
"And why's that?" Yugi asked confused.
"As soon as I rounded the corner of the passage there was a frog sitting there. I'm not lying when I tell you it was the biggest one I have ever seen either! It was about this big!" Sugoroku gestured with his hands. Yugi instantly thought of Kek. That couldn't be right though, what kind of frog lives for that long? It had to be some weird coincidence. His grandpa continued on.
"Not giving me time to think on how in the world the thing ended up in an underground tomb, it hopped away. The strange thing was that it looked like it wanted me to follow. You know how games can be unpredictable and you have to be ready for anything? I thought maybe this was part of the Pharaoh's game. I followed it down another corridor in which I noticed the surrounding walls had been hastily done. As in, most of the murals were not completed or painted in. I was convinced that I was being led to a false door or a dead end. Instead, I arrived in another room that's door was still sealed wrapped with the original rope. Even stranger, my little travel companion had left me. Not thinking much of it, I cut the seal thinking maybe I had solved the game. Upon entering, the room was small but full of typical funerary items and a sarcophagus. I didn't bother the sarcophagus because the lid would have been too heavy to pry off and it was too little for the Pharaoh. I did search through the items and realized they were a child's belongings. Thinking it was strange for these to be in the tomb, I looked at the walls."
Yugi felt his heart drop. It was almost like he knew what was coming but couldn't help hearing the rest.
"Like I said earlier, the murals were mostly incomplete, but I could make out a few things. There was a chapter from the Book of the Dead along with some scenery paintings. Then that's where I saw him. One of the paintings depicted Shu, the Pharaoh, and I presume his mother. Shu's name was the only one that was mentioned in both the murals and his belongings. The Pharaoh and the queen's appeared to have been gouged out whenever they were brought up."
Yugi sat back for a moment. Shu was…? In all honestly it made perfect sense for him to be dead. He was after all thousands of years old. But then again… "Hold on though, the Pharaoh said he wasn't a spirit and that he's living, remember?"
Sugoroku nodded. "I do, but I'm sure the Pharaoh knows the truth deep down. Memories or not, pain of that magnitude is never forgotten. Shu may have passed on before him. That would explain why the tomb was done in such haste."
"But how is here then? He has his own body." Yugi asked still not understanding.
"These spirits are referred to as a'akhs in the Ancient Egyptian religion." The old man opened back up to the page he had been reading. "It's a soul that no longer has a physical attachment to its former body. It's said they can assume human forms to visit those still living. I believe this is what Shu is."
Yugi didn't even know how to respond. He was just going to ask if his grandpa could keep an eye on Shu tomorrow and this was brought up. Talk about a three-sixty.
"Don't worry, I'll still look after him. I just wanted you to know my thoughts." Sugoroku closed the book. The only thing Yugi could do was nod. He really didn't know how else to respond.
Seeing his expression, Sugoroku tried to offer some encouragement. "Perhaps when you meet with Ishizu again she can give you some more information. Who knows? Maybe I'm just over thinking things."
Yugi gave him a slight grin and told him goodnight before going back to his room. Walking in, he saw that Shu was sound asleep. Trying to hide his concern, he laughed at the sight. "Geez, wish I could fall asleep that fast!" He joked turning off the light and sidestepping around the boy to his bed.
"I think today's excitement got to him." Yami said smiling before his face fell. Despite Yugi not wearing the Puzzle he could still sense his emotions. And the feeling he was getting wasn't a good one. "Did everything go alright with your grandfather?"
"Darn it! He knows somethings up." Yugi thought as he set his alarm clock. "Uh, yeah! Everything's fine! Gramps is really looking forward to watching Shu tomorrow. He said they're going to play games all day!"
Yami could tell that he was hiding something, but he decided to drop it. "That's good…"
"Huh? Something the matter?" Yugi asked still fighting with the alarm.
"I just thought that I had finally solved the mystery of my past, but it seems to just deepen. I know that I was once pharaoh and fought against a powerful evil. But there is very little I know about this monster from my past…and yet I'm expected to fight it again." Yami said before looking over at Shu. "I don't know what divine intervention brought us together, but I'm thankful for it. Knowing that he was able to survive the battle has given me hope."
Yugi felt like he was kicked in the gut after hearing that. There was no way he could tell the Pharaoh about Shu. Staying on topic, he tried to lighten the mood. "I think the craziest part about today for me was finding out he's your kid." He eyed the Spirit suspiciously. "I mean, seriously, how old are you? Shu told me he's five!"
"My age is what concerns you the most? Not the fact that another person from 3,000 years ago is living in your home? Or anything else about this whole situation?"Yami asked chuckling.
"Well, yeah." Yugi scratched at his head slightly embarrassed. "I mean, spirits and ancient magic don't really bother me anymore since you came around."
Yami rolled his eyes. "To answer your question, I only appear young because my soul is inhabiting your body."
"Huh, I've always thought you were sealed in the Puzzle around my age. Anyway, answer this. Why do we look so much alike? I saw the tablet! We look exactly the same!"
It was Yami's turn to be puzzled. "That is something I'm still unsure about."
Yugi laughed. "So, I've been thinking on it, and this is what I've come up with. You're either my ancestor from like a million years ago or somehow a relative that's been removed a thousand times. I mean, who wouldn't want to say they were related to a pharaoh?"
"True, I haven't thought of it that way. Although, I don't think I'm quite "a million" years old yet." Yami grinned at him before turning his attention back to Shu. "Is it alright if we switch for now? I want to stay with him."
"Yup, that's fine with me. Wait a minute, does that mean you're going to go to class for me tomorrow?" Yugi asked hopefully. "Coach is making us run a mile in gym. You know how much I hate it!"
Yami gave him a disapproving look. "Not likely. Rest assured I'll get you up in plenty of time for school. In fact, if I were you, I'd be ready to be up an extra hour early. You're not going to be late again this week."
"Alright. Sheesh, I'll get up." Yugi said allowing the Spirit to take over. "Please don't make it too early though." He added sheepishly.
Yami ignored the request making Yugi sulk in his soul room. Standing up, he fixed the covers around Shu before leaving the room. He needed to thank Yugi's grandfather before he went to bed. Seeing that the light was still on the kitchen, he went in there. Sugoroku was still at the table but this time fiddling with some kind of toy from the shop.
"Sugoroku?" Yami said somewhat unsure of how to begin.
The elderly man turned to his name. "Ah, Pharaoh. What can I help you with?" It hadn't taken him long to recognize when Yugi and Yami swapped. It did surprise him that he was talking to the Spirit though, he very rarely spoke to him.
Yami gave him a slight bow. "I thank you for your generosity and I am so sorry to be an even bigger burden to you. I didn't know what else to do or where to take Shu. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."
Sugoroku stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, my boy. It's no burden at all! I'm excited to have another youngster around the house. It'll be like having another grandson!" He gathered up the remains of the toy off the table. "As for the payment, you've already paid in full. I'm so thankful that Yugi was able to meet you. You've helped him in ways that I was unable to. So, I should be thanking you. By the way, it's "Grandpa", you're family too."
Yami smiled at him. It was so strange, but from the very first day he had met the man he felt like he knew him. Who knows, anything was possible at this point. The two said goodnight and parted ways.
Shu was still asleep and hugging his Kuriboh plushie when Yami walked back into the room. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was such a strange thing that Shu was here now, but he knew without a shadow of doubt that he was truly his son. The happiness soon faded as the image of his scars came creeping back into his mind. Shu seemed to be able to remember a lot about the day they were sealed inside the Puzzle. If they talked to him, he might be able to shed some light on what needed to be done. Only, Yami was afraid to ask. His son was clearly traumatized by the memory, in all honestly, who wouldn't be? Maybe given some time he would tell them but not now. He was going through more than enough at the moment. The boy's sudden whimpers turning to cries caught his attention.
"Mwt? Mwt!" Shu cried in his sleep.
"What does that mean?" Yami thought. It took him a second, but the meaning of the ancient word came to him. "He wants his mother…" That realization made him feel a mix of emotions. He had said that the last thing he remembered was being with her. Shu's dream seemed to worsen as he started to toss around. Yami snapped out of his thoughts to try and calm him.
"Shhh… I'm right here, Little One." He said lying next to him. Sensing his father, Shu curled up in his arms crying softly. It took a little bit, but he finally calmed down enough to drift back off to sleep. Deciding that it was safe to move without waking him, Yami picked him up and laid him on the bed next him. What happened to Shu's mother…his queen…had she been safe? Or did she perish in the battle? Could it be possible that she was the one he heard in his dreams? He started to feel drowsy. The sensation was almost foreign to him since he hardly ever slept while in physical form, Yugi was the one that did. Closing his eyes, he thought he would rest just for a moment…nothing too long…
An endless expanse of water greeted Yami as he slowly opened his eyes. It was such a surreal place. The mirror like stillness of the water reflected the passing clouds in the blue sky above. He blinked. Thousands of green leaves were now floating in the shallow water. Curious, he picked one up. Engraved upon the leaf's surface were three golden hieroglyphs. Studying it for a moment, he remembered their meaning.
"Shu?" He thought continuing to look at the leaf. A sudden, panicked cry shattered the air.
"Daddy!"
Yami's head snapped toward the sound of his son's voice. Racing to the source, he found his terrified son running toward him. Grabbing up Shu, something inside him told him to run and not look back. He could feel Shu trembling in his arms as he ran. The scenery made another abrupt change. Fragments of stone crackled beneath his feet as they fled down a ruined road. The blood-red sky along with the unrelenting stares of ram-headed sphinxes lining the path only fueled Yami's intense fear.
A low rumble reverberated through the barren landscape before turning into a deafening roar. Shu let out a sickening cry before being ripped from his father's arms. The impact was so violent that it knocked Yami to the ground. Struggling to his feet, he frantically searched for his son. The sight that met him made his blood go cold. Hideous, crimson-stained marks dripped from Shu's side to his back. Standing over him was a monster that was taller than Yami and whose fur shared the same color as the red sky tinged in black. Its body was long and sleek like a jackal's. The way the beast's ears were cropped made them appear to be squared off. Its muzzle, though, was the most unnatural looking. It was bent downwards in such a grotesque angle that it looked broken.
The monster stared back at Yami with a malicious grin. Baring its fangs, saliva oozed from its jaws. Shu clutched his side while weakly reaching out toward his father. His painful cries made the monster place a clawed hand on his back in a taunting manner. Fear was soon replaced by pure hatred and anger within Yami. Not caring for his own safety, he gathered himself to save his son. Seeing the father's desperation, the beast slammed its claws down on the boy resulting in a sickening snap. Yami tried to yell but no words would form. By this time, the had beast faded away allowing the scenery to return back into its watery dreamscape.
Upon reaching Shu, Yami dropped to his knees. He felt absolutely numb as he picked up his son. "No…" He cried bowing his head to Shu's. "Little One…!" A single leaf fluttered down onto Shu's chest. The glowing hieroglyphs that once spelled his name now faded into blackness…
Yami bolted awake drenched in a cold sweat. Just what was that?! Taking deep breathes, he tried to calm himself. Looking down, he realized what he had been holding so tightly was Shu. By some miracle he was still asleep. Relaxing somewhat, he began to think. Why had the dream been so vivid? Weren't dreams supposed to be usually devoid of most of the senses? Not this one. The color of the sky, the monster, Shu…he hugged and kissed his son. The scene of Shu lifeless in his arms kept replaying in his mind making his stomach sick.
What had brought the dream on? Was it from seeing Shu's scars? Another thing was the monster. He had never seen anything like it, mythical or not. There wasn't even a creature in Duel Monsters that came close to resemble the thing. Its aura felt dark and cold. Much like the feeling of when a Shadow Game was taking place. The leaf with Shu's name had to symbolize something too. Why would his name fade when he…Yami didn't want to think about it anymore. It had just been a nightmare. Nothing more. Laying back down, he tucked Shu into the crook of his arm and held him close. It wasn't much, but at least for the moment, he could feel like he was providing some protection for his son.
The next part WILL be the finale. I'll have to complete Pharaoh's Reign first if I want to go any further! Anyways, what do you guys think so far? Can you guess what the monster is that Yami dreamed about?