Katsuya hesitated for a moment as he stood outside of Yugi's shut bedroom door, holding a tray with a plate of food and a drink.
He knew his friend was engrossed in something important and did not want to disturb her, but at the same time she had not emerged from her bedroom since she had gotten home, and if she did not eat, she would make herself ill.
He risked knocking on the door.
The surprised noise that came from inside was followed by the sounds of multiple items clinking off a surface and a frustrated groan. "C…come in."
"Sorry, Yuge," he apologized as he pushed the door open, noting that she was putting on a horrendously fake smile as she turned to him.
"It's… It's okay," she lied, turning back to her desk, where the Puzzle pieces she did have were scattered, having just fallen out of position and onto pages and pages of notes that were clearly on the assembly of the Puzzle. The handwriting on them was plainly Yugi's, but from what he could see, there were differences in the way things were written that suggested some of these sheets of paper had been written when his friend had been much younger.
"I got you a couple of burgers," he offered as he slid the tray onto the only clear piece of her desk, "and a soda."
"Thanks." The girl did pause to eye up the food, then turned back to the pieces on the desk. "I'm not hungry right now, but I'll eat it later."
Katsuya grimaced, having seen this from his friend before. When she was seriously down, she tended to neglect her own health. It had happened after Death-T and again for the first week after Jii-san's soul had been stolen. Last time he had gotten her eating again by reminding her that if she did not look after herself, she would not be in any fit state for Duelist Kingdom. The first time, however, she had not started eating properly again until something, or rather someone, had pulled her out of her own head.
That someone was currently trapped in the Shadows, and he did not think that Yugi was going to be okay again until she had the whole Puzzle in her hands. Unless…
"Yuge?" he asked quietly, causing her to look at him. "I know you're not hungry, but you haven't eaten at all since breakfast. You need to eat or you're going to pass out midway through working on the Puzzle. That won't help Meisa."
The Queen of Games considered his words for a moment, then nodded and picked up a burger. The first bite she took of it set off her hunger, and he was pleased to see both burgers, which he had gotten from her favorite burger place, disappear in short measure. Swift enough, in fact, to give her the hiccups.
He could not help but chuckle at the high-pitched squeaks that came from his friend. It earned him a disappointed look, but he continued to laugh as she held her breath until the squeaks had stopped.
"Thanks, Jou. Seriously." Yugi gave him a small smile. "Those were good."
"If you want anything else, give me a call, okay? I'll bring it up," he promised, hand over his heart.
"Can…" Yugi started, then hesitated and shook her head. "No, never mind."
"What's up?" the other duelist asked, putting his hands on her shoulders. He felt her lean into them and realized that she did not want to be alone right now.
"Are… are you busy?" she asked softly, picking up a couple of the pieces and fitting them together carefully.
"Not really." He really was not. He had tried to distract himself by picking up his Zelda save file, but he had not been able to focus and had gotten himself murdered horribly three times while trying to traverse 'Dodongo's Cavern' before he had given up and popped out for the food.
"Can you sit with me?" she asked hopefully, looking up at him. "I know it's an inconvenience, but…"
"Sure. Do you want me sat next to you, or…?" He paused, not sure where he would be sat if she said yes.
"You can sprawl on the bed if you like." Yugi looked sheepish. "I just… I keep trying to talk to Anesan, and I don't…"
"You want someone to talk to, or at least someone hanging around, so you feel less alone." He understood. It had been months since Yugi had been alone in her own head after all; she probably felt horrifically uncomfortable right now.
When she nodded, he grinned at her. "Hey, no problem. I'll grab a tray and work on my homework while you're fixing up the Puzzle, okay?"
She nodded again, and he headed downstairs and grabbed his backpack.
"Katsuya?" Jii-san asked, having just finished shutting down the shop. He was worried for his granddaughter, and having Jou's help in keeping an eye on her was a relief.
"I got her to eat," he reassured the elderly man and saw him relax a little.
"Is it as bad as I fear it is?" Sugoroku asked the teen he had taken in.
"Yes and no." Katsuya sighed, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. "She's not okay, she's definitely on a bad downswing, but just the fact I got her to eat means she's still able to listen. Unlike after Death-T."
The older Mutou sighed, looking down. "That's good. I'm sorry to put you in this situation."
"It's fine." The blonde shook his head. "She's allowed to have a bad time. She's normally so busy supporting everyone else and keeping our moods up that we don't mind supporting her when she crashes."
"I just wish…" the retired archeologist trailed off, relieved that Yugi's friends understood. Before the Puzzle, before the other teens that now made up a large portion of his granddaughter's life, Yugi had been a quiet, miserable mouse who had barely talked and frequently had panic attacks about going to school, mostly because she was constantly bullied when she was there and was blamed by the teachers for the consequences caused by her bullies.
Once she had friends who could support her, however, she had fared much better, and her anxiety and depression had faded into the background. She had emerged from her shell to become the happy, bright girl she was now because she knew that no matter what happened, she had people she could rely on. People who would back her up in any situation and who trusted her to have their backs.
In times of stress, like now, however, or when something happened that reminded her of incidents from before, her mental health tended to collapse. She had been less prone to it since she had started interacting fully with Meisa, but her current state was not as unusual as he would like.
Not that her grandfather blamed her for her occasional break downs. She had been the subject of so much trauma when she was younger, between school, the bullies, and the loss of her parents, that he was pleasantly surprised that she was able to function as well as she was.
This downswing, caused by having been pushed down the stairs by bullies, having been gas-lighted by the teachers and not only breaking the Millennium Puzzle but also losing a piece of it, was understandable, but made him mad as hell. Sugoroku had phoned up the school and had a long conversation with the Principle about the way the teachers had reacted to his granddaughter's injuries. He did not think that it was going to help much. In the past the school had ignored his attempts to get justice for Yugi, but he had at least tried. It was the most he could do.
He just hoped that his other granddaughter could come home soon. He missed the Spirit of the Puzzle, even if it was occasionally hard to tell the difference between her and Yugi, and he was seriously worried about how okay she was going to be when they got her back.
"Hey, Jii-san?" At the young man's soft tone, Sugoroku looked over at Katsuya. "She'll be back. Bakura's hunting out the Puzzle piece for us, and you just know she'll want to rub this in Meisa's face, so she'll get it as fast as possible."
"I'm sure you're right. I can't help but worry, though." The old gamer smiled ruefully. "That's my job as a responsible adult."
Jou just sighed and shrugged, still getting used to having a responsible adult in his life. "At least you know we're trying?"
Sugoroku nodded. "And I'm grateful for that, believe me."
"I should head up, but I'll be in Yuge's room if you want me." Katsuya shouldered the backpack.
"Make sure you leave the door ajar," Doctor Mutou tutted, though he was clearly more amused than he was pretending.
"Yeah, yeah." The teen just waved it off and headed back upstairs. He was just down the corridor from Yugi's attic conversion when he heard her phone ringing.
"Moshi moshi?" Yugi's voice shook a little as she answered the phone. "Honda?"
Jonouchi entered the bedroom to find Yugi pacing. "No, she's not come here… she's what?"
When Yugi paled, Katsuya held out his hand for the phone. His friend handed it over. "Yo, Honda, what's going on?"
"I lost track of Bakura in the business district a few hours ago." Honda sounded worried and frustrated. "I got a lead that she went into a shop, but I couldn't find her and they've all shut now, so I checked her house and she's not been home. Her letterbox still has post in. She's just disappeared."
"Shit," Jou breathed. "You sure she's not just waiting till late to break into somewhere?"
"Maybe, but the part of the business district she went missing in isn't like the part near the game shop. It's all big box stores, not family-run places with apartments. There's not much likelihood of the target still being there," Jou's right-hand huffed. "I think something's up."
"I'd like to say you're wrong and she's just messing with us, but…"
"She needs the Puzzle in one piece as much as we do," Honda agreed. "The question is, what's happened to her?"
The sounds of Yugi's chair scraping back drew his attention back to the tiny teen at the desk. "Yuge?"
"I heard." She spoke with the sort of calm tone that he recognized as her trying to hide her emotions. She reached for the golden treasure pieces in front of her and swept them into the golden box they had come in before rising and turning to him, head raised, posture strong, looking determined. "We need to find her."
"Yuge…" Jou started towards her.
Yugi shook her head at her friend's attempt to get her to sit back down. "Amane is my friend, and she's disappeared while trying to help me. The last time I ignored my gut telling me something was wrong, Anzu lost her soul. I'm not making that mistake again."
Katsuya paused at that, then nodded. "Alright, let's go, but stay close, okay? You're still hurt from earlier, and without Meisa…"
He trailed off, but she knew what he meant. Without the Millennium Puzzle she had no way to defend herself. She slipped the golden puzzle box into her bag, along with a small first aid kit, wanting to be helpful if they did get into trouble, and then slipped her deck holster onto her belt. Even if she could not summon without her Puzzle completed, she felt more comfortable with the cards in easy reach.
"Hey, Honda, we'll meet you at the business district," Jonouchi informed their friend as Yugi headed out the door and down into the main body of the flat.
"You sure you want Yuge out here if someone managed to grab Bakura?" Honda sounded unamused.
"I don't think I have a say in it. She'll leave with or without me. You know how stubborn she can be." Katsuya's comment earned him an amused snort. "We'll be there in ten."
He ended the call and rushed to catch up to his friend, only for the pair of them to get stopped by Jii-san. "Where are you two going?"
"Something's wrong with Amane," Yugi spoke bluntly, watching her grandfather carefully.
"You're sure?" the older gentleman asked, concerned but wary of letting the children out at this time of night.
"I know it. I don't know if she's hurt or lost or what, but something is wrong." Yugi's voice was firm, and just from her body language alone Sugoroku could see that if he tried to stop her, she would probably go out of her bedroom window. He glanced at Katsuya, who nodded, silently promising to keep the smaller Duelist safe.
"Alright, Yugi," her grandfather sighed, "but stay safe out there."
"I will, I promise." She hugged the elderly gamer tightly. He hugged her back, squeezing tightly for a moment, proud of her determination to help a friend, no matter how bad she personally felt.
The moment he let go, Yugi shot down the stairs and Katsuya followed. Walking through the streets of Domino after dark was a little creepy. There was very little moving around. Most people had already tucked themselves away for the evening, and the occasional car that passed by made them jump more than once as they raced towards the other end of the business district.
Katsuya quickly came to the realization that even injured, Yugi was not a slow runner. In fact she was a sprinter, rather than a long distance runner, as she started off fast, bolting two blocks before she slowed to a near stop to catch her breath, whereas he could have gone a lot longer if he had not been trying to stay with her. After a couple more stops, they managed to find the pace between them that pushed Yugi to get further than before without winding her badly enough to make her stop.
All the stores were closed for the night, but they had expected that as they got a block from the Black Clown, where Honda was waiting for them. As they turned the last corner, a familiar voice called, "Hey!"
Turning around revealed the speaker was Otogi Ryuji. Yugi's face lit up, but Katsuya watched him warily as he approached.
"What are you doing out here?" Otogi looked worried, though it was hard to tell what he was nervous about.
"My friend, Bakura Amane, is missing," Yugi told him, wringing her hands, concern clear on her features. "She's this tall, long white hair, brown eyes that look red in the right light."
As she gestured off the ground for her friend's height, Otogi shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the description as the Bakura that his father had locked up in the hidden games room. He had gone out for a walk in order to try and clear his head after what had happened. He had not expected to run into the girl's friends.
"We're out here looking for her." Katsuya's eyes narrowed, aware Otogi was up to something and noting the odd reaction. "Have you seen her?"
Otogi hesitated.
One the one hand he could tell them the truth and draw Yugi to the Black Clown, furthering his Otosan's plan, but running the risk of Jonouchi following them. The addition of the very physically-minded teen would cause mayhem and possibly prevent his father from ever recovering from the Penalty that Mutou Sugoroku had caused.
On the other hand, it would hurt Yugi further if she was unable to find her missing friend, moving the plan forward and making his father proud, but Otogi would be betraying one girl's trust and allowing his father to hold another girl captive.
"Otogi?" Yugi tilted her head, curious and worried about him.
"I've not seen her," Ryuji lied, the bruising on his side from where his father had struck him repeatedly aching and reminding him of the cost of betrayal. "But I'll help you look."
The grateful smile that earned him from Yugi made his stomach twist and guilt surge as he directed them away from his shop. He caught Jonouchi's eyes and noted the distrust there. He was not surprised, considering the blow up the pair of them had had in the boys' bathroom this morning. Still, there was no way the other guy could know what the Otogis were up to.
Ryuji was certain he had made the right choice when Honda caught up to them from the direction of the Black Clown, despite the skies opening. Rain fell, heavy and fast enough to make a curtain that half hid the other side of the road as Honda waved. "Hey."
"Any luck?" The worry was clear on Yugi's face as she brushed wet blonde bangs out of her face.
"Sorry, Yugi." Honda shook his head and the girl's shoulders sank.
"I don't think she's around here," Otogi pushed, hoping that the downpour slowly soaking through their clothes would encourage the group to go home.
"I'm not just going home." Yugi shook her head. "She could be hurt."
"Exactly," Honda agreed, resisting the urge to glower at Otogi. "Shall we?"
"Are you sure you want to keep looking?" Otogi pressed Yugi as they started down the next alleyway.
"If my friend is injured in one of these alleys, I don't want to leave her exposed to the weather." The Queen of Games nodded, despite the shivering that had started.
Jonouchi did not trust Otogi as far as he could throw him, and as they checked alleyway after alleyway, he was almost tempted to pin the other teen against the wall and force him to admit to what he had threatened earlier. He did not dare, though, not yet, not until they had spoken to Kaiba and managed to prevent the Black Clown heir from ripping the shop away from the Mutous.
They scoured the streets for hours, becoming colder and more hopeless as they went, Otogi became more and more aware that Yugi was going to keep searching, no matter how long it took, because despite Bakura's attitude towards the Queen of Games, Yugi considered her a close friend.
His father had always told him that Yugi would take after the heartless beast that was her Ojiisan and that she would never care about anyone. This was clear proof that his father did not know everything about their adversaries. Considering Otosan's usual attitude of 'he knew everything,' it was a shock to Ryuji's systems, one he did not like in the slightest. However, it did give him hope that maybe, just maybe, Yugi would be willing to turn on her old man when he told her what Sugoroku had done to his father.
The sounds of Jonouchi sneezing startled Otogi out of his thoughts and made Yugi turn towards him, concern on her face.
"Katsuya? You okay?" she asked.
"Me? What about you? You shake any harder, you'll fall apart," Jou retorted, watching the soaked girl sharply.
"I'm…" She paused, only realizing she had been trembling from the cold now that Katsuya had brought it up. Her shoulders sank as she checked her phone and closed her eyes for a moment, having to take a deep breath as she realized that they had been out for hours and not gotten anywhere. "Damnit."
"Yuge?" Honda asked, aware that his friend did not cuss too often.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think…" She opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself as she finally registered the cold that was seeping into her bones, having been distracted until now, and realized her two friends had probably been feeling it the entire time.
"Let's get you home, Yuge." Katsuya wrapped a soggy arm around her shoulders, worried and wishing he had a dry jacket to offer her. "Bakura's a smart girl, she'll have found somewhere to hide from this weather. We'd never find it, though; she's almost impossible to pin down."
Yugi sighed, aware Jou had a point and the Thief Queen probably had her lighter half ensconced somewhere safe and dry by now. Otogi tried not to grimace though. 'Almost impossible' was right, considering what had happened earlier. Jonouchi was not wrong, though: Bakura was certainly not out in this weather.
"You're no use to anyone sick, Yugi," Honda pointed out. "I'll walk you home."
"Thanks, Honda." Yugi's smile was a little watery, but he could tell she meant her words.
"Hey, what are real friends for?" he asked, catching Otogi's eyes briefly.
The game designer frowned, realizing that he had erred by threatening Jonouchi because, while he clearly had not told Yugi, he had obviously told her other friends, and he did not know them well enough to keep their mouths shut. Clearly their bond to Yugi was preventing them from telling her for now, so he did not make good on his threat to ruin the Mutous, but he could not guarantee how long that would hold. Especially when Jonouchi and Honda were deliberately getting between him and their friend.
"I can get you a ride home if you want to use one of my limos," Otogi offered, trying to work his way back in.
Yugi looked around, beginning to feel her injuries aching in the cold now the adrenaline of searching for her friend was wearing off, and then shook her head, not wanting to walk further than she had to. "No thanks, we're closer to my house, but you're welcome to come back to my shop if you like."
The young heir hesitated, tempted by the chance to visit the rival store and get some inside information.
"We're taking Yuge home. Do what you want." Katsuya stared at him coldly as he and Honda started herding Yugi towards the small store.
Otogi followed, figuring that he was never going to get another invite.
Jii-san was still up when they got back to the game shop, and he was surprised to see an extra teen with them.
"Yugi, go have a hot shower and get to bed," he ordered. Yugi did not fight him. She just nodded to both boys and headed upstairs, moving stiffly. Once she was gone, he looked at Honda. "I assume you're sharing Katsuya's room again?"
"If you don't mind?" Honda ran a hand through his hair, looking sheepish.
"Of course not, Yugi's friends are always welcome." He smiled before turning to Otogi. "I haven't met you before."
Ryuji had to hold himself in check as he bowed to the older man, but it was a struggle as he spoke, "Otogi Ryuji, I'm a friend of your magomasume."
Sugoroku, who had never met the boy in person before, warily considered the child in front of him. The boy was possibly an enemy, but at the same time he was a boy, it was tipping it down outside, and he claimed to be a friend of Yugi's. The old archeologist had promised Yugi that her friends could always rest in his home.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Otogi-san," Ojiisan responded. Ryuji was surprised by the politeness of it, having been expecting to be told to get out. "You may stay tonight if you wish."
Jonouchi snorted as he noted the wording.
"I would sir. I can be collected in the morning." Otogi had not missed it either.
"Did you find Bakura?" Sugoroku turned to Yugi's usual posse, concern seeping into his features.
"No. She wasn't out there." Jou grimaced. "But I needed to get Yugi inside. She's…"
"I saw." The elderly man cut him off with his own grimace, looking worried as he gazed in the direction his granddaughter had gone. Otogi could not help but feel pleased at the emotions on the old man's face. Part of his father's plan had been to destroy the retired archeologist through the only remaining member of his family, and clearly it was beginning to work.
Then the old gamer turned back to Otogi. "I can lend you clothes for sleeping in."
"I thank you… but may we talk privately?" the teen asked, wanting to hear Sugoroku's excuse for what happened to his father and find out if the elderly man regretted his actions.
The shop owner considered him for a moment, then looked to Jonouchi and Honda. "Once Yugi's done in the shower, make sure you two warm up as well, so you don't catch cold."
"Yes, Jii-san, but do you want me to…" Jou hesitated.
"I don't think Otogi wants to do more than talk, right?" Doctor Mutou gave the newcomer a sharp look.
"Of course not, you're my host after all." The younger Otogi bowed.
"Go get warm." The old man shooed him away, concerned.
Katsuya hesitated but followed his orders, Honda following with a grimace, leaving Otogi and Sugoroku alone.
"I thank you for helping Yugi try to find her friend," the elder gamer said as he opened a cupboard by the door and pulled out a large towel, which he passed to the teenager. Otogi blinked but took it and started to dry himself off. "Bakura is a close friend of hers. They've been through a lot together."
"I couldn't let her hunt alone in the rain." Otogi shrugged, smirking under the towel over his head as he heard the elderly man's footsteps pause.
"Alone? I sent Katsuya with her." Sugoroku sounded confused.
"When I found her, she was far ahead of him. I didn't even realize he was with her to start with. Anything could have happened." Ryuji twisted the knife a little, trying to undermine Jonouchi's position in the family so anything the duelist said against him sounded retributionist and lowered the boy's standing further. "Especially with how injured she is. We didn't meet up with Honda until a little later."
"I'll be having words with him," the elderly gamer lied, not entirely convinced Katsuya would have left Yugi alone and wondering what Otogi's game was. "Give me a moment."
Otogi managed to dry off the majority of his hair, and when Sugoroku returned with a large enough shirt for him to sleep in, he slipped into the kitchen to strip off and change into the dry clothes, a little nervous about changing in his enemy's home but wanting to get out of the cold, wet clothes.
"Once the other two are out of the shower, you can jump in if you like. Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" the former archaeologist asked as he waited to collect the soggy clothes to tumble dry.
"I wanted to know your side of the story when it came to you and my Otosan." He heard the old man let out a sharp hiss at his words. "I've only ever heard his side."
"Your Otosan came to me asking to be my apprentice in gaming. He wanted to be a Games Master like myself." Sugoroku sounded unhappy as he spoke, telling Otogi that he did not want to tell him this. Both were unaware that Yugi had come to grab some painkillers from the medicine cabinet and had heard him talking to Otogi, so stayed in the hallway where she could hear but not be seen. "I was willing to teach him. After all, I had retired after playing the ultimate game. I wanted someone else to get to where I had been."
"So, what happened?" Ryuji pushed, wanting to hear the man's excuses.
"Your father discovered that I had the pieces of an item of great power, and he wanted it for himself." The game designer's hand moved to the stolen Puzzle piece, realizing that it was probably part of what the old man was talking about. He took the golden artifact out of his jacket pocket and moved it to the pocket of the shirt he was borrowing so it could not be discovered when his clothes went in the tumble dryer.
Otogi had heard about the powers of the Puzzle at length. However, he had not known that his father had learned about it from Doctor Mutou.
"It wasn't mine to give away, though," the elderly gamer continued. "It had been made clear to me that it had to go to someone else, so I refused to give it to him."
Yugi's hand instinctively went to where the Puzzle normally hung, wondering how her grandfather had known that it contained part of her soul before she had ever completed it. Otogi too had paused, remembering Bakura telling him that the Puzzle's true power could only be unlocked by Yugi, suggesting that the girl WAS the someone that Mutou was talking about, but how could he have known? And how did that lead into what had happened with his father?
"He challenged me for it. One game, winner takes all." Sugoroku's voice sounded haggard. "I foolishly said yes. I still regret what happened."
"You do?" Ryuji asked, torn between surprise and anger.
"I tried to tell him." The old man spoke softly enough that Yugi had to sneak closer to hear. "I tried to warn him that the game he forced me into would have consequences, but he did not want to listen. He was overconfident, certain of his victory, and the game stole fifty years from him."
"He forced you?!" Ryuji snapped out, coming to the doorway to glare at him. "You challenged him!"
The former archeologist did not back up. "I suggested we play a game for the item; he was the one who trapped us in a tomb with the Game of Life."
"Liar," Ryuji hissed out, approaching Sugoroku. "You Challenged him to prove he was worthy and stole fifty years of his life!"
Before he could get too close, Yugi threw herself between them, arms spread wide, not willing to let him hurt her Ojiisan.
"Yugi. Move," Otogi snapped.
She shook her head and planted herself firmer, refusing to move. "I won't let you hurt him."
Anger coursed through Ryuji at this reminder that no matter what her grandfather did and even without her magic, Yugi would always stand in his way of dealing with the old man. Despite what Bakura had said, if he wanted to get the revenge for his father that he was expected to get, he was going to have to go through her or remove her from his path.
"You don't have to believe me, Otogi." The elderly gamer put his hand on his granddaughter's shoulder, grateful for the backup and proud of her for not backing down from someone she considered a friend. "But he challenged me and the Game stole his life. I know he blames me, believes I took those years, but I didn't de-age by fifty years. I'm still old."
The game designer glared at the man. "You still played against him."
"And I regret that deeply. If I had known how desperate he was to get his hands on the powers of the Millennium Puzzle, I would never have suggested we play for it." Doctor Mutou's voice wavered. "I would have just taken my things and left."
Ryuji's hands balled into fists. "When he returned from that trip, he was hurt, angry… changed! And Okaasan left us because of what you did!"
"I'm sorry."
The apology made Ryuji angrier. Yugi could see it. She stepped away from her Ojiisan and approached the other teen.
"Yugi," Sugoroku warned, worried Otogi was going to lash out at her.
"Otogi… I'm sorry," she apologized with a slight bow. "The Millennium Puzzle was meant to come to me. That's why Jii-san couldn't give it to your father. That's why all this happened. It's my fault. If you're going to be angry at anyone, be angry at me."
"Yugi…" She could hear the shock and sadness in her Jii-san's whisper, and as she straightened, she saw Otogi's face was a mix of anger, confusion, and disgust. For a moment she was afraid he was going to hit her, then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his hands unballed.
"Maybe I should leave," he said calmly, going to grab his wet clothes to get changed again.
"No, Otogi." Sugoroku shook his head. "It's still raining out there, and you're still welcome to stay. You're allowed to be angry. That doesn't mean we're going to make you walk home at this time of the morning."
Ryuji glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly four. He grimaced. "Fine. I'll stay."
The elderly man nodded. "Are you alright on the sofa, or…"
"You can use my bed if you like," Yugi offered. "I'm shorter, so I'll be fine on the sofa."
"I'll be fine," Ryuji huffed, not wanting any sympathy from the girl who was willing to protect her grandfather by trying to get the blame laid on her, rather than him and blame fate for what had happened to his father.
She nodded and headed for the door, shoulders sunk, head down, aware that Otogi probably hated her.
"Yugi." She paused and turned back to him. "The other Millennium Items, are they destined for certain wielders too?"
"I think so?" she replied the only way she could, her voice soft and sad, "but I know that they've had other holders over the ages until they could find their rightful place. I think the Puzzle is the only one who has only ever had one holder since Ancient Egypt. I'm the only one who can complete it."
Ryuji nodded, understanding, and Yugi headed for bed.
"Otogi, please don't be too angry with Yugi," Doctor Mutou pleaded quietly. "She's a good girl, and she is doing her best. She might blame herself, but she's not at fault for my actions when she was a baby. I'm the one who allowed the Puzzle to connect to her like it has."
The game designer did not respond, just flopped onto the sofa, pulling the blanket laid over the back over him. The elderly gamer sighed and collected the wet clothes and put them in the tumble dryer before heading to bed himself for what little sleep he could get before he had to be awake to open the store.
Otogi curled into a ball, disappointment, anger, and pain swirling inside him. He had hoped so hard that Yugi could be drawn to their side in all of this, and tonight had proved one very important thing.
She could never be their ally.
It was a massive disappointment, but it was tempered by one particularly important fact. There was a chance they may not be able to get their hands on the Puzzle. Even if they did, it was possible that they may not be able to access its full powers. He still wanted to try; in fact he now wanted to battle Yugi more than ever. However, if their plan failed, they had another Item. One stolen from the girl held captive in the shop. The girl who might be able to retrieve the years stolen from his father.
They had the Millennium Ring.
If they failed to recover the Puzzle from Yugi, they could turn that on Yugi and her grandfather instead.
