Can I?
By: Xhibit B
Chapter Seven - The Exhibit
.i do not own yu-gi-oh!.
It was like a blur of black, blonde, and violet as she rushed past her children that were sitting in the kitchen. Hiyori and Yuki were already dressed and ready to go for the Pharaoh Atem exhibit opening and had been patiently waiting for their mother to return home from the museum. Hiyori turned to look at her mother who was rummaging through the junk drawer for whatever she was looking for.
"Hey Mom, everything okay," the sixteen-year-old asked irking a brow at her mother. "What are you looking for over there?"
"My mind," Yūgi answered as she slammed the drawer shut a moment later. She turned to glance at her children and smiled. "You both look wonderful. Give me about forty-five minutes to hop in the shower and get dressed then we'll head out of here, alright? We've still got about two hours before the event starts so we should make it there in time."
"Sure Mom, go get ready and we'll make sure that everything you're going to need for your presentation tonight is together and waiting for you before we leave," Yuki said gesturing for her to head upstairs.
"Thank you," Yūgi gushed before kissing both twins on their foreheads and then rushing up the stairs to her bedroom.
They heard her door slam followed by the sound of running water a moment later. Hiyori turned to glance at her brother. "Well, that was kinda awkward. You go get her binder and stuff that she needs for the presentation tonight and put it in a bag. I'll go make sure that her dress and everything are laying out so that it doesn't take her forever to get dressed."
"Sure," Yuki said as he moved to go into their mother's home office.
Hiyori gathered the long skirt of her formal evening gown and made her way up the stairs as quickly as she was able. She entered her mother's room a moment later and went straight for the closet. She pulled out the dress bag that hung in front of all of her clothing and placed it on the bed. Unzipping the bag, she pulled the dress out and laid it out over the comforter before going to grab the matching shoes. A moment later she was picking through her mother's jewelry box, trying to find jewelry that would match the dark burgundy dress her mother had chosen for the evening's event.
She'd just finished picking everything out when her mother stepped out of her bathroom dressed in naught but a towel. Yūgi beamed when she saw that her daughter had pulled her clothes out for her, "Thank you Hiyori! You just saved me so much time."
"Of course, Mom," Hiyori laughed as she made her way out of the room again. "Call me when you're done getting dressed and I'll help you with your hair and makeup." She glanced down at her watch, noting the time. "It's already five-twenty. We'll have to leave soon if we want to pick up Grandpa and make it there in time for you to set up. Yuki already got your binder with your notes and everything ready and waiting for you."
"Have I ever told you that you two are the best children a mother could ask for," Yūgi asked as she sat down on her bed. She'd grabbed a bottle of lotion and begun lotioning her legs. "Because you two are the absolute best children any mother could ever ask for."
"We know, you tell us all the time," Hiyori said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Yūgi quickly finished drying off and lotioning up before putting on her undergarments. She shimmied into her dress a moment later, struggling to zip up the back as she called Hiyori back into the room. Hiyori returned after the first call of her name, zipping her mother's dress up in the back before ushering her into the seat of her vanity. Yūgi sat and watched as her daughter worked her long, multi-coloured hair into an elegant bun atop her head, several tendrils of hair hanging loose to frame her face. She quickly and efficiently did her mother's makeup next before stepping back to admire her handy work.
"There, all done," Hiyori said before looking down at her watch. "We've gotta get going if we want to be on time. Go ahead and put your jewelry and stuff on. Yuki and I will be waiting for you downstairs."
Yūgi nodded as she stood, "Give me five more minutes and I'll be right down."
"Okay Mom," Hiyori called over her shoulder as she made her way back downstairs. When she entered the living room, she saw her brother sitting on the couch watching TV with the bag holding their mother's binder of notes sitting right beside him. "Well, Mom's almost ready. Can you grab the jackets and stuff so we can be ready to walk out the door as soon as she comes down? I'm going to make sure the house is locked up since we won't be back until late tonight."
"Sure," Yuki said as he stood and grabbed the bag before he made his way to the coat closet.
Hiyori made sure that all the doors and windows were locked, and the security system was in place. She had just finished arming the alarm system when her mother walked downstairs holding her shoes in one hand and clipping her earring on with the other. "Are we all ready to go?"
"Yep, I made sure the house was locked up and set the security system," Hiyori answered.
"And I've got all of our coats and your bag with your notes and stuff already so let's get going," Yuki called from by the door.
Hiyori and Yūgi joined him, slipping into their shoes before putting on their coats as Yuki handed them to them. The walked out the door a moment later, Yūgi locking the front door behind them. They quickly made their way to the BMW, Yuki claiming the backseat while Hiyori and Yūgi got in the front. Yūgi started the SUV a moment later before backing out of the driveway and taking off towards their Grandfather's home and then the museum.
.cani.
"Are you ready to go yet, Kar," Yami called to his daughter as he fixed his tie in the full body mirror that was hanging in his bedroom. "We have to get going soon if we want to be on time to the event."
"I'm ready, Daddy," Hikari said as she walked into her father's room. She smiled at him when she took in his attire for the evening. A finely tailored suit that consisted of a cream blazer, black pants, and a burgundy waist belt. Complete with a white dress shirt and a burgundy tie that he'd been fixing around his neck. His usually wayward tri-coloured hair was slicked back and pinned down by unseen bobby pins. "You look nice tonight, Daddy." She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "Did you decide to look good for Miss Yūgi?"
Yami was going to kill his brother for letting that bit of information out for his daughter to hear. Now she wasn't going to ever let him live it down. And she was especially teasing him about it since she knew that the woman would be at the exhibit because they'd been specifically invited because of her recommendation. His hand slapped his forehead. "No Kar, I swear your Uncle and I are going to box the next time we go to the gym. I really wish he hadn't told you all about an old crush that I have long since gotten over in the last twenty years."
"Sure Daddy," Hikari said knowingly as she folded her hands behind her back. "But anyway, I can't wait to see this exhibit and see where Uncle Atem's namesake came from! It's so cool that he's named after a great Pharaoh from Egypt. How come you don't have a Pharaoh's name, Daddy?"
"Your Grandmother and Grandfather didn't give me one," Yami chuckled as he sprayed on his cologne. "When Grandma Izumi was about to have your Uncle, the discovery of the Nameless Pharaoh's name had been highly televised. Miss Yūgi's grandfather, Mr. Sugoroku, was actually part of the team that found his name. So, Grandma Izumi and Grandpa Aknamkanon did their research. And what they found out was that we are direct decedents of Pharaoh Set, who took over the throne after Pharaoh Atem died. They were cousins, which means the Sennen family has royal ties to the Pharaohs of Egypt."
"Whoa, how cool," Hikari said, crimson eyes wide with excitement. "Do you think that Miss Yūgi will be able to tell us more about all that? That way I can tell all my friends at school that I'm a decedent of royalty? Because that would be so awesome!"
Yami chuckled, nodding his head. "Miss Yūgi probably does know more about our ties to Pharaoh Atem and Pharaoh Set and can give us more information if we ask her. Actually, I'm positive she knows a lot more than we do about our heritage. Now, let's get going. We're going to be late if we don't leave now, go grab your jacket and I'll meet you downstairs."
"Okay Daddy," Hikari said turning on her heel and left the room.
Yami grabbed his ankle length trench coat and shrugged into it before leaving his bedroom, turning off the light behind him. Hikari met him downstairs a few minutes later before they left the house. Yami made sure the security system was armed before he locked the door behind them, and they made their way to his Mercedes. He held the door opened for Hikari and helped her into the car, making sure that she didn't tear a hole into her dress with the small heels she was wearing before closing the door behind her. He climbed into the driver's seat a few seconds later before starting the SUV and backing out of the driveway. He plugged the address for the museum into his navigation system before he drove off.
Hikari chattered about how excited she was to learn more about her Uncle's namesake. Yami chuckled every time she got a bit too excited and started bouncing up and down on the back seat. He had to agree that it would be fun to learn more about what Pharaoh Atem had been like through the artifacts that he'd owned during his life that were added to the display. He wondered, honestly, if they'd found some of his old clothing perhaps that had been able to withstand the passage of time and remained in somewhat mint condition to be put on display. He wanted to see if his brother had similar fashion sense.
The drive to the museum wasn't a long one, they made it there in under thirty minutes with traffic before Yami was parking and helping Hikari out of the car. When he glanced at the entrance, he was surprised to see how many people had actually come to bear witness to the spectacle that was about to take place. "Well, it looks like they had a great turnout for this exhibit opening. How about we get inside and see if we can find your Aunt and Uncle and the others?"
"Sure," Hikari said as she took her father's hand and the two made their way to the entrance.
Yami showed the invitation he'd received at the office before he and Hikari were permitted inside and directed to the VIP section. Champagne, juice and food were being walked around by waiters and waitress' that had been hired for the evening's festivities. Yami had grabbed a champagne flute for himself and a juice for Hikari before the waiter had walked off and he moved to search for his family. He spotted Atem at the head of the room speaking with Joey, Seto, Mana, his parents and their children.
"There's everyone over there," Yami said pointing at the group. "Let's head over and say hello."
"Can we look for Miss Yūgi and the twins afterward," Hikari asked as she followed close behind her father.
"I believe we will see them soon enough and won't have to look for them, Hikari," Yami said as he led his daughter to where the rest of their family were standing. When they arrived, Yami cleared his throat gaining their attention. When everyone turned he smiled. "Well, well, well, look what we have here. Looks like this turned out to be a family affair. Fancy running into all of you here. How are you?"
"I'm glad that you made it, Uncle Yami," Hiba said grinning widely. "This is a really big day for our family. We're gonna find out more about Dad's namesake and a little family history. I'm so excited."
"Yes, it is an exciting night for all of us," her grandmother said with a smile as she hugged her son first then her granddaughter. "You look handsome son, and Hikari, you look beautiful dear."
"Thank you, Grandma Izumi," Hikari said adorably.
"Do you think that this event will get started soon," Aknamkanon asked, glancing around the room. Being the head of a major business, he wasn't always the most patient man and often lost interest in things if it took too long to get started. This was no different for the business tycoon. "It looks to me like a fair amount of people have already showed up to see the exhibit. Many are faces that I recognize. I am surprised that so many celebrity viewers have come to see this."
"Well, that's because the Nameless Pharaoh was quite a huge deal when his name was originally discovered almost fifty years ago," they heard a female voice say. Everyone turned to see Yūgi, Yuki, Hikari and her Grandfather standing there, small smiles on their faces. It had been Yūgi that had spoken. "And now we have uncovered quite a few new artifacts that we are certain belonged to Pharaoh Atem during his reign as Pharaoh and prior to that during his childhood. I'm glad that you all could make it, this particular exhibit is a very big deal for the museum, especially since the Egyptian Government specifically asked for our help with authenticating each piece and ensuring they were truly artifacts that belonged to the Pharaoh. I am grateful for your attendance."
"Of course, Yūgi," Atem said, giving the woman a hug. It'd been a few months since he last saw herself and her family. After the Christmas party in December, they hadn't seen hide nor hair of the ex-duelist and her children other than Hiba since she attended school with the twins. It was good to see them again. He shot a glance at his brother who was doing everything in his power not to gawk at the amethyst eyed woman. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. I've always wanted to learn more about my namesake. As did my family. We thank you for the invitation here. Hiba told us that you specifically arranged for the Sennen Family to be in attendance tonight. You must be quite important to the museum to have been able to pull those types of strings."
"Oh, you didn't know," Hiyori asked, grinning widely up at her mother. "Mom is the Head of the Authentication Department here at the museum. She's the one that personally authenticated all the pieces that are featured in the Pharaoh Atem exhibit."
"My, then you are the expert that we should ask any questions we have then," Izumi said, smiling at the woman, only for her brow to crease. Her head tilted to the side as she continued to glance at Yūgi quizzically. "I do apologize for staring dear, but have I seen you somewhere before? You look quite familiar for some odd reason."
"Forgive me for not introducing myself properly," Yūgi said, holding her hand out to the elder woman which she took. "I'm Yūgi Mutou, Head of the Authentication Department here at the Domino Museum of World History. You may also recognize me because I am a former Duel Monster's champion."
"She's the Queen of Games, Grandma," Hikari chimed happily. "We got to meet her and the twins at the tournament this past winter. She taught Hiba everything that she knows about the game!"
"No wonder you look so familiar," Izumi said, smiling brightly. "My Yami was one of your biggest fans during his teen years. The gusto in which he would describe your duels to us whenever he attended a tournament was quit amusing."
Yami had the decency to blush, hiding his face behind his hand while his brother, sister-in-law, niece and daughter all chuckled behind their hands. Joey was holding back a full-on laugh while Seto sighed and gave a look as if to say, "I told you so". Hiyori and Yuki were watching their mother with amused smiles on their faces while Yūgi simply blushed before clearing her throat. He really hated the fact that his mother had let the beans spill so easily and gave him away to her. Seto had been right, he should have said something to her during the Christmas party last December.
He'd stopped listening as his mother continued to ramble on, asking Yūgi questions that, thankfully, pertained to the exhibit and the Pharaoh. Well, now that she knew that he basically had a crush on her some twenty years ago, he may as well try his hand at asking her out at some point during the evening. Perhaps after her speech and everyone was left to continue to explore the exhibit he would pull her to the side and apologize for his mother then ask her out.
After a few minutes, Yūgi excused herself, leaving her grandfather and children with the Sennen/Kaiba family to prepare for her speech that she would be giving shortly. Yuki had passed her what looked like a messenger bag before she disappeared and their attention returned to the Sennen's. Hiba was quick to wrap her arm around Hiyori and Yuki's shoulders, pulling them away from everyone so that they were out of earshot.
"So, now your Mom knows that my uncle had a crush on her in their teenage years thanks to Grandma," Hiba said smiling at the younger Sennen brother over her shoulder who was speaking with her father and Grandfather. "She's probably already figured out that he still has a crush on her now. So, what are we going to do? Still gonna try to get them together? Or do you want to let nature take it's course and see if my Uncle has the guts to go to your Mom himself? He already looks extremely embarrassed since my Grandma ratted him out."
Hiyori laughed, "We'll give him time to speak to her himself, let nature take it's course. It's pretty obvious that my Mom likes your Uncle too. She'd made a comment about his looks when she thought no one was listening at the Christmas party in December. So, it's safe to assume that she's got a thing for him, too."
"I say we give it until about thirty minutes before the event ends," Yuki suggested quietly. "If your Uncle hasn't said anything to her by then, that's when we step in."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Hiba said when she heard her father calling her name. "One of you let Hikari know so that she doesn't ruin it. I've got to get back over there, Dad's calling."
She released the twins as Yuki glanced down at his watch. "Mom's about to start her presentation, we should head back over there too, Hiyori."
Hiyori nodded before the three teens made their way back to where everyone was standing. Mahad, Ishizu and Isis had finally made it by the time they returned and Marik, Malik, Ryo, Bakura and all their children arrived soon after. They were ushered into the main hall of the exhibit, everyone gathering around the podium where Yūgi appeared a few minutes later. A projection screen was lowered behind her, the lights being dimmed as a projection appeared on the screen.
"Good evening," Yūgi started after a few minutes to allow everyone to gather and get as comfortable as possible, "And welcome to the Domino Museum of World History. Tonight, it is my honour and pleasure to welcome you all to the exhibit of the previously Nameless Great Pharaoh, Pharaoh Atem. It has been my honour and privilege to authenticate each and every piece that you will see in the display here tonight. So, let's get started. Please refrain from asking any questions until the end of the presentation."
She pressed a button on the clicker as she turned to gesture to the screen. Everyone listened as she went over the history of each artifact and described when the Pharaoh would have owned said artifact. Everyone listened intently, fascinated by the history that she bestowed upon them. Hikari, Yuki, Hiyori and Hiba all watched Yami as he watched the twins' mother. Since the Sennen man's mother had already let the cat out of the bag that Yami had the world's biggest crush on her, they were certain that he would make a move on Yūgi or she would make a move on him. Whichever came first.
When the presentation finally ended, Yūgi opened up the floor for questions. Izumi fired off question after question when she was able, which Yūgi answered with complete ease and a smile on her face. Once the Q&A session was over, Yūgi offered for everyone to enjoy the rest of the evening and come to her with questions that they were able to think of as they milled about the room. She stepped off the podium as the projection screen was lifted back upward.
Yami excused himself from his family and friends, going to look for Yūgi to finally speak with her. Hiba smiled at Yuki, Hiyori and Hikari. "Looks like we won't have to do anything after all. Grandma Izumi took care of most of it for us."
Hikari giggled, "Yeah, she spilled the beans about Daddy having a crush on your Mom. Not that I blame him, your Mom's beautiful. You guys look just like her."
"Aww, thank you Hikari," Hiyori said as she turned her head when she heard her name being called. "Oh, there's Marc. I'll catch up with you guys later, I promised him I would take him around and show him the artifacts. Let me know how things go with Yami and Mom, okay? I've got my phone on me."
"I'll let you know how it works out," Yuki called after his sister as she walked away.
.cani.
Yami waited as Yūgi spoke with one of the Egyptian leaders before they'd excused themselves and walked away. He took that moment to sneak in before anyone else was able to capture her attention and hinder him further. He cleared his throat, gaining the short woman's attention.
"Oh, Mr. Sennen sorry about that, I didn't see you there," Yūgi said smiling at him. "Are you enjoying yourself this evening?"
"I am, actually, thank you," Yami answered as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "It is wonderful hearing so much about our history, honestly. But, that's not why I actually came by. Do you mind, walking with me for a while?"
He held his arm out for her to hook into, which she did without hesitation, and they walked away together. Atem and the others weren't standing far away and saw them walking away together, chuckling to themselves as they watched them leave. Atem turned to his cousin, "Looks like someone is finally going to go for it after twenty years."
"I honestly wondered how long it would take," Joey laughed. "I guess that dress was a great idea after all. I talked Yūg into gettin' it when we went shoppin' a few weeks ago. I knew it would catch a certain someone's eye. She tried to fight me on it at first, but I managed to talk her down. Plus, it looks good on her. 'sides, havin' Mrs. Sennen say somethin' to Yūg about Yami's crush was a bonus."
"I told him someone would say something about it one day, and right in front of her," Atem sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "We had this conversation right before the Duel Monsters Tournament last December when he made dinner for everyone."
"Well, let's just see how this whole thing goes, why don't we," Seto said, hiding a laugh behind his hand. "Hikari might get that mother that she's been asking for since hers went MIA years ago. I still dislike her for what she put my cousin through when he tried to get his daughter back."
"That's the past, let it go," Atem said, patting his cousin's shoulder. "Yami has Hikari and she's doing just fine now, so we can just pretend like that girl doesn't exist. For now, we'll just wait and see what happens when Yami gets back from his talk with Yūgi."
"True, very true," Seto chuckled.
At the same time, Yami had led Yūgi far enough away from everyone so that they wouldn't be able to hear their conversation while they spoke. It was about time he got around to asking her out. His mother had already embarrassed him, so he'd figured why the hell not.
They were standing towards the end of the exhibit where the tablet of the pharaohs stood on display. He gestured to her. "I… apologize, about my mother earlier. She doesn't have a filter and will just say the first thing that comes to mind no matter who it is she's talking to. If she made you uncomfortable…"
"No, no, it's quite alright," Yūgi laughed, turning to look up at the tablet. "Your mother was actually quite amusing, though I'm sure she's spilled secrets that you didn't want getting out, am I correct?"
If it had been possible, Yami would have blushed harder than he had earlier when his mother said it. Sometimes, he really hated when his family got around anyone that he even found the least bit attractive. Clearing his throat, he nodded. "Yes, that would be correct. Gods this is absolutely embarrassing."
"No need to be embarrassed, I kind of figured it out for myself at the tournament as well as the Christmas party," Yūgi chuckled. "Your gaze lingered a bit longer than necessary both times."
"You noticed that," Yami asked, surprised.
"I wasn't crowned the Queen of Games for being unobservant, Mr. Sennen," Yūgi teased, a smile pulling at the edges of her red painted lips. "Besides, you make it very easy to notice. Now, was there something that you wished to ask me? You clearly have something on your mind if you decided to pull me away from everyone. So, what is it?"
"I'll let you guess," Yami said smoothly, his attention focused on the artifacts that surrounded them. "Since you're so observant, that is."
He had to keep himself from jumping when he felt her hand touch his bicep before her heels could be heard moving away from him. "Well, in that case, I say you'll be picking me up by seven next Saturday. I'm pretty sure my daughter and son are already conspiring with your niece and daughter to set us up, so you can get my number from them."
Yami watched as she walked away. Well, that had been a lot easier than he'd originally expected for it to be, he should have done this a long time ago. It also really helped that she'd been able to guess what he was hinting to. With a smile on his lips, his hands slipped back into his pockets and he made his way back to where his family and friends were standing. At some point, Yuki had slipped him his mother's cell phone number before everyone dispersed for the night to head to their homes.