Fun fact: This story was going to be called "Down Come the Rain" after the song of the same title by Hidden Citizens (definitely worth a listen). But, I liked the play on words with the current title, and here we are, months after I first started conceptualizing this story.
Chapter Five
Seto spoke quietly into the phone. "Mokuba, Yugi will be staying with us starting tonight. I want you to-"
A cheer on the other end that had Seto yanking the phone away from his ear and hissing. He cautiously brought it closer.
"Mokuba, you damn near blew my eardrum out," he bit out.
A chuckle. "Sorry."
He did not sound sorry.
"Anyway, what I was saying is that I want you to give him a little space. It's a lot different than when he was in the hospital."
"I get it." A beat of silence. "What about Grandpa?"
Seto's brows furrowed. When did Mokuba start calling Sugoroku 'Grandpa'?
He guessed it didn't matter. Mokuba spent enough time around the Dweeb Squad to consider them fictive kin.
"He will apparently be spending a few more days with Wheeler."
A small grunt of disappointment. "Okay, then. When will you be coming home?"
Seto glanced at the door of his office, where, beyond, sat Yugi in the vestibule. "Soon. He needs to adjust to his new surroundings as soon as possible."
"Jesus, Seto, you make it sound like you're bringing home a cat, not Yugi," Mokuba laughed.
"Well, I'm not wrong. I want to show him around, let him explore on his own a little. He's got a busy day tomorrow and he needs his rest, too."
"Still sounds like a cat. You need some practice when it comes to talking about people, big brother."
Kaiba simply walked ahead of Yugi as they went down the hall. Yugi trailed a hand along the wall.
"The room I have prepared for you is the third on the right," Kaiba informed, and looked over his shoulder slightly. Yugi seemed attentive, if not a little overwhelmed by the information.
It was in one of the first hallways on the ground floor; Kaiba figured it would be best for Yugi to avoid stairs for the time being.
"It was an en suite bathroom. I understand that you don't know Braille as of yet, but everything is labeled and prepared for when you do."
"You… You knew I would say yes," Yugi said. His slender fingers splayed on the wall when he stopped.
Kaiba lifted a shoulder. "I prepared for every possible outcome."
Yugi laughed softly, vivid purple eyes staring vaguely, but intensely in Kaiba's direction. Then, he slowly shook his head, smiling to himself.
Kaiba bristled. "What?"
Yugi smiled at him, so bright, so genuine. "Thank you."
Kaiba gulped, face hot, and he looked away. Something twinged in his chest.
"Your room is right here," he said through the lump on his throat. He stepped away to let Yugi investigate the door.
Yugi trailed his hands along the wood, and his fingertips skimmed along the knob. "There's Braille on the knob."
"Yes."
Yugi looked back at him, and Kaiba wondered what he saw. "What does it say?"
"Guess you'll have to find out."
Yugi met Anna, his personal maid. She seemed nice enough, eager to help him.
"Mr. Muto, allow me to put away your clothing," she offered.
Yugi smiled. She was but a vague shape amongst a foggy sea of blurred colors. "Call me Yugi. And I… I don't have any clothes for you to put away." All the clothes he had in his bag was a borrowed outfit from Joey and those baggy pajama pants.
"O-Oh…"
Awkward silence.
Yugi smiled, shouldered his bag, and shuffled a little around the room. He felt the two pairs of eyes on him, Anna and Kaiba. "The carpet feels soft," Yugi commented. His feet, clad in bedraggled socks, sank right into the plush material.
A dark shape ahead. Yugi extended a hand. It was a long dresser, about waist-high. He set his backpack on top of it.
Kaiba cleared his throat. "Someone will take your measurements, make sure you get some clothes that actually fit. Do you have any preferences?"
Yugi shrugged. "Button-ups for now, I guess. Pants don't matter. As long as they fit." He took a slow breath. "Beggars can't be choosers." He pressed a hand to his face.
A chirp of a notification.
"Dinner is done, Mr. Kaiba, Yugi."
"Thank you," Yugi murmured quietly.
Dinner wasn't as awkward as Yugi thought it would be. Kaiba and Mokuba conversed quietly about their days. They left Yugi alone to get comfortable, to eat his food at his own pace.
It had been explained in detail what Yugi was eating, but it still amazed him.
He hummed a little in delight with each bite. The fish was light, delicately seasoned. The spiced rice complemented it with warm, gentle flavors. The asparagus on the side was caramelized, a little charred, and Yugi fell in love with the smokey taste.
He wanted to give his compliments to the chef. He hadn't something so good in a very long time.
"Are you enjoying the food, Yugi?" Mokuba asked, his voice thick with amusement.
Yugi set his fork down and nodded enthusiastically. All he could see of Mokuba was a long, black blotch. That wild hair. "It's wonderful. Your chef is amazing."
"Well, thanks," Mokuba replied.
Yugi paused, glass of water half-lifted to his lips. "What?"
"I'm the chef, Yugi," he laughed.
"And you've been hiding this great gift from the world? I can't believe this," Yugi said, snorting with disbelief. "I'm feeling a little betrayed, Mokuba."
Mokuba laughed, and Yugi went back to slowly eating his food. He carefully dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
When he was done, he set his fork back onto his plate. "That was wonderful. Thank you, Mokuba."
"Yeah, no problem, Yugi."
Yugi carefully stood, pushed in his chair. He went to pick up his plate, but it was pulled away from his fingers. He glanced over. Green. Kaiba was wearing a dark green shirt.
"Thank you, Kaiba," he said quietly, blinking up at the taller man.
"Hn."
Yugi's throat tightened. "Um… can… can I ask a favor of you?"
A quiet grunt.
Yugi's cheeks felt hot. He rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I'd like to know where I'd put the plate if I were to take care of it on my own."
Kaiba made another soft sound. "Don't worry about that right now. All things in good time."
Frustration bubbled up in Yugi's chest, but he fought it down. Kaiba was right. He shouldn't bite off more than he could chew.
"Okay," he said quietly.
A long-fingered hand settled on his shoulder, gave a slight squeeze, and disappeared. The smear of green was shifting away, and Yugi listened to the sound of his retreating feet.
Yugi sat and thought. How did he get to the dining room, again?
He slipped from the room, and managed to trace his path back to the hallway. He noticed that the texture of the walls changed from room to room.
The paint here was smooth, and there was ornate moulding about rib-high on the wall.
One door, two doors, three doors on the right.
The knob had Braille.
His grin split his face, made his cheeks hurt.
He'd found it.
"I found it," he whispered to himself.
"Stop shuffling, Mr. Muto," Dr. Andrew Morris rumbled.
"I… can't help it," Yugi admitted, "I'm scared."
He was stranded in the middle of a room. Objects were scattered all about.
"I understand that. You feel lost. You are confused. You don't want to fall and hurt yourself."
Yugi nodded.
"But shuffling as you are makes you incredibly vulnerable. Your balance is off." Dr. Morris moved closer. His big hand shoved into Yugi's shoulder. Yugi stumbled, but Dr. Morris easily caught him and set him back on his feet. "Feel how easy that was?"
Yugi nodded again, lips a thin line.
"Okay."
Dr. Morris touched his hand. Rubbery material touched his palm.
"Mr. Muto, this is a support cane. I'm sure you'd seen one before."
Yugi nodded.
"I want you to practice with this, okay?"
Yugi nodded again.
"Now, don't just use it to find the edges of objects. I want you to hear the sound it makes when it touches something, feel how it vibrates. That can tell you just as much about what you're investigating as visualizing where it is can."
When Yugi nodded this time, it was resolute.
He could do this.
He's overcome worse.
What was blindness compared to the end of the world?
"Okay, Yugi," Sakura Kobayashi said. "I have our first worksheet right here. Now, we're just going to start with the alphabet. I'm sure you can already read, so after we get the basics down the rest will fall into place, okay?"
"Okay!" Yugi replied. He was eager to start.
"Alright. Now, you'll probably notice immediately that this paper is thicker than normal, right?" He heard the paper slide across the table.
He reached forward, groped for it. Yes, as soon as he touched it, he noted the thickness and texture. And the tiny bumps scattered all over it.
He immediately felt overwhelmed. These… these were letters…?
A gentle hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Yugi. I know this is a lot. But just take a deep breath. We're just going to take this one step at a time, okay?"
A nod.
"I'm going to touch your hand, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
She took his hand in hers, guided it to the first line. "I'm sure your sense of touch is already sensitive since you've grown to rely on it more."
"It is. I was using the wall textures in the place I'm staying to find my way around."
She chuckled. "Well, you've already taken the first steps." She kept running his pointer finger over the same bumps. "We need to refine that a little." Over and over, and then slower. "Count the bumps for me, Yugi."
His lips parted. "Um, one…?"
"Yes, very good! I say 'bumps' plurally to see if people will catch that." She let him investigate that one little bump some more. "That's the letter 'a'."
A smile cracked his lips. "A."
"Alright, let's move onto the next."
He did, moved his fingertip just barely to the right. "Umm…" Okay. There were more. He had a little trouble discerning how many. He squeezed his eyes shut to concentrate. "Th-three…?"
"Yes!" Sakura chirped. "Can you tell me how they are oriented?"
That was a little easier. "They're in a straight line. Up and down."
"Indeed they are! That is 'L'."
Yugi grinned. "L."
"I've decided," Yugi declared to Michael.
"And what is it that you have decided, Mr. Muto?"
"Yugi," he corrected playfully. He lurched a little in his seat when they stopped at what was presumably a red light.
"Yugi."
"I don't think I need a nurse."
"Mr. Kaiba insisted-"
"I know, Michael, but hear me out," Yugi said. "I don't really have any daily health care needs. I can apply any and all topical medications, and I can take my oral medications on my own." He shrugged. "I don't need help changing clothes, bathing, or using the bathroom. Especially with how organized the bathroom is for the room I'm staying in." His fingers drummed on his thighs, tapped over the cane folded over his lap. "And with my support cane, I won't need as much help finding my way around. I'm learning Braille fairly quickly, so I don't need someone to help me with that so much."
"You make fine points," Michael conceded, "but that doesn't mean Mr. Kaiba will accept such an answer."
Yugi sighed. He leaned his head against the window. The glass was warm from the sun. "I know. But… I really don't think I need one."
"You can still bring the subject up with him, but don't get your hopes up. My boss is a very stubborn man."
"Stubborn doesn't cut it. More like obstinate."
Michael chuckled.
Kaiba felt his brows tick hard. "You don't want a nurse?"
Yugi shook his head. "No. I don't need one, either."
Kaiba felt his teeth grit. "And are you sure your opinion isn't clouded by personal bias?"
Yugi sighed. Kaiba could see how tense his shoulders were. "Look, I know you think you're doing what's best for me. But the thing is, I am the only one who really has a firm grasp on what I'm capable of right now. I can dress myself with ease, bathing and general hygiene are not a problem, and I can at least find my way around the house without a problem with this." He lifted up his support cane. "I'm learning Braille very quickly, too."
"I'm pleased to hear all of that, but, Yugi, you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself here."
"I understand that, and I don't think I am. I…" He took a deep breath and a moment to collect his thoughts. Kaiba waited, though his steepled fingers drummed together. "I'm already feeling a lot better about everything. You've made an environment conducive for… rehabilitation. I have all the resources and help I could ever ask for, and it's been less than forty-eight hours since I signed those contracts."
Something rumbled in Kaiba's chest. He felt proud in a way he had never felt before.
"As you wish. Know you may change your mind at any time." He tapped away on his touch screen, cancelled the appointment where Yugi would have selected his personal nurse and caretaker.
"Thank you," Yugi murmured. "Kaiba… can I speak candidly?"
Kaiba looked back up. Yugi's face was beet red. Kaiba wetted his dry lips. "I would prefer candor, yes."
Yugi rubbed the back of his neck. "You're being… strangely considerate. Not that it's a bad thing! It just… I'm not used to it."
Kaiba's lip twitched down into a frown. He had to admit, he had been… far less than kind to Yugi in the past. "Let's just say that I know what it feels like to have no where to go."
Before and after dinner, Yugi was sitting at the dining room table, papers neatly lined up for him to peruse by touch.
Kaiba could hear him mumble under his breath.
"L, m, j, b, y -"
Letters in random order. He was learning quickly, indeed. Sometimes, he would pause a moment, carefully run his finger over the bumps. He would get stuck, but it didn't take long before he was remembering the letter and continuing on with his little exercises.
And then, when he had exhausted himself and, at Mokuba's behest, retired to his room for the night. He unfolded his white and red cane and tapped his way down the hall.
Yugi made it to his room in record time. He touched the knob.
The Braille, he realized with a start. He could read it now.
"Y…" he whispered. "U… G… I…"
Yugi
END PART
Sorry this update took a little longer. I was a little uncertain where I was taking this and future chapters (I'm actually a couple ahead right now) but I realized that, with at least this one, it fits fine and that I will post it anyway. The next chapter is going to be reworked a little to fit the narrative I have going on in my head. It's gotta be perfect, after all!
Thanks for your patience!