Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, Supernatural, or any of the characters. This is a work of fanfiction.


Chapter 9

Bobby was perplexed. He knew he'd seen the symbol on the pendant Yugi wore somewhere before but he couldn't seem to find it anywhere in any of his books. It wasn't quite the same as the Eye of Ra, which appeared relatively often in Egyptian texts and art.

The pendant, which he now understood was an intricate puzzle, was obviously Egyptian. He had seen the golden box Yugi said had originally held the Puzzle. The hieroglyphs, though worn with age, gave Bobby the impression that it was dated sometime during the Old Kingdom Period. How on earth had little Yugi gotten his hands on an artifact from four or five thousand years ago?

He was worried, he realized. Ancient Egypt, or Kemet, as it was called at the time, was shrouded in mystery. Egyptian magic, from what Bobby had been able to find, was potent and often unknown in the modern world. He had never really encountered it before due to its rarity. That was saying something considering that Bobby had pretty much seen it all by this point in his life.

Perhaps the puzzle Yugi carried around his neck was nothing more than a trifle, a normal puzzle. Maybe it was just a fluke that Yugi had managed to get his hands on the priceless artifact. It could all mean absolutely nothing.

Bobby did not think that was the case. He wasn't sure why that was. Yugi had something special about him that Bobby couldn't quite pinpoint and that Puzzle, likewise, seemed special in some way.

Maybe it was the way Yugi sometimes fiddled with the puzzle without thinking, gently stroking its smooth surface, or the fact that, when Yugi seemed flustered or nervous, he would grasp at the puzzle, holding it tightly. Bobby couldn't help but notice that the boy often relaxed then, as if the puzzle soothed him.

Likewise, Bobby had noticed Yugi taking no small interest in his meager collection of books on Egyptian myths and legends. Bobby wasn't as much of an expert on the subject as he wished to be, but he liked to have such things on hand in his line of work, just in case. In fact, Yugi had asked Bobby for permission to borrow his copy of The Book of Coming Forth by Day and had spent a good bit of time thumbing through some of his texts on Egyptian mythology.

He could easily explain away Yugi's apparent fixation on his puzzle. After all, many people had items they kept nearby to offer comfort. He could also explain why Yugi would be interested in Egyptian texts. The subject, Bobby thought, was fascinating. Some people liked learning new things just for the sake of learning. Grandpa Mutou, likewise, had a deep-seeded interest in Egyptian history, being an archeologist in his younger days.

Bobby hoped to God that that was all it was.

One morning, a few days after Sam and Dean had arrived, Bobby found his opportunity to discuss his concerns with Melanie Mutou. The Winchester brothers had taken Yugi into town to find a gaming shop, leaving the house quiet for the first time since their arrival.

Mrs. Mutou was sitting in the living room enjoying a cup of coffee with her father-in-law as Bobby entered the room, taking a seat in his favorite, most worn-out, recliner. Melanie looked up from the newspaper article she was perusing, offering Bobby a small smile in greeting.

"Mornin', Melly," Bobby yawned, still shaking the remaining drowsiness from his mind. Now would be as good of a time as any to bring up what had been on his mind.

"Good morning, Bobby. Would you like some coffee?" Melanie asked sweetly. "You looked a little tired."

"Eh, I didn't sleep so great last night." Bobby thumbed at a loose button on his faded shirt. "Listen, Melly, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

Melanie gave Bobby a slightly amused smile. "Bobby, you can talk to me about anything, you know."

Bobby nodded his head, doubtful. "Well, Mel, the thing is, I have a couple of questions. About Yugi."

Sugoroku perked up at this, snapping his attention from the morning weather forecast to the conversation before him. "What about my grandson?" he inquired.

Bobby wasn't sure how to proceed. He didn't want to unnecessarily worry Melanie and the older gentleman, but he knew he needed to broach the topic sometime. He wasn't about to start pussy-footing around now.

"I was just wondering when, and how, Yugi got his hands on that puzzle he wears." Bobby spoke slowly, considering his words carefully.

Melanie put her coffee cup down on the table and bowed her head slightly, "His grandfather gave it to him several years ago. I am not sure when exactly he finished it."

"Two years ago," Sugoroku spoke up. "He solved it two years ago. He worked on the thing for a good eight years before finally getting it. It's, well, it's an artifact I found during one of my digs in Egypt. I was a much younger man then, you see."

Bobby eyed Mr. Mutou, "So, it was you who found it? You didn't notice anything, um, strange, did you? When you found the puzzle?"

The answer was yes, he had noticed quite a few things that were strange when he entered the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh and took the Millennium Puzzle from its resting place. He'd nearly been murdered by his guides and then he was rescued by what he believed to be the very spirit of that same pharaoh. For a long time, Sugoroku had thought he had only dreamed up the mysterious figure who had pulled him up from the ledge, whispering joyfully, "I've been waiting for you."

Then, his grandson was born. Yugi was a very different child. He was exceptionally clever, certainly, and skilled at games from the beginning. Sometimes, Yugi would talk to people who weren't there, informing his grandfather and parents that his old friends had come to play. His parents were decidedly alarmed by this information, being Hunters, but they had never found any signs that spirits or ghosts were haunting their child and soon began to attribute his behavior to an overactive imagination.

Soon after the death of his father, Yugi discovered the Millennium Puzzle packed away in a corner of the storage room closet. Yugi had immediately set to work on it. He did not give up even once, no matter how many times he failed or how many stories of curses his grandfather made up to scare him away. As the boy grew, Sugoroku realized, with no small shock, that his grandson favored the unknown spirit who had rescued him in that tomb decades before. But how could that be?

When Yugi solved the Puzzle, everything suddenly made sense to Sugoroku. He understood then that his grandson had been destined to bear the Puzzle and harbor the Spirit within it. The old man recognized the presence of the Spirit before Yugi himself was aware of the ancient soul now bound to his own.

He liked to think of it as having been blessed with two grandsons. Besides, he owed the Spirit his life and knew without a doubt that the Spirit would never harm Yugi or allow the boy to be harmed by others. In fact, he couldn't help but think that, if the demon who killed his son ever did come after Yugi, it would be hard pressed to overpower the former pharaoh.

Sugoroku also knew that Melanie and Bobby might not be so understanding about the Spirit as he was, even if they meant well.

"No, not really, Bobby." He answered mildly, feeling a little guilty for his lie. "The most unusual thing about it is that someone was able to solve it."

Bobby studied the older man for a few uncomfortable moments before sighing. He could tell that Mr. Mutou was holding something back from them, but the old man was no fool. He doubted the former archeologist, with his extensive knowledge on Egyptian lore and the like, would have given the Puzzle to Yugi if he believed it to be dangerous.

"And you, Melly? You noticed anything strange going on?"

Melanie frowned slightly. That was the problem, wasn't it? She hadn't noticed much of anything in the past few years. She didn't even realize her son had completed the Puzzle he'd been working on for so long.

Her son seemed much the same in many ways. He was, as ever, sweet-natured and kindhearted to a fault. He was still shy a lot of the time, though he seemed to be interacting much more easily with others than he had before. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, really. That was actually something to be happy about, she thought.

However…

She could not deny that there were moments when her sweet son seemed to disappear completely, as if there were someone else in control of his body. She had noticed an uncustomary intensity wash over her son, first when she and Sugoroku had told him about their trip and a few times since. Then, there were intermittent moments in which she thought, for a split second, that her son's eyes would change, taking on a dangerous red shade. When she looked again each time, however, his eyes would be the same gentle purplish color they'd always been and he'd ask her, perplexed, why she was staring at him.

"I'm not really sure, Bobby," she sighed. "I've been so wrapped up in work and in keeping an eye out for danger than I have...neglected some things. He seems different sometimes, but then, I think he could just be growing up without me even noticing."


Meanwhile, Sam, Dean, and Yugi were enjoying a calm morning riding around Sioux Falls in the black Impala. The plan was to stop at several gaming and card stores in order to acquire the kinds of cards Dean would need to build a deck, and maybe find a few Sam would use as well. Yugi was practically bouncing with excitement as they entered the first shop.

Yugi knew his stuff, too, obviously. When the shopkeeper, a balding man in his 40s, tried to sell Dean a card for way more than it was worth, Yugi intervened on his cousin's behalf, calmly explaining to the shop keeper that the card wasn't nearly so rare as he was making it out to be. The store clerk did not like that very much, naturally, and had begun to argue when one of the posters on his own wall caught his attention. He glanced back at the teenager before him, his jaw becoming slack. The boy on the Duel Monsters poster that had been hanging on the store wall for months was now standing before him.

"Why, you're…you're…" The man motioned to the large poster, wordlessly.

Yugi laughed half-heartedly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Ah, yep."

"But, what on earth are you doing here, Mr. Mutou?" the man stammered.

"I'm visiting some family." Yugi indicated his elder cousins, who smiled and waved politely.

The clerk, whose eyes were as large as saucers now, suddenly disappeared into the back room, returning with some posters he begged Yugi to sign and babbling about how honored he was to meet the King of Games in his own shop.

Sometimes, Yugi really wished his appearance didn't make him so noticeable, not that there was much he could do about it. Still, he had a difficult time turning people down and agreed to sign some autographs. In return, the clerk offered the lowest prices he could manage for his cards. He figured he could handle a little bit of a loss on some cards. Having the King of Games in his store, after all, was bound to bring his shop more attention, and sales, soon anyway.

They left the store, having aquired more than a few new card, and decided to walk the block rather than return to the car. It was a nice day and there were several game stores, among other things, that had caught their attention. Sioux Falls wasn't nearly so boring as Yugi had initially feared. It was actually proving to be both lovely and entertaining.