Chao- After some thought, this fic is better off as an M rather than T.
"Talking."
"Thinking."
/Yami and Yugi's mind link./
Chapter 2: A University Visit
Yugi stared out beyond the fence on the school's roof; the same place he ventured to when he wanted to be left alone. He recalled he did the same routine while trying to uncover a solution in rescuing his grandpa's soul after it was stolen by a man named Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters.
That was his first major adventure with his friends and the spirit of the Puzzle. There was excitement, tears, doubt, and fear, but everyone made it back home alive. Yugi was also grateful he not only took home wonderful memories, but he met new people as well.
He glanced down and watched many students leaving the building and heading towards their individual destination. Everyone he knew was busy that afternoon. Usually, he would just head home but would enjoy partaking in a conversation with his darker half. However, on this afternoon, he had something else he needed to take care of.
Leaving school, he braved through a different path. He hopped on a different bus and took a seat by himself. Hardly any other passengers were on board. He looked out the window and saw many buildings, skyscrapers, telephone poles, and trees quickly pass by with the vehicle in motion.
/Where are we heading for?/ Yami asked as he appeared.
/Just… a visit to a university./ Yugi replied quietly, fixing his look out at a different view than what he normally saw every day. He was proud of himself for taking a huge leap into his education but was a tad afraid of what the new world of learning held for him.
"A university?" the spirit repeated. "Is he concerned about his future?"
He observed his partner's expression as Yugi appeared lost in his own world.
When the bus came to the right stop, Yugi stepped down from the vehicle and stood in front of a huge iron-gate. They were open wide as many older and tall students passed by. Although the day had ended for many high school students, some undergraduates were barely beginning their studies.
Yugi glared down the gates with awe, fear, and excitement. He wondered what lied beyond the entrance of Domino University. His body trembled, and his heart raced quickly. A part of him wanted to turn away. To calm himself down, he took a big breath and tried to cheer himself on.
The university was far bigger than Yugi was accustomed to in his high school world. Four giant buildings that appeared to be three stories high stood with many dirt free windows and clean classrooms. Students passed by chatting away about their classes or activities they plan to do.
Yugi felt very small. The world of higher education was very vast with learning new subjects, dealing with new professors with different titles, and students that came in and out during the morning, afternoon, and evening. Yugi acted carefully in watching where he walked. He did not want to bump into any bigger students and cause problems. He had plenty of experience when he was younger and did not want to go through them again.
The high school student was lost. He wasn't sure where the administration building was. He did not have the confidence to ask for the location. To his relief he saw a directory with a detailed map of the campus. His eyes drew to the red arrow that read, "You are here."
"Ah, there it is," he mumbled to himself after observing the map. Earlier in the day he asked himself questions the administration department may ask. He double checked he had his high school student ID and a folder with loose-leaf paper to jot down any important information or gather any necessary website links he may need.
"Hey," one student called out. Yugi turned to his side and saw a male student with brown hair wearing a yellow shirt and brown pants. He smiled as he asked, "Aren't you Yugi Muto?"
The teen nodded his head.
"This is so cool!" the student exclaimed. "My name is Eichi. Would you be interested in taking a look at the school's Duel Monsters club?"
"Duel Monsters club?" Yugi repeated a tad stunned.
"Yes, it's a fun club!" Eichi tried to persuade. "I'm sure all of our members would be pleased to meet to you."
Yugi thought about his option. As much as he wanted to attend a college meeting and learn something new, he remembered he had to take care of a few things.
"I would, but I need to go to the administrative office." Yugi explained.
Eichi's smile faded a bit as he said, "I hate to tell you this, but the office is closed."
"Really?" Yugi asked confused.
"Yeah, there's some sort of flooding that happened there." Eichi informed.
Yugi glanced down at the ground with discontent. He really wanted to take a look as to what he needed to do and what papers needed to be filled in so he could attend Domino University. He quickly doubted himself as to whether or not he would be prepared for college.
"Well, I could show you around the place if you like." Eichi offered.
Yugi thought about his option once more. He figured he might as well take a tour of the school he would soon attend. The one named Eichi did not appear to be a bad fellow. Yugi finally agreed, "Ok."
"Great!" Eichi exclaimed.
The older student took the younger student around the place. Yugi grew fascinated with all the advanced equipment the school was able to use.
Top of the line computers and giant lecture halls lied within the buildings. Professors and instructors had their own tiny office for assisting their students with homework or preparing for tests. There were also numerous study places students used mainly to chat rather than do work. The young adolescent noticed many undergraduates using their own laptops to have their assignments done and take notes.
"Guess I'll need one of those." Yugi thought to himself.
"Since the administrative office is closed, do you think you can make it to the meeting?" Eichi asked once more, almost begging.
"I don't see why not," Yugi answered.
Eichi and Yugi walked up a flight of stairs to the second floor of one of the buildings. The carpet held interesting designs that matched along with some of the posters put on display. Many students stood inside and outside the classrooms. The two boys soon came across room 205. As Eichi opened the door, Yugi grew stunned to see numerous students interested in the trading card game.
"Hey, everyone," Eichi greeted, "I brought over a special guest."
Everyone was in shock to see the winner of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City in the same room as them.
"Um… Hi," Yugi greeted nervously.
"Hi!" everyone greeted back with joy.
As the teen walked in, he saw many duelists playing the game or just relaxing and talking among peers. If not, then they were watching a large screen with a card expert in view explaining new rules, different cards, and which ones were banned from tournaments.
There were about as many as thirty members in the club. Yugi couldn't help but feel a tad jealous. In his class, a few other kids played the game, but they were mainly boys who far below Yugi's and Joey's level of experience. He doubted any of the duelists had to place their lives in a Shadow Game, like he had done many times in the past. He was brought back to reality when heard many players talking loudly.
"And for my next turn, I activate this!"
"What? What do you mean I lost 1,000 life points!?"
"Wow! What an awesome strategy!"
"That card is so cute!"
"I want one in my deck!"
"Hey, Yugi," Eichi called out, "Want to play?"
"Um…" was all Yugi could say before a female interrupted, "Leave Mr. Muto alone."
Yugi turned to see a young lady with long, brown hair wearing a green blouse and blue skirt.
"I'm sure Mr. Muto has plenty of high school studying to get back to," she said sternly.
"Oh, right," Yugi smiled, feeling sheepish. He looked over at the clock and realized he needed to leave so he would be able to return home before it became too dark outside.
"Do you think you can stay and meet our president?" Eichi asked, "He's in class right now, but I'm sure he'd really like to meet you and be impressed you came along."
"I'm sorry," Yugi replied, "But I do need to get back home."
"I'll walk you back to your stop," the female student offer.
"Bye, Yugi!" everyone said, "Hope you come back soon!"
The teen smiled then left.
"Um… I don't think I got your name," Yugi said, trying to be polite as the pair left the building and headed down the same path he took to enter.
"My name is Madoka." she introduced herself with a smile, "I've been playing Duel Monsters ever since it came out."
"Wow," Yugi said impressed.
"I'm really glad there is a club like this on campus. Is that why you're coming here? For the club?"
"Well, actually, I didn't know there was a Duel Monsters club. This is the university many students from Domino High School attend after graduation."
"Oh… Well, even if you decide to go someplace else, I hope you can stop by and say hello. I'm sure many of our members will be happy to see you again. We're really trying to expand the club to new people interested in learning the game."
Madoka went through her bag and took out a bright colored sheet of paper.
"Here," she offered, "It's a flyer for our club meetings."
Yugi accepted the paper and examined it with awe. Decorations of many characters, as well as the time and place of the meetings stood out.
"You should stop by again to meet our president, Izumi. He and Aoi are the founders of the club, but Aoi was too laid back to take charge and make the dream of having a Duel Monster's club a reality." Madoka laughed.
"I'll see if I can." Yugi replied, wanting to return.
When the two came upon the large, iron-gates, Madoka assured, "Don't feel as though you need to came right on time or stay the entire meeting. It's a club where people can come and go, as we all have other things to take care of."
"Thanks for everything." Yugi expressed filled with gratitude.
"No problem." Madoka winked.
The two departed, and Yugi went to his bus stop. He hopped on and sat by himself. For entertainment he took out the flyer and examined it once more. He never expected to meet such people at a university.
"Maybe things won't be so bad," Yugi tried to cheer himself up for choosing a different school from his friends.
Yami watched his partner from within the Puzzle. He smiled upon seeing his lighter half appear excited about moving up in education.
When the teen came home, he found a package waiting for him on the kitchen counter. He gazed upon the thick, snow-colored envelope and became surprised the sender was from Domino University. He did not understand how he managed to obtain the same information he was looking for while exploring the college campus earlier.
After greeting his grandfather, Yugi placed his belongings in his room. Taking off his sapphire jacket, he placed it on his simple chair. He then carefully settled the upside down pyramid on his cluttered desk.
He sat on his bed and organized the papers around him. He prudently analyzed each set of instructions and guidelines he must to follow in order to submit the perfect application. He was glad he received the information he needed, but his stomach became upset once more.
He did not realized how much he needed to fill out in order to be looked at by the administration. Plenty of words and phrases swirled his mind as he had difficulty comprehending them. The only thing he knew was that he wanted to stay home and away from the dorms. The thought of a roommate still frighten him a bit.
Just then, a sudden knock came from the door.
"Yes?" the boy answered.
As the door opened, an elderly man stepped through.
"I see you received a package from Domino University," the old man observed with a grin.
"Yup," the teen replied.
"Guess the first people on their lists to send these out are those who had family who are alumni of the university." Solomon deduced.
Yugi shot his head up baffled.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused. "Who went to Domino University?"
"Your father did, of course!" Solomon replied with a laugh. "He went to study business and marketing. I suppose all that hard work paid off as he received his promotions very quickly."
Yugi glanced back to his forms. He had no clue where his parents went to school, and he felt a little dumb for not asking.
"What about my mom?" the teen asked, now filled with curiosity. "Where did she attend school?"
"I don't remember where she went to." Solomon answered honestly. "You can ask her when she returns home after her shift from the pharmacy. Did you know she studied overseas for a semester?"
Yugi's eyes widened a bit.
"No, I didn't," he answered truthfully. "How did she afford that?"
"She received a scholarship," the old man informed.
"She must have been really smart." Yugi assumed, reflecting on his average grades. He felt ashamed for not being a bright student like his parents were.
Before leaving, Solomon tried to cheer up his grandson by saying, "Of course you don't have to go to Domino University if you don't want to. There are plenty of other colleges you might be interested in."
"Well isn't that great," Yugi sighed sarcastically to himself once alone.
He became glad knowing his parents worked hard and survived another set of school, and he grew surprised learning how intelligent his parents were. His father received promotions, while his mother not only earned a scholarship but even had the opportunity to study overseas. His father studied business while his mother studied medicine. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to do with his life yet.
The forms were still scattered around the teen's bed, but he went ahead and lied down on his mattress with his blanket only covering halfway. He folded his arms and rested them behind his head as he reflected his options. He had the choice to attend Domino University like he originally planned, or he could expand his search and look for more opportunities.
To him, a small light of relief formed when he had been informed his father had attended Domino University, and also the existence of a Duel Monsters club on campus with fun loving people like Eichi and Madoka. He then remembered applying was one thing, but testing in was another variable. He wasn't even sure if he should attend any of the after school studying programs many of his peers took in order to increase their chances of entrance.
However, because of all the adventures with duels and dark magic, he felt lucky enough to be passing some of the toughest classes he needed. He sighed with discontent remembering he still needed to pass high school before he could even go to college.
He developed a headache with all of the terminology floating around, but his stomach was causing him more pain. He positioned his hands from his head to his abdominal area for comfort. He was in no mood to eat any dinner. He closed his eyes as he tried to relax.
The one part he didn't understand was why doubt plagued his mind. In the past years of his high school life, he made friends, dueled a corrupted CEO, face the madness of the Duel Monster's creator, saved his grandfather's soul, survived the harsh duels from Battle City, lived through a virtual universe, saved the whole world and his closest friend from the darkness of an evil serpent, and maintain confidence at the KC Grand Prix.
"So why was applying to college so scary for me?" Yugi wondered with immense anxiety.
To be continued…
Chao- Genre was also changed since this story seemed completely different from when Chao first got the idea.