MEMORIES

Mrs. Muto hurried as she escaped Baron castle. In her arms, she carried a bundle, the size of a four year old child. She ran as fast as she could. "Don't worry, Yugi." She said to the bundle. "I will not let anyone harm you." She closed her eyes and concentrated on Domino City. "Teleport."

Magic surrounded her and transported her to Domino City.

Mrs. Muto found herself in a dark, abandoned alley. She heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

From inside the bundle, four year old Yugi let out a small wail.

Mrs. Muto hushed her son. "It's all right, Yugi." She whispered assuringly. "It's all right."

Yugi quieted down and fell back to sleep.

Mrs. Muto smiled softly. She changed into a red shirt, beige skirt, a blue headband to cover her moon-shaped crest on her forehead, and a white jacket. Then she unwrapped Yugi from the blanket and dressed him in a white t-shirt and blue shorts. She wrapped him back up in the blanket she used to conceal him. She placed a finger tip on her son's forehead. "Forget." She muttered.

A light glowed from her finger and all the memories of Baron were now erased.

Mrs. Muto picked Yugi up into her arms and headed to the Turtle Game Shop. "Remember this Yugi," she whispered, "I will always love you."

Thirteen years later

It was a lovely Sunday evening. Yugi was up and was a little depressed. "It's been a whole month since I helped the Pharaoh's spirit pass on into the next world." He muttered to himself. "But I've been having troubles adjusted to a regular life." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't want a regular life. It's so boring."

A knock came at his bedroom door. It opened and in stepped Mrs. Muto. "Hello Yugi." She said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He lied.

Mrs. Muto smiled sadly. My son misses the adventures he had with the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle and his friends. She thought.

She knew about the Puzzle. She had her suspicions when Solomon, Yugi's grandfather, told her Yugi had a lot on his mind. Her suspicions grew when she approached her son about it. Then her suspicions were confirmed when she managed to enter the Puzzle and met the Pharaoh. She and Yami promised each other never to tell Yugi of the meeting.

Yugi looked at his mother. "Hey, mom, can I ask you something?" He asked.

"You can ask me anything, Yugi." Mrs. Muto answered.

"Do you ever miss home?"

Mrs. Muto's blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

"Sometimes you'll stare out the window like you miss something. I figured it was home."

Sadly, Mrs. Muto smiled. "Yes. I sometimes feel homesick."

"What was it like?"

Mrs. Muto shrugged. "It was comfortable and lovely." She walked up to him and hugged her son. "I know you don't remember it, you were so young." Then she sat down next to him and held Yugi in her arms. "You used to run around in the garden, pretending to be a hero."

Yugi smiled, thinking that was unlike himself. "Really?"

"Yeah." Mrs. Muto giggled. It wouldn't hurt to tell him a little. She thought. Just a little, not everything. "Sometimes you pretended to be a knight. And then, you would play hide-and-seek with three friends of yours. You were always it of course."

Yugi laughed softly in his throat. "I was?"

"Yes, but you didn't seem to mind. Of course, you would always find them." Mrs. Muto giggled again. "Oh, they would be so upset once you found all of them, but it was worse when they couldn't find you."

Yugi chuckled. "Sounds like Tea whenever we played."

Mrs. Muto tussled his hair. "You just had a talent." She rested her head on her son's.

"Maybe we can go visit sometime."

Mrs. Muto's heart sank. She loved Yugi, but she was not willing to awaken the memories she made him forget so long ago. "Perhaps." She straightened, released him, and stood. "Let's go, Yugi. It's time for supper."

He nodded, stood, and followed her out of his bedroom.

Dream...Yugi was four years old and playing in a courtyard with three kids, two boys and a girl, all a bit older than him. He was happy and enjoying himself. He saw his mother, ran to her, and threw his arms around her.

Mrs. Muto smiled sadly and returned her son's embrace.

Then it was suddenly night and Yugi stared up in awe of a tall, dark, mysterious figure standing before him. He backed away slowly. "Mom!" He called.

Mrs. Muto snatched up her son into her arms and ran. "Sleep." She said.

Yugi felt a powerful sensation come over him and everything went black as he fell asleep. ...End of dream

Yugi awoke to the sound of his alarm clock Monday morning. He crawled out of bed and changed into his Domino High School uniform. Then he put his books into his backpack, zipped it closed, slung it over his shoulders, and hurried out to meet up with Tea.

Mrs. Muto smiled when she saw him. "Good morning." She said.

"Morning mom." Yugi replied, continuing on past her. Then he stopped and turned to her. "Mom, is it all right if I talked to you about something after school?"

Mrs. Muto nodded. "Of course dear." She answered.

Yugi smiled brightly. "Kay. Thanks. Bye." He waved and hurried off.

Mrs. Muto sighed and looked up the ceiling. "Please." She prayed. "Don't let it be about home again."

During homeroom and before the teacher got there, Yugi and Joey were dueling as usual. The small teen lost for the first time to the blond. Joey, knowing how unnatural it was for him to win against his friend, asked, "Do you have something on your mind, Yug?"

Yugi shrugged. "I had a weird dream last night." He answered. "It's been bothering me."

Tea tilted her head to one side. I wonder if it's about Atem. She thought. Yugi's been struggling the hardest to adjust to a life without the Pharaoh.

Yugi sighed. "Sorry guys." He muttered.

Joey smiled. "Don't worry about it, Yugi." He replied. "We're here for ya if you ever need us."

Yugi smiled slightly and nodded.

Yugi sighed as he listened to the boring math lecture. He stared out the window, letting his thoughts wander off and his mind with it.

Dream..."Yugi!" A girl called. "Yugi! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Yugi giggled softly, remaining perfectly still in a bush. "Rosa will never find me." He whispered to himself. He saw Rosa pass by and giggled softly again to himself. Once she was gone, he stealthily crawled out and ran straight to the steps near by. Then he touched the top step and shouted, "Home free!"

Rosa and two boys came running and saw him. "That's not fair!" One boy yelled.

Yugi laughed, "What's wrong, Kain?"

The other boy sighed. "I guess Yugi wins again." He said.

Kain snorted.

Rosa giggled. "Oh well. Cecil, since I found you first, you're it."

Cecil nodded. He ran up to the top step, closed his eyes, and counted.

Yugi, Rosa, and Kain ran off to hide. Yugi climbed to the very top of a tree. There, he sat quietly and motionless. ...End of dream

"Yugi!" The teacher called.

"Forty-two!" Yugi shouted, snapping back to reality.

The whole class giggled.

Yugi stared at the blackboard, seeing the problem written on it. He blushed with embarrassment and sank into his chair.

The teacher stared at the small teen.

Just then, the bell rang.

All the kids rose and bowed.

Yugi sighed with relief.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi called, exhausted from a long boring day.

Solomon walked in and smiled. "Hello Yugi." He said. "You're mother is making you a snack."

The small teen nodded and hurried to the kitchen, where he threw his backpack onto the floor.

Mrs. Muto looked up from slicing apples. "Welcome home, Yugi." She said. "Long day?"

He nodded and sat down. "I zoned out during math class." He announced. "It's been really weird."

"Oh?" Mrs. Muto asked.

"Yeah.

Mrs. Muto went back to slicing apples, a worried look upon her face. "Tell me."

"Both times, I dreamed I was four again, but I'm playing hide-and-seek with three people named Rosa, Kain, and Cecil. Last night I was in a castle and I saw a man—at least I think it was a man."

Mrs. Muto stopped and set the knife down. She closed her eyes. I was afraid of this. She thought.

"Mom?"

Mrs. Muto sighed shakily. She put the apple slices into a bowl and set it down in front of Yugi with caramel dip. "Is it happening now?"

"No. It's happened once before I went to Egypt." Yugi ate his snack.

Mrs. Muto rested her forehead in her hands. Why did it have to happen? She wondered. I worked so hard to keep him from remembering. I even stopped teaching him. I kept everything of home hidden.

"I think I got these dreams after I saw that picture in your room."

Mrs. Muto's blood ran cold.

"It looked like a painting of the Moon with a smaller, red one next to it." Yugi sighed. "I guess I'm just wishing for an adventure."

Mrs. Muto shook his head. "Come with me." She led her son to her bedroom and locked the door. "Sit down."

Yugi sat down on her bed.

Mrs. Muto went to her closet and pulled out the painting he mentioned. Then she pulled out a set of children's clothing. "I kept these hidden from your grandfather, father, and you for sometime." She explained. She took off her headband, showing a mark on her forehead.

The mark looked like a moon-shaped crest.

Yugi stared at her in confusion.

Mrs. Muto sighed. "You don't remember, but we used to live in a kingdom called Baron. When you were younger, I took you away and erased any memory of it."

"Why?"

"To protect you. I thought that if we came here, then you could have a normal life. As it turns out, I was wrong when I found out about the Millennium Puzzle."

"When was this?"

"After you came out of the hospital. Yami and I promised never to speak of it to you."

Yugi picked up the child sized shirt, obviously too small for him. "This was mine?"

"Yes. I was working for the King of Baron so we were under the rank of nobles." She sat down next to him.

"How did you and dad meet, then?"

"It was an accident." She smiled softly, remembering. "I crashed a business meeting he had by mistake. A few months after that we were engaged and a few months after that we were married." She sighed. "Unfortunately, I left a few months after that. I was pregnant with you at the time. He's still on a business trip because he doesn't know we've been here." She looked down at the floor. "It's a lot to take in and I'm sorry."

"So. What's with the crest?"

"I am a Lunarian, a race whose home is now the asteroid belt because of a war. The small, red moon in the painting there is an artificial moon created by the Lunarians. You can't see it here, but you can see it at home."

Yugi leaned into his mother. "Why is that?"

"The second moon and home are cloaked by very ancient and very powerful magic. I'm sorry, Yugi."

He shook his head. "I'm just glad you told me. But is there something else you need to tell me?"

"I'm afraid something is happening at home."

Yugi looked up at his mother. "What?"

"That, I do not know."

"Does that mean you'll have to leave?"

Mrs. Muto nodded a reply.

Yugi looked down and snuggled up to his mother. "I wish you luck." His voice had loneliness and bitterness in it

Mrs. Muto put her arms around him and held him. "Do you want to come with me?"

Yugi looked up at her, surprise across his face. "Mom?"

Mrs. Muto smiled. "Well? I can bring you with, but only if you want."

A smile came across Yugi's lips. "Really?"

His mother nodded. "It'll be an adventure."

Yugi's smile widened and his eyes lit up. "Sure."

dragonchild247: Awesome! Yugi's gets to go to Baron with his mother. The next chapter will be whether or not he makes it. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Please review.