I must apologize to those who may have been distressed by the content of this story. I have received several comments around James and Yugi's relationship, most of which I agree with. Thank you for sticking with this story up until now, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next to come.
As always, I appreciate feedback and comments.
Time for the ol' disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Enjoy!
~Jehbel
"So what will you do now?" Connie asked, stirring her coffee slowly. Her mind was abuzz with the information she had just received. Yami and Yugi were the same person? No, that wasn't right; Yugi was his own person, who Yami had inhabited for several years. He was the spirit of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Or was. Now he had his own flesh body. Or something?
Connie's temples gave a little throb and she rubbed at the point with a thumb.
Yami smiled gently, aware that this was a lot to take in. He could not say why he had chosen to tell his full story to Connie; only that he trusted the girl and somehow, instinctively, he knew that she would not betray or mock him. He had stopped short at revealing to her his truest feelings for Yugi, merely explaining that they had argued and Yugi had demanded he leave. The relief he had felt from telling somebody his story had been cathartic; his body felt light and energised for the first time in many months.
Yami cupped his slender hands around his coffee mug, absorbing the heat, watching the steam curl from the top of the liquid. "I think I will leave this place. After seeing Yugi on television, clearly happy and even dating others, I know for sure now that he will never need me. I have stayed close out some thin hope that he would call me back, but it has been so long now, and he is obviously moving on. It does not do me well to dwell on it and remain trapped here." Connie eyed the tri-haired teen sympathetically, wishing that she could help him in some way. She knew his heart must be wrenching apart at the thought of finally giving up on Yugi; although he had not said it in so many words, she could see that Yami loved Yugi with every fibre of his being. It was obvious just from listening to him talk about his small partner, and the expression that filled his face whenever he was able to speak the other boy's name.
Yami looked out the window; the weather was closing in, deep purple rainclouds drifting toward the city, fat and heavy. "I may go back to Egypt. It is the only place besides being with Yugi that feels like home to me."
Connie's eyes widened. "Really? Egypt? Will you really leave? When? I… I'll miss you, Yami." She flushed pinkly at this comment but without too much embarrassment; she had recovered from her brief but intense attraction to Yami and now firmly felt herself to be his friend… even if he was a very attractive friend.
Yami shrugged slowly, his large eyes taking in the encroaching clouds. "I do not know, but very soon I feel- within a day or so. I cannot continue on in this way. It hurts too much and I am too easily mistaken for Yugi in this part of the world. How can I forget when others do not let me forget?" Sighing heavily, Yami met Connie's eyes briefly before pushing his chair back. "I must leave early today, I apologise; I don't know if I will be back, but I will come and say goodbye before I leave. You've been a true friend, Connie. I thank you for that." He favoured Connie with a final genuine smile before loping smoothly out of the café, his hands deep in his jacket pockets. Connie watched him go, a lump in her throat. I hope he finds whatever he needs in Egypt, then.
Yami stepped out onto the street, crossing over with the other pedestrians, barely noticing where he was walking. Gazing down, he stretched open a hand, turning it over, the fingers splayed out widely as he watched the tendons and muscles ripple under his flesh. He turned his hand over again, gazing fixedly at the back of it; his heart staggered slightly.
His fingers were a delicate shade of grey, somehow dimmer and less defined than the rest of him. The very tips seemed almost to be made of smoke, their edges blurred and faded; somehow… lessened.
Yami gave a humourless chuckle. It seems I have no choice; either way, I will not return to this place.
.
.
Yugi woke late to a strange mood, his mind full of dark shapes and twisting emotions. He felt awkward, full of shame for his actions the night before, which had once again offended and hurt the one person who he most loathed upsetting. Leaving a brief note for his boyfriend, Yugi slipped out early, before James woke, to go for a walk. He needed to clear his head.
The wind blustered at his hair, whipping the long blonde bangs around his face and pulling at the jacket he'd luckily thought to bring along. Looking up, eyes watering from the sharp breeze, Yugi noticed the large bank of clouds approaching in the distance. It was still quite far off, but he knew it would hit before nightfall. Yugi loved thunderstorms; the deep rolling rumbles of the thunder coupled with the sharp white flashes of lighting- the contrast reminded him Yami, who was both dark and mysterious in his ways. With a sigh, Yugi put his head down into the wind, pushing forward.
After last night's vivid dream, Yugi could not banish Yami from his mind. Perhaps instead of trying to forget he exists, I need to acknowledge what we had and how I felt, in order to move on. Maybe that's what the dream was telling me; I can't bottle it up any more. Is that why I've been so callous toward James?He was sure that the dreams were trying to help him in some way.
Suddenly, Yugi's phone began to vibrate in his top pocket. The small teen fished it out with trepidation- was it James?- before flipping it open and checking the caller ID; it was his Grandpa. With relief, Yugi pressed the connect button. "Grandpa! What's up?" He smiled to himself, realising it had been some time since he had spoken to his Gramps. I'm a bad grandson!
"Yugi. I know it's a weekend and you probably have plans with the gang-" at this, Yugi's stomach knotted itself- "but I need your help. Donny's Card shop over on West Domino has received too much of the new Duel Monsters diaries, and agreed to give me some in exchange for some merch that I have had lying about for too long. I need to get this done today but I also have some evaluators coming by. Can you possibly go out to West Domino for me, Yugi?"
Yugi did not have to consider for long. He loved West Domino; it took over an hour on the bus to reach, but it was trendy and cheap and there was an entire street dedicated to Duel Monsters themed merchandise stores. He had spent a lot of time there in the past and even went on a long weekend vacation to the area with Yami once. It had been one of the best weekends of his life.
"Sure thing Gramps! I'll come over soon and grab the merch, okay?"
"Ah, thank you Yugi, you have saved my hide! I will give you some money in case you want to stay the night; I know what you're like in that place, you'll probably be there all day filling your deck with… with… well, I suppose you don't do that anymore. But, well, if you want to spend the night, that's fine by me!"
Yugi closed his eyes against the old familiar feeling of shame; his Grandpa, like Joey, had been truly disappointed by Yugi's departure from Duel Monsters.
"That's okay, Grandpa, I might see if James wants to come along and we'll make a weekend out of it. I'll go back to his place and pack some clothes, and be at yours in an hour or so. Bye!" Yugi snapped the phone shut and smiled up at the sky, thanking whatever Gods there were. This was perfect- a chance to get away from all the drama, soak in some different scenery, and check out the current Duel Monsters scene. He may have left the sport but Yugi still loved the game, and it had been some time since he checked out the popular merchandise. This would be great! He knew James probably wouldn't want to go to the card shop with him but West Domino had heaps of trendy cafes and clothing stores too, so he was sure that James would find something that he wanted to look at as well. Being alone with James would give him a chance to make amends, and maybe, if they stayed in a hotel together, Yugi might feel more comfortable about…going further.
With slightly flushed cheeks, Yugi turned for home, his face split into a grin as he imagined the fun weekend he had planned ahead.
Yugi yanked the front door open, cursing as the wind gusted through, bringing with it a small flurry of leaves and grass. The weather was getting worse by the second!
Shrugging out of his jacket, Yugi tossed it onto the couch where James' own coat already lay, hastily making his way down the hall into the bedroom. The small teen paused by the bedroom door, listening for sounds of movement. When none were heard, he opened the door silently, peering around at the form of James still fast asleep on the bed. Yugi padded across the room, coming to a stop on James' side of the bed. Tentatively, he reached out, placing a hand on James' shoulder. His boyfriend was notoriously grumpy in the mornings but Yugi knew he had to wake him up in order to tell him about his errand, and invite him along. Bracing himself slightly, the short teen leaned forward, giving James a little shake and whispering, "James. James, wake up. Jaaaames!"
His boyfriend gave an irritable grunt, scowling in reply, but did not wake up. Huffing, Yugi shook him a little more roughly. "James! Wake up, please!"
James' eye cracked open, dim purple irises casting about for the source of disturbance. At the sight of Yugi leaning over him, the brunette groaned and slowly sat upright. "Yug… i? What- what time is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, but I needed to tell you something. Listen, Gramps has asked me to run an errand for him in Domino West; he needs me to pick up some merchandise for him. I wanted to see if you would like to come with me? I thought we could maybe stay the night and explore the area."
James bobbed his head sleepily, his face drowsy and confused as he absorbed the information. "Dom-ino West? What's over there?"
"Another card game shop. The owner has offered Gramps a good deal on some merchandise, but he has to go and pick it up today and Gramps can't make it, so he asked me."
"Ah." James was finally perking up a little, and taking in Yugi's words. "So you're going for him? How far away is it? You wanted me to come?"
"Yes, if you'd like to. I know I have to go to the card shop but I thought afterward we could explore the area, maybe do some shopping. They have heaps of really cool cafes and parks and stuff. I thought it might be nice to get out of the house. We can stay the night even! Gramps is giving me some money." Yugi could hear himself beginning to try and convince James, who was looking less than enthusiastic.
"Yugi, I told you I wanted to get out to the track this weekend. I haven't been in ages and I owe the guys. Can you go to West Domino another time so that I can come with you?"
Yugi shook his head slowly. "I can't, James, Grandpa needs it picked up today- I told him I'd go. If- if you'd prefer, we could just come back today as well, so that you can go to the track tomorrow? We can still do some shopping and look around before we'd have to catch the last bus home."
James clamoured out of bed, rubbing his eyes, long hair hanging messily down his back. "Yugi, I feel like you're being a bit unreasonable. I don't really want to go all the way over to West Domino for half a day and look at Duel Monsters merch. I promised the guys I'd be at the track this weekend. But now I'm going to be the bad guy for saying I won't go with you; that's pretty unfair, you know?"
Yugi felt his heart sink, his stomach broiling with anxiety and dread. "No! James, that's not it at all. I can go on my own if you're busy. I'm sorry that I forgot about the track. It's fine! I'll just go on my own and come back today." He smiled at James, the grin feeling stiff on his face.
James shook his head angrily. "But I would normally be happy to spend a weekend away with you, Yugi! I do want to come. But if I don't go to the track then Andy will be short a partner which will screw up his weekend too. Surely your Grandpa won't mind if we go another time? It's just merchandise after all!"
Yugi gaped at James incredulously. "That 'just merchandise' you're referring to is how my Gramps makes a living. He has to collect it today, James! I'm sorry but I'm going to go and get it for him today, whether you come with me or not! I'm sorry! But I can't let him down!" The two boys stood across from one another, Yugi breathing heavily, James scowling with irritation. This is bad. Why did this have to go so badly? Yugi rubbed at the place where a headache was forming. He didn't want to deal with this right now.
James suddenly yanked his pyjama shirt off with force, bundling it up and throwing it angrily onto the bed. "Fine. I'll come with you."
Yugi reeled back a bit, surprised. "James, you don't have to! I don't want you to disappoint your friends. I can go alone-"
"No, I've decided now. I'll call Andy and let him know; he may be able to find another partner in time."
Yugi swallowed past a painful lump in his throat, forcing himself to reply. "James, if you're just going to be mad about coming, I'd rather go alone."
James glared over at Yugi. "Would you rather go without me? If you don't really want me to come, just say it, Yugi."
"No! that's not what I said! I do want you to come, that's why I asked you to start with! I just feel bad now for making you cancel your plans! I didn't mean to make you choose." He could feel his face crumpling slightly as he spoke; once again he had managed to ruin everything!
James gazed at him silently for a moment, before sighing and walking over to embrace the shorter teen. "Well, it's okay, Yugi, don't get upset. I know you didn't mean to disregard my plans. I was just a bit angry that you'd forgotten and made other arrangements; it makes me feel like you don't care about what I do, sometimes. But, I forgot that yesterday was pretty rough on you for a moment there, so I want to spend my time with you today. The guys will be fine, they're big boys." Yugi nodded against his chest, his head spinning with a myriad of emotions. He felt as though he'd just been on a high-speed carnival ride and was still trying to get his footing.
After a time, James gently pushed Yugi off him, looking down with slightly forced good cheer at the shorter boy's face. "How about you run on ahead to your Grandpa's place and I'll meet you there? I need to shower and pack, and ring Andy, and I don't want to keep you waiting. Then we can go from there?"
Yugi smiled up at him. "Sure, that sounds good." With a nod, James released Yugi's shoulders and wandered toward the bathroom; moments later the taps groaned and rattled a little as James turned the water on, the thick silence in the room broken by the shaa of the shower running.
Alone in the room, Yugi gave a great sigh. Well, that could have gone better, but I don't think he's too mad. I can turn this around. Once he gets there, James will forget all about the track and have fun, I'm sure of it! Reaching down, Yugi grabbed his small duffel bag from under the bed and haphazardly threw a couple of pairs of clothes into it, yanking the zipper shut roughly when he was finished. With a final look around the room, Yugi slung the bag over his shoulder and left, closing the door softly behind him.
As Yugi opened the front door, he could immediately see that the weather had worsened; it was not raining yet, but the sky was darker and the ominous clouds were almost directly overhead. The wind was still gusting heavily, almost ripping the door out of Yugi's grasp. With a yelp at the coolness and force of the squall, Yugi snatched up his jacket and quickly departed for his Grandpa's house. Please, don't let it rain just yet!
The streets were crowded despite the impending storm; it was a Saturday, and many families were out shopping and having brunch together, apparently oblivious to the ominous clouds, or determined to ignore them. Yugi wove between the crush of people, his duffel bag clutched in both hands in front of his chest to avoid getting snagged, and to act as a shield from the winds. Yugi kept his head down, his thoughts full of James, and the argument they'd just had; could he have approached it better? Was James being unreasonable? Would they have a nice time out at West Domino? His stomach was beginning to flutter now with nerves; would James expect Yugi to follow through with his promise? Will I have to go all the way with him tonight? What if I can't do it? I will have to; I can't reject him like that again, he was so upset last time. I wish I could talk to Joey about this. He would know what to do.
As if his thoughts manifested the man himself, Yugi suddenly barrelled into Joey, who had just stepped out of a nearby shop. "Whoah- Yug'!" Joey's hands snapped out to catch and steady the shorter teen, who had bounced off Joey's more solid frame like a bug. "Ya alright there bud?"
Yugi collected himself, then took a measured step backward, out of Joey's reach. The blonde's expression immediately shuttered, his gaze serious but not completely hostile. Yugi shook his head to clear it, then glanced up at Joey; the anger and disloyalty of the previous night arose in him afresh, giving his mouth a sour aftertaste. How could Joey just stand there so nonchalantly, as though he hadn't completely betrayed Yugi only the day before? Did he feel no shame? Yugi could feel his face beginning to pull into a scowl, causing Joey's eyebrows to rise. He had just opened his mouth to speak when suddenly they were joined by another person.
"Sorry, Joey, the shopkeeper kept trying to force more items on me. Phew! He sure was pers… sistent. Hi, Yugi." Ryou pulled up at the sight of Yugi, his typical innocently grave features giving nothing away, his large brown eyes closely scrutinising Yugi, taking in his appearance and duffel bag. "It is good to see you."
Yugi bit down the mean retort he had been about to throw at Joey; he did not want to start a scene, particularly with Ryou involved; that would only bring forth Bakura, who Yugi wanted to see even less than his best friend at the moment. "Hi, Ryou. Yeah, long time no see, huh? Listen, I have to get going, so I'll see you around-" he started to push past the two boys but was pulled up short as Joey's hand snapped out to grab the back of his jacket.
"Listen, Yug', we really needta talk, alright? I dunno if I've done somethin' else to make you angry or if you're still mad at me about that argument we had, but ya shoulda talked to me, man! I was really worried about you last night, then I saw you on TV! What gives? You could have at least texted me to tell me ya didn't wanna come."
Yugi felt something snap inside him. Spinning around, he threw his duffel bag to the ground with rage, causing passers-by to startle and stare curiously. Joey gawked at Yugi as though he had thoroughly lost the plot. Indeed, the shorter teen was feeling slightly deranged.
"What gives? What gives? Gee, Joey, I don't know. I guess I'm mad because I would have loved to have come to your party if you had bothered to invite me! How could I have texted you to say I wasn't coming, when I had no idea it was being held? I wonder what part of being shafted by your so-called friends would make someone mad, hmm?" Yugi's eyes snapped with anger, his normally placid face tight with rage and pain. Joey had never seen him like this; in such a fury, Yugi looked more like his Yami than ever before, all trace of his innocent happiness erased by his emotions in this moment.
There was a moment of deathly silence as the three boys stood like statues in the sea of drifting bodies and gusting winds.
Joey blinked. He seemed to be working something through his head. Finally, his voice strained, he replied, "wait, Yug'- are you tellin' me that you didn't know about the party?"
Yugi wanted to hit him. "No, Joey. I didn't know about the party. Strange that the only person who didn't get the memo was the one you've been angry at lately, isn't it? What a coincidence."
"Yugi-" Ryou's soft voice was cut short as Joey took an angry step toward his best friend.
"Don't ya get it, Yug'? I did invite you! I gave the invite to James! He said you were free on Friday! I thought you knew about it and were avoiding me!"
Yugi gaped at Joey. With a surge of hope, the blonde continued, "I asked him to give you the invite Yug', I swear it. On Wednesday. That's why I was so mad at ya and haven't called or messaged you- I thought you were deliberately ignorin' me, man!" Beside him, Ryou nodded earnestly, his large brown eyes wide and sincere.
The short teen was silent for a few moments, his eyes on the ground as he considered. "So… this was a mistake? James didn't give me the invite?"
Hope kicked at Joey's gut. "That's right Yug'!"
When Yugi looked up, his eyes were icy. The hope trickled from Joey's stomach as quickly as it had formed.
"Right," Yugi replied sarcastically, "so of course, it's James' fault, isn't it? For some reason, he decided not to tell me about a party that I was invited to by my best friend. For some reason, you couldn't give me the invite yourself, so you gave it to James, who of course deliberately didn't tell me about it, because if it was a mistake, then he would have at least remembered when we went to your house on Friday and saw you all there."
Joey opened and closed his mouth several times.
"Yugi." Ryou stepped forward, placing a cool hand on Yugi's arm. "I do not know about James passing on the message or not, whether that was deliberate or an oversight. I do know that Joey gave him an invite; he told me so himself."
Yugi could feel the anger building again as he looked into Ryou's calm face. Of course, everything is fine for him. He still has his Other, he's still part of the group, it's all just PEACHY for Ryou, isn't it? Out loud, his voice dripping with venom, Yugi replied, "right, and I'm supposed to take your word for it, Ryou? You and Bakura hate James more than anybody else! If there were anybody trying to come between us, it'd be you two!" He wrenched his arm free from Ryou's grasp. The white-haired boy looked stricken.
"Yugi- please. I am not lying to you, please believe me!"
"Leave him, Ryou- he's not gonna listen to reason," Joey said savagely, stepping in and facing the furious Yugi. "Look, Yug', for whatever reason, that guy of yours ain't being truthful with you. But you're gonna have to see that for yerself coz I sure as hell won't be takin' any more of this shit from you."
The blood drained from Yugi's face at Joey's words. I guess he'll say whatever he thinks will make me break up with James. Some friend he is. Does he think a few mean words will make me want to give up James? The ONLY person who has been there for me this whole time?
"Right," Yugi spat, to break the icy silence. "You all finished then? Can I go now? I have an errand to run for Gramps and I'm meeting my boyfriend soon." Yugi scooped up his duffel bag and with a final glare at the pair, spun on his heel to leave- and ran straight into Bakura in the process.
"Ah, King of Games, I thought I recognised your high, whiney voice." Bakura sniggered, shoving past Yugi to join his partner, a small bundle draped over his arm. After briefly inspecting Ryou's face, the thief turned to stand beside his partner, glaring at Yugi with almost cheerful disdain; the three boys stood together, united against him, or so it appeared to the shorter youth. Why are they all ganging up on me like this? Yugi didn't reply to Bakura's insult but instead stood silently, taking in the friends who until recently had been so close to him. Now they felt like strangers to him. Were they ever my friends to start with?
"Bakura, that's enough." Ryou murmured to his partner. Bakura merely lifted a lip in a sneer, his narrowed eyes not leaving Yugi's face.
Yugi shook his head, suddenly bone-weary and sick to his stomach. "I've had enough. I'm leaving."
"Oh but won't you stay, little King? It has been so long since we all saw you!" Bakura prowled forward toward Yugi, making the shorter boy take a wary step backward. "I've missed you ever so much, Yugi. So much so, that I want to give you a little gift."
"I don't want-" Yugi started, but it was too late. With a sudden movement, Bakura pulled a small box from his pants pocket and, stepping closely to the small teen, shoved it unceremoniously into Yugi's jacket. Yugi gave a small cry and raised his hands in defence; he had no idea what Bakura was doing. Bakura patted Yugi on the hip, over the now concealed package, and whispered, "Open it later, when you have the need." Then, stepping back, the thief now gazed at Yugi with his usual vindictive glare. As if nothing had happened, Bakura turned to Ryou. "Aibou, I saw you admiring that green garment earlier, so I took one for you." He gestured to the small pile of clothes draped over his arm.
"Oh, Bakura, you didn't!" Ryou cried out in dismay. "You can't just take them, you know! You are supposed to pay for things!"
Bakura sniggered again. "Should I return the other six sweaters I took for you, then?"
Yugi watched the two white-haired teens began arguing, utterly confused. What had Bakura given him? Knowing the unstable thief, it would be a severed finger in the box or a piece of garbage or something. Joey looked on, appearing just as confused as Yugi felt. With a sudden wave of exhaustion, Yugi turned and walked away without another word. He was already running late.
"Yugi!" Joey's voice rang out as Yugi continued to plod along the sidewalk. "I'm not givin' up! I'm gonna come and see ya when you get back. I love ya, Yug'!" The small teen paused only momentarily in his steps before continuing on. You're wrong, Joey. Only James really loves me.
Ryou walked along with Bakura, the two teens lost in their own thoughts, the wind pulling their twin manes of hair back behind them. "Do you think he will open it?" Ryou asked. "That was risky, forcing it on him like that. He could have just thrown it away!"
Bakura gave a shrug. "Either way, it was time for me to give up ownership of it. It's up to him now."
"Where did you end up finding it, actually?" Bakura gave his partner an impish grin before moving on ahead.
"I had it all along; I just really hated your goldfish."
.
.
"Yugi, m'boy! It feels like an age since I last saw you!" Solomon pulled his grandson into a crushing hug. "I haven't finished sorting the boxes of merchandise that I will send over to Donny just yet. I'll be another ten minutes or so."
"That's okay Grandpa! It's good to be home! I might go and grab a few extra clothes from my room while I'm here; I didn't take much to James' place." Yugi beamed at his Grandpa. I really missed him! He realised. I hope he has been doing alright without me.
Yugi looked around his room, empty of decoration and already musty with disuse. He felt a certain amount of sadness being back in this place; after all, it was his home, but more than that, it had been Yami's home too. It no longer felt the same; he had removed more from here than mere posters when he packed up his Duel Monsters equipment that day.
With a sigh, the teen flopped down onto his unmade bed, gazing about him, his mind elsewhere, until his eyes landed on the golden Millennium Puzzle on the bedside table. Reaching for it, he took the smooth, cool pyramid in his hands, marvelling at its familiar weight; he realised he knew every crack and groove on this Puzzle as well as he knew his own hands; probably better. How many hours have I spent looking at this thing, thinking about it, and him, and our future? It almost seems surreal now. The Puzzle looked odd without its centre piece; it was incomplete in more than one way. On a whim, almost without thinking, Yugi slipped the necklace over his neck. He almost groaned aloud at the familiar feeling of the heavy chain links around his neck, the way the Puzzle rested neatly against his chest. He hadn't realised until now how cold that place always felt until the weight of the pyramid warmed his skin beneath. Closing his eyes, Yugi could almost imagine that nothing had ever changed; if he opened his eyes now, he might find his Other sitting delicately on his bed like a cat, one eyebrow quirked with amusement, his lovely eyes ever watchful.
With a sudden flicker of curiosity, Yugi's mind went to the small box in his pocket. His hand slipped in and he fingered the small cardboard vessel, before pulling it out, staring at the box. Do I really want to know what's in here? If it's from Bakura, it can't be good, can it? But then again, something this small can't possibly be dangerous, can it? He eyed the small container a bit longer, before shaking his head decisively. No. I don't need to know. I'll be better off not getting involved in his little games. Yugi tossed the box from hand to hand, before moving to tuck it back into his pocket.
As he did so, his fingers brushed against something.
Frowning, Yugi released the package and felt around in his pocket. There; what is that? Paper? His fingers grasped the ball of paper and he pulled it out, confused. That wasn't there earlier, was it? Noticing the vivid green of the paper, Yugi realised it was the note that James had shoved in his pocket a few days prior- the information slip for Tristan, he remembered. Putting his arms out straight in front of him, Yugi looked at his jacket properly for the first time. This is James' jacket! I must have grabbed the wrong one when I left the house before. I didn't even notice that it's a bit too big on me; I guess I had a lot on my mind.
Yugi eyed the ball of paper again. Why didn't James give this to Tristan? Did he forget to pass it along? I wonder if it's still relevant now. Yugi rolled the ball of paper around in his palm, debating tossing it into his wastepaper bin. At the last moment however, he decided to have a quick look. That way, if Tristan does want it later, I can at least tell him what it said. For some reason, Yugi's pulse felt a little faster, his hands clammy as he unrolled the paper.
Smoothing it out over his knee, Yugi turned the piece of paper over, quickly scanning the contents.
His heart thundered painfully in his ears. This… this is…
The writing on the paper was bold and cheerful; small clip art pictures of balloons and streamers dotted the page with disorganised abandon; the invite was every inch a Joey creation.
LET'S HAVE A PARTY!
Friday at the Kaiba Mansion after school- be there or be square!
"Oh, Joey… I'm sorry," Yugi whispered out loud to himself. He felt sick. Joey had not been lying. He had given James an invite. James… did you forget? Or did you do this deliberately? Will you even tell me the real answer if I ask? Yugi's face was pale, his hands shaking. He was rocked to his core. Suddenly, he realised, he had no reason to trust anything James had said to him. What else has he lied about? Yugi did not know why but he was suddenly, utterly certain, that James had been dishonest about more than just the party invite.
The sudden loud voice of his Grandpa made Yugi jump with alarm. "Yugi! James is here! Should I send him up? I'm not quite done yet!"
Yugi had sprung to his feet when his Grandpa's voice had floated up the stairs. He now stood, his small chest heaving, his fists clenched with emotion. Within his large, unfocused eyes, the steely glint of rage began to grow.
"Sure, Gramps- send him up."