Chapter 11- On the Eleventh Day of Christmas
December 24
Yugi woke up the following morning and found that he had woken up just in time to watch the sunrise.
There was a knock on his door, which surprised him.
"Come in." Yugi said.
To Yugi's surprise, Yami was the one who walked into his room.
"Yami, what are you doing up?" Yugi asked.
"Well, I thought that since you watched the sunset with me yesterday, I figured that I would watch the sunrise with you today." Yami explained.
"You didn't have to do that, you know." Yugi said.
"I know, but I wanted to." Yami replied.
"Okay." Yugi said.
Yami and Yugi went to the window and watched as the sun started to rise.
"You're right, Yugi. The sunrise is beautiful." Yami agreed, watching as the sun slowly started rise above the horizon.
Yugi looked over at Yami. "Have you never watched the sunrise before?" Yugi asked.
"No." Yami replied.
Yugi looked back out and watched as the sun continued to rise.
"It's amazing how beautiful the sunrise is." Yami said.
"It is. Now you know why I like to watch it." Yugi said.
"Yes, I do." Yami agreed.
At nine, everyone gathered in the kitchen to eat their breakfast.
"I can't believe that it's Christmas Eve already. It doesn't feel like it should be." Kyla said.
"I know what you mean. It feels like we just got everything decorated." Sayora agreed.
"Well, we all knew that it was coming." Yuesei said.
"Yeah. We know. I guess it just feels like it shouldn't be that time." Kyla said.
Leo laughed. "I can understand what they mean. It feels like forever before Christmas comes, but when it does come, it feels like no time at all has passed." Leo said.
Heba looked over at Yugi. "Yeah, and Yugi's skating competition is tonight, too." Heba said.
Yugi nearly choked on the piece of toast that he was eating.
"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed, started to pat Yugi on the back.
"Here." Atemu said, handing Yugi a glass of water.
Yugi drank the water and put the glass down. "Crap! I completely forgot that that was today." Yugi said.
"You did?" Yuesei asked, surprised.
"Yeah. It completely slipped my mind." Yugi replied.
"So, what's the big deal? You're prepared enough for it." Heba said.
Yugi glared. "You know how I get with competitions." Yugi snapped.
"Come on. You get nervous, but once you're out on the ice, you're fine." Heba said.
"Yeah, but it doesn't change that I do get really nervous before them." Yugi said.
The group looked at each other, wondering how Yugi got nervous.
Yugi was pacing his room with his hands behind his back.
Yami was laying on Yugi's bed. "Yugi, could you stop pacing? You're going to wear a hole in the floor." Yami said.
"I can't believe that I let him talk me into this. I am not ready to do something like this." Yugi muttered to himself.
Yami frowned. He had never seen Yugi look like this. Yami sat up and said, "Yugi."
"I must be out of my mind. I am nowhere near ready to participate in a competition. I have not been in one for six years. I am way out of a practice, and a few weeks of practice is not enough to make me ready for this." Yugi said.
"Yugi." Yami said again.
"How could I be so stupid? There isn't a chance that I can do this." Yugi said, running a hand through his air worriedly. "I know. I'll drop out. That's the only thing that I can do. That way, I don't have to worry about it." Yugi said.
"Yugi!" Yami said loudly.
"What?!" Yugi exclaimed, whirling around to face Yami in shock, having forgotten that Yami was there.
"What in the name of Ra are you going on about?" Yami asked.
"I'm going to drop out of the ice skating competition." Yugi said.
"What? Why?" Yami asked, surprised.
"Yami, there is no way that I am ready for something like this. I can't compete. I haven't done this in years, and there is no way that I am competing." Yugi said.
Yami stood up, took Yugi by his arms, and forced him to sit down on the bed. "Yugi, you are not going to drop out of this competition." Yami told him.
"Why not?" Yugi asked.
"Yugi, you know just as well as I do that you want to do this. Besides, your just getting nervous." Yami said.
"No, I'm not." Yugi protested.
"Yes, you are. Yugi, you always ramble when you are nervous, and that's what you've been doing for the last five minutes. Just calm down and relax." Yami said.
"I can't calm down. I'm doing to be competing against people who have skated for years without stopping." Yugi said.
Yami smiled and kneeled down in front of his Hikari. "Yugi, you're overreacting. This isn't about whether you win or lose. As long as you skate the best that you can, then there is nothing for you to worry about. Just do the best that you can, and it'll be fine." Yami said.
"You have got to be kidding." Yugi said.
"No, I'm not. Yugi, if you drop out of the contest, will you regret it?" Yami asked.
"No." Yugi said.
"Honestly, Yugi." Yami said warningly.
Yugi sighed. "Yeah, I guess I would regret it later." Yugi admitted.
"See. Yugi, as long as you skate the best you can, I'll be proud of you. I don't care if you win or lose. Just do your best, and you'll be proud of yourself." Yami said.
"Okay, Yami.' Yugi agreed. He looked up at his Dark and said, "Thanks, Yami."
"That's what I'm here for." Yami said.
Yugi sighed. "I'm still nervous, though." Yugi said.
"Is what Heba said true? That you forget everything once you're on the ice?" Yami asked.
Yugi nodded.
"Then stop worrying. Once you get out on the ice, you'll be completely fine." Yami said.
"Okay." Yugi finally agreed.
"I can't believe that I'm actually going to wear this." Yugi said from the bathroom.
"Come on out, Yugi." Yami said.
"I'm not sure that I want to." Yugi replied.
"Yugi, I will do what I did yesterday if you are not out of the bathroom in the next minute." Yami told him.
"Fine." Yugi said. He unlocked the bathroom down and walked out in the ice skating outfit that his secret admirer had given to him.
"You look fine, Yugi." Yami assured him.
"I feel a little ridiculous." Yugi said.
"Didn't you have to wear something like this when you competed before?" Yami asked.
"Yes, but if you remember correctly, that was six years ago. It's been awhile since the last time I had to wear one of these." Yugi said.
"Hmm. You know, I think that I have an idea. Is it against the rules to wear jewelry in this competition?" Yami asked.
"No." Yugi replied.
"Come on." Yami said. He grabbed Yugi by the wrist and pulled Yugi into his own room.
"Yami, what are you up to?" Yugi asked.
Yami didn't answer. Instead, he went over to Yugi's nightstand and picked one of the amethyst bracelets that Yugi's secret admirer had given him on the third day of Christmas. "This will go perfect with the outfit." Yami said.
Yugi blushed lightly. "I don't know about that." Yugi said.
"Come on. The collar of your outfit had amethyst gems around it, so the amethyst bracelet would be perfect." Yami said.
Yugi bit his lip. "Oh. Okay." Yugi said.
Yami put the bracelet around Yugi's wrist. "Grab your coat. We need to go." Yami said.
Yugi nodded.
Since Yugi was in the competition, he had to be there an hour earlier. Yami had opted to go with him.
Yugi bit his lip when he saw the other competitors.
There were twelve people entered in the competition in all, and Yugi was the last one to go.
"Yugi. It's been awhile since you've been in one of my competitions." a man said.
Yugi and Yami turned to face the man.
The man gave Yugi a hug.
Yami felt defensive when Yugi was hugged by an older man.
"Yami, this is Walton Dryson. He's the one who sponsors this tournament. Mr. Dryson, this is my friend, Yami." Yugi said.
"Hello, there. It's a pleasure to meet you." Dr. Dryson said, shaking Yami's hand.
"Likewise." Yami said.
"I'm glad to see you back in the game, Yuugi. I missed seeing you skate." Mr. Dryson said.
Yugi blushed. "Thanks. I was a little unsure about entering." Yugi said.
"I'm glad you are. There are too many people who only want the money and the trip to Hawaii. At least I know you're doing it for the fun of it." Mr. Dryson said.
Yugi nodded, and Mr. Dryson walked off.
"You know the sponsor?" Yami asked.
Yugi nodded. "I actually knew him before I got into ice skating. Mr. Dryson was friends with my dad, so I grew up around him. He's a nice man, and he was like a second father to me, especially after my dad died." Yugi said.
"I see." Yami said.
It wasn't long before there was an announcement that only the skaters were allowed back in the room.
"I'll see you later, Yugi. Good luck." Yami said, hugging him.
"Okay. Thanks, Yami." Yugi said.
Yami smiled at him and walked off.
'I'm going to need a little more than luck.' Yugi thought.
As Yami was heading to the stands, he ran into Atemu.
"Oh. I was looking for you, Yami." Atemu said.
"I was back with Yugi. What's wrong?" Yami asked.
"Nothing. Seto got us box seats, so I came to get you. We'll have a better view of the competition from there." Atemu explained.
Yami nodded and followed his brother up to the box seat.
"Hey, Yami. How's Yugi?" Joey asked.
"Fine. I think that he's a little nervous, but he's fine." Yami replied.
"Yugi'll do just fine. I know that." Heba said.
"Yeah. Yugi is great from what I've seen." Kyla added.
"He is." Grandpa said.
There was someone who came out on the ice with a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the tenth annual Christmas Eve Ice Shaking Competition. We have twelve competitors this year. Each of them are excellent skaters. The winner will be winning five thousand dollars and a free trip for four to Hawaii. We would also like to thank Walton Dryson for sponsoring this competition." the announcer said.
The spotlight was on Mr. Dryson, who stood up and waved.
"We will be beginning momentarily. We hope you enjoy this year's competition." the announcer said.
"Well, we'll be seeing Yugi skate pretty soon." Ryou said.
"Don't see why I had to come and watch the runt skate." Bakura muttered.
"Me, either." Marik added.
"Stop sulking." Malik snapped.
"We're here to support Yugi." Ishizu added.
"Hey! It's starting." Tea exclaimed.
They watched as the first skater, a girl, did her routine.
Yugi watched as all of the skaters did their routine one by one. He had found out what Mr. Dryson had meant. He had heard just about every skater say that he or she couldn't wait to get the money or the free trip to Hawaii. 'Skating is supposed to be fun. They do it for the prize.' Yugi thought. He knew that he would be happy as long as he did his best.
Slowly, the skaters did their routine one by one.
Yugi realized that after the skater that was stating, it was his turn.
The skater finished and returned to the area where they were waiting.
"The next skater is a returning champion, Yugi Moto!" the announcer announced.
Yugi took his cue and skated out on the ice. The music started and Yugi started his routine.
Yugi skated forward and jumped into the air, landing on his toes and spun a round before moving backwards. He twirled around a few times before going foreword again. Yugi jumped up and spun three times in the air before landing on one foot and going backwards. Yugi turned as he put the other foot on the ground and skated to the side. Yugi propelled himself forward and spun again before skating backwards, jumping up in the air, twirling several times, and landed on his feet, still moving backwards.
The audience started to clap at the amazing display.
Yugi heard none of it.
Yugi moved forward quickly and jumped up, twirling when his feet hit the ice and started going backwards when he stopped twirling. Yugi continued forward before jumping up and turning in midair before landing back on the ice perfectly. Yugi skated forward at a fast space before spinning on the tips of his skates and ending up pushing backwards before he jumped and turned in midair, landing on his feet and moving forward. Yugi pushed on forward and jumped up, twirling and landed on his feet with one foot flat and the other on the toe with his arms to the side on what was his finish.
The audience started to clap wildly at the display.
"An excellent display of skill by our former champion." the announcer said as Yugi skated to the side and got off the ice.
"That was awesome!" Joey exclaimed.
"I didn't realize that Yugi really was such a good ice skater." Yuesei stated.
"Yugi certainly hasn't lost his touch." Grandpa said.
"Well, you did always say that Yugi was a natural ice skater." Heba said.
"I hope that he won." Teas aid.
"In my opinion, Yugi did the best job of everyone." Duke said.
"Yeah, but we're all a little biased since Yugi is our friend." Atemu said.
"Still, Yugi is a great skater." Sayora said.
"Yeah. Plus, there's nothing wrong with hoping that our friend won." Tristan added.
Although Marik and Bakura wouldn't say it, they were impressed and proud of how well Yugi had done.
Yugi could hear the chatter of the other skaters, talking about how they were so sure that they had won, but he didn't care.
All he cared about was the fact that he had done his best. 'I know that I did the best that I could, and I'm proud of that. Yami was right.' Yugi thought.
The announcer went on the ice and said, "We have the results from the judge. The skater that the judges found to be the best was-" the announcer opened the envelope and said, "Yugi Moto with a perfect ten!"
Yugi was beyond shocked that he was the one that had won the whole competition. He skated out onto the ice and took the bouquet of flowers that were handed to him.
"Congratulations, Yugi. You're the winner of the five thousand dollars and the Hawaii trip. Do you have anything to say?" the announcer asked.
"Only that I did my best, and that's what counts." Yugi said.
In the changing room, Yugi changed into blue jeans and a pale blue shirt. He picked up the bag with his skating things in it and the bouquet of flowers and left the room. He found Mr. Dryson waiting on him.
"Good work, Yugi. I must say that I'm impressed. You did the best." Mr. Dryson said.
"Thanks, I just did the best I could. Whether I did win or lose, I knew I'd win in my heart as long as I did the best I could." Yugi said.
"That's good to hear. Congratulations. The prize money and Hawaii things will be sent to you after Christmas." Mr. Dryson said.
Yugi nodded and left to be met by all of his friends.
"Great job, Yug. You won!" Joey said, giving Yugi a big hug.
"Thanks, Joey." Yugi said.
"I told you that you would win." Heba added.
"Yeah. I know." Yugi agreed.
"That was amazing. You may have taken six years off, but you're still great." Malik said.
Yugi blushed at all of the attention.
The group started to leave.
"See. I told you that it would be fine." Yami said.
"I know, Yami, and thanks for everything." Yugi said.
After a celebratory dinner and a reminder form Seto that the Christmas party would be at seven the following evening, Yugi, Yami, Atemu, Heba, Kyla, Sayora, Leo, Yuesei, and Grandpa returned home.
On the front steps was a brown box.
Since Yugi's hands were full, Yami picked up the box.
"OH! This is a little heavy." Yami said.
"He's very accurate." Leo said.
Grandpa opened the door, and everyone went inside.
Yami set the box on the table.
Yugi set his bag on the floor and bouquet on the table. He opened the box. The note was on top.
"These are bath oils." Yugi said.
"You love those." Heba said.
"Yeah. I do." Yugi agreed.
Kyla went through the bottles and named the different fragrances. "Lavender. Strawberry. Vanilla. Jasmine. Ocean Breeze. Moonlit Waters. Melon. Raspberry. Wintergreen. Fresh Rain. Roses." Kyla said.
"You use a lot those, don't you, Yugi?" Sayora asked.
"Yes. Ocean Breeze and fresh rain are the only ones I haven't used." Yugi replied.
"What does the note say?" Atemu asked.
Yugi opened the note, and read it.
It said:
I know you like bath oils
So I got you these.
I hope you enjoy them.
Love,
Your Eternal Lover
At the bottom, it read:
On the eleventh day of Christmas I gave my true love, eleven fragrant oils
ten lotus blossoms
nine ancient charms
eight silver letters
seven bags of chocolate,
six stunning outfits
five golden pendants
four Duel Monsters plushies
Three amethyst bracelets
Two silver ankhs
And a cartouche with his name on it.
"Wow. This guy is really good." Sayora said.
"Yeah. He seems to know just what to get you." Leo added.
"Almost like he could read your mind." Atemu added.
"Yeah. It seems like it." Yugi agreed.
//What do you think aibou?// Yami asked.
/I think that this guy knows me really well, and I don't have the first clue as to who he is./ Yugi replied.
//I'm sure you'll find out soon, aibou. Don't worry.// Yami said.
/Okay, Yami. If you say so./ Yugi agreed.
Yami picked the box up for Yugi and went upstairs with him.
That's the eleventh day of Christmas. Thanks to Takers HIdden Soul Mate for this idea.
The twelfth and last day of Christmas is next. You'll see who has been sending Yugi all of the gifts.
R&R.