I hate Thanksgiving ... my whole family does so we don't celebrate it. But to those of you who do, Happy Thanksgiving. Okay, I think I should have mentioned in the last chapter that you can only pick 1 on the choices for a new story. One per costumer. So pick your favorite, and we'll see which one wins. Again, your choices are:
1. Yugi and Yami are together with each other until Yami suddenly ends their relationship so that he can have someone else he has his eyes on and breaks Yugi's heart. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for himself, Yugi literally bumps into the new exchange student at school and begins to fall for her. Yes, HER. This new student is a girl by the name of Alana Martinez. She does not speak English very much, but since Yugi is pretty fluent in Spanish, the two communicate perfectly.
2. Right after Joey is freed from Marik's control, the crazed Millenium Rod holder is still after Yami's power, but goes after Yami's weakness instead ... Yugi. He places Yugi under a mind controling spell and turns the little cutie against his guardian. But no matter what Yugi does, he can not break the spell.
3. Yugi is walking in the park one day when something falls from the sky and lands on his head. When he looks at it, it seems to be a pink cat-like creature with a long tail. This creature is from another world. After a bit of research, he finds out that this creature is called a Mew; a legendary "pokemon" that he nurses back to health for a while.
4. A father/son story where Yami and Yugi are wolves. Yugi is the youngest cub of a litter of 10. One day, while Yami and Yugi go hunting for food, their pack, Yami's mate and nine other cubs are killed. Now they must find a new pack to join so that Yugi can grow up properly.
5. To stop the dark lord, Zorc, there is only one thing that can defeat him: the Star of Light. However, to protect the Star, it must be held in the hands of the Pharaoh. So, with the Star given life, thanks to the DNA of Pharaoh Atem, the Star can be protected until it is needed to save the world from eternal darkness
Remember: choose only ONE! And enjoy the chapter!
---
The next day turned out to be as one would expect. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Yugi was still just as confused as ever. Atem knew they had to do something in order to jog the boy's memory. Yugi and Atem went to all the places that Yugi loved to go … well, when he had his memory. Their first stop was Barns and Noble bookstore. Atem told his little charge that he loved to go into the bookstore and browse around looking for new books to read. It was a pretty fancy bookstore; a lot of popular authors on their list.
"This place looks nice." Atem said. He had never really gone into the store since he did not like to read as much as Yugi did. He considered Yugi to be a bookworm, as one would call it. However, the younger did not take to the store quite well. Yugi took in a deep breathe and turned his nose up.
"It s-s-sm-smells in here …" Atem chuckled.
"That's the smell of books, Yugi." Said amnesiac boy took a look at all the people who walked around looking at books.
"Exactly how much do I like to read?"
"A lot; you spend most of your free time hiding being a book when you have nothing else to do."
"What do I like to read?" Atem had to think for a moment. Though both did share a mind for the past few years, even if Yugi currently did not know about it, they did have different interests. Yugi had a very imaginative mind, while Atem was more of a critical thinker. Atem had to see things for himself in order to know how something worked. Yugi could come up with his own explanations of how things could work in the world, and that is why Atem loved Yugi's mind so much. He loved the way Yugi could come up with the most ridiculous answers to such common questions such as "why is the sky blue?" he would answer: "the world is trapped inside of a blue cube, making the sky look blue all the time." Of course the Pharaoh knew that Yugi was just playing around when he would say these kinds of things, but Atem had to chuckle to himself. He loved to hear Yugi's bizarre theories.
"Atem?" A small voice admitted, breaking the resurrected Pharaoh away from his thoughts.
"Yes?"
"What are you laughing at?" Atem slightly shook his head.
"Nothing, I was just thinking of something. Come, I'll show you where you like to buy your books." Yugi was a little taken back due to the face that Atem had laughed for no reason, but followed his older roommate. They stopped at the 'teen' section.
"This is where I buy my books?"
"Yes." Atem was looking around the shelves for the book that Yugi had been looking at the last time Atem had to pick him up from the store. "Ah, here we go: this was the book that you were thinking of buying." He gave Yugi a hardback book that had the title of The Dragon's Eye. Yugi gazed at the book, examining it for a few seconds. He held it in his hands and raised a brow. Atem smiled, thinking that Yugi had found some sort of memory, or at least hoping for one … but his hope was soon lifted as Yugi asked his next question.
"This is the kind of stories that I like?" The Pharaoh's narrowed eyes widened. How could Yugi refuse a book like that? It was not something that Atem would read personally, but that was the kind of stories that he liked to read.
"Um … what do you mean?"
"I mean these are the kinds of books that I like to read … fantasy?" His voice was growing irritated. He looked at Atem, almost glaring at him.
"Well … um … yes. You love fantasy; all kinds of it. You read a lot of fantasy books and then when you are done with them, you draw a picture of what you have read." Yugi's glare seemed to harden as Atem spoke his words.
"Why would I like something as useless as fantasy? I don't read anything important like drama or humor or horror or anything?"
"You think dramas are boring, humor is not all that funny, and horror gives you nightmares." Yugi stuffed the book back onto the shelf harshly.
"I think I'm done here. If all I read are fantasy stories, then what's the point of reading at all?" Atem could not believe what he was hearing. Yugi never turned away a story that would involve dragons or elves, or nymphs, or any fantasy creature.
"You read them so that you can draw them. You have a very creative mind, Yugi."
"How creative?"
"Creative enough to come up with your own theories of how the world works. When I laughed earlier, I was thinking of the time when you explained why the sky is blue. You said it was because the world was inside a blue box or something like that." Atem chuckled again as he thought about it. Yugi gave him a stern look.
"Why would I say something as stupid as that?" Atem gasped lightly.
"Y-you don't mean it … it's just something you joke around with …" Yugi scoffed and folded his arms.
"Sounds to me like I was really stupid … I want to leave." He started to walk away.
"But …" it was too late. Yugi had already stomped away and was out of the bookstore. Atem sighed. He had never heard Yugi talk like that, let alone talk like that about himself. It was as if the innocence, light, and creativity in his mind, no … personality was gone. That was what was scaring Atem the most. It seemed that the longer Yugi went without any memory he began to lose himself more and more. The entire situation made tears start to form in the once great Pharaoh's eyes, to see his little light lose its glow. But he was not going to let this one minor setback stop him from giving Yugi back his memories. He just hoped that along with them came the innocent features that he learned to cherish so much.
---
The rest of the day had been like that. Atem took him to an art store, the mall, a few electronic stores and to his, now former, favorite place to eat. The duo's final destination was one of their favorite stores. This store sold games, DVDs and CDs of all kinds. Atem loved shopping here. He and Yugi had recently discovered that video games were just as fun as dueling. Though Atem preferred his PlayStation 2, Yugi had preferred the Nintendo Gamecube. He liked the Gamecube better because he did not like all the violent games that PlayStation had, and Atem would often buy. Even though Atem was not evil, he was a being of darkness, so he enjoyed a little massacre now and then; as long as it was in the game and not real life. That was why he bought those games.
"Why are we here?" Yugi asked in a very condescending tone. Atem went straight over to the PlayStation section to pick out a new game.
"Well, I figured you would maybe like to get a new game for your Gamecube. Go on, it's my treat. I'll buy it for you." He offered.
"Why would I want to waste my time playing stupid video games?"
"You love games, all sorts of games. Go on, pick one out." Yugi turned away.
"No thanks." He had a bit of an attitude in his voice. Another loss for Atem. It seemed that this day was not going according to plan. Yugi was supposed to be remembering things, not refusing everything.
"Alright, I'll pick one out for you." He went over to the Nintendo section. After looking around for a while and making 'hmm' sounds at least fifteen times, he finally found one he thought Yugi would like. "Here's one you haven't played: Kirby Air Ride. You love Kirby." He gave it to Yugi so he could see it.
"It looks like a pink marshmallow." Atem shrugged.
"Well he … kind of is." Yugi shook his head and gave it back to Atem.
"No thanks."
"Alright, I'll get you another one" ---
"LOOK, I DON'T WANT SOME STUPID GAME, OKAY?!" The people in the store stared at the small boy in shock due to his outburst. But Atem was the only one staring in sympathy.
"Yugi … I …"
"Atem, this isn't working … I just wanna go home and go to bed ..."
"But it's only one o'clock." Yugi did not care. He simply shrugged and went to wait for Atem in the car.
---
The drive home carried a very heavy silence. Yugi just looked out the window, holding his head up with his hand and sighed every once in a while. Atem kept looking over at the small light, hoping that he could somehow break the silence. But nothing came to mind. Once they came to the game shop, Yugi said nothing as he walked in.
"Hello, boys. How was your" --- Solomon began to ask as Yugi just walked past him with his head hanging and his hands buried in his pockets. Atem came in with a long look on his face. Both flinched as they heard a door slam shut upstairs. "---day …" He looked at Atem. "What happened?" The Pharaoh sighed.
"Nothing, that's what's wrong."
"What do you mean?" Both men went into the living room and sat down on the couch.
"Not only could he remember anything, but I took him everywhere he would normally go, and he contradicted it!"
"How?"
"He kept putting things down and asking 'why would I do this' or 'why would I do that'? To tell you the truth, his attitude was starting to get on my last one! Solomon was speechless.
"That doesn't sound like Yugi."
"The worst part was that after a while, he asked me why I took him to all those places and then asked if he was a nerd."
"A nerd?" Atem nodded.
"He asked if he was a nerd because, and I quote; 'only nerds do pointless crap like what you're showing me now'. To tell you the truth, I think he was trying to tell me that I was a nerd as well."
"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. He was probably just still confused." Atem shook his head.
"You should have hard it, Solomon. He was putting everything down. He had an insult for everything. I don't think he's confused anymore, I think he doesn't want to remember!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because he wouldn't work with me!" Atem started to hyperventilate now. "Every time I tried to help, he refused it! He insulted me, and made smart-ass comments on everything! He won't be the same person anymore. Yugi has lost himself in his amnesia." A few tears started to flow down Atem's face in his hysteria. "I spent the whole day trying to look for my little Yugi … but instead, I was stuck with that … that brat!" Solomon was a little confused.
"What do you mean looking for Yugi? He was with you the whole time."
"No, I mean my Yugi. The one I know so well … the one who's innocence, light, purity and creativity I cherish so much … But instead, I had him; that twisted, sarcastic smart-ass!"
"Calm down, Atem."
"No, I will not calm down! I want Yugi back! I miss him, not this empty shell that he left behind when he was hit!" The Pharaoh stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I need to get some air." He swiftly opened the door and slammed it behind them. Solomon watched him leave and then sighed as he stood up and went back to the game shop. Neither of them knew that the whole conversation had been heard from the stairs …
End of Chapter