Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. I have to apologize for my bad mastery of the English language and any grammar or characterization mistakes that may appear. I'm doing this story just for training and fun, so I hope you enjoy it anyway. ;)
Note: This story takes place while the Kaiba brothers are still in the orphanage. Yugi and his Grandpa were only there to visit.
No more talking, you can read now.
The day was hot.
Unbearably hot.
Seto was a person who normally didn't mind the weather. But God, he was devouring the small popsicle that they distributed to the children of his age as if it was the last thing he would ever eat.
His brother Mokuba was playing with one of the smaller boys, but the other kid wasn't wearing the orphanage uniform, so Seto assumed it was a visitor. He hated visitors. Always thinking that they're bigger and better just because they never had to spend a day in this hell.
No, life in the orphanage wasn't that bad. But he was accustomed to his easy, happy and fun life in his parent's mansion. Living in a place with such low class people, bedrooms and food disgusted him(1). In addition to the bullies who tried to hurt his brother, the stupid visitors and the adults who refused to want to adopt Mokuba along with him. He and his brother were a package deal. No one will ever separate him from the last family he has. No one.
"Nii-sama!"
Looking up, Seto stopped nibbling his popsicle stick when instead of seeing his little brother's gray eyes, his gaze met two violet orbs shining with joy. With a smile, the ridiculous-haired visitor nodded to him happily.
"Who is it?" He growled at Mokuba, who was holding the hand of the older kid timidly.
"Umm ... Yugi-san. He came to visit." Murmured the younger, quickly adding: "He showed me this super cool game that his grandfather found in Egypt! It even has this weird riddle written in it's box! Yugi-san said that no one was able to solve it in more than three thousand years!"
"I'm still trying." Said the tricolor haired boy with a timid smile.
Seto's eyes widened with interest. "How is it?" He muttered, getting up from his place at the orphanage's stone staircase rung. Looking around, he motioned for his brother and Yugi to follow him, and took them to the room that he and Mokuba shared with five other boys. He hated sharing.
"Tell me about this game." Seto said, trying to keep a cheerful smile from his face, without much success. He really loved games, but he and Mokie didn't have many opportunities or time to play over here, at the orphanage.
Yugi hesitantly sat on the bed, and when none of the other boys complained, he began: "Well, my grandpa found it a long time ago. Before I was even born! In one of his trips to Egypt, he went into a tomb and disarmed several frightening traps in order to get ... "The amentist eyed boy paused to muss his small backpack.
"...this."
The eyes of both young children brightened at the sight of the golden box, which was shining with the scorching rays of light falling through the open window. Seto approached, his fingers tingling with a urge to grab the gold ark.
"Can you guys see these funny symbols here?" Yugi said, pointing the various hieroglyphics carved in gold. Both boys nodded in confirmation.
"My grandfather said that they mean: 'To the one that owns me, I will give dark wisdom and strength', but it's a very rough translation. It could also mean 'To the one that controls me' or 'To the one who solves me', and he could be offering strength and protection rather than wisdom. We still aren't quite sure! " Laughed the violet eyed boy (2).
"Amazing!" Seto was the most impressed. "I can see what kind of game is it?" He continued, sitting in bed. Yugi nodded happily, uncapping the golden box with a loud 'POP!'.
Looking into the container, the brothers were surprised.
"A puzzle?" They said in unison, while Mokuba was much more excited that Seto. He didn't see what's so fun in puzzles, as they were always too easy for him. Mookie quite liked them though.
"It's not just a puzzle. It's The Millennium Puzzle!" Winked the crazy-haired boy.
Smiling, Yugi spreaded the golden pieces on the small bed, and showed the other two boys the only two pieces that were connected among the various pieces of gold. Blushing, he muttered: "Those were the only parts I could attach in two years."
Surprised, the young blue-eyed grabbed several pieces that seemed compatible and tried to attach them, only to find that they actually did not resemble at all. Blinking, he left them aside and took the already assembled piece carefully, and then tried to merge it with some larger pieces without success. The boy looked at the scattered around pieces on the bed with shock, surprise and mild confusion.
"I said it was hard!" Said the purple eyed, smiling.
"Nii-sama! Yugi-san!"
The older boys turned around and widened their eyes at the sight of Mokuba holding a brand new assembled piece of puzzle. "WHAT?!" They shouted.
"It's not that hard!" The little boy said, picking up a few pieces of gold. "You just have to join those who don't look anything like each other and try to attach them! Then they will... will ... hnnnn ..." He frowned as none of his other attempts worked. Striving to not throw the box all over the room, (His parents said that doing these kind of things was pretty impolite after all,) he turned away from the puzzle.
Mokie ruffled his own hair angrily. "But it had worked before! You two were looking! You guys gave me bad luck!" He accused.
Wrinkling his nose, Seto was challenged. Yikes, his little brother and a visitor managed to put together at least one piece of the damn thing. He wasn't going to back down!
The three boys jumped when the deafening alarm indicating snack time sounded all over the walls of the building. Seto hated the noise. It always left him with a headache.
"I'm already going." He warned, rising to leave to the dinning hall. When Mokuba invited Yugi, he took the chance to ask him to take the puzzle with them to the 'recess'. He wanted to try to beat it for as much time as he could, after all, he doubted that Yugi would ever visit again. They never come back. He gave up in the nonsense that was waiting for the return of an outsider a long, long time ago.
After they were all sitting at the usual table of the two brothers with their respective snacks, they had a good talk about game types and gameplays. Seto almost felt bad knowing that Yugi would go away. Almost. His control in the 'emotions area' was improving.
Some older idiots from the orphanage moved behind Yugi's chair and stole his golden box without the younger noticing while he and the two brothers were talking. Seto saw, but was silent. The tricolor haired boy should have been more careful and closed the bag after all. You don't simply let a pure gold object at the mercy of the eyes of anyone.
After they finished eating, Yugi said his goodbye. Mokuba's lips were trembling, but Seto did his best to hide his emotions. The visitor smiled at him and told him to stop biting his lips, since he would come back to visit again.
Lies.
When the sun was setting, the gathering signal sounded and the brothers returned to the room they shared with some stupid brats. Seto waited for the lights go out and his 'roommates' start rumbling before silently get down from the bunk and lift the old window just enough so he could pass.
It was a relatively slow and difficult process considering that the old and worn wood from orphanage creaked at the slightest movements, but at some point in the night Seto squeezed through the hole in the window and left.
He walked through the open courtyard on tiptoe, trying not to make a disgusted face when felt the muddy earth sticking on the soles of his feet. How the other boys could stand getting even dirtier than it was beyond him.
Arriving in one of the courtyard trees, he removed the small stones in his way and thrusted his hand into the hidden hole that was between the roots. His mouth twitched as he tried to find what he wanted from the various items stolen by monkeys from the orphanage and a big smile spreaded across his face as his hand brushed against something rectangular.
Pulling his arm out, he smiled at the pure untainted gold of the ' Millennium Puzzle's ' box shining brightly in the moonlight. After feeling the weight of the box and the old slots with appreciation, the boy with chocolaty hair quietly went back to his room.
It seems that he would have more time left to try to win this game after all.
And then? What do you think? The first chapter was kind of boring, but so are all beginnings, so give me a little more time to improve this story before being a flamer! (Speaking of which, flames will not be accepted.)
1- I believe that Seto was already quite accustomed to the good life he had before, with his parents. Moreover, he lived in a mansion and had only the best quality things. So, I imagine he would have a hard time living in a place like an orphanage, where 99% of things are cheap and shared!
2 I saw several different translations of the 'charade of the Millennium Puzzle', but couldn't decide which one to use. So there you go.
I hope you enjoyed the start of Me, My Brother and our Dark Gluey Friend. Weird name, I know, but it's the best that I've thought of so far. If you like, please leave your comment. I need to know what I can do to improve in both grammar and plotline, and if you are enjoying it! But please be gentle! This is my first fanfic ever!