Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Rending the Veil	By : SangoHuntress1977 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3154 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: YuGiOh and all characters thereof are the sole property of Kazuki Takahashi and all media rightsholders. I am merely a fan borrowing for fun and entertainment and derive no profit therefrom.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Summer slowly passed into autumn, bringing with it crisp winds, high vaults of blue sky and polychromatic leaves falling from gnarled trees. Shorts and tank tops were exchanged for long pants, sweaters and jackets, and sandals for shoes.
Time passed by uneventfully for Yugi and friends as they settled into their adult lives. Honda went to engineering school. In addition to working at the museum, Bakura enrolled in Domino University to study archeology. And of course, Jou continued to wow and amaze his friends by working security at Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land.
Emails came from Anzu, who reported that her study of dance abroad was going well. Evenings were spent gaming online against Jou, Honda, Bakura, Otogi and sometimes even Anzu, when the time difference allowed for it.
With the return of people to school and work, the game shop saw a reduction in business. This was not alarming, as things always went this way. It was why Grandpa was sure to put away as much money as he could from their summer explosion of customers.
Yugi noted with great trepidation that Sugoroku’s occasional coughs were increasing in both frequency and volume.
“Grandpa, you’ve had this cough for months, won’t you please go to the doctor?” Yugi asked as he and Sugoroku worked on setting up a Duel Monsters rack.
“No need *hack* to worry, Yugi. This is part of *cough* getting older,” said Sugoroku dismissively.
“I guess,” said Yugi unhappily as he continued to work while keeping a surreptitious eye on Grandpa.
Suiyobi, Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Yugi was just closing up the game shop for the evening.
SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!
HONK! HONK! HONK!
‘What the…’ Yugi thought as he proceeded to the side door.
Parked out in front of the game shop was a very shiny, very new, decidedly red rag top, behind whose wheel sat none other than Jounouchi.
A startled Yugi unlocked the door and stepped outside, staring in unmitigated awe.
“Hiya, Yuge,” grinned Jou, pleased at his friend’s dropped jaw and wide eyes.
Yugi blinked a couple times before recovering his faculty of speech.
“OK, Jou, who’d you borrow or steal it from?” he asked with a partial smile.
Jou glowered at his friend.
“Dat hurts, Yuge. Dis is the da result a six months bustin’ mah ass fer Kaiba,” Jou explained. “Wanna ride?”
“Uh, just let me finish closing up,” was Yugi’s response.
Not ten minutes later, Jou peeled rubber and they were off, Yugi quickly buckling his belt when he saw Jou’s foot pressing down on that gas pedal.
When they got to the freeway, Jou really put the pedal to the metal, moving them down that road in a red blur. Yugi held onto the armrest with white knuckles. As the car’s speed climbed, Jou shifted into higher gears and they shot forward even faster, seeming to be traveling through time, like Jou’s old Time Wizard card.
Jou pressed the stereo’s power button, causing a heavy metal cacophony to blare through the car’s speakers. Yugi would have jumped out of the car had he not been buckled in. Jou began head banging and screaming along to the lyrics.
Kayobi, Tuesday, November 20, 2001
November brought with it the sharp, cold air of late autumn. The trees were barren now, the earth hard and cold.
Curled up under his thick blanket, Yugi was torn from his dreams as his ears twitched at the loud, raspy sound that seemed to echo throughout the house. As he moved toward wakefulness, his mind supplied the name: coughing. Not the shallow throaty cough that Grandpa had been dealing with for months, but a deep, rattling, rasping cough, the kind that indicated sickness. Grandpa had been coughing occasionally for months now, but never had it sounded this bad.
‘Grandpa?’ he thought, worry making his stomach knot up on itself.
“Cough! Cough! Hack hack hack!” came the disturbing noise from Sugoroku’s room down the hall.
‘Why, why, didn’t I make you go to the doctor before it got this bad?!’ Yugi thought as his skin crawled at the rattling sound.
He jumped out of bed and wasted no time in shedding his PJs and donning his clothes. This done, he dashed downstairs toward the kitchen.
‘Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll take care of you,’ the teen thought as he grabbed a microwaveable breakfast out of the freezer.
Yugi shoved it into the microwave, punched in the time and waited for the two minutes that seemed like an eternity until the microwave dinged. Yugi took the breakfast out and put his own in.
Just in the nick of time too, as he heard the shuffling of slippered feet descending the staircase. Down came Grandpa, moving at the slow, halting gate that had crept upon him of late. Yugi’s heart sank at the sight of Grandpa’s face; normally twinkling violet eyes dull with exhaustion and features pale and wizened with illness.
“Good morning, *hack* Yugi. Ah, you made breakfast then? *cough*” Grandpa asked when he saw everything laid out on the table.
“Morning, Grandpa. Well, the microwave helped,” Yugi said with a weak smile as he sat down.
“Thank you,” said Sugoroku solemnly as he too sat down.
“Thanks for the food,” Grandpa and grandson said in unison before picking up their chopsticks.
After breakfast, Grandpa stood up to go open the shop for the day, but Yugi, having just laid everything in the sink, quickly rushed over and stopped him.
“I’ll run everything today, Grandpa. You go watch TV,” the teen said firmly.
Sugoroku hesitated for a second, but yielded to the determination shining in Yugi’s large eyes.
“Alright, my boy. I’ll *cough* leave everything in your hands,” he said, giving Yugi a brief pat on the shoulder.
Yugi spent the rest of the day running the game shop and emailing back and forth with Jou, Honda and Bakura by way of diversion.
Mokuyobi, Thursday, November 29, 2001
“Cough! Cough! HACK HACK HACK!”
Yugi winced at the sound. Over the past ten days, Grandpa’s coughs had grown louder and more rattly, his breathing much more labored, the very sound making Yugi’s skin crawl and his blood run cold. As of yet, the stubborn senior had refused to visit the doctor.
“Grandpa, do you want me to call 119?” the teen asked anxiously.
A pale and drawn Sugoroku managed a tight smile for his grandson’s benefit.
“I’m fine, my boy. Nothing a *cough* good night’s rest won’t cure,” was his response.
“That’s what you’ve said for the past two weeks,” the young man pointed out.
“Why don’t we play Duel Monsters?!” Sugoroku piped up suddenly. “We haven’t done that in ages.”
“Alright. Let me get my cards,” responded Yugi, suddenly distracted from his worry by the prospect of playing his old favorite game with Grandpa.
Sugoroku watched Yugi’s back disappear up the staircase, glad that he was still able to distract the young man from too many worries via the prospect of a game.
Yugi brought down his deck and met Grandpa at the kitchen table, where they faced off.
“I use Brain Control *cough* to take control of your Black Magician card,” declared Grandpa, playing the card, which forced Yugi to hand the Black Magician card across the table. “Black Magician launches *cough* a direct attack on your life points, dropping you to zero! That doesn’t set well, *hack* an old codger like me beating the world champion.”
"You got lucky, Grandpa. I’ll get you next round for sure,” smiled Yugi as he prepared to cut and shuffle Grandpa’s deck.
He was surprised when Sugoroku shook his head and pulled his deck from the table.
“Later, Yugi. I’m afraid *cough* it’s all I can do to keep my eyes *hack* open,“ said Sugoroku as he rose from the table. “I’m gonna *hack* go lie down for a bit.”
Yugi blinked. Grandpa had never postponed a rematch between them unless something important was afoot.
‘Grandpa?’ he thought as he watched Sugoroku shuffle out of the room.
He never even realized that Sugoroku still had the Black Magician in his deck.
That evening…
As Yugi sat at his desk, surfing the Web on his computer and replying to Anzu’s latest email on his phone, the sound of Grandpa’s hoarse coughing assaulted his ears, muffled not one iota by the walls that separated them.
blackmage: Grandpa’s coughing’s gotten a lot worse lately. It’s starting to worry me.
Yugi tapped Send, then set his phone down and turned his attention to his computer, where he pointed Netscape toward Industrial Illusions’ site, which was promoting the newest Duel Monsters cards.
Half an hour later, the phone vibrated, distracting Yugi’s attention from a game he was currently engrossed in.
dancingqueen: Try giving your Grandpa some hot ginger tea and chicken soup. Should soothe his throat.
Yugi’s eyes brightened. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought if that?
blackmage: Great idea. Thanks, Anzu!
Yugi jumped up from his chair, raced down the staircase and headed to the kitchen to heat up tea and soup for his grandpa.
The tea and soup were easily heated and soon ready for consumption. Yugi put them carefully on a tray and turned to go to Grandpa’s room.
Just as Yugi was about to reach the staircase, he saw Grandpa come stumbling down, clutching at his chest. Violet eyes met violet eyes and Yugi felt his heart freeze in his chest.
“Can't… breathe…” was all Grandpa managed to get out.
Tears of panic welling in his eyes, Yugi let the tray he was carrying drop to the floor with a crash, sending glass, porcelain and liquids spraying all over the place. Heedless of the mess, the teen made a mad dash to catch Grandpa from passing out on the slippery floor. Bearing the heavier man’s weight as best he could, Yugi guided Sugoroku over to the table and helped him to sit. This done, he leapt over the mess to the kitchen phone and dialed 119.
"What is your emergency?” the operator’s voice droned over the phone.
“Please send an ambulance to the Kame Game Shop! My grandpa’s having trouble breathing!” Yugi replied, voice made higher than usual due to hysterics.
“An ambulance has been dispatched. Please remain on the line,” the operator droned again.
While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Yugi pulled out his cell phone and emailed Jou and Honda about his grandpa, desperately needing someone to talk to.
Bzzzz!
W4rDoG: hang on pal cmn ovr
blackmage: Thanks.
Buzzz.
ninja_zx6r: Be right there.
“Hang on, Grandpa! Help’s on the way,” Yugi said, trying to sound strong and reassuring.
As he watched his sole relative and caretaker gasp for oxygen, sweat pouring down rapidly bluing skin, Yugi felt anything but.
“Yu… gi… I… *gasp* *choke*” Sugoroku’s eyes rolled back in their sockets and he slumped forward against the table.
“Grandpa!!!!!” Yugi screamed, tears coursing freely down his cheeks as he shook Sugoroku’s shoulder, trying desperately to revive him.
The minutes dragged by interminably.
“I have to go! I have to be with him!” Yugi screamed hysterically as he was held back by Jou and Honda as the unconscious Sugoroku was loaded into the ambulance, as family members weren’t permitted onboard the vehicle.
“Yugi, you have to let the hospital work on your grandpa! There’s nothing you can do for him and you’d only be in the way if you went!” Honda tried to reason.
“C'mon wit’ us, Yug. We kin run all da way dere,” offered Jou.
“Or we could take your car like normal people, blockhead,” said Honda, pointing to the red convertible.
“Oh, yeah. I keep fergettin’ I got dat,” grinned Jou.
“Let’s just go!” fumed Honda, grabbing Jou by the collar of his coat and dragging him bodily over to the car, Yugi trailing miserably behind them.
While Jou and Honda fumbled around with the keys, Yugi moved like an automaton, climbing into the backseat and buckling up.
Jou started the car and they were off. All through the ride to the hospital, Yugi was stone silent, staring out the window without actually seeing anything. All he could think of was his grandfather, gasping desperately for air before collapsing.
‘Why didn’t I do whatever I could to get him to the doctor, even if I had to drag him in?!’ he thought wretchedly as they sped along behind the wailing ambulance.
Domino General Hospital
The hospital doors slid open as the three young men stepped in. Poor Yugi was trembling so badly that it was Honda who stepped up to the desk.
“Where is Mutou Sugoroku? His grandson is here to see him,” Honda asked shortly.
"Mutou Sugoroku... He's in emergency right now. If you go all the way down the hall and turn right, you'll find a waiting room. A doctor will tell you when he's to be moved to a room," the nurse answered.
"Thanks," replied Honda with a bow.
The three young men made their way down the corridor toward the emergency waiting room. To Yugi, each step forward seemed to make the end of the corridor recede farther away.
When they arrived, Yugi was shaking so badly that Jou stepped into the breach.
"We's here waitin' fer word on Mutou Sugoroku. Dat's his grandson Yugi right dere," Jou explained.
"If you'll just have a seat, a doctor will be out shortly to discuss Mutou-san's diagnosis and treatment with you," the nurse replied.
"C'mon, man. Let's take a load off," Honda suggested softly to Yugi, who could only nod in response.
Honda and Jou slumped down in chairs while Yugi sank onto the one between them. It took all his self control to keep from bursting into tears and running off looking for his grandfather.
"He'll ok, Yuge. Yer Gramps's one a da toughest ol' people I know," said Jou softly.
Yugi nodded mutely.
"Yeah. He'll get through this and you and him'll have your Christmas movie marathon like always," comforted Honda.
"Y-Yeah," was all Yugi was able to articulate.
After two hours, which felt like an eternity, Yugi looked up when he heard his name being called.
"Mutou-san?"
Yugi immediately jumped to his feet and went tearing over to the waiting doctor.
“Your grandfather has a severe case of pneumonia, likely brought on by exhaustion and the cold weather. He’s being moved to a room in the east wing as we speak…”
The doctor’s words rang loudly in Yugi’s ears and he could only nod vaguely as the room number and directions were given.
“Th-Thank you…” he choked as he bowed mechanically before he and his friends departed.
After receiving directions, the young men headed to the elevator and took it up three floors. As the elevator climbed, Yugi’s heart sank. After wending their way through the corridors, they found Sugoroku’s room.
“We’ll be right outside,” reassured Honda.
“It’ll be OK, man,” said Jou.
With a mute nod, Yugi squared his shoulders and walked into the dimly lit room.
Mutou Sugoroku lay on the hospital bed, oxygen mask strapped over his mouth and nose, helping him to breathe more easily. An IV drip delivered saline solution into his blood and a heart monitor beeped in time with his heartbeat, sounding very slow to Yugi’s ears.
Sugoroku’s eyes, hazed over from the lingering sedative, cracked open at the sound of footsteps on the linoleum floor and he managed a weak smile when he saw his grandson, whose eyes sparkled with worry and new, unshed tears.
“Grand… pa?” Yugi said in a small voice.
“I’m… alright, Yugi,” Sugoroku responded.
With a sob, Yugi leapt forward and threw his arms around his grandpa’s body, burying his face in Grandpa’s gown and sobbing uncontrollably. For the moment, he forgot that he was a strong 18-year-old young man and allowed himself to be 15 again.
Sugoroku returned the hug with his free right arm, gently patting the young man’s back, hoping to soothe him.
Yugi’s muffled sobs carried through the doorway and hit Honda and Jou’s ears. The two young men exchanged a grim look. With nothing else to say or do, they took a seat on a nearby couch to wait for their friend.
After a few minutes, Yugi was able to compose himself and sat up a bit, regarding Grandpa through puffy, bloodshot eyes. The teenager took Grandpa’s hand between his own and squeezed. Grandpa’s hand was so cold, as if all the life had been drained from it!
“Grandpa, I’m so sorry,” Yugi sobbed. “I should’ve tried harder to get you to go the doctor.”
“No, Yugi,” said Sugoroku. “This is… on me. Guess it was just… my stubborn pride… that got me in here. Don’t you… worry about it.”
“How can I not worry? You’re all the family I’ve got,” Yugi said even as he tried to rein in his sobs.
“Yugi, the only… thing I want you… to worry about… is doing your work well… and enjoying yourself,” said Sugoroku.
“Grandpa, I…”
“Promise me, Yugi… that you’ll run the shop… in my place tomorrow and play Duel… Monsters with your friends,” said Sugoroku, squeezing Yugi’s hand.
“OK, Grandpa… I promise,” sniffled Yugi, returning the squeeze.
“Good. Now… how about… letting an old man… get some rest?” asked Sugoroku, eyelids beginning to fall shut.
“See you tomorrow, Grandpa,” said Yugi softly.
Yugi emerged from the room and looked up at Jou and Honda with blank, bloodshot eyes, utterly spent from crying. At the dull gaze from their normally upbeat friend, Honda and Jou had to suppress the shiver that went down their spines. The two young men rose, stood on either side of Yugi and walked the heartbroken teen from the hospital and back to the car for the silent ride home.
Kame Game Shop
Yugi locked the door behind him and stepped out of his boots before stepping up into the kitchen. Right away, his eyes fell on the shattered glass and porcelain, not to mention the now dried up tea and congealed broth.
‘Better clean that up. Grandpa won’t be happy to see it,’ the young man thought to himself as he retrieved the broom and dustpan.
Yugi swept all the shards of glass and porcelain he could into the dustpan. It was an onerous chore, as there always seemed to be more hiding nearby. Finally though, Yugi saw no more shards.
After dumping the shards into the garbage, Yugi retrieved the bucket, filled it with hot water and bleach, and set to work, mopping up the dried-up liquids. By the time he was done with this chore, Yugi felt tired, discouraged and sore all over.
After putting everything away, Yugi retreated upstairs, retrieved his pajamas, then went to the shower room for a shower and long, hot bath.
Yugi sat in the bathtub, grateful for the very hot water that helped to chase away the aches and pains of the day, both physical and emotional. After ducking his head under the water and coming back up for breath, Yugi lay back and enjoyed the warm, humid scent of the bath water.
Later, in the solitude of his room, Yugi sat at his desk, listening to the empty silence that now permeated the house and shop, instead of just his own mental spheres. Normally, at this time, he would have heard Grandpa’s voice downstairs, humming absently to himself. Now, the nothingness reached his eardrums and mocked his worry.
Desperate for a distraction, Yugi loaded UT. Dog of War was online as he was every evening. However, this evening, Yugi was too upset and distracted to mount any kind of attack and was fragged again and again until, near tears, he said a quick goodbye and exited the game.
Over the next two weeks, Yugi managed the game shop alone, running on autopilot with practiced ease. Just smile blankly at the customers, help them find what they wanted, ring them up, wash, rinse, repeat.
In the evenings, Jou and Honda would pull up to take Yugi to the hospital. On the few evenings without classes or work at the museum, Bakura was able to make his way over with them.
Yugi pushed the shopping cart before him. Even if Grandpa was in the hospital and he was in a constant state of worry, the fridge still needed to be stocked. Normally, Grandpa did the shopping and brought home all kinds of good food that he could make into any number of tasty dishes.
Yugi, on the other hand, might as well be trying to read cuneiform when he looked at a recipe book. A crackerjack gamer he might be, but the culinary arts left him flummoxed, to say the least.
So, instead of all the different foods Grandpa usually bought, Yugi went straight for the chips, crackers, cookies, candy and pop, all the good stuff that needed no preparation at all. Just rip open the bag and eat. That was more Yugi’s speed.
When he got home, Yugi put the two bags of junk food on the counter, grabbed a bag of Smoked Bacon Doritos and a bottle of Mountain Dew. In the living room, he tossed a DVD into the player and spent the evening mindlessly watching a movie while crunching Doritos and guzzling pop.
Getsuyobi, Monday, December 10, 2001
Domino General Hospital
Yugi entered the room and saw Sugoroku’s dazed eyes on him. The old man managed a wan smile, which Yugi was barely able to return as he approached the bed. He took Grandpa’s hand in his own and shivered at how cold and clammy it felt.
“Yugi, I’m… so… sorry,” Sugoroku struggled to breathe as he spoke from behind the oxygen mask.
“Don’t try to talk, Grandpa,” Yugi reprimanded gently, desperately trying to quell the storm of emotion threatening once again, to inundate him.
“You’re so young…” Sugoroku plowed on, looking at his grandson’s tear-stained face sadly. “But you’ve done such a good job running the game shop, I know you’ll be able to carry on…”
“Don’t say that!” cried Yugi, locking gazes with Grandpa. “You still owe me that rematch. The doctors will get you well and you’ll be home in time for our annual Christmas Eve movie marathon.”
Sugoroku smiled weakly.
“Yes, Yugi. I’ll be going home very soon,” he said, giving his grandson’s warm hand a squeeze.
Yugi emerged from Sugoroku’s room after the old man had fallen asleep, labored breathing eased only slightly by the oxygen mask. Large violet eyes were red rimmed, indicating that he had been crying. Yugi’s whole demeanor was so fragile that he looked like a breath of wind might shatter him.
Bakura’s heart smote him at the sight of Yugi in such a state. Well could he remember the anguish he had felt when he had watched his mother and little sister slip away days after a horrific car wreck. He had never been the same since. The silver haired teen rose from the bench and approached Yugi.
“Jou and Honda went to the cafeteria. They’ll be back soon,” he explained softly.
Yugi merely nodded.
“How is he?” Bakura asked.
“Pretty… bad. He has to stop… talking to breathe… so much now,” Yugi’s voice wavered, his whole being suddenly shaking.
Bakura took Yugi by the hand and gently led him into the meditation room, a softly lit room with pretty pictures on the walls, a solace for the relatives of the worst off patients.
He wasn’t surprised when he saw Yugi’s shoulders begin to shake and hear the hitching breath from the smaller man. The silver haired teen wrapped his arms around Yugi’s shoulders and held him close until the storm passed.
After a few minutes, Yugi was able to get control of himself and pulled back, revealing a flushed, tearstained face.
“S-sorry,” he said awkwardly.
Bakura shook his head.
“It’s only natural.”
Yugi nodded.
“We’re back! Yugi, Bakura, where are ya?” called Jou’s voice from the hall.
“We brought snacks,” came Honda’s voice.
“Let’s go to them before they tear up the hospital looking for us,” joked Bakura. “And try to eat something too.”
“OK,” sniffled Yugi as he and Bakura exited the room together.
Late in the evening, the sun having set long ago, Yugi sat on the couch, looking at the TV screen without watching as he absently crunched Sausage Doritos and guzzled Mountain Dew. His visit with Grandpa at the hospital had been much the same as it had for the past week and a half. Grandpa’s hands were icy cold, his breathing didn’t seem to be improving at all and he had fallen asleep after only half an hour.
‘Please get better, Grandpa,’ Yugi thought as he shifted uncomfortably. ‘The game shop needs you.’
His train of thought was derailed by a knock at the side door, causing him to look up warily.
‘Who could it be this late?’ he thought as he hesitantly stood up and went for the door.
Outside the window, Yugi spotted a middle aged man with intelligent brown eyes and a full brown beard, carrying a bag with him. Yugi blinked. He thought he recognized the man’s face, but couldn’t put down where. Since the man seemed quasi-familiar, Yugi unlocked and opened the door for him.
“Sorry to intrude so late, Yugi. But I’ve brought a package for you, which I thought couldn’t wait another minute,” said the man, holding up the package in his hands.
“Sorry. Do I know you?” Yugi asked, a bit put off by the man’s use of his personal name.
“Ha ha! Of course! How rude of me! I can’t expect you to remember me. It’s been a few years. I’m your grandpa’s friend, Professor Yoshimori. We met at the Domino City Museum, when you lent us your Puzzle to display for the day,” explained Yoshimori-sensei.
Yugi’s mind turned back to that day: looking at several ancient artifacts, waiting anxiously outside the museum until it closed, then his crazy first meeting with Shadi in the museum when he went to get the Puzzle.
“Oh, yeah… I remember you now. Uh, how have you been?” Yugi inquired politely as he stood aside to admit the professor in from the cold.
“I’ve been alright. How are you and your grandpa? I haven’t been able to keep in touch,” asked Yoshimori, looking around the room.
Yugi’s eyes dimmed with sadness and his countenance fell. Yoshimori noticed the change in the younger man.
“Did something happen?” he inquired softly.
“Grandpa’s in the hospital with pneumonia,” Yugi explained in a tight voice, barely able to keep from breaking into sobs.
Yoshimori stopped and closed his eyes, digesting the news. He opened them again and tried to smile for Yugi’s benefit.
“I’m sure he’ll be alright. Sugoroku is very tough,” he said softly.
Yugi nodded.
At this, Yoshimori remembered the small package in his arms, which he held out for Yugi.
“Here,” he said.
Eyes widening with curiosity, Yugi took the package. As he looked down at it, he finally remembered the letter writing back and forth between himself, the professor, and Isis.
“This is…” he said breathlessly as he began tearing at the box.
Yugi pulled a newly published university history book out of the box, smelling so fresh that it had likely arrived straight from the publisher.
“Open it to page 200,” said Yoshimori with a twinkle in his eye.
Yugi opened the book to that page and saw in black and white on the pages: Pharaoh Atem in place of the Nameless Pharaoh. His eyes filled with tears, which he rapidly blinked back.
“Professor, thank you so much!” he cried in a choked voice.
“No thanks are needed. This all came about because of your and Isis’ devotion to the ancient pharaoh that history had long overlooked. Now his name is enshrined alongside the names Tutankhamun, Ramses and Amenhotep,” said Yoshimori. “Show it to your Grandpa in the hospital. He’ll get a kick out of it.”
“I will!” said Yugi brightly. “Wouldja like some tea or anything?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I have to get to the university early tomorrow,” declined the professor, bowing politely.
“Well, alright. Thanks for this!” said Yugi, caressing the book.
“Take care now,” said Yoshimori, beating his retreat from the game shop.
Yugi read and re-read the book, gazing in wonder at Atem’s name in black and white
‘I did it, Grandpa. I got my Other Self’s name in the history books, where it belongs!’ he thought joyfully.
Kayobi, Tuesday, December 11, 2002
Yugi rose to a gray sky that morning, fat snowflakes falling gently and silently to the ground, covering everything in a cold, soft white blanket. His eyes shifted over to the history book reposing on his desk and brightened just a fraction.
‘Grandpa will be thrilled when I show him my Other Self’s name in this book. It’s what we’ve both wanted. I’m sure he’ll get better after he sees this,’ Yugi thought hopefully as he softly caressed the book’s cover with his fingertips.
Book under his arm, Yugi made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a bag of Steak Doritos, he pulled it open and fished out a chip. The bottle of Mountain Dew was opened and Yugi took a swig, grateful for the feeling of the caffeine surging through his body.
Breakfast finished, Yugi was about to proceed to the door to unlock the shop for the day, when the phone rang. Jumping a bit at the sharp sound, he eyed the phone as warily as if it were a pit viper, coiled up to strike him. A call to the house phone this early in the day was seldom a happy portent.
“Hello?” he spoke in a tremulous voice as he picked up the phone.
“Am I speaking with Mutou Yugi?” came a voice that Yugi did not recognize.
“That’s me,” Yugi replied, swallowing around the lump that was suddenly bulging in his esophagus.
“This is Domino General Hospital. We regret to inform you that your grandfather took a turn for the worst last night. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and he has just passed away. We are sorry for your loss…”
THUD!
This as Yugi dropped the handset carelessly just before his legs gave out under him and he sank to the floor. Grandpa was dead! How could this be? He was supposed to get well and come home again! He had promised! Grandpa was dead, dead, dead!
Yugi’s body curled up in a ball as he raked his fingers through his spiky hair. A keening sound bubbled up from the back of his throat, growing, growing, until it exploded.
“UUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” Yugi screamed into the floor, open palms slapping the tile over and over again, body shaking as hot tears poured down his cheeks.
‘Grandpa! Grandpa, no, no, no!’
How long Yugi stayed thus, with only the hum of the dial tone in the background, he wasn’t sure. Finally though, his brain did kick back into something of a working order. He had to get to the hospital, had to… Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Yugi flipped it open and emailed Jou.
blackmage: Please can you give me a ride to the hospital? They said my grandpa just died…
Yugi flipped the phone shut and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the back of his hand across his face as he did so. After replacing the house phone in its cradle, Yugi made his way over to the coat rack to retrieve his coat. Just as he was stepping down into his boots, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Yugi opened the phone up to reveal the message.
W4rDoG: hng on yugi b thr n a hot minut
Yugi managed the tiniest of smiles as he tapped out a reply:
blackmage: Thank you.
Yugi was quiet all during the ride up to the hospital, absently watching the scenery wizz by. All too soon, he saw the familiar and dreaded sign: Domino General Hospital.
After parking the car, the four young men made their way through the snowflakes which flew in a thick torrent in the biting December air, grateful when the warm air of the hospital hit them after the doors closed behind them.
Together, the four friends made their way upstairs to Grandpa’s room, their hearts knotting with dread.
“We’ll be right here,” Bakura said softly to Yugi.
With a nod, Yugi looked to Honda, who offered a small smile and nod in response, then to Jou, who gave his shoulder a quick pat of encouragement.
Steeling his heart for what was to come, Yugi squared his shoulders and, looking straight ahead, opened the door and walked in.
The room was dim, lit only by the gray light from the cloudy sky outside. The smell was the same one of antiseptic, illness and now… death.
Yugi forced himself to approach the bed and look at what had once been his grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku. Yugi’s gaze raked over pale, wizened features, jaw unhinged widely in the eternal sleep. His chest, which for two weeks had risen and fallen as he gasped for oxygen, was now still.
Hesitantly, Yugi touched his grandfather’s hand, only to snap his own hand back. Repugnant coldness, like a block of ice! As he stared into Grandpa’s still face, Yugi beheld the seal of the Great Presence. Tears cascading from his eyes, Yugi lowered his head and sobbed brokenly. What would he do now?
With these grim thoughts swirling in his mind, the teenager defiantly wiped the tears from his cheeks, turned and blundered away from the sickening sight. He was alone in the world now, utterly alone.
Yugi exited the dark room into the brighter hallway. There were Jou, Honda and Bakura, standing, talking quietly amongst themselves, no doubt about him. Upon seeing Yugi, they stopped talking and fell in silently, surrounding the downcast figure who walked between them in a protective circle, and marched grimly from the hospital.
Kame Game Shop
Yugi turned the key, unlocking the side door and admitting himself and the others into the genkan, where they all stepped out of their snow-caked footwear and up into the house proper. The four silently hung up their coats and other winter gear.
“I’ll get a space heater…” said Yugi absently.
“Here now, what’s this?” asked Bakura, noting the history book on the table.
“What’s what?” said Yugi absently, until his eyes fell on the book, which rekindled his memory. “Oh, just look on page 200…”
Bakura flipped the book to that page, brown eyes widening at the sight of the Pharaoh’s name in print.
“Jou, Honda, come and look!” Bakura said happily.
Jou and Honda craned their necks on either side of Bakura and read the Pharaoh’s name.
“Son of a bitch!” said Jou happily.
“Wow! That’s cool,” said Honda.
“Yugi’s way of honoring the Pharaoh,” mused Bakura.
Just then, Yugi came back with the space heater, which he turned on to warm up the kitchen.
“I’ll make us some coffee,” volunteered Honda, drawing dubious looks from the other three. “Don’t worry. I know how to make a good brew. I was always making it for my sister until she moved out.”
Coffee mugs warming their hands, the four young men poured over the pages of the book, marveling at seeing their departed friend’s name acknowledged in history.
By an unspoken agreement among themselves, Honda took the couch, Bakura stayed in the guestroom and Jou stretched out in a futon on the floor of Yugi’s room for that first awful night’s vigil in the game shop.
In the living room, Honda attempted to distract himself by watching TV with the volume low. He flipped through the channels several times before concluding that there was nothing of any value on, shutting the TV off and casting the remote aside in annoyance.
In the guestroom, Bakura lay on his side, hearing Yugi’s muffled sobs across the hallway. His heart ached as his mind turned back to his own loss.
‘Yugi, I know you feel all alone right now, but remember you have all of us with you,’ the doe-eyed teen thought as he closed his eyes to try to sleep.
In the silent darkness of Yugi’s room, Jou heard the muffled sobs of the young man lying in his bed, trying desperately to swallow his tears.
Blinking rapidly, Jou dismissed the noisome moisture that invaded his own eyes as he listened to his friend’s heartbreak.
‘Poor guy. He dun deserve dis,’ Jou thought sadly as he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Rending the Veil