"Yuugi-kun! Time for breakfast!"
There was only one reason why Yuugi would never need an alarm clock: his mother. Mutou Kyoko was as strict and precise as one, when it concered her son. She could be a little scatter-brained about everything else and Yuugi got away with a lot, but not when it came to school.
Groaning, Yuugi rolled over and promptly fell out of his bed. One day, he would learn that his bed was small, almost as small as himself, not the king size one with all the fluffy pillows and stuffed animals and plushies he'd been dreaming of. With a blush on his cheeks, Yuugi traipsed to the bathroom and stifled a yawn. Before he could cross the hallway, his mother was waiting for him, arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Hurry up, Yuugi-kun!" Her voice was affectionate and she ruffled his hair in passing. He muttered something about leaving his hair alone, to which his mother replied with a far too cheerful 'Be sure to brush your teeth real good!'.
"Good morning, jii-chan," Yuugi yawned again as he took his seat at the breakfast table. His grandfather looked at him over his newspaper, frowning slightly.
"Have you been staying up late again?" he asked.
"It's because of that puzzle," Yuugi's mother immediately butted in. "You should never have given him that golden box. Now he's not paying enough attention to his homework just because he wants to solve that darn riddle!"
"Is that true, Yuugi?"
"Sorry jii-chan, I just can't help myself." Yuugi turned red. "You told me that no one had been able to solve it before, and I'm making good progress, really!"
"Yuugi, you've been working on that thing for what… eight years already," the elderly man sighed. "I agree with your mother: homework is more important than games and riddles, you know that."
"I know," Yuugi said, ashamed. He hoped his mother wouldn't go through his backpack. As usual, he had brought some games with him, to keep him company during recess at school. He didn't have friends, and working on that mysterious golden puzzle had kept him occupied for many lonely hours. He had found it on a shelf in the storage room of his grandfather's GameShop, covered in dust, and ever since jii-chan had told him he could have it, Yuugi had been trying to solve it.
His mother poured him a glass of orange juice. "No gloomy faces in the early morning," she said, "here, drink up and finish your breakfast. Then get your coat and get ready for school!"
As always, nobody but the bullies noticed him at Domino High. Yuugi walked slowly, carefully avoiding anyone who could get him into trouble. It hadn't been long since he'd been beaten up by Ushio, and he didn't want that to happen again. Ushio was as huge and broad as a skyscraper, and even Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto, bullies from Yuugi's class, were afraid of the extremely tall boy. Yuugi heaved a mental sigh when he safely reached his classroom. He slipped inside and quickly sat behind his desk. Safe!
"Good morning, Yuugi," a warm female voice reached his ears not a few seconds later.
"Good morning, Anzu," he greeted the girl. Mazaki Anzu was the first girl, and the first person, to act friendly to him, not superficial-friendly, but genuinely-interested-friendly. He had been crushing on her right away, absorbing her kindness and friendship as he was used to being bullied. He wasn't used to being treated like a real person, and Anzu had made him feel less insecure. He didn't know if she was returning any of his feelings - his own self deprecation made him think he wouldn't stand a chance anyway - but he was more than content to have her as a friend in his life.
"You must be pretty excited about the upcoming CapMon tournament," she said as she sat on the corner of his desk. With the grace of a ballerina she kept herself perfectly in balance, not tipping the desk over at all. Yuugi nodded, a smile on his face. Capsule Monsters, CapMon for short, was a popular game and tournaments were held at regular intervals. Growing up with games all around him, it had been easy for Yuugi to figure out the right strategy to win most of the local CapMon tournaments.
"I can't wait," he said. "Jii-chan hung the posters up just yesterday, and he expects more people to sign up today!"
"I don't know why they even bother," Anzu winked, "as long as you're competing, they know they won't win!"
"That's not true, Anzu," Yuugi said and willed his blush to disappear. "I can't win all the time."
"No, you can't," a harsher, male voice startled them both. "It's time that a real man wins the tournament, not a nerd-midget like you!"
"Don't be such a bully, Jounouchi Katsuya," Anzu scolded her classmate. "It doesn't make you popular, you know!"
He snorted. "Who's talking about being popular? I'm talking about winners!"
Automatically, Yuugi tried to make himself smaller in his seat, if possible. Jounouchi was a notorious bully, and where he was, his friend Honda Hiroto wasn't far behind. They always seemed to get into trouble, fighting and pestering other kids. Yuugi hated fighting.
"Have you signed up already, Jounouchi-kun?" He asked, voice soft.
"Of course!" Honda answered for his friend, slapping him on the back. "We both signed up. There's a nice amount of money to be won!"
"Money?" Anzu looked confused.
"It's the first CapMon tournament that offers prize money," Yuugi elaborated. "The first prize is sixty thousand yen."
"I can't imagine how many hamburgers I can buy with that," Jounouchi said, rubbing over his stomach.
"Or how many presents I can buy for my Miho-chan," Honda said, leering at the girl who was seated a few rows away from him, chatting with her friends, a conspicuous yellow ribbon tied in her long hair.
"Presents? You're not going to win, I'm going to win!" Jounouchi shook his fist at his friend.
"You're both not winning if Yuugi participates," Anzu said firmly and hopped off the desk as the class was about to begin. Honda and Jounouchi snorted in unison, disdain clearly visible in their eyes. Yuugi winced again. They finally moved away to take their own seats, but Anzu idled.
"You know, in this tournament there's an option to play as a team," she said.
"Do you want to play CapMon in a team with me?" Yuugi blurted out.
Anzu smiled, but shook her head. "I'm not good at playing games, you know that," she said, "but maybe there's someone else who can team up with you?" She hurried to her seat as the sensei stepped into the classroom. The students rose to honor their sensei with the customary bow.
"Be seated." The sensei waited until everyone was seated. Yuugi didn't pay much attention. How he wished he could team up with Anzu, playing CapMon together and winning the tournament… too bad she wasn't into gaming! Maybe there's someone else who can team up with you… She knew better, didn't she? Yuugi pouted. If only… suddenly, he realized the class hadn't started yet. The sensei was still talking, introducing a new transfer student. Yuugi's eyes widened. A transfer student… again? They recently had welcomed Bakura Ryou in their class, Yuugi had forgotten which prefect he was from, but two transfer students in such a short time was completely unprecedented.
Curiously, Yuugi craned his neck to see who was standing next to his sensei. He wasn't as tall as his classmate in front of him, so he had to really stretch and - Yuugi gasped. The new transfer student… was him. If it weren't for the golden tan and the slightly wilder hair, he was an exact copy of Yuugi, and he was sure he wasn't the only one whose jaw went slack. A few classmates turned their head around to gauge Yuugi's reaction, baffled about their physical similarities. Yuugi swallowed and for a moment he caught the new student's eyes. Fierce red, crimson red, with a confidence, no, with an arrogance that was virtually unmatched.
His earrings, small golden ankh-shaped earrings, made him look even more exotic. The student stared back at the class, not shy at all, unlike Bakura who had been very shy and silent at his introduction. He looked… regal, Yuugi thought, and he was insanely jealous of the other's confidence.
"My name is Atemu Sa-neb-Merire," he said, his voice rich and deep, and with a harsh, almost brusque tone to it. "I am from Cairo, Egypt. My father is a diplomat for cultural affairs and we relocated to Japan recently."
The sensei waited for Atemu to tell something more personal about himself, but when he remained silent, the man cleared his throat.
"Excellent, Merire-san… you may sit down ext to Hanaka-san."
Hanaka Tojiro immediately rose so Atemu knew where to sit, but the latter shot a glare at the sensei for not referring to him with his full last name. The class was silent as Atemu took his seat, as if they were all mesmerized by his movements. Yuugi couldn't help but stare; at the same moment, Atemu looked at him. Caught in the act, Yuugi was taken aback when the narrow, crimson red eyes haughtily took him in and he quickly turned his head around.
If the new transfer student wasn't the topic of conversation, it was general moaning and complaining about the amount of homework and all the projects and papers that had to be finished. The cafeteria was crowded, and Yuugi had managed to find himself a seat next to Anzu and some of her friends, chattering excitedly about the exotic new addition to their class. Yuugi took his bento out of his bag. He usually would eat quietly, listening to Anzu or her friends, and then occupy himself with one of his games for the remaining time of recess.
Anzu nudged his elbow. "You could be twins," she whispered. He didn't have to ask who she was talking about.
"Creepy, huh?" Yuugi whispered in return. He turned his head a little to follow her gaze, straight towards Atemu. He sat alone at a table in the back of the cafeteria and no one had dared to approach him, or sit next to him. It was like he was an island on his own, sitting on a throne with servants waiting on him.
"He must be very lonely," Yuugi said. "He didn't mention any siblings, only his father. I'm sure a diplomat is always away on missions." Just like his own father, who was always away on business.
"He seems rather self-absorbed to me," Anzu said, hesitantly. "He's handsome, but very distant."
Yuugi didn't answer. He was still looking at Atemu who was calmly eating his lunch, every gesture composed and elegant, and it took him a long time to finally answer: "Yes, yes, he is." But he wasn't actually sure to what part of Anzu's comment he was exactly referring to.
"Yuugi…?"
"Yes, jii-chan?" Yuugi turned around on his chair, surprised at seeing his grandfather in the door opening of his bedroom. The elderly man usually didn't climb the stairs all the way to the attic, and when he did, it was often to have a heart-to-heart talk with his grandson. Yuugi saw his serious expression, and a knot tied in his stomach. What did his grandfather have in mind to talk about?
He got up quickly to offer him his chair, and sat down on his bed himself. Yuugi crossed his legs, and curiously looked up at his grandfather. Mutou Sugoroku smiled at him, the love for his grandson obvious.
"Yuugi, I just wanted to ask you something," he said.
"What is it, jii-chan?"
"Is something on your mind? About school, perhaps?" He tilted his head, gauging Yuugi's reaction. "You've been silent lately, almost brooding. Is there something I can help you with..?"
"Jii-chan…" Yuugi lowered his head a little. He hadn't noticed that he had become quiet. He'd been thinking of Atemu a lot lately, the Egyptian transfer student taking up a prominent place in his mind. He didn't know why, as Atemu wasn't friendly to him - or to anyone else in particular - but something was… attracting him to the other. He didn't know what it was. Because of their physical similarities? Or because he thought there had to be more similarities between them, and he wanted to find out? "I don't know, jii-chan."
"Yuugi, you do know you can talk to me about anything, right? Is it about that bully?"
"Yes, yes, I know, and no, it's not about Ushio-san, jii-chan."
"I'm an old man," Mutou Sugoroku said without mockery or sarcasm, "but I want to help my grandson to the best of my abilities. It pains me to see you lonely, Yuugi."
"I'm not feeling lonely," Yuugi immediately protested.
"Maybe it's all my fault." He sighed. "I surrounded you with toys and games, and I was happy to see you play and solve every puzzle I gave you, every riddle I told you… but you ended up alone, without friends… you know how much your mother and I would love it if you brought a friend over from school."
"Anzu is my friend," Yuugi protested once more. He felt a little embarrassed. He had quickly realized who he wanted as a friend, and it confused him even more.
"I know." His grandfather showed a grin. "A very handsome friend…"
"Jii-chan!"
"Sorry, sorry," he muttered, but not too quickly. "But you know what I'm talking about, Yuugi. Do you… feel lonely?"
"Honestly, no, jii-chan," Yuugi answered. "I'm fine. I have you, kaa-san, Anzu…"
"Yes, but the truth is… your mother and I won't be around all the time, and one day, we won't be here at all…"
"Jii-chan!"
"That's just the way it is." Sugoroku heaved a sigh. "I wish you had more friends instead of one, friends who can support you for better or for worse, friends that will help you, love you, care for you…"
Yuugi fell silent. He would love to have friends, but well… as long as the bullies kept targeting him and he didn't have the confidence to stand up against them, playing games felt more comfortable than interacting with other people.
"There's a new transfer student in my class," he heard himself say. "I can ask him if he wants to be my teammate in the CapMon tournament?"
His grandfather's face lit up. "I was wondering why you hadn't signed up yet! That's very kind of you, Yuugi. I'm sure the new student will feel more at home when he's invited by a classmate to play a game together."
Yuugi returned the smile, but he didn't have his grandfather's confidence. He didn't know if Atemu even liked playing games.
"Good morning, Yuugi!"
"Good morning, Anzu!"
Sitting behind his desk, it was the first time that Yuugi didn't have any game or puzzle in front of him. Anzu even looked startled for a moment, not used to see Yuugi without a game. He blushed, but not because of Anzu. When he had gotten up this morning, he had made the firm resolution to talk to Atemu today and ask him to participate in the CapMon tournament. But no matter how firm his resolution, his stomach and knees were weak just at the thought of approaching the Egyptian.
"Everything all right?" Anzu tilted her head slightly, her smile a little wavering. He quickly reassured her that everything was all right and no, he hadn't come across any bullies (which he really hadn't, Yuugi hoped they had lost all interest in him)! His heart made a painful jump when he saw Atemu entering the classroom. As usual, he walked with a firm tred, completely confident, as if he was walking around a royal palace instead of a simple classroom. Yuugi stared at his back, and reddened once more. Anzu was about to say something, but she was cut short by some of her friends who wanted her opinion on the latest cute J-pop star, waving a magazine with his face printed all over the pages around.
During class, Yuugi occupied himself with strategies on how to approach Atemu. The best way to talk to him was during recess, he figured. Atemu sat always alone, and Yuugi could simply ask if he could join him at the table. He wouldn't send him away, would he? Not even Atemu would be that impolite, wouldn't he? He didn't hear a word the sensei was saying, and his hand rested on his pen, not taking any notes while he kept daydreaming. Atemu's golden earrings were complimented perfectly by his tan. A calmness went out of him, an almost comfortable calmness… and Yuugi dreamt on, until he was rudely startled out of his thoughts by the bell.
The students were leaving the classroom, it was recess. Yuugi picked up his book bag, staring at the blank notebook in front of him, realizing that he hadn't written anything down. Groaning, he made a mental note to ask Anzu later; she paid much more attention. For whatever reason, Atemu was still in the classroom, carefully putting books into his bag. The majority of the class had already left - this was a good chance! Yuugi walked up to Atemu, every step weighing heavier on his shoulders. His mouth was dry and a shiver went down his spine. How could this be, Atemu was just another student, he shouldn't feel so strange, he was just going to ask him something…. Yuugi decided to speak up before his courage would totally leave him.
"Atemu-s… Atemu-kun, I would like to ask you something," he managed to say rather fluently, without stammering, even if his voice was much higher pitched than usual. Atemu turned around, searching out the one who had spoken to him; his crimson red eyes widened just a little before narrowing again.
"Yes?" He said.
"Do you like to play games?" Yuugi felt incredibly stupid. He felt so… childish compared to the other, who's height wasn't that much different from Yuugi's. Atemu just looked much taller because he walked up straight, contrary to Yuugi's slouched posture. "You see, there's a CapMon tournament soon and you can play with two people in a team and I thought maybe you liked playing games so we can be a team and play CapMon together," he rattled off, almost forgetting to breathe.
Silence. Atemu stared at him, not responding. Yuugi looked at the floor. He was waiting for the inevitable rejection. At least he would be rejected in the empty classroom, not in a crowded cafetaria where everyone would witness his defeat.
"I like playing games, yes," Atemu finally answered. "What is this CapMon? I have not heard of it before."
It wasn't a "Yes Yuugi, I would love to play CapMon with you", but it was a good start! Excitedly, Yuugi beamed up at Atemu. "CapMon is a chess-like strategy game," he said and noticed he got the other's attention at 'chess' and 'strategy'. New-found confidence surged through him, as he asked, albeit shyly: "Shall we go to the cafetaria? I have a CapMon board in my backpack, and I can show you how to play it."
"Very well," Atemu nodded, "I want to hear more about this game."
Yuugi felt the prying looks when he walked into the cafeteria, next to Atemu. Strange looks, even jealous looks, as he almost skipped aside the mysterious Egyptian transfer student, who usually held off anyone who approached him. Some students murmured, words that Yuugi couldn't overhear; he assumed it was about their striking physical similarity. He didn't care. All that mattered was that Atemu hadn't flat-out rejected him. This day couldn't get any better.
As usual, Atemu searched out one of the tables in the back and patiently waited for Yuugi to fold out the CapMon board. Yuugi spread it out on the table, and started explaining the rules. As he was talking, he focused on Atemu's face. Now that he was so close, Yuugi could almost touch the ankh-shaped earrings, and curl a golden bang around his finger… his voice almost choked, and he hid his embarrasment with a pretended cough. Atemu didn't seem to notice, and Yuugi quickly continued. He could smell Atemu's scent: spicy, sandy, exotic… just like he had imagined. That thought caused another moment of embarrassment; since when had he been thinking about Atemu's scent so much? But the truth was, that Atemu had appeared often in his dreams, replacing Anzu.
"The difficult part is, you don't know the other player's monsters and strength just until the moment they're revealed," Yuugi continued explaining. "You have to have several strategies and tactics handy, you have to be able to anticipate and adapt quickly. That's what makes the game so exciting! The main goal is to capture your opponent's symbol game piece, and you need a strong defensive strategy… but what kind of strategy depends on the monsters'strength of your opponent."
"I think I understand the rules," Atemu said. "How about giving it a try?"
"Sure, I have some capsules with me." Yuugi started digging in his bag. Atemu looked amused for a brief moment.
"So that is why your bag is so big and heavy. You bring all these games with you."
Yuugi flustered. Atemu had noticed the size of his bag? How come? He occupied himself by taking the different capsules out and allowed Atemu to pick five of them. They changed seats to sit opposite of each other instead of next to each other; Yuugi mourned the loss of Atemu's proximity. But the Egyptian sat at the same table with him, and that made up for everything.
"All right, you start," Yuugi said.
Atemu placed a capsule on the board and took off the top.
"Celtic Guardian, nice start," Yuugi said. He moved his own piece on the board, revealing a Summoned Skull. It was of a higher level than the Celtic Guardian, so Atemu had to remove his piece. Yuugi didn't notice that other students came to stand around their table, watching the game unfold. For a first time, Atemu picked up the game very quickly, even cornering Yuugi, until he revealed his top monster: the Dark Magician.
"You win," Atemu said with a friendly smile. "This is a very fun game, Yuugi."
He called me by my first name! Yuugi beamed. "You played amazingly for a first time," he complimented the other. "Want to play again?"
"As long as recess is not over yet, yes," Atemu agreed. The other students were quite excited, a ripple of excitement spread through the crows. Anzu was standing close to Yuugi.
"The two of you could sign up for the tournament," she said. "Then we'd have two teams representing Domino High!"
"Two teams?" Atemu asked.
"Honda Hiroto and Jounouchi Katsuya are the other team," Yuugi said. Anzu shook her head.
"Not any more. Otogi has taken Honda's place!"
This was news to Yuugi, his capsule hovering in mid-air. There was a collective gasp from the crowd.
"Who is this Otogi?" Atemu asked.
"Otogi Ryuuji owns his own gamestore," Anzu explained. "He even designs his own games; have you ever heard of Dungeon Dice Monsters?"
"Not until now," Atemu said. "I am more familiar with Egyptian games, of course."
"Well, I'm sure you're going to hear a lot more about Otogi very soon," Anzu said. Before she could elaborate, the bell went, signing the end of recess. Yuugi wanted to ask Atemu to join him as a team, but decided against it for now - he didn't want to come on too strong. He wanted to avoid giving Atemu the impression that he wanted to impose on him. However, sharing the CapMon game was a wonderful memory, and he was sure he was going to treasure it for a long, long time.
"You certainly are in a good mood today, Yuugi!" Sugoroku was amused at his grandson, eating his breakfast with gusto and energy that he barely recognized. Usually Yuugi would sit at the table, brooding and a little moody, until it was time for school. Now it looked like Yuugi couldn't wait to get to school, and the elderly man thought it had something to do with the upcoming CapMon tournament. Domino High was the official host of the tournament and was getting a lot of media coverage as this was the first tournament with prize money.
"Remember, you only have four more days left to sign up," he reminded Yuugi. His grandson nodded, his mouth full with scrambled egg.
"I know, jii-chan! I'm going to ask today!"
"Ah, the transfer student, right? Does he know the game?"
"It's amazing, jii-chan! I only had to explain it to him once and he already understood! We played a game and he almost beat me!"
"That's really impressive," Sugoroku said. "You know, you should invite him over so we can meet him too."
Yuugi choked on his food and coughed loudly. Grandfather tilted his head, noticing Yuugi's bright cheeks.
"I'll ask, jii-chan," Yuugi said, grabbing his bag and leaving the kitchen as fast as possible. He was almost late for the subway.
As usual, he was the first to arrive at the classroom. Strange how school could be so different from one day to another. It was a lot more exciting since he got to know Atemu, even though the Egyptian barely spoke to him outside of class. The last few days they had spend recess together, playing CapMon. Today, Yuugi felt he had mustered up enough courage to ask Atemu to join him in the tournament. Nothing could go wrong today! His positive thoughts were distorted when a large shadow fell over him.
"So shortypants, what kind of geek games did you bring today?"
"Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi took a deep breath when he saw the class bully. Why was he so early at school? Jounouchi always arrived at the last moment. "Good morning," he finished lamely.
"You didn't answer my question," Jounouchi said and tugged at Yuugi's bookbag.
"Please don't!" he exclaimed. Today he had brought the golden puzzle box to show it to Atemu, in the hope that he could read the encarved hieroglyphs. Jounouchi took the bookbag from him and dumped its content all over the floor. The golden box fell, and the lid came off, revealing the golden pieces inside.
"You're walking around with a treasure?" Jounouchi was dumbfounded, but a grin appeared quickly on his face. He grabbed one of the pieces and held it up high, so Yuugi couldn't reach it.
"Give it back, Jounouchi-kun! Please!"
His grin turned menacing. "You can get it back," he said, voice low. "After the CapMon tournament. You'll get it back if you don't sign up for the tournament."
"What.. what?" Yuugi was baffled. Jounouchi shook his other fist into Yuugi's face.
"You win everything when it comes to games," the taller boy said. "Without you in the tournament, Otogi and I will win!"
"That's not fair, Jounouchi-kun!"
"I don't care if it's fair," Jounouchi said. "It's my only chance of winning a large sum of money, even when split with Otogi. Do you hear? Stay out of the tournament, and you'll get your precious golden piece back."
"Give it back to him, right now."
Both Jounouchi and Yuugi looked up, flinching from the stern, authoritive voice - but it wasn't a sensei who had spoken. Atemu stood behind Jounouchi, arms crossed, crimson red eyes fixed on the bully.
"You're his teammate," Jounouchi said disparagingly. "You look like a nice couple, the freak twins! Stay out of this, you half-breed mummy."
"I advise you to tone it down, and to mind your manners when you speak to others," Atemu said. Despite his lack of height, he seemed to tower above the both of them. "You should better be grateful that I do not report you to the gaming commission of the tournament for intimidation and attempted blackmail, so that you will be banned from the event!"
"You wouldn't," Jounouchi hissed.
"I would." Atemu's voice was powerful and deep. Jounouchi took a step back. "Give it back to him, right now, and you can go."
A moment of silence, a moment of hesitation. Jounouchi was rooted to the spot, and it took him all of his willpower to wrestle himself free from Atemu's gaze. He turned around and pressed the piece in Yuugi's hand, before leaving the classroom, muttering "Egyptian freak" under his breath. Atemu watched his retreating back as Yuugi quickly gathered his stuff, shoving everything into his bag.
"Thank you, Atemu-kun," he said as he straightened himself.
"He was right about one thing, you know," Atemu said, just as stern. "Are you really carrying a treasure with you? It would not do any good to bring gold to school, Yuugi."
"I know, I know," Yuugi said and felt embarrassed. He wanted to tell Atemu that he had brought the golden box especially to show it to him, but his hope was gone when the other said:
"Do not ever bring it to school again. It is much too valuable."
Without another word, Atemu went to his seat and Yuugi retreated to his own desk, feeling miserable. The day had started out so well, and within a few minutes, all was lost. He was so depressed that Anzu had to tap on his shoulder to get his attention.
"Good morning, Anzu," he said automatically, devoid of any cheer.
"Good morning Yuugi, what's the matter?" She asked, looking at him quizically. It was of no use to hide something from Anzu. She would find out anyway and besides, it was hard to cover up that he was visibly upset.
"Jounouchi-kun threatened me to keep me out of the tournament," Yuugi said, keeping his voice low as not to allow the other students to overhear. It was almost time for class to start, and his classmates were coming in one by one. "He's such a mean bully! He only wants to win the tournament for the prize money, he doesn't care for the game!"
"I'm not so sure," Anzu said. She looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, Jounouchi had re-entered the class with Honda, and they were talking to each other, faces close as if conspiring together.
"Not so sure about what?"
"Jounouchi is a bully, but he's not as bad as Ushio-san," Anzu said, shivering. Everyone shivered at the mention of Ushio's name, he was so infamous that most senseis were afraid of him. "I've heard that his father is an alcoholic, and since long divorced… Jounouchi only has a sister left, and she's in the hospital for something serious, requiring expensive surgery. I'm not so sure he wants the prize money for himself, Yuugi."
"For his sister," Yuugi said, astounded. He looked past Anzu to Jounouchi, who had just cracked a rude joke and was laughing out loud. It was hard to believe that he had a softer side, caring for his sister…but the memory of him threatening Yuugi, taking a piece of his golden puzzle… it made him angry all over again.
The sensei swept into the class room and everyone rose to greet him. When the class was seated again, it was time to take out the proper books and concentrate. Yuugi, as usual, had a hard time focusing. He wasn't only thinking about Jounouchi and his sister, but also about Atemu and how he had come to his rescue. Sure enough, if he could already muster up the courage again to ask him, Atemu would definitely reject him, thinking about how weak and a coward he was. Yuugi felt like crying in frustration; instead, he stared at the book in front of him and wished the day was over.
When it was time for recess, Yuugi tardied on purpose, not wanting to run into Jounouchi. He looked up after a while, seeing Atemu standing at the door, waiting for him. Yuugi's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Are we not going to practice the game?" Atemu asked.
"Yes, yes, of course," Yuugi said quickly, his spirit instantly lifted now that Atemu had waited for him. What a strange day, but now he felt like walking on clouds! The majority of the students had already left for recess, and the hallway was virtually empty. Now or never, Yuugi thought to himself, and he steeled himself for the upcoming rejection.
"Atemu-kun, would you like to be in a team with me?" Well, asking the question was fairly easy. Waiting for the imminent rejection was the hard part.
"For the tournament?" Atemu continued to walk in his firm stride, so Yuugi had to hurry to catch up with him. Well, it wasn't an immediate rejection, and he wasn't laughing at him… Yuugi felt a little hope returning to him. "I would like to be in your team, yes."
"Really? Really?" Yuugi wanted to squeal and cheer like a girl, and only because he almost stumbled over his own feet kept him from doing so. His eyes went even wider than usual, and he was gawking at Atemu - he had really said yes! The Egyptian looked at him calmly, his confident smirk as usual firm in place.
"I like the game, it is interesting, and you are a good player. I am sure that we can win the tournament."
Yuugi had hoped for Atemu to say something personal, like "I love playing games with you" or "you are such an interesting player" but he was content to hear that Atemu thought of him as a good player. The relief of not being rejected loosened the tense knot between his shoulders, and he relaxed in his stance.
"What do you know about our competitors?" Atemu asked.
"Otogi Ryuuji and Jounouchi Katsuya are very good opponents," Yuugi said. He knew why Jounouchi had ditched Honda in favor of Otogi. Strangely enough, it didn't seem to affect their friendship, as far as you could call those two bullies 'friends'. "Otogi-kun is a master strategist and Jounouchi-kun has absurd luck in games."
"I see," Atemu said, pensively. "And the other competitors?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know much about them," Yuugi said. "But if we practice more and develop our strategies together, I'm sure we can beat them!"
"Then let us not dally in the hallway," Atemu agreed.
The day of the tournament had arrived. Yuugi got up extremely early, actually nervous. It was his first time teaming up with someone else… with no one else but Atemu. It had been a complete shock to Yuugi that the Egyptian had accepted to be with him in a team. Not only to Yuugi, but also to the entire class, who could barely believe that the aloof, distant transfer student was teaming up with the greatest geek of Domino High. But now it was really happening, today was the day of the tournament, and Yuugi stacked his bag nervously with his Capsule Monsters. It was going to be a long day and he put water bottles in his bag, along with a few snacks and a bento.
His mother waited in the hallway and gave him an extended hug before he could get into the kitchen.
"Kaa-san..!"
"I'm just so excited for you, Yuugi-kun," she said. "We're coming to watch you this afternoon. We're counting on you to reach the finals!"
"Good luck, Yuugi," grandfather said. "And of course we're cheering you on, and I'd love to finally see that Atemu fellow you've been talking about so much."
"I have not!" Yuugi protested, failing to see the knowing smile on his grandfather's face. "I have to eat some breakfast now, jii-chan!"
"But of course, we don't want our upcoming champion to keel over from starvation!"
"Jii-chan, stop pestering me!"
So many students, Yuugi thought as he arrived at school. As the host of the tournament, Domino High had opened its doors for both watchers and contestants, and the prize money had lured a lot of participants. Yuugi felt overwhelmed by all his confident peers, marching into the large auditorium of the school. Tables and chairs had been arranged for the tournament and designated judges were walking around to check if all the boardgames and monsters weren't altered in any way. A huge paper was hung up at the back wall of the auditorium, listing the names of the contestants and the schedule of the tournament. Yuugi was about to walk towards it, when Atemu tapped him on the shoulder.
"Atemu-kun, good morning," Yuugi said, relieved.
"Good morning," Atemu returned the greeting, "I took the liberty of having both our names checked and verified by a judge, and here is your badge."
"Thank you." Yuugi pinned the badge with his name on the lapel of his school uniform. He still felt excited, his nerves taken over by adrenaline. "It's about to start soon!"
"We are in Block D, fourth round," Atemu said. He took a look at his watch. "We have some time to watch how the others are doing."
"Is your family here?"
"My father could not make it," Atemu said, almost bored. Yuugi wanted to comfort him, he knew the feeling of not having his father around. It saddened him that Atemu sounded as if he was used to it, he was the son of a well-traveling diplomat after all… however, no one should be used to being lonely. Yuugi called his brightest smile forward.
"My father couldn't make it either, but my mother and grandfather will be here this afternoon! They're going to cheer for you too!"
Atemu threw him a quizzical look, but Yuugi choose to ignore it. "Let's watch the others, Atemu-kun!"
He followed Yuugi through the crowd to watch the first starters in Block A of the match. It was a team from Fujinori High, a school competing with Domino High in just about everything, especially in sports.
"He just opened with a level 5 monster," Yuugi muttered as he watched.
"He is confident, yes," Atemu commented. "But confidence is not a guarantee to win, especially not when you play as sloppy as he does."
"I see," Yuugi squinted his eyes a little, "strong monsters, but not a strong strategy. However, he can get far, as long as he's backed up by his teammate."
"That is why a good balance in the team is so important." Atemu nodded at Yuugi. He blushed and quickly turned his head back to the game at hand, which was won by Fujinori. They left the table to go search for their own, as the contestants of Block D were about to start.
Time flew by and before Yuugi knew it, an afternoon break was announced. He stretched, throwing his hands up in the air, as he'd been sitting all morning. Block D had been uneventful so far; he and Atemu had won all their matches and were rapidly ascending on the ranking list. He hadn't seen his family yet, but he was sure they'd pop up soon; after all, they had promised.
Atemu stood up from the table, picking up his bag. "I could use a bite of food," he said. "Did you bring lunch with you?"
"Plenty," Yuugi said. He had already finished his water bottles, Atemu had been drinking iced tea and flavored mineral water. The tournament demanded a lot from their concentration, and he was glad to have a break; now they could spend some quiet time to eat. As they moved through the crowd, he spotted Anzu, accompanied by Miho. She complimented him on his wins so far, and told him about Jounouchi and Otogi.
"They won all their matches too," she said. "They have been clearing out Block B all by themselves. I think it's going to be inevitable that you meet up sooner or later!"
"I think so too," Yuugi said. He was feeling a little bad about it. He didn't want to confront Jounouchi and Otogi, but what if they both won all their matches, ending up in the finals? Yuugi decided not to get worked up over it. There were still a lot of matches, and he wanted to eat something first. Anzu, Miho, and Atemu accompanied him outside for some fresh air, and they ate lunch, talking about the results of the tournament so far until they were interrupted by the arrival of Yuugi's mother and grandfather.
"There you are, Yuugi-kun," his mother said, beaming at the other students. "I saw on the score board that you and Atemu-kun won Block D!"
"Yes, now we're going to face the winners of the other Blocks," Yuugi added. His grandfather already knew his dilemma, he had heard Yuugi talk about Jounouchi before.
"Do you think you'll end up competing against them?" the elderly man asked.
"I'm very sure," Yuugi said, finishing the last of his bento. "They're strong opponents. I'm not surprised at all that they won their Block."
"So you're Atemu-kun," Yuugi's mother said, looking at the Egyptian. "My, Yuugi-kun didn't exaggerate when he told about you! You look so much alike!"
"Kaa-san," Yuugi whined, sounding embarrassed. The two girls giggled. Yuugi's grandfather took her by the arm.
"Come, we'll go inside to get good seats. Good luck, Yuugi!"
Yuugi stared into his bento box, hoping that Atemu wouldn't be too mad at him for his mother's behavior. The other didn't mention it, and was apparently listening to the girls' chatter. Yuugi heaved a soft sigh and took a moment to himself to gather his wits again, focusing back on the competition.
"It is time to go," Atemu announced after a while.
"Good luck, Yuugi!" Anzu said. "You too, Atemu-kun!"
Inside the large auditorium, the field of contestants had been seriously diminished. The cream was seperated from the crop, and the tables were shoved closer to make more room for the audience. Yuugi didn't feel nervous at all with Atemu at his side; their teamwork was flawless, and they continued to win, moving on from the quarterfinals to the semifinals. Yuugi was so concentrated on the game that he didn't keep up with the other winners, until it was too late - and what he had feared, came true in front of his eyes.
"Otogi-kun, Jounouchi-kun," he said lamely when he saw them take place opposite of them. Otogi leisurely stretched his long legs under the table. Yuugi didn't know him very well, but Otogi had never been unkind or mean to him.
"Yuugi-kun, Atemu-san," he nodded, while Jounouchi kept his lips stiffly pressed together, not bothering to utter any greeting. The board was empty and the Capsule Monsters were closed in front of them. An announcer was going on about how exciting it was, to see two teams from Domino High facing off against each other. Yuugi had hoped to play against a Fujinori team, instead of his own classmates.
"We're just one step away from winning the prize money, Otogi," Jounouchi said, not paying any attention to the others.
"For your sister, right?" Yuugi said. Atemu arched an eyebrow, and Jounouchi looked like he wanted to strangle Yuugi.
"My sister has nothing to do with this," he rudely said. He glared at Yuugi as he stalled his Capsules next to the board, ready to play. The referee was still announcing the match, and Yuugi quickly looked around if he could see his mother or his grandfather. A big smile appeared on his face when he saw the both of them, not far away; his mother waved and his grandfather grinned.
"All right, begin!" The referee had finally finished his announcement and the entire auditorium went silent. Jounouchi and Otogi had won the toss; they were the first to start. Yuugi didn't show any surprise when Jounouchi opened with the Flamed Swordsman; it was all but to be expected. Jounouchi had strong monsters, but when it came to strategy, he mostly depended on Otogi who played with ninja-type monsters, and all of them had a lot of special effects. His game piece was Orguss, a god-like monster; Yuugi had to avoid that one at all costs. He had his Summoned Skull, and Atemu his Dark Magician. Now was the moment where all their strategies were going to pay off. Could he really win this, with Atemu having so little training? True, the Egyptian had picked up the game quickly, but still..!
The crowd was whispering. Flamed Swordsman was a high level monster, and Jounouchi had put him on the board with just one move. His incredible luck was infamous, too bad it didn't translate to his grades. Otogi opened with one of his ninja-monsters, and Yuugi studied the board before revealing his Celtic Guardian. Stronger than Otogi's ninja-monster, but he didn't declare attack just yet; Atemu still had to put his monster on the board, and if the effect of the ninja-monster was affecting them all… Atemu revealed Curse of Dragon, as strong as the Flamed Swordsman. The crowd gasped again; another high-level monster.
The game went quickly in Yuugi's and Atemu's favor. Curse of Dragon removed the Flamed Swordsman, as well as the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Yuugi's Celtic Guardian made short work of several of Otogi's ninja-monsters, and the crowd started to complain a little. What a boring game! The balance was completely amiss! Yuugi closed himself off for the dissatisfied noises. He was concentrating on the game. It wasn't like Otogi and Jounouchi to discard their monsters like this. They still had Capsules left, there had to be stronger monsters they were planning to put on the board. What was their strategy to sacrifice their monsters, just like that? Yuugi gasped as it dawned to him.
"God Orguss is on the field!" Otogi revealed his game piece monster. Celtic Guardian and even Curse of Dragon were no match for him, and now the tables had turned. There was one more capsule on Atemu's side of the board. 'Ooooh's and 'Aaah's went through the crowd.
"That must be your Dark Magician," Jounouchi sneered, pointing at Atemu's capsule. "And Yuugi, you have a monster in one of your capsules to boost his power. Still, he's nowhere near Orguss' strength. You're both done for!"
"The game is not over yet," Atemu said calmly. He revealed the Dark Magician, but couldn't declare an attack; Orguss was far too strong. Instead, he activated Dark Magician's special effect, allowing him to place a spell on Orguss that reduced the god's attack points. If Yuugi was able to play a strong monster in the next round, then they could attack together! Orguss was Otogi's game piece; when defeated, he was out of the game.
Otogi frowned, not liking that his strongest monster had been weakend. The spell was everlasting, so he had to think of something to remove it or boost his god's attack points any other way.
"I got it covered," Jounouchi said. He revealed his trump monster, the Time Wizard. Yuugi refrained from groaning. He had hoped it wouldn't be used in this game! Time Wizard's effect was to age a monster on the field, and aging would add more experience points, thus attack points, to the monster. But the same aging would damage the opponent's monster… Yuugi didn't know its effect on the Dark Magician. Atemu looked like his face was carved out of stone; no worry or emotion whatsoever. Yuugi had no monsters on the field; if the Dark Magician would be destroyed, they were both out of the game! "The effect of Time Wizard goes to Orgus, of course," Jounouchi grinned. "As he ages, Orguss grows in strength, and his power is more than enough to get rid of your measly spell."
"Excellent work, Jounouchi," Otogi mimicked his grin and stared at Atemu. "Orguss overpowers the Dark Magician. You're out of the game, Atemu-san, and your teammate doesn't have any monsters on the field, so you're…"
"I would not cry victory, if I were you." Atemu tapped on his Dark Magician. "Due to Time Wizard's effect, he has evolved into Dark Sage."
"Dark Sage?" Otogi gasped along with the crowd. "But-but.. Time Magician..!"
"His effect did not weaken my magician, but strengthened him." Atemu's smirk was the pinnacle of self-confidence. "And as a sage, his power has evolved along with him. Thank you, Jounouchi, that was a very clever move of you."
"Whaaaa..?" Jounouchi's eyes were bulging. The Dark Sage's attack points surpassed Orguss', and the God had to be removed from the field. Otogi was out, and it was Yuugi's turn - he revealed his Summoned Skull, who had no trouble taking out the Time Wizard, who relied mostly on its effect, not its attack or defense points. Without any more monsters on his side on the field, Jounouchi was out of the game as well. Atemu and Yuugi had won the game, and the crowd applauded the winners. Jounouchi got up and looked like he was going to spit in both their faces.
"It was a very good game," Otogi said, extending his hand. Yuugi was quick to take it.
"Thank you, Otogi-kun."
Atemu looked doubtful at Jounouchi; did they really have to shake hands? But Jounouchi took the decision for him, and he sounded genuinely honest when he said: "Great game, Atemu-san. In such a short time, you have mastered Capsule Monsters really well."
"Thank you," Atemu said in return, "you are a great opponent, Jounouchi."
The crowd continued clapping and Jounouchi waved and grinned as if he was the winner, instead of the others. Yuugi saw his mother hugging his grandfather, both excited at his win. He had to smile; people were shouting his name, whistling and clapping! Atemu turned towards him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"It was indeed a very good game," he said.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Atemu-kun," Yuugi said. "I never knew the effect of the Time Wizard on Dark Magician."
"You were the one who taught me, Yuugi. You are the winner."
Yuugi blushed, feeling flattered and strangely embarrassed. He didn't know what to say, but his voice would've been drowned out by the ecstatic crowd anyway. He blinked as flashes of light blinded him; were people really taking pictures? It was just a game tournament, not some kind of heroic event! But it was really him, posing with Atemu for local newspapers, and before he knew it, he had an envelope in his hands, with a certain amount of money.
There was something Yuugi wanted to do with the money, even though he hadn't discussed it with Atemu beforehand. Theoretically, Atemu had a right to half of the prize money, but Yuugi had the distinct feeling that the Egyptian would agree with his actions. When the four finalists had been interviewed for the newspaper and the rush of the tournament was over, Yuugi crossed the room to stand in front of Jounouchi. He held the envelope out to him.
"What are you doing?" Jounouchi asked.
"I want you to have this," Yuugi said. "For your sister."
"What? You can't be serious!"
"I can," Yuugi said. He held the envelope a little higher. "Please take it. I know she needs surgery."
"Who told you?" Jounouchi immediately bellowed. "Honda, right? Big mouth Honda!?"
Yuugi shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Please take it, Jounouchi-kun."
"It's a lot of money," Jounouchi protested. "I can't take it from you."
"It's a lot of money indeed, but you need it harder than I do," Yuugi insisted. "My grandfather owns a GameShop, and you walk paper rounds to pay for school. Your sister needs this, you need this, Jounouchi-kun."
There was silence in the room. Otogi had a baffled look on his face, while Atemu, calm and patient, simply continued to pack his belongings. Jounouchi finally reached for the envelope.
"Fine, but I'll pay you back to the last cent," he muttered. "Only because she needs it now…"
"It's fine, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said. He turned around and grabbed his own bag. He knew Jounouchi wouldn't appreciate it if he continued to look at him, now that he had seen something shimmer in the corner of Jounouchi's eyes.
"I did not know your grandfather owned a Game Shop," Atemu said, as if giving the prize money away was the most normal thing in the world.
Yuugi smiled. "He does! Will you stop by sometime soon? We have lots of games, I'm sure you'll like it!"
"I will," Atemu said. "But now I am going home. It was a very busy and exciting day."
"Have a good night, Atemu-kun," Yuugi said.
"You too."
Yuugi watched him leave, the smile on his face increasing. He felt very happy.