Ray of Sunshine

Author’s Note – Things seem to be rolling fairly quickly. Two stories updated last night and another one about to be today. After that long dry spell, it’s nice to be able to get my stories worked on. Of the three stories that I’ve got posted here on AFF.net, I’m finding this one to be more of a challenge to write. I do enjoy a good challenge though and am having fun trying to keep up with the update demands. Fortunately, everything seems to be on my side lately as the words have been flowing pretty regularly. At any rate, I do appreciate all of the reviews that have been coming and have been looking forward to seeing what you all think of this tale of mine. You guys are fantastic! Lots of love to my two ‘sisters’ – DracOnyx and ladywolf_Terri. Also hugs to the RP group!

Disclaimer – YuGiOh and those incredibly sexy characters still aren’t mine. Damn my rotten luck!

Chapter Four – Surprising Connections

Yugi tinkered idly with the piano, his graceful hands occasionally plucking out a melody that had been bothering him for the last few days. Despite the need to compose, his thoughts were filled with what had happened that day, wondering if the teenager that had been so rude to him the day before was all right. He couldn’t understand what about him had caught his interest so and tried to chalk it up to the fact that he was usually concerned about all of his classmates, not just the one with the deep, silky voice that seemed to send shudders up and down his spine.

“Yugi-chan?”

The older voice pulled the small teenager away from his thoughts, and he turned to the doorway where he had heard the older gentleman enter.

“Yes, Grandpa?”

“I was wondering, do you have any plans for Friday night?”

Yugi quickly reviewed his weekend plans, trying to remember if he and his friends had made any plans for the night in question.

“I was going to meet the gang for a jam session at Seto’s house on Saturday. I think Téa is supposed to be meeting some family members Friday night and the rest of them have plans too, so we’re just going to meet Saturday morning. Other than that, I don’t have any plans. What’s going on?”

Solomon Mutou walked further into the small room that had been turned over for Yugi’s practices. The piano and recording equipment had been set up by Yugi’s friends, placing everything within easy reach of the much shorter boy. All the electronic equipment had Braille labels so that the teenager could easily find what he needed. The recordings were usually taken over to Seto’s house for review and judging from the stack of CDs that were sitting by the door, the older man knew that Yugi and his friends would be extremely busy this Saturday.

With a soft sigh, Solomon pulled himself away from his thoughts of his grandson and his extracurricular activities to answer the question that had been asked of him.

“I just received a call from an old friend of mine. I hadn’t heard from him in quite some time and was rather surprised when he called me today. Apparently, he wants to talk to me about a few things and meet with him and his son for dinner Friday night. He also asked for you to come as he hasn’t seen you since you were a small boy.”

Yugi heard the wary tone in his grandfather’s voice and frowned. It wasn’t like him to sound so cautious and wondered what the cause of it was.

“What’s wrong, Grandpa?”

Plum colored eyes fastened on the slender form of his grandson, smiling a little at Yugi’s sensitivity. Even without his eyesight, his grandson was extremely perceptive and agile when it came to using his remaining senses. He and Yugi’s friends had often called him the living lie detector. No one could fool the teenager for very long as he knew what to listen for in people’s voices.

“Not sure, Yugi-chan. Like I said earlier, I haven’t spoken to Kenichi in a very long time. It’s been several years since his wife died, and the last time I saw him was at her funeral. He hadn’t responded to any of my calls or letters since then. I’m not sure whether to be happy he’s finally contacted me or worried.”

Yugi ran his fingers lightly over the top of the piano, thinking about his grandfather’s words. He could somewhat understand his grandfather’s trepidation at meeting his friend, knowing that he wouldn’t have pushed his friends away if someone he cared about had passed away. Of course, he and his friends had a bond stronger than most people. They’d been there for him in more ways than the small teenager could even count, and Yugi simply couldn’t picture life without them.

“Maybe he’s finally getting over the pain of her death and wants to make amends for pushing you away?”

“Maybe, Yugi-chan. It’d be nice to see my godson again. Since Kenichi retreated from society like that, I haven’t been able to see him at all.”

The tri-colored hair swayed a little as Yugi tilted his head. This was something he hadn’t expected to hear and was extremely curious about this little fact.

“Godson? I didn’t know you had one, Grandpa.”

“I do. He’s the same age as you are. In fact, the two of you are just a few months apart when it comes to birthdays.”

“How come you never mentioned him before now?”

Solomon’s voice held a note of grief as he answered his grandson, nearly making the boy flinch.

“After Kenichi drifted away, I never got to see my godson and it hurt too bad to think about it, much less talk about it. I’m sorry, Yugi-chan.”

With a gentle smile, Yugi rushed towards his grandpa, hugging him as tightly as he could. He didn’t like hearing the sadness in his voice and wanted to do something to cheer him up.

“I can’t wait to meet him. We’ll keep each other entertained while you two talk about boring stuff.”

That response, so typical for his grandson, made Solomon laugh. He squeezed the petite musician tightly, dropping a kiss on the pale forehead.

“That sounds good, Yugi-chan. I love you, you know that?”

“Love you too, Grandpa, lots and lots.”

“Well, in light of the events, I’m in no mood to cook tonight. What sounds good to you, Yugi-chan?”

Yugi thought for a moment, staying snuggled with his grandfather. There was a note of laughter in his voice as he finally gave him his answer.

“Mexican food?”

Solomon chucked and shook his head, knowing his grandson’s fondness for spicy foods. It had been a while since he’d taken Yugi to his favorite restaurant and knew that it would be a nice treat for the small teenager.

“All right, you win. Let me take something to prevent heartburn while you get ready. Get a move on, silly.”

Yugi grinned and went to put on his shoes, excited to be spending some time with his grandfather outside of the home they had shared since his parents had passed away. He retrieved his cane at the same time Solomon came downstairs, and the two of them chattered happily as they drove to the restaurant.

His good mood didn’t fade and the next day, he was humming merrily as he went into the cafeteria with his friends. The others noticed it and simply smiled, glad to see him in such high spirits.

As the rest of the week went by, Yugi remained in a fairly good mood, somewhat aware of the fact that teenager that had filled his thoughts earlier was not.

Bakura and Malik noticed the foul mood, occasionally commenting to each other that their friend had seemed to be in a worse funk than usual. When approached on it, Yami reluctantly admitted that his father had made some plans for Friday night and nothing would change his mind about that. His two best friends winced, knowing that the crimson eyed teenager had to be furious about having his plans changed without having been asked first.

That fury was barely contained when Friday evening rolled around. Yami had been threatened with a serious beating if he did anything that would upset his father’s dinner guests. With his back aching from the warning blow, he resolved to not give the old man any sort of reason to hit him further. He still had plans for the rest of the weekend and nursing injuries was not how he wanted to spend his free time.

“There they are.”

Crimson eyes looked up from where they had been contemplating the tablecloth, noting the small older man that was making his way towards their table. He had a warm disposition and eyes that looked gentle. Something about him seemed somewhat familiar, but Yami couldn’t put his finger on it.

Another familiar sight pulled him from his thoughts, and his eyes widened as he realized who was walking beside the older man.

“Solomon, it’s good to see you again.”

Plum eyes skimmed over both of them before responding to the greeting. Yami quickly noticed the warm expression in the eyes watching him. That expression quickly disappeared when Solomon turned to look at his father.

“It’s good to see you too, Kenichi.”

“I think you remember Yami?”

Once again, the warmth reappeared when Solomon turned to look the crimson eyed teenager over again. There was a genuine smile that made the old face shine, and Yami felt something stir inside of his heart. Something that hadn’t been touched since his mother had died.

“How can I not remember my own godson? Yami, you look fantastic. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”

Yami’s memory quickly caught up with his brain, and he remembered why the man in front of him was so familiar. This was the man who’d played with him each time he’d come over, often bringing presents. His mother had playfully complained that he was spoiling him, and his godfather often replied that children needed to be spoiled on occasion.

“Grandpa Mutou?”

Solomon’s eyes twinkled when he heard Yami call him by the name he’d often gone by when he’d visited his godson.

“It’s me, Yami. It’s so good to see you.”

Yami was enveloped in a warm, vanilla scented hug and despite the pain from his back and shoulders, he hugged his godfather back for several long moments.

“And who is this young man with you, Solomon?”

Yami stepped back as his godfather answered his father’s question, trying to settle his racing thoughts. He couldn’t believe that his godfather had finally reappeared, although he was wondering why the ‘little shit’ was with him. The answer came in a way that he hadn’t expected.

“This is my grandson, Yugi Mutou. Yugi-chan, this is Kenichi Takeda and his son, Yami.”

“So this is the grandson you’ve talked about so often. Nice to finally meet you, Yugi-chan.”

Something about the voice made Yugi’s instincts start screaming warnings. Despite his internal alarms, he bowed politely in the direction he’d heard Kenichi’s voice coming from and responded in the way his grandfather had taught him.

“Nice too meet you too, Takeda-san. Yami, how are you doing tonight?”

The question drew both adults’ attention to the small boy. Kenichi’s eyes narrowed as he addressed the smaller teenager.

“You know my son?”

“He’s in quite a few of my classes.”

Yami managed to give Yugi a polite response, caught between dismay and anger. Given the expression on his godfather’s face, Yugi hadn’t said anything about their first run in and the crimson eyed teenager wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Unaware that their thoughts were going along the same line, both teenagers took a seat, wondering what the evening would bring. Both adults seemed to be a bit wary of each other, which was easily communicated to the younger occupants of the table.

Yami could only hope that everything went all right tonight, not wanting to have to deal with his father in a bad mood. He picked up his menu and started reading, listening to the aimless chatter that went on around him.

Yugi adjusted his sunglasses and swept his fingers over the Braille menu, hoping that things would go well tonight. His internal alarms were still screaming at him, and a part of him wondered if the man sitting across from his grandfather had something to do with the fact that Yami had been hurt earlier that week. The thought quickly aroused his temper, something that he rarely lost control of.

The amethyst eyed musician tried to calm down and quietly uttered a prayer to whatever god was listening that tonight would run smoothly. He didn’t know why he was so wary around Yami’s father and resolved to pay attention, hoping that he would understand what his instincts were trying to tell him.

Both teens sighed, knowing that it would be a long evening.

Author’s Note – Well, that went by faster than I expected it to! Everyone was asking me how I was going to bring Yami and Yugi together, maybe this is a way? Who knows? Well, I sort of do but am not going to spoilt it for you guys! Hehe, I know, I’m horrible! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you aren’t on my update list and would like to be, please include your email address when you review. Thanks everyone! See you soon!