Nightmares

Again, big thanks to everyone who reviewed! And thank you for putting up with me trying to sort this one out.

This next part alternates between flashbacks and here-and-now scenes - hopefully not too confusing. (And trying to imagine Yugi at about four years old - too cute!) And I had a friend when I was little who underwent the same kind of personality change as Yugi's mother - once we hit fifth grade, she went from sweet to stuck-up you know what in no time flat.....

BTW, there have been a lot of moves and changes where I work, and in the process I wound up acquiring a goldfish. He's actually one of those mostly black ones with the long double tail and the funny bulging eyes - so kawaii. Naturally his new name is Yami Koi - I think it was something along the lines of Hey Ugly before. I think he finds watching the human at his new tank very relaxing......either that or he wants my diet lemon Coke :-).

This chapter's kind of sad and angst-y in parts - no other warnings, though. I know I'm taking a few liberties with Yugi's dialogue as a young child, but it's just the picture I have of him is ais adorable chibi who can't get his letter "r"'s and "l"'s right......

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Peanuts.......although there would be an idea for a crossover! Could you imagine Yugi teaching Charlie Brown to duel? Or Snoopy? ("Here's the world-famous duelist playing his Sopwith Camel against Kaiba's Red Baron---")

Forgive me, Mr. Schultz - and we miss you......
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Solomon entered the lobby of Child Protective Services, out of breath.

"May I help you, sir?" chirped a perky-looking receptionist.

"I'm Solomon Mutou. I'm here to speak with a Ms. Shimada." It had taken over a week before they tracked him down in Cairo to give him the tragic news - his daughter was dead at the hands of his son-in-law, who had been shot dead by police. There had been no word on the fate of his grandson, Yugi. He had finally learned from one of the late couples' neighbors that the child was alive aad bad been taken to the hospital. From there, a nurse had been able to point him in the direction of Child Protective Services.

"Mutou-san!" An attractive young woman in a dark brown trouser suit came over. Her long hair was pulled back in a glossy ponytail. "I'm Yoko Shimada. I'm so very sorry about this. I don't understand why the police didn't tell you how to find Yugi. It was included on the report." She smiled apologetically. "I should know. I'm the one who met them at the scene and accompanied your grandson to the hospital. I gave them the contact information."

Solomon's anger evaporated at the genuine concern in the woman's eyes. "How is he?"
"He'll be fine," she said. "Come with me. I need to go over a few details before we fetch him."

He followed her to her office, which was small, but bright and cheerful.

"Please, sit down," she said, taking a file folder from a small pile on her desk. "Here's the copy of the police report of --- the incident. Upon investigation, we also found five other earlier instances that the police failed to report to us." She shook her head. In each case the neighbors had summoned police because of a disturbance, yet no action had beeken ken because the wife declined to file a complaint against the husband.

Solomon shook his head. "I was aware there was trouble within the marriage, but I had no idea it had gotten this bad," he admitted. He had never liked Ryaki Wantanabe. His final attempt to speak seriously with his daughter about the relationship had led to a shouting match. She had stormed out of the house and moved in with Ryaki, and had hardly spoken with him since. He had only seen Yugi a couple of times after he was born.

She nodded sympathetically. "Would you be willing to take temporary guardianship of your grandson?"

"I'd prefer to be his permanent guardian. I don't want him bounced around. I want him to have a home, with me."

She looked relieved. "We can get started on that today. Temporary custody is the first step." She handed him some papers to sign. "I'll be your caseworker, by the way. I'm sure you'll provide a loving home for him, but we need to follow procedure." She didn't have to add that if procedure had been followed in the first place, Yugi might well have been living with his grandfather already. "I do need to warn you about a few things, though. Yugi's obviously been in a physically and psychologically abusive situation for quite some time. He doesn't have any permanent injuries, but he is severely malnourished and weighs less than half of what a child his age should. In all likelihood his growth has been permanently stunted. During the -- last incident -- he suffered a blow to the left side of his head that ruptured his eardrum and damaged the cartilage. It's too early to tell if the damage will be permanent. His mental capacities are unaffected - if anything, he's an unusually intelligent child. Despite the lack of interaction and mental stimulation, he's able to communicate on a level closer to an eight or nine year old child. He tells time and is able to read a few simple words. However, he will not speak unless directly prompted, and even then usually only one or two word answers. He doesn't know how to interact with any of the other children. In the playroom, he hides from them and won't join in any of their games. We've tried giving him toys, but he doesn't play with them - he doesn't seem to know how. The only thing he's shown any reaction to is a blanket given to him by one of the nurses at the hospital - he won't be parted from it for a moment. He's severely phobic and easily frightened. He's going to need intensive therapy before we can even consider placing him in a regular school, but we have time enough for that. I also think that, with a lot of care and love, he'll make a full recovery, although I think he'll probably always be rather quiet and shy." She smiled. "He's also a very sweet child. Why don't we go get him and bring him back here so we can finish up?"
ot;Pot;Perfect," Solomon said, hoping he'd recognize his little grandson.

She led him two halls down to a large, sunny, toy-strewn playroom where twenty or so children romped about, playing - save for one. A tiny, frightened-looking chibi sat huddled in a corner, clutching a blue blanket with his thumb corked tightly in his mouth. Given his size, one would have thought he was maybe two years old at the most, but he had just turned four. His hair was a mop of messy red-tipped black plumes, with soft blonde strands falling around his delicately angelic face. His eyes were unusually large and absolutely beautiful, a soft violet color with long lashes. Solomon recognized him at once. "Yugi?" He knelt in front of his little grandson. "Remember me?"

Yugi's violet eyes lit up in recognition. "Ji-chan?" he quavered, then abruptly lept into Solomon's arms, clinging tightly and burrowing against him......

~*~

Doctor Yakamoro had chased Joey and Tristian out of the room, but didn't even try to chase Yami out. He did, however, shoo the former pharaoh off the bed while he examined Yugi. "Yami, I can't get an accurate reading with you touching him," he teased. "You send his pulse rate through the ceiling."

Yugi blushed and Yami chuckled.

"I should scold you two about not using condoms, but Yugi here insists it's the first time for both of you," he continued. "Provided you stay monogamous, you should be fine." He frowned, looking around as Solomon came in. "And with the swelling mostly gone, I think I see what's causing the problem in the first place." Solomon had mentioned that Yugi was prone to bouts of swim ear, but never this serious.

"What?" Solomon said.

"This. Come look." The doctor beckoned him over. "Look. See that little flap of cartridge over the ear canal - the tragus? It's actually bent slightly compared to the other ear. It traps water instead of allowing it to drain."

"Why is it bent?" Yugi said.

"Injury. You must have taken one heck of a blow to the ear when you were very young," the doctor replied, shining the scope light into the little hikari's ear canal. "It was probably the same thing that ruptured your eardrum."

"Ruptured his eardrum?" Solomon said. "His hearing seems fine."

"It's healed, but if we were to test, I suspect there would be some loss of hearing," the doctor said. "It happened years ago. You don't happen to remember getting hit on the ear, do you, Yugi?"

Solomon paled. "It happened when he was very little. He doesn't remember it." Please, please don't let him remember it....

Yugi, in his innocence, missed his grandfather's sudden attack of anxiety, but Yami picked up on it all too well. He glanced at Solomon, than sat down on the bed and took Yugi back in his arms. "When can he came home?"

"As soon as we get the paperwork filled out," the doctor beamed, then shot a humorously scolding look at Yami. "Now don't you go keeping him up all night tonight, Yami. I'm trusting you to keep your hormones in check and let him get some rest."

This time, Yami was the one who blushed while Yugi giggled.

~*~

Solomon carried his little grandson up the stairs to the apartment over the Game Shop. Yugi was clinging to him and the blanket as best he could without taking his thumb out of his mouth.

"Here we are." Solomon opened the door. "This is where you'll be living from now on." He carried the little one down the short hall to what had, up until now, been the spare bedroom. At one point, long ago, it had been Yugi's late mother's room. The furniture was still there, but rearranged, and the room had been stripped of its very feminine decoration. "This will be your room, Yugi. Tomorrow I'll take you shopping for some new toys and clothes and whatnot. How does that sound? We can make a day of it, ne?"

Yugi nodded, not taking his thumb out of his mouth as he looked around, wide-eyed. Solomon set him down, thinking he'd want to explore the unfamiliar space, but Yugi merely clutched at his leg, finally taking his thumb out of his mouth and looking up at him fearfully.

"I'll be good, Ji-chan, I pwomise, weally---" he quavered. "I weally will. I won't make any noise or do anything, I pwomise---" He choked on a hiccupy sob and looked down, corking his thumb back in his mouth. He still hadn't quite mastered the letter "r."

"Yugi, shhh, it's all right baby," Solomon soothed, picking his small one back up. "You don't have to be totally quiet. You can play and make noise. It's all right to, really." He carried Yugi back into the living room and sat down on the sofa, holding his little grandson on his lap. "Don't cry, baby, it's all right."

"I'm sowwy---" Yugi snuffled dismally. "I twy to be good, weally---I'm sowwy I'm so bad---" He was trying to stifle his sobs, but his small body still shook.

"You're not bad, baby. Why do you think you're bad?" Solomon held him close.

"O-kaasan s-said I was bad. I make too much noise---" Yugi sniffled, not looking up. "She said if I was good O-tousan wouldn't hit me ---- pwease don't make me go back there, Ji-chaneaseease. I --- I'll be good, weally, I pwomise---" He broke off, sobbing.

"Shhh, Yugi. You're not bad." Solomon rocked him, stroking his hair. "O-tousan was bad for hitting you. He shouldn't have done that. You're a very good boy, really." He kissed the top of Yugi's head. "I love you very much and I'm happy you're going to be living here with me." The first thing he head to do, he realized, was ask Yoko Shimada how to go about having his grandson's last name changed to Mutou. He had no intention of letting him go through life with that bastard Wantanabe's name.

Yugi was exhaused and completely overwhelmed; unable to get control of himself, he finally cried himself to sleep. Solomon held him for awhile, then carefully laid him down on the sofa and tucked his blanket around him while he went to see about dinner.

~*~

Solomon peeked into the living room and smiled. Yugi and Yami were cuddled together on the sofa, both sound asleep, Yugi nestled back into the curve of Yami's body. Yami had one arm under Yugi's head and the other around the little hikari's waist.

~*~

"Ji-chan? Whatcha doing?"

Solomon was pleasantly startled when an amethyst-eyed chibi climbed into his lap, armed with a blanket. Yugi had responded amaly wly well to both therapy and simple kindness. He was still very shy around strangers, but had blossomed into a sweet, gentle and openly affectionate child in the company of those he trusted - very much like his mother had been when she was little. Solomon still had no idea what had changed his only child so radically or why, turning her into a haughty snob who told everyone her REAL father was a famous actor, not some guy who owned a -- shudder -- game shop. Game shop! It didn't even attract the right kind of boys. Boys with fast motorcycles and lots of money wouldn't be caught dead hanging around a boring old game shop, no way. She wanted a real man, andw how how she was going to get one.

"I'm reading the comics, Yugi," he said, hugging his little grandson and pointing at the newspaper. "Look at this one. He has a blanket just like yours."

Yugi looked at the paper, wide-eyed. "A -- see-cue---wity bwankit?" he sounded out as best he could.

"That's right!" Solomon said. "Very good."

Yugi beamed up at him, then snuggled close. "I wuv you, Ji-chan---" he murmured before corking his thumb in his mouth again.

Solomon hugged him closer. "I love you, too, Yugi." That was the other thing - Yugi's memories of his early life were already getting hazed up and jumbled in his mind. He was starting to forget, at least consciously, what he'd been put through. Solomon hoped it could stay that way.....

~*~

"Arigato, Ji-chan---" Solomon was startled, albeit pleasantly, when Yugi hugged him from behind.

"You're welcome, Yugi. But for what?" He tured around to hug his grandson back.

"Putting up with me the last few days." Yugi looked sheepish. "Sorry to be so much trouble."

"You're not trouble, Yugi. Now hush," Solomon scolded affectionately. "Are hamburgers okay for dinner?"

"Cool!" Yugi exclaimed, then sobered. "Ji-chan? When I was sick I kept having the weirdest dreams---"