Ray of Sunshine

Author’s Note – I’m trying to set myself a schedule for writing and so far, it looks as if that schedule is working pretty well. I want to thank those who took the time to review and hope that you will continue to follow the stories I’m leaving up for everyone to enjoy. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Silvershadowfire for being such a good friend and devoted ‘stalker.’ Between her and DracOnyx, I never have a dull moment while trying to get these chapters going. Warm hugs goes to DracOnyx and ladywolf_Terri, who have to be the sweetest people I know!

Disclaimer – The plot bunny is mine. The characters of YuGiOh and the concept aren’t mine. Wonder if I could get the owner to sign the rights over to me if I threatened him with my rabid wombats? Probably not.

Chapter Five – Truth And Morals

There was a long, somewhat uncomfortable silence that settled over the table after the orders had been taken by the helpful waiter. It was all Yugi could do to not fidget, and he cleared his throat quietly before addressing the teenager sitting across from him. Even though he didn’t know his classmate, the silence was getting to him and he was desperate enough to do something to break it.

“Do you think you’ll be ready for that test in English next week, Yami?”

A little startled at being spoken to, Yami focused his attention on the one who had finally broken the awkward silence. Although the topic was about school, at least it managed to keep his attention off of his worries.

“Yeah, I think so. Not that the class is hard. What do you think?”

“I’m not good in poetry, so it ought to be a bit of a challenge for me. Browning is a bit wordy for me at times.”

“She’s sappy and a little depressing but not that bad. At least we’re not dealing with Shakespeare.”

“Yet. I heard that’s closer to the end of the school year. She likes to save that unit because it’s so time consuming.”

Yami groaned, knowing that he would be in for some major headaches by the time that unit came around. The stories the guy wrote weren’t bad, but it was the language that he had such a difficult time with.

“Great, just great. That’s one unit I am not looking forward to.”

Yugi nodded, understanding the frustrations. While he enjoyed reading Shakespeare, it was time consuming because he often had to go back and reread things in order to remember what had happened. That and the books that had the plays in it were heavier than his usual ones.

The adults took up the conversation as the teenagers drifted into silence. The ice had been broken by their idle chatter, which had been something Yugi was hoping for.

“So Solomon, still going out to excavations?”

Yugi’s grandfather took a sip of his water before answering his old friend. This was a topic that was considered a difficult one for his grandson.

“Not as often anymore. I do some consulting at the Domino Museum, which has been a lot of fun.”

“I can’t imagine you not exploring anymore. You enjoyed that so much.”

“I enjoy my grandson’s company even more.”

Kenichi nodded and continued, sipping from his wine glass and wishing that it contained something stronger.

“True. I just have a hard time picturing you working behind a desk. Traveling was in your blood.”

Nerves stretched taut by the uncomfortable subject, Yugi reached out of his glass of water and knocked it over onto his lap. His grandfather was quick to mop up the worst that had hit the table.

“Yugi-chan?”

“Sorry, Grandpa. Let me go clean this up.”

For some reason he couldn’t understand, Yami rose to his feet and looked over at his godfather.

“I’ll go with him.”

“Thank you, Yami.”

The two teenagers made their way to the restroom, and it seemed to Yami that the cane was making an almost angry sound each time it hit the smooth tile floor. He was quiet until they reached the facilities, occasionally guiding Yugi with a softly murmured direction.

The crimson eyed teenager grabbed a handful of paper towels and pressed them into Yugi’s hand, knowing that he would want to attend to the mess himself.

“Okay, so what happened?”

Yugi’s voice was flat when he responded and it sent chills down Yami’s spine. During his limited time with him, he’d never heard that tone coming from the smaller student and it was something he didn’t like.

“Accident. I knock things over all the time.”

Wondering why he was pushing it, Yami shook his head and responded to Yugi’s answer. He knew it wasn’t true and wanted to know what had upset him.

“Yeah, maybe. But it’s not like you to get this upset. You didn’t even yell at me when we ran into each other and I was so mean. Now, what’s eating you?”

Yugi sighed and leaned against the wall, somehow knowing that his companion would not give up until he knew the whole story. His friends knew most of his history but not of the pain that filled him every time he thought of it.

“My mom died right after I was born. Dad died in a car crash right before my first birthday. Ever since then, I lived with my grandfather. When I was old enough, he’d take me with him on his expeditions. I was about eight when it happened. I don’t really remember how it happened but somehow, a snake wound up in our tent and I got bit. It disappeared right after, and no one was able to identify what it was.”

Yami winced but said nothing, letting Yugi continue with his explanation.

“Grandpa took me to the local hospital when I developed a fever, and they did what they could. I kept getting worse and finally, Seto’s father sent a plane and I was transferred to a hospital here in Domino. A few days after going to that hospital, they noticed I wasn’t reacting to visual stimuli. My vision was fading and thanks to that bite and the fever, my eye sight disappeared completely within a week of returning to Domino.”

Yugi’s voice cracked, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Grandpa hasn’t forgiven himself for that, and it’s because of me that he won’t go on any more digs. I’ve told him to go, reminding him that one of my friends would gladly let me stay with them. He won’t do it anymore.”

Yami was quiet for several long moments, processing what he had heard. He finally broke his silence, not touching on what he had just been told by the amethyst-eyed musician.

“You’re all dry. We’d better get back before your grandfather worries about you.”

Yugi nodded and walked back to the table with Yami. He couldn’t believe he’d told him all of that and hoped that the information wouldn’t be used against him.

“All right, Yugi-chan?”

He managed a half hearted smile as he sat back down.

“I’m fine, Grandpa. Just amazed you still take me out in public. I’m such a klutz.”

Solomon chuckled, affectionately patting his grandson on the shoulder and pulling him into a hug.

“Yeah, but you’re my klutz. Would it help if I spilled something on me too?”

“Grandpa!!!”

“Okay, I won’t on the condition you won’t keep bashing yourself for the occasional spills and trips.”

Yugi playfully nudged his grandfather, grateful that the older man was trying to cheer him up.

“I’ll think about it.”

Their food arrived, and Yami noticed that his godfather quietly told his grandson where the food was position on the plate. Yugi smiled his thanks before laying his napkin onto his lap.

It was while they were eating that the internal alarms Yugi had been hearing all evening went off even louder. Kenichi finally brought up the reason he’d contacted Solomon and even though he couldn’t see what was going on, the amethyst-eyed teenager could feel his grandfather tense up.

“I heard from McBride a few days ago.”

Solomon’s voice held a cautious note to it, not too easily detected except by Yugi, who knew his grandfather’s moods fairly well.

“Really? How is he doing?”

“Pretty good. He’s uncovered a map that holds the location of a burial site for one of the ‘Lost Kings.’”

“You can’t be serious, Kenichi. That’s a legend. There’s no proof that the ‘Lost Kings’ even existed.”

“He says the map is genuine and more importantly, he wants us to come with him. What do you say?”

“Where is this supposed site supposed to be?”

In a low voice, Kenichi answered him and Solomon’s eyes widened for a brief minute. He shook his head, unable to believe what he had just been told.

“That country is off limits to archaeologists, Kenichi. We’ve respected their wishes for years. McBride can’t mean to sneak into the country and do this?”

“He does and wants you with him. We could make a fortune off of this, Solomon. No more money problems again. We’d be set for the rest of our lives.”

“Archaeology isn’t about getting rich. It’s about learning and preserving our history for future generations. What you’re doing isn’t for science or education. It’s tomb robbing, plain and simple.”

“So you’re not going to come with us?”

Yugi nearly flinched at the sharpness of his grandfather’s answer and sighed quietly, knowing that his guardian was extremely upset.

“Absolutely not. I will not break the law simply for some get rich quick scheme. I’m disappointed, Kenichi. You and I both had the same beliefs about preserving history for the future. What happened to change your ideals?”

Kenichi downed his drink, which made Yami flinch. His father had not been eating and instead, had been drinking steadily since they’d arrived at the restaurant. Tonight was not going to bode well for him once he got home, and he could already feel the ache in his body intensify in response to his worries.

“Ideals don’t pay the bills, Solomon. They don’t put food on the table or a roof over your head. But then again, the great Solomon Mutou has never had to deal with the stresses of every day life. He’s always landed on his feet.”

“I know what it’s like to worry about bills, Kenichi. Money is a worry no matter what you do in life. But I won’t sacrifice my beliefs or my reputation for a few extra dollars. I have someone to take care of, and I can’t do that if I’m sitting in a jail halfway across the world.”

“You’re a fool, Solomon. Yami! Let’s go!”

Yami rose and bowed towards his godfather before leaving. Once they were out of range of the table, Kenichi pushed him roughly, urging him to hurry. He winced as he nearly stumbled and moved quicker, knowing that things were going to get much worse once he got home.

Solomon sighed and turned to his grandson, who was looking a little pale. He gentled his voice, knowing that Yugi had to have been stunned by the argument that had just taken place.

“Ready to go home, Yugi-chan?”

Yugi nodded, taking his grandfather’s arm, and moved with him to the cashier. He listened as Solomon paid for the meal and stayed quiet as the two of them went to their car. There was another sigh from the older Mutou as he leaned an arm against the steering wheel.

“Kenichi never used to be like this. He used to respect history and never once contemplated breaking the laws simply to earn extra money. His reputation as an archaeologist meant the world to him. I can’t believed he’d throw it all away for something like this. And it’s not even definite that there’s something there. It just doesn’t make any sense at all.”

There was a long silence as Yugi waited for his grandfather to calm down. He wasn’t impatient to go home, knowing that it was important for his only relative to let go of his anger before driving.

“I don’t like the position he’s put me in.”

“What do you mean, Grandpa?”

“Meaning that I have to do the right thing and stop him and McBride before they do something to endanger what little relationship exists between that country and the scholastic community. I’m going to have to report him, Yugi-chan. I don’t want to, but I have to.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop them now before they leave Japan? Yeah, they’d get into trouble but it’d be safer than letting them get caught in a foreign country. Who knows what they’d do to him?”

“You’re right, Yugi-chan. It’s better for all parties involved. I hate it, but I have to do it. I’ll make the call when we get home.”

Yugi leaned against the seat, thinking about what had happened tonight. He could only hope that Yami would be all right. Even though he couldn’t prove his suspicions, the teenager knew that his classmate’s father would be extremely angry and could take it out on him.

Sighing, the slender musician let out a silent prayer for Yami’s safety, hoping with all his heart that nothing would happen to him.

Author’s End Note – The plot thickens! I made up the idea of the “Lost Kings” to help keep things rolling. I wonder what will happen back at Yami’s house? Let’s hope that Yugi’s prayer is heard! Hope you guys enjoyed it and I’ll be back soon! Please leave a review!