Ray of Sunshine

Author’s Note – I was checking some things and realized just how long it’s been since I’ve done any updating. I most humbly and abjectly apologize for that. Things have not been doing well at all, and my creativity has taken a horrible beating because of that. Real life is such a pain in the rear, I have to admit. For those of you who have been patient and waited for my updates, thank you for staying with me and waiting. A bit of a warning to you, there is language issues and some violence with this chapter, so please don’t say I didn’t warn you! A huge thank you and lots of hugs go out to Silvershadowfire, the wonderful woman who has stuck with me as a friend, sister, and a very talented beta.

Disclaimer – Once again, I do not own these wonderful characters. I just play with them and torture them quite a bit.

Chapter Six – For Every Action

A rough hand pushed Yami into the house, uncaring as the teenager landed against the hall table.

“God damn son of a bitch!”

The crimson eyed young man flinched at the vehement tone, listening in silence as his father fumed even louder about Solomon Mutou’s refusal to participate with his plans. Yami had never really been interested in archaeology but knew that his godfather had been right. Going into a country that had forbidden archaeological expeditions was not a good thing.

Yami didn’t pick himself up as the older man stomped by, preferring to present as little a target as possible. A moment later, he could hear the distinctive clink of a bottle on glass that told him that the liquor cabinet had been opened. He hid the wince, knowing that things were about to get worse now that the alcohol was flowing freely and knowing his father, it was the hard stuff he was imbibing now.

“Moralistic bullshit. Mutou thinks he’s so much better than me. Always has. He’s never known what it’s like to struggle. Everything’s always been handed to him on a fucking silver platter.”

A frown settled on the teenager’s face as he listened to his father’s ranting. In his mind, he knew his godfather hadn’t had it as easy as his father thought. Grandpa Mutou had to deal with the guilt of his grandson loosing his eyesight and had given up doing what he loved best to make sure Yugi was taken care of. That couldn’t have been easy for the elderly gentleman. Of course, pointing this out to his fuming parent would have been an unwise thing, so he kept this comment to himself.

Glass clinked on glass again as Kenichi poured more alcohol into his glass, still continuing with his ranting diatribe.

“Where the fuck does he get off telling me what to do? Sanctimonious asshole. I’m going to do it and then laugh as I get the riches and fame while he gets stuck playing nursemaid to that idiot grandson of his. Worthless, both of them. Just as worthless as you, boy!"

Yami froze, realizing that his father had spotted him. He’d hoped that by remaining still and silent, he would be able to evade notice and then slip to the safety of his bedroom once Kenichi had passed out. Obviously, his hopes were not going to come to fruition and the teenager bit down on his lower lip, forcing all of his emotions away. What was about to come was easier to deal with if he didn’t feel anything.

Ice.

The fist that pounded into his stomach made him loose his breath, but his concentration didn’t waver. The lack of reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the drunken man, and it spurred him into taking his rage out on his only child.

Yami refused to react, locking everything down and allowing the coldness to overtake him. Pain, hate, self loathing – every emotion that was generated was instantly frozen. His body curled defensively, trying to present as little a target as possible. However, his father knew the tricks to work around the curling, hitting areas that made the slender body move so that the vulnerable parts were exposed.

It was close to two in the morning before the older man passed out, and Yami could make his way to the bathroom closest to his room. It was slow going as he crawled to the little room, barely making it to the toilet before vomiting up what little he’d eaten. A lot of blood stained the porcelain surface, telling him that something wasn’t quite right but his thoughts were swirling in multiple directions. He couldn’t focus long enough to try to treat his injuries.

The weekend passed slowly and in a blur of pain. By Saturday night, Yami had given up trying to keep up with time. He’d spent so much of the night before and day either in the bathroom or sprawled in a heap in the hallway as his father continued to vent his anger on him. This was the first time Kenichi had refused to stop or keep his ‘punishments’ in areas where the bruising could not be seen.

The teenager had yet to be able to see the full extent of the damage. Each time he’d tried to stand up, the room tilted on him and the dizziness brought him right back down to the floor. He couldn’t even get to the phone to call for help and the fact that he was continually getting weaker scared him more than he wanted to admit. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it to school on Monday and hoped that someone would put two and two together and come looking for him.

Monday morning rolled around, and Yami’s hopes had signs of coming to fruition. Yugi had enjoyed his weekend except for worrying about the teenager that he had spent some time with that evening. His grandfather had spent most of his time on the phone with the authorities, sharing the information he had been told with them. Plans had been put into motion to bring in the people involved before an international incident could be started. Knowing that his friend was involved over his head, Solomon talked to the authorities as well, mentioning his godson and that once Kenichi had been brought in, the boy would be alone.

Yugi was seated at his desk, thinking about what he’d overheard during his times at home. Solomon had started work on altering things at the house and game shop so that Yami would have a place once everything began. The authorities had assured him that the teenager would be placed within his home as Yami’s mother would have wished, which would ease Yugi’s mind a great deal considering the odd movement Yami had exhibited the week before.

The teacher’s voice calling attendance distracted him from his thoughts, especially when Yami’s name was called out and no answer. As Yami was late from time to time, this didn’t seem to phase too many people but Yugi stayed alert, listening for the familiar footsteps that would herald the teenager’s arrival.

Over halfway through the class, when those footsteps didn’t arrive, Yugi’s instincts were screaming that something was wrong. They were only fueled by the concerned whispers he heard behind him from some of Yami’s friends. From what he could hear, they were worried because Yami hadn’t shown up for something they had planned to do this weekend.

Nerves stretched taut, Yugi raised his hand and requested permission to leave the classroom. Once that was granted, Yugi left the room and turned right, counting the steps he took and made his way to the office. He’d only taken this trip once or twice, but he had a good memory.

“May I help you?”

Yugi turned his face towards the voice of the secretary and gave her his most sweet smile, hoping to soften her up. Most of the time, the staff didn’t allow for students to make personal phone calls during class time, except for extreme emergencies. While he considered this an emergency, he knew the secretary might not consider it as such and he had a feeling that wasting time was not a wise choice for Yami.

“Yes ma’am, I apologize for interrupting you during work, but I really need to get in touch with my grandfather for something I forgot. It’s really important. May I please use the phone?”

The combination of smile and use of good manners softened the woman’s attitude and was quick to agree to allow him the use of a phone. She took the number from Yugi and dialed it, pressing the phone into his hand before moving to attend to other duties to give him some private time.

His grandfather answered with his usual warm tones, telling the young musician that he was in a good mood. He hated to ruin it, but Solomon needed to know about what was brewing. In a low voice, Yugi quickly explained his fears to his grandfather, who listened quietly before telling his grandson that he would notify the proper authorities. The fact that Yugi had heard Yami move with difficulty before indicated problems, and the older gentleman wanted to make sure his godson would be removed from such a dangerous location.

The small teenager went back to class a short time later, feeling better now that he knew his grandfather would be making sure that Yami would be all right. Granted, the two of them weren’t friends and had gotten off to a very horrible start but Yugi was the type of person that hated to see people in pain. And if his suspicions were right, Yami was involved in a situation that was beyond painful. In his mind, it was wrong and he had to do what he could to make sure the teenager was out of such a dangerous situation. Hopefully, he would have more news by the time school let out. With a smile, Yugi headed back to class to wait to find out what his grandfather had discovered.

While his grandson was feeling better, Solomon’s heart was heavy as he contacted the authorities once again, relaying the information his grandson had just imparted to him. They agreed to send an agent out to the home where the teenager lived and investigate, knowing that if the boy was in danger, they would have to pull him out early while the other teams took care of the information that had been relayed to them about the archaeological disaster that would soon be in progress.

Solomon moved about his store, contemplating over the situation. If Reika had survived, this problem would never have come up. Kenichi and Solomon had partnered up through several expeditions, becoming fast friends, and not once during that time had Kenichi ever compromised his beliefs and work ethics. Come to think of it, the man had never touched alcohol either, which he certainly had done during the meal they had shared several nights ago.

The couple had been there for Yugi’s birth, chatting happily during the wait and cooing over the tiny newborn. Reika had been pregnant with Yami at the time and had been so eager for her baby to arrive. She’d even made arrangements with Kyoko, Solomon’s daughter-in-law, to baby sit each other’s child and to arrange play dates.

When Yugi’s parents had been killed in the car accident, Reika and Kenichi had practically moved in to help Solomon and Yugi acclimate to each other and help mourn their passing. Kenichi had often kept the two three year olds entertained while Solomon and Reika had sorted out the funeral arrangements and the deceased couple’s personal effects.

After Reika’s tragic death, Solomon had tried to be there for his grieving friend but Kenichi had completely withdrawn from the world. He stopped going out on digs, didn’t return phone calls, and eventually had become a hermit. Not even his son was seen much by people who knew the family.

Solomon had not given up, sending birthday cards and letters to try and stay in contact with his friend. In all that time, he had not seen Yami, which had added to his heartbreak.

The retired archaeologist knew his friend was facing a lot of problems with his latest “expedition,” and a part of him hoped that this would straighten out his drinking problem and make him face his emotional problems.

In the meantime, Solomon would do what he could to make sure his godson recovered from whatever trauma his father had put him through. Hopefully, Yugi would be able to reach the other teenager. His grandson had the type of personality that couldn’t help but warm the people around him.

A phone call soon interrupted his train of thought. The news dimmed the usual smile, and the older gentleman quickly acted, making several calls. One call went to his lawyer to start whatever process was needed to gain custody of his godson. Another went to his personal physician, not wanting to leave Yami’s health to someone the archaeologist didn’t know. The last call went to the parents of one of Yugi’s best friends. He had no idea how long his business would take and wanted to make sure that Yugi wouldn’t be left alone in the house. The Kaiba family agreed and after leaving a message at Yugi’s school for the teenager to ride home with his friend, Solomon was out the door and headed towards Domino Central Hospital.


Author’s End Notes – Well, there’s Chapter Six. Thank you for reading it! I hope you did enjoy it. Comments, questions? Please review. Feedback is such an important thing for writers. As the ones who have been reading my works know, I listen to what’s said and try to take that into account for my story. Thanks again and see you next chapter!