With You

~About Two Years Later~




~About Two Years Later~

 

Yami looked up from his history book when a knock sounded on
his door. He didn’t feel like answering it, which meant from getting off his
bed, so he ignored it and went back to his bed.

 

It was summer vacation and he didn’t need to go to summer
school to catch up or get ahead for anything. He was only reading his history
book because it had facts on Egypt and it was the only thing he had to remember
Yami it seemed like. He hadn’t spoken much since his argument with his friends
two years before and he couldn’t really find it in him to eat much or sleep.
Without Yami he couldn’t seem to do much of anything because he was the only
reason it felt good to get up in the mor.
.

 

Solomon inched open the door to his grandson’s bedroom door
and peeked in quietly in case Yugi was asleep. Sighing sadly as he noticed his
grandson was awake. He was hoping Yugi would get better over time with Yami
gone, but things only seemed to get worse. He refused to see his friend who
rarely came over anything more and he could still hear Yugi crying at night
when he believed nobody could hear him. Putting on a smile he walked into the
bedroom and stopped a few feet in front of the bed, glancing at the book his
grandson was reading.

 

“Yugi, I just got off the phone with some researchers I used
to work with. I have some good news I think you’ll like to hear.”

 

The violet-eyed boy only looked up to acknowledge his
grandfather had said anything, but otherwise remained silent.

 

Deciding it was better than nothing, Solomon continued.
“They’ve found a few things in Egypt,” Yugi’s eyes widened and he scooted
closer to his grandpa, “and they’d like me to come down and see them for
myself. I was wondering if you, Ryou, and Malik would like to come along. I
know you haven’t been there since…they left so I you’d like to come with me.
How would you like that?”

 

In answer Yugi dropped his book and jumped onto his
grandfather, hugging him tightly.

 

“Don’t you want to say anything?”

 

Much to his surprise Yugi opened his mouth and shouted
excitedly, “Thank you, grandpa! I’d love to go!” His voice a little quieter
than it used to be but still as cheerful as he remembered it once being before
Yami had to leave.

 

“I’m glad to hear that, Yugi. I need to get a few things at
the store so we can leave as soon as possible. Would you mind calling Ryou and
Malik and seeing if they’d like to come as well?”

 

If it meant going to Egypt Yugi would do anything at the
moment. He unlatched himself from his grandpa and ran down the stairs for the
phone, dialing Ryou’s number.

 

~~

 

The airport was as crowded as ever but the Solomon and the
three teens made it to their plane with litprobproblems. Malik, Ryou, and Yugi
shared a row in the back and Solomon took a seat by himself in the middle,
giving the three boys their time alone.

 

“Yugi,” Ryou whispered nervously after they took flight.

 

Surprisingly, Yugi responded to him with a smile and waited
for him to continue.

 

“Are you still mad at us about what happened that day at the
docks?”

 

“No, Ryou. I’m sorry I exploded and told you guys to leave
me alone. I just really missed Yami and wanted him to come back so badly. I was
just upset that I couldn’t do anything to make it happen. I should’ve talked
about it like you and Malik did so I wouldn’t have blown up like I did. I’m
sorry for the way I acted.”

 

“Then a truce?” Malik suggested.

 

“A tr” Yu” Yugi smiled.

 

The flight continued with the three rejoined friends talking
about anything that would keep their attention. They discussed what’s happened
with the each of them for the past couple years Yugi explained some of the
interesting things he’d discovered in the books about Egypt that he’d read. All
three fell asleep when night came around. Malik lent on Ryou’s shoulder and
Ryou’s head rested on top of Malik’s. Yugi also had a good night’s sleep for
once as his own head rested in Ryou’s lap.

 

~~

 

The three boys were shaken awake by Yugi’s grandpa shortly
after the plane landed the next morning. They found their luggage and watched
the sand dunes go by ass Solomon drove the jeep his friends had waiting for
them at the airport to the hotel they were going to be staying at, the same one
they stayed at the last time they were there.

 

Once settled in their rooms and they changed into more
comfortable clothes Solomon was headed off to meet up with his friends at their
work site.

 

“Be careful and I want you all to stay together. If you
think that you’re going to be out for a while and I’ll be back before you leave
a note so I’ll know where you are so I can come screaming after you for being
out so long.” Solomon joked, earning a laugh from the three hikaris. “Right
then, I’ll be off. Have fun, you three, and remember to not cause much
trouble.” He turned and left the room.

 

“So what do you three want to do?” Malik asked his two
friends. “Want to see what mischief we can cause by ourselves or go wander
around the museums and see if we find anything interesting?”

 

“How about the museums. There might be something worth
getting in the gift shops they always have there.” Ryou suggested.

 

Yugi nodded his agreement. “Yeah, something we can take back
with us and show Joey and the others. They’ll be upset if they found out we
didn’t bring them back any souvenirs.”

 

“Yugi, the rest of the gang don’t even know we’re friends
again.” Malik pointed out.

 

“I know. This’ll be a good way to tell them.”

 

So the three headed off to the museums. They looked at the
mini-replicas of pyramids and what they believed the palace looked like when it
was cleaned up and seen better days.

 

Yugi snorted at what the Pharaoh’s bedroom model looked
like. “That’s a joke.”

 

“What is, Yugi?” Ryou questioned as he looked at what Yugi
was looking at.

 

“This, what they think the bedroom looked like. Yami showed
me once in his spirit room (Okay so I forgot what people have been calling it.
If you know can you change it for me?) before he got his own body what it
really looked like. The sheets weren’t made of pure gold for one,” he pointed
out, raising an eyebrow at what they had for sheets, “they were made of the
finest silks they could get. And they mixed up the closet and bathroom coming
off of the room and the bathtub was built in, not up like some Jacuzzis are.”

 

“Wow, Yugi. Yami actually showed you what it looked liked
once?” Ryou asked amazed.

 

The violet-eyed teen nodded. “What he remembered of it, but
he said it was really close to what the real thing was. Like a few colors were
off and that was it, but those usually changed with each Pharaoh so it didn’t
matter anyway.”

 

“Well, these guys don’t have a yami from Egypt who could
show them stuff like yours could. Malik, did Marik ever show you anything like
Yami did?”

 

“Yeah, I think he did once. It wasn’t anything like Yugi’s
but he did show me. He showed me his favorite spot to sit on to watch the sun
go down. It was gorgeous. How about Bakura?”

 

“He showed me his hardest tomb to rob.”

 

Yugi and Malik burst into fits of laughter, earning glares
from the other visitors.

 

“Don’t laugh!” Ryou shouted out of embarrassment. “We had
just gotten together and you knew how hard it was for him at first. He thought
I would like it and it was pretty interesting to see.”

 

“That’s true. Did he show you anything else?” Malik asked
after getting himself under control. Yugi was trying to stifle his giggles
behind his hands.

 

“Let me think for a minute. He did show me all the best
spots to sneak into the palace. That’s how he was able to get some really good
treasures whenever he was running low on gold.”

 

“Marik showed me something like that too!” Malik remembered excitedly.
More glares were thrown their way from the other visitors.

 

“I think,” Yugi started looking around and noticing the
disapproving looks that were being thrown at them, “that we should finish this
conversation where we can be as loud as we want. How bout we check out the gift
shop before we leave?”

 

“Good idea, Yugi.” Ryou agreed.

 

Looking around the store they found some postcards with
pyramids and inside pictures of the palace printed on them and they even found
Duel Monster’s cards.

 

“Grandpa said nobody believed what him and Professor Hopkins
said about them using Duel Monsters though. Why would they have these here?”

 

“Because they’re good for business, young man.” A clerk
explained from behind the three boys, causing Ryou and Yugi to jump. “What did
you mean by the Egyptians using Duel Monsters?” He asked curiously.

 

“Nothing. I was just mumbling to myself.” Yugi lied quickly.
He wasn’t in the mood to be laughed at if he explained truthfully about what he
said.

 

Ryou glanced around the store for anything that might catch
his eye and he started at something most peculiar. His hands unconsciously came
up and grasped the Millennium Ring underneath his shirt, his breathing becoming
shallow for a minute. “I don’t believe it. Yugi, Malik, look over there. In the
corner.” He pointed as he rushed over to the corner he was staring at.

 

The two hikaris turned to see what got their white-haired
friend so excited and both of them started when they saw what Ryou had in his
hands: the Millennium Puzzle.

 
xcusxcuse me, sir. What is this?” Malik asked, pointing at
what lay in Ryou’s hands and the identical puzzles behind him.

 

“Those are replicas of the golden pyramid that the Pharaoh
wore as a symbol for his royalty. Each Pharaoh wore it around his neck as they
ruled and it is said they rarely ever took it off it was so priceless.” He
explained.

 

Yugi felt like bursting. After the clerk left he exploded.
“Golden pyramid? Symbol for royalty? Where do they get this stuff? And how do
they know about what the Millennium Puzzle looked liked? Yami said that it had
been buried with him and his tomb was the most guarded of all. It’s supposed to
still lie with him to this day.”

 

“I don’t know. Do you suppose the Egyptians carved it into
their walls like they did for other important things that happened?” Ryou
suggested.

 

“Yeah, that has to be it. I wouldn’t buy one of those fake
ones though. After having the real one around my neck those ones just seem like
simple plastic ones.” Yugi explained.

 

“I see what you mean.” He pointed to replicas of the
Millennium Ring and Rod that were also being sold. Malik rolled his eyes at the
Rod.

 

“I bet it doesn’t even have the dagger in it. Even a plastic
one. Only Marik ever knew that secret and he told that to me. I’d much rather
have the real deal one that’s sitting underneath my pillow in the hotel room.”

 

Ryou nodded, placing his hand over his sweater to show he
also brought his and Bakura’s item with him.

 

“I envy you guys.” Yugi sighed as they left the museum. “I
didn’t get to keep my item. That’s another reason I held it in. I guess I was
jealous because Yami needed the puzzle to get him, Bakura, and Marick
ck
safely.

 

“What do you want to do now? We still have time to make it
to one of the tours of the palace. Last time we were here we only followed our
yamis to the throne room and we didn’t get to see much since it was just a
hall.” Ryou announced looking in one of the tour guidebooks he’d picked up at
the hotel.

 

“I want to see the pyramids first.” Malik told them. “Marik
told me they’re very well done. He showed them to me asremeremembered them. I
would like to see how much they’ve changed.”

 

“That’s a good idea.” Yugi agreed. “Yami did the same for
me.”

 

“Me too. The pyramids it is then. “I’ve heard some them you
can actually walk through too, some of the less complex ones.” He explained as
they heafor for one of the tour buses to take them to a cluster of pyramids.

 

The ride was relatively quiet if not a bit too bumpy for
their liking. They happily clamored off bus bus when it arrived at their
destination.

 

“I hate bumpy rides like those. They make me feel sick.”
Ryou announced to his two friends as they walked to the firstamidamid.

 

“I know how you feel.” Yugi agreed.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon relating the pyramids they
saw to the ones their yamis showed them and decided that the only difference
was that the pyramids looked older, but otherwise still the same. They rode the
uncomfortable bus back to the small town they were staying and went up to their
hotel room.

 

“Grandpa?” Yugi called out into the silence. When no answer
came he turned back to his friends. “I guess he isn’t back yet.”

 

Malik glanced at the phone and saw the red light next to
‘messages’ beeping. “Somebody called while we were out. Maybe it’s your grandpa,
Yugi.”

 

Yugi picked up the phone and pressed the ‘messages’ button
and listened quietly before hanging up. “It was him. He said he’d be back
sometime around eight, Egyptian time.”

 

Ryou glanced at the clock and noted it was 6.45. “We have
lots of time before he comes back.” He took out his tour guidebook. “There’s
the final tour of the palace we can go to. I think you might like it Yugi. It
goes through all the Pharaoh’s chambers as well as the rest of the palace.”

 

“Let’s go then.” Malik agreed.

 

“Can we get something to eat first?” Yugi blushed as his
stomach protested at being empty.

 

Ryou and Malik laughed, but agreed with Yugi’s stomach.

 

They had a quick dinner and Yugi left a note for his grandpa
saying they went on a tour of the palace and already had dinner.

 

“At least we don’t have to ride another bus to get up
there.” Malik said with lots of relief.

 

They reached the palace just as the other tourists were just
about to go inside for the beginning of the tour.

 

After they visited the Pharaoh’s chambers however Yugi
quickly got bored and hung back hoping Ryou and Malik would get the idea that
he wanted to talk without the guide listening.

 

“This is the worst tour ever.” He grumbled to them as his
two friends joined him. “Barely any of this is right. Yami’s tour could never
be topped and he didn’t even remember everything when he gave it to me.”

 

“I agree and I didn’t even see the tour ave ave you. Bakura
told me some of the stuff he knew about the palace that I thought was pretty
interesting. They have yet to tell us any of that.”

 

“Same for Marik.” Malik sighed. He turned to Yugi but gasped
as he saw Yugi heading away from the group. The hikaris quickly followed their
tri-haired colored friend. “What are you doing, Yugi?”

 

“I’m going to do this by myself. You two can join me or go
listen to more lies.”

 

Ryou and Malik debated over following their friend or
following the guide and quicopteopted for Yugi.

 

They found themselves in the throne room once more, but
didn’t stop as Yugi kept walking for the wooden doors near the back. They
glanced around the dungeons for a little while and in the room past that. Yugi
grimaced as he told his friends what the separate room was once for.

 

Heading back to the throne room they stopped as Yugi paused
to look up at the dusty and broken down marble throne.

 

“This place use loo look so beautiful. That’s what Yami told
me. I still can’t believe they’re gone.” He sniffed and wiped his nose with the
sleeve of his shirt.

 

“We know, Yugi. We miss them too.” Ryou wrapped his arms
around his smaller friend. “Here,” he removed his ring from around his neck,
“you can wear it whenever you want. I know it’s not the puzzle but it might
help a little at the least.”

 

Yugi gaped at his white-haired friend. “I can’t, Ryou. It’s
from Bakura.”

 

“Don’t worry about that, Yugi. I haven’t taken it off since
the day he left. I’m sure I can spare a few hours as long as I know where it
is. Go on, you deserve something. Especially after seeing a fake one being sold
off in a gift shop.”

 

The violet-eyed hikari gave a small laugh and nodded. “Okay,
Ryou, but tell me when you want it back. I’ll probably end up forgetting it’s
even around my neck it’ll be so comfortable.” He told him as Ryou placed the
rope around his neck and helped to tuck it under his shirt.

 

Before he left, Yugi turned back to look up at the throne
with a sad smile. A tingling jolt raced through his body as he stared at it and
for a moment he thought he saw Yami standing up there looking at. He. He
shivered and closed his eyes before opening them to check to see if it was
real, giving a sigh when the illusion wasn’t there anymore.

 

“Yugi, are you coming or are you going to stay here all
night?” Malik called from the doors.

 

“I’m coming!” He cd bad back and turned to follow his
friends back to the hotel.