Darkness Before Dawn

A Visit With Grandpa

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Two young men with similar tricolored hair sat side by side on the city bus as it took them from the outskirts of town into the downtown area.

"Thanks for coming with me, Até. Grandpa's been dying to meet you and now that we're a couple, it's a good chance for you two to get to know each other," said Yugi.

"'Dying to meet me?'" echoed Atem with a grin. "What lies have you been telling your poor grandfather about me?"

"Nothing much, just that you saved me from some bullies and what a great duelist you are. That's why I toldja to bring your deck," explained Yugi.

"I see. You mean to pit me against your grandfather for your amusement," smirked Atem.

"Something like that," replied Yugi angelically.

"Hn!" grunted Atem before the two lapsed into silence.

Kame Game Shop...

"Grandpa'll be running the shop by now, so we'll come in the front," explained Yugi as he led Atem up to the small, but respectable looking shop with its large display window, showcasing the different board and card games it carried.

Atem nodded and followed Yugi in through the door, which triggered a bell to ring as they opened it.

"Grandpa, I'm home! I've brought Atem!" Yugi called.

"Yugi! Welcome home!" called a voice from the back room as a short, chubby old man with a full gray beard emerged.

When Atem looked closer, he saw the family resemblance between Yugi and Sugoroku: the same wild bangs the three of them shared, no doubt blond in Sugoroku's salad days, and the same twinkling lilac eyes.

Uncaring for social mores, Yugi and Sugoroku embraced each other warmly.

"So good to see you again, my boy," Sugoroku murmured as he held Yugi closely.

"You too, Grandpa," Yugi returned happily.

At this open display of affection between elder and younger, Atem felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest and blinked rapidly to keep the stinging moisture from pooling in his eyes.

Yugi pulled back from Sugoroku and, upon seeing the sorrow tinging Atem's features, quickly set about the introductions.

"Grandpa, this is my boyfriend, Ishutaru Atemu," Yugi said with a smile.

Upon hearing his name mentioned, Atem snapped out of his funk and bowed from the waist to Sugoroku.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," he intoned before rising.

"Atem, this is my grandfather, Mutou Sugoroku," Yugi said.

"It's good to meet my grandson's savior and new Duel Monsters rival," said Sugoroku, bowing from the chest. "Yugi tells me you're quite talented at the game. Perhaps we might have a duel today?"

"I would enjoy that immensely, sir," Atem returned promptly.

"For sure! I wanna see you two destroy each other!" declared Yugi, lilac eyes lighting gleefully.

"Yugi, where are your manners?" asked Sugoroku severely. "Atemu-kun is a guest here and as it's 12 o'clock, I can imagine he must be hungry, eh my boy?"

"Now that you mention it, some food would be welcome," Atem replied with a small smile.

"Right this way, young man. Yugi, since you're in such a hurry to see me and Atem duel, you can help me serve lunch," said Sugoroku firmly as he led them back into the kitchen.

"Yes, Grandpa," said Yugi with a smile and roll of his eyes.

Ah, it was good to be home!

Lunch...

"Itadakimasu!"

For lunch, Sugoroku had prepared an Indian dish called masala bhindi, which consisted of okra, cumin and fennel seeds, finely chopped onions, ginger and a pinch of amchoor, covered in mustard oil.

In between bites, Yugi wriggled about impatiently, wanting to get the meal out of the way so he could see Grandpa and Atem duel each other. What he hadn't counted on was Sugoroku and Atem striking up a conversation between them, as if they had known each other for years.

"I was barely able to keep ahead of that monster as it bore down on me. When I came to a huge gap in the floor, I had to snap my whip out and swing across, holding on for dear life!" Sugoroku recited as he regaled Yugi and Atem with tails of his younger days, the former rolling his eyes and sighing silently, the latter listening with rapt attention.

"C'mon, Grandpa! That was in Indiana Jones!" Yugi cried indignantly.

"Oh, Yugi. Didn't you know that Indiana Jones was based on my life?" chuckled Sugoroku.

"You've never even met Steven Spielberg!" retorted Yugi.

"Oh, alright, Yugi. Perhaps I was exaggerating a bit. However, once when I was in Egypt, I fell through a trap door into a pit full of vipers. I really did get out by cracking my whip so that it wound around some rocks and climbed out. That's Ra's honest truth," asseverated Sugoroku.

"Yeah, OK," huffed Yugi, crossing his arms and looking away.

"I believe you, Mutou-san," volunteered a smiling Atem.

"Why, thank you, Atemu-kun. It's nice that some members of the younger generation believe in and appreciate the stories of my generation. Stories are part of what make life worth living after all," said Sugoroku.

"Indeed," agreed Atem.

"Whatever..." muttered Yugi, scowling at boyfriend and grandfather, who pointedly ignored him, wholly involved in their conversation with each other.

"I must say, Mutou-san, this is sublime," commented Atem after they had eaten more. "Where did you learn to cook foreign food at this level?"

"Experience, my boy. When I wasn't much older than you and Yugi, I traveled the entire world, digging for artifacts and also learning the cultures, religions and recipes of every place I visited," answered Sugoroku.

"If you would be willing to share some recipes with me, I would be honored," asked Atem.

"By all means, Atemu-kun. I'll write down my top five favorites on note cards for you before you leave today," replied Sugoroku.

"Thank you," smiled Atem.

"Now, if you're about finished, Yugi and I will clean up so we can have our duel. I do think the poor boy will die if he has to wait any longer."

Atem and Sugoroku shifted their gazes over to poor Yugi, who looked about ready to tumble out of his chair.

"Eh, Yugi?" said Sugoroku.

"Ah!" cried Yugi as Sugoroku's voice startled him and did indeed cause him to spill onto the floor with a thud. "Yes, Grandpa!"

While Atem tried to hold back his laughter, Yugi jumped to his feet and assisted Sugoroku in clearing away the dining ware.