Spirit of the puzzle (book 1)

Chapter 14: surprise

The noon sun soars high in the sky as Solomon and I sit in what is called the living room. It looks similar to a less furnished lounge. The furnishings lack the sophistication I am used to, but I say nothing as I lay on the couch my long legs dangling over the arm. Yugi is still sound asleep upstairs. It would appear that my courting was too much for my young aibou to handle. A small smirk forms on my lips at the thought.
"Stop smirking." Solomon says without looking up from his paper.
"What makes you say that I was smirking?"
"I can feel your smug attitude all the way over here." He says as he turns the page with a loud crinkle. I glare at him. Who the hell does he think he is talking to? I am a pharaoh! I deserve more respect than this!
/"You were a pharaoh."/
/"Goodmorning Yugi."/ I send with a slight smile. /"Sleep well?"/
/"I was,"/ he says. I can feel his frown through the link. /"then you started thinking like an arrogant child."/
/"Yugi."/ I send with a teasing warning.
/"You're not telling me I'm wrong."/
I chuckle. /"Go back to sleep aibou."/
"I'm up now." I sit bolt upright on the couch at the sound of my Yugi's voice. He looks at me with tired and amused eyes. "So what's up with you guys?"
"I'm trying to read and your boyfriend over there keeps staring at the ceiling sullenly waiting for you to get up." Solomon says bluntly as he briefly glances over at Yugi. He slides a mug of coffee over to Yugi as I growl at his words. Yugi chuckles at my reaction as he takes a sip of his coffee, the steam ghosting over his skin. I can't help but stare.
/"Stop staring."/
/"Why should I?"/ I challenge.
/"You won't get your surprise if you don't."/
"Surprise? What surprise?" I ask with pure curiosity. The idea of Yugi having a surprise for me is both exciting and unexpected. I mean the pair of us share one body I would have expected to pick up on his thought process before now...Yugi is getting too smart for his own good.
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." He says with a sigh as he takes a seat beside me. My arm instinctively drapes itself across his shoulders as he snuggles against me. Solomon glances over at us briefly and smiles before turning back to his paper. Both of the Motos seem to be content with how the relationship has progressed, as am I. My Yugi is the best. He is far better than what I could ever deserve.
"So what is this surprise?" I ask again. A loud crinkle of paper sounds, setting my teeth on edge. I glance up to see a glaring Solomon.
"If the two of you are going to talk please whisper or do your weird mind reading thing! I'm trying to read here!" Yugi chuckles quietly at my expression.
"Then go somewhere else." I mumble bitterly. Yugi giggles slightly as he takes another sip of his coffee. A light tinge of red blossoming on his cheeks as he smiles in contentment. He's so beautiful.
/"Remember what I said about staring?"/
/"I don't care about a surprise."/ I send seriously. /"I would lose a million surprises if it means I could stare at you."/
Yugi looks at me with a teasing look. /"That's rather well thought out for my arrogant pharaoh."/ I pinch his cheek slightly. He closes his eyes in pain as I squeeze.
/"Dont make me punish you in front of your grandfather."/ I warn as I release my hold on his cheek. His skin is still glowing a light pink from my touch as he glares at me.
/"It was only a joke."/
/"Not a funny one."/ I turn my face away as I look out the window. Yugi's eyes scorch my skin as I refuse to look at him. Does he truly believe me to be arrogant? Arrogance is only one of the many of my sins, but it still pains me to think that Yugi hasn't overlooked them yet.
/"Yami?"/
I ignore him as I continue to stare out the window. Memories of Egypt flash before my eyes. My arrogance was one of the reasons I was killed. Yugi has yet to realize this, but my memory of that night is far clearer than I had said. I remember the evening vividly. The feeling of my council men's arm wrapped tightly around my throat. Oxygen teasing my lips but never passing into my lungs. Bitter pain as the dagger plunges repeatedly into my stomach. The warmth of my blood trailing down my skin before coating me entirely in its warmth. My fading vision as this man takes away my puzzle before placing his foot on my neck. The chilling sound of his laughter still makes me shiver. His foot increases its pressure on my throat until I feel something shift inside me and then the world goes black. The next I open my eyes I am surrounded by the shadows within the millennium puzzle. I had been reduced to this pitiful state of existence. A mere soul with no container of my own.
"Yami!"
My eyes snap away from the window and I look back into the concerned eyes of Yugi and Solomon. "What is it?"
"Are you ok?"
"Ofcourse." I say, letting my hand lazily drift through his hair. "Why do you ask?" Yugi looks back at his grandfather who nods as he rises from his seat and leaves the room. I peer at Yugi curiously through narrowed eyes.
"Yami what were you thinking about?"
"Nothing, my mind was completely blank."
"I don't believe you."
"Well I'm telling the truth."
"You're lying."
"And how are you so certain of that?" I challenge.
"I could feel your anger and distress through the link." My eyes widen slightly in shock before quickly returning to their usual state. It would appear that my little Yugi has learned to sense my emotions...this could prove to be rather annoying. "What were you thinking about?"
"Egypt." I say with a sigh.
"What about it?" Yugi asks with a concerned expression.
"Specific memories are haunting me." I say vaguely. I can tell by his expression that he is aware of my desire to withhold information from him. He knows ,yet he doesn't push the topic any further.
"They are only memories." He says comfortingly, but there is a faint tone of sadness to his words. "It is all in the past. Nothing that has happened can harm you now."
"I hope you're right."
Yugi vanishes from my arms and races upstairs. Surprise and disappointment surge through me at the loss of my aibou. He ran from my arms with such speed that I couldn't even think of grabbing him.
/"Yugi?"/
/"One moment."/ My eyebrows furrow in confusion. What is he up to? He ran up the stairs so fast that I couldn't even see his face, so I have no idea what he is even thinking. Could this be a trap? My body tenses slightly at the idea of my Yugi laying a trap for me, but there is also a thrill of waiting for it. This should be interesting. The sound of Yugi's feet slamming on the stairs alerted me of his presence.
"Close your eyes." He demands. I chuckle as I comply. The couch cushion beside me sinks beneath his weight as he sits next to me. A small smile graces my lips with its presence as I feel the dip of the couch. The knowledge that it's my Yugi beside me makes me unbearably happy. A small box is dropped into my lap and I open my eyes in surprise.
"Happy birthday." Yugi says happily.
"What? You-? How-? I don't...understand." I stammer.
"Grandpa was able to decipher when you were born from the hieroglyphs in your father's tomb." He says with a small smile. "So, happy birthday." I look down at the small box in my hands with wonder.
"I can open it?"
"Ofcourse." He says with a slight laugh. My fingers intricately rip apart the paper revealing a rectangular container. I lift the lid of the container and pull out the small item by its chain. A miniature millennium puzzle dangles from the chain with a small latch on one of its edges. I gently push against the latch and the puzzle opens revealing a small picture of Yugi and I. It is obvious that the picture was taken when we were unaware since neither of us were looking. In the picture Yugi is held close to my side as I smile down at him as Yugi writes a paper. His small face was glowing with a blush that even in a picture format is adorable.
My eyes drift over to Yugi who is staring at me anxiously. A small smile graces my lips at his nervous expression. "Do you like it?" He whispers.
"Very much." I reply just as quietly as I wrap my arm around him and pull him to me. The sweet scent of his hair fills the air around me as I hold him. Yugi wraps his arms around my waist as we sit in silence. The moment is so perfect that neither of us wish to ruin it with the sound of our words. We remain in a content state of silence and affection.