Inside the Puzzle

Unwanted Attention

Yugi couldn't believe himself as he wrote the note for Jounouchi, slipping on his shoes, and then walking out the door. The Pharaoh had remained dutifully quiet as Yugi entered the public's eye, and Yugi wasn't exactly making jumps through loops to talk to him in his current state of mind. In fact, he felt like his entire head was void of any emotion and thought, except for one-fear. He was terrified of coming face-to-face with the tombstone that marked his grandfather's permanent place of existence. The longer he kept himself from the cemetery, the more likely it seemed that his grandfather would come waltzing through the door of Kame Games and tell Yugi how much of a wonderful job Yugi was doing at maintaining his store. Atem's idea of Yugi doing this was going to put those thoughts to rest and Yugi wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for it.

As he approached the entrance gate of the cemetery, Yugi audibly gulped. There were no other mourners today, so the entire cemetery would be empty. Void of life, the former duelist thought. He couldn't bring himself to step any closer to the gate, his feet planted firmly on the ground. Atem, who, up until now had remained quiet for Yugi's sake, spoke.

What is it, Yugi?

The other shook his head and spoke aloud, his voice a whisper. "I can't do this, Atem." To his surprise, Atem used his mouth to speak as well.

"You can," the spirit assured, with that same familiar firmness Yugi knew so well. "I promise you-you can do this. He'd want you to see him."

Yugi turned to look at Atem. "Will you be with me?" He was hopeful.

Atem shook his head. "No. This is something you have to do alone. This is just part of what you have to do. I will accompany you home when you are ready."

"But I'm ready now," the other whispered harshly.

The Pharaoh gave Yugi a look of sympathy, but he stayed true to his words. "I cannot hold your hand for the rest of your life, Yugi. You came so far and you lost your way. I can help bring you back to it, but in the end, you will not need me. That is the ultimate goal here."

Yugi was dissatisfied with Atem's answer, but he could see Atem's resolve on the matter was unshakable. The man may not have been the Pharaoh for over 3,000 years now, but his roots were still firmly planted on that foundation. His word was absolute and Yugi was in no position to argue with him. At least, not in this particular time when he knew his friend was right. He didn't want to admit it to himself-much less to Atem-that he was absolutely right in his words.

With a deep breath, Yugi trudged forward, his feet heavy as he moved. His grandfather's grave was several feet away and off the trails that were provided. Yugi remembered where his grandfather wanted to be buried, and he sighed. The walk to the place he rested seemed that much longer because of this. As he drew nearer, his heart beat faster. He thought about running in the other direction, never bothering to face this. He also thought about telling Atem that he didn't want him to come back.

However, neither of those ideas were truly heartfelt. In the depths of his mind, Yugi knew he wanted and needed to confront this. It was a barrier that desperately needed to come down, or he'd never get better. He'd missed his grandfather so much, not having the chance to hear his voice or any of his knowledge on Duel Monsters.

He stopped when he stood in front of the headstone that marked Solomon's final resting place. It had been well kept within the last three years, with flowers adorning it and little knick-knacks of figurine Duel Monsters. Someone had even left an Exodia figurine and Yugi had to wonder idly how nobody had bothered to take off with it. Then again, compared to most headstones, his grandfather's was definitely the most well taken care of. In a distant part of his mind, Yugi was thankful for this.