The prequel got a great response and I want this one to do even better, but we shall see, won't we? Ah… Alright, okay, let's go.
Motel 37
Chapter 1:
The alarm clock buzzed on a cloudy morning in Domino City. It screeched throughout the neighborhood, echoing back to it's bedroom, hitting the ears of the boy it was meant to. He stirred at first only smoothing his multicolored hair back. The gel that he used had been wiped onto his pillow as he tossed and turned the night before, so his spikes were even more wild than usual.
Yami yawned and looked around, his eyes first landing on the beeping alarm clock. It didn't stop. He leaned over and tapped the snooze button, but nothing happened. After tapping it about ten more times, he just through it out the window and it landed outside.
"Ouch!" Someone yelled. They must've been hit.
"… Oops…" Yami cringed, hoping that the random person wasn't at all hurt, "Yugi, I think I just hideously maimed some poor man with our alarm clock. … Yugi?" He whirled around and saw that his other half was not in the room. 'Hmm,' he thought and checked the bathroom, but he was not there either.
"Yugi…!" He called out, leaving their room and venturing out into the hallway. He checked both bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room. And after checking under the beds, he began to worry. "Yugi, where'd you go off to?"
He came downstairs into the main room of the Game Shop and stopped at the counter as his hikari's grandfather came in from outside, rubbing the side of his head. "Good God…"
"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Yami asked, taking a step towards him.
He held up half of an alarm clock, "D-Do you know who this belongs to, Yami? The darn thing hit me on the noggin while I was watering the flowers."
"O-Oh. Well, I… Um, Grandpa, do you know what has happened to Yugi? I can't find him anywhere and I was searching all over!"
Grandpa blinked then shuffled his feet, "… Don't worry about it, Yami."
"But I do worry!"
"Ah… Uh, Yugi went to the store… to get milk."
Yami tilted him head in a questioning motion, "But we have four gallons of milk. And anyways, why would he go to get milk at eight in the morning? Doesn't the grocery store open at nine on Fridays?"
He groaned and started to sweat, "… Well, you see… The store doesn't carry fresh milk anymore so… So, Yugi's gone to the country! To get fresh cow's milk and visit his cousin Ed."
"B-But…! That doesn't make any sense-"
"Now, now, Yami. It's early, I suggest you go to bed and wake up at around five o' clock or so. G'night." Grandpa nodded to himself and walked past Yami, up the stairs, leaving a very confused and upset yami.
He sighed, knowing something weird was going on. But, deciding not to push it with Grandpa, he walked behind the counter. Since it was after eight, the Game Shop was open and he had to man the counter. Yugi had taught him how to make change and shoot looters, so he could do this kind of thing. 'Carry his own weight' as some people might call it.
After standing in the same position for about an hour, Yami began to get bored. Today was so slow. No customers. And the more he thought about it, the more he got this weird feeling that something bad had happened to Yugi. He could've been kidnapped… Maybe…
Yami's Imagination:
The sun was shining brightly as little Yugi walked down a country lane, holding a bucket in his hand and swung it alongside himself as he continued to skip merrily down the path. Birds whistled at him and the sky seemed to be singing a song just for the little hikari.
"Dum da da dum!" He sang, smiling at the trees as they gave him a thumbs up sign.
"Hello, Yugi!" All the trees and flowers smiled at him and hummed along with his song.
Yugi gave an impish grin, waving back at the sunny creatures, "Hi everybody!"
Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck right in front of Yugi's foot. He stumbled back and yet another lightning bolt struck. Yugi began to run backwards, trying to escape nature's wrath. In the sky, the song stopped and it turned to black ash and soot. The trees died and the flowers wilted. Yugi ran for his life trying to get back to the Game Shop, but the lightning was too fast. It was on his heel as the Shop came into view and was now only feet away. As Yugi made a jump for the door knob, a bolt of lightning flashed and he was gone. An echo of his scream left…
End Yami's Imagination.
"Oh Ra!" Yami screamed, running to the front door of the Game Shop, "I'm coming, Yugi, don't worry!"
He hit the door with full force and almost tore it off the hinges as it opened. Yami began to sprint the door, but two feet away from the threshold were two solid bodies that Yami slammed into. He feel flat on his back from the force and woozily looked up, "… Yugi?"
"You dolt, get up." Came the harsh and yet sarcastic reply.
Yami blinked until his vision was no longer blurred. Standing right in front of him was not Yugi, but Bakura and Marik, their arms folded and scowls on their faces. "Oh… It's you. What do you want?" Yami frowned.
"Come here." They both dragged him back inside and once in the Game Shop, shoved him up against the counter.
"Stop it! What the hell are you doing?"
"Our hikaris are missing!" Marik yelled.
Bakura added, "And we know you've got something to do with it!"
"Me? What would I do with your hikaris! I'll have you know Yugi's been gone too. I woke up this morning and he wasn't anywhere to be found. But maybe Ryou and Malik are with him at cousin Ed's house."
They blinked and looked at each other. Yami wiggled out of their grip and led the way upstairs, "C'mon, Grandpa will explain it to you."
Marik shrugged and went up. Bakura followed and sighed, "This is going to be stupid, I can feel it."
When they arrived in Grandpa's bedroom, they found him knitting in his rocking chair in the corner of the room. The radio was on and it was some old-timers music. Something by Smokey Robinson.
"Oh!" The old man turned the radio's volume down when the three boys came in and sat down on his bed, "Well, what can I do for you boys? Yami, you didn't tell me your friends were coming over today."
He huffed, "They're not my friends."
Marik smacked him on the back of the head whilst Bakura answered Grandpa's question, "Listen, old man, Ryou and Malik are missing. And the Pharaoh says they went to a… cousin Ed's house? Ryou doesn't know any 'Ed', so cut the crap and gimme the boy."
"Uh…" Grandpa fumbled for something to say, "I-I…"
"Grandpa?" Yami looked at him, "Where are they, if not at cousin Ed's house?"
He put down the knitting needles and sighed. Telling the truth to these guys wasn't part of his earlier plan, but Marik and Bakura had that look on their faces, so decided to fess up. "… Well, boys, I suppose the jig is up. I wasn't supposed to tell you until five o' clock, but… I guess Yugi wont be too mad at me for spilling the beans."
"Spilling the beans…?" All three asked in unison.
"Do you remember that little vacation we all took about a month ago…? (They nodded with disgust) Well, to make up for that travesty of a camping trip, Ryou, Malik and Yugi decided to go on another one."
"WHAT! NO!"
"Calm down, calm down… Now, this time, they're taking you with them! That's why I wasn't supposed to tell before five o' clock, because they've gone ahead to the Bahamas to ready everything. I'm supposed to drive you to the airport this afternoon."
Their eyes widened and they immediately jumped into the air, flapping their arms and hugging. But the hugging quickly stopped and they lowered their celebration to just minimum cheers. After a chorus of "Abraham, Martin and John," they sat back and smiled.
"I can't believe this!" Bakura shouted, "Finally, I get the vacation I disserve! No outdoors, no wild bears and no trigger-happy Rangers…!"
Marik shook his head, "No one disserves this more than me."
"Oh, shut up!" The other two shouted.
"Make me!"
Grandpa sat in between them and smiled pleasantly, "Boys, boys! Now isn't the time for this. Don't you wanna pack? After all, you do have a plane to catch. Don't want to miss it."
"HOORAY!"