“But I thought Shamans were people who interacted with the world of spirits.” Solomon froze at the door to his Grandson’s hospital room, “So why did he call me one?”
Shaman. Now that was a title he hadn’t heard in years. He supposed it was one that, in a way, it was one that applied to him, since he could, in fact see and interact with ghosts, a fact he had discovered when he’d been rescued by the spirit of a King who had looked rather like Yugi.
“Well, you do have Yami.” Tea’s voice replied, “I suppose that might be why…”
Solomon had researched what it could mean, discovered what it meant and had kept it to himself, having never wanted the responsibility that had come with it and he hadn’t been sorry when the same gift had failed to show up in his daughter.
But it appeared it had, as Solomon had feared when Yugi had started talking to himself and his grandfather had seen the spirits that haunted Yugi and his friends, skipped a generation and was fully awake in his Grandson.
Finding out now was a nightmare. With the Shaman King Tournament coming up, Shaman from around the world would be heading to the Japan and even if Yugi wasn’t involved as a combatant, his guardian ghost, this ‘Yami’, was apparently powerful enough to attract attention.
He had no idea how to train his Grandson to defend himself. He would just have to hope that no one else came after Yugi for his spirit.
“Maybe.” Yugi sighed, “I think that’s the first time anyone’s come after me with a sword though.” And on that note Solomon pushed open the door and the conversation stopped. “Hey Grandpa.” Yugi smiled nervously from his hospital bed, well aware that Yami had darted into the Puzzle the instant the door handle had turned.
“I’m relieved you’re alright.” Solomon said, shutting the door behind him. “But from what I heard, it sounds like I have some explaining to do. You should bring your guardian ghost out so we can talk.”
“I…I don’t know what you mean.” Yugi stammered as Tea gave Solomon a startled look.
“Don’t lie to me, Yugi.” Solomon scolded his grandson, “I overheard the tail end of your conversation, I know that the person who attacked you called you a Shaman. Now, bring out your guardian ghost.”
Yugi looked nervous but he nodded and his eyes went blank for a moment or two, then the ghost who lived within the Millennium Puzzle appeared and bowed to Solomon.
“Grandpa, this is Yami.” Yugi said nervously, “He’s been my protector since I completed the Millennium Puzzle.”
Yami bowed to Solomon. The old gamer hid a smile at the spirit’s posture. The ghost, who looked incredibly like his Grandson, was nervous, not that anyone but a gamer of the highest calibre, or someone who could read micro expressions, would be able to tell. The spirit turned to Yugi and the pair of them, Shaman and guardian ghost, looked at each other for a moment or two, then Yugi looked at his Grandfather.
“Yami says…”
“Let him speak for himself, Yugi.” Solomon held up a hand to silence his Grandson, earning himself a startled look from both lookalikes.
“It is an honour to meet you.” Yami said, unsure whether his voice would be heard by the master gamer.
“The same, though I believe I have met you before.” Solomon’s reply made Yugi jump, Yami look confused and Tea to give him a startled look. “In fact I believe I’m the one who led you to Yugi.”
“You… led Yami to me?” Yugi looked confused. “I mean, I know you gave me the Puzzle, but I thought Yami was dormant before I completed it…” Yugi paused and gave his Grandfather a strange look. “How can you even see or hear him?”
“This isn’t my first run in with spirits, Yugi.” Solomon told him, “The man who attacked you was a Shaman, just as I am.”
“You, Grandpa?” Yugi looked shocked.
“That’s not quite true.” Solomon considered, “I have the abilities but none of the training. I didn’t find out until my early forties that I had them, probably brought on by one too many near death experiences, and nowadays I’m too old to teach any new tricks.” He sighed, “It would be better to say that I have the potential.” He looked at Yugi, “You however, appear to have mastered integration without any training at all.”
“What is integration?” Yami asked. “Our attacker mentioned it, but we don’t know what it is.”
“Integration… it’s the joining of a Shaman and a ghost within the Shaman’s body. Like when you take control of Yugi’s body.” Solomon explained. He paused and considered the spirit carefully, “You’re Egyptian. Yami is a Japanese word, so what is your real name?”
“Yami.” Tea spoke up, confused by the turn of events, but, since this wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened to them, she wasn’t too worried. She just wished she could see Yami and hear him as Yugi’s grandfather could, “His name, at least nowadays, is Yami.”
“Nowadays?”
“Yami doesn’t remember anything of his previous life.” Yugi gave his dark a small, slightly sad smile, “Everything before I completed the Puzzle is a complete blur. It’s part of the reason he’s still here, I think.”
“No name, no afterlife.” Solomon nodded, understanding. “So you have no memories of your tomb? Or of your time on the throne?”
Yami shook his head. “No. I don’t. I wish I did but…”
“It must be something to do with the Puzzle’s completion then.” Solomon thought carefully, “Because I once met you in your tomb, before I took the Puzzle box.”
“You did?” Yami looked astonished, “I… I have no memory of that.”
“I did. In fact that was the first time you saved my life.” Solomon nodded, “You helped me after I’d been shot by one of my guides and asked me to look after your Puzzle, which I did until some monster,” And he gave his Grandson a look that caused Yugi to smile slightly, “Found it and tried to put it together, then I passed it on to him.”
“And I’m glad you did.” Yami received a grin from his hikari that he returned in the form of a small smile, “Life with Yugi is rarely boring.”
“It’s only going to get more dangerous from here on in.” Solomon warned. “With the Shaman King Tournament coming up, more Shamans are going to come looking for powerful spirits and you were, according to legends, one of the most powerful Pharaohs of Egypt.”
“Then just being around will put Yugi in…” Yami turned to his hikari, whose hands went protectively to the Puzzle.
“No, Yami. I won’t shatter the Puzzle. I won’t lose you to protect myself.” Yugi’s determination was something that made his Grandfather proud, even as it frustrated the Pharaoh who wanted nothing more than the safety of his partner even above the return of his memories, and amused Tea.
“If you’re serious about keeping Yami, then you’re going to need training.” Solomon told the determined sixteen year old who hadn’t long come out of hospital after being trapped in that fire, “As you are, you couldn’t hope to defeat a Shaman who has trained for the tournament.”
“As to that…” Yugi started, then bit his lower lip and shut up.
“What?” Solomon demanded.
“I think Yugi’s referring to the Shadow Games.” Tea said carefully. “They kind of give him and Yami an edge over anyone bigger and stronger than them.”
“Shadow Games?” Solomon asked, staring at his Grandson, “You’ve…” Well that explained why, for the last two years, ghosts had been avoiding their house. The Shadows were dangerous, especially to unprotected souls, and he didn’t doubt that most ghosts wouldn’t want to risk it.
“It’s a… talent of mine.” Yami smirked slightly, “I don’t play them very often, but when I do it’s always for a good reason.”
“It was how we got away from the Shaman that attacked us today.” Yugi added in Yami’s defence, “He’d have had my head otherwise.”
It would have worried Solomon that Yugi spoke so calmly of someone trying to kill him, if it hadn’t been for the way that Yugi’s hands had balled into fists and the slight shudder that had coursed through his Grandson when he’d spoken of the attack, all subconscious of course, Yugi was trying not to show he was afraid in front of Tea and his Grandfather.
“Not all Shaman will agree to play your games, Yami.” Solomon warned, “You won’t be able to rely on that forever.”
Silence fell for a few moments, then Yugi spoke up. “If I want to protect Yami. I need to be stronger.” Tea and Solomon almost missed Yugi’s quiet murmur, “I’m not strong enough to protect us from Marik, and I’m not strong enough to protect us from this new threat either.”
“Who is Marik?” Solomon asked, concerned by Yugi’s shift in mood and the scowl that blossomed on Yami’s face when Yugi mentioned the name ‘Marik’.
“The fire? In the warehouse? The one that I nearly…” Yugi took a deep breath. “His name is Marik. He’s another Millennium Item wielder, like me but without the guardian.” He gave Yami a small smile, but the Pharaoh didn’t return it, remembering far too easily how ineffective he’d been in that fight, “He holds the Millennium Rod. It lets him control people’s minds. His possessed slave caused the fire that nearly…” Yugi shuddered and Yami’s hand went on his shoulder.
‘I’m sorry, Yugi. I’ve brought so much trouble down on you.’
The hikari leant into the touch and let out a small, sad sigh. “It’s not your fault. You don’t seek those who want us dead. They seek us.”
“If I’d known how much trouble the Puzzle would cause, I would never have given it to you.” Solomon admitted, “But it’s yours now, and as long as you,” He looked at Yami, who stared back, “Promise to guard him until his death, I will not take it away.”
“I would never abandon Yugi.” Yami promised.
“Good.” Solomon nodded, “Now, this training you want?” He turned back to his Grandson, who looked up at him, “I might know someone who might be able to help. At least with your Shaman training.”
“You do? But I thought you didn’t have any training.”
“I don’t. And I don’t know if the contact number I have for her is still valid.” Solomon warned, “And even if it is, she might not have anyone available to send, not with the Shaman tournament coming up.”
“What is the Shaman tournament?” Tea asked, “You’ve mentioned it before.”
“And the Shaman that attacked said that was why he wanted Yami.” Yugi chipped in.
“I’m not sure of the exact details.” Solomon answered, “But every five hundred years a tournament is held to find the most powerful Shaman, the Shaman King. The winner of the tournament supposedly gains the ‘Great Spirit’ as his guardian ghost, and with it the power to do whatever they want.”
“Whatever they...” The implications weren’t lost on Yugi and Tea, the latter of whom had had enough of power crazed lunatics chasing her friend around. “But isn’t that dangerous?” Tea asked.
“Incredibly. The difference between victory and defeat is often a Shaman’s life, but the tournament has to be held, for every five hundred years a pair of comets pass the Earth, heralding the coming of a great catastrophe. It’s the duty of the Shaman King to stop it from happening and guide the world into a new age.”
“No.” Tea caught the look on Yugi’s face and glowered at her friend, “Even if you had the training, which you don’t, you have enough on your plate with all the Millennium Item wielders who keep coming after you, without inviting a whole new load of trouble.”
“Tea’s right, Yugi.” Solomon nodded, “Even with training you couldn’t hope to beat some of the Shaman entering the tournament. Not when they’ve trained their entire lives for this and you’ll have a month at best before it kicks off properly. You probably won’t even get tested for entry.”
“Tested?” Yugi asked curiously.
Solomon let out a heavy sigh, “I don’t know the full details, but my friend might. I’ll give her a call. But Yugi,” He gave his Grandson a sharp look, “Promise me you won’t go looking for other Shaman to fight.”
“I never go looking for fights.” Yugi protested, “They always start it.”
“Make sure it stays that way.” His grandfather replied, “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a phone call to make.”
With that Yugi’s grandpa left the room, leaving a rather confused pair of teens and a confounded spirit to work out what the hell had just happened.
