Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Potholes in Tokyo ❯ The Great Pumpkin ( Chapter 4 )

Potholes in Tokyo

Chapter Four - The Great Pumpkin

It was in the middle of October; the leaves were turning beautiful shades of golden, red, and orange, the grass was beginning to stop growing, and Yuugi decided he wanted a pumpkin. Which, of course, meant he was going to get a pumpkin, due to the fact that Yami bought him anything he desired. The other day, while watching cartoons (at Yuugi's request), the young boy had made an offhand remark about one of the things in a commercial. The next day, Yuugi awoke to find this object sitting at the foot of his bed.

So, Yami, of course, took a day off from work and took Yuugi to the biggest pumpkin farm in Japan. Bakura hadn't come because Ryou couldn't come, and he didn't want to be away from the phone in case Ryou called, in need of help. He was just paranoid like that. Anzu had finally gotten over her terrible PMS, and had become her normal happy self again.

"Ohh, Yuugi, I'm so sorry I was mean to you this past week-I was just a little on edge. But I hope we can still be best friends! Here, let me draw part of a smiley face on your hand!" She reached into the backseat with her Evil Marker of DEATH and DOOM, not paying any attention to the road…

"PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING, WOMAN!" Yami, and quite a few people in neighboring cars screeched.

"Don't yell at me, Yami! You're being so inconsiderate! I just want to be Yuugi's friend and make up for how mean I was earlier!"

"THEN DO IT WHILE YOU'RE not DRIVING!"

Anzu was angry at Yami for the rest of the ride.

When they finally reached the pumpkin farm, Anzu nearly ran into an SUV before stomping out of the car, Evil Marker of DEATH and DOOM in hand. She was apparently looking for new cult members.

Yami decided it was best to ignore her, and hopped out of the car, Yuugi following closely behind. Yuugi became completely in awe at the many pumpkins before him; there must have been thousands! There were pumpkins the size of his fists, pumpkins bigger than him, and ones in between, too.

"Wow…"

"Those are some mighty big pumpkins, aren't they?"

"Eh?" Yuugi looked upward, trying to find the source of this unfamiliar voice. He found a man in his early twenties, with blonde hair and honey-colored eyes. "Oh, hello. Erm…my name's Yuugi; nice to meet you."

"Jounouchi Katsuya. I guess it's O.K. meeting you."

Yami bristled. Like a cactus.

"Could you recommend a pumpkin? It's my first time getting a pumpkin, so I have no idea what kind to get."

"I can help you there, kid. I've been around pumpkins all my life; I've gotten quite tired of hearing about them, actually. My Great-Grandpa started this pumpkin farm when he was a young man, and the whole family's been obsessed with selling pumpkins ever since… So, what do you plan on doing with this pumpkin?"

"Carve it, I guess."

"Then you should try one of these orange ones, probably medium-sized unless you want to be cleaning out the seeds all day."

"Hey Yami, what do you think of this one?" Yuugi called. Yami stopped growling at Jounouchi for a moment to trudge up to Yuugi and look at the pumpkin he was referring to.

"It's lovely, Yuugi."

"So, can we get this one?"

"Of course, Yuugi," Yami said, glaring at Jounouchi.

"Umm…you do know I was kidding earlier, right? I wasn't trying to be mean to your little brother or anything…"

"He's not my brother, he's my catamite!"

Jounouchi began gagging, then stopped breathing, and eventually had to be given CPR by his cousin (who also worked at the pumpkin farm), Honda. Honda was not too happy about that, and neither was Jounouchi. Yuugi was rather confused, wondering why Jounouchi had been choking, since he hadn't been eating anything.

After a while, Honda called emergency services, to make sure the pumpkin farmer was O.K. Jounouchi's girlfriend, Kujaku Mai, stood beside the paramedics, laughing (with much humor) at her boyfriend.

Yami paid Honda for the pumpkin, located Anzu (who was flirting with one of the hayride tractor drivers), and got out of there just at the ambulance was speeding off. He didn't feel guilty for causing all that. The bakayaro pumpkin man shouldn't have insulted HIS Yuugi.

Wait a second…His Yuugi?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"Yami, are you O.K.?" Yuugi asked from the seat beside him, arms wrapped around an orange pumpkin.

The businessman took a few deep, calming breaths. "Hai."

*~*

When they got home, Yuugi borrowed Anzu's infamous Marker and began sketching the design for his jack-o'lantern. It turned out to be a seal chasing a lobster. Yami, after calming down by having four cups of green tea and smoking a pack of imaginary cigarettes, began removing the pumpkin guts and carving along the lines Yuugi had drawn for him. The end result was a strange-looking pumpkin, seeing as Yami was high on tea and imaginary nicotine, but Yuugi gave him a huge hug anyway and stuck a light bulb in the pumpkin.

"Now, how is it supposed to light up again?"

Yami sighed. "You're supposed to put a candle in there, not a light bulb."

"But…why?"

"It's…just a tradition, I guess. I've never thought about using a light bulb before… we always used a candle when I was a little boy. But I guess it doesn't matter."

"Yami, are you sad?"

"Nani? What makes you think that?"

"You just seem…different from how you normally are… did I say something wrong, do something that upset you?"

"Oh, Yuugi, you could never upset me. You should know that."

"But, Yami-."

"Didn't you hear me?" Yami asked, giving him a small smile. "You're too sweet to be able to upset anyone… except maybe Bakura, but he's a psycho."

Yuugi laughed a little at this.

"HOW COULD YOU?!" Came the roar from the kitchen. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, DOING THAT?!"

"What's he yelling about now?" Yami asked, annoyed. He crept to the kitchen door, peering in. Bakura was holding the phone in his trembling hand, yelling and screeching into the receiver.

"I can't believe you, Ryou…" Yami watched, unbelieving, as a tear slid down Bakura's cheek. Yami closed the door quietly, returning to his chair beside Yuugi.

"What's wrong with him?" Yuugi asked, concerned.

Yami didn't have to answer. "GOING ON A DATE WITH KAIBA? Oh, `Not a date,' is it? THEN WHAT THE HELL ELSE WOULD IT BE?"

"A date with Kaiba?"

Bakura stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the phone down on the cradle. Then, he ran to his room and slammed it shut.

Yami and Yuugi just sat there, too shocked to say anything.

The phone rang.

And no one bothered to answer it.

AN: Oh my, do I sense the faintest whisperings of a plot trying to break through? How terrible! Actually, I have finally thought up a plot…which means there are at least two chapters left. Poor Baku and Ryou. But I think I have a happy ending for everybody. Yaysies! That and I updated. Blehhh.

10/18/03