My friend and I were discussing how I should create a 7-chapter story in which the Yu-Gi-Oh gang goes camping for a week… so, I did. ;) Enjoy chapter one of "Rocks In Your Boots", everyone!
"Hm. I think that's everything!" Yugi smiled and briefly swiping his palms together as he stepped back and took a second good look at the nearly-packed van. Jonounchi had only just recently acquired his driver's license, and he took no hesitance in rubbing it in his friends' faces while providing every little detail as to how this came about. For a while, it had annoyed the group of duelists to the point of avoiding to even attempt having a normal conversation with him. But with Yugi's charm in solving problems, Jou immediately left the subject as water under the bridge, much to everyone's relief.
His success in this, however, paid off in a variety of extremely helpful ways. In this case, it was to take everyone camping without having Yugi ask his grandfather for transportation means. And so far, everything was tasking off at a great start. Excitement was bubbling in everyone and wavering in the air. It was such a rare opportunity that they would be able to take off for a week and enjoy a nice vacation like regular teenagers. Constantly saving the world had its tiring side effects.
"Oy, Yug'! Great job packing for us there," Jou grinned as he came up behind the smallest teen and pat his shoulder. "So, how many people we got with us? I need to make sure there's enough room in the van."
Yugi hummed and tapped his chin in quick contemplation. "I believe… seven? Me, you, Yami, Honda, Anzu, Duke, and Shizuka?"
Jou gave Yugi a thumbs-up. "Perfect! I got exactly seven seats."
The van was borrowed from Jou's father, who reluctantly gave consent to his son that he and his friends could use it for the week, as long as Jou wouldn't damage it in any way, seeing as how it was practically ancient. Now, knowing Jou, that was something that could never be promised, but it seemed fair enough. A decent-sized trailer was borrowed from Honda's family, who went camping once a year, anyway – so that came rather easily and was attached to the back of the van currently.
"Oh, crap, forgot the cooler. Could you fetch it and put it on top of the pile there, Yug'?"
"Sure, Jou," Yugi smiled up at his blonde friend. "Where is it?"
"In the garage by the fridge. It's dark blue. Can't miss it. I gotta do a couple more things, so I'll be back out in a minute. You're a pal, Yug'!" The taller of the two ruffled Yugi's perfectly spiked hair and trotted back into the house. Yugi sighed lightly and made his way into the garage, immediately spotting the unmistakable blue cooler by the second fridge Jou's family kept stored away in a corner. The tri-color-haired teen kneeled in front of it and snapped it open with a quick press of his thumb, and it opened to reveal ice and bottles upon bottles of beer.
"That's it? What about non-alcohol drinkers?" Yugi mumbled to himself, opening the fridge to the side. He took all the cans of soda he could find and plopped them in the ice box. "There. A little more variety, at least."
What was to come next was no walk in the park for little Yugi: carrying the cooler to the van. However, determination struck inside him, and he reached down and grasped a handle on one side of the cooler. He knew it wasn't the right way to go, dragging it across the floor. But it seemed there were no other options. The small teen had dragged it just a few feet before he had to cease all movement, panting heavily.
"Need any assistance there, Aibou?" A soothing, baritone voice called from behind. Yugi slightly jumped at the sudden presence of the ex-Pharaoh, but turned to his leaning form with a beaming smile.
"Yami," He acknowledged. He felt his cheeks grow warm upon turning to the cooler and the lovely drag-marks he had created on Jou's garage floor. "Eh… I suppose a little help wouldn't hurt…"
Yami chuckled, approaching the boy. "Alright. I'll take the other side. On three, we'll both lift it at the same time."
"Okay." Yugi smiled, getting himself into position. He half-expected it to still be as heavy as a boulder, but with Yami's extra strength, the small teen was certain he didn't even need the extra help as it lifted effortlessly; Yami and Yugi were all about teamwork, though. Whether it was playing games or lifting heavy coolers.
"Well, I think that's officially the last of it," Yugi chuckled, proud of their accomplishment of tucking in the cooler into the rest of the van, even though the initial probabilities of it ever fitting in a million years were very slim. But, the two boys were able to manage. Yugi turned to his taller companion. "Thanks for the help, Yami." The once-Pharaoh gave him a smile and a thumbs-up for reply.
At the same moment, everyone in the group had emerged from Jou's household. Then the distinct sound of jangling keys as Jou pulled them out of the pocket of his brown Capri pants. "Alright, everyone. All aboard!"
Yami followed cheerful Yugi's lead into the van as they stepped in to sit in the very back, with Honda occupying the extra empty seat. Yugi seated and squished comfortably in the middle of the other two males. Anzu and Duke sat in the two empty seats in the middle with a small empty space in between them. Jou climbed in the driver's seat with his sister, Shizuka, beside him for pleasant company on the long road.
"Okay, here we go!" Jou announced, inserting the key, which followed with the van roaring to life. Yugi cheered as the vehicle began moving. Finally, the friends were going to be able to enjoy a full week of fun and relaxation time.
The road was long, seeming to run in an endless straight line. However, there were only a few other cars occupying it, making the ride smooth and enjoyable. Jou and Shizuka discussed how her eye surgery went in the front. Anzu had her iPod cranked with small red buds in her ears as she and Duke gazed beyond their respective windows. Honda's eyes were drifted shut, and didn't do or speak anything, so everyone presumed he had fallen into a nice nap. Yugi and Yami played a friendly game of Duel Monsters – Yugi had constructed a separate deck from Yami for fun before they had left the Kame Game Shop – which Yami was winning easily, countless times. Nonetheless, Yugi was determined to continue and hope that an angel of victory would shine upon him at some point, but it never did, despite his most excellent strategic skills. It seemed Yami was always one step ahead of him.
Yugi leaned back after yet another victory for the taller. "You win again, Yami. I will simply never beat you in anything, will I?" He smiled weakly.
"Don't say that, Aibou," Yami smiled gently in return to his partner. "Someday, I assure you, you will be even greater than I am."
Yugi laughed nervously, gathering up the cards sprawled on his lap – most of them had formed into a neat pile in his graveyard. There were a couple magic face-down cards, but he never found an opportunity to use them which very well could have lead to his victory. As mentioned before: Yami was always one step ahead of him. "Well, I don't know about that… you were a Pharaoh, Yami. You were an expert at this game over three thousand years ago. You're the greatest duelist probably in the world in this time, too. I don't think I can hope to compete with that."
"Aibou," Yami said sternly. "You will succeed. Your skills are still evolving, and will only continue to. As of now, you're the most superior duelist I know of. I mean it."
Yugi glanced up shyly to his closest friend, smiling. "Thanks."
"What the…?"
"What's wrong, Jonouchi?" Yugi inquired to the blonde at the front of the van.
"Don't you feel it? The van is slowing down!"
"Eh?" As though on cue, the vehicle jerked as Jou tried to push on the gas pedal over and over in hopes of getting it to move. In a matter of moments, the van had stopped altogether in the middle of the deserted road. Honda had awoken and Anzu unplugged her iPod in curiosity with the lack of movement. Shizuka felt the only thing she could do was watch her brother as he began to panic.
"What's going on, Jonouchi?" Duke asked, blinking. Jou shook his head, grasping his hair, at a complete loss.
"I-I don't know! It's not low on gas or anything, and it was working just fine, and—"
"Oh. I know what we need to do," Honda beamed. "Jou, you stay in the driver's seat and try to get it working again. Everyone else, out!"
Despite their perplex, the group nodded and Duke threw open the door, letting himself and everyone out. Only a few cars passed by now and again, but they seemed to care less about the teens' predicament. Nice people.
The air was warm and the summer sun beamed down at their backs, causing sweat to form in just minutes from the full exposure. All the teens, save for Jonouchi, lined up behind the van, in between the hooks that connected the vehicle to the trailer.
"Are you ready, Jou? We're going to push it now!" Honda called, beckoning everyone to prepare.
"What?" Anzu shrieked. "We have to push this thing? But… it's so heavy, not to mention the extra weight of the trailer…"
"Don't worry, Anzu," Duke smirked. "With the extra strength of us muscle-y guys… well, except Yugi, you have no reason to fear."
"Hey!" Yugi pouted, Yami chuckled, and Anzu rolled her eyes at the ponytailed man, but nodded.
Jou had given the okay for the group to push, and Honda turned to his waiting friends. "Alright guys. Once this thing starts up again, Jou may not be able to stop it for a while. So when it picks up, we'll have to make a run for it and jump into the van, you hear me? I'll jump in first, since I'm closest to the door, and I'll catch you. But you have to run as fast as you can, otherwise you'll get left behind."
Yugi gulped audibly at the instructions received, which didn't escape Yami's notice. He nudged him gently with his elbow, "Aibou, it'll be alright. I'd never let you get left behind. In fact, why don't you move to my right so you're not the last one."
Yugi nodded slowly, maneuvering himself to the other side of Yami, who smiled reassuringly down for him.
"Okay, on three. One… two… three!" Upon Honda's command, all teens gathered their strength and pushed on the back of the van, which moved successfully, but slowly. It was tedious work and tiring, but now wasn't a time to stop and rest. Jonouchi inserted the keys and turned them over and over. Finally after the fifth turn, the motor began rumbling to life again, and the van started to move quickly on its own.
"Quick, now, run!" Honda hollered, jumping into the van through the open door. Duke jogged up to the door and hopped in. Next was Shizuka, who had to move a little faster and hopped on with the assistance of Honda's hand. Anzu ran, the door just inches away as Yugi and Yami quickly followed. With both hands of Honda and Duke, she too was able to jump on. Yugi attempted to reach behind and grab Yami's hand, but the older teen shook his head.
"Go ahead, Yugi, quickly! I'll only slow you down!" He said. Yugi bit his lip, but nodded reluctantly and fought to keep up with the van. His small legs, however, were not contributing at all in a positive way. He was gasping for air in his lungs at this point, and the van still evaded him. He gulped, panting, and gulped hard again. Was this it?
"Aibou! You can do it, go!" He heard Yami yell to him from behind. The taller had squeezed his eyes shut as he prayed to every higher being he knew of for a miracle.
It seemed his prayers were acknowledged as Yugi swung his arms rapidly, fighting. He swallowed, daring to pick up his feet and use any remaining strength he had left to go at his absolute fastest speed. It paid off. His small, sweat-coated hand grasped Honda and Duke's outstretched ones as they pulled him up, into the van. The small teen gasped, but took no time for himself to catch his breath until Yami was safely inside as well. He was on the edge of the door, his face falling to see the other fighting to keep up just as hard as he was. His lips soon curled into a bright smile, though, upon taking notice that Yami's legs were longer and he didn't seem like he was struggling all too much, though his face was red with heat and sweat. Yugi outstretched his hand, and Yami mirrored his movements as he sprinted to his fullest extent. Finally, their hands met along with Honda's assistance, and Yami was pulled safely into the van. Duke immediately thrust the door closed.
In the little space there was on the floor of the van between Anzu and Duke's seats, Yami sat with Yugi clutched onto his black tank top, whimpering slightly, both breathing heavily from the exercise. Their energy was shot completely. Yami pressed a hand on the smaller's back, whispering that it was alright, but for some reason it caused Yugi to nuzzle more into Yami's chest – as though he feared Yami's words weren't true and he would disappear. Everyone observed closely, and Jonouchi glanced back occasionally due to his obligations to keep his eyes on the road.
"Hey… Yug', you alright, man? It's okay. You both made it, bud." Jou attempted, smiling a little.
Yugi nodded slowly, sighing with fatigue as he embraced his Pharaoh tight. The chances of them making it were so unlikely. To little Yugi, that was just pure luck. Yami, however, laughed. Everything that had happened today was so crazy, it was strange not to laugh… and unfortunately, unbeknownst to the group, it was only the beginning.
Okay, so some confessions you guys should know about: I have absolutely no idea how cars/vans and such function, I've never had to push a broken down vehicle, I don't know Jou's house layout, and I have no idea if it takes this long to get to the beaches of Japan. I guess it depends where these guys live... but yeah, I really have no clue. So sue me. XD It's my fanfic, anyway, so... I do whatever I like with it. And yes, this story is a gradually-progressing, somewhat puzzleshipping fic. But it is mostly friendship-oriented, since there's so many people coming along for this trip and it's not just Yami and Yugi. You may even catch hints of Anzu/Duke. Hee hee. But yeah. I'll try to incorporate a little bit of everything to please everyone :) Reviews make me jump for joy! I've already got the second chapter written down in my journal, and I will update at my earliest convenience. Though it's not a promise, I will definitely try to make an effort to keep up with this story.
And also, this chapter in particular was inspired by the movie Little Miss Sunshine. If you haven't seen that movie, you have not liiiived. Watch iiiiit. D;