Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. I only own my fictional character, Todd Eastman, whom you will meet in a few minutes.

I'm going on a different grind today. I started this piece about a year ago, and I've been revising the premise and developing it over the last couple weeks.

There are a couple things I'd like you to know before reading, if you wouldn't mind:

1) There are no pairings. In fact, the only two characters you'll recognize in this story are Atem and Yugi. And there is no romance between those two, either. Just friendly, brotherly banter.

2) On that note, you'll notice that Atem, upon his return, has adopted a sort of... different personality. No less wise or brotherly, but he's considerably lighter and fonder for amusement than he ever was in the series, even with his handful of jokes he makes. So, I'm sorry if he might seem odd/OOC to you, but in my authorical (lol not a word) opinion, this COULD be him, more like a new dimension of his personality, if he ever got to be a normal person for once.

3) As you may notice (and may have noticed from my other stories), I really like adding my own flavor to the characters' personalities. Like preferences on small details like food or color. Since actual character development is so poor in the show, I like to develop little things of my own.

4) I've performed with famous music groups all over the world and, at least for the duration of the tour, I am somehow elevated to a moderate celebrity status. I've lived that life, even if small in degree, temporarily. In this story I try to provide a sincere prospective on what I'm having Yugi experience.

Enjoy!

Celebrity
by Atemusluckygal

The best thing that could've happened to the Turtle Game Shop, happened. The King of Games officially took ownership the store, with Grandpa Motou happily retired.

The best thing that could've happened to Yugi Motou, King of Games, happened. On one otherwise uneventful afternoon, a very familiar figure walked through the front door of the store. The Pharaoh, unannounced, visited the shop with a triumphant smirk on his face. After two years since the Final Duel, he had found a way to come back, as he promised Yugi and his friends.

Funnily enough, Atem happened to catch Yugi as he was slowly, awkwardly, getting accustomed to the life of mild celebrity… the word "mild" being used modestly. The multitude of offers for endorsements, interviews, photoshoots for promos and magazine covers, and young gaming fans by the tens of thousands was something Yugi was fairly used to by then; but the hordes of his female fans, by the hundreds of thousands, were another matter entirely. Marriage proposals became a daily thing in his life, and anyone who knew Yugi well enough – to know how impossibly awkward he tended to be around women in general – reveled at the hilarity of it all.

Of course no one knew this better than Atem, and he appreciated it the most.

"This girl asked if she could bear my children yesterday," a furiously-flushed Yugi told Atem, as they conversed in the stock room during his lunch hour. "Really, really loudly. In front of Grandpa, too."

"And what did you say?" asked Atem, barely containing his enjoyment of the conversation.

"I… don't think I said anything. The store was so busy, a lot of people were trying to talk to me and buy things, and she shoved her way to the front. I think I may have seen her before."

"She's probably a regular," Atem jokingly suggested, nudging his companion's side with a playful elbow.

"Oh goodness, she might be." He took a bite of a rice ball from his lunch, and frowned. "In fact, most of the girls that come in here don't buy anything, or look at anything for that matter. I feel like they're just here to get an autograph or picture."

"Or possibly the privilege of bearing your children," added Atem, now letting his chuckles go free as Yugi slouched over his lunch, his shoulders hunched and his nose reviving its cherry red blush.

"How on Earth does anyone deal with this? I feel like every corner I turn, there's someone who wants me to sign their card, or their shirt, or their…" – his eyes darted away in embarrassment – "…body parts. Girls everywhere scream when they recognize me on the street... kids idolize me and call me their hero… I'm just a normal guy! I like playing games, yes, but I also like going bowling, I'm athletically challenged, I hate string beans, I sleepwalk, I go to college, I read the newspaper in the morning before work… sometimes I forget to turn off the hallway light… I'm just like everyone else, just made famous by a series of circumstances! Life-threatening circumstances, mind you!"

The Pharaoh just shook his head, a contented smirk set on his lips. "Yugi, you are far from a normal person I would say. After all that we've been through together, wouldn't you agree? You've withstood the world's most perilous trials and came out not only the victor, but a stronger man. You're incredibly intelligent and you have a genuine heart. That alone sets you apart from most people in the world."

With Yugi pondering these thoughts, Atem continued. "Also, I find fame to be a very valuable gift, in a way. Not a necessary one, but a valuable one if you happen to be led down that path. I know that sort of life might seem odd and overwhelming at times, but now you have the power of influence. You inspire young duelists all over the world, Yugi. Do you know how powerful that is?"

Yugi looked up at him, nodding slightly in consideration. "I guess you're right. Figured as a Pharaoh, you would know that more than anyone."

The pharaoh smirked. "I suppose." He leaned coolly against the wall by the door and crossed his arms self-assuredly. He turned his head to peer around the doorway, watching the main floor. A lone boy, with a young face that suggested early teen age, wandered the shop, his young freckled face scanning all the merchandise on the shelves and glass cabinets. For some reason, this kid stood out to Atem out of all the customers – he looked quite impoverished from a distance, with his torn sweater, dirty backpack and unkempt stringy blonde hair that reminded him a lot of Joey.

Atem motioned for Yugi to direct his gaze to the boy. "I see an aspiring duelist in that young man." He smirked at his young partner, as if daring him to a challenge. "He looks like he's a bit troubled, as well. Go talk to him and tell me if I'm wrong. Maybe you could help him, too."

Yugi shot him a skeptical look, before setting down his plate and exiting the stock room. He didn't close the door all the way and it was left slightly ajar; Atem stood by the frame and peaked through the opening, carefully staying inconspicuous, chewing on some rice he stole from Yugi's plate.

Upon closer inspection, Yugi could make out the pale, dry skin beneath the puddle of freckles on the boy's face, along with dark circles hanging from his eyes. He seemed jittery to begin with, but upon seeing Yugi – though he was taller than Yugi by a few inches – he was completely startled.

"Mi-mister Yugi, sir!" he blurted out, apprehensively scrambling for more words. He looked terrified and in awe of him at the same time.

Despite the edgy introduction coupled with misplaced formalities, Yugi offered him a gentle smile. "Just 'Yugi' is fine. Can I help you find anything?"

The young boy could barely make a sound without a stutter. "Well Y-Yugi, I don't know wh-what I'm looking for exactly. I want to find something that w-will make my deck stronger."

Yugi tapped his chin. "Hmm… that's not very specific, but maybe I could take a look at your deck, and help you from there. Did you bring it with you?"

The boy immediately fumbled through his backpack, his hand diving into one of the outer pockets. He pulled out a tattered plastic baggie, containing a small stack of cards bound together with a rubber band. Yugi eyed the bag inquisitively. "Is that what you use to hold your cards?"

The boy nodded, a guilty and defeated air to his face. He sighed sadly. "Yeah. I'm saving up for a… a really good card, but I d-don't have enough m-money to spend on a real c-case. I can't get a j-job, on a-account of my st-st-stutter and moving to different f-foster homes all the time."

Yugi frowned. Atem was right. This kid was troubled, and Yugi's heart immediately felt for him. It wasn't long ago that Yugi himself struggled for money, as the Game Shop was not nearly as popular and profitable, and his mother had to move him in with his grandfather because she couldn't afford to take care of him after the passing of his father. His very first deck was his grandfather's. In fact, he owed this grandfather, and Atem, for being the ones to jumpstart his fame in the first place.

"What's your name?" he asked the kid, who was fidgeting nervously with the shoulder straps on his backpack.

"T-Todd, Mister Yugi. Todd Eastman. I am your biggest f-fan and I want to become a g-great d-duelist like you s-someday!"

Yugi smiled. A lot of young duelists had told him something like that before; with Todd, however, it had never felt more genuine. He glanced back at the stock room door, where he caught Atem's watchful eye. Atem wore his fatherly-like approving smirk, and nodded for Yugi to continue what he was doing. "Well, Todd, I have something for you." Yugi strode over to the main counter, grabbing an item or two from the drawers in the back, and turned back to Todd with a silver box in his hand. It had the game shop's logo – the green turtle – emblazoned on the top lid. Todd gazed curiously at it. "Wh-what is that?"

"This is our premium card case. It's pretty heavy duty and should protect your cards no problem."

Todd peered wide-eyed at the box, as if he were staring at the three Egyptian God Cards themselves. "B-but, Mister Y-Yugi sir, I appreciate your k-kindness but I c-cannot afford this!"

Yugi had just then noticed the price sticker on the lid, with the number "¥6000" stamped on it in blue ink*. With a swipe of his fingernail, he scratched it off. "Don't worry about it. It's yours."

Todd wordlessly took the box in his trembling hands; he handled it as delicately as one would an infant kitten. "Open it," Yugi instructed him.

Inside was a single card wrapped in plastic. Todd carefully opened the folds to reveal it as the "Heart of the Underdog" magic card. His face was illuminated from recognition, having seen Yugi use it in a duel on an aired television network.

"I just met you and I don't know your deck, but I have a feeling this card is well suited for you."

Todd's brightened face could've brought daylight to the Shadow Realm. He closed the box over the card and bowed his head to Yugi in gratitude. "Oh M-Mister Yugi, th-thank you so much! I w-will always keep this with me a-and I will g-get better at d-d-dueling! Thank you thank you th-thank you!" He was nearly on the verge of tears as he bowed a last time and turned to leave.

As if an epiphany had struck like a bolt of lightning, Todd turned to face Yugi before reaching for the door. "M-Mister Y-Yugi, before I go… c-can you sign this?" He held the tin box to Yugi, who was startled at the request, despite having had spent entire afternoons signing various merchandise before.

"Are you sure, Todd? That's a collector's item, it has really good resale value. I don't want to ruin it by marking it."

Todd fervently shook his head. "No, M-Mister Yugi, you wouldn't be ruining a-anything. I w-won't ever sell this, I w-want to k-keep it forever. P-Please?"

Yugi beckoned him to the counter, where he retrieved a black sharpie. He flipped the case upside down.

"Todd,
Best wishes to you and your dreams!
Yugi Mutou"

With a final flourish of his pen, the tin case was back in Todd's hands. Without reading it, Todd bowed so suddenly and fanatically he nearly struck his nose on the counter, and briskly exited the shop with the box encased tightly in his hands.

Yugi was barely given a moment to reflect on what had just happened, or even to appreciate the odd gratification settling on his heart from the effect he evidently had on that kid, when a group of teenage girls suddenly piled up against the entrance; a chorus of shrill screams pierced through the front door and rattled the bell in the doorjam.

"Is that Yugi?!"

"He's right there!"

"I want him to sign my boobs!"

"HOLD MY PURSE TASHA, I'M GOING TO GO GLOMP HIM!"

As the horde of fanatic women fought for the door handle, Yugi made his timely exit back to the stock room, not caring to find out exactly what "glomping" was. He hurriedly locked the stock room door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're going to have to face them sooner or later, you know," Atem pointed out, attempting to suppress his amusement. Yugi just tossed some loose grains of rice at him and sat down to finish his lunch.

"I know…"

Two months later…

The clock struck seven in the morning. Yugi groaned as he lazily pulled the front door of the empty game shop open to retrieve the paper. He wasn't exactly a morning person; Atem, however, was. The former pharaoh entered the room with a subdued, but content grin on his freshly clean and awakened face, holding a hot coffee mug in each hand. He was already dressed for success in his silver shirt beneath a clean black blazer and slim black jeans, while Yugi was still covered, neck to ankle, in wrinkly pajamas.

"Good morning," Atem greeted him, offering one of the mugs to his sleepy partner.

"Mmm… morning," Yugi groggily replied. "Thanks for making coffee again."

"I think I got the balance right this time. It doesn't smell too bitter."

Yugi found the strength to roll his eyes playfully. "Let's hope. Every time you make it I feel like I'm drinking tar."

Atem smiled slightly as he blew gently on his mug, dispelling the steam for a few seconds. "Perhaps I like it that way."

Yugi grimaced as he took a sip from his mug. "Yes you do. I'm going to put some cream in this, be right back." He set the newspaper on the counter and trudged his heavy tired legs up the stairs.

Atem didn't care much for reading the newspaper, but he picked it up and scanned through the articles anyway, eventually landing on something that caught his eye. A young boy with barely-tamed dirty blonde hair posed a toothy grin at the camera, standing next to none other than Maximillion Pegasus. Pegasus had apparently hosted a Duel Monsters tournament for talented, underprivileged youth battling it out for a sizeable cash prize. The winner was announced yesterday, and Atem couldn't help but think the victor looked vaguely familiar to him. As he stared at his face, he heard Yugi's footsteps coming down the staircase.

"Yugi, what was the name of that boy you helped a while back? The troubled-looking one with the blonde hair and dirty clothes."

Yugi's bleary-eyed gaze blankly stared at the counter for a moment or two. "Oh… erm… Tom? Tom West? Westward… Eastham…"

Atem smirked behind the paper. Yugi was much better at remembering things, and names, past noon. He hardly remembered his own name up until that point. It was a wonder how he got through school with his honor roll.

"Todd Eastman?"

"Yeah," Yugi answered, suppressing a yawn with the back of his hand. "What about him?" He took a sip of his coffee, which was now dramatically lighter in color.

"He just won the Manhattan Duel Monsters Tournament yesterday," Atem replied, recalling the headline.

Yugi's eyes widened. "He did? Wow, I didn't know he was that good!"

Atem cleared his throat and began reading from the middle of the article, where they added a blurb about the young champion. "Todd Eastman, 14, has been playing Duel Monsters since he was three. Since the age of two, he's lived in over ten different foster homes in six different cities. He is currently a freshman at Citrus Fields High School.

'I can't believe this is all happening,' said Eastman. 'I trained every single day to be a great duelist, but I never thought I would win something like this.'

When asked about the challenges he faced on his journey, he replied, 'Oh, that's easy. I guess aside from moving to a different home all the time, my stutter has been getting worse over the last few years. My foster family can't afford speech therapy, and it's hard to get a job with an untreated stutter. Plus being vocal during duels is a huge challenge, especially when I am nervous.'"

Atem cocked an eyebrow at Yugi, ensuring that he was paying attention. "When asked from where he drew inspiration, Eastman immediately mentioned Domino City's own 'King of Games' Yugi Mutou, a venerable icon in the gaming world.

'I always loved watching Mister Yugi duel on T.V., and I always modeled my dueling strategies after his. He's been my hero all this time.'"

Below the picture of Todd and Pegasus was another photograph, featuring the bottom of the tin box that had Yugi's personalized message and autograph inscribed upon it in thick black ink. Beside it was Todd's hand holding up the 'Heart of the Underdog' card.

"'I took the bus to the Turtle Game Shop in Domino City, which is about thirty or so miles from my foster home in Citrus Fields**. Mister Yugi was there, and I was so nervous and it was so hard to talk to him because of my stutter, but he was so patient and understanding and kind. He gave me two gifts: the 'Heart of the Underdog' card, and a premium edition card case which he signed. I couldn't afford to buy either, since both are collector's items, but he gave them to me anyway. I still have them and they are my most prized possessions. I think that is what got me through the tournament, knowing that Yugi believed in me. I would've never entered a tournament if it weren't for him, and I owe my victory to him.'"

Yugi was completely floored by the level of praise. Even from two years of a certain amount of esteem and admiration bestowed upon him by young duelists around the world, he never imagined such a feeling of pride and flattery. His face and ears grew warm, and it wasn't from the coffee. "Me? A hero? Oh wow…"

Atem smirked, setting the paper down on the counter. "What did I tell you? The power of fame and influence. And you've used it well."

"Yeah, I guess so."

A weary smile settled on Yugi's tired face as he emptied a stack of coins into the cash register with one hand, and sipped his coffee with the other. "Maybe this lifestyle isn't so bad after all..."

Just as he concluded his thought aloud, he noticed a group of young schoolgirls, presumably on their way to school, peering through the glass door and giggling. They twirled their hair in their fingers while batting their heavy black eyelashes at him and whispering to each other (perhaps about his adorable blue argyle pajamas). Yugi immediately ducked behind the register, his face sustaining a rosy blush.

Atem just chuckled warmly, taking a casual sip of his coffee, and resumed reading the paper. "And by the way, you should probably get dressed."

END

Notes:

*Yes, that is the yen symbol. I guess in this story, they are in Japan. I try to make my stories the least suggestive to a concrete location as possible, but in this one I had to decide. This is not at all indicative of the settings in my other stories. Also, 6000 yen is approximately $55 American dollars.

**Citrus Fields, both the city and the school, doesn't exist. But it sounds like a nice place, huh?

R&R, please! And don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

ALG
Twitter: Atemusluckygal