Standing on the pit of this cliff, pushed towards the angry sea by the strong wind, he remembered. He remembered the days spent with her. The moment he had first seen her, from his child's eyes, he would have never believed she would have led him to this very moment. When her name had been said by their teacher, while she bowed peacefully in front of her new class, he had heard Jounouchi, Honda and Bakura whisper hastily behind him. One of these wide smiles he was used to deliver had appeared on his lips. Her first name was Yuna, but what had drawn his attention was her last name. Pegasus. The name of the creator of his favourite game, the Duel Monsters. She would surely quickly be added to their little gaming-fans gang.
Moments later, when class had been done for the day, he had went to see her. She was calmly collecting her stuff on her new desk.
- Hello! My name is Mutou Yugi. You are Maximilian Pegasus's daughter, right? I'm a big fan of Duel Monsters!
He could still remember his happy, hope-filled voice. He was sixteen, but looked like ten. She had downsized him, her glare hard on him, before a snicker escaped her.
- What do you hope, kiddo? Wanna know which cards are gonna be on the new release? If I can obtain you some super rare cards? Guess what, you won't gain anything from me. Now, let me in peace and go back to your stupid cards, would you?
She had been harsh. So harsh. He had not been prepared for that, and tears had filled his purple eyes. Again, someone saw him as a kid not worth being considered. But, inside him, Yami had comforted him that night, and told him that he had seen pain in her eyes. A few days later, he had the opportunity to see this infinite pain filling her so blue eyes when he had caught her catch a glimpse towards Honda and Jounouchi having a quick Duel Monsters play during lunch break. And he had tried another approach. Instead of remembering her as Pegasus's daughter, he had searched for Yuna. And even if she seemed to hate Duel Monsters, she liked games. That's all he needed to persevere and make her one of his closest friends. It was fun to hang out with her. She was not like other girls. Her blue eyes were truly dazzling, and he remembered Jounouchi had taken a liking in her. From time to time, he could see a glimpse of red in her hair, but she had it immediately coloured in purple, like the rest of her untameable mane. At school, she was forced to wear her uniform, but when they were hanging out, she had this punk style that suited her so much. But then, at the end of the year, she had announced them her father was moving her to another school. A private institute for rich and mannered girls. She had said goodbye to everyone before whispering to Yugi a sentence he would remember all his life.
- Thank you, Yugi. You made me kind of accept the existence of Duel Monsters. I will always remember both of you…
She had known how to see Yami, even if they had never told her about him. Now, he still wondered how she had done, since he never actually revealed himself in front of her.
Four years later, after an official duel, he had bumped into someone. All he could see before falling to the floor was a red blur. Blue eyes had widened while recognizing him, and she had happily said his name before pulling him into a hug. When she had let go, he had finally recognized her. She had changed so much. The punk, rebel purple-haired teenage girl was gone to be replaced by a beautiful young woman. She still had a small leather bracelet with a few spikes on it, but it coordinated strangely with the rest of her rather edgy outfit. They had started hanging out again. And soon, they had started dating. For six months, life had been nothing but plain happiness. They were twenty, and madly in love. But one night had been enough to break everything. He had seen nothing coming. One night, when they were skyping each other while he was on a trip to another city for a tournament, he had felt her tense.
- What's happening, love? You're off.
- I don't think I can continue like that, Yugi.
He had felt his heart break.
- Why? What's wrong? If it's something I can do, please tell me…
- Yugi, I'm losing you. Just like I lost my father. I never really told you why I hated Duel Monsters, right? Before I had a father. A loving, caring father. And then, he created this game and engulfed himself in it. Developing it, selling it, creating new cards endlessly… And now, the same thing is happening to you. For how much time, how much hours have we seen each other for the past three months, Yugi? Not even an entire day, Yugi. Your career as a pro player is landing, and I'm really happy for you. I'm not selfish enough to hold you away from this chance. But I can't see the man I love being drawn away from me by the very same game that costed me my father, and that I hate. So… I prefer stopping everything before I start hating you like I hate my father.
- Yuna... Please, no. I'll stop Duel Monsters. I don't care, I can take over Jiichan' shop, it will be plenty enough. The only thing that matters is you.
- Good luck for your tournament, Yugi. Don't ruin everything for me, I told you. I'm not selfish enough for that.
The connection had ended there. He had tried to call her back, but she wouldn't answer. It had been five years. Five long, painful years. Even Yami was yearning for her return. He had tried to remain in the game's tournaments, but had finally let go. He didn't had the same will to win, so he had retired after becoming the Game Master.
Memories from their time together came back to him once again. The smiles, the laughter, the nights. The way he held her by the waist when they were walking. The way she was tugging on his sleeve before taking him off guard by kissing him. The way she tried to get an interest into Duel Monsters for him, trying to understand how to build a deck. The way her lips brushed against his skin, the way her hips rolled against his, the way she whispered his name. The colour of her bare skin in the morning sunlight, her hair flaming like fire. Her locks tangled in his fingers.
His eyes closed tightly. It was so painful.
Turning away from the raging sea beneath him, he caught a glimpse of the building behind him. His new home. Seto had built it, and when had heard of it, he had caught the opportunity. The island was now hosting a duelling school, and he was a Technic and Tactics teacher for the first years. And also the homeroom teacher for the Slifers. The other teachers had been laughing at him for choosing this dorm, but he felt at ease with them. The Obelisks were too pretentious, the Ras too ambitious, and the girls too… clingy. Yami, even if he had been first drawn to the Ras because of their name, had quickly agreed. Maybe, in this school, he would be able to move on. But for now, his students needed him for the welcome party in the old, crappy dorm they would share.
From a boat, the young woman had a good look at the island. Her long, slightly curly red hair was flooding in the wind like a fire, and the strong wind was bringing tears to her eyes. She had fled Duel Monsters so much. But now, she wanted to understand. Understand how it could be so addictive. How could Seto Kaiba, one of her friends, build a school out of this game. It had costed her so much. Her father, her childhood when he had tried to make her into the perfect heiress, and the man she had loved. The sound of Yugi's voice when she had last heard it was still engraved in her head. It was a mix of his and Yami's, full of distress and tears. During her childhood, up until she was fourteen, she had tried to understand by learning as much as she could about the cards. While she was still with Yugi, she had tried to understand how to build a deck. Sure, she appreciateded the design of the cards, but she couldn't understand why they were all so enthusiastic about it. But, slowly, she had grew up to be a card expert. So, Seto had asked her to be a Knowledge of the Cards teacher in his school. She was a bit late, but who cared? Not her, at least. She had accepted the job to complete her vision of this unsolvable problem.
And, maybe, one day, she would be able to contact Yugi and to tell him that she liked the game, that she wanted to play, that she was fond of the cards she knew everything about.