Yu-Gi-Oh!
One Step At A Time
Maiden- hello people of earth and beyond! I'm just kidding...mostly. Anyway, this fic tells the life of Yugi's daughter Cairo. The first part is in her pov and will shift from her pov to normal every so often. Anyway, this is a list of characters you may need to know...
Cairo Muto- Yugi and Tea's daughter
Amon Muto- Cairo's older brother
Jessi Wheeler- Joey and Mai's daughter
Mica Wheeler- Jessi's twin sister
Irisa Kaiba- Seto and Ishizu's daughter (Cairo & Amon's cousin)
Cairo's POV-
Ever heard of the old saying 'you're a product of your raising'? If you have then you know it's one of the most overrated proverbs of all time! And if you haven't...then let me explain. My name is Cairo Muto, I'm 16 years old and the daughter of the infamous Yugi Muto; king of games. Everyone adores and respects my father, but they ignore and bully me. I thought if your dad was the king of games and saved the world half a dozen times a girl would be entitled to a little time in the lime light.
Instead, I'm stuck in a family where i have more aunts and uncles than i know what to do with and an unnatural attraction to ancient Egypt. But it's my life and this is my story...
Normal POV-
Tired amethyst eyes opened at the horrific sound of an alarm clock. A sun kissed hand reached over and switched the infuriating devise off and slowly raised up from under the covers.
"Cairo, you up sweetheart?" came a baritone voice. The young girl looked to the door to see her father standing over the threshold. The tri-haired king of games certainly changed since his victory at Battle City. No more was he the tiny teenager he used to be. Now at 32, he came to resemble that of his royal Egyptian counterpart. He continued to adorn his trademark leather outfit, complete with studded steel tipped boots. The millennium puzzle still hung proudly around his neck.
"Yes, dad." the girl responded.
"Hurry and get dressed, you and Amon leave for school in thirty minutes." Yugi smiled before closing the door. Cairo sighed and walked to her mirror. Onyx locks, tipped in the same purple as her eyes, flowed gently down her back and blonde bangs hung over two innocent amethyst eyes. She sighed again before proceeding to change into her school uniform. A few minutes later, the violet eyed girl descended the stairs to see her parents and brother sitting at the dinner table, happily enjoying their morning meal. Cairo plopped into her seat beside Amon.
"Mornin' squirt." the boy chuckled, ruffling his little sibling's hair. Cairo growled before shooting her brother a death stare. Amon was 2 years older than Cairo and loved to cause her annoyance. The boy was the spitting image of his father. Midnight locks tipped in a reddish brown formed into spikes with four blonde bangs falling to the sides of his face. His eyes, however, were garnet. Yugi blames his Egyptian genetics for his son's rare eye color.
"Did you finally pick out a deck for your final exam today, Cairo?" her mother asked from across the table.
"Yeah, just finished putting it together last night."
"You know, you can always borrow mine." Yugi said with a wink.
"Yugi, you know she can't do that." Tea' laughed. "Using your deck would give her an unfair advantage."
"True...but at least let me give you two cards that might help you." the game king's hand went to his deck belt and pulled out two cards.
"I know you already have a copy of Dark Magician and Dark Magician girl, but do you have these?" Cairo reached for the cards and stared in shock.
"Magician's Valkyria and Magician of Black Caos!" she screamed, her voice at least two octaves higher than usual. Yugi only chuckled as he watched the lively and shocked expression on his daughter's face.
"Those two have gotten me out of jams on more than one occasion, besides, they've always been a favorite of mine and your mom's." Yugi then noticed the disappointed look on Amon's face. Smirking, he reached back into his deck case and produced two more cards.
"You didn't think i forgot about you, did you, Amon?" Yugi asked, sliding the cards to his son. Amon picked them up and soon wore the same expression as his sister.
"Black Luster Solider and Celtic Guardian!" Cairo laughed loudly seeing a stunned expression engraved onto her elder brother's features.
"You might wanna close your mouth, hun." she teased, using her index and middle finger to close Amon's gaping mouth. Amon quickly composed himself and placed the cards into his back pocket. Cairo had already slipped hers into the deck case she always wore on her belt. After finishing breakfast, Cairo threw a quick "bye mom! bye dad!" over her shoulder and rushed out of the house. Not looking where she was going, Cairo ran nose first into two identical mops of blonde hair. She backed up a few feet and rubbed her sore nose.
"Mornin' couz!" chirped the two. Amethyst eyes opened to see the faces of her 'cousins' Jessi and Mica.
"In a hurry, love?" Mica asked, her thick Brooklyn accent adding flavor to her words. Honey brown eyes shinning with life and laughter. Jessi stood by her side, looking curiously through violet eyes at her 'cousin'.
"Hey guys, Cairo replied bashfully. The twins only chuckled and motioned for the girl to follow them. The young Muto studied the two as they chattered amongst themselves. Mica's long blonde ponytail swayed with every bouncy step she took. Her personality and aura just like that of her father's. Jessi, however, seemed to walk with a purpose. She was just as feisty as her sister, but not as loud or opinionated. Her golden locks fell around her face in loose ringlets, matching her mother's style and demeanor. Their parents were Cairo's favorite aunt and uncle.
Although technically, Cairo didn't have a big family but her mother and father had many friends that were all too happy to ban together and form a very close knit and mismatched family.
"So who do ya think will be ur opponet for our midterms, Cairo?" Mica asked.
"Dunno. I just hope i don't have to duel you or Jessi."
"Oh man, me too!" Mica giggled. "You'd kick our butts for sure!"
"Well she is the daughter of the king of games, after all." Jessi added with a smirk.
"I'm not that good..." Cairo started out of modesty.
"The hell you aren't!" the twins shouted.
"You're the best duelist in the school!" Mica screamed. "How the hell your brother got in is beyond me! He can't even set a decent trap card!"
"He's getting better. I've been teaching him."
"The boy's head is thicker than concrete." Jessi chided.
Cairo POV-
So now you've seen a little bit into my life. I have a brother that's a royal pain in my ass, two very feisty and hyper cousins, plus a good dueling rep. And yes, it's true, the king of all games' son, sucks at dueling. I repeat, Amon can not duel. I try to teach him, but he always gets distracted by how cool or manly a card looks. My mom does the same thing, only she loves the cutesy monsters.
Anyway, my midterm is a duel, and against whom, i don't know. I'm not nervous though, my dad taught me everything i know and haven't lost a match yet!
Cairo sat high up in the bleachers watching her classmates duel it out for the best exam grade. When it came time for Jessi and Mica's duels, Cairo stared intently at the field. Since 8 people could duel at once between 4 courts, the young Muto could witness both at one time. The sisters exchanged smiles and words of encouragement before they stepped into the ring. It wasn't long before Jessi had secured her victory. Her Harpie Lady Sisters dominated the field on her 4th turn, quickly diminishing her opponent's life points. Mica wasn't soo fortunate. Her Flame Swordsmen had been destroyed, and was hoping for a miracle. She closed her eyes and focused everything she had on the card she drew next. A wicked grin from the honey eyed girl made Cairo hopeful.
The Time Wizard combined with Baby Dragon was a signature move for her, as well as her father. Thousand Dragon was her ace in the hole, securing victory.
"You guys were awesome!" Cairo cheered as the twins walked off the field. They were about to reply, but was cut short.
"Cairo Muto, please report to field 4." came the instructor.
"Looks like it's time to kick ass, couz." Mica grinned.
The amethyst eyed girl walked gracefully to her designated field. She took her place on the blue side and waited for her opponent.
"Irisa Kaiba, report to field 4." the instructor called. Cairo's eyes widened in surprise. Even more so when she spotted a caramel skinned young girl approach the field. Her waist length chocolate hair held back by gold ornaments and piercing blue eyes stared straight into Cairo's.
"Well, how ironic is this, dear cousin?" the girl asked, her voice velvety smooth, yet cold. "Our fathers endured this same duel almost 20 years ago. So i guess it is safe to say that history does repeat itself."
"Believe that if you want, but this duel is ours to decide, not the remnants of duels past. The match that our fathers fought will be nothing like this, Irisa." the sternness and confidence in Cairo's voice surprised Irisa. Never had she heard something like this from her cousin. The more Irisa studied the girl, the more different she appeared. A small tinge of crimson colored the corners of amethyst, a few inches of height was added and a more mature voice. Something was definitely off, but the young Kaiba shrugged it off as nothing.
An hour passed and still no winner. Cairo was left with 100 life points and her Dark Magician Girl on the field. Irisa grinned as she had the upper hand, with 600 life points and White Paladin.
"With my next turn, you loose, my dear." Irisa gloated.
"I wouldn't be so sure." a familiar smirk found it's way to Cairo's lips. She drew and it spread. "I summon Magician's Valkyria. She gains 700 attack points when I equip the spell card Elf's Light to her." Now at 2200 attack points, she far outmatched the mere 1600 of White Paladin. Valkyria attacked and destroyed the dragon, bringing Irisa's life points to 0. The blue eyed girl fell to her knees in shock.
'How the hell did she beat ME!' she asked herself.
"The answer is simple, Irisa." Cairo spoke, seeming to read her cousin's mind. "I beat you because you only play to win, you forget the fun and passion involved in dueling. Your heart is as cold as your eyes, therefore you will never truly win." With Cairo's last words, a roaring applause was heard from the audience. Many of Duel Academy's students had stood up to clap and cheer for Cairo's victory. She smiled warmly and turned away from Irisa, walking off the dueling platform.
Cairo POV
Ok, I admit something wasn't quite right during that match. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't feel much like myself. Like this voice inside my head told me what to do and when. I've heard dad say the same thing before, but never thought much of it till now. Maybe when I get home I'll ask him. But at least I defeated my rival/cousin! Seto ought to be proud of her, she is his mirror image. I don't see how Ishizu puts up with either of them. If I were her, i would've skipped out a long time ago! And to all of our surprise, Amon actually won his duel! I guess my lessons are actually paying off.
Cairo walked through the front door of the Kame Game Shop with a big smile lighting up her sun kissed skin. Jessi and Mica followed close behind wearing smirks of their own.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Cairo called into the apartment upstairs. She heard some movement and sat her backpack down by the door and motioned for her cousins to follow her. She found her parents along with Mai and Joey in the living room.
"We won!" the girls screamed as they came bounding into the room. Joey hopped off the sofa and hoisted his daughters into his arms, twirling them around as his wife giggled by his side.
"Who was your opponent, princess?" Yugi asked, smiling widely at his daughter.
"Irisa." Cairo replied, earning a look of shock from all four adults.
"Kaiba's daughter?" Cario nodded.
"Wow, talk about de'ja vu'." Tea' commented.
"Oh, their was something I wanted to ask you, dad."
"What, sweetheart?"
"During the duel with Irisa, I could've sworn I heard a voice talking to me from inside my head." Yugi's eyes widened, already jumping to a conclusion.
"Is she a hikari too!' he asked himself. 'but how! She doesn't have a millennium item."
"Yugi," Tea' began. "I think it's time you told her." Yugi nodded to his wife, knowing Cairo had to learn the truth sooner or later. It was her heritage after all. The Wheelers had seated themselves on the sofa, eager to hear Yugi's explanation.. The gaming king inhaled deeply, knowing it was now or never.
"Cairo, you remember me telling you about that 'friend' of mine that moved away not long after I turned 18?" Cairo nodded. "Well, he was a little more than a friend. His name was Atem and he was a pharaoh of Egypt...5000 years ago, a war threatened to break out in his homeland. To stop it and the spread of darkness, he sacrificed himself, imprisoning his spirit inside the Millennium Puzzle." Yugi's pale hands grasped the item around his neck, somehow wishing his old yami could be here to explain more. "Grandpa gave me this to complete, somehow knowing i was destined to have it. When i solved it, Atem's spirit bonded with mine. We became one person with two souls. He was my dark half while I was his light. He helped me fight many of my duels and always came when I needed him. He was a very loved and valued friend..." The young man's heart clenched, the memories of his lost partner flooding his mind. But a bright flash of light from the puzzle around his neck made him forget his grief. When the light dimmed, a bodiless form stood before him. An exact copy of himself dressed in traditional Egyptian garb.
"Pharaoh?" Yugi asked, flabbergasted.
"It's been a while, hasn't it little one?" Atem chuckled. His deep bass voice rumbling in his throat, scarlet eyes warm and inviting. Cairo stood a few feet away, unable to believe what she was seeing. Sensing her uneasiness, Atem turned toward the girl. He smiled widely and approached her. A tanned hand reached out and cupped her cheek. "Your daughter is quite impressive, aibou. Her mannerisms are just like yours."
"She's truly a gem." Tea' replied, watching the scene with tender eyes.
"I've been watching over her from the after life. Think of me as a guardian angel." Atem's trademark smirk embedded into his features. He turned toward Yugi. "Our mind link was never truly gone. Our influences on each other were too strong to be ignored, even by the gods. A little bit of myself has been reborn into both of your children...sadly our gaming skills never got passed onto Amon." The room chuckled openly at the pharaoh's attempt at comic relief. The garnet eyed man then turned to the Wheelers.
"And how could I forget my old best friend?" he asked, looking at Joey. Mai smiled sweetly while Mica and Jessi stared in confusion. "Your children are also very precious to me. They have their father's fiery spirit and their mother's exquisite beauty."
"So you've been watching over our kids all this time?" Mai asked. Atem nodded.
"Not only me, but my friends as well. As you know, Yugi is the modern incarnation of myself, therefore you all have Egyptian ancestors as well. Jono, Maya and Queen Tayana keep a close watch on them."
"But how does any of that explain the voice in my head?" Cairo asked, somewhat irked that no one had bothered to really give her an explanation. Atem turned back to her, kneeling down to become eye level with her. His next words shocked the entirety of the room.
"My dear, you are an incarnation as well." Cairo merely stared at the bodiless man. "My daughter, Yanna, has taken quite a liking to you. She's always watching from a distance, waiting to see if she's needed. Like today, when you dueled Kaiba's daughter."
"That would explain the voice in my head..." Cairo said slowly, as if still trying to comprehend what she was being told. She clutched her head, suddenly feeling a migraine form behind her eyes and her temples. She gave a sigh at the new pain, and felt a chuckle from the back of her mind, gasping because she now knew the name to this chuckle." Yanna..."
Atem nodded, a fond smile on his lips, but his eyes upon his hikari and not his daughter. Cairo noticed this but didn't say anything, chalking it up to a long time away from one another after being connected and best friends for years. She was still so confused, and her head was starting to hurt worse now, her eye sight growing fuzzy at the edges.
"Atem?" Yugi asked, suddenly realizing that his daughter was in pain. The Pharaoh held up his hand, calming Yugi and nodding at Cairo.
"Just relax, Cairo," Atem said," Yanna is attempting to finalize the bond you two have, to cement it as your father and I did so long ago with our own bond, when he finished the puzzle. It will be painful for only a moment, but a split second of pain before you can see her, talk to her, and feel her as your father and I were once connected as one being."
Cairo nodded, trying to listen to what the wise spirit was saying, closing her eyes to allow this spirit- this Yanna -to connect with her mind. Had her eyes been open, she would have seen the meaningful look her father and the spirit shared, the emotion behind both their violet eyes. But with her eyes closed, Cairo instead felt a tether form between her and what seemed to be a blurred figure in her mind's eye: Yanna.
Maiden- Special thanks to my sis Emma for the ending! Don't worry, Puzzleshipping will be fully introduced in later chapters. And although I support Puppy shipping too, I couldn't resist putting Joey with Mai. Those two are just adorable together!