Hello everyone! Thank you LadyKeren for reviewing! Having your support brings me lots of joy! Also, UsagiAngelRabbit, I know that you like the "Master of Magician" episodes. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter. This is for you! :)
Things are slowly starting to heat up! Please enjoy chapter 3 and please review when you're finished. :)
Rated T for language and a little blood.
Chapter 3
A Word Between Friends
The gang decided to eat at a small lunch at a small family restaurant called Coco's. Various foods and drinks littered the table. Joey and Tristan ordered a couple of pizzas, Tea ordered a salad, Yami ordered curry rice, and Mimiki ordered seafood gratin. While eating, they decided to talk about the events that had transpired so far.
"Okay so we know that there's a man that sends out brainwashed punks to steal rare cards from other duelists." Tristan stated. Everyone nodded between bites.
"And he also has a millennium item like Yug does. It also seems like he wants to duel Yug with a god card." Joey stated before he took a bite of his pizza.
"And we know that there is a new evil that Yugi needs to defeat, according to the woman we met at the museum the other day, right Yugi?" Tea asked as she looked at him.
Yugi nodded in response. "So the question is what do we do next? His intentions were kind of vague..."
Everyone sat in silence again. A lot of people had entered the tournament and twice as many people had come to watch. It would be hard to go and find their mystery man and his goons.
"We should let them come to us. Then we can take them on one by one. Besides, he already kinda warned Yug about coming across a god card." Joey suggested. "There are more duels to be won in the meantime. Yug, Mims and I can win some more to get the locator cards to get to the finals!"
"Hopefully we can all make some sense of this mess and go from there." Mimiki added after eating another spoonful of her food.
"Yes, that sounds good." the spirit chimed in. "We can participate in more duels together." he stressed while looking towards Mimiki. "Anyone can accompany us of course, if they wish to watch."
Yami was hoping that she'd agree go with them to ensure her safety. He felt uneasy after seeing how that Rare Hunter was staring at her and it didn't sit well with him at all. He didn't want his friends to get involved any more than they already have. But why would he look at her like that? Everyone else was there, but the attention was only directed at Joey, Yami and Mimiki, and she wasn't even directly involved in the duel. She did enter the tournament upon his request and she had a rare card just like anyone else. It was already proven that the Rare Hunters weren't above attacking female duelists.
Tristan and Tea decided to tag along with Joey for the rest of day. Mimiki didn't respond to the spirit's suggestive comment, as she seemed to be looking down, lost in deep thought.
"Mimiki, did you hear me?" he asked sternly. Mimiki jumped and looked up quickly. Her attention was being occupied by her smartphone. Yami's stern voice didn't go unnoticed and everyone questioned it internally.
"Are you going to come with one of us and duel together?" Yami asked.
"Oh no, sorry. I'm going to meet up with some old friends after lunch. Sorry Yugi."
Yami stiffened a bit and groaned mentally, but still put on a calm front. "It's alright Mimiki. But please be careful and be aware of your surroundings. I wouldn't want another Rare Hunter to attack you."
"Yeah Mims, be careful!" Joey said.
Mimiki smiled at their concern. "Thanks guys. I'll be fine, I promise! I can handle my own, remember?" she stated. "Besides, I won't be alone." she said with a sweet smile.
The spirit didn't like her response, but he accepted it. He knew that she was a good duelist, but he still couldn't shake the bad feeling he had about their episode with Seeker. Battle City had him more riled up than he thought and he feared that this was just the beginning.
"Alright, if you say so Mims, but check in, okay? We can't have you all battered up before the finals!" Joey said while winking.
Mimiki gave him a playful smile. "I promise that I'll check in."
Mimiki quickly finished her food and pulled out her wallet before standing up. "I'll call you all later." she said waving goodbye. "Good luck with your duels in the meantime!"
"You too!" they all replied, waving back at her.
She paid for her meal and started walking quickly as she left the restaurant. Marik was heavy on her mind and she was anxious to see him.
Mimiki made her way to the museum and walked in. It was like a ghost town inside due to the tournament and only a couple of older patrons were there. She looked around for the Egyptian exhibit and was led down a long corridor until she came face to face with three large stone slabs. Mimiki felt nostalgic as she looked at them, remembering how Marik had shown her the various ancient art that adorned the walls in his home. Thinking of him again made her smile gently. The thought of her being only moments away from reuniting with him made her heart soar. She quickly pulled a compact mirror from her backpack and checked her appearance.
'Make-up...good! Hair...good! Teeth and breath...great!' She was ready to see him and couldn't wait to leap into his arms in a loving embrace. She wondered often how'd he grown these past three and a half years. He was cute as a button back then, but she could only imagine what he looked like now. Her daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice.
"I've been expecting you, Mimiki."
Mimiki turned to the voice and met Ishizu's eyes. She stood at the entrance of the corridor and gave her a smile. She looked the same as she did in the past, with those piercing blue eyes and long raven hair. She wore a nice beige and black dress with gold designs adorning the hem of the long, flowing sleeves, along with a small golden headdress with a green jewel in the middle. She blushed a bit as she stared in awe.
'Kai was right! She's more beautiful than before!'
"Ishizu? Wow...is it really you?"
Ishizu chuckled and nodded. "Yes, it is I."
Mimiki quickly ran up to her and gave her a big hug. Ishizu returned the hug and smiled again, taking in the young girl's appearance.
"My, look at how you've grown Mimiki! I can't believe it's been three and a half years since we've last seen each other. You look very nice!"
Mimiki smiled and blushed bashfully. "Thank you! I've missed you! What are you doing here? I just came back from Egypt yesterday looking for you guys!"
She quickly looked around the room, observing that they were the only people occupying the room.
"Where is everyone? Where's Marik and Odion? Are they here or did they step out to watch the duels?" she asked while looking around again, her anxiousness very obvious.
"You have no idea how much I've been waiting for the chance to see you all again, especially Marik!"
Ishizu gave her a half smile. She could see that she was still as excitable as she was three and a half years ago. She was happy to see Mimiki again as well, but she knew that the positive emotions of their reunion was about to be tossed out of the nearest window.
"I arrived here about a week ago. I've missed you too, Mimiki. Your departure was so sudden. A lot of things have changed since you left Egypt…"
Mimiki caught on to the tone in her voice and she felt like someone had stabbed her. "What do you mean? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Follow me, Mimiki. Let's have a little chat in my office. We have a lot to talk about...a word between friends, if you will." she stated before turning away from her and leaving her behind.
Mimiki's heart started to beat rapidly, her gut feeling telling her that something was wrong. She followed Ishizu to her office down another corridor. Ishizu motioned for her to sit in a rather comfortable leather chair and offered her some water that she politely accepted. Mimiki fidgeted in the chair a bit. Her heart was still racing and she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what Ishizu was going to say.
She tried to take her mind off of the impending conversation by looking around the small office. A medium sized bookshelf sat beside the desk against the wall in the corner. A tall potted plant sat next to a black mini fridge that Ishizu was currently pulling their beverages from. Ishizu quickly grabbed the bottled water and opened a big window next to the bookshelf on the adjacent wall. She placed Mimiki's water in front of her and sat down in her chair. Mimiki nodded her head in thanks and took a large sip of water while Ishizu took a small sip of tea that she had a little earlier in the day before speaking.
"Mimiki, I know that you still feel uneasy about this, but I'm going to ask you; how did you feel when the Rare Hunter kept staring at you earlier today?"
Mimiki almost choked on the water. "How did you know that happened?!" she asked quickly, her heart skipping a bigger beat than before. Her eyes followed Ishizu's hand as touched her necklace.
"You have a millennium item…just like Yugi and Pegasus...and that guy that threatened Yugi..."
She cringed at the thought of Pegasus and the power of his millennium eye. It was bad enough that the Industrial Illusions CEO was stealing people's souls and placing them into trading cards and that he could read minds. Kakayu was worried sick over Kaiba and Mokuba during that tournament. Needless to say, it wasn't an easy task to console her during that crazy tournament. The millions of phone calls and texts from her nearly drove Mimiki insane. That man was just downright creepy. Now their mystery man could control minds and bodies with his millennium item.
"Yes, Mimiki. My necklace helps me see into the past and future. I knew that you were going to come here after your lunch with your friends. I know that you really want to reunite with my brother. After all, it's only natural that you do since it's been so long since you two have enjoyed each other's company."
"Yes, very much so! I can't tell you how much I've missed him!" she said with a smile, hope building up in her heart.
"I apologize, but he's not here with me." she said before taking another sip of her tea.
Mimiki's heart sank a little. "Oh? When will he be back?"
Ishizu sighed and rubbed her temples. She knew that this conversation was coming soon enough, but it didn't prepare her any more to talk to her about it. It actually gave her a small headache just thinking about it.
"Mimiki...Marik had changed a lot since your departure. Ever since you left, he was very depressed. You were his best friend...his only friend, actually. Marik had been going through some trauma before we met you and that, along with depression and heartbreak, has sent him over the edge."
Mimiki's eyes widened as she felt like time had stopped and that her heart was sinking into a black hole. Tears began to form and she started to shake.
"W—what? What are you saying? W—w—what do you mean over the edge…? He's not-he didn't commit—"
Ishizu quickly cut her off before she assumed the worst and went on to explain how Marik had changed. He had become violent, ruthless, withdrawn and uncaring. She then explained how he came to seek revenge against the pharaoh, how he stole the god cards and how Odion is working under his command.
"That Rare Hunter you had met earlier was under Marik's control. He was speaking through him by exercising the power of the millennium rod."
Mimiki gasped at the information. "You mean Marik saw me already? That's why that creep kept staring at me?" she asked, remembering how she felt during the situation. Ishizu nodded.
"Yes. I know that this is a lot to take in, but I need your help. Ever since you left, he's been wanting to see you. I'm aware of his true feelings for you, Mimiki. He cares about you deeply. I need to save him and I know that you can help."
The dam broke and Mimiki started to cry. "It's...all my fault…it's all my fault!" she said as she covered her face. Ishizu felt bad, but saw this in her vision beforehand. She knew that Mimiki was going to blame herself. She quickly went to Mimiki's side and rubbed her shoulder.
"Please don't cry, Mimiki. Your departure was out of your control."
Mimiki knew that she was telling the truth, but she couldn't help but feel that it was still her fault. She felt awful and hadn't felt this way since received the news that she had to leave Egypt. Ishizu handed her some tissue and waited for her to calm down.
"Please assist me in knocking some sense into him and aid the pharaoh during this time. I know that this task will be overwhelming for you and I admit that it's a lot to ask for, but I know that by working together, we can help Marik! I'm certain of it! Please be strong for him!"
Mimiki cleaned her face and nodded, eyes stinging from her hot tears. "I'll do all I can to help him, but I still feel responsible for his current behavior. What can I do to help him?"
Ishizu paused for a minute. She wanted to tell her the other reason behind Marik's revenge plot and the underlying danger, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her just yet. She decided to tread lightly. She wanted Marik to tell her instead. She didn't want his dark side to grow any more than it already has. Ishizu knew that Marik would never hurt Mimiki, but she was unsure about his dark side.
"I request that you just be there for Marik and when he becomes really angry, you need to calm him down. Convince him to stop his evil plans. His feelings for you should help sway him to the right path."
Mimiki felt a little uneasy about the request. She didn't like the idea to use his feelings for her to manipulate him in that manner, but he had to be brought to reason.
"Okay. I'll do my best. I'll make sure that we'll be able to see him smile happily again and free him from his demons."
Ishizu gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you Mimiki. I really appreciate your help." She took another sip of her tea. "Right now, your involvement in this is between us. When the time comes that the pharaoh discovers our secret, I will defend you. Please try your best to maintain a strong front."
Mimiki's heart sank again at her words. Yami was already irritated at Marik's antics and this was just the beginning. He would surely hate her for being involved with his newfound enemy. And what about the others? She was sure that they would hate her too, especially when they find out that her and Marik have history with each other.
'And what about Kakayu? She knows of Marik, but right now I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know what's going on...I hope that she won't turn on me too…I can't keep her out of this, especially now that Kaiba has a god card now. I'm sure that Marik will want to take it from him by any means necessary...if he even knows that Kaiba has it...I hope for their sake that he doesn't!' Mimiki felt overwhelmed in her current predicament and closed her eyes for a minute, wishing that this was just a bad dream...but she knew that this was reality. She then let out an exasperated sigh.
"I know what you're thinking. The pharaoh, your friends and your cousin won't hate you, that I'm confident of. When Marik is brought back to the light, they'll understand."
She took another sip of her tea and looked back to Mimiki, who was staring at her with worried eyes. She felt bad for getting her involved, but it was inevitable, especially since she was friends with Yami. She knew that Marik was going to find out that Mimiki was in the city sooner or later and it wouldn't be very long until they met face to face once more.
"Now in order to help Marik, you'll need to obtain locator cards, correct? You won't get to the finals by worrying about our predicament. I encourage you to participate in some more duels. The finals will be here before you know it and that's when the real battle will begin."
Mimiki nodded in agreement. She stopped sulking and looked at her duel disk. 'This is no longer just a game! I have to get to finals to save Marik and help Yugi! This is not the time to wallow in self-pity! I have to be strong for his sake!'
She then glanced at her deck and closed her eyes. 'Please help me get to the finals, my faithful deck!'
Mimiki placed the bottled water in her backpack and turned to Ishizu. "Thank you for your hospitality, Ishizu. I'm going to take your advice and go win some locator cards. There's no use crying over spilled milk."
Ishizu nodded in agreement and smiled. "Yes. I admire your resilience. I wish you good luck in your duels, Mimiki. I'll be praying for your victories. We'll be in touch, I promise."
Mimiki nodded and the two hugged again. "Thank you for your support. I promise that I'll be at the finals! I'll see you later!" Mimiki bowed and left the office. Ishizu now sported a confident smile.
'I know you will make it to the finals, Mimiki. With your support, I'm sure that Marik will see the light again.'
The sun stung Mimiki's eyes a bit as she stepped out of museum. The heat warmed her goose bumped body and she took a deep breath of fresh air. Although she expected to step out with Marik, it made her want to duel her heart out. She thought about finding another Rare Hunter to duel, but after some thought, she wasn't ready to face Marik yet. Her phone sounded off a familiar text tone, interrupting her thoughts. She read the message and viewed the picture.
From: Kakayu - Multimedia Message Attached
I won two locator cards so far! Halfway there! How are you faring?
Mimiki groaned. She was too far behind and she was sure that Yugi and Joey were progressing well. She was regretting that she didn't accept that locator card from Yugi when she had the chance. Then she started to reply to Kakayu's text.
Congrats Kai! I'm in the middle of searching for another duelist. I'll text you later!
She slipped her phone back into her backpack and walked down the stairs to the main street, looking for a duelist. Her search came to a halt when Rex Raptor stopped her, flashing her a flirty eye, mixed with confidence.
"Hello there, Mimiki! How are you doing in the tournament so far?"
Before she could answer, he cut her off by showing off three locator cards and it made her cringe. 'Damn! Even he's ahead of me! I gotta close this gap quickly!'
"That's nice, Rex. Congratulations. Would you fancy a duel with me right now?"
Rex smirked and sported his duel disk.
"I don't see why not! I'll add another victory to my winning streak after I beat you!" he stated confidently. "I'll be on my way to the finals in no time!" Mimiki rolled her eyes and activated her duel disk.
"Great!" she replied sarcastically. A crowd started to gather around them as they drew their cards. A fire raged powerfully in her and she was determined to win—she had to for Marik's sake.
'Okay...it's time to get this over with...I won't lose! Wait for me, Marik!'
"Okay Rex...let's duel!"
"Now Dark Magician Girl and Angelic Aqua Warrior, attack his monster and wipe out the rest of his life points!" Mimiki declared.
The two monsters complied and shot a double attack at Rex, making him scream as the duel ended. The crowd gasped as the monsters disappeared. Everyone was impressed by both duelists and Mimiki gave hope to some of the novice female duelists in the crowd. She walked up to Rex as he was sulking about his defeat and extended her arm out for a handshake.
"That was a great duel, Rex. Thanks for the challenge!" she said smiling sweetly. Rex glared at her. He didn't know that she would be that tough to beat, but he should've known better. She was one of Yugi's friends after all.
"Challenge?! What are you talking about?! You used all of those magic cards to beat me! You didn't even break a sweat!"
She grabbed her flowing shirt and curtsied a bit, showing off a bit of her flat tan stomach. "They don't call me the Magic Princess for nothing." she said. At Domino High, she was known for her different strategies while she dueled. One was to use a hefty combination of magic cards to secure her victories and it didn't hurt that she learned a thing or two from watching Yugi duel with his Dark Magicians. And Rex was right; she wasn't worried during the duel at all. The duel had only lasted 15 minutes. Right now, she was just being polite to Rex so she wouldn't make him feel bad.
"Now with that aside, I believe you owe this princess her prize. Your locator card and ante card please."
Rex reluctantly gave her his locator card and Hyozanryu (2100/2800). She smiled at her new diamond dragon card. She thought of it as a pretty, yet powerful dragon. Although she was happy that she added a new powerful monster to her arsenal, the only thing that she cared about at the moment was the newly obtained locator card.
'Now I have two locator cards...it's time to find another duelist and quick!'
She looked up at Rex and put on her most charming smile. "Don't sulk Rex. It was only one loss. I'm sure that you'll bounce back soon. You're not out of the game yet. Good luck! See ya!"
She walked away in search for another duelist. She felt bad for Rex. She glanced back at him, seeing him still seething. 'Sorry Rex, but I'm on a mission!'
Before she could get far, a young man and woman stopped her. They appeared to be around the same age as her and they were both sporting duel disks. The woman had long blonde hair, pale skin, green eyes and was wearing a pair of denim shorts with a pink tank top, and grey gym shoes. The man also had the same hair and eye color, but his long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. He wore a pair of baggy brown cargo shorts and a green t-shirt. They sported a confident air and held up their duel disks. Mimiki could sense their smugness and it reminded her of Kaiba. 'I hope that they don't think that they're going to challenge me together...it's not a fair duel!'
"Can I help you two?" Mimiki asked with a raised brow.
"We're the Takamachi twins! I'm Hikaru and she's Hikari. We were watching your duel over there with Rex Raptor. That was an impressive duel!"
"Thanks!"
"After seeing you, we want to duel you! Right here, right now!" Hikari said.
'I knew it…' Mimiki thought as she sighed. "I'd be happy to duel the both of you, but a two-on-one duel isn't fair. We can duel one at a time. There's no rush right? It's just the first day of the tournament."
The twin both held up three locator cards each and smirked. "We're on a roll and we don't want to stop now! I'm pretty sure that you can handle the both of us with the way you were dueling." Hikari said.
Mimiki was officially irritated by the twins. She felt like they were trying to back her into a corner, just like Seeker did last night. They all caught the attention of more spectators and they started to gather around them. Snippets of different conversations could be heard.
"Oh wow! Another duel!"
"It's that girl from before!"
"Are they doing a two-on-one duel? Let's watch!"
"Is that even fair? Will she be able to beat them?"
Mimiki pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. 'Great! Now we've attracted a crowd! How am I going to get myself out of this one? Too bad no one is with me to teach them a lesson!'
Her frustration was evident to the twins. "C'mon! What are you? Scared as shit? Don't tell me that you're bitching out!" Hikaru taunted.
Mimiki narrowed her eyes at him. 'Oh that does it!'
"See here, asshole! I—"
"What are you? A fifth grader? Who talks to people like that?!" a familiar voice asked.
They all turned around to find Kakayu stepping out of the crowd walking towards Mimiki. She was wearing a red sleeveless shirt with a pair of dark denim shorts and black sandals. She noticed the confused look on Mimiki's face and smiled.
"Hey Mimi!"
"How the hell did you know where I was Kai?!"
Kakayu gave her a cheeky smile. "There's a GSP chip in your duel disk. All I had to do was track you down from my phone and presto! Here I am!"
Mimiki rolled her eyes. 'Ugh! I forgot about that! If Kaiba came up with that duelist database, then why am I surprised about the GPS chip?' she asked herself. The twins grew irritated with Kakayu.
"Hey! You're interrupting something here!" Hikaru yelled. "Yeah! Who do you think you are!"
Kakayu turned to the twins and placed a hand on her hip and sported a confident smile as she flashed a badge reading 'KAIBA CORP - OFFICIAL BATTLE CITY COMMISSIONER.'
"I'm here to kick ass and play card games and I'm all out of ass! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kakayu Hikami, a commissioner of the Battle City Tournament and Mimiki's cousin."
A gasp was heard from the crowd and the two cousins smirked as the twin's mouths were wide open. Mimiki couldn't help but smirk at their reactions.
"It seems like you two are challenging her to an illegal duel. I should have you both disqualified for being total pricks but..." she said turning to Mimiki "I think that I can let this one slide and we show you two twins how to properly challenge someone and win a duel. What do you think, Mimi? Shall we show them what we can do?" she asked with a wink.
Mimiki's calm smile returned to her face and she could feel her confidence rising. The twins could feel the change in the air and felt a little scared.
"I think so too Kai! Small guns or big guns?"
"For the hell of it, I'm going to pull a Kaiba this time and say "big guns!" Mimiki smirked. "I love the way you think, Kai."
She slipped her trump cards into her deck and they activated their duel disks.
"Bring it on, Takamachi twins. Let's duel!"
Minutes later, Hikaru and Hikari felt toyed with. Mimiki and Kakayu had activated a handful of trap and magic cards. Now Kakayu and Mimiki had 6450 life points left while the twins had 6000 combined. Mimiki had her Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) and Angelic Aqua Warrior (1900/1500) on the field with one face down card and Kakayu had Electric Fairy Warrior (1900/1500) and Alien Mother (2300/1500) on her side of the field along with a face down card. Hikari had Gishki Ariel (1000/1800) with Gishki Natalia (1800/900) and Hikaru had Curse of Dragon (2000/1500) and Summoned Skull (2500/1200) on their side of the field.
"Now Summoned Skull! Attack her Dark Magician Girl!" Hikaru commanded. The monster gathered his big claws together and lightning had formed at his will and shot it at the Dark Magician Girl.
Mimiki smirked. "I guess that you forgot about my face down card. Reveal Magic Cylinder!"
Dark Magician Girl took the cylinders and used them to absorb the attack and shot it back at the monster, destroying it. Hikaru gnashed his teeth and ended his turn. Mimiki drew her next card and smiled. She looked over at Kakayu and nodded. Kakayu understood and prepared herself.
"If you two don't mind, we'll be leaving very soon, so let's get this over with, shall we?" Mimiki taunted as Hikari now joined her brother in gnashing her teeth.
"I play a magic card: my final Holy Aqua Crystal!" she said as the card appeared on the field. Angelic Aqua Warrior accepted the crystal and started to glow brightly, causing everyone but Kakayu to gasp.
"Then I sacrifice my monsters to summon My Seraph Angel (3500/3800)!"
Feathers fell to the playing field along with a ball of light which revealed the six winged monster. Everyone stared in awe of its power.
"Now Seraph Angel! Attack with Holy Barrage!"
The monster complied and destroyed Hikaru's Curse of Dragon, leaving the twins with 4500 life points. The twins eyes had widened in horror as Hikaru was defenseless and they realized that Kakayu had yet to take her turn. They had no face down cards to protect them.
"I end my turn." Mimiki declared. She looked over at Kakayu and nodded. "My turn!" she said as she pulled her next card. "I'm going to follow my cousin's lead and summon a friend of my own! Reveal my face down card: my final Supercharge Crystal!"
The card flipped up to reveal a yellow crystal that her Electric Fairy Warrior accepted. Her body also glowed with powerful lightning. "I then sacrifice my monsters to summon Blitzkreig Fairy Queen (3500/3800)!"
The sky darkened and the monsters were engulfed in a bright light. Lightning struck down at the bright light multiple times until it exploded. After the light died down, it revealed a tan woman with huge, colorful blue and yellow wings. She wore an elegant matching dress and her long golden hair fell to her thighs. The two cousins were proud of their new rarest monsters and was glad that Kaiba's duel disks brought out their power and beauty perfectly.
"Now Blitzkreig Fairy Queen! Attack Hikaru directly with Blitzkreig Assault!" she commanded.
The monster lifted her arm and swung it back down swiftly as a barrage of lightning strikes stormed down on Hikaru, now leaving the twins with 1000 life points.
"I end my turn."' Kakayu stated. Hikaru fell to the ground, making the crowd gasped and turned to Hikari to see what she would do. The girl's knees were shaking before she fell to the ground as well.
"Would you mind taking your turn now Hikari? We're on a tight schedule and we don't have all day!" Mimiki shouted. Hikari whimpered as she looked back and forth at her opponents and her brother. She knew that there was no way that she could turn this duel around for them. She reluctantly placed her hand over the life point screen.
"We give up! You win…"
The monsters disappeared and the disks returned to their 'off' positions. Mimiki and Kakayu walked over to them.
"Official Battle City rules state that you shall ante your rarest cards and locator cards when you lose a duel. Relinquish them please." Kakayu said. The twins stood up and reluctantly gave Kakayu two locator cards and two monster cards.
"Next time I expect you both to duel fairly. If you don't, I'll see that you're both disqualified!"
The twins nodded and walked off as the crowd dispersed. Kakayu gave Mimiki her prize and they walked to a nearby cafe called Cafe Koibito. Kakayu ordered a mocha frappe with extra chocolate syrup while Mimiki ordered strawberry lemonade slushy.
"Great work, cuzzo!" Kakayu said as she gave her a high five. "We kicked some ass!"
Mimiki nodded while drinking. "Yes, yes we did! I'm glad that you showed up when you did. Thanks!"
Kakayu waved her hand. "No problem Mimi!"
Mimiki took out her locator cards. "Now I have three. Only halfway there!" she declared proudly. "I know that you have four now, but I'll catch up soon!"
"Oh! That reminds me!" Kakayu said before she rummaged through her black backpack. She handed her another locator card and Mimiki looked at her in confusion.
"Kai don't give me your locator card! I didn't earn it."
Kakayu shook her head in disagreement. "No, you did actually. You can thank Yugi for this. He told me that you had a duel last night and you didn't get a locator card. He didn't think that was fair, so he asked me for a favor." she replied before taking another drink. "Speaking of that, you have a lot of explaining to do!" she said sharply, making Mimiki jump a little.
'Shit!' Mimiki cursed. 'I was hoping that she wouldn't find out about that duel!'
"Why didn't you tell me that you got jumped last night by those creeps?! I think that Yugi had said something about a...Rare Hunter…? You could've been hurt or worse!"
Mimiki cursed inwardly again as she rubbed her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Besides, I handed his ass to him on a silver platter. I'm okay, really! Yugi took care of him for Joey and I earlier today. He won't be bothering us again."
She decided to leave out the mind control part. She didn't want to think about Marik and become dismal again, especially now.
"I'll have to thank Yugi later. Thanks Kai." She slipped the card in with her other ones and put them in her backpack. "Now we're even." Mimiki said.
"Please be careful, Mimi. I'll call Kaiba soon to tell the security team to look out for those Rare Hunters. What they're doing is unacceptable!"
Mimiki mentally winced at Kakayu's words as she continued to drink her slushy. "Yeah, it is." she replied. 'Put please don't be too harsh on Marik…'
Soon afterwards, Kakayu's phone started to ring, sounding off a familiar tone. "Yes, boss?" she answered with a sarcastic tone.
"Kakayu! Why are you at Cafe Koibito talking the day away with your cousin?! You're supposed to be monitoring the tournament!" Kaiba roared.
Mimiki could hear his voice from the phone and sported an annoyed look on her face while she continued to enjoy her drink. Kakayu wasn't phased and smirked.
"I didn't know that taking a small break would disrupt the war, General. I'm almost done. Don't piss your pants."
Kaiba scoffed. "Get back to work, Hikami! Unlike you, I have to teach a pathetic duelist a lesson in breaking the rules of my tournament! I'll call you later."
"Yeah, yeah," she said. "But I did that earlier, but I'll get right back to work, boss!" she said in a sweet and sickening sarcastic voice before she ended the call. Mimiki kept sipping on her drink.
"The boyfriend mad at you for lollygagging with little ol' me?"
Kakayu blushed and closed her eyes before taking another sip of her frappe. "He's not my boyfriend!"
Mimiki smirked. It was no secret to her that Kakayu had feelings for Kaiba. They were good friends and they always spent a good chunk of their free time together. Mimiki didn't hold Kaiba in very high regard, but as long as her cousin was happy, she was happy.
"With all the time you two spend together, I'm still surprised that you haven't asked the boy out. You two are almost attached at the hip."
Kakayu continued to focus her attention on her drink and avoiding Mimiki's unrelenting gaze. "Well? What's the problem? What's stopping you?"
Kakayu finished the last of her drink and patted her lips dry.
"No comment."
On his yacht, Marik was sitting in the lounge, anxious to get to Domino. They still had a day's time until they docked at the Domino Marina. He wanted to see Mimiki, but defeating Yugi was another top priority. Those two priorities had his mind going at 100 miles an hour. He viewed her duelist profile on the tablet and pulled a couple of small pictures from his robe of them from her birthday party, the same one that she had on her nightstand. They had taken a picture of them sitting on the couch smiling happily. His eyes drifted down to her bandaged ankle. Her ankle was still injured from the day before and it was still a little painful for her to walk. He frowned as the horrible memories and emotions from that day flooded his mind again.
She had almost died because of his poor choice of words to her after he had stolen her first kiss from her. He could feel those negative emotions pang in his heart and he got a dull headache; but unknowingly to him, his hair was starting to spike upwards a little. He groaned irritably and rubbed his temple. He told himself that he wouldn't visit that situation again now that she was alive and well. He tried to think of pleasant memories instead, like the way he felt during the few times they shared a kiss. He had never felt the waves of euphoria that enveloped him at the time and he always took the opportunity to make it happen again with proper restraint. Marik felt like Mimiki was his and his alone. He wanted her to himself and thought that they'd be together forever...she was suddenly ripped away from him on that fateful day at the airport. When Marik saw her reaching out to him, he tried his best to grab her hand, but the security agents had pulled him away from her. She was gone forever and his heart was dead ever since.
His eyes became glossy as the memories continued to play on in his mind and his headache intensified. He groaned louder and grabbed the glass of water that he'd been nipping at for the last hour. Still dressed in his Rare Hunter attire, he was grateful that the robe, along with the sun's rays had been keeping him warm, but now he was sweating bullets. He took a huge gulp of water and wiped the sweat from his brow, releasing a low groan. A knock at the door now grabbed his attention. He grew irritated and swiveled his chair around, but he calmed down when Odion appeared before him, bowing with a knee to the floor. His hair had reverted back to its normal, silky state and his headache started to subside.
"Pardon my interruption, Master Marik."
"What is it, Odion?"
"Obelisk the Tormentor has been played in Battle City. Seto Kaiba now owns it."
Marik's eyes narrowed as he scoffed.
"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" he yelled. "I should've known that Ishizu was the reason that this tournament was even happening in the first place! My sister is always trying to conspire against me! And know she's given it to Seto Kaiba!" he growled.
He thought back to when he obtained the Winged Dragon of Ra—his second god card. It was hidden away in Egypt and Ishizu had stood in his way from retrieving it. She had even summoned a sizable military group to stop him, but the power of his millennium rod made quick work of them. He remembered her words to him, staring at him with those fierce ocean blue eyes:
"Marik stop this at once! It is your destiny to sacrifice yourself to your duty to serve the pharaoh until his return!"
"No, Ishizu!" he snapped. "I will break us from that duty with the god cards and dispel the curse upon the Ishtar family! You won't stop me!"
"She must've given him the card to tempt the rich bastard into hosting this tournament to lure me out of hiding!" he concluded. "I'll let my sister have her little fun for now."
He walked to the glass wall that overlooked the bow with the tablet in tow. 'Kaiba doesn't know the full power of Obelisk. I'll deal with him later. Retrieving it from him shouldn't be a hassle. It's time to put my next plan into action.'
"Odion!" he roared. "Is Pandora ready?"
Odion nodded. "Yes, Master Marik. His stage has been set up and he's ready."
Marik quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her Battle City duelist profile picture again.
'I'm sorry that I'm doing this Mimi, but the spirit of the puzzle must pay for his sins! Please forgive me, my love.' Marik's lips transformed into an evil smile.
"It's showtime!" he commanded.
After the gang had split up after lunch, Tristan had took it upon himself to visit Joey's sister, Serenity, who was now recovering from her eye surgery at Domino Sinai Hospital. He had stayed with her for a while and gave her a play-by-play of Joey's duel with Espa Roba, the ESP duelist by logging on to a website that Kaiba had designed for the tournament. He was in a pinch, but he managed to win the duel. Serenity was elated and Tristan was happy that the young girl was in high spirits. He found her to be adorably cute and thought that she had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Tristan was also happy that Joey wasn't there at the moment. He knew that the boy would go ballistic if he saw him flirting with his little sister, so he enjoyed most of the moment as he could before he left.
"Well Serenity," he said as he closed the laptop "I'm sure that the others will be wanting to join up again soon. I'm leaving now."
Serenity flashed him a sweet smile of gratitude. "Thank you Tristan. It gets a little lonely here sometimes, so thank you for visiting me. I really appreciate it."
Tristan blushed bashfully and hoped that he was winning some brownie points with her.
"Ah. it was no problem! Thanks for having me." He opened the door and stepped halfway out of the room. "See ya next time!
"Wait! Tristan!" Serenity called out. He turned his attention back to her. "What is it Serenity? Did you need something before I go?"
Serenity shook her head. "Not really...I was just wondering if you can take me to Battle City once I get discharged? I want the first thing I see is to see Joey dueling."
Tristan smile grew a mile wide. He finally had an excuse to come back and spend more time with Serenity and the best part was that Joey couldn't stop it from happening.
"You got yourself a deal, pretty lady. I'll be back as soon as you're ready to leave. See ya!"
Tristan then closed the door behind him and left for Downtown Domino.
Meanwhile downtown, Tea and Mr. Muto had congratulated Joey on his victory of Espa Roba. Espa Roba had been cheating the whole time by using tips from his younger siblings, who were perched up top on a nearby skyscraper. Joey exposed him as an ESP fraud and won the duel. He had won a locator card and Espa's rarest card, Jinzo (2400/1500). He also earned a silent congrats from Yami, who was also watching everything from above. He was proud that Joey fought his way through his dilemma. He pharaoh then left without making his presence noticed. He knew that he had to earn his way to the finals and he wasn't going to do by just standing by.
"Thanks for the praise guys!" Joey said. "Now I had two locator cards and time's a wastin! I gotta do my best, not only for me, but Serenity too!"
Tea and Mr. Muto nodded. "I wonder how Yugi and Mimiki are doing? Kaiba and Kakayu as well…" Tea said.
"Knowing Mims and Kai, they can hold their own. I'm pretty sure that we're tied up locator card wise."
Tea then pulled out her pink cellphone and started to send Mimiki a text. "Let's find out!" Thirty seconds after she sent the message, she had a reply.
From: Mimiki - Multimedia Message Attached
We have four a piece! :) How are Yugi and Joey doing? Great I hope!
A picture of the two cousins posing with their locator cards was viewed between the three of them.
"What?!" Joey exclaimed. "How did they get so far ahead?! I gotta catch up! And quick! See you two later! I gotta find another duelist!"
"Then we'll go and find Yugi and see what he's up to. See ya!" Tea said.
The three went their separate ways and were happy that no other Rare Hunters tried to ruin their day since that morning.
Yami had walked around the city after watching Joey's duel and ended up in a small park. He stopped for a moment to take a glance at Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon card. He was happy to add his best friend's card to his deck during the tournament. He could feel Yugi brimming with agreement as he appeared next to him.
"I'm glad that we have Joey's support. His Red Eyes will be helpful against our new enemy. It's like his heart is in our deck! I just hope that he'll be able to survive in the tournament without it!"
Yami smirked. "I'm sure that Joey will be successful in his duels. He won the last one without the help of his Red Eyes. Now that he has another powerful card, I'm sure that he'll be able to plan a new strategy." the spirit replied.
Yugi nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right. But back to this morning, I realized that we're basically fighting an enemy that we can't see. We don't even know his name! I just wish that we at least knew our new foe's name though…"
The spirit nodded. "I agree, Yugi. A name at least would be of great help."
"Yeah and we still don't know what he looks like either. So far, he hasn't made an appearance since this morning...I wonder what he's planning..."
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in his peripheral vision. He turned to see Mimiki walking up the sidewalk, across from the small park he was in.
"Ah! There's Mimiki!" Yugi exclaimed. "For some reason, that Rare Hunter kept staring at her. I guess this is a good time to keep her close, don't you agree Yami?"
Yami stared at her intensely. "Yugi, didn't she say that she was supposed to be with another group of friends? Why is she alone when she said earlier that she wouldn't be? We separated almost two hours ago."
"You're right! I guess it slipped my mind! Let's go check up on her."
Mimiki turned towards a green and yellow striped circus tent across the street.
"Mimiki!" the spirit called out in vain. Yami narrowed his eyes and started to follow her. Coincidentally, Tea and Mr. Muto was passing by the small park. When they entered, they saw Yugi walking towards the tent following after Mimiki.
"There he is! And Mimiki too!" Tea exclaimed. "Yugi! Mimiki!"
Although she called out to them, they didn't respond and kept walking. The two walked hurriedly to catch up and they disappeared into the tent. When they entered, they saw Yugi enter a tall magic box with slots all over it that bared question marks on the front. The doors had shut tight as they walked up to it.
"Yugi!" they called out.
The box released a fog and collapsed. Yugi had disappeared before their eyes and Mimiki was nowhere to be found either.
A distress beep sounded off from Mokuba's cellphone. The information caused his eyes to widen in panic. "Seto!" he cried. The young CEO looked down to his little brother.
"What is it, Mokuba?"
"Yugi's signal just disappeared from the tournament surveillance system! I think that it's being blocked somehow."
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Hmm…" he hummed. "I think it's those Rare Hunters behind this. Even before the tournament started, they've been involved in some form of cheating. Kakayu already told me that Mimiki and Wheeler were assaulted by them and we saw that Yugi was challenged this morning by a Rare Hunter."
Kaiba smirked. 'They're finally coming out of hiding. My opportunity to collect the other two Egyptian god cards will be here soon.'
"Yugi might be inside a building that's blocking the signal. Let's find him Mokuba. Call Kakayu and tell her to hurry up and meet us here in five minutes! We have work to do."
Mokuba nodded his head. "Right!"
Mokuba started to call Kakayu while Kaiba was focusing on his thoughts. 'I won't let my opportunity to duel Yugi slip away because of some wanna-be punks. Yugi is the only person I want to duel and no one will get in my way!'
In a remote office building, Yami stepped out of the magic box. He looked around to find Mimiki, but all he observed was that he appeared to be inside of a closed office. An old, bulky computer's static screen gave the tiny room some light.
"Mimiki!" he called out. "Where are you? I'd like to discuss something with you!"
His eyes narrowed when he didn't hear a response. He then walked up to it and the computer had activated itself.
"Hacking into Battle City database." it stated in a robotic voice. "Duelist profile for Yugi Muto. Dueling level: 8. Rarest card: Dark Magician."
Suddenly the Dark Magician started to glow in a purple aura. It smiled evilly at him and sprang to life as a hologram. Upon observing him, Yami noticed that this Dark Magician looked different from his. This Dark Magician was wearing a red and gold suit instead of purple. He had tan skin, narrow lavender eyes and platinum blonde hair. He also had kohl around his eyes and under his bottom lip that pointed sharply down towards his chin.
"About time that you got here!" it said. "I've been waiting for you Yugi! Come and play with my master, Pandora. Only one person in the world can control the Dark Magician and that is my master Pandora." he stated with an evil smile.
Yami sported a confused and irritated frown. "Enough of the tricks! Whoever is there, show yourself!" he commanded. "If it's you Mimiki, I don't find this very amusing!"
At his command, a man had appeared before him. He was wearing a red suit with a matching top hat and a blue and black striped mask that matched his tie and shirt. In his fingers, he held a Dark Magician card, the same as the one on the computer. He let out a wicked laugh.
"Welcome Yugi Muto!"
"You're not Mimiki! Where is she? I was certain that she came through that magic box to come here."
"Oh, you mean this girl?" he asked, his right palm guiding Yami's attention to his left. Mimiki soon appeared and took her hosts' hand. He then snapped his fingers and she disappeared into thin air, shocking Yami.
"What did you do to her?! Where did she go?!"
The man laughed at him again. "That girl was never here. I'm an illusionist. That girl was merely an illusion that I created to persuade you to come here. My master was certain that you'd come here if you saw her."
Yami's eyes continued to stare at the illusionist with disgust. "Your master? Who are you?!"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Pandora and I'm the number 2 Rare Hunter. As a master illusionist, only I can hold the power of the great Dark Magician. You will never understand its full potential!"
Yami growled lowly. "That's enough, Pandora!"
Pandora slowly walked up to him. "I'm sorry that I shocked you with your little friend's vanishing act and that your favorite card is a part of my deck. I challenge you to a duel! The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician!" he said with a cocky grin. His Dark Magician also sported the same grin, but much more wicked.
Yami smirked. "I accept your challenge Pandora. Just to let you know, I have no qualms about other duelists having Dark Magician in their decks. The girl who you tricked me with also has a magician of her own. It's one of the things that we have in common. My Dark Magician and I are connected by the heart of the cards and I can tap into his true power." he stated as she shuffled through his deck. He flashed his favorite card. "He has chosen me and has never let me down! I place my complete trust in him!"
His Dark Magician appeared behind him, brimming with confidence. Pandora replied with a scowl, but quickly changed his resolve.
"So it's true! The great Yugi Muto never backs down from a challenge! Very impressive, but this room is a little cramped, don't you think? Follow me. I know of a special dueling ring close by."
He bowed and pointed his hand towards a flight of stairs leading down to the basement. "Hurry! It's almost showtime!" he said as they walked down the stairs. "I have orders from my superior to make this a true spectacle!"
"Who are you working for Pandora? Is it the leader of the Rare Hunters?!"
Pandora decided not to answer the question. "Just relax and enjoy the show. Forget who's backstage and just worry about me."
They walked behind another door to a special arena. Tattered red curtains were draped from the ceiling. "This duel will be between us. No one will be watching and thanks to our location, even Seto Kaiba doesn't know where you are."
Suddenly, the floor moved beneath them and Yami found himself bound in shackle like devices by his ankles. Buzz saws appeared from a few feet away from them spinning rapidly. He started to struggle, but it was in vain. "We're both locked in! If you lose this duel, you'll not only lose your Dark Magician, but you'll never walk again! The more life points you lose, the closer the buzz saw will move closer to you!"
Then a golden box appeared in between their legs and shackles. "If you win, you'll be able to unlock yourself from the shackles! The key is inside the box. It's your only hope!" Pandora then activated his duel disk. "There's so much at stake, Yugi! Let's duel!"
After separating from Kakayu, Mimiki walked around Downtown Domino all by her lonesome. She decided to take the rest of the day off from dueling and wondered where her friends were. Before she could give them a call, her phone rang. It was Tea.
'Oh! Speak of the devil!' she thought as she answered the phone.
"Hey Tea! I was just thinking about you guys! Where are you?"
"I was about to ask you the same question! Didn't you just walk into a yellow and green striped circus tent with Yugi?"
Mimiki's eyebrows furrowed. "No. I left you all at the restaurant, remember? I haven't seen any of you since..." Then negative feelings started to creep into her heart. "Is Yugi okay?"
"If he didn't walk in there with you, then something is wrong!" She heard chatter in the background. "Joey thinks that Yugi has been kidnapped by the Rare Hunters!"
Mimiki's heart stopped for a second and she gnashed her teeth. 'No! Not again, Marik!' she thought. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts.
"Where are you?! I'll come to you guys!"
"Meet us back at the restaurant!"
"I'll be there as soon as I can!"
Mimiki quickly ended the called and ran for the restaurant. Her heart was filled with disappointment and heartbreak.
'Why, Marik...why?!'
::::::
Mimiki finally met up with the gang and they started to search for Yugi. After an hour, they still couldn't find him. During a short break a little while later, they ran into Mokuba and Kakayu. They informed them that Kaiba had found out where Yugi was and was heading there now. They all quickly ended their break and followed them.
"Dark Magician Girl! Attack his life points directly!" Yami commanded.
The blonde magician raised her staff to direct her attack, dropping Pandora's life points to zero. Pandora was devastated.
Outside, the gang had finally reached the building that Yami was in.
"Seto said that Yugi was in here!" he stated.
While Mokuba and Kakayu tried to open the door, Tristan had arrived on his bike. They quickly informed him about Yugi's disappearance. Tristan was ready to pound through some doors.
Pandora was seething. "No!" he screamed. "Now I'll lose everything! I won't even get my sweet Catherine back!" he cried.
Yami's life points trickled to zero and his box unlocked to reveal a locator card and a key. Pandora knew that he would escape unscathed. He smiled as he pulled a spare key from his sleeve. His freedom was guaranteed! Before he could bend down to unlock the shackles, his body froze.
"Pandora!" a familiar voice shouted. He panicked. "M-m-master Marik!" he cried.
"You didn't hold up your end of the bargain so now you must accept your punishment!"
Pandora looked down at the spinning buzz saw and his heart started to race. "No! Please Master Marik! Give me another chance!" he pleaded.
"Hmph! Where's your magic now, dumbass?" he asked.
Pandora's key slowly disappeared from his grasp. He started to panic again and didn't realize that they key had never really disappeared; Marik only made it seem so with the power of his millennium rod. Pandora dropped the key and could hear him chuckle. "Oh? Is your mind playing tricks on you, Pandora? Or have you just lost control of it?"
Yami quickly unlocked his shackles and glared at Pandora. He could hear his friends pounding at the door, but he didn't respond. Yami let Yugi take over again and he saw the buzz saw already tearing away at Pandora's ankle. He ran over and freed him before the real damage could be done, but there was still a bit of blood on the floor.
"Not even a cheat like you deserves to die over a game!" Yugi said while panting.
Pandora stood up and sobbed. "What have I done? Catherine! I'm coming!" he said before lunging at a silhouette of a woman behind a curtain. He was met with heartbreak to find that it wasn't the love of his life at all—the head had fallen from the body. It was mere mannequin. Marik had promised to reunite Pandora with his love if he had defeated Yugi. He continued to clutch the dummy, begging for Catherine to return to him, crying his eyes out.
Yugi became teary eyed and felt sorry for him. "Are you okay, Pandora? Can I help?"
Pandora suddenly turned to him, the eye of Anubis glowing brightly on his forehead. "Hmph! Pandora is gone! You care too much about worthless people, Yugi!"
Pandora's body moved towards the small duelist with blank eyes. "We meet again! Allow me to introduce myself! I' am Marik!"
Yugi glared at him. "You're a coward, Marik! Show yourself!"
"I'll reveal myself to you when the time is right and no sooner once I obtain what I want; your death by my hand! I have manipulated these events from the very beginning! I'm able to control the minds of people, as I have controlled Bandit Keith and others before him in order to confirm the existence of the spirit inside you!"
Yugi stiffened. "Why do you want to kill me?!"
"I don't want to kill you. I want to kill the spirit of the puzzle! Because of him, my family has been guarding his tomb and secrets from the world for the last 3000 years, cut away from society and forced to live underground! We had to protect the millennium items. Our mission is to return the pharaoh's memories to his soul. The pharaoh's memory exists in the three god cards. Whoever owns the cards can become the new Pharaoh and use the Millennium Items! He's standing in my way!" he shouted. "But this isn't over, Yugi! Another one of my Rare Hunters is in Battle City waiting to defeat you! He also holds an Egyptian god card! Until then, beware of the silent puppet!"
Marik released Pandora and Yugi caught him before he fell to the ground. The gang had finally burst into the room. "Yugi!" they all called out.
They looked around and saw the buzz saws and the blood on the floor. Even though it was a small amount, it was enough to make Mimiki nauseous and she tried her best to hide it.
"Are you okay?! That isn't your blood...is it?" Tea asked.
Yugi smiled at them. "I think it's time that we call it a day and head home. I'll explain everything at my house."
Later on, everyone was in the living room at the Game Shop. Yugi had explained to everyone what had happened.
"His name is Marik."
Mimiki started to look a little pale upon hearing his name and tried to process the information. Her stomach felt like it was in knots and her nausea had heightened. She covered her mouth in pain and tried to prevent herself from crying. 'Marik...how could you? How could you use me to try to kill Yugi?! What's happened to you?!'
Kakayu had also stiffened a bit as well. Yugi had noticed Mimiki's discomfort and Kakayu's expression and called for Yami to observe as well. He appeared next to him quickly.
"She's acting oddly again Yami. Do you think she's connected to this somehow?"
Yami glared at her. "I don't know Yugi, but I find it ironic that he used her as an illusion to lure us into a trap. This is her third incident of being involved in this."
Yugi nodded. "Yeah! You would've thought that she was the one Marik was targeting instead of us! Does he want to harm her too or does she mean something to him?"
Yami held his glare. "It confuses me too Yugi, but seeing her reaction, she obviously finds this whole thing unpleasant, and I believe that Kakayu knows something as well. She also looks uncomfortable." Yugi and Yami continued to observe them. "Kakayu still hasn't realized that Mimiki is ill. I have my suspicions, but we'll discuss this with Mimiki later. I don't wish for the others to get involved in this just yet."
Yami disappeared and left the rest to Yugi. "Mimiki are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale."
Everyone turned to her and a look of fear flashed across her features. "I think that I ate something bad…" she lied. "I think that something's not agreeing with my stomach and thinking about seeing that blood and the buzz saws from earlier isn't making me feel any better. I'm going to go home and sleep this off…I'll see you all tomorrow..." she said while trying to stand up.
Kakayu snapped out of her thoughts and helped her up. "Mimi! Why didn't you say anything before!" she scolded. Kakayu turned back to them. "I'm going to take her home and go back on my patrol before Kaiba blows a gasket. See you all tomorrow!"
"Bye! Get well soon!" they shouted in unison. "See you later, Mims and Kai!"
The two cousins slowly exited the shop and Kakayu escorted Mimiki home. After helping her into bed, she looked down at her ill cousin stiffly. She then looked over to the picture on the nightstand that held the picture of the young Marik and Mimiki together smiling happily and glared as she looked back at Mimiki.
'The Marik that Yugi spoke of couldn't be the the same Marik that you care about, is it Mimi? Are you hiding something from me? From us?'
Kakayu was only met with soft breathing as Mimiki was now in a deep sleep. She shook her head.
'No, Mimi would tell me! I must be silly. I'm pretty sure that there are other people named Marik..." she thought. "It's not her Marik raising hell...right?'
But Mimiki's behavior of late had everyone concerned, especially the spirit and herself. She thought back to a snippet of her recent phone conversation with the spirit.
"Kakayu. I'm concerned about Mimiki. She's been acting oddly since this morning. I don't know if she's informed you that she had been assaulted by a Rare Hunter on her way home last night. We encountered the same man earlier and he seemed to have an interest in her. She's been hiding her discomfort. Please assist her and talk with her. I know that she entrusts you with many things."
Kakayu's eyes narrowed in worry at Mimiki's sleeping frame.
'I have an idea about what's going on...but please talk to me, Mimi…hopefully sooner than later...'
Kakayu decided to put the problem at hand on hold for now and headed back to the city.