Hi everyone! I'm so incredibly sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter. I've been swamped with homework, projects, studying and practicing piano. Plus, I haven't had any inspiration up until a while ago (meaning I know exactly what to write). Thank you to everyone who waited for this latest installment.
I would also like to thank all my reviewers, your support means more to me than I can tell you. Special thanks goes to andrew coad and rowan5255 for not only reviewing, but showing me what an amazingly well-written duel looks like. Thanks guys! I highly recommend you check out their stories; the plots are exceptionally unique and, as I said before, have awesome duels.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my character, Yasu.
Yasu awoke abruptly and to a pair of blue eyes. She promptly -and unintentionally- fell off the couch she'd been lying on moments before. She heard a sigh, followed by, "I told you not to lean so close, Valon. It's a wonder she didn't have a more violent reaction." Yasu recognized the voice as Rafael's. Valon helped her back up onto the couch, at which point she realized that she was in yet another room. She took in her surroundings; it appeared to be a living room. There was two couches, a few chairs, a stereo in the corner and a large window. Rafael and Alister were sitting on the couch directly across from hers and Valon's. Looking up at the clock she realized she'd been out for almost two hours.
"Are you feeling better?" Yasu jumped a little, surprised, but pleased, to find Alister addressing her. She nodded, fighting back a blush. He's the enemy, don't let him have any power over you! This is no time to let your mind wander. You have to stay focused, got it? She thought to herself before replying. "I'm fine now, thanks to you," she said, hoping that didn't sound too weird. Alister shrugged, appearing indifferent, like he had the first two times she'd met him, except something had changed. When he looked at her, his eyes appeared slightly, but noticeably, softer. Her observations were cut short by Valon, who voiced the question she'd wanted (but was too afraid) to ask: "Just what exactly did you do back in the meeting hall, Alister?" Alister's eyes narrowed and he glared at the brunette. "Eased the pain," he replied, though there seemed to be something that was left unsaid.
"So, do you feel well enough for a duel?" Valon asked eagerly. Yasu smiled at his enthusiasm. That Dartz guy had told her during the meeting that she was going to be dueling one of the three guys, and if she could prove that she was a talented duelist, maybe they'd release her. Yasu had had to restrain herself from snorting. Seriously, though, she thought to herself, amused. Do they honestly expect me to believe anything they say? And, plus, why would they kidnap me if all they wanted to do was duel me? It makes no sense why they even wanted me in the first place, if not for my dueling record and reputation in Canada! And of course they're not going to explain anything to me because they're all like, "Duel us, and then we'll tell you." Geez! Can someone please just kill me now because I am going crazy stuck in this place with no one who is willing to speak in sentences consisting of more than 10 syllables!! And- wait, what? Yasu came to a halt in her mental rant, when she got hit in the head with one of those odd looking duel disks - the same kind as the ones that Alister, Rafael and Valon wore. "What the heck was that for?!" she demanded at Valon, who was looking sheepishly in her direction. Alister answered for him: "It's not his fault, he just has no common sense." Valon made a move towards Alister, but stopped at the look in Yasu's eyes. "Valon, you wouldn't want me to tell them what happened before, now would you?" Yasu asked, innocently. The Australian growled, but didn't push it any further. "Grab your deck and then let's go to the dueling arena downstairs," he instructed her. Yasu, feeling much stronger than before, removed her deck from her bag (which someone had brought here) and allowed herself to be dragged out of the room by Valon. Because apparently I can't be trusted to not go running off, she thought sarcastically.
"So you ready to face another devastating defeat at my hands?" Valon smirked as Yasu shot a fierce glare at him. This was precisely the reason that she had chosen to duel Valon, even though she was far more curious about Alister's deck. She wanted to get even with the brunette for knocking her out during their first encounter. She squared her shoulders and walked over to her side of the arena, facing her opponent. She inserted her deck into the duel disk, and closed her eyes, focusing. In the background, she could hear the three others' voices, asking what she was doing. After a few seconds, she could hear them, her beloved duel spirits; her family. She smiled as they all greeted her. They were all so enthusiastic and couldn't wait to get summoned. She sent them a few of her thoughts through their mental/spiritual link and ended with a joyful, "See you girls soon!" Once they had all quieted down, she opened her eyes and beamed at the confused trio.
"I'll go first, if you don't mind, Valon," she said, eyebrows raised in question. Valon nodded. "Alright then, here goes. Draw!" Yasu quickly assessed her hand, running through some strategies. "Okay, I'll place two cards face-down and summon my Gemini Elf in attack mode (1900 ATK)! Your move, Valon." Valon drew and grinned. "Alright then, I'll start off by summoning my Physic Armour Head in attack mode (0 ATK). That's all for now." He had this smug look on his face, like he was almost daring Yasu to attack. Well, until I've learned more about his deck, that's not going to be happening, she thought determinedly.
Yasu drew her card and smiled. "I summon Hand of Nephtys." The event that followed baffled everyone else, with the exception of Rafael (who seemed to comprehend her actions). She walked over to her two monsters and whispered to them. Valon began to tell her that they were just holograms, but then Hand of Nephtys and Gemini Elf actually smiled and nodded, as if they understood what Yasu had just said. Yasu smiled affectionately at them both and then returned to her position. "Okay, now that I've got the go-ahead, I activate Hand of Nephtys' special effect: I sacrifice her and Gemini Elf, which allows me to search my deck to special summon my signature monster." Yasu pulled her deck out, scanned through her cards and selected the one she was looking for. "Now I summon Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys (2400 ATK)!" An enormous golden monster appeared on the field. "Now I activate the spell card, Fissure. This card destroys the monster on my opponent's side of the field with the lowest attack points. And since Physic Armour Head is the only monster you have out, it's destroyed." Valon let out a gasp as his only defense disappeared. I underestimated her. Looks like she's starting to earn her reputation. He smirked. We'll see just how long she lasts once she's been exposed to the rest of my deck. Yasu ended her turn with her own life points untouched, Valon's down to 1600. I wonder what kind of comeback he's going to make. Whatever it is, I'll be ready. This duel may be my only chance to earn some respect and maybe even get out of this place, she though to herself.
The duel continued with relentless attacks, impressive maneuvers and displays of skill on both sides. However, Valon came away with a victory, despite Yasu's best efforts. He had used a spell card that allowed him to bring back some of his best monsters from the graveyard and create a suit of armour. Valon had merged with his cards - so that he was wearing the armour - and attacked Yasu's monster, ending the duel. Yasu got knocked flat on her back and for a moment, Alister actually lost almost all traces of his cold demeanor, and a complete look of concern came over his face. Then her eyes fluttered open and were immediately drawn to Alister's face. Her hazel orbs betrayed some of the affection she already felt for the red-haired duelist. For a split second, the two seemed to be the only ones in the room; it was like they were sharing something more than just their gazes, it seemed like - "OI, YAKU, ARE YOU OKAY?!!" And then, as soon as it had started, it was over.
Yasu turned her now infuriated gaze at Valon (who was completely oblivious to what he'd just interrupted), leapt to her feet and stalked over so that their faces were inches apart. She pointed an accusing finger in his face, saying, "My name is Yasu, got it? Not Maku, not Yaku, nor "the girl"!" Valon cringed, waiting for more of her rage. However, she took a deep breath to calm herself, and her earlier smile returned. "Not that that's out of my system, thank you, I'm fine. I was just talking to Rachel, Amy, Nephtys and the others. Oh, and congratulations. That was one of the best duels I've had in a long time." With that, she extended her hand out to Valon. He grinned in obvious relief, and shook her hand. His stomach grumbled and he laughed. "Looks like it's take-out time, guys," he called out to Rafael and Alister, both of them nodding in agreement. Yasu looked thoughtful. "Do you guys have any actual food in that kitchen of yours?" she asked. Rafael nodded. "We've got tons of stuff, but none of us can cook," he admitted. Yasu flashed an enthusiastic look in his direction. "If you want, I can make you guys dinner. You know, as a thank-you for the splendid hospitality I've received during my time here," she said, ending on a sarcastic note. She was met with three hopeful sets of eyes. "Really?" Valon asked, somewhat doubtfully. Yasu rolled her eyes.
Two hours later, the three guys had a newfound respect for Yasu, particularly Valon. He had grabbed her around the waist and twirled her around, all the while thanking her for dinner. "You know, I may have knocked you out in our first fight and beat you in our duel, but now we're totally even," he had said, for once completely serious. Yasu had stared at him blankly, so he continued, saying: "Your cooking has saved my stomach. I haven't eaten a meal that good, since ..." he trailed off here, unable to remember the last time someone had cooked him real food. Yasu was extremely amused, and embarrassed, when Rafael complimented her food and Alister had nodded in agreement. She smiled to herself. Well, looks like the old saying's true. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. She thought about that for a second. Or something like that. Either way, three courses and an apple pie sure seems to have won over these three. Hmm. I wonder what Alister's favourite food is . . .
A/N: I have something to ask: Would anyone like to see the next chapter (or some future chapters) written from Alister's point of view? If you could just vote YES or NO in your review, I would really appreciate it. Now, to address some people's questions about who "Grerimo" was: He was actually the guy from Chapter 2 who was using the Seal of Orichalcos on Yasu. In the anime, he was the man that Yami Yugi was dueling in Episode 145 and 146, after the Egyptian Gods were stolen. Hope that clears things up! There are also two fanfics that I highly recommend for everyone to read: YuGiOh! Waking the Dragons and Tainted Souls of the Oreikalcos. The plots are similar to Enter Into My Heart's and both are extremely well-written. Thank you again for reading and I'm so, so, so very sorry for the long wait (again). Please review and let me know what you think, I love hearing your opinions and any suggestions or constructive criticism.