Mana places her lips on the straw from her beverage, taking a brief sip while placing her free hand into the pocket of her navy hoodie as she walks the aisles of a bookstore. Her matching pleated skirts and gym shoes gave her the appearance of a high schooler even though she was in her mid to late twenties. But her skin was flawless, her body was toned yet maintained her feminine curves and it looked as if she hadn't age a day since her senior year.
Walking through the aisles of the small shop that was no bigger than your typical home, she locates her favorite section, quickly skimming the area before placing her hand on the book of her choice. She gasps when another hand was placed on top of hers, belonging to a man wearing a red suit. Drawing her hand back she looks over to see who the hand belonged to.
"My apologies, were you going for that book there?" the man with the striped mask asks.
"I was," Mana responded, keeping her gaze on the man. She recognized him from before. She and Cairo had attended his magic show in the past and at the end show when she and Cairo were having a private moment, she had caught him spying on them. Was he doing it again, now?
"So you like spell books do you?" he asks. "Are you a magician perhaps?"
"I'm sorry, and you are…?"
"Oh! Well where are my manners? I am Arcana. You may have seen my magic shows that I put on in the city."
'I thought so,' Mana thought to herself, taking another sip from her drink. Her eyes gaze up to the book she was previously reaching for and she takes this opportunity to grab it.
"Do you practice magic…?" he draws out his last question as if asking her to fill in the blank as to what her name was.
"Mana," she finally responds. "And I'm no magician or sorcerer of any kind. I read these for fun." She turns her back to him. She was never a good liar and you could always tell by the look in her eyes.
"With a name like that I find that hard to believe, Mana."
"Is there something you want? Cuz I really need to get going." Mana says, motioning to the door. She takes a moment to wait for a response and when she doesn't get one, she heads to the cashier to check out. It'd be best to keep the conversation short. Arcana watches as she interacts with the old gentleman at the cashier and he grins. He wasn't going to let her get away that easily.
Cairo lies on her stomach, excitedly kicking her feet back and forth while reading her favorite manga. Her father had left out to run errands, leaving her at home although that never fazed her. She was highly capable of taking care of herself and was always able to keep herself entertained. After reading her book, she reaches over to the nearby remote to turn on the television and while keeping her sights on the television, she simultaneously opens a bag a chips to snack on. Whenever her favorite tv show was on, she was like a zombie until it went off. Nothing else mattered except what was going on in the screen in front of her and the salty food entering her mouth. Her long black hair surrounded her as she sat on the floor, staring blankly into the tv.
Her program briefly faded to a black screen, momentarily showing her reflection and that of another. Her eyes widen and she quickly whips her head around to see no one there. But when she turned back to the television, it was a different story.
She slowly edges back until her back touches the sofa behind her. "What do you want?" she asks as the tall figure grins mischievously at her.
"How are the preparations for Mana's party?" Atem asks Tea as he looks into his phone during their face chat.
"Surprisingly great!" Tea responds with an excited smile. "You know Mana isn't all that hard to please."
"Indeed you're right," Atem says with a chuckle. "As long as there's plenty of food she'll be fine." He walks down the sidewalk after picking out a few items from the store.
"Are you sure you don't wanna come?" she asks, brushing her behind her ear, a hint of hopefulness showing in her eyes.
"I just don't think it would be wise, Tea."
"But after you two's recent interaction, I'd say she's coming around don't you think?" Tea asks, referring to Atem and Mana's small incident where he saved her life. They had made what Atem had believed to be some sort of breakthrough, but he didn't think that interaction alone would be enough to just show up at her party.
"I'm sorry Tea, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he says looking up to see a familiar face. "Mana?" He looks over to the man that she was interacting with and narrows his eyes.
"Hm? You see Mana?" Tea asks, moving her head to the side as if to get a better view even though she was on the other side of the screen. She was walking in his direction and there appeared to be a man following her close by.
"Yes. And Arcana is here as well."
"That's not good," Tea says with concern remembering the last time they came into contact with the male magician. "I've got a bad feeling about him."
"As do I."
Mana carries the spell book she recently purchased under arm. A hint of frustration showed across her face. No matter what she did to try and shake Arcana off, he was just too persistent. With a deep sigh she abruptly stops and turns around.
"Why do you keep bugging me?" she asks in annoyance. "Sheesh! I'm not who you think I am!"
"There's no need to hide Mana," Arcana says calmly. "You have nothing to fear."
"What are you talking about?" She raises her eyebrow in both irritation and disgust.
"Tea, I'm going to call you back," Atem says, overhearing the conversation between Mana and Arcana. He places his phone In his pocket before quickly heading in their direction.
"You're a magician and so am I. I just want to talk. I mean you no harm," Arcana says, edging closer to Mana.
A pearl of sweat drops down her temple and she blinks a few times. 'Aw man, does he have a thing for me? He has a weird way of showing it if that's the case. What a creep.'
"As you know, magicians are such a rarity nowadays and the ones who do exist are pretty much in hiding."
'For a good reason,' Mana responds in her head. 'And the fact that he is so out in the open about his abilities, showcasing them at magic shows, is beyond me. He's playing a very dangerous game.'
"I only wish to know other magicians like myself," Arcana explains. "It's hard going about life feeling as if no one understands you."
"How are you so sure that I am a magician?" Mana asks.
"You're powerful Mana, I can sense it," he responds, his tone softening. "In all my years I have never sensed such a power such as yours. If you let me, I would like to take you out to dinner to discuss things further."
Mana groans internally. She was so confused by his actions. A part of her sensed danger around him, but his current tone made her have mixed feelings. Was he really a threat like she initially thought, or was he just misunderstood.
"Is he bothering you?" comes a familiar baritone voice from behind her and she snaps out of her thoughts to see Atem approaching her.
"Atem," Mana says with slight relief. Even though she wasn't fully comfortable around him, Atem's presence was still more familiar than Arcana's and after what happened between them the other day, she thought of Atem as less of a threat.
"You again," Arcana says, his narrowed eyes even apparent behind the mask he was wearing that covered half of his face. "This conversation doesn't concern you." As Arcana made further steps toward Mana, she found herself subconsciously moving closer to Atem.
"Mana, please hear me out," the male magician pleads, outstretching his hand toward her in desperation.
"I'm sorry you had to waste your time Arcana," Mana responds, turning her back him. "I'm not a magician. I'm sure you'll find others that are willing to accept your companionship."
"But I can sense it!" he exclaims, taking more aggressive steps toward her before Atem block his path.
"That's enough," Atem says firmly, earning a growl and intense stare from Arcana. Atem returned the same expression, not showing any signs of backing down. He wasn't sure of what fully transpired between Mana and this man, but he felt in his gut that Arcana was up to no good. After what seemed like a long stare down, Arcana finally backs down, abruptly turning around to leave, bumping shoulders with Atem in the process. Atem closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to keep his cool. The last thing he wanted was Mana fearing him even more than she did already. Unbeknownst to them, a huge grin forms on Arcana's lips.
'This isn't over,' he thought as he departed the scene.
Mana lets out a long sigh, holding her newly purchased spell book close to her chest. The whole interaction was way too much for her to handle and she was filled with many conflicting feelings. A part of her felt that Arcana might have been genuine in connecting with other magicians since they weren't all that common. Ever since feeling this void and not knowing much about a huge chunk of her past, she had gotten a bit paranoid. But another part of her felt that he was up to no good.
"Are you alright?" Atem asks with concern, snapping her out of thoughts.
"I don't know…" She places her hand on her forehead, grimacing at the pain of an upcoming headache. "I should probably get going. I—" A huge force suddenly sends her flying through the air and sending her crashing to the ground.
"Mana!" Atem rushes to her side as she slowly sits up. "What happened?"
"That power…it felt…familiar."
Flashback
Cairo hadn't come home, sending Tea, Atem in Mana in a search for her. Turning the corner into an alley in the rain, Mana sits in the corner with her legs crossed. Her magician's staff forms in her head and a bright light emits from her body.
'Magic staff, locate Cairo,' she chanted in her mind. The light emitting from her body stretches out to Domino City. Even so, the people driving and walking the streets continued about their day as if nothing was happening. That is…everyone but one girl.
Cairo stopped in her tracks, looking around in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked herself before coming to a realization. "Someone is invading my personal space." She narrows her eyes and they glow a bright purple, causing the light that was one surrounding her to be blow away and back to its source.
Mana cries out after being blown back by her own magic. "What power…"
End Flashback
"That power just now…Cairo…" Mana says in realization as Atem helps her up.
"What's wrong?" he asks, growing more concerned. "Is something wrong with Cairo?"
"She wouldn't just do that out of the blue. I think Cairo may be in danger."
"What?!" He darts off in the direction of his house as Mana calls after him. His heart was pounding with every step. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone. He always did in the past and it was never an issue. She was no ordinary girl and she was always able to take care of herself. And with him always having a busy schedule and not having the resources for anyone to watch her at all times, he had no choice.
He decided to take a shortcut through an empty parking lot to save on time and to avoid the busy sidewalk and pedestrians blocking his path. Or so he thought. Two hooded figures stood in the middle of the lot, causing him to slow down. The two varied greatly in both height and size, one being taller than the other and one being a slim figure while the other was significantly rounder. In both of their hands they each held a duel monsters card and it came to Atem as to why they were standing there. But he didn't have time to engage. The last thing on his mind was getting into a duel with two thugs.
"Out of the way!" Atem yells.
"Why don't you make us?" says the shorter one with a snicker.
"Don't try me," says Atem. He narrows his eyes and growls. He could feel the rage rushing through his body and at this point, his eyes could only see red.
"A tough guy, eh?" the taller one teases. Both of the hooded figures cross their arms over their chances and their bodies begin to glow to prepare to summon their monsters.
"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Atem exclaims, catching the two off guard and putting a halt to their process. A bright purple light starts to glow from Atem's body and he raises a card in the air bearing none other than the Dark Magician. A huge beam of light crashes down into the pavement and the hooded men shield their eyes. When it had finally died down, they were shocked to see that Atem had summoned his monster so quickly. It wore purple clothing with a pointy magician's hat. A green staff was held in the magician's right hand and it prepared it's attack.
"W-Wait a minute! We're not ready!" yells the shorter man in a panic.
"This is not what we had planned!" shouts the taller one as sweat appears on his face.
"DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" A ball of energy forms at the end of the magician's staff.
Mana stops in her tracks when she sees huge explosion happening in the distance. "What in the world?!"
Running into the direction of the blast, she gasps when she sees two men lying on the floor in a daze. 'Did he do this?' she asked herself. 'But how? He's definitely not a magician. No. This is the work of a duel master.' She continues forward, hopping over the two men with ease as they groan at a failed attempt to get in Atem's way.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review! :D