HEY! I'm already back, but for a very specific reason. I probably won't be able to update on Monday because I'll be busy. So this is just a little gift so you'll forgive me. It's a tranquil chapter, but mysterious things go down and a suspicious figure stalks Yugi...
Enjoy!
A man in a red suit sat at an incredibly long table that could probably fit over thirty people, in a sumptuous room, decorated with velvet curtains and 17th century paintings. Maximillion Pegasus was busy staring at his latest purchase, which was 2nd century jade vase from ancient China. It was a magnificent piece of antiquity that had belonged to the daughter of an emperor that had been tricked by her lover to give it to him. The ordeal over it had apparently caused a war that had claimed over thirty thousand lives. It's historical value was priceless. The billionaire could spend hours just staring at it. And yet, it was nothing compared to the one he'd found over a year ago now. The Millenium Eye was beyond priceless. Having dealt with many antiquities in his life, he'd heard all sorts of legend surrounding the objects. But, only the ones surrounding the Eye had turned out to be true. Thanks to that, he hadn't made a bad deal in years. Fascinating. That discovery had led him on a million quests to find out if the legends surrounding the other artifacts were true as well. But so far, it had proven a fruitless search. Even out of all the objects from Egypt, it was the only one possessing such gift. And Pegasus was growing bored of his search. The door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. His butler stepped in.
"Mr Pegasus? You have a phone call from another dealer. A certain Mr Ishtar."
"Tell him I'm busy."
"He said he has an interesting deal for you, something about Millennium items."
Pegasus looked up surprise. What a fortunate coincidence, it definitely peaked his interest. Ishtar? That sounded Egyptian enough. Extending his hand, he waited for the man to come to him and give him the phone.
"Maximillion Pegasus speaking."
"Hello Mr Pegasus," said a clearly modified voice in his ear. "My name is Marik."
"I understand you have an deal for me?"
"Not really. I, one could say, share similar interest with you. I've recently learned that you were in possession of the Millennium Eye. What would you say if I told you there was more than one Millennium item?"
Maximillion's eyes widened, but his voice remained calm when he responded. "I'm listening."
"I know where you can find the second one. And, I can tell you how it's gift can be unlocked."
The collector's brows then came closer together. He was not an idiot. One didn't only show up like this offering what you'd always wanted on a silver platter out of the goodness of their heart. That didn't happen, not in this business.
"What do you want in exchange? I doubt you're telling me this for free."
"Indeed not. There is something I want in exchange."
"Name your price."
"Oh, no. I'm not interested in money. What I want is far more valuable."
"Nope, not it either," she muttered to herself.
Yugi sighed putting back in the box one of the pieces she was holding, before grabbing another. Today was a particularly nice day, so the three girls had decided to have lunch on the rooftop. Yugi had gulped down her lunch, and was attempting to get more of her puzzle done. Now that's she'd almost completed the base, she was getting impatient.
"Would you give it a rest?" said Tea. "You're making it hard for me to eat."
"Sorry, I just really want to finish it."
Her friend frowned. "You only get impatient when you're frustrated or excited. Are you really that into getting fighting lessons from the guy who bullied you?"
Yugi put down her pieces, giving up for now. "It's not fighting lessons, Joey's just gonna teach me a few tricks to defend myself, that's all. And stop calling him my bully."
Tea sighed and shook her head. "I will never understand how you can be so forgiving. I mean, did he even apologized to you?"
"Now that you mention it..." said Yugi, nervously biting her lip.
"By the way, how is it going between you and grandpa Muto?"
"We talked... He's disappointed in me," confessed the shorter girl, as sadness shaded her face. "I tried talking to him about Joey, but he didn't want to hear it. Kaiba got to him alright. I thought he'd listen to me after calming down but..."
"He's more angry at himself than at you," said Tea. "He's thinking 'why couldn't I do something for you'. He'll calm down, eventually. What I don't want to know, how he'll react if he ever learns what you're doing."
"I don't want to wait that long to get to know Joey better."
The look her friend throw her and the silence that followed made her wonder if she'd said something wrong. "What?"
"Wow, you seriously intend on becoming friends with him."
The phrasing took her by surprise. But thinking about it, she wanted to know more about him as well as make sure people didn't misjudged him. That was a pretty accurate description of friendship. Rubbing the back of her head, she grabbed her water bottle. "Well, I guess... yeah. He acts like an idiot but deep down, I'm pretty sure he's a great guy."
The face Tea made told many things. First, that she was annoyed and second, that she was giving up on lecturing her friend. "I'm gonna have a hard time getting used to this. Geez, if didn't know better, I'd say you have a crush on the guy."
Yugi spat out the water in her mouth, and coughed loudly. When she looked up again, her face was the darkest shades of red there was discernible to the human eye. "I-It's not like that!"
"Well, it's kind of true. I swear, you remind me of a bad version of West Side story. Am I right, Kisa?"
"Uh-hu."
The low voice and briefness of her response made the two others look at her curiously. Now that Yugi payed attention, Kisa hadn't said a word all morning. In fact, she'd been out of it all week. Ever since Yugi had told them about Kaiba. Her eyes were lost in the distance, and it looked like she even had trouble bringing her food to her mouth.
"Kisa?" called out Tea. "You doing alright in there?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, don't worry. I'm fine," replied the class representative, as her usual smile stretched out across her face. "I just have a lot going on right now, with the festival and all."
Yugi opened her mouth to ask something when her phone beeped in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and read the text.
Sequence X. 8:00
The sight of the few words made her hold her breath. This was the first time he was contacting her since their disagreement. A normal person's first instinct would probably to have replied a chunk of reprimand. Not her though. It was just a text message, why was she feeling so helpless in front of it.
"You alright, Yugi?" asked Kisa. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
"... It's Kaiba."
A heavy silence fell on the small group. Yugi had told them about her last encounter with Kaiba and how it hadn't gone so well. In fact, she'd reported every word. Like how she'd been called a long term investment. Just thinking about it made her want to cry again. She'd spend all her time since then worrying about Joey, and had left the subject behind. And now it was right back in her face. Super. What was she suppose to do now? If she replied no, who knows what other crazy things could Kaiba put in place to make her life even more miserable. Or Joey's for that matter. And if she replied yes, she was going to act as if nothing had happened, and that's what he wanted. Ignoring it felt like the only right thing to do. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Tea snatched the phone from her hand.
"I can't believe this guy! I swear, the next time I see him, I'm gonna..."
"Do nothing," interrupted Kisa. "This is Kaiba we're talking about. Taking him head on is not going to work. We have to be smart about this. By us, I mean you, Yugi."
"Uuuuuuuuugh," let out the short girl, before resting her head on her knees. "What am I suppose to do?"
"Get a new phone, for starters."
"I can't afford a second phone, and there's no way Grandpa is going to pay for another sim... Especially not now."
"Wait," said Kisa. "You told him that Kaiba's stalking you, right?"
"No. But I get the feeling that it wouldn't change much if he knew."
He was so Kaiba-pro now that the billionaire had told him about her secret miserable life. Which granted, at some point had been just that. But not anymore. It was a miracle that she'd manage to get Tea and Kisa to give Joey the benefit of the doubt. Her grandfather was another story. And Kaiba was the hardest level of all. And he was just as stubborn as he was prideful. Who knows how far he would go? Tea returned her phone and she looked at the text again. Sequence X. That was the first game they'd played together. She'd been alone at lunch break again and had decided to go in the study hall to complete a puzzle. It hadn't surprised her to see him there. It had absolutely stunned her to see him get up and ask to play a game with her. Sequence was basically the only interesting game in the room according to him, so they'd played that. And before she knew it, he was playing with her every time he came to school. Then, he'd invited her to his home to play Stratego, Dominion, chess, checkers, Go!, more Sequence... It'd almost become a habit. Before meeting the girls, Kaiba had been the closest thing to a friend she'd had in a while. She was so grateful to have him. Now she was avoiding him like the plague. He hadn't shown up to school since their fight, and she left her phone home all the time unless she came to school so that he wouldn't spy on her. She'd resorted to sending emails with the Game Shop's computer. Even with that, she wasn't sure he wasn't watching her every move. Why was everything falling apart because she wanted to make things right? What was she doing wrong?
"Knock it off Yugi, it's not your fault," said Tea, who was getting tired of the heaviness of the atmosphere. "By the way, how do you even talk to Joey if you can't use your phone?"
"Well, I didn't exactly tell him about my Kaiba problem. But he didn't even ask for my number, he just said he'd contact me."
The door leading to the roof was kicked open making the three of them jump. Tristan stepped out onto the roof, a folded piece of paper in his hand. He looked irritated. Shoving the paper in her face, he growled.
"I don't mind doing a friend a favor, but this messenger pigeon thing better not be permanent."
Grabbing the sheet, she opened it. The message was brief.
Sup, Yug! I'm pretty much back on my feet, so let's meet up at the Catfish park, South entrance, at 4:00. If you can't, just tell Tristan, he'll phone me. See you later! Or not.
Tristan rubbed the back of his head and growled. "What did I just say about the messenger pigeon thing?"
Her eyes widened in shock. "Already?! No way!"
"What wrong?" asked Kisa.
"Nothing's wrong, it's just … I didn't expect him to be on his feet after only a week."
"This is Joey we're talking about," said Tristan. "He's always like that."
"Still, he was practically sliced in two..."
No matter how many times people told her how tough Joey was, she was still unsure about it. But she decided to trust him. Besides, it's not like she had the strength or will to hurt him. She looked at the message again and the text on her phone. Amazing. The way they wrote really showed off different vibes. Yugi looked up and smiled at Tristan.
"Thanks."
"No prob. Actually, I should thank you too. For giving that idiot a chance." For the first time, the short girl saw a genuine smile on Tritan's face. "Thanks, shorty."
"Won't change much about what the rest of the school thinks of him."
"Tea!" said Kisa, frowning at her.
"I'm just saying..."
The bell rang interrupting their conversation and the four schoolmates made their way back inside the building. The afternoon passed by without any disturbances aside from students making a solution explode and stick to the ceiling in chemistry, and soon enough, school was over. After saying goodbye to her friends, Yugi made her way out. As she crossed the courtyard, her eyes caught a glimpse of Bakura in a corner, talking to... Marik?
'Weird. Do they know each other?' she wondered.
But she didn't linger on the thought and hurried to the Game Shop. Once changed out of her uniform, she went to the kitchen to grab the black grocery bag and the list stuck to the fridge. Perfect. At that precise moment, Solomon entered the kitchen.
"Yugi, are you going out?"
"Yes, I have some shopping to do. I'll grab the groceries so you won't have to go out, Grandpa. Is there anything in particular you want?"
"No, thank you. I don't mind if you hang around the market, but be back before 6:00, will you?"
"Promise. I'll get going then."
She stuffed the purse in her pocket and passed her grandfather. But as she turned the handle and was about to push the door open, Solomon called out to her.
"Yugi."
She froze in her movement. Had he seen through her again? "Yes, Grandpa?"
"... No, it's nothing. Go on."
"O-Okay. See you later Grandpa."
Once the door shut behind her, the girl let out a sigh. It felt like she'd dodged a bullet. But she recovered quickly and made her way to the park. It was one of the biggest in Domino, and it was cut in two by the river crossing it. In spring, it was the nicest place to spend sunny afternoons, to study, play or relax. She arrived there pretty soon and quickly spotted a mass of blond hair on a bench. He stood up when he saw her approach.
"Yo!
"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" she asked, still skeptical of his 'wellness'.
"I was good four days ago, but I needed more time to think about what I was gonna teach ya." He smiled nervously. "I've never taught anyone before. But I figured what's best for ya. Ya ready?"
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. He laughed. "Relax Yug. I ain't gonna punch you or anythin' like that. To tell ya the truth, I had no idea where to begin. Ya're a girl, ya're short, and ya got practically zero strength to back you up."
The enumeration of her flaws, made her cheeks redden a bit. She couldn't help her size or the fact that she was girl, but it was true that she was never much of a sporty person. Truth be told, PE was the one period she loathed in school.
"So I wrecked my brain to find the best way for someone like you to have a chance. And I think I got a few tricks down that you can use." A wide grin swallowed up half his face. "But first, hand over the goods."
It took her a moment for her to realize what he meant. She'd almost forgotten that they'd made a deal. Searching through her grocery bag, she pulled out a bunch of worksheets and handed them over to her classmate who looked through them. She'd been genuinely surprised when he'd asked her for every piece of work he'd missed since the beginning of his suspension. He was more diligent than she'd thought. Setting them aside, he turned back to her and clapped his hands together.
"Alright, let's get started! Remember Rex?"
"Rex?" a not so pleasant image of a boy in a red beanie popped up in her mind. "Oh, the guy from the Scarlet Wolves that attacked you."
"Ya froze up when he went to grab you," continued Joey. "That's a normal reaction for ya."
Looking down, she nodded, feeling another wave of shame shading her face. And he'd seen her do it more than once, having pushed her around himself. That feeling of being naked in front of him, made her mentally slap herself to get rid of it.
"Here's a first trick." He extended his hand towards her like he was going to grab her. "If someone tries to grab ya like this, grab their little finger and twist it as hard as ya can. Fingers on their own are pretty fragile. They can easily dislocate or even break. It doesn't need much strength."
Her mind instantly made the sound of bone breaking and she shivered in disgust."I don't know if I'll have it in me to do that..."
"Trust me, in the heat of the action, ya won't even think about it. I promise, just having the info in your head makes a difference."
Trust me. Yeah, the way he was saying that made her want to do just that. Without realizing, a small smile made it's way to her face.
The dark-haired figure made it's way through the market street, carefully scanning everyone. The old man Muto had said that she'd gone to the market. In that case, she would either be here or one other place. And since he'd gone through five times, then she most certainly was at the park. That where he said to look for her, if he couldn't find her. So the figure left the market, hidden under his hoodie. It would be bad if someone recognized him. He was impatient, he wanted to find her. Quickly, he dashes through the streets, as fast as his legs aloud him to. Soon enough, he entered Catfish park. The Game Shop was South of the park so it made sense to enter through there. There, he walked passed kids playing hide and seek, groups of woman with babies talking, college kids practicing soccer... But his eyes only had one objective. Finally, sticking out from behind a tree, he spotted tricolor hair. A smirk stretched out across his face, and getting off the path, he quietly moved through the trees and bushed, getting closer and closer, until their was only a tree between him and her. Bending his knees, he got ready to spring up, like a cat stalking a mouse. But he froze in his movement when he heard a voice. Peeking, he saw that there was someone with her. A blond guy. From what he could hear, they were talking about defense tactics. They were laughing together too. To be precise, he was making her laugh. Frozen, he watched them. For a long time he watched them. Until they said goodbye and each went their own way. Stepping out of his hiding spot, he looked at her leaving. What was he suppose to do with what he saw? His phone suddenly rang, making him jump.
"I'm okay, don't worry, Hobson."
"Master Mokuba, please don't take off like that. I was this close to calling Master Seto."
"I'm sorry. You can come pick me up."
"I'll be right there."
The ten year old turned off his phone and put it away, before letting himself fall on the bench where they'd been. What was he suppose to do now? He'd heard what she'd called him. Joey. The same name his brother had been cursing a lot recently. Why was Yugi laughing with someone Seto hated? He let out a sigh. What he'd seen made him wonder too much. He wasn't used to being troubled like this. But it concerned two of the most precious people in his life. So...
"What now?" he muttered to himself.
Sorry for misleading you! But Mokuba's the cutest! He's the only one who's aloud to stalk Yugi in my eyes. Also, I promise, next chapter, action is going down, season 0 style!
PLEASE REVIEW!
Also : Lowe, pay up!