Atem and Mana drop down to the ground, taking cover behind a low, graffiti adorned wall that looks like it has taken on quite the damage over the years. Shots fly over their heads and they flinch each and every time one hits the concrete wall. Mana's leg shakes anxiously, wanting to give the enemy a taste of their own medicine. She starts to get up, only for Atem to yank her down.
"I got it!" she whispers loudly as she glares at him.
"What happened to sticking with the plan?" he shoots back a glare of his own. "Or are you resorting back to your old ways?" Mana once had a tendency of jumping straight into the action without a second thought, unnecessarily putting herself in danger. And in this case, if she does that, he will be forced to go on the offensive as well, leaving him open to getting hit.
"We either get more aggressive or we lose! And I know you don't like to lose," Mana narrows her eyes at him and they both have a stare off before Atem growls. She definitely got him there. Losing is not an option.
He clenches onto his weapon and nods. "On my count…One…Two…"
"THREE!"
They both leap out from behind the wall, rushing to their two opponents and aiming their guns at them. Appearing frazzled by their sudden appearance, the two blonde haired opponents scramble to get their guns up and running after believing Atem and Mana to be defeated once and for all.
"Game over!" Mana yells, shooting Mai in the chest and Atem does the same with Joey, who falls to the ground with a long, drawn out cry of pain.
"Joey!" Mai exclaims, clutching her chest and dropping to her knees alongside him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm…I'm hit Mai…" he says, shakily raising his hand and she holds onto it.
"Don't you die on me!"
A drop of sweat goes down Atem's temple as he watches the dramatic scene unfold. "Quite over the top don't you think?"
"It's only paintball," Mana points out, rubbing the back of her head. Both Mai and Joey sport green splats on their vests as they tend to each other. They decided to hang out for the second day of their vacation, finding various activities to do such as paintball among other physical activities.
Mai cuts her eyes at Mana and Atem. "Hush! I need to be able to hear his last words!" she exclaims before turning her attention back on Joey. "What were you saying, my love?"
Joey coughs a few times. "You must…go on without me…"
"But Joey, I can't go on without you in my life! I just can't!" Mai manages to get a few tears out of her eyes.
"I…love you Mai…" He closes his eyes and appears to pass out while Mai cries out toward the sky, holding him close to her.
"They can't be serious," Atem says, looking on with a blank expression.
"If they're like this during paintball, I'd hate to see how they act during an actual crisis…" Mana dims her eyes. "If you're two are finished, then we're gonna go get food."
Joey quickly jumps to his feet. "FOOD?!"
"Ugh, Joey! Don't break character like that!" Mai scoffs.
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Atem sits on the beach with one leg stretched out and the other bent as he observes the people playing in the water. Today has been fun and eventful for him and for the first time in awhile, he hasn't felt stressed out for the most part. He is trying so hard not to let any negative thoughts enter into his mind, despite being worried about the Millennium Puzzle and how it's affected him.
"Atem!" He lifts his head to see Mana waving to him from the water. "The water is super nice! You should come in too!"
He smiles and shakes his head. Truthfully, he is still immersed in his thoughts at the moment and can't seem to break free from them no matter how much he tries. Should he tell her? Should he not? If he does, when would be a good time to? Would there ever be a right time? Right now they're supposed to be relaxing and he doesn't want to ruin that with any negativity. Would she even understand?
"Hey, you alright man?" Joey asks as he sits down next to him holding onto a hot dog.
Atem nods reassuringly. "I'm fine."
Joey observes Atem facial expression briefly before smirking. He looks out toward the shore, seeing his wife standing there, allowing the water to go over her feet and the breeze blowing through her long strands of hair. "You know…we haven't seen each other in awhile, but I still know when something is up."
Atem's eyes widen and he looks over to Joey with a surprised expression.
"Come on, man. I know we haven't spoken in a long time, but I'd like to think that our friendship is so strong that we can pick up from where we left off despite the time we lived in different countries," Joey says, staring forward. "I've always considered you and Yugi to be my closest friends."
"Likewise Joey." He exhales before continuing. "There's…something that's been going on with the puzzle."
"Hm…that again, huh?" Joey asks and Atem nods. "To be honest, I'm surprised you still use that thing." He remembers a long time ago when Atem's grandfather first gave him the puzzle along with gifting Yugi something of his own. He also remembers when Atem discovered the power it holds.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
"It can be very useful," Atem tells him.
"But…?"
Atem sighs. "But…Remember what happened all those years ago…?"
"When you hurt that one weird guy that was giving Yugi a hard time? He kinda deserved it." Joey shrugs before his eyes widen. "Wait, you're not still doing that sort of thing are you?"
"I thought I had a better grasp on it, but lately, it seems like I've been losing control. Causing people to hallucinate and initiating penalties when I had no intentions of doing that to them at all, weird dreams and the list goes on."
"Wow…that sounds tough…"
"I still don't know why this is happening."
"When your very first incident accident happened, I remember saying you would never wear it again. So what changed?"
"I was practically forced to when placed in dire situations. So I tried to get comfortable with the puzzle to the point where I would no longer fear it, but use it for my benefit when the time came. But I guess in the back of my head, I still have my doubts and fears. And I'm not sure if those doubts are affecting the puzzle somehow."
"Man…I don't know what to say…" Joey looks out to the water where Mana splashes around. "Have you told Mana?"
"Sort of. But nothing too in depth. I don't want her to worry."
Joey leans back a little. "I hate to break it to ya, but she's gonna worry. That's what wives do. They can't help it." He chuckles a little. "As men, we try to handle things on our own. But we gotta remember that we're not alone. Besides…she might be able to help you out more than you think."
"But…"
"She's a magician right? I'm sure they gotta deal with unique situations all the time."
Atem looks toward Mana's direction. "You have a point…" Maybe Joey is right. Maybe he does need to go ahead and tell her everything. He isn't sure how she will be able to help, but she doesn't deserve to be left in the dark about this forever.
"Beside that, how's life been goin'?" Joey asks as he takes a big chomp off his hot dog. "It really has been far too long."
"I'm more interested in hearing about what you've been up to," Atem answers back.
"Man, where do I start?" he chuckles. "Well…as you know, my parents got a divorce and tried to separate my sister and I, with my mother taking her to the states. On top of that, she was going blind and her eyesight was fading rather quickly."
"Yes, I remember that," Atem nods, recalling when Joey was going through those hardships. It became even more apparent that he was struggling when he began skipping classes. "But I assume all is well?"
Joey swipes the bottom of his nose. "Yeah. Moving down there was for the best, as hard as it was leaving home. My sister needed me and I promised I'd always be there for her no matter what. No divorce could come between that," he goes on. "She was able to get the surgery from one of the best surgeons in the world and ever since, she's been able to see good as new!"
Atem smiles warmly at him. "I'm glad things worked out."
"I honestly couldn't have done it without you."
"Don't worry about it," Atem says, shaking his head.
"No really," Joey's facial expression grows more serious. "I know I've thanked you before, but words can't describe how grateful I am for your help. You could have used the prize money from that tournament for yourself. But you gave it to me to pay for my sister's operation."
"If the roles were reversed, you would have done the same for me."
"Without a doubt." Joey nods, smirking.
Atem sighs. "I'm just juggling being a husband, father and whatever else life decides to throw at me."
Joey's eyes widen. "You're a father?!"
"Yugi and I both are. We had girls."
Joey places a hand on his head, still in shock at the reveal. "Whoa…what's that like?"
"Between her and Mana, I'm outnumbered in the house. And it has been one of the biggest challenges I have ever had to face," Atem says jokingly, causing Joey to laugh. "But I enjoy every moment of it."
"I bet she's gonna follow in your footsteps and become a top duelist, right?" Joey assumes, flexing a muscle with a grin.
"I'm not sure what the future holds for her," he replies. "Cairo can duel. But she's much more into video games."
"I see. How does that make you feel?"
"It doesn't bother me. If video games are what makes her happy, then so be it. I don't want her to get into professional dueling if that's something she doesn't want to do."
Joey nods approvingly. "That's the way it should be. You see too many pro duelists with kids that basically force them to continue their legacy."
Meanwhile...
A deck of cards scatter in the air before floating slowly to the ground and Weevil drops to his knees, scrambling to pick them up. Towering over him in their living room is none other than his father, who is the one responsible for throwing his son's cards at him and flipping a coffee table in anger.
"Have I taught you nothing?!" his father yells. "You will never become a champion that way!"
"B-But I just wanted to—," Weevil stutters, flinching when his father raises his voice again.
"You will not tarnish my legacy! At your age, I was way past your current level. I was practically a prodigy!" Taking a deep breath, his father pushes up his gold colored glasses, which are nearly identical to his son's. "Whoever told you that you can't rely on strength alone, lied. I barely relied on trap and spell cards."
"Y-Yessir."
"I did not raise you to be weak. I did not raise a loser. Do you understand?"
Weevil nods his head, picking up his remaining cards and running up the stairs to his bedroom. He sets his cards on his desk, breathing out a long exhale. If anything is mentioned to his father as far as a lost of any kind, he goes completely off. He feels the pressure of having to live up to the Underwood name. And he doesn't want to disappoint his father. But sometimes his father's strictness can take out the fun that he once had for the game.
Changing into his pjs, he sits in the middle of his bed, revisiting the videos of Atem using the golden pyramid to summon the Egyptian gods.
"If I had that power…"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Tearing open a new pack of cards, Yufi smiles with excitement after scoring some useful cards that she got from a random game shop. "Awesome! I can't wait to implement these into my deck!" Walking toward the school gates, she looks over to Cairo who walks with her head down with thought and her arms folded. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Yufi rolls her eyes. "You're acting more gloomy than usual."
Ignoring her cousin's words, Cairo wonders if she should tell Yufi what she overheard yesterday after school. Would Yufi even believe her? Seeing a hand in her face, she lifts her head and turns her head to her younger cousin, who looks visibly annoyed at this point.
"Seriously Cairo. What's going on with you lately? Is it something I'm doing?"
"It isn't you, but more so who you're hanging around."
Yufi scrunches up her face with confusion, but before she can ask what Cairo means by that, they are approached by an overly friendly Weevil and Rex. "Hey there Yufi!" Weevil greets, completely disregarding Cairo's presence. "Ready for another amazing day of school?"
Cairo's eye twitches a little at Weevil's over the top behavior.
Weevil looks down to the cards in Yufi's hands. "Got some new cards I see?"
Yufi giggles. "Yeah, looks like I got lucky with these! I'm pretty satisfied!"
Weevil smiles. "I know the feeling!" He pushes up his glasses and leans in a bit. "Say…Rex and I were wondering if we could come over and—"
"No," Cairo answers bluntly, causing Yufi to look at her with disbelief.
"Cairo, don't be rude!" she scolds her older cousin before turning her sights back on Weevil and Rex. "Sorry about that. I know my cousin can be a bit…scary."
Cairo's mouth goes agape, feeling slightly hurt by her cousin's choice of words. At this point, it has become more clear that telling Yufi of Weevil and Rex's intentions will fall on deaf ears. It seems Yufi has this desperate need to fit in and make friends without truly getting to know them first.
Weevil clears his throat. "Anyway, we were wondering if we could hang out at your house and play duel monsters after school. You know…to practice and what not...and maybe meet your dad," he mutters the last part.
"Sure thing!" Yufi agrees without a second thought. "I'm sure my parents won't mind!"
"Awesome! Can't wait! Right Rex?" He nudges his friend's arm.
"Uh…yeah! Should be fun!" Rex says, shrugging his shoulders.
"Great!" Yufi exclaims before walking off.
Weevil snickers, giving Rex the thumbs up, not realizing that Cairo is still standing there. Rex cringes, noticing her suspicious gaze making him tug at his collar nervously. This time, he bumps Weevil's arm to stop his friend's snickering, causing Weevil to quickly regain his composure.
"Whatever you're planning, I highly suggest you reconsider," Cairo warns them, narrowing her eyes.
"Not sure what you're talking about," Weevil turns his nose up, placing his fists on his hips. "We simply want Yufi's companionship."
"You have ulterior motives."
"Are you sure you're not jealous?" Weevil asks her. "Yufi is making friends just fine. But you, on the other hand…"
"I know what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work."
"The truth hurts."
Cairo suddenly grins mischievously to Weevil and Rex's surprise and they both cower next to each other.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Rex asks before gulping.
"Yeah, you can't scare us out of coming over!" Weevil chimes in, shaking his fist.
"You two are gonna be in for a rude awakening when you get to her house," Cairo says before walking off. Little do they know, they have both of their fathers mixed up and their plan will fail. But instead of telling them, she decides to let them find out for themselves to see their reactions and to inconvenience them since their main reason for going to Yufi's house is for ill intentions.
Once they're sure she's out of sight, Weevil and Rex breathe a sigh of relief. "You sure this is a good idea, Weevil?"
"Who's the brains of this operation?!" Weevil snaps.
"I'm just saying. Yufi's cousin knows we're up to something. Plus, what if it turns out that pyramid thingy isn't all that?"
"Stop being so paranoid. Cairo may look scary, but she can't do anything to us! It's not like she can beat us up!" He turns to leave. "And I know for a fact that it grants power! So stop questioning me!"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Weevil looks down at a piece of paper with Yufi's address and then up to the building that he and Rex are standing in front of. It is a traditional looking two story house with a white gate surrounding it. They go up to the red door, ringing the doorbell. Weevil can feel his palms beginning to sweat with anticipation. Would Yufi's father be the one to answer the door? Or perhaps her mom or Yufi herself?
"I guess this is it," Weevil says.
Hearing footsteps on the other side, he stiffens up and holds his breath while Rex scratches his ear, flicking off some of the wax on his fingertip before putting his hands in his pocket. The doorknob turns before creaking open.
What waits for him on the other side makes his heart drop and there is silence.
The naturally narrowed amethyst eyes stare back at him with an unexpressive look on her face and he immediately becomes confused, looking at the numbers on the house to make sure he is at the right house.
"What are you doing here?!" Weevil asks, pointing at Cairo.
She responds by slamming the door in their face, going back into the living room where Yufi is and sitting on the couch, pulling out her handheld game. Placing her deck on the table, Yufi looks at her cousin questionably. "Who was that, Cairo?"
"Wrong house," Cairo fibs, not removing her eyes from the screen.
Not taking her word for it, Yufi heads to the door and opens it, side eyeing her cousin when she realizes she slammed the door on Rex and Weevil. "Really Cairo?!"
"So this is the right house then?" Rex asks to which Yufi nods.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Her parents are out of town so she's staying with us," Yufi explains, stepping to the side to let them both in. "Make yourselves at home!"
Weevil and Rex walk into the living room, setting their bags down and sitting on the floor around a low coffee table. "Nice place," Rex compliments, noticing how spacious it is.
"So uh…is your father here?" Weevil asks, looking around.
"Cutting straight to the chase, huh?" Cairo comments under her breath, earning another side eye from Yufi.
"Oh, you want to meet him?" Yufi asks.
Weevil clasps his hands together in a pleading manner. "If you don't mind? It's not everyday you get to meet a legend!"
"Well since you aren't dueling with us, do you mind getting him, Cairo?" Yufi asks.
This request makes Cairo put down her game and she smirks. "Gladly." She goes up the stairs, leaving the three alone for a moment.
Weevil gulps and clenches the fabric of his school pants. This is the moment he has been waiting for. Once he gets an idea of what he's working with, he will go on to phase two of his plan. Stealing the golden pendant. Just the mere thought of meeting Atem face to face sends shivers down his spine. From the videos he's seen, Atem appears to be quite intimidating and a force to be reckoned with. Would Atem even be open to meeting him? Or would he see it as a waste of time?
"I'm gonna get us all something to drink," Yufi says, walking into the kitchen.
"You sure you wanna do this?" Rex whispers.
"If you ask me that one more time…"
"Do you even have a plan?"
"We meet her father. Then, as he's down here, you will ask where the bathroom is and slip away. That's when you find the master bedroom and—"
"Wait, you're making me do this?!" Rex blurts out in disbelief, to which Weevil quickly covers his friend's mouth, hearing footsteps coming toward them. They scramble to their feet, waiting for her father to appear.
"Here he comes…"
Cairo is the first to emerge from around the corner where the stairs are, stepping to the side and leaning on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her amused expression throws Weevil off and he raises an eyebrow. Is she planning something? Are they walking into some sort of trap? Why does she have to always be so hard to read?
He draws in a breath when a man with tricolored hair emerges with their eyes closed. At the same time, Yufi comes out from the kitchen carrying three glasses of juice on a platter, setting it down on the table. She smiles when she sees her father. "Hey dad!"
Weevil draws in a breath. 'It's him! It's really him!' The man slowly begins to open his eyes and he smiles at his daughter. But the look in his eyes throws Weevil off. Something seems different about the man standing in front of him as opposed to the videos he's seen. And when the man finally talks, he realizes his voice isn't as deep and commanding either. 'Wait a minute…'
Yugi sets his eyes on Weevil and Rex and he stops walking in his tracks for a minute, his heart plunging into his stomach. The two boys standing in front of him greatly resemble two people of his past, but they appear to be miniature versions. He quickly regains his composure and clears his throat.
"Yufi, are these two your friends?" Yugi asks.
"Mhmm! Weevil, Rex…this is my father, Yugi Mutou," Yufi introduces, to which Rex, Weevil and Yugi's mouths go agape.
'Weevil and Rex?' Yugi asks himself. 'Are they…?'
"Wait! Your father is Yugi Mutou?!" Rex asks, feeling confused.
"B-But I thought that..." Weevil stammers, until he slowly looks at Cairo, whose eyes are completely focused on him with that mischievous look of hers. "No…now it makes sense…" Those eyes. That mysterious and intimidating demeanor of hers. How could he have missed the subtle similarities between her and Atem Mutou?
Lost by everyone's varying reactions, Yufi tilts her head, not exactly knowing what is happening at this very moment.
"Uh…Weevil?" Rex mutters.
"Y-Yeah?"
"I think we've gotten their fathers mixed up…"
Weevil slowly nods. "Uh-huh…"
He watches as Cairo goes back to the couch to play with her video game and he shutters. To think that in order for him to get anywhere near the puzzle, he has to get past her.
Meanwhile, Yugi has many thoughts swirling in his head. Just seeing the two kids brings back bad memories, even if they aren't directly involved in an incident that happened years ago. But he feels the negative emotions even more so when he sees Weevil. And although it appears he is the son, he is triggered as his mind thinks back to that fateful day. A day that also happens to be a painful part of Atem's past as well.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
A lot went on in this chapter. Hope you're keeping up with the small hints in this chapter *wink* lol. But things will become even clear as the story continues. Leave a review about your thoughts!