Weevil slams the door to his locker the following afternoon after class, clenching his fists with anger as he thinks about yesterday evening's plan that fell through. It was supposed to be a rather 'simple' plan, at least in his mind. How could he have been so stupid? He still remembers that mischievous grin from Cairo. There's no doubt that she's aware of what he's trying to do. And the fact she knew that he would be unsuccessful and found it to be amusing angers him even more.
"Oh Cairo's place? She only lives a few houses down from us actually," Yufi tells Weevil after he suddenly asked during their get together yesterday.
"Don't tell them where I live…" Cairo mutters to her cousin, already knowing where Weevil is going with this.
"Maybe we can hang out there too! It doesn't have to be duel monsters," Yufi goes on enthusiastically and naively.
"Yeah, sure," Weevil replies, not having any intentions of doing so.
Now standing inside the gym for gym period, he looks to the adjacent wall where Cairo is, leaning up against it with her hands behind her back. Just the very sight of her makes him angry. He growls until a hand is placed on his shoulder and he jumps in a fright, quickly turning around, only to realize it's Rex.
"Get a grip," Rex says blinking.
"DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" Weevil snaps.
"My bad." He looks over to Cairo as well, then back to his friend. "I take it you're still not giving up despite what happened yesterday?"
"Of course not! I already have a plan."
"Oh boy," Rex sighs, rolling his eyes. He still doesn't understand Weevil's obsession with the golden pyramid and quite frankly, thinks he should ditch all plans of getting it, especially since it turns out that Atem is Cairo's father. There's no way that they will be able to get past that.
"She's gonna get detention."
"Huh?"
"When she does, that'll give me more than enough time to make it to her house and get the pyramid!" Weevil eyes a group of three boys that stand nearby and Rex follows his gaze. "And they're gonna help."
"Whoa dude. Don't you think this is a bit extreme? She's just a girl," Rex protests, believing that his friend is taking this too far. "Besides, how are you even gonna get those three goons to go along with whatever plan you have in store?"
Weevil snickers and picks up a red dodge ball, tossing it up a few times before throwing it at the group of boys, hitting the tallest one in the head. An athletic boy with spiky, black hair and narrowed eyes turns around and he growls as he scours the area to see who is the source.
"What's up Zygor?" Bonz asks him. He is a short boy with a large forehead and his face resembles that of a human skeleton. He almost looks like he walked straight out of a horror film.
The third one with red hair and purple shades turns around as well, immediately putting his sights on Weevil and Rex. "Did you see who threw that ball?" Sid asks.
Weevil immediately points to Cairo before he and Rex slip away to a safe distance as the three goons walk over to her. Hiding behind the bleachers, Weevil grins while Rex gulps.
Cairo looks down to the ground and sighs. Prior to this, her and Yufi had gotten into an argument
"Well, I'm off to the school library," Yufi says to Cairo, closing her locker. She turns to her cousin just as she closes her own locker. Still confused by yesterday's interaction with Weevil, Cairo, Rex and her father, she decides to flat out ask what happened. "I guess I'm not in the loop or maybe I missed it, but why was everyone acting so strange when my dad came downstairs to meet Weevil and Rex?"
Cairo sighs and shakes her head, choosing not to answer initially. Would Yufi even believe her? Or will she be mad at her for telling the truth of Weevil and Rex's true intentions. "I don't know."
Yufi places her hands on her hips, squinting her eyes at Cairo suspiciously. "You totally know!"
"Yufi…Weevil and Rex weren't there because they genuinely wanted to," Cairo starts off reluctantly.
"What?"
"Nor did they want to meet your father. They only came because they thought my father was your father."
"You're not making any sense right now."
"Weevil wants my dad's puzzle. But he got our dads mixed up so he thought by going to your house, he'd meet my dad and somehow steal it."
"Are you even hearing yourself right now?"
Cairo sighs heavily and bows her head in defeat. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."
"How would Weevil even know about the puzzle? And even if he's seen it, there's no way he'd know what it actually does. Heck, we hardly know," Yufi says, not convinced by Cairo's story. "Honestly, you've been acting weirder than usual and—"
"Don't call me that," Cairo says sternly, her narrowed eyes now focused on Yufi. "And I'm telling the truth. Weevil is up to no good and I'm gonna stop him."
Not wanting to argue any further, Yufi turns away and walks off in the direction of the library, leaving Cairo by herself.
"What a day," she sighs. Seeing a shadow appear above her, her eyes slowly gaze up to see two boys towering over her and the third standing at the same height as her.
"I typically don't fight girls. But if they make the first move, then I make the acceptation," Zygor says, cracking his knuckles.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't act dumb. You threw a ball at him," Sid says, edging up toward her.
"I did no such thing."
"Then who did it?"
"I assure you, the ball was not thrown by me."
Hearing Weevil snicker in the background, Zygor growls. "I'm not about to be sent on a wild goose chase!" Zygor snaps and the next thing Cairo knows, Weevil has been dragged over and thrown next to her by Sid. Zygor glares at Weevil who is shaking visibly with fear. How did he manage to get himself dragged into this? Perhaps his plan was flawed from the start and he didn't think this all the way through.
"Uh…W-What's up guys?" Weevil asks, grinning nervously.
"This is my last time asking. And if I don't get a real answer, both of you are getting pulverized!"
"She did it, I swear!"
Cairo squints her eyes at Weevil, realizing what has occurred. "Excuse me? Are you certain it wasn't you? Telling by the way you're trying to frame me, I'd say you're the real culprit."
Zygor slams his fist into his palm. "That's it! Both of you, say your prayers!"
"This isn't good," Rex says, biting his nails as he looks from afar.
Cairo shakes her head. "This is dumb." She begins to walk away until Bonz puts his cold hand on her shoulder, trying to stop her. At this moment, she has lost all patience and wants nothing more than for them to leave her alone.
"Let me go," she demands.
"Make me," Bonz says confidently and he snickers.
Sighing heavily, she grabs his wrist, flinging him into the air and he lands on the bleachers with a daze to everyone's shock.
Weevil's jaw drops. "What the…?"
"H-How did she do that?" Sid stutters, his glasses sliding off his face to reveal his horrified expression.
On the other hand, Zygor laughs. "That's what happens when you're only skin and bones, Bonz!" he teases. He takes a few steps up to Cairo, towering over her small frame and patting her head. She only stares forward with a calm expression, not reacting to any of his taunts.
"I bet you won't try that on me," he dares her. When she doesn't respond, he sets his eyes on Weevil, who begins to shake more than ever. There's no way he can stand up to someone like him. He starts to beat himself up for even initiating this to begin with. His plan has backfired and now he's about to get beaten to a pulp.
When Zygor raises his fist and prepares to punch him, all Weevil can do is grit his teeth and flinch, awaiting the pain that will soon come. He gasps when Cairo stands right in front of him, literally taking the punch head on. He is sure that she would cry soon after and that blood would be on the floor. But instead, Zygor is the one who cries out in pain, holding onto his broken wrist and hand after it feels like he's just hit a brick wall.
"MY HAND!" Zygor yells, clutching it for dear life and beginning to roll on the floor.
Witnessing all this, Rex blinks, not understanding why or how Cairo is still standing. Weevil's shock soon goes to a look confidence and he laughs. "Serves you right!"
Cairo side eyes him and grunts. Though she can't stand the sight of Weevil, nor being around him, she didn't just want to stand there and watch him get hurt.
Feeling cocky, Weevil looks at Sid who begins to cower. Weevil puts up his fists tauntingly and motions for Sid to come close, but the boy only screams, bringing the gym teacher's attention on all of them. Seeing one boy laying in a heap, the other screaming and the last one rolling on the ground, the teacher glares at Cairo and Weevil who continues to taunt them, thinking they are the ones who initiated the fight.
"WEEVIL! CAIRO!"
Weevil nearly jumps out of his skin and he takes a step back before pointing at Cairo. "She did it! It was her!"
Cairo narrows her eyes at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief. But before she can say anything, the word, "DETENTION" echoes throughout the whole gym.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
— That same afternoon —
Mana lets out a groan as she walks down the airplane aisle, eyeing her middle seat that sits between Atem and a stranger who is on the heavier side and appears and smells like he has not bathed in days. His black shirt exposes some of his hairy stomach and he pushes up his glasses as he plays his handheld video game with headphones in his ear. She had gone to the bathroom to attempt to get a breather and has reluctantly come back. If she had a choice, she'd stay in the bathroom for the duration of their flight.
She looks over to Atem who has drifted off to sleep and frowns. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to catch a quick nap without incident. She wants that so bad for him, noticing the negative effects the lack of sleep has on him.
"Excuse me," she says to the stranger blocking her way back to her seat. He doesn't pay her any mind. After waiting a few seconds, she grunts before forcing her way through to get to her seat. She plops down with a sigh, taking the time to look out the window. Soon they'll be back home and back to their 'regular' lives. She looks forward to seeing her daughter and reuniting with Téa and Kisara, as well as introducing them to Mai when her and Joey get there.
A brief flicker from the cabin lights causes her to look up with an eyebrow raised. It's shortly followed by a light rattle from the plane. Looking back at the window, she tilts her head. The skies are clear and she doesn't remember the pilot saying there would be any turbulence along the way. They are nearly at the airport, with the ramp in sight.
The lights go on and off again, this time, repeatedly and for a longer period. Several passengers mumble and comment about it to themselves, wondering what the cause could be.
"Dammit. How could I lose?" the nerdy passenger next to her grumbles with frustration and she rolls her eyes before an abrupt and powerful vibration causes her to grip her seat with a look of surprise. The seatbelt light comes on and she watches as two flight attendants go toward the front of the plane to take their seats as a precaution.
"We appear to be experiencing some unexpected turbulence. We ask that everyone stay seated," an announcement comes over the speaker.
Hearing a grunting noise come from Atem, Mana looks over to him to see that he is still sleeping, despite the commotion. His face is somewhat scrunched up and she can see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Atem. Hey, wake up," she gives him a light shake. A bright glow emits from the Millennium Puzzle and extends out toward the width and length of the plane, making the lights completely turn off as the plane shakes more violently. The engine comes to a complete stop and the plane begins to go into a free fall, sending everyone into a panic and screams fill the air.
Atem gasps as he opens his eyes, frantically looking around to see the plane in complete disarray. Bags from the upper cabin go flying as well as other personal belongings and the oxygen masks coming slinging down. No matter how much the pilot tries, he cannot get the plane to turn back on. It's as if the engine is completely dead.
"What's going on?!" Atem asks, quickly putting his mask on.
"The puzzle! It did something strange!" Mana replies, gritting her teeth. The nerd next to Mana begins to yell and wail his arms and she puts his oxygen mask on for him before he passes out.
"Can you stop it?"
Mana outstretches her hand toward the window where the engine is and it spins momentarily before failing once again. "Not from in here." Seeing the runway quickly approaching, she takes off her seatbelt and whips out her wand. "Here goes nothing!"
As she begins to stand, she feels Atem's hand on hers and she looks back at him. "Be careful," he says, giving it a tight squeeze.
She nods. "Aren't I always?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" he asks, referencing her reckless behavior in the past.
Opening a portal under her feet, she pouts with her arms crossed as she descends below.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Walking inside his house after a long day, Yugi breathes a sigh of relief, happy that his day is beginning to wind down. He looks to the book bag that Yufi has left by the door, but wonders where Cairo's book bag is. Still bothered by yesterday's turn of events, he wonders how Yufi coincidentally became friends with the son of his rival back when they were younger. He feels uneasy, though he holds a little guilt for having those feelings. Perhaps the son isn't the same as his father. But like the saying goes, the apple usually doesn't fall too far from the tree.
Going into the living room, he sees Téa sitting in front of the television, holding a pink mug in her hand. Hearing footsteps, she turns her head. "Oh! I didn't hear you come in!" she says with surprise as he comes over to give her a peck on the lips. "How was your day?"
"It's been better. I'm just glad it's over," he replies.
"I get what you mean," she sympathizes, then she turns her head to him. "How are you feeling?"
Yugi blinks. "Hm? I'm…fine. Why?"
"I only asked because it seems Yufi has made an interesting choice in friends. I caught a glimpse of them leaving yesterday," she replies and Yugi frowns, staying silent. Téa mirrors his expression, knowing all too well why he is reacting this way. But they never quite talked about it much after the incident happened years ago.
Yugi chuckles lightly, catching Téa off guard. "What a coincidence, huh? And I wish I could just tell her not to be friends with them. But I know that wouldn't be right. Those two boys haven't done anything wrong."
"Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be fair."
"Have my brother and Mana made it back in yet?"
Téa shakes her head. "Not yet, but they should be landing soon."
A red screen with the words, "BREAKING NEWS" flashes on the television, bringing Yugi and Téa's attention to it. A newswoman wearing a suit jacket and her hair tied back into a ponytail reports with a serious expression that there is an airplane that has apparently experienced some sort of engine failure, headed toward Domino Airport. On the screen, there is an airplane with no clear signs of damage hurdling toward the runway at a fast speed.
Yugi and Téa's eyes widen with horror. "Oh no!" Téa exclaims, covering her mouth partially. "Yugi, what do we do?"
Yugi grits his teeth. There's no way he would be able to get there in time, nor does he have a monster that would be able to stop the plane. The screen then flashes to a woman on the ground with her wand outstretched toward the plane and her eyes narrowed. An aura emits from the wand and surrounds the aircraft, appearing to slow it down. But it doesn't appear like it will stop in time.
"It's Mana!" Yugi exclaims before gasping. "But that means…Atem is on that plane!"
Airline and runway workers watch from a safe distance as Mana stands in the middle of the tarmac, her eyes glowing pink and her teeth clenched as she uses every bit of strength in her body to stop the plane. She knows that everyone on that plane is depending on her. And so are their families.
Atem looks out the window while placing a hand on his puzzle. On the one hand, he could try and summon the gods to stop the plane. But on the other, hasn't the puzzle done enough damage? Who's to say he won't make things worse?
A bright blue light in the shape of a dragon swoops by his window and he gasps, wondering who the source of that could be. Looking toward the ground, he squints his eyes, seeing none other than Kaiba walking toward Mana with his arms folded. "Kaiba…" Knowing that his cousin has the power to command Kisara's Blue Eyes White Dragon, she must not be too far either.
"Why are you always in the middle of trouble?" Seto asks Mana as he stands beside her.
"You gonna scold me or are you actually gonna help?" Mana grunts.
"You just hold up your end." He motions at the dragon that has fully materialized and it scoops right underneath the plane, using its body as a partial landing pad. "That slow enough for you?"
"You have an odd way of helping, you know that?" Grunting once more, she puts her magic into overdrive and with the combination of her abilities and the Blue Eyes White Dragon, they are finally able to land the plane safely.
An inflatable slide comes out of the plane and the passengers begin to make their way down safely, hugging each other and crying. Ambulances, fire trucks and police cars are also on the scene as they assist those that may have been hurt.
Blue Eyes disappears and Mana drops her arms, panting heavily. "Mana!" Atem calls out to her, rushing to her side.
"I'm fine," she breathes out.
"Nice job making your wife do all the hard work," Seto remarks and Atem glares at him.
"And you haven't done the same? There's no Blue Eyes without Kisara," Atem shoots back.
Mana stands in between them. "Come on you two. Not now. I'm exhausted."
"Tell me about it," comes another feminine voice and they all look over to see Kisara approaching them.
"I told you to stay put," Seto tells her. "You know how much summoning Blue Eyes drains you."
"What are you two doing here anyway?" Mana asks.
"Our private jet just landed not too long ago. Seto had an important meeting to attend and what not," Kisara explains with a shrug. "Good thing we were here. But what actually happened?"
Before Mana can answer, she receives a call from Téa and places her on speaker. "Hey Téa!" Mana greets in her normal tone.
"Don't 'hey Téa' me! Are you guys alright? I saw everything!"
"We're fine," Atem replies.
"That's good," Yugi's voice comes from the other side. "It was looking pretty bad for a second there."
"How's Cairo?" Mana asks.
"Well that's another reason why I called…" Téa replies.
Atem's brows furrow with concern. "Is she alright?"
"The school tried to call you two but I'm guessing your phones were off due to being in the air. We got a call from the school principal a few minutes ago and they told us that she was involved in a fight and got detention."
"Cairo got detention?" Mana repeats with shock. "That's not like her."
"More importantly, she was in a fight. And with her strength, I'm sure the outcome wasn't good," Atem assumes.
"Thanks for letting us know Téa." Mana hangs up the phone before making a portal appear in front of them to take them to the school. "We gotta—" She drops to one knee due to her legs being wobbly and feeling light jello and she breathes heavily.
"You may have overdid it back there," Kisara says as Atem helps Mana up.
"She's right," Atem agrees. "You need to rest. I'll handle it."
"Are you sure?" Mana asks. "But…"
"Go ahead Atem. Seto and I will make sure Mana makes it back home safely," Kisara volunteers to which Seto rolls his eyes.
"Thank you," Atem nods before running into the portal.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
"You two can wait in the principal's office for your parents," one of the staff members says as Cairo and Weevil walk out of the class where they just had detention. Without saying a word to each other, they go to the principal's office and sit a few seats away from each other. Weevil's leg shakes with anticipation while he waits for his father to come. He knows his father won't be too happy to see that he got detention. His standards for him are very high and being involved in an incident is unacceptable in his father's eyes.
Along with feeling anxious, he feels anger. So far, his plans have ended in failure. And it's all because of her.
He glares in her direction, seeing her sit with her legs crossed on her seat and staring at the wall in front of her. Questions still arise in his head as to how she even did what she did to those three goons. It surely wasn't human. But she doesn't particularly look like she holds a lot of strength. At least on the outside. She's built like a regular kid.
'Just who does she think she is? A true weirdo, that's what!' he says in his head.
As if she heard his thoughts, her eyes slowly scroll over to him and he gulps, quickly looking away. Now that he knows that she has moves to back up her stoic demeanor, stealing her father's puzzle doesn't seem like a good idea. She'd probably throw him out the window. Are his dreams of having power truly over?
Cairo leans her chin on her hand, blowing the hair out her face. It's not everyday that she gets in trouble. Typically she could count on Yufi to get them in crazy predicaments. She sighs. "Maybe my punishment won't be as severe since mom and dad are out of town still," she mumbles, though her father is typically the enforcer of such punishments. The door to the office opens and when she looks over, her heart nearly jumps out of her body when her father steps in. His eyes immediately go to her and she avoids his gaze.
Shortly after looking at her, he looks to the other child and he gasps. The boy sitting there greatly resembles someone he once knew. But surely this 'someone' wouldn't still be a kid.
Cairo arches an eyebrow, noticing that her father is sporting a similar look to when Yugi first saw Weevil too.
A few seconds pass and another man, short in stature and sporting the same exact hair cut as Weevil, walks into the office and Atem's fists immediately ball up and his eyes narrow. In contrast to Atem's reaction, the man smirks.
Wearing a green jacket and black pants, he pushes up his round, golden glasses, snickering. "It's been a long time."
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
AN: Well things have certainly gotten interesting. If you didn't notice, those three goons were the kiddie versions of the ones that showed up in Season 1 at Duelist Kingdom (with Bandit Keith). This story really has me using characters I typically don't use, so it's been fun so far lol.
Do you think Weevil will truly give up his plans of stealing the puzzle? And what do you think Atem's interaction with Weevil's father will be like? Leave your guesses in the reviews!