Atem never thought he would see his former rival again after all these years. As he watches the shorter man walk in, he is flooded by negative emotions and memories. So much that it initially leaves him speechless.
"It's been a long time," Weevil Sr. snickers, pushing up his rounded glasses. Atem stays silent, watching as the older Weevil shoots a disapproving glare at his son, who sinks lower into his seat before setting his eyes on Cairo. Surprisingly he smiles, yet in a way that it is hard to read whether its genuine or something more baleful.
The third person to walk in is the principal, who stands before the two parents and two sitting children on the opposite side. Wearing a green suit and red tie, he rubs his partially bald head with a sigh. "I apologize that we have to talk under these unfortunate circumstances," the principal starts off. "This is certainly the least favorite part of my job."
"What exactly happened?" Atem asks, his eyes directly on the principal now.
"The gym teacher reported that there was a physical altercation that landed one boy in the hospital from a broken hand and wrist. The second boy had a minor concussion and the third was practically inconsolable during his panic attack. That's about the gist of it."
Atem subtly looks at Cairo from the corner of his eye, knowing that she is the one behind that. With her being a little more reserved when it comes to displaying her abilities, he wonders what led up to the fight.
"Well that doesn't sound like something my boy would do," Weevil Sr. says, crossing his arms. "Isn't that right son?"
"R-Right!" Weevil Jr. stammers. "I wouldn't hurt a fly! She broke his bones, not me! I was trying to stop her, but she wouldn't listen!"
"Well there you have it. He says he didn't do it, so there's no reason he should be here."
"Hold on," Atem intervenes. "Cairo should be allowed to tell her side of the story." Though he has no doubt that Cairo is the one behind the injuries, he also knows that there is more than likely a reason she resorted to physically harming someone.
"Weevil instigated the fight by throwing a dodgeball at one of the three guys' heads. They were understandably upset and threatened us with bodily harm. I had no choice but to defend us both," Cairo explains, looking in Weevil Jr.'s direction who squints his eyes at her, grumbling under his breath. As much as he's trying to constantly throw her under the bus, he seems to forget the fact that he saved him.
The principal looks to Cairo. "Surely you couldn't have done such a feat on your own," he says, rubbing his chin. "That one kid's hand looked like he had punched a solid wall. You're saying you're solely the cause of the broken bones."
"Yes. All twenty-seven of them," she replies, causing Atem to side eye her for her curt reply. Seeing his facial expression, she quickly adds, "Accidentally," at the end and a pearl of sweat goes down the side of Atem's face. Why does she have to be so blunt?
The principal blinks a few times, using his handkerchief to wipe his brow after hearing her story. "Well then…" he clears his throat. "As you already know, fighting is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. They do have a field trip to the museum coming up that I was going to prohibit them from going to, but seeing as it's for educational purposes, I ultimately decided against it. However, this is your first and final warning. Any more incidents and you will both be expelled, is that clear?"
Jumping up to their feet, the two students give a slight bow, while also turning their head toward each other. Weevil gives her a dirty look while she rolls her eyes.
The two parents walk out the school with their children following both behind. Weevil Sr. looks over to Atem who waits for Cairo to walk down the stairs and he snickers. "I guess it's true what they say. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Weevil sneers.
Atem shoots over a glare. He could easily say the same about Weevil Sr. Telling by what he heard in the principal's office, Weevil Jr. is the one that started it all and Cairo was dragged into it.
"She's just as violent and barbaric as her father is," the dad remarks to his son.
"Watch your tongue!" Atem quickly retorts in a manner that even causes Cairo to flinch.
"Did I strike a nerve?"
"I don't care about whatever problem you have with me, but that stays between you and I, understand? Leave my daughter out of it." He grabs Cairo's hand and proceeds to walk faster. He has had about enough of Weevil Sr. taking jabs at his daughter and he's trying to hold it together. The last thing he wants is to have a verbal altercation between him and Weevil Sr. in front of her or even Weevil Jr.. What kind of example would he be setting for Cairo if he were to go completely off?
As Atem walks by, Weevil Sr. catches glimpse of the object hanging around his neck, narrowing his eyes as a certain memory comes flooding back into his mind.
The very sight of the puzzle hanging around his neck is enough to make Weevil Sr. seethe with rage. He will never forget the death stare from Atem as a odd symbol appeared on his forehead. Then came the hallucinations. Those awful hallucinations that nearly caused him to lose his mind.
The tricolored teen was soaked after jumping off the ship in an attempt to fetch all the cards Weevil threw out. His deathly gaze was now directed at Weevil with his fists gripped tightly at his sides. His eyes were crimson. But Weevil could've sworn they were purple a few minutes ago. Regardless, Weevil begins to laugh, finding Atem's current appearance to be amusing.
Another teen with blonde hair, hunches over and tries to catch his breath after saving Atem from the strong waves of the ocean. His twin places the five legendary cards used to summon Exodia flat on a nearby table while a girl with short brown hair uses a towel to blot out the moisture as best as she can.
After overhearing them talking about Exodia, Weevil decided he wanted to see the cards for himself. It went from fascination to realization that he didn't have anything in his deck to defeat such a strong being. Despite Atem's protests of his brother handing the cards over to Weevil to get a closer look, the naive brother did so anyway. Shortly after, Weevil tossed them over the ship.
"Say goodbye to Exodia!"
Those words constantly echoed through Atem's head as he seethed with rage. And still, Weevil showed no remorse. That's when it happened.
Atem snapped.
But not in a manner that one would typically do if they were angry. The puzzle that hung around his neck began to emit a bright glow and the eye of Wdjat appeared on his forehead, which brought Weevil's laughter to a halt. The only ones who seemed to be aware of this happening were Yugi, Téa, Joey and the two currently engaged in a stare off. But the three onlookers couldn't see what was happening beyond the surface.
A beetle crawled out of Weevil's sleeve to which he calmly lifted his arm up to observe it. Then a second one came out. And a third. Until a swarm of beetles began to come out of his clothing, each taking a small bite off his flesh. He begun to cry out as he clawed at his hair and skin in an attempt to get the bugs off him, but to no avail. He caught a glimpse of Atem who sported a menacing grin and seemed to enjoy the sight of his suffering.
Seeing Atem walk away, he narrows his eyes. What was supposed to be a tournament in which he would show the world why he became the Regional Champion of Eastern Japan, became a night of humiliation after he had to be taken to the hospital and later, a psyche ward for yelling about bugs eating his skin that no one else could see.
"The fact that you still wear that after all these years speaks to your character," Weevil Sr. remarks.
Atem stops in his tracks, but keeps his back turned. The odd interaction only raises further questions in Cairo's mind as she gazes up at her father, whose eyes are now hidden by his blonde bangs. It becomes more clear that her father and Weevil Sr. had a turbulent history. She looks over her shoulder and to her surprise, Weevil Sr. is looking directly at her.
Weevil snickers. "As I said before, it must run in the family. Cairo seems to be following right in your footsteps. And I'm not talking about your dueling legacy."
"Weevil!" Atem snaps, turning around. "I'm warning you…tread lightly."
"Careful. Wouldn't want to cause another odd occurrence with that golden object like you did years ago," Weevil Sr. taunts and his son looks up at him questionably.
"If you want to make references to the past, at least tell the full story," Atem shoots back. "Or perhaps you've forgotten how you threw away something that you felt threatened by, like the cowardly and conniving person you are."
Weevil Sr. growls inwardly, Atem's words having struck a nerve. While Atem feels awful for what happened all those years ago, Weevil isn't completely the victim here. The incident could have been avoided had Weevil not thrown Yugi's cards overboard.
When Weevil Sr. doesn't say anything else, Atem turns back around to leave. "Let's go, Cairo." She quickly complies, knowing if they stick around that things could possibly escalate even more.
The walk home is long and silent. And the longer it draws out, the more she has time to think about what the senior Weevil said. But she doesn't know if she should bring it up, seeing how angry her father was.
When they reach their home, she expects him to pull out his keys to let them inside and then state her punishment. But instead, he stops right at the door, causing her to look up at him with a confused expression. Continuing to stare forward, he sighs heavily. He hates that she had to witness that. And it must've been a lot for her to have the fingers pointed at her, as well as the hurtful things Weevil Sr. said about her.
"Dad?"
He looks down at her.
"I didn't mean to get violent or…barbaric," she says, lowering her eyes as she recounts what Weevil Sr. said. "It just…happened. I was minding my business and the next thing I knew, I was put in a position where I had to not only defend myself, but Weevil too."
Crouching down to her, he places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look him in the eyes. "I know Cairo. I believe you. You did nothing wrong," he replies. "And you're none of those things, understand? You are kind, brave and noble."
"Am I scary…or weird?" Those are words that she hears about herself very often. It would typically be by people that don't know her, but more recently, the 'scary' word came from her own cousin, which still stings in this very moment.
Atem frowns. "Who said that about you?"
Cairo shakes her head. "It doesn't matter I guess." Besides the obvious culprits, she doesn't want him knowing that she and Yufi are butting heads.
"Regardless, you shouldn't care about what others think about you. There will always be people that judge you, but don't let that get to you," he says to her before smiling. "Your mother gets called weird from time to time. And you know what she does?"
"She beats them up or yells at them?"
"Okay, maybe she isn't the perfect example." Atem dims his eyes. "But nevertheless, she continues to be herself, despite what people say. And you should do the same."
"Okay…"
"Has that kid given you any problems in the past?" he asks, assuming Weevil Jr. is the one that said those things to her.
"I sorta wanted to ask you the same thing…about his dad. You don't like him very much, do you?"
"Let's just say he did something years ago that was unforgivable..." He places his hand on the puzzle, gazing up to the night sky and Cairo does the same.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
"MANAAAAA!" Téa exclaims excitedly as she runs over to her best friend with her arms wide after not seeing her for the past few days. Mana grits her teeth and flinches, seeing Téa coming at her at a high speed and soon they both end up on the floor while Kisara groans, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment as people in the restaurant's waiting area look at them with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
"You two are gonna get us kicked out," Kisara mutters.
"Téa is gonna get me sent to the hospital from blocking my airways," Mana grunts, trying to breathe. They get to their feet shortly after their short reunion and Mana rolls her neck. "I still haven't fully recovered from yesterday's plane fiasco. I'm definitely gonna take it easy for the next few days."
"Good idea," Kisara agrees with a nod.
"You ladies sure do have an interesting way of saying hello to each other," another feminine voice says and they turn to see a woman with long blonde hair.
Mana smiles. "Oh hey Mai! Glad you could make it!"
Téa cocks her head to the side. "Friend of yours?"
"I only briefly got to tell you that Atem caught up with an old friend named Joey. Who also happens to be a friend of yours too, right?" Mana asks.
"Right," Téa blinks as she looks to the woman and then she gasps. "Don't tell me, this is Joey's girlfriend?"
"Wife," Mai corrects her with a smirk, flashing a ring on her finger. "The name's Mai."
"Mai, these are my friends Téa and Kisara," Mana introduces, stepping to the side.
Mai turns her sights to Kisara and smiles. "In the brief time that we've known each other, Mana has told me a lot about you."
Kisara looks to Mana suspiciously who chuckles, putting her hand behind her head. "Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing."
"I remember Joey moving to the states a long time ago. Are you saying you two are going to be here permanently?" Téa asks.
"That's right," Mai replies. "So you all are gonna have to show me around and all the places to have a good time cuz this girl likes to have fun!"
Téa's eyes immediately light up. Is it possible that Mana has found a normal friend? No powers? No special abilities? No strong urge to train or spar? This would definitely even things out in the group as she has always felt left out whenever Kisara and Mana would suddenly get the urge to be super competitive with each other. Though she doesn't care about the fact that her two closest friends are unique beings and has always accepted them for who they are, it can be exhausting at times.
"I'm curious Mai," Téa starts off, wanting to confirm her assumptions. "Are you a magician of some sort? Or perhaps you can shoot powerful blasts from your mouth?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Awesome!" Téa beams from ear to ear with excitement.
"Eh?" Mana dims her eyes. "Why is that awesome?"
"Yeah, what's the big idea?" Kisara mutters, mirroring Mana's expression.
Téa laughs nervously. "Uh…you know, I think I just heard our name name being called to be seated. Let's go!"
Mana and Kisara both exchange confused looks before proceeding further into the restaurant. "So what exactly did you tell Mai about me?" Kisara asks.
"Oh! I just told her that you have your own training grounds is all!" Mana chirps.
"Something tells me she's not as 'normal' as Téa believes her to be."
"Yeah, but I'm sure Téa won't care. She hangs out with us, right?"
"True," Kisara shrugs.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Driving down a semi-busy highway, Atem and Yugi sit side by side in silence. As Yugi grumbles over reckless drivers who change lanes without their turning signals or occasionally cutting in front of him, Atem attempts to block it all out by sitting with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. But it isn't long before the weaving and dodging done by his brother is enough to make him open his eyes.
"Perhaps I should have driven," Atem says, noticing how agitated Yugi is looking at the current moment.
"I got it," his brother replies between clenched teeth, gripping the wheel and hunching forward.
"Our grandfather wants us there in one piece."
"I'm very aware of that Atem. Thanks for stating the obvious."
They pass a green sign that is for the airport exit that is coming up in a mile and Atem sighs, relieved that they will be getting off the highway soon. They are going there to pick up their grandfather who has been in Egypt for one of his many expeditions. He knows the car ride back home will be filled with their grandpa talking about what he came across in great detail and also asking about his two great granddaughters.
Ultimately, he decided not to disclose the fact that he bumped into Weevil at their daughters' school, not knowing that Yugi has bumped into Weevil's son previously. But he doesn't want to bring down the mood, nor add to Yugi's current stress.
"Have you figured out whether or not you're gonna tell grandpa about what's been going on with the puzzle?"
Atem sighs. "Something tells me that if I don't, you will."
"Well after yesterday especially, I really think you should," Yugi replies, referring to the plane incident. "How's Mana holding up?"
"You know her. She was back to her feet as if nothing happened once she got some rest. Though she said she was going to take it easy."
"What are the odds that you would run into Joey on your vacation?" Yugi smiles. They had hung out with him briefly this morning prior to traveling to the airport and were able to do a brief catching up. "I really wish we could have hung out more."
"With him living here now, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time."
"Hey! You think maybe Kaiba would allow him to be a mentor, like us?"
Atem groans, knowing the history between Kaiba and Joey hasn't always been the best. In fact, he doubts Kaiba would even agree to that. "It's…hard to say."
"Well I'll have a conversation with Seto and see!"
"Make sure I'm nowhere nearby when you do."
Pulling up to the airport, an old man with purple eyes waves to them enthusiastically and Yugi pulls up alongside him. Atem gets out to help his grandfather load his bags in the trunk, then he gets in the back, allowing the older man to sit in the front alongside Yugi.
"It's great to see you again, grandpa!" Yugi exclaims happily as he drives off.
"I was hoping I'd see Yufi and Cairo," Grandpa Mutou says with slight disappointment.
"They've started back in school since you left," Yugi informs him, anxiously getting back on the highway. "But we're here!"
Grandpa rubs his chin. "I guess that will suffice," he replies, to which Yugi and Atem simultaneously dim their eyes. Since having great grandchildren, his focus has been on them, showering them in gifts and taking them to different outings that he would normally take Yugi and Atem to. But it comes with the territory of having great grandchildren, the two brothers assume. And besides, they're happy that Yufi and Cairo share a bond with their great grandfather.
Yugi sighs with relief after managing to safely get into a lane. "So, how was your trip? Discover anything new?"
"We did," grandpa replies before his face turns serious. "Unfortunately, we ended up losing some amazing people along the way."
Atem, who was previously gazing out the window, turns his head to face forward, looking at his grandfather through the rearview mirror, only partially seeing his grim expression.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Yugi frowns. "What happened?"
"We were able to locate a pyramid that belonged to a great and powerful sorcerer named Anubis. I was outside when they stumbled across something that reminded me of the Millennium Puzzle. But when they did, there was a catastrophic collapse that took several lives."
Atem's eyes widen with shock., but he stays silent, listening on.
"How awful…" Yugi says as his grandfather takes out a few photos. He glances over at the photographs and his jaw drops. "Whoa…Atem, you gotta see this!"
Atem hunches forward, looking over the front seat. His heart immediately drops, seeing a blue pyramid with the Eye of Wdjat in the middle. He can definitely see the similarities between his puzzle and the object photographed in the picture.
Grandpa looks over his shoulder. "You've been very quiet, Atem. Did something happen while I was away?"
When Atem doesn't answer, Yugi exhales. "He almost brought down a whole plane with the Millennium Puzzle."
Atem cuts his eyes at him. "Don't say it like that."
Grandpa blinks. "Did you really?"
"It wasn't purposely. Something…strange happened and the Millennium Puzzle was triggered for some odd reason. I'm not sure what could have been the cause. But lately it's been acting strangely."
Grandpa folds his arms and looks down. "I can't speak on any past events with the puzzle…However…as far as the plane incident is concerned, it could be possible that it was triggered by the Pyramid of Light."
"The Pyramid of Light?"
"Is that what it's called, grandpa?" Yugi asks to which his grandfather nods.
"But why?" Atem questions, not getting how that would cause his puzzle to go haywire on the plane.
"When the Pyramid of Light was discovered, there was a powerful, yet strange energy that emitted from it. There were unusual weather patterns that also occurred and one archaeologist claimed they heard a mysterious voice prior to the collapse," grandpa explains.
"I still don't get it. Why would would the puzzle be affected?" Yugi asks.
"The puzzle is able to sense impending danger, among other things."
Atem gasps. "So you think the Pyramid of Light is…"
"It's definitely a possibility."
"So what ended up happening to it after it was discovered?" Yugi asks.
"Against my protests, it will be shown at the local Museum," grandpa replies, shaking his head. "Hopefully they're taking every precaution to ensure it doesn't get into the wrong hands…"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
AN: And now the Pyramid of Light finally comes into play. What do you think will happen?
On another note, I was messaged by a reader who wanted me to list some of my vaseshipping stories. Always good to see there are other vaseshipping lovers out there, so here's a few:
Truthfully, in my Soul — nerfermaatkare
Oasis — skele-smol
Blood-Red Moon — ZombieQueen22
There's more…a lot more. But a lot of them are unfinished :( And I know the disappointment of reading a story you like, only for it to go unfinished, so I will not torture you.
But to those who are silently reading my stories, thanks for tagging along all these years! Never ceases to amaze me when people randomly message me saying that they've been reading my stories for a long time and still do now! So thank you.
And of course, to the ones who leave me in depth reviews, it always makes my day!
See you next chapter!