Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly – Prologue 1
"Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power; but these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items.
Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did five thousand years ago."
~ Yami Yugi - Season One, Episode One (4Kids' English dub)
Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler, sitting at Yugi's desk, were locked in battle, playing a game of Duel Monsters. The card game, created by Maximillion Pegasus, had taken the world by storm. Kids played it, adults played it, tournaments were held, and it seemed like there was not a single person who hadn't heard of the game.
"Joey! Hey! Earth to Joey! It's your turn."
Joey stared at his hand of cards, his brows knitted together in concentration. His eyes slowly flipped from card to card as he racked his brain, trying to come up with a strategy. His friends and classmates had gathered around to watch the two play. Tristan Taylor chuckled and teased, "Aw, look at him thinking. Isn't he cute?" Emiko laughed. Joey said, ignoring Tristan's comment, "Alright, how's this?" He grabbed a card and placed it on the duel mat in front of him. Yugi read the card, nodded, and said, "Ah. Pretty good move, Joey, but not quite good enough." Yugi grabbed a card and countered, taking Joey's life points down to zero. Joey wrote the results in his notepad next to him, then sighed in defeat.
"Thanks a lot, Yuge! A card that powerful totally wipes me out!"
Tristan snickered, "Wow, you stink at this game." Yugi said optimistically, "You did great, Joey. You're getting the hang of it! I just have better cards. You see, my grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him." Emiko's sapphire eyes lit up.
"Wait," she said, "Your own game shop?" Joey stood up and announced, "What the heck are we just standing around here for? We ought to get going!" Yugi said, taking care to put his deck back into its case, then into his backpack, "Alright. Maybe I can even convince him to show us this super rare and powerful card he's got." Emiko smiled again, but she glanced behind her, where Seto Kaiba, just passing by the classroom, had stopped to eavesdrop over the conversation. Her face dropped a little, but he swiftly moved on. She thought to herself, "I have a bad feeling about this." Ryou Bakura, her best friend, said softly, breaking her from her thoughts, "Em? What's the matter?" Emiko looked back at him, then smiled. She said quietly, "N-nothing. I'm ok, Bakura." He let out a soft sigh through his nose.
"Something's on her mind," Bakura thought, "I just wish she'd open up more." Emiko ran to catch up with Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and their other friend Téa Gardner. She turned and asked, "You coming, Bakura?" He waved his hand and said, "No, I have some errands to run. Maybe some other time." Emiko acknowledged, waving to him, and turning to follow her friends. The group gathered together by their lockers to change their shoes and grabbed their belongings before walking out of the school building together. As they walked, Joey said, "So, Bakura's not coming?" Emiko shook her head and said, "He said he had something to do." Yugi sighed, "Oh, I see. Maybe some other time, he can come along, then." Emiko nodded. Téa asked, changing the subject, "Now, I have to ask, when do you think we'll get to see you and Yugi go head-to-head?" Emiko looked at Téa and just shrugged. Joey said, nudging her on the arm, "Come on, Em. I saw you and Bakura duelling the other day! You're not half bad!"
"Now that's a duel I wouldn't want to miss," Tristan added. Yugi said cheerfully as they turned the corner, "Here we are, guys! My grandpa's shop!" He pushed open the door, causing the bell to jingle and catching the attention of an elderly man at the back of the store. From behind the glass display counter, he said, "Hello there, Yugi. I see you've brought company." The kids approached the counter, in awe of some of the cards within the display case. Emiko spotted a few cards that she had been eyeing for some time. Yugi asked sweetly, "Gramps, do you think you could show my friends that awesome super-rare card you've got?" Solomon thought for a moment, taken slightly aback by Yugi's request, but hearing Yugi and Joey both begging to see it, he laughed and said, "Oh, alright. I don't see why not." He turned around and pulled a small, card-shaped box out of a locked drawer. Upon opening it and setting the box on the glass counter, the group saw, in perfect, pristine condition, a monster card. Emiko's eyes widened as she looked down at the card.
"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Solomon explained, "Is so rare and so powerful, there were only four of them ever made." Emiko looked up, but in the reflection of the glass, she saw a tall figure approaching the shop. She whipped her head around to see. Her heart jumped to her throat.
"This card is just priceless, but not because of it's rar-" The group heard the doorbell jingle and Emiko quickly ducked behind the counter. Solomon said kindly, "Hello. Can I help you?" Seto Kaiba, the current Duel Monsters World Champion and CEO of the Kaiba Corporation stood in the doorway, holding a silver briefcase. Solomon looked down, but Emiko put her finger over her mouth, shaking her head and indicating for him to be quiet, her eyes pleading with him. He looked back up as Seto stepped forward, saying rudely, "If you can't then it certainly wouldn't surprise me." Tristan muttered under his breath, "Seto Kaiba? Doesn't he have some big, fancy company to run? What brings him down here?" Seto responded, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here looking for something." Joey stepped forward and said in a friendly manner, "Hey, are you into Duel Monsters, too? Maybe we could all get together sometime and duel." Seto smirked.
"Me? Duel you? Please. I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire."
Emiko bit her lip as she heard Kaiba's footsteps getting closer to the counter. He turned back to Joey and said, "I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, as well as the favourite to win the Duel Monsters Championship." He chuckled, "You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me." Joey growled, "Ooh, I'm shaking. Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards!" Yugi jumped in front of Joey, holding him back. Emiko covered her mouth to try and hide her breathing. Seto droned, "Now, does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" His eyes fell upon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and he sprinted over, leaning on the glass-top counter and coming dangerously close to spotting Emiko.
"No way!" he said, "Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this?" He gaped at it for a moment before Solomon closed the little box and put it away. He said calmly, "That's enough window-shopping. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Seto growled and set his briefcase on the counter. He opened it and said aggressively, "Alright, listen up, old man. Give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these!" The group were in shock at the sight of all of Seto's rare cards that he had offered up. Emiko stayed low, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Ah," Solomon said, looking over all the cards, "that's a very nice collection you have there, Kaiba, but no thanks." The group gasped almost simultaneously. Seto snarled, "Fine. If you won't trade for it, then maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay any amount you ask." Solomon kindly said, "Yes, I'm sure you could, but this card is worth more to me than you or anyone in the world could ever offer. Not because it's so rare or because it's so powerful, but because it was given to me by a very dear friend. I treasure this card as I do that friend. I would feel the same, even if it were a common card. Parting with it is simply out of the question." Seto slammed his briefcase shut, causing Emiko to jump, and stormed out of the shop, muttering under his breath, "Senile old fool." As she heard the doorbell jingle and the door open, then close, Emiko finally peeked over the counter and stood up. She let out a sigh of relief as Joey said, "Man, he's such a jerk." Solomon looked at her and said nothing, but Tristan asked Emiko, "What's the deal with you?"
"M-me?" Emiko stammered, searching for a logical explanation. Yugi just looked at her skeptically. Joey said, "Yeah, what gives? You dove under the counter real fast. Almost like you didn't want him to see you." Emiko studdered incoherently for a moment, but then said, "I-I just get nervous around him. H-he doesn't seem like a very nice person." Téa said, "Oh, that's right, you came from a rough household, didn't you?" She nodded, taking the opportunity to hide her true intentions.
"Y-yeah," she said nervously, "He...reminds me of...my past." Tristan and Joey just shrugged, brushing it aside. Yugi and Solomon remained silent. Emiko felt a bead of sweat drip down her forehead and quickly turned. She walked out, stating bluntly, "I'm sorry, guys. I have to go. See you tomorrow." With one final jingle, she left the shop, leaving her friends behind, confused. She turned to walk the long, scenic route back home. When she was sure that none of her friends were following her, she turned down an alleyway, taking a shortcut towards the Kaiba manor.
She opened the front door and called out, "I'm home, Seto. Mokuba." She hung her backpack up on the coat rack near the door and placed her shoes on the shoe shelf not far away before walking into the dining room where Seto and Mokuba were just getting ready for dinner. She and her brothers sat down at their fairly large dining table in silence and started to eat. The silence was heavy and the tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Nearly an hour passed before Seto finally stood up. He said coldly, "I have business to attend to at the Kaiba Corp building tonight. I'm working on perfecting our new hologram system. I won't be home until late." Emiko rolled her eyes and sighed, "Again?" Seto glared at his younger sister. Mokuba shrunk down in his seat, sensing trouble brewing. Seto asked, "What?" Emiko said, "You know what. It's always work with you, Seto." Seto explained, "Emiko, we're on the verge of completing our newest system. The world of Duel Monsters will be revolutionized." Emiko snapped, "Ugh. It seems like that new hologram system has been the only thing on your mind for months! Has it even occurred to you that Mokuba and I are alone ninety-five percent of the time? Do you even care?"
"Emiko," Seto said, "It's important for the company-" Emiko raised her voice, "But it's always important for the company!" Mokuba stood up and ran between them. He pleaded, "You guys, please don't fight again!" Emiko said, her breathing getting heavy as she was on the verge of tears, "Seto, it's like you've forgotten that you have a family! You're always spending all of your time either at the Kaiba Corp building working on that stupid technology of yours or you're out looking for random small card shops on the search for your precious Blue-Eyes!" Seto barked at her, "You would understand if you were in my shoes. I have to do what's best for the company." Emiko backed away, feeling her tears starting to run down her cheeks.
"The company...?" she whispered, "Fine. Leave, then." Seto turned and walked to the door. Emiko cried, "If you can't bother to make time for your family, then maybe you shouldn't have one." As he shut the door behind him, Emiko ran upstairs to her bedroom, sobbing and slamming the door shut behind her. Mokuba was left alone, standing in the entryway, looking at the door, then back up the stairs, tears staining his cheeks. He thought, "Not again...I wish my brother and sister would just stop fighting." He ran out to the living room, curled up on the couch, and cried to himself.
October 14, 2020 – 2165 Words