Can I?

By: Xhibit B

Chapter Five - The Tournament (Part Four)

.i do not own yu-gi-oh!.

"My Mom's coming," Hiyori whispered. "Don't say anything until she's gone."

Marc nodded right as Yūgi walked into the room.

"Where are you off to Mom," Hiyori asked, placing her phone down on the bed beside her, amethyst eyes glancing at the elder woman. "It's late."

"Well, if you must know dear daughter of mine, I am going to meet with Pegasus," Yūgi answered with a laugh. "He wanted my opinion on a prize that he's thinking about adding to things the winner will get at the end of the tournament tomorrow. I should be back in about an hour, two at the most. Pegasus does like to talk a lot so I'm not sure how soon I can actually get away from him." She opened the door to the bedroom she and Hiyori would be sharing in the dual room suite. Her grandfather and son had already retired for the evening and were fast asleep. "Don't stay up all night on the phone, Hiyori. You do have a big day tomorrow." She moved to leave, casting a smile over her shoulder. "Goodnight sweetheart, and goodnight to you too, Marc. Don't stay on the phone for too long."

Hiyori could feel her face begin to burn with embarrassment. How had her mother even known that she was on the phone with him? She'd specifically told him not to say anything until she was gone. Now she was going to get teased every time she turned around. Especially if she told her Grandpa and Yuki. Hiyori had never wanted to disappear more than she did in that moment in her life.

"Get some rest Hiyori, I'll see you in the morning," her mother said before the door closed behind her. Hiyori could hear the elder woman's laughter from behind the door.

Picking her phone up, she glanced at the screen. "Well, she's on to us."

"Well, she is your mother," Marc chuckled. "And, Mother knows all, I guess. I can't get away with anything around mine. She can smell a lie from a mile away. It's like they live to catch us in one."

"I guess so," Hiyori laughed, plopping down on the bed; holding the phone up so that her face was in the camera once again. "She's always been like that since I can remember. Yuki and I never get away with anything whenever she's around."

"No surprise there," Marc laughed before he yawned; his hand moving to cover his mouth. His cheeks dusted a light pink, he glanced back at the amethyst eyed teen who was holding back a laugh, her hand covering her mouth. "I guess that's my cue to head to bed. It's late anyway and you need to rest for tomorrow. You've got a big day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Hiyori shrugged; moving to lay on her side. "Hiba is expecting to see me in the final round so I do need to get some rest so that I'm prepared."

"Mhm," Marc agreed. "Goodnight Hiyori. And good luck tomorrow. I'll be rooting for you to go all the way. I might even sit in the stands with your family and get to know them."

"Good luck with that," Hiyori laughed as she reached for her cellphone charger. "Goodnight Devlin."

"Goodnight Mutou," Marc teased; offering a wink before the FaceTime call was ended.

Hiyori rolled her eyes; plugging her charger in before placing the phone on the nightstand beside her before turning off the bedside lamp. Hiyori snuggled under the warm blankets of the hotel room's bed; amethyst eyes sliding shut before she was drifting off to sleep for the evening. She had a big day the next morning. And she needed all the rest that she could get; especially if she was going to be facing off with her best friend in the final round.

.cani.

Yūgi laughed as she placed the champagne flute down on the coffee table of Pegasus's hotel room. After the tournament had ended earlier that evening, she'd received a text from her old friend, requesting that she stop by and visit with him. The tri-colour haired woman had happily agreed, deciding to slip out when she was sure that everyone in her family was settled in for the evening to go and meet with the Duel Monsters creator. It had been so long since she'd seen him face to face, she couldn't pass up the chance to catch up with an old friend from her dueling days.

"Your daughter is spectacular, Yūgi-girl. Just like you were at her age," Pegasus praised, the largest of smiles plastered across his face. "It's been so long since the public had a Mutou to cheer for, I'm pretty sure everyone is enjoying seeing her duel. I'm almost certain that she and Hiba will be the two finalists to battle it out tomorrow afternoon."

"We said the same thing," Yūgi laughed, grabbing her drink once more to take another sip. She held it between her forefinger and thumb, her ankles moving to cross each other comfortably. "Hiyori is an amazing duelist that hates to give herself the credit that she deserves. She didn't want to participate in the tournament originally. But Hiba managed to wear her down and she entered. I'm kind of glad that she did, she loves the game just as much as I do."

"It shows," Pegasus hummed before taking another sip of his champagne. "And it's obvious she's just as painfully shy as you were when you were her age and just starting out competing in large tournaments."

"If not more," Yūgi laughed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "But what was this prize you wanted to speak to me about, Pegasus? You said something about adding a special something for the person that wins the entire tournament tomorrow afternoon."

"Ah yes, that," Pegasus said, placing his champagne flute down before clapping his hands together. "You Yūgi-girl, you will be the extra prize for the winner. They will be able to compete against you in a friendly exhibition match. I want to see if you've still got it, little one."

Yūgi could feel her cheeks getting hot at the mention of the prize. Taking on either her daughter or her protégé in a match front and centre in front of an entire crowd of people, it almost made her want to go and hide. But then again, it could be fun. It'd been so long since she last played a good Duel Monster's match, especially in front of a crowd.

"What do you say, Yūgi-girl," Pegasus asked, his head tilting to the side as one leg crossed over the other. "Will you do it? Give those kids and the fans a treat?"

Yūgi grinned, nodding her head, "Of course."

"Wonderful! I will call you down once the final two have been determined. Once they finish their battle, we'll get the exhibition match underway," Pegasus chimed with glee, the smile that was on his face growing larger than it had been before. "I will inform Crockett of the plan and we will have an escort to bring you down to the main arena for the match against your daughter… or Hiba. But it will likely be Hiyori that takes the win."

Yūgi laughed into her hand, "I am inclined to agree. Hiba is an excellent duelist, I have taught her quite well. But Hiyori is my flesh and blood, dueling is in her DNA. And I do think this will be quite fun. I look forward to it." She wouldn't be telling either Hiyori or Hiba about it, nor any of their friends or family. It was going to be just as much fun for her as it was for the girls. "It's been so long since I've competed in a duel with an audience watching."

"I know, and that is why this will be a special treat for everyone in attendance," Pegasus grinned, happy that she had agreed to his request.

.cani.

An hour later, Yūgi had bid Pegasus farewell before leaving to head back to her hotel room. She'd been in the middle of reading a new email from her assistant that had informed her there would be a new artifact waiting for her to authenticate Monday morning when she bumped into someone else. The tri-colour haired woman stumbled, managing to catch her balance before she'd fallen. Thankfully she hadn't been wearing heels or she really would have fallen.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and I didn't see you there," Yūgi apologized as she looked up. She was surprised to find that she had run straight into Hiba's uncle. "Oh, Mr. Sennen, I'm so sorry. I honestly had not seen you standing there."

"Yami," the man corrected, a slight hint of a laugh accenting his voice. "Just call me Yami. And it's fine, Ms. Mutou. I wasn't paying attention either, so it's not your fault."

"Yūgi, call me Yūgi," Yūgi said slipping the black iPhone 5 in her back pocket. "Still, I should have been paying more attention than that. I was just checking my email, apparently there's going to be a new artifact for me to authenticate when I get back to work Monday."

"You authenticate artifacts," Yami asked, irking a brow. "What type of artifacts?"

"Artifacts of Egyptian culture mostly, but I do dabble in other cultures as well," Yūgi answered as the two began walking. Her hands were stuffed into her front pockets as they headed through the hall. "I'm also an archaeologist, just like my Grandpa. Egypt is one of my favourite places to go on digs. It's amazing what you can find."

"My family, the Sennen side at least, has roots in Egypt," Yami commented, his arms crossing over his chest. "My brother is actually named after…"

"The Nameless Pharaoh, Pharaoh Atem," Yūgi quipped, just a touch of giddiness to her voice at the thought of the Great Pharaoh. "I know all about that Great Pharaoh. I did my thesis on him in college to get my master's degree. Grandpa was actually part of the team that discovered his name almost fifty years ago."

"So, your Grandpa is the reason that my brother got his name," Yami snickered as they continued to walk. "When his name was discovered, my parents did their research. Apparently, our family, the Sennen's that is, have ties to the royal family of Egypt."

Yūgi blinked, glancing up at the tri-colour haired male. "Really?"

Yami nodded, his hands tucking themselves away in his front pockets. "Pharaoh Set was Pharaoh Atem's elder cousin and successor to the throne after he died at a young age. My father and his twin brother, who is Seto's father, are direct decedents of Pharaoh Set."

"Wow, so you and your brother would basically be part of the royal family if they were still in power right now," Yūgi teased lightly. There was a smile that crossed her lips. "Makes sense in a way."

Yami turned to look at her, laughing himself, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Yūgi merely shook her head as they came to a stop at her hotel room. She pulled out her card key, slipping it through the card reader before opening the door. "Nothing at all, Yami. But this is my stop, the girls have a big day tomorrow, so, we'd all better get some rest. Have a good night."

Yami nodded, "You too, Yūgi. Will we see you all tomorrow for breakfast? We're going to the diner across from the convention centre before we head into the actual stadium. We're all meeting in the parking lot around 9:30."

"We'll be joining you," Yūgi promised before walking into the room. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Yami said before the door closed behind the tri-colour haired woman. Yami smacked a hand over his forehead, grumbling to himself as he shook his head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should've asked her out when I had the chance."

His brother and Mana had actually been one hundred percent right when they teased him about his crush on the mother of two. He'd thought he had let those feelings go a long time ago, writing them off as just a teenage crush. But as soon as he saw her again that morning, all of those feelings came rushing back tenfold. And he wasn't sure how much he appreciated that.

Shaking his head once more, the tri-colour haired male mad his way back to his hotel room. He was glad to see that Hikari was already fast asleep when he walked in. He'd made sure she went to bed before he left for his walk that resulted in him running into Yūgi. Quickly changing into his pyjamas, he crawled into bed, almost immediately falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

.cani.

Yami woke the next morning to his daughter pulling on his arm to get his attention. Sleepy wine coloured eyes opened and glanced over at the eleven-year-old, irking a brow. "What is it, Kar?"

"Wake up, Daddy," Hikari coaxed. "It's already 8:30 and we have to go to breakfast with Aunt Mana, Hiba, Uncle Atem, Uncle Seto, Aunt Joey and Kisara. I think Aunt Ryo and Uncle Bakura are going to be there with Keiko and Ryuu too. So, wake up and get ready lazy bones."

"Right," Yami said sitting up in the bed. He rubbed hi eyes before yawning. "Go get dressed Kar and we'll head out to meet the others."

"Okay," Hikari said before literally bouncing out of the room to the one she occupied to get ready.

Yami stood from the bed, running a hand through his hair. Quickly, he showered before changing into the spare outfit he had brought along with him before washing his face and brushing his teeth. Almost an hour later, he and Hikari were bundled up and making their way to his Mercedes just as Yūgi left her room.

Hikari beamed at the Mutou woman, displaying a missing tooth. "Good morning, Miss Yūgi! Are you coming to breakfast with us today?"

Yūgi turned and smiled, offering a nod of her head. "Yes, actually. The twins and Grandpa are already at the car so I'm trying to get there as quickly as possible. Those three can get pretty grumpy when they're hungry, especially Hiyori. She turns into a bit of a brat when she hasn't had anything to eat."

Hikari laughed, the trio making their way to the parking lot. "Daddy is the same way. He gets really grumpy when he doesn't have food in his belly, too."

"Nice Kar, thanks for telling all," Yami huffed. "Let's not talk about how you are when you're hungry and seem to lose all patience for any and everything when you don't get something to eat right away."

Yūgi laughed as they arrived at the parking lot. "Alright, this is where I leave you. We'll meet you guys at the restaurant. I can tell by the look on Hiyori's face that she's grumpy right now because she's hungry. I have to feed my child before she bites someone's head off. Namely her brother."

The three shared a laugh before Yūgi walked away, her boots clicking against the pavement. Yami watched as she disappeared into the driver's seat of her BMW and started the SUV. Hikari looked at her father who was watching the Mutou family. There was a smile that crossed her lips.

"Hey Daddy," Hikari called to her father. Yami turned to look at his daughter. "Do you have a crush on Miss Yūgi like Uncle Atem said that you did?"

Yami could feel his face turning hot. His child had just completely called him out and he's not sure that he really appreciates that all too much.

"Do you," Hikari asked.

"Don't worry about it," Yami said shaking his head before pulling his daughter along. "Let's go, we have to go get breakfast then make our way to the convention centre for the rest of the tournament. We don't want to miss the girls."

Hikari smiled knowingly as she followed her father to the Mercedes, "Of course, Daddy."

Both climbed into the car, Yami starting the engine before backing out of his parking space. He quickly followed Yūgi who was following his brother to the restaurant. Seto and Joey were behind them and behind them were Bakura and Ryo. He was hungry and really hoped that Hikari wouldn't say anything about her little discovery of his crush on Yūgi, even though he never confirmed it. His daughter was smarter than people gave her credit for.

.cani.

After a, thankfully, noneventful breakfast, the group made their way to the convention centre where the rest of the tournament was being held. Hiyori and Hiba broke away, leaving to head to where they were required to be for the second half to start. The others moved to take a seat in the stands to watch the action. When they arrived, Malik and her daughter were there waiting for them along with Mahad, Ishizu and their daughter, Isis. When Malik and Ishizu saw Yūgi, they both jumped to their feet to hug her.

"Yūgi! It's been so long since we last saw you," Malik said leaning back to look at the tri-colour haired woman. "It's been, what, fifteen years? I haven't seen you or the twins since they were itty bitty babies. You even missed my wedding! Speaking of the twins though, where are they?"

"Well," Yūgi said, breaking away from Malik before placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder as best she could, given that he stood a full head taller than her. "Yuki is right here. Hiyori is actually participating in the tournament. Hiba convinced her to enter."

"My gosh," Ishizu said glancing over at the elder Mutou twin. She gestured to her husband to come closer. "Look Mahad! That's Yuki, I haven't seen you since you and your sister were almost a year old."

Mahad blinked, blue eyes growing wide as he took in Yuki's features. "My goodness, it really is Yuki. You'd definitely look just like your mother if she'd been born a boy."

Yuki laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "If you think I look like Mom, wait until you see Hiyori. She looks just like her. Especially when she gets angry."

"No surprise there," Mahad said as they all moved to sit down. "Ishizu and I have always said that you two would look more like your mother than your father when you grew up."

"We haven't seen our father in years, so I don't even remember what he looks like," Yuki shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't miss the look the elder man shot at his mother, almost as if he were asking what happened. It'd been so long since they'd been in contact, it was no surprise that Mahad didn't know. "I don't mind looking like Mom though, she's beautiful."

Yūgi smiled, turning her head to smile at her son; albeit a bit embarrassed by the compliment he'd paid her, "Thank you, Yuki."

"You're welcome, Mom," Yuki said before the uproar of the crowd caught their attention. He turned to look out at the arena where his sister was standing next to Hiba. "Looks like they're about to get started."

"There's Hiba and Hiyori," Hikari called, pointing towards the two girls. "Go guys! Kick those boys' butts!"

"Yuki wasn't lying, Hiyori does look just like Yūgi," Mahad laughed.

Yūgi couldn't help but laugh. Hikari had spoken the very thought that she'd been thinking. Mahad's added commentary was just the icing on the cake. "I'm inclined to agree, Hikari. They're going to blow those boys out of the water."

"I don't know, Yūgi," Ryo said glancing down at the four remaining duelists. "Jahiko has been doing very well in the tournament. Hiyori might have her work cut out for her."

"Nah, Hiyori can take him," Yuki boasted with a grin, confident in his sister's skills. "She is our mother's daughter after all. Mom's the best, but Hiyori's a pretty close runner up. Just watch and see, Aunt Ryo."

Yūgi laughed, nodding her head in agreement. Yūgi and Yuki knew more than anyone what Hiyori was capable of. If she could go head to head with her mother, who was revered as the greatest duelist of all time, and practically drain all of her life points, Yūgi was more than confident she could beat Jahiko, no matter how good a strategist he was.

"Welcome back, Duel fans," Pegasus said into the microphone. "Are you ready for the semi-finals of the Domino City Tournament?"

The uproar from the crowd was enough to make Yūgi cringe. She knew that the fans could be loud, but not that loud. She'd always been one of the duelists, so she'd been spared from having her ear drums practically blown out by the noise. It was harder to hear when she was on the stage.

"My goodness, they're louder than I remember," Ishizu said covering her ears. "I don't think they were nearly this loud when Yūgi was still dueling."

"Trust me, they were even louder back then," Yami retorted with a snort. He remembered going home from a tournament with a practically blown eardrum. His daughter had been amazed that he could still hear from his left ear. "They weren't this bad yesterday until they found out Hiyori is Yūgi's daughter and she beat Marc Devlin in the first round."

"Wow," Mahad whistled. "Hiyori really is a chip off the ol' block. I remember when Yūgi beat Duke at his own game. He'd accused her of cheating when she beat Pegasus and Yūgi showed him that she's actually just that damn good when it comes to games. They don't call her the Queen of Games for nothing. And I for one like the idea of her passing that title on to her daughter. Especially since it's obvious she takes after her mother when it comes to things like that."

Yūgi had the decency to blush at the memory, she remembered that all too well. Thankfully, Duke had forgiven her for beating him and apologized for accusing her of cheating, "Yes, she does."

"You all fell in love with her yesterday after she defeated Marc Devlin in the first round," Pegasus continued when the noise died down. "Give it up once more for Hiyori Mutou who will be competing against Jahiko Takahashi for her spot in the finals."

The noise came back tenfold as a pink faced Hiyori was shown on the large screen before it cut to Jahiko who smirked as if he had this in the bag. Yūgi almost felt sorry for the boy. Almost. Her daughter was going to destroy him, and he didn't even know it yet.

"Let the semi-finals begin!" Pegasus shouted, both duelists exchanging decks to be shuffled before handing them back to their rightful owners.

The crowd watched as each duelist took their place on the podiums, decks in place as they drew their starting hands. Yūgi and company watched with anticipation as the duel commenced, Hiyori making the first move. Yūgi beamed with pride, she was using one of her signature moves right off the bat. Which meant that Jahiko didn't have a snow ball's chance in hell.

"That's one of your moves, isn't it Yūgi," Ishizu asked, glancing over at the tri-colour haired woman who smiled and nodded her head. Ishizu laughed lightly into her hand, "That poor boy doesn't stand a chance. Especially if Hiyori is pulling a move like that in the starting round."

"I have to agree," Mahad laughed as they watched the duel progress.

.cani.

"This is the end of the line, Jahiko," Hiyori said holding up a card between her index and middle fingers. "Would you care to surrender?"

"There's no way I'd ever surrender to someone like you," Jahiko clipped. His teeth were gritting, fingers nearly puncturing the cards he held in his hand. He was so close to losing and whatever card she was about to put down could spell the end for him if he wasn't careful. "Make your move, Mutou. Let's see what you've got."

"If you insist," Hiyori said placing the card down. "I sacrifice my Summoned Skull and Gaia, the Fierce Knight to call forth a trusted ally, Dark Magician!"

Once again, the purple clad duel monster sprang forth, staring down the other hologram that remained on Jahiko's side of the field. Hiyori's brow lifted as she waited to see if Jahiko would give up. When she saw that he was being defiant and held his ground, her hand thrust forward to commence the attack.

"Dark Magician, destroy his Beaver Warrior and take out the rest of his life points," Hiyori commanded.

The Dark Magician leaped into action, effectively cutting down the other hologram and eliminating Jahiko's remaining nine-hundred life points, much to his dismay. The uproar from the crowd was expected this time, Yūgi immediately placing her hands over her ears to somewhat drown out the sound. They were definitely quite loud, and if what Yami said earlier had been the truth, she could only imagine how loud they'd gotten when she was the one dueling. She'd find out how loud they could get soon enough though when she took on either Hiyori or Hiba after the final round was finished.

"What an amazing battle that was, right duel fans," Pegasus stated happily as the two competitors stepped down from the podium and Jahiko begrudgingly shook Hiyori's hand. "Being that she drained the last of Jahiko's life points, Hiyori Mutou has secured her spot in the final round where she will either take on Hiba Sennen or Leon Washington!"

The crowd cheered again, loudly. Yūgi shook her head, a smile playing on the edge of her lips.

"Told you she would win, Aunt Ryo," Yuki chuckled, glancing over at the white-haired woman. "See what we meant when we said that he couldn't outsmart her?"

"I take back what I said," Ryo hummed, smiling at the eldest twin. "Your sister definitely came out the victor in that little squabble. Now let's see how well Hiba does when her turn comes up. Hopefully she does win, and we get to see those girls duke it out head to head."

"I'm betting Hiba does fine and we're watching the final round in a matter of minutes," Isis said grinning. She knew how good her cousin was at the game, having attended several of the tournaments she'd competed in, in the past. "She was trained by Yūgi. Leon Washington might be good at the game, but Hiba is even better. And from the looks of it, Hiyori is definitely the best. Next to her mother, that is."

Yūgi simply laughed as Pegasus announced the next match, Hiba and Leon exchanging decks to shuffle them before handing the other their deck back and making their way up on the podium. This was it, this would determine if her protégé would go on to face her daughter in the final duel, which in turn would determine if Hiba would be able to keep her title, or if Hiyori would steal it right from underneath her.

Everyone watched with excitement as the battle raged on, each competitor going round for round, life points depleting at every turn. It had come down to the wire, Hiba remained ahead of Leon by a narrow margin; the Sennen girl left with nine hundred life points while Leon only had five hundred. It was Hiba's turn. Everyone watched with baited breath, waiting to see what she would do. Her next move could honestly spell victory or defeat for the brown-haired girl. Fans, friends and family all had their fingers crossed, hoping that the fan favourite would come out the victor in the end. She had to. Seeing the protégé and the daughter of the Queen of Games gobj head to head in an all-out battle is what everyone wanted to see. Ever since everyone learned of Hiyori's identity, that had been the outcome they all were hoping for, no offense to Leon. He was a great duelist in his own right, but no one was really interested in seeing him take Hiyori on. They all knew she'd wipe the floor with him.

"Hiba's trying to think up a way out of this one," Yami murmured, leaning forward. Had he been paying more attention, he would have noticed that Yūgi had done the same, her leg brushing against his with how close she'd unconsciously gotten. "Is there any way she can get out of it and turn this duel around in her favour?" He turned to glance at the woman, suddenly aware of how close they were to one another. He had to will his face from turning a bright shade of red, "Yūgi? What do you think?"

"Hiba has a polymerization card in her deck," Yūgi answered, her amethyst eyes never straying away from the duel. "Both her Curse of Dragon and Gaia, the Fierce Knight are on the playing field. If she pulls that card, or has already pulled it, and uses it, she can fuse them together and create Gaia, the Dragon Champion. Then she'll be able to over power his Hyozanryu and wipe out the rest of his life points at the same time. The Dragon Warrior has a total of 2600 attack points, whereas Hyozanryu only has 2100. She just has to pull the right card and the duel is hers."

"Now it's just a matter of if she has the card she needs or not," Atem murmured, his brow furrowed, intense crimson eyes watching as the duel unfolded.

They didn't miss the way that Yuki smirked when he glanced over his mother, his arms coming to rest over his chest. "Hiba, just like us Mutou's, believes in the heart of the cards. She'll pull what she needs."

Yūgi only nodded her agreement as they watched Hiba pull a card from her deck. Everyone gasped when she held the card up, a smile crossing her features.

"Guess what, Leon," Hiba sang as she placed the card on the field. "I pulled the very card that I needed. And that means, this match is over!"

"I'll be damned, she pulled the card," Yami chuckled, sitting back in his seat.

"I play polymerization," Hiba shouted, "And thus fuse my two monsters, Gaia, the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon to create Gaia, the Dragon Champion!"

Everyone gasped as the two cards fused, creating one monster in the place of two. Hiba had done it, she'd secured her victory in this duel.

"Now, Gaia, the Dragon Champion, attack his Hyozanryu and end this duel," Hiba called before the monster attacked, destroying the other in a burst of holographic light.

The field was almost immediately cleared once Leon's life points hit zero, the crowd cheering louder than Yūgi had thought possible. She didn't mind it though, she was proud of both her daughter and Hiba for how far they'd come. Now, they would have to face one another. Yūgi couldn't wait to see how that turned out. While she was sure Hiyori would win, she knew that Hiba was no pushover and would give her a good fight for that title.

She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed one of Pegasus's men had come to retrieve her. She glanced up when she felt him place a hand on her shoulder, leaning over to whisper in her ear. She nodded before standing, promising everyone that everything was okay and that they would understand soon enough before she followed after the burly man, disappearing through the doors that led outside the seating area of the arena.

"Anyone have any idea where the bloody hell Yūgi is going," Bakura asked as they watched her disappear. "Yuki, do you know anything that's going on with your mother. That was one of Pegasus's men."

"I don't have the slightest idea, Uncle Bakura," Yuki answered truthfully. "Mom didn't say anything to anyone about this. I'm just as surprised as you guys. You don't think that there's an issue, do you?"

"I doubt there is," Atem assured the teen. "They may want her to give the prize to the winner is all, so they're bringing her closer to the stage so that she can do so. She is the Queen of Games, after all. And it's definitely considered an honour for her to be here at this tournament, since the last time she was seen at one was right before she'd announced that she was pregnant with you and your sister."

"You might be right," Mana said, shrugging. "But you would think that she would have said something about it to someone if that was the case."

"We'll just have to watch and see what's going on then, don't we," Yami murmured, his brow furrowed.

He thought back to when he ran into the tri-colour haired woman the night before. She'd just come from the direction of Pegasus's suite, if he wasn't mistaken when he ran into her, literally. Maybe those two had been cooking up something special for the winner of the tournament. He had his suspicions, but he'd keep them to himself until they revealed just what the ex-duelist was actually up to.

.cani.

Pegasus grinned, holding the microphone up to his mouth when the excitement of Hiba's win had finally died down. It was time to get the final match under way. "Alright duel fans! Are we ready for the finale to end all finales?"

The cheering from the crowd was enough to make someone go deaf if they weren't careful. Yūgi was thankful that Pegasus had moved her much closer to the stadium, sparing her ears from the onslaught. Though she did feel bad for her son and the others. They were all probably cringing with how loud the crowd was at that moment. She laughed to herself slightly before her attention returned to the stadium where the girls were exchanging decks to shuffle them.

"In the finale we have two very talented girls going head to head for the title of champion and to determine who the best really is," Pegasus continued. "Outside of competition, these two are the best of friends, often in each other's company and playing a friendly match of Duel Monsters whenever the need arose. You know them both and you love them. Please welcome back to the stage, Hiba Sennen, current champion and protégé of the Queen of Games herself."

The crowd roared with cheers and applause, though Yūgi could tell that neither girl was paying the slightest bit of attention to it. They were far too focused to allow it to distract them. She smiled proudly.

"And our other finalist, the daughter of the Queen of Games herself, Hiyori Mutou," Pegasus continued.

Yūgi wasn't sure if she was going crazy or if the noise from the crowd was even louder for her daughter than it had been for Hiba. She tried her best to be as unbiased as she possibly could, she loved both girls and had trained them equally. But she couldn't help the swell of pride in her heart to see her daughter come so far in her first competition, not that Hiba hadn't done an amazing job herself. It was just something about seeing her daughter up there, it reminded Yūgi so much of herself. Hiyori was definitely a chip off the ol' block.

"Duel," she heard them call in unison, Hiyori starting things off.

Yūgi watched, each girl going back and forth, monsters being destroyed until it was coming down to the wire. Hiyori was still standing with fifteen hundred life points while Hiba's had dwindled down to an even nine hundred. Yūgi had seen this scene so many times before, she knew what was coming before everyone else did. And she was certain that Hiba was aware of what was about to commence as well. Yūgi just hoped that this wouldn't cause a rift between the two girls and their friendship.

"Hiba," Hiyori said, holding up a card. She smiled lightly at her best friend, amethyst eyes alight with sorrow. They both knew how this was going to end if she'd played that particular card. "You know what this card means…"

"Play it, Hiyori," Hiba said smiling. She didn't mind that it would be her best friend that took the title away from her. She knew that Hiyori would never hold it over her head, she wasn't that type of person to gloat. Besides, it was inevitable. Hiba couldn't beat the daughter of a master, no matter how hard she tried. "We made a promise that no matter who won today, we'd still be best friends. And I've told you countless times leading up to this moment that if I were to lose, it's you I'd want to lose to. You are one of the best players I've ever met in my life. And besides." She glanced at Yūgi, who was smiling at the both of them. "You're the daughter of the greatest Duel Monsters duelist of all time. You deserve this win. Do it."

Hiyori sucked in a breath before she placed the card down, the hologram of her Dark Magician Girl springing to life to stand beside her master. Hiyori glanced up, fierce determination shinning in her eyes. If people hadn't known any better, they'd think they were watching Yūgi dueling all over again.

"Now, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, strike down her Winged Dragon with Double Dark Magic Attack and drain the rest of her life points," Hiyori commanded before the two figures sprang into action.

In the blink of an eye, the blue dragon was destroyed, the field deactivating a moment later. It was official, Hiyori had won. The uproar from the crowd was more deafening than it had ever been before, Yūgi half jumping out of her seat when the crowd started the cheer as the girls stepped down from their stations, Hiba embracing the shorter girl in a bear hug.

.cani.

"That was one hell of a duel," Mahad said as he and the others clapped for Hiyori's victory.

While Mana would have loved to see her daughter come out on top, she was equally as happy for Hiyori winning it all. How could she not be, she had the blood of the best duelist to ever live running through her veins. She couldn't be upset that the other girl had won fair and square. For a moment, Mana had even thought that Hiyori would give up if only to spare Hiba from losing her title. She'd been surprised when Hiba urged her to use her final attack and finish her off.

"That was like watching Seto and Yūgi duel all over again," Yami chipped in, standing to his feet as he continued to clap along with everyone else.

He hadn't seen a match like that since the last time that his cousin had challenged the girl's mother over twenty years ago. It was exciting to see. Now, he would see if his suspicions had been correct and what he thought was happening was about to happen.

They were seated again when they saw Pegasus come back to the stage, Yūgi following close behind, holding her own microphone. Was she going to make an announcement? Everyone's brow irked as she watched the former duelist and inventor of the game as they came to stand beside Hiba and Hiyori. Everyone could see the surprised looks on the girls' faces, they hadn't expected Yūgi to make an appearance on stage.

"We officially have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!" Pegasus announced happily, his hand gesturing to the amethyst eyed teen. "Give it up for our new Domino City champion, Hiyori Mutou!"

The crowd cheered once again before they were once more settled when Pegasus continued.

"And now, we have a special treat for the winner of the tournament," Pegasus chimed happily before he turned to Yūgi. "Yūgi-girl, would you care to do the honours?"

"Of course," the amethyst eyed woman said before she turned to her daughter. "Congratulations on your victory, Hiyori. I'm so proud of you."

Hiyori beamed, hugging her mother, "Thanks Mom."

"And I'm very proud of you as well, Hiba," Yūgi said turning to the other girl who grinned at her. Her attention was then averted back to the crowd. "As many of, if not all of you, know, my name is Yūgi Mutou, the Queen of Games. I am here today to announce a very special prize for the winner of the Domino City Duel Monsters Tournament. Aside from the prize money and the trophy, the winner gets a very special prize." She then turned to glance at Hiyori, holding up her dueling deck that she'd thankfully brought with her. It was rare, honestly, that she went anywhere without it. Though she didn't duel professionally anymore, that didn't mean she didn't always keep her deck at her side. "Hiyori, my child, it's time to duel!"

Shock spread across the girl's face before she was grinning brightly. She was going to get to take on her mother in front of an entire stadium of people. It was a great honour as well as the best test of her skill to be able to go up against an undisputed master of the game such as her mother was. Though she still wished that Hiba had been the one to win, she deserved this more than anyone. But, since it was she that was facing the greatest duelist of all time, she decided she was going to give it her all and hoped that her mother didn't take it easy on her just because she was her daughter. She held out her own deck, her free hand extended to take her mother's. "You're on, Mom."

Yami gaped, while he has suspected something like this was going on, he was surprised when Yūgi had produced her notorious dueling deck. The deck she'd never lost a duel with. He hadn't even noticed that she'd had it with her when he and Hikari ran into her that morning. But now that he was really looking, he could see her belt that held the card pouch on the side that she'd been notorious for wearing to tournaments was draped across her hips.

"Well I'll be damned," Atem laughed, watching as the Mutou women swapped decks, shuffled them, before swapping back and heading to their respective podiums. "Not only do we get to see the battle of the century between Hiba and Hiyori. Now we get to see mother and daughter go head to head with each other. This is going to be good."

"Tell me about it," Yuki said excitedly, leaning forward in his seat. "I wonder how tame this is going to be compared to their battles at home. Mom kicks Hiyori's butt every time they go up against each other with no remorse. But Hiyori definitely gives Mom a run for her money every time so it's never easy. Those two share the same blood and Hiyori learned from her. She knows almost all of Mom's strategies by heart, so she's going to have to think outside the box for this one."

"I'm sure your mother will think of something," Mahad chuckled. "We've seen her get out of impossible situations before, this will be no different. But, it will be nice to see how Hiyori stacks up against the all-time undisputed champion of Duel Monsters."

"Then you're definitely in for a treat," Yuki promised with a laugh.

Everyone was looking forward to it as Yūgi made the first move.

.cani.

The battle raged on, Hiyori and Yūgi were almost equally matched, though Yūgi proved time and time again why she was still considered the best to ever pick up a dueling deck. Every time that Hiyori would begin to back her mother into a corner, Yūgi found a way out, taking control of the duel once again. Nail biting suspense washed over the crowd as they looked on, waiting for Yūgi to make her next move.

"You've done well so far Hiyori, but this is not yet the end," Yūgi said holding up a card. She placed the card down, summoning forth a new monster. "I play Apple Magician girl."

"That card," Hiyori said, her brow furrowed as she looked on confused. Her mother was up to something, she'd never played that card before… "Summoned Skull, attack her Apple Magician Girl!"

"Nice try," Yūgi said, "Since you attacked my Apple Magician Girl, her special ability goes into effect. Come forth, Lemon Magician Girl!" A new monster sprang forth, shooting a wink at the younger girl. "And now, your attack diverts to her. But, that's not all. She cuts the strength of your Summoned Skull in half."

Hiyori gasped, watching as her monster's attack points were reduced.

"Though that isn't all," Yūgi hummed, earning another gasp from her daughter. "Like Apple Magician Girl, Lemon Magician Girl is also able to call forth her friend. The one and only, Dark Magician Girl." The final Magician appeared, a large smile on her face. "Now, zap away Summoned Skull's attack points and destroy him with Dark Burning Attack!"

The monster did as she was commanded, destroying the Summoned Skull monster and depleting the rest of Hiyori's life points. The crowd cheered when the dust settled, and everyone saw that Yūgi was the winner, but not without difficulty. Hiyori had put up a good fight, taking her mother's life points down from four thousand to a mere eight hundred. They had to hand it to her, no one other than Kaiba and Pegasus had really been able to do that kind of damage to the Queen of Games.

"You did well, Hiyori," Yūgi praised as she and her daughter met in the centre of the stage, shaking hands. "You've come a long way and are more than deserving of the title of champion. I'm proud of you."

She hugged her mother as everyone clapped and cheered for the Mutou duo. They'd gone through the award ceremony soon after, Yūgi presenting Hiyori with the check that she'd won as well as the trophy before presenting the second-place prize to Hiba. She'd also slipped the Dark Magician card they'd had made for her in along with the trophy and check she'd received as well.

With the tournament over, everyone converged outside to gather with one another. Hiyori was congratulated by everyone that passed by. Even Marc had appeared and congratulated her before he disappeared again when he caught the look Yuki, who had left everyone else behind to find his sister and mother, was giving him. His mother pinched his arm, a warning to be nice. Marc was a nice young man, and she didn't really mind that he'd taken an interest in her daughter. Just as long as he was respectful, that's all she asked.

It wasn't long after Marc's departure that the Sennen's along with the others arrived where Hiba, Hiyori, Yūgi and Yuki had been waiting. Yami immediately scooped his niece into a hug with a grin, "You did great, Hiba." He then turned to look at Hiyori and Yūgi, "So did you Hiyori. And Yūgi, you've still got it."

"That was actually tame compared to the battles that we have at home," Hiyori laughed, brushing her hair out of her face. "She could have beaten me way sooner than she did! But she didn't want to embarrass me because I'm her daughter. Not in front of all those people at least. Though I will say that move with the Magician Girls was really cool Mom."

"Thank you," Yūgi said smiling, her arms coming to rest across her chest. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke again. "Well, now that the tournament is over and we've still got time before dinner, I say we all go out for lunch, my treat of course, to celebrate the girls and how well they did in the tournament this weekend."

"I agree," Atem said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'll pitch in as well."

"Same here," Yami said before he turned to usher his daughter to the SUV.

Everyone quickly made their way to their vehicles before going on to have a great lunch before separating and heading back home. Hiyori and Yuki continued to gush over how amazing their mother had done against the youngest Mutou twin. Sugoroku smiled at his granddaughter, proud of her for getting back out there and giving everyone a treat that they wouldn't soon forget. And Yūgi simply enjoyed being able to see her children and grandfather happy, having enjoyed their weekend more than anyone thought that they would originally.