Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 12: Someone Precious
"No sleep. . ." Sakura yawned as she continued strolling on the sidewalk. "Stupid dream, how the hell am I supposed to get any sleep if I keep waking up in the middle of the night?"
After walking some more, Sakura found herself stopping in front of the very same café where she had met Shin. Deciding to take a break, the drowsy duelist took a seat on one of the empty tables and rested her head in her arms.
"Shin. . . he's one of them." She whispered to herself. "Why? Why did he help me? He must have been following me and Yugi, just to spy on us. That must be it. After all, he led us to the docks that night when Joey was kidnapped and where we got ambushed. I can't believe I gave him any hospitality, that bastard." After mumbling a few more angry words, the tired duelist drifted off to sleep.
When she finally woke, the morning had already passed. What once was a nearly empty café was now crowded with people. But the crowded noise was not what woke Sakura up. As she opened her eyes, she found that someone had taken a seat across from her. It was a boy, maybe only slightly older than she was, who was sipping tea with a soft smile and his eyes closed.
"Huh?" Sakura muttered, still a bit drowsy from sleep. The boy turned to look at her.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" The boy politely asked, his smile turning into a concerned frown. "The other tables were full, and this was the only seat left. Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Sure." Sakura murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Getting a clearer view of the boy, she saw that his face was strikingly attractive. "Oh, I mean. . ." She suddenly gasped with a bit of a blush. "No, I don't mind."
The boy's smile returned. 'He looks cute.' Sakura thought to herself, her face reddening a bit. 'His smile is so innocent.'
"You shouldn't sleep here." The boy warned, his soft smile still apparent with his calm face. "People can easily steal your belongings if you're not careful."
"Oh, I didn't think about that." Sakura gasped as she laid her deck in front of her, frantically checking if anything was missing. "Man, I'm lucky no one stole any of my cards."
"Are you a duelist?" The boy asked.
"You bet I am!" Sakura exclaimed with a clenched fist in front of her. "In fact, I'm going around the city this afternoon to look for some tough dueling challenges. So I can get stronger by experience!"
The boy glanced at her many duel monster cards. "You look strong already." He commented.
"But I'm going to be stronger." Sakura said. "I'm going to become one of the strongest duelists in the world one day. That's my dream. So I have to duel more to gain more experience and grow stronger."
"Why do you want to grow stronger?" The boy asked.
"Huh?" Sakura replied with a puzzled face. "I want to become a better duelist, that's all. It would honor my sensei if I showed him that I became a great duelist. And if I grow stronger, I can help my Yugi and his friends out when they're in danger."
"So. . ." The boy said, his soft voice growing calmer. "Do you duel for others, or for yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. The boy let out a small, innocent giggle. "What's so funny?"
"Do you have someone precious to duel for?" The boy asked. The smile had disappeared from his face.
"What are you trying to say?" Sakura asked, not understanding why the boy was asking her so many questions. But the boy didn't respond. Instead, he appeared to be caught in his thoughts. His face looked almost nostalgic, as if he was recalling something far in the past.
-----FLASHBACK------
He sat on the cold sidewalk with nothing but a ragged shirt and a blanket that he found in a dumpster, a boy, no older than 8 or 9 years of age. It was snowing, that was the only thing the boy noticed; it seemed to always snow in the city nowadays. But the cold of the snow didn't bother the boy. No freezing temperature could match the torture of the boy's cold heart.
As he shivered, his body began to give from lack of food and warmth. His eyes began to dim; he had no more tears to shed. 'These eyes.' he thought to himself. 'These eyes that could see what cannot be seen, useless now. No one needs them, no one needs me.' The boy waited for death to overcome him, thinking it was for the best.
A shadow appeared over him. The boy turned around to look at the man who towered over him; he looked at the man's face. His eyes were greeted with a menacing stare, almost blood chilling. But the boy was not scared, nor was the man ominous. In fact, his eyes seemed accepting, like a teacher's. The man who would become his idol, his sensei, his master. The man named Nagisa.
And for the first time in months, the boy felt warm.
-----END OF FLASHBACK-----
Sakura looked at the boy, who had not moved for a minute now. Suddenly, she found him staring into her eyes. "What?" Sakura asked, blushing a bit at the eyes of this attractive stranger.
"When you have someone precious. . ." The boy began. "Someone worth protecting, worth dueling for with your life, that is when you can truly become strong."
"Someone worth dueling for?" Sakura asked, not fully understanding the boy. She thought for a bit about her main reasons for dueling. It was for her sensei, to make him proud. And her newfound friends, whom she duels to protect. "Yeah, I think I understand what you mean."
"You will become strong." The boy stated, his smile returning. Then he stood from his chair and headed out of the café. "I must go now, I hope we will meet again."
"I do too." Sakura said as she waved good-bye. Suddenly realizing that she didn't know the boy's name, she called out to him. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Yuki." The boy answered as he disappeared into the city. Sakura found herself staring at the direction where Yuki had left. Her stare did not last long, as it was interrupted by a loud boastful voice.
"Super entrance!" A familiar boy shouted as he appeared behind Sakura.
"Ack!" The startled duelist screamed. "Don't do that! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to say hi." Ryo answered as he turned towards the direction where Sakura had been staring at. "So who was that guy that I saw you with?" He asked with a tone of accusation in his voice.
"Everything you're not." Sakura scoffed.
"Oh yeah?" Ryo asked with his fists clenched. "What's he got that I don't?"
"Looks, charm, politeness, eyes like an angel, shall I go on?" Sakura said with a dreamy look on her face. "And the ability to greet himself without making a loud and stupid entrance is a bonus."
"Grrr." Ryo growled in anger, but then returned to his boastful state. "But I bet he's not half the duelist I am."
"I don't know if he's a duelist." Sakura said. "But if he was, I'd bet he could kick your ass. I haven't even seen you duel, so for all I know, you could be a complete rookie."
"Fine, I'll show you." Ryo boasted as he strapped on his duel disk. "I challenge you to a duel!"
"You're on, Ryo!" Sakura shouted, accepting the challenge. But before they could start their duel, they were interrupted by two bald men who stepped in between them. The young duelists instantly recognized the black robes the two men were wearing. They were obviously members of the Dark Monarchs.
"Hey, we're trying to have a duel here!" Ryo shouted in frustration.
"Our interruption, you must excuse." The first bald man said.
"But we have an offer, you can't refuse." The second man rhymed. "We come here not without explanation."
"For we have here an invitation. . ." The first man continued.
"To a duel against the two of us."
"So accept our challenge without a fuss."
"Another two on two duel?" Sakura asked, all fired up with excitement. "Alright, I'll play with you guys for a while."
"What?!" Ryo shouted. "Wait a minute; we were just about to duel ourselves. Why do we have to go against these guys?"
"Because these guys are the same guys that kidnapped Joey." Sakura explained as she turned her attention to the two bald men. "And I'm going get revenge for that. Come on, Ryo. Let's hurry up and take these guys out."
"Hey! Why do I have to participate in this?" Ryo asked.
"Ryo." Sakura said in her sweetest voice, putting on her cutest face. "I would really like to see your great dueling skills. Pretty please?" That did it; Ryo's face was as red as a rose. All he could do was give a faint nod of his head. "I'll take that as an 'okay'." Sakura said as she prepared her duel disk. "Alright, you freaks. I was getting bored anyways. So let's duel."
"A great mistake you've made today." The first bald man said.
"For our master, we'll make you pay." The second man rhymed.
"We're excited to see your skills." The first man said as he leapt into the air, spinning.
"To see of what your decks concocts." The second man continued as he joined his comrade in the air.
The two landed with perfect unison as together they finished their statements. "But beware, for now you will face the brothers Paradox!"
Chapter 12: Someone Precious
"No sleep. . ." Sakura yawned as she continued strolling on the sidewalk. "Stupid dream, how the hell am I supposed to get any sleep if I keep waking up in the middle of the night?"
After walking some more, Sakura found herself stopping in front of the very same café where she had met Shin. Deciding to take a break, the drowsy duelist took a seat on one of the empty tables and rested her head in her arms.
"Shin. . . he's one of them." She whispered to herself. "Why? Why did he help me? He must have been following me and Yugi, just to spy on us. That must be it. After all, he led us to the docks that night when Joey was kidnapped and where we got ambushed. I can't believe I gave him any hospitality, that bastard." After mumbling a few more angry words, the tired duelist drifted off to sleep.
When she finally woke, the morning had already passed. What once was a nearly empty café was now crowded with people. But the crowded noise was not what woke Sakura up. As she opened her eyes, she found that someone had taken a seat across from her. It was a boy, maybe only slightly older than she was, who was sipping tea with a soft smile and his eyes closed.
"Huh?" Sakura muttered, still a bit drowsy from sleep. The boy turned to look at her.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" The boy politely asked, his smile turning into a concerned frown. "The other tables were full, and this was the only seat left. Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Sure." Sakura murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Getting a clearer view of the boy, she saw that his face was strikingly attractive. "Oh, I mean. . ." She suddenly gasped with a bit of a blush. "No, I don't mind."
The boy's smile returned. 'He looks cute.' Sakura thought to herself, her face reddening a bit. 'His smile is so innocent.'
"You shouldn't sleep here." The boy warned, his soft smile still apparent with his calm face. "People can easily steal your belongings if you're not careful."
"Oh, I didn't think about that." Sakura gasped as she laid her deck in front of her, frantically checking if anything was missing. "Man, I'm lucky no one stole any of my cards."
"Are you a duelist?" The boy asked.
"You bet I am!" Sakura exclaimed with a clenched fist in front of her. "In fact, I'm going around the city this afternoon to look for some tough dueling challenges. So I can get stronger by experience!"
The boy glanced at her many duel monster cards. "You look strong already." He commented.
"But I'm going to be stronger." Sakura said. "I'm going to become one of the strongest duelists in the world one day. That's my dream. So I have to duel more to gain more experience and grow stronger."
"Why do you want to grow stronger?" The boy asked.
"Huh?" Sakura replied with a puzzled face. "I want to become a better duelist, that's all. It would honor my sensei if I showed him that I became a great duelist. And if I grow stronger, I can help my Yugi and his friends out when they're in danger."
"So. . ." The boy said, his soft voice growing calmer. "Do you duel for others, or for yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. The boy let out a small, innocent giggle. "What's so funny?"
"Do you have someone precious to duel for?" The boy asked. The smile had disappeared from his face.
"What are you trying to say?" Sakura asked, not understanding why the boy was asking her so many questions. But the boy didn't respond. Instead, he appeared to be caught in his thoughts. His face looked almost nostalgic, as if he was recalling something far in the past.
-----FLASHBACK------
He sat on the cold sidewalk with nothing but a ragged shirt and a blanket that he found in a dumpster, a boy, no older than 8 or 9 years of age. It was snowing, that was the only thing the boy noticed; it seemed to always snow in the city nowadays. But the cold of the snow didn't bother the boy. No freezing temperature could match the torture of the boy's cold heart.
As he shivered, his body began to give from lack of food and warmth. His eyes began to dim; he had no more tears to shed. 'These eyes.' he thought to himself. 'These eyes that could see what cannot be seen, useless now. No one needs them, no one needs me.' The boy waited for death to overcome him, thinking it was for the best.
A shadow appeared over him. The boy turned around to look at the man who towered over him; he looked at the man's face. His eyes were greeted with a menacing stare, almost blood chilling. But the boy was not scared, nor was the man ominous. In fact, his eyes seemed accepting, like a teacher's. The man who would become his idol, his sensei, his master. The man named Nagisa.
And for the first time in months, the boy felt warm.
-----END OF FLASHBACK-----
Sakura looked at the boy, who had not moved for a minute now. Suddenly, she found him staring into her eyes. "What?" Sakura asked, blushing a bit at the eyes of this attractive stranger.
"When you have someone precious. . ." The boy began. "Someone worth protecting, worth dueling for with your life, that is when you can truly become strong."
"Someone worth dueling for?" Sakura asked, not fully understanding the boy. She thought for a bit about her main reasons for dueling. It was for her sensei, to make him proud. And her newfound friends, whom she duels to protect. "Yeah, I think I understand what you mean."
"You will become strong." The boy stated, his smile returning. Then he stood from his chair and headed out of the café. "I must go now, I hope we will meet again."
"I do too." Sakura said as she waved good-bye. Suddenly realizing that she didn't know the boy's name, she called out to him. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Yuki." The boy answered as he disappeared into the city. Sakura found herself staring at the direction where Yuki had left. Her stare did not last long, as it was interrupted by a loud boastful voice.
"Super entrance!" A familiar boy shouted as he appeared behind Sakura.
"Ack!" The startled duelist screamed. "Don't do that! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to say hi." Ryo answered as he turned towards the direction where Sakura had been staring at. "So who was that guy that I saw you with?" He asked with a tone of accusation in his voice.
"Everything you're not." Sakura scoffed.
"Oh yeah?" Ryo asked with his fists clenched. "What's he got that I don't?"
"Looks, charm, politeness, eyes like an angel, shall I go on?" Sakura said with a dreamy look on her face. "And the ability to greet himself without making a loud and stupid entrance is a bonus."
"Grrr." Ryo growled in anger, but then returned to his boastful state. "But I bet he's not half the duelist I am."
"I don't know if he's a duelist." Sakura said. "But if he was, I'd bet he could kick your ass. I haven't even seen you duel, so for all I know, you could be a complete rookie."
"Fine, I'll show you." Ryo boasted as he strapped on his duel disk. "I challenge you to a duel!"
"You're on, Ryo!" Sakura shouted, accepting the challenge. But before they could start their duel, they were interrupted by two bald men who stepped in between them. The young duelists instantly recognized the black robes the two men were wearing. They were obviously members of the Dark Monarchs.
"Hey, we're trying to have a duel here!" Ryo shouted in frustration.
"Our interruption, you must excuse." The first bald man said.
"But we have an offer, you can't refuse." The second man rhymed. "We come here not without explanation."
"For we have here an invitation. . ." The first man continued.
"To a duel against the two of us."
"So accept our challenge without a fuss."
"Another two on two duel?" Sakura asked, all fired up with excitement. "Alright, I'll play with you guys for a while."
"What?!" Ryo shouted. "Wait a minute; we were just about to duel ourselves. Why do we have to go against these guys?"
"Because these guys are the same guys that kidnapped Joey." Sakura explained as she turned her attention to the two bald men. "And I'm going get revenge for that. Come on, Ryo. Let's hurry up and take these guys out."
"Hey! Why do I have to participate in this?" Ryo asked.
"Ryo." Sakura said in her sweetest voice, putting on her cutest face. "I would really like to see your great dueling skills. Pretty please?" That did it; Ryo's face was as red as a rose. All he could do was give a faint nod of his head. "I'll take that as an 'okay'." Sakura said as she prepared her duel disk. "Alright, you freaks. I was getting bored anyways. So let's duel."
"A great mistake you've made today." The first bald man said.
"For our master, we'll make you pay." The second man rhymed.
"We're excited to see your skills." The first man said as he leapt into the air, spinning.
"To see of what your decks concocts." The second man continued as he joined his comrade in the air.
The two landed with perfect unison as together they finished their statements. "But beware, for now you will face the brothers Paradox!"