His friends and admirers surrounded Yugi Moto. After a stunning victory of
8000 to 0, life point wise, it was no wonder they were congratulating him.
Yugi seemed to get better and better with each and every card he pulled
from his deck.
After focusing his entire mind on winning the duel, Yugi's thoughts seemed to drift. His body was stuck in the mob, shaking hands and smiling, but his mind was elsewhere. He was used to this, and well over the excitement by now, having won so many duels in the past. Was it possible that he was too good? The thrill, the excitement, the passion was gone. He was only dueling now to save the world, not because he loved to duel.
The crowd thinned to just Joey and Téa, turning away to seek other duels to watch or participate in. "Hey," Joey said in his accented English that was somewhere between New Jersey and New York back- ally talk, "you fought great Yug!"
Yugi forced a smile. Giving strangers the cold shoulder was much different then doing it to your closest friends, he would have to pretend, at least that nothing was wrong, even though, by now, his friends knew him better than that and he could not fully hide his feelings. "Thanks Joey!"
Téa smiled, too, "C'mon Yugi! Let's all go get ice cream to celebrate!" She was a bit concerned at Yugi's act, for surely he was happy at winning the duel, but he didn't seem so now.
"You guys go on without me. I don't really want ice cream." Yugi looked at Joey, "See if you can scrape up another win by the time we meet again."
Joey grinned wolfishly, "Piece'a cake!"
Téa frowned at her watch, "Where should we meet?" If Yugi was going to wander off on his own, she wanted to know where he was, especially with all the trouble and stuff about the millennium puzzle. She just didn't want him to get hurt.
"How 'bout by th' harbor?" Joey asked. "It's close to the ice cream store, and it's kinda pretty, too."
Yugi smiled to himself at these odd words, made especially so coming from Joey. "I'll meet you guys there!" Yugi turned his back and began walking off, thinking to himself and not really paying attention to where he was going.
Nekomi watched the famous, renowned Yugi walk away from his friends' invitation. His eyes were glazed over as though his thoughts were no where near what he was currently going. She smiled, hey, if he was distracted, that was all the better for her.
She slunk in the shadows behind him, careful not to be seen. Several times he glanced back and she knew he could sense her watchful gaze.
Yugi stopped to browse a shop and Nekomi knew this was her chance to get a head of him. She walked along the street, her black hair flowing behind her. Today it was unbraided and fell past her back like a cloak.
The plan was for her to find some sort of trouble as Yugi walked by. A 'Gain Your Prey's Trust' kind of deal. She would become one of Yugi's friends and, since she held the third Egyptian God Card, Malik was free to plague her with rare hunters and thieves. Though, of course, they were not allowed to do her actual harm unless she ordered them to. The only draw back she could see in her plan was that this Seto Kaiba figure would be after the Egyptian God card as well. She would have gladly whipped his sorry ass in a duel, but Malik had other plans that she had to respect.
The robed figure at the end of the street winked at her then charged. The perfect damsel in distress scenario was played out as Ki began to try to wrestle away her deck of cards. He hit her (lightly, though no one watching could tell) and she fell to the ground as Yugi and several random people from the street ran up. Ki, one cue ran as Yugi approached.
Nekomi stayed curled in a ball on the dusty street until Yugi spoke, "Are you alright, miss?"
She glanced up, "I- I think so." Her voice quivered slightly in a manner that she had practiced for hours to perfection. Getting money from her father had not always been as easy as it was now and she had needed every edge over him she could get.
Yugi offered a hand to help her up as the crowd began to disperse around them. "Why was that rare hunter after you?"
"I....I-" As she rose, she pretended to wince as she took her weight on her right ankle and leaned heavily on Yugi's arm.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He threw her arm around his shoulders as he helped her hobble over to a nearby bench in Domino Park. He sat next to her as she began rubbing her ankle that she had supposedly injured. "So, miss...?" He paused waiting for her to supply him with a name.
"Nekomi. You?"
"Yugi Moto. Why where Malik's henchmen after you?"
She shook her head, as if she could not tell him, but drew the Egyptian God card out of her deck. "He- He was angry," she stated taking a shuddering breath.
Yugi was taken aback, whatever he had expected, it was not that she held the third Egyptian God card. But surely, Seto Kaiba would know that she had won Malik's God card if they had used one of his duel disks. Sure enough, there was a duel disk strapped to her arm, he hadn't really been paying attention earlier. So why wasn't Seto also chasing her? "How did you get this?"
Nekomi placed the card back into her deck and sighed, "I won it from the jerk in a duel."
It was just what Yugi had feared. "Miss- Nekomi," he corrected himself, "Seto Kaiba will be after the card, as well."
"Who?"
Yugi had assumed that she would know who Seto Kaiba was if she was a part of his tournament. "He's," Yugi started, a little confused, "He's the founder of the Domino City Tournament, the creator of these duel disks." He gestured to his own device.
She gave an amused laugh, "I'd like to see him try and get this!" She patted the card.
"He will if he beats you in a duel, and one of the rules of the tournament is you can't back out of a challenge."
She smiled, "Yugi, I'm not a part of this tournament!" Yugi looked quiet surprised so she continued, "I got the duel disk from some kid who was beaten out of the tournament. He was selling it because he was angry that he lost. I like dueling and I'm okay at it, so I figured I would buy it and see if anyone would duel me just for fun instead of as a part of the tournament."
Yugi thought that this made sense, but there was still one thing that confused him, "Then how did you win Malik's card?"
"Oh, that." She took a deep breath, "He was the first person I challenged to a duel, but he forgot to use the card in his deck, so I beat him. He said we were playing by battle city rules, so he gave me the card." She glanced at their surroundings, gaze coming to rest on a figure walking towards them. "Oh, Crap!"
After focusing his entire mind on winning the duel, Yugi's thoughts seemed to drift. His body was stuck in the mob, shaking hands and smiling, but his mind was elsewhere. He was used to this, and well over the excitement by now, having won so many duels in the past. Was it possible that he was too good? The thrill, the excitement, the passion was gone. He was only dueling now to save the world, not because he loved to duel.
The crowd thinned to just Joey and Téa, turning away to seek other duels to watch or participate in. "Hey," Joey said in his accented English that was somewhere between New Jersey and New York back- ally talk, "you fought great Yug!"
Yugi forced a smile. Giving strangers the cold shoulder was much different then doing it to your closest friends, he would have to pretend, at least that nothing was wrong, even though, by now, his friends knew him better than that and he could not fully hide his feelings. "Thanks Joey!"
Téa smiled, too, "C'mon Yugi! Let's all go get ice cream to celebrate!" She was a bit concerned at Yugi's act, for surely he was happy at winning the duel, but he didn't seem so now.
"You guys go on without me. I don't really want ice cream." Yugi looked at Joey, "See if you can scrape up another win by the time we meet again."
Joey grinned wolfishly, "Piece'a cake!"
Téa frowned at her watch, "Where should we meet?" If Yugi was going to wander off on his own, she wanted to know where he was, especially with all the trouble and stuff about the millennium puzzle. She just didn't want him to get hurt.
"How 'bout by th' harbor?" Joey asked. "It's close to the ice cream store, and it's kinda pretty, too."
Yugi smiled to himself at these odd words, made especially so coming from Joey. "I'll meet you guys there!" Yugi turned his back and began walking off, thinking to himself and not really paying attention to where he was going.
Nekomi watched the famous, renowned Yugi walk away from his friends' invitation. His eyes were glazed over as though his thoughts were no where near what he was currently going. She smiled, hey, if he was distracted, that was all the better for her.
She slunk in the shadows behind him, careful not to be seen. Several times he glanced back and she knew he could sense her watchful gaze.
Yugi stopped to browse a shop and Nekomi knew this was her chance to get a head of him. She walked along the street, her black hair flowing behind her. Today it was unbraided and fell past her back like a cloak.
The plan was for her to find some sort of trouble as Yugi walked by. A 'Gain Your Prey's Trust' kind of deal. She would become one of Yugi's friends and, since she held the third Egyptian God Card, Malik was free to plague her with rare hunters and thieves. Though, of course, they were not allowed to do her actual harm unless she ordered them to. The only draw back she could see in her plan was that this Seto Kaiba figure would be after the Egyptian God card as well. She would have gladly whipped his sorry ass in a duel, but Malik had other plans that she had to respect.
The robed figure at the end of the street winked at her then charged. The perfect damsel in distress scenario was played out as Ki began to try to wrestle away her deck of cards. He hit her (lightly, though no one watching could tell) and she fell to the ground as Yugi and several random people from the street ran up. Ki, one cue ran as Yugi approached.
Nekomi stayed curled in a ball on the dusty street until Yugi spoke, "Are you alright, miss?"
She glanced up, "I- I think so." Her voice quivered slightly in a manner that she had practiced for hours to perfection. Getting money from her father had not always been as easy as it was now and she had needed every edge over him she could get.
Yugi offered a hand to help her up as the crowd began to disperse around them. "Why was that rare hunter after you?"
"I....I-" As she rose, she pretended to wince as she took her weight on her right ankle and leaned heavily on Yugi's arm.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He threw her arm around his shoulders as he helped her hobble over to a nearby bench in Domino Park. He sat next to her as she began rubbing her ankle that she had supposedly injured. "So, miss...?" He paused waiting for her to supply him with a name.
"Nekomi. You?"
"Yugi Moto. Why where Malik's henchmen after you?"
She shook her head, as if she could not tell him, but drew the Egyptian God card out of her deck. "He- He was angry," she stated taking a shuddering breath.
Yugi was taken aback, whatever he had expected, it was not that she held the third Egyptian God card. But surely, Seto Kaiba would know that she had won Malik's God card if they had used one of his duel disks. Sure enough, there was a duel disk strapped to her arm, he hadn't really been paying attention earlier. So why wasn't Seto also chasing her? "How did you get this?"
Nekomi placed the card back into her deck and sighed, "I won it from the jerk in a duel."
It was just what Yugi had feared. "Miss- Nekomi," he corrected himself, "Seto Kaiba will be after the card, as well."
"Who?"
Yugi had assumed that she would know who Seto Kaiba was if she was a part of his tournament. "He's," Yugi started, a little confused, "He's the founder of the Domino City Tournament, the creator of these duel disks." He gestured to his own device.
She gave an amused laugh, "I'd like to see him try and get this!" She patted the card.
"He will if he beats you in a duel, and one of the rules of the tournament is you can't back out of a challenge."
She smiled, "Yugi, I'm not a part of this tournament!" Yugi looked quiet surprised so she continued, "I got the duel disk from some kid who was beaten out of the tournament. He was selling it because he was angry that he lost. I like dueling and I'm okay at it, so I figured I would buy it and see if anyone would duel me just for fun instead of as a part of the tournament."
Yugi thought that this made sense, but there was still one thing that confused him, "Then how did you win Malik's card?"
"Oh, that." She took a deep breath, "He was the first person I challenged to a duel, but he forgot to use the card in his deck, so I beat him. He said we were playing by battle city rules, so he gave me the card." She glanced at their surroundings, gaze coming to rest on a figure walking towards them. "Oh, Crap!"