Yami paced the kitchen, rereading a letter he'd received that day. He turned to the only other person in the room, Yugi.
"She must be on her way. You're just nervous." Yugi reasoned.
There was a brief knock on the front door. Yami hurried over to answer it. Hali was on the doorstep, wringing her hands. "What's wrong? You look troubled."
Yami gestured to the couch in the living room. "Sit down."
Hali sank onto the couch and stared up at him. "Please tell me what it is."
"I've been drafted. I am being shipped to Iraq in the morning." Yami said.
Hali avoided his gaze for several minutes. FInally, she stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying, "I don't want to lose you!"
Yami held her close to him. "Don't worry, baby. I will come back safe and sound just for you. I'm probably not oing to be there long. I will write to you every week."
Hali looked up at him. "You promise?"
"I promise." Yami murmured, kissing her lip. "I will make sure I come home, no matter what condition I'm in. As long as my heart is beating and so is yours, I will return."
Tears slipped down Hali's cheeks. "I will miss you so much."
"So will I. More than you can imagine." Yami murmured, kissing her forehead. he suddenly got an idea and reached into a pouch around his waist.
"What's wrong?" Hali asked, watching him.
Yami pushed a Duel Monsters card into her hands. "Every time you start missing me, just look at this."
Hali took a look at the card. It was Yami's favorite, Dark Magician. "If you're going to part with that while we're apart, I'll part with this." she said, taking out a card and handing it to Yami.
Yami looked down at teh crd. It was Dark Magician Girl. "I will hold this close to my heart always." he told her kissing her lips again.
"When do you leave?" Hali asked.
"In the morning." Yami repeated. Then he checked his watch. "Actually, later today. I have to be at the airport in six hours, the plane leaves at eight."
Hali turned away from him as a sob escaped her. She sank onto the couch and hid her face in her hands.
Yami knelt down in front of her. "Hali, I'll be home before you know it. And anyways, I need to get ready to go. I need to pack some things to take with me."
He started to leave when she grabbed his arm. "Can I help? I want to spend as much time with you as I can."
Yami smiled and nodded. "Come with me." he said.
My dearest Hali,
It has been a month and I have no idea when we get home. I think of you every day and I miss you so much. Today, I will be patrolling the city and I will write to you tomorrow if I have time. I miss you and I can't wait to see you again.
Yours, always,
Sgt. Yami Ezra Mutou
Yami folded the letter and stuffed it into the envelope. "Hey, Sgt. Get out here, they're giving out posts." His tent mate called, poking his head in the tent flap.
"All right, all right, I'm coming." Yami grumbled. He buckled his combat boots and stepped out of his tent into the hot Iraq sun. A group of his fellow soldiers were grouped a few yards away. "What is my order?"
The general turned around and gave him a street name. Yami's eyes widened. "But that's where the heaviest resistance is being held!" he exclaimed.
"Are you refusing an order, Sgt. Mutou?" the general snapped.
"All right, all right, yes sir. I'll do that right away." Yami grumbled, tucking the envelope into his breast pocket. He set off toward town, hoisting his gun over his shoulder. He reached the streethe was supposed to be patrolling and paced the length of it.
Three gunshots fired and Yami collapsed to the ground panting, his whole body searing with pain. "Someone, help!" he gasped, trying to hoist himself up. Just as he went unconscious he saw a shadowy figure of a woman kneeling down in front of him.
Yami came to very slowly and found he was not on the ground but on a soft mattress. "Where-am I?" he asked, weakly. He tried to sit up.
"You in my home." a female voice said, in broken English. "You shot, I take home."
Yami fell back against a pillow, panting. "Why am I so weak."
"Don't use-" the voice cried, as Yami tried using his left arm to hoist himself up, but he screamed in pain and fell back.
"I'm so weak." Yami moaned, closing his eyes.
"Rest. You need rest. I make food when you wake."
Yami nodded slightly and fell asleep.
Yami woke up several hours later to darkness surrounding him. "Ma'am?" he whispered.
"Need something?" the voice asked to his right, making him jump slightly. "Sorry."
"That's all right," Yami muttered, rubbing his backside withhis right hand. "Why does my butt hurt?"
"You shot in butt." the woman said, matter-of-factly.
Yami groaned. "My cousin is going to have a field day with this news."
"Who your cousin?" the woman asked.
"Seto Kaiba." Yami replied, expecting her to not know him, but he was surprised.
"You no Kaiba?" she asked, excitedly.
"Yes," Yami said. "You know him?"
"He big company." the woman replied, turning on a lamp. Yami finally saw her face. She burnt sienna colored skin and by her looks, he could tell that she was a native. "Who you?"
"Sgt. Yami Ezra Mutou, of the United States Army." Yami replied.
"Any loved?" the woman questioned.
"My girlfriend, Hali. Here, I'll show you a picture of her." Yami said, and reached into a breast pocket, which had a hole in it. Nothing was inside it. "Where's the picture?"
"Here, it got hole." the woman said, holding up the picture frame which had shattered glass, anenvolope he recognized as the letter he'd written to Hali,and the Dark Magician Girl card. Each had a hole in the center of it.
Yami took it from the womman's hand with his own shaky ones. Tears welled up in his eyes as he took in the damaged items. "Hali." he murmured.
"You love?" the woman questioned.
"With all my heart," Yami answered, emotion overcoming him. "I am planning on asking her to marry me when I get back."
"Don't worry." the woman said, "You live."
"Thank you." Yami replied, gratefully.
Hali was staring at Yami's Dark Magician card when it suddenly caught fire. Gasping, she blinked and found it perfectly unharmed. "Something happened to Yami." she murmured, shaking.
She hurried downstairs to where Hailey was watching television. "Turn to the news, Hailey." she snapped.
Hailey changed the channel to a news station. A newscaster appeared on it and stated, "Breaking news: The president has announced today that Sgt. Yami Mutou has gone Missing In Actionyesterdaywhen he failed to return to camp from patrol. We will keep you posted on any developments."
Hali sank onto the couch, silent. "Hali, how do you know?"
"I was looking at his Dark Magician card and I guess it was a vision, but the card caught fire. I blinked, but the card was unharmed. I hope he's all right." Hali murmured.
"I know he is. He's a strong guy. Look what he went through 5,000 years ago and he survied. They'll find him, I'm sure."
"He's weak and has lost quite a lot ofblood. Based on the gunshot hol through his left breast pocket, something must have deflected the bullet to his shoulder." Yami heard someone say, as he came to.
"What's going on?" he asked, attempted to sit up.
"Sir, lie still. We'll get you back home. We've been looking for you."
"Wait, how long have you been looking for me?" Yami asked.
"A week. Once we get back to camp, we'll let your family know." the soldier replied. He turned to another. "Let's get him out of here."
Yami was lifted from the bed and he gaspedin pain as his butt seared. "No, don't do that! I was shot-in the ass!"
"Oh sorry, sir." the soldier said and readjusted Yami in his arms. Yami was set on a stretcher and wheeled out.
"He okay?" he heard the Iraqi ask, as she followed them.
"Thank...you..." Yami whispered, grasping her hand briefly before gasping in pain, clutching his shoulder.
"Don't move that shoulder, sir." the soldier replied.
Yami closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Hali was watching her favorite soap opera later that day when the phone rang. A few minutes later, Hailey entered. "Hali, it's for you." she said, holdihng out the phone.
Hali shook her head. "I don't want to talk to them."
Hailey smiled. "Not even if it's Yami?"
Hali jumped up and grabbed the phone from Hailey. "Yami, where are you? Are you all right?"
Yami turned his head toward the airplane phone. "Hali, I'm flying home, I'm just a little weak."
"What happened? You were missing from your camp for a week!" Hali exclaimed, worried.
The heart monitor started to beep faster and Yami closed his eyes. "Yami, what's going on?" Hali asked, frantically.
"He's losing blood fast. Shit, we've gotta go, we need to stitch him up."
"How much longer will it be before you arrive?"
"An hour, goodbye." the person said and hung up.
Hali hurried out to the gate where the plane would be landing. Groups of media huddled against the rain that was pouring upon them. Suddenly, someone shouted, "They're landing!"
Hali shielded her gaze as she looked to the skies. A lone plane was heading toward the runway and with a slight bump, it landed. Hali held her breath as it rolled toward them. It finally stopped and the door opened.
"Yami!" Hali cried, hurrying over as two uniformed men carried an unconscious Yami. As they reached the ground, Yami's eyes flickered open.
"Hali?" He asked, weakly.
"Yami, you're alive, I was so worried!" Hali cried, flinging herself over his body.
"Ma'am, he was shot in the shoulder, you're hurting him!" the officer insisted as Yami gave a cry of pain.
"I'm so sorry, Yami." Hali whispered as they lifted the head of Yami's gurney.
"That's all right." Yami whispered, reaching over to touch her wet cheek with his right hand.
"Excuse me, everybody, we need to get him to a hospital to be checked out." the officer ordered and pushed the gurney through the crowd with Hali following behind them. Yami was lifted into a waiting ambulance and Hali got in after him before they closed the doors and drove off.
"So, what happened to you in Iraq?" Hali questioned, hours later. Yami was being held in the hospital for several days to keep an eye on him.
"I must have been ambushed by insurgents. I remember hearing three shots and I rememeber waking up in an Iraqi's house. That's it."
A doctor entered the room. "Sgt., what was in your left breast pocket on the day you were shot?" he asked.
Yami thought for a moment. "I had a picture of my girlfriend in a frame, a Duel Monsters card, and a letter to her."
"Well, that explains why you're alive right now." the doctor said. He reached under the bed and picked up a bag containing Yami's uniform. He reached in and took out three items. The picture, the Duel Monsters card, and the letter, each with a hole in it. Hali gave a gasp. "If he hadn't had these things in his pocket, it would have gone straight through his heart instead of deflecting and hitting his shoulder."
"So, youmeanI saved him by giving him that card?" Hali asked, amazed.
"That's exactly whatI mean." the doctor replied. "Sgt, you are one lucky guy to have a girl like her."
Yami nodded silently in agreement before turning to Hali. "Thank you, Hali. I will never forget how my Dark Magician Girl saved me."