The warm breeze sways her black hair and she breathes in, taking in most of her senses except her eyes that are currently closed. Her hair tickles the back of her neck and the bottom of her nose. She hears the sound of the leaves on the trees rustling, followed by the occasional bird chirping. She is firmly planted on the grass in Yugi's backyard, her legs crossed and her arms slightly extended with her palms facing the sky.
For a moment, her mind begins to invite intrusive thoughts. Back to a time when she used to do this very thing in the Shadow Realm. In contrast, it was dark, cold and even in a state of meditation, she was on edge. She would sit upon a rock that was seemingly placed in the 'middle' of the shadows and meditate while making sure all souls were accounted for in that brief moment of silence.
She can sense some of the souls roaming around currently in Domino. But no signs of a certain partner that seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Or concealing themselves somehow. She grits her teeth angrily.
"That miscreant," she mutters. This is all Marik's doing. If it weren't for him, she'd be in the Afterlife.
Her clenched jaw slowly relaxes at the thought of the afterlife. The way the villagers looked at her with disgust and fear. The ridicule. The attempt to attack her.
"As if the Afterlife were any better…" she comments to herself before clenching her hair with a loud groan. "You're so ungrateful, Cairo!" She slides her hands down to cover her face, feeling very conflicted. Saying that made her feel a sense of guilt. All she wanted was to be free. To be able to rest in peace. And she got it.
Sort of.
"If I had just stayed in the palace, the villagers wouldn't have even seen me and I wouldn't be feeling like this right now!" Or centuries ago when she was told to stay in the palace for her own safety from the Dark One, only for her to defy those orders to help those she loved.
And look where that got her.
Feeling someone's presence nearby, she spreads her fingers that are still over her eyes to peek through. A pair of amethyst eyes stare back at her innocently. She doesn't even have to see the full figure to know who it is. One of his blonde bangs rests on the middle of his forehead, his eyes are more rounded and he is shorter in comparison to her father.
"Yugi...?" she says, still keeping her face partially covered. Mostly from embarrassment. Did he hear that just now?
"I uh…was coming out to check on you…" he says, rubbing his neck. "And to see if you're hungry."
She slowly lowers her hands. "Oh…no. But thanks for asking," she says shyly.
There is a pause in their conversation before Cairo turns her back to him, walking a few steps ahead.
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Yugi says suddenly.
She stops, but doesn't turn to him. He definitely heard what she said.
He glances away. "Sorry," Yugi quickly apologizes, taking her silence as a sign that he offended her. "I didn't mean to—"
"It's alright," she says softly, looking over her shoulder with a sad smile. "Thank you for the reminder. Seriously."
He mirrors her expression and nods his head.
"I should probably get going."
"On your own?" he asks. "What about Atem?"
"Uh…I'm sure he'll be fine with me going by myself," Cairo fibs, chuckling nervously as Yugi tugs his collar, appearing to see someone behind her. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?"
"Yup."
Cairo's cheeks turn red as she grins with embarrassment, reluctantly turning around to face her father who looks down at her with his arms crossed. "I don't even think you believed what just came out of your mouth just now," Atem says, his eyebrow raised.
Her stomach suddenly growls loudly and she dims her eyes.
"Wait, didn't you say you weren't hungry?" Yugi brings up.
"I suck at lying. You two have made that perfectly clear," Cairo says, her face turning more red.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Marik walks past an outside market with his hands buried in his pockets of his khaki pants. His head is turned slightly to keep the bright sun from blinding him and he makes little to no effort to avoid bumping into anyone. Seeing a table with fruit with its owner distracted, he subtly takes a green apple, taking a big bite. It does little to satisfy his hunger, but it's enough to hold him over for now.
His elbow bumps into a taller, muscular man, but Marik keeps walking whereas the bulky man stops and turns around. The only thing Marik can think of is what else he can do to prolong his stay in this world. He doesn't have high expectations of the first soul he came across yesterday and he has been seeking out other souls ever since.
"That child may not look like much, but I know she won't be easy to beat," Marik thinks aloud, not noticing a significantly taller figure approaching from behind. "I must continue to build so she will—"
A rather large hand grabs onto his arm, stopping him abruptly. Marik's eyes slowly scroll up to a man who towers above him. He wears a navy blue jacket with a tightly fitted cap that has hiragana written on it. His bluish spiky hair is still very much visible, reaching just above his shoulders and he has two black vertical lines going down the center of his eyelids.
Despite his size, Marik shows no signs of intimidation. "Unhand me or I'll make you suffer," Marik threatens.
"No one messes with Panik and gets away with it."
"I don't care who you are. This is your final—" His eyes zoom in on the large figure, sensing a soul that belongs to the Shadow Realm. This brief moment of distraction leaves him open for a massive punch that sends Marik flying, hitting a bunch of wooden crates full of fruit.
"That's what I thought," Panik says. "All talk, no action."
Marik begins to snicker, a huge grin appearing on his face before he bursts into a full blown laughter.
Panik clenches his fist. "What's so funny? Want some more you freak of nature?!" He goes to aim his fist, only being able to lift it up slightly until Marik stares at him intensely. The next thing Panik knows, his whole body is frozen in place, allowing Marik to recover and clean himself up.
"You do pack a punch, I'll give you that," Marik compliments, massaging his jaw and spitting out a wad of blood.
Panik's eyes widen. "Don't tell me. You're not a soul keeper are ya?"
"You're not as dumb as you look either," Marik says mockingly.
"H-Hey," Panik stammers, fearing that Marik will be sending him back to the Shadow Realm any moment now. "I'll do whatever you want. Just don't send me back alright? That spiky haired brat did some weird 'mind crush' thing with some pyramid shaped thingy around his neck and next thing I knew, I was a goner!"
Marik's eyes widen with fascination. "Is that so?" Aside from the Rare Hunters, are there also foes from the pharaoh's past that were freed from the shadows as well? He has never known the pharaoh to actually use his Millennium Puzzle to send people to the Shadow Realm, so hearing Panik mention it is surprising.
"W-What do you say pal? Let me go will ya?"
'This one may not need much power,' Marik thinks to himself, walking up to Panik and placing his index finger on his forehead, emitting a brief light. 'He's already strong as it is.'
"What did you do just now?" Panik asks, still frozen in place.
"Think of it as a power boost."
"Huh?"
"I have no intentions of sending anyone back to the Shadow Realm. I'm only trying to make it harder on a certain child by the name of Cairo to prevent us from returning," Marik begins to explain.
Panik blinks. "A kid?"
"I don't care what you do. You can exact revenge or continue to roam around here aimlessly."
Panik grins. "Oh I plan on making life a living hell."
"Be warned. The child I refer to will try to send you back. Your survival here will purely depend on you and you only," Marik says, finally setting him free.
Panik cracks his knuckles. "I'm not letting no kid come in between me and my freedom!"
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
"CAIRO!" Joey, Tristan and Téa exclaim happily when they see the little girl standing in between Atem and Yugi in front of an arcade with a surprised expression. It is their first official time seeing her, aside from the police incident and Cairo's first time seeing them since returning to this world.
Cairo raises a hand sheepishly. "Hello!" Regardless of what she's there to do, it's still nice to see them again.
"It's been awhile!" Téa says with a smile. "And we were so worried about you. But we're glad you're okay!"
"Of course she is! This is Cairo we're talking about!" Tristan says flexing a muscle while glancing at Téa before turning his sights to the girl. "But next time, will it kill ya to say bye before you go?"
"My apologies," Cairo says. The last time she was there, she had snuck away to return back to the Shadow Realm after retrieving the souls. Goodbyes never came easy to her and she felt it would've been too sad. "It won't happen again."
Téa takes notice of what Cairo is wearing. A gray school uniform as opposed to being dressed down like her, Joey and Tristan. "I know you've been hanging around Yugi," she starts off, who wears his uniform practically all the time. "But you don't have to wear that everywhere you go."
"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Yugi stammers as his cheeks turn red.
Hearing the sounds of several games going off in the arcade next to them, Joey punches his fist into his palm with determination. "Alright, enough talk! I plan on winning tons of tickets and winning the best prize of them all!"
Tristan rolls his eyes. "And what's that?"
Joey dramatically points into the arcade, his gaze passing through the other people inside and straight to the register in the back that has various prizes hanging on the wall and some in a glass case. The prize in particular makes Tristan groan.
"That mega ramen bowl that's engraved with the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey yells. "It's gonna be mine!"
"You know they sell that at the local store for dirt cheap right?"
"SILENCE!" Joey shouts, stomping inside with a puffed out chest while the others follow.
Cairo watches Yugi, Téa, Tristan and Joey walk in to the loud and crowded place that bursts with numerous neon colored lights. The sounds emitting from the arcade are already loud with them standing outside, so she can only imagine how deafening it will practically be when she goes inside.
Sensing her hesitance, Atem looks over to her. "I know this isn't what you planned on doing, nor are crowded areas your thing," he says.
"No, it's fine," she assures him. "In the past, all the souls seemed to gravitate to you guys anyway. Might as well stay close."
They begin to walk in under the watchful eye of a certain Rare Hunter who spies on them from across the street. "It's them…" he remarks to himself, recognizing the blonde haired boy. "But I don't remember there being two spiky haired brats." He thinks back to the duel that he had with Yugi, or unbeknownst to him, Atem. The loss is what caused him to be banished to the Shadow Realm to begin with. Had he not lost, he wouldn't be in this predicament. Although ultimately, it was Marik's doing.
A normal person would seek revenge, but seeing as Marik is strong and he has lost to Yugi in the past, he eyes the little girl instead.
"That must be who Marik was referring to…" he says. "She doesn't look tough to me…And with my newfound strength, she should be a piece of cake to get rid of."
Cairo soon finds herself inside within all the 'madness' as she calls it, covering her ears with a huge scowl on her face. She stands beside her father while they watch Téa go toe to toe with another dancer in a game that seems like it was made just for her. The different arrows come across the screen, letting the player know where to step next, matching the beat of the high energy music. The game is so intense that a crowd has formed around them, cheering them on.
"Go Téa!" Yugi cheers, raising his fist in support of his dear friend.
Crowded places and loud noises have always irked Cairo for as long as she can remember. Though she has memories of being in the palace where they would hold large gatherings, that pales in comparison to the amount of time she spent in the Shadow Realm, where it was quiet and spacious.
A rather hard shoulder bump from a bystander who has the nerve to look down at her accusingly is nearly enough to send her over the edge. She shoots a glare to the taller stranger, growling inwardly as her eyes glow so menacingly it causes the teen to yelp and scramble away.
Atem peers over to his daughter, a pearl of sweat going down his temple. "You're handling this quite well."
"Sorry," she mumbles before peeking through the crowd to find a quieter place.
As he watches her squeeze through the crowd, he catches sight of someone that looks vaguely familiar in the crowd. A man with short gray hair and a sharp looking gaze causes Atem to look at him questionably. The man happens to glance Atem's way before ducking behind someone else, raising Atem's suspicions.
"Téa's is giving her opponent a run for their money!" Yugi exclaims over to Atem who still has his head turned. Yugi cocks his head to the side. "Atem?"
Atem's eyes go wide briefly. "Hm?" He looks over to Yugi. "Did you say something?"
Yugi folds his arms. "I know what that look."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"It's never a good thing when you're distracted. Something must be bothering you."
Atem looks back over to where he saw the man, but he is gone. The last time he saw that individual was when Marik had sent him to the Shadow Realm after their duel. Could he be a soul? And if so, why hasn't Cairo sensed him?
In another area, Tristan and Joey go at it in a game of basketball, shooting as many hoops as they can to get tickets. The last shot that Joey throws bounces off the rim to his dismay and he clenches his hair with frustration, watching only two tickets come out of his game slot while twenty tickets come out of Tristan's.
"Maybe find a game you're actually good at?" Tristan suggests while counting his tickets.
"SHUT UP!" Joey snaps, grinding his teeth together. Glancing over, he sees Cairo standing in front of a brightly lit game with a huge lever and a wheel. It is one of the more simple games in which all a player would need to do is start the wheel and then pull the lever in order to land on a ticket prize of different quantities. Joey grins mischievously before making his way over.
Tristan shakes his head. "Such a kid."
"Hey Cairo! Whatcha doing here all by yourself?" Joey asks.
"There's not a lot of people in this area," she replies, still staring at the game. "Tell me, how does it work?"
"It's simple really. You just put in one of your tokens, push the button to start the wheel and try to land on one of the higher ticket prizes."
"That's it?"
"Yup! And I'm gonna give it a go!" He steps up to it confidently, putting in a gold token that activates the game. Then he presses the button, starting the wheel. He hunches forward, studying the light that goes around the wheel, trying to time it just right. Cairo's eyes follow along as well until Joey finally pulls down the lever. It lands on a five ticket spot, right next to the thousand ticket spot.
Joey snaps his fingers as he is rewarded with five tickets. "Darn it! So close!" He puts in another token and tries again, only to have a similar outcome. "Man, I'm usually good with my luck! But it's just so fast, they make it nearly impossible!"
"May I?" Cairo asks.
Joey shrugs his shoulders. "Go for it."
He inserts the token, starting the game once more. But as soon as it starts, Cairo pulls down the lever and the game lights up in different colors as it announces that the player has won a thousand tickets. Joey's jaw drops to the ground, his eyes slowly going down, seeing the tickets come out of the slot.
"Cairo! How did you…?"
She takes the tickets and hands it to him. "Here."
"But…you won. It's yours!"
"Yes, but I used your token. Besides, I have no desire for any of the prizes."
Joey looks to the back counter where the Red Eyes ramen bowl is. He needs a total of ten thousand tickets in order to get it. Then he looks down to Cairo who still holds out the tickets. He slowly takes it out of her hands before reaching in his pocket for another token. "Ya think you can give it another go? Maybe…nine more times?"
"Sure."
And sure enough, she wins again. And again. And once more with no effort at all. Joey rubs his palms together excitedly. Why didn't he think of this sooner? That bowl will be his in no time. Only a few more minutes pass by and soon, he has all the tickets he needs.
"AW YEAH!" Joey cheers, pumping his fist into the air. "You did it, Cairo!"
"What happens now?" Cairo asks.
Joey glances back to the counter, seeing the other prizes in the back. Then he clenches his fist with excitement. "I say, why stop here?"
Cairo follows his gaze to all the prizes. Nothing immediately catches her interest until her eyes land on a large stuffed cat that causes her lips to curve into a tiny smile. Seeing that Cairo has found something to her liking, Joey nods his head enthusiastically.
"That settles it! Let's go!" Joey yells.
"Okay!" Cairo exclaims.
From behind a nearby wall, the Rare Hunter observes Cairo with a hint of confusion. He questions why Marik wants to get rid of her. But at the same time, he doesn't want to upset Marik by not doing what he says. The last thing he wants is to be sent back to the Shadow Realm. But with all the people around, he is going to have to find a way do away with her without causing a scene.
Téa high fives a younger bystander after getting off the dancing platform and then she meets up with Yugi. At the same time, Tristan goes up to them as well.
Téa arches an eyebrow. "Hey, where's Atem? And Joey"
"Joey and Cairo have gone mad with power," he replies to their confusion until he points in the duo's direction. They carry a large batch of tickets that's almost too much for them to hold on their own, going over to the attendant in the back to hand it to them.
Téa blinks. "What in the world?"
"Joey found a game Cairo was good at and the rest is history," Tristan goes on to explain.
Yugi smiles. "Well look on the bright side. At least Cairo is having fun for a change."
"But where's Atem?" Téa asks, looking from left to right.
The Rare Hunter rubs his palms together, leaning his back on the wall. With the girl being distracted, now is the the time to make his move. And Marik will have to take back what he said about being him weakest Rare Hunter. Inhaling, he goes to move past the wall until he is met by a certain pharaoh who glares at him with his narrowed amethyst eyes.
The pharaoh's intimidating gaze is enough to make the Rare Hunter sweat all over as he takes steps back. "Great, not you again," he says to Atem, which confirms the earlier suspicions that this man is someone from his past in Domino.
"Explain to me why you're following her," Atem says.
"Uh…w-who are you talking about?" the hunter asks. He flinches, hearing the inward growl emitting from Atem as well as his angry gaze. "Oh! Y-You mean the child over there…! "
"My child."
The Rare Hunter gulps, taking a step back. "L-Look, I was sent here to get rid of her by my Master."
"And who would that be?"
"Like I'm telling you! Now out of may way!" The man says, aiming a quick punch at Atem who leans back to dodge. Soon, Atem finds himself dodging a barrage of fast punches, a few of them narrowly missing until one comes headed straight for Atem's face.
Narrowing his eyes, Atem lifts up his hand to catch the punch in his palm. The impact is enough to make Atem slide back a few feet, but the pharaoh shows no signs of backing down, much to the dismay of the Rare Hunter.
"Darn it. If I was given a boost of strength, then why am I still struggling?" he grumbles, continuing with the barrage of punches. "He set me up for failure!"
'This is a new side to him,' Atem thinks to himself, dodging the fists that are thrown his way. 'I'm certain he's a lost soul. I saw him get banished to the Shadow Realm with my own eyes. And someone must have granted him a boost in strength. But who?'
"Back off already!" the hunter growls, growing increasingly frustrated. Seeing that the power Marik isn't enough to beat a common person, he takes out a knife from his pocket and swipes down. Atem quickly raises the wrist containing the diadhank, expanding the panels on it to block the sharp blade.
Atem grits his teeth. That was certainly a close call if not for his quick thinking. The Rare Hunter goes to swipe again, but Atem can feel his body being pushed out the way by another individual, causing them to both fall on the floor. Atem quickly looks over, gasping when he sees that it is Joey who saved him. "Joey!" Atem exclaims.
"Are you alright pharaoh?" Joey asks and Atem nods. "That guy looks awfully familiar!"
"Tell me about it."
The Rare Hunter grasps onto his knife tightly. "Why you—!" Seeing a shadow hover over him, he looks up with alarm, seeing a girl swoop down, grabbing hold of his face and slamming him down to the floor. Then she jumps off, with her oversized stuffed animal hanging on her back.
"What do you mean by familiar?" Cairo questions, slightly turning to her father and Joey.
"I've dueled against him during this time period," Atem tells her.
"Yeah!" Joey chimes in. "But he was banished to the Shadow Realm by—"
The fire alarm rings out suddenly, sending a panic through the building as people begin to make a run for it, fearing there may be a fire inside. When Cairo, Joey and Atem look back to where the hunter is standing, they are shocked to see he is gone, already blending into the running crowd.
Cairo sucks her teeth, dropping the stuffed animal and bolting for the door in pursuit of him. 'I was distracted and couldn't sense him initially. Never again.'
"Cairo, hold on!" Atem calls after her. As he tries to catch up, he finds himself within the chaos, being bumped into and pushed, losing her in the process.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
AN: Sorry for the long update! I've been sick this past week and it knocked me on my butt. The updates to my other fanfic will be slow, but they are coming (there's only about two more chapters left for that one).
Hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review!