Author note: The website was down, but it appears to be fixed so re-uploading this chapter so you guys will get an alert. In the future, if the website does that again, try using the app! I've been told the stories upload just fine on there! Enjoy!
Téa sits with an annoyed expression on her face, the veins practically popping out of the side of the head. But that doesn't faze her magician friend one bit. Their faces are inches apart as Mana tries to read Téa's face, past the obvious irritation. Atem sits with one leg crossed over the other as he stares out the window in the limousine, trying to tune everything out. Yugi, on the other hand, does the opposite, totally immersed in Téa and Mana's silent interaction.
The intense stare from Mana causes Téa's eye to twitch and she balls her fists on her lap. "What," Téa mutters between clenched teeth.
"Where ya been these past few weeks, huh?" Mana asks, a cat like smirk appearing on her face.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"I think I already do."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. I'm just waiting on you to say it," Mana replies, finally leaning back in her chair. She has a huge feeling that Téa's absence has been due to the fact that she is pregnant. But so far, Téa is being evasive. She decides not to press her anymore. At least not at this very moment. The truth will come out when they get to the amusement park. If Téa refuses to get on any rides, then the answer will be clear, she thinks to herself.
"Where's Cairo?" Yugi asks, changing the subject.
"With grandpa," Atem answers, still gazing out of the window. "Figured it would be best to not bring her here with all of the paparazzi and a possible appearance by Ziegfried."
"Yeah, good call." The limo finally pulls up to KaibaLand and as always, a feeling of dread overcomes Yugi. It is time do his least favorite thing to do. Will his attempt at avoiding the reporters end in failure like all of the past instances? He looks down the long red carpet that is surrounded by photographers and reporters on each side. Behind them stands a bunch of cheering fans, awaiting the appearance of their favorite duelists, including him and Atem. He gulps before looking at Atem. "Do you mind if Téa and I leave first?"
Atem simply shrugs his shoulders, not caring either way. The door opens and Yugi springs out, taking Téa's hand and they walk briskly to the red carpet. One step. Then two. Then three. Ten, eleven, twelve. Pause. Take some pictures. So far so good. So far so…
Never mind.
Dropping his head in defeat after being bombarded with reporters and endless questions, he finally gives up completely. Maybe he should just come to terms that he is more approachable than his brother. He doesn't have that intimidating look like Atem. As he answers their questions, from the corner of his eye, he watches as Atem and Mana walk down the carpet with ease, pausing to take pictures occasionally. Atem gets a quick question here and there, and he either chooses not to answer, or gives one word answers before keeping it moving. It isn't long before they catch up to Yugi and Téa.
Yugi sighs heavily as the questions continue to come. When will it end? He doesn't want to seem rude by just walking off in the middle of their questions.
"No further questions," Atem says, causing Yugi's head to whip over. Standing next to him is his brother, staring down the cameras. It is a simple phrase, but it seems to have worked. Is that all he really needed to say in order for the questions to stop? Atem's expression is calm, but also shows that what he said is final and the reporters dare not to utter another question. And with that, Yugi is home free, able to 'live' to see another day.
After the cutting of the ribbon, just as it was on the initial opening day, the crowd cheers and enthusiastic park goers ranging from different ages eagerly wait to let be let in. Security presence is high this time around, with men in black suits wearing sunglasses being posted around different areas of the park. And though not as obvious, there are cameras situated on different posts.
In the nearby office, Kaiba looks out the window that has a great view of the majority of the park. Behind him are his employees tapping away on their computers while monitoring what's going on.
'If Ziegfried decides to show up, he's an even bigger fool than I thought," Kaiba thinks to himself, looking down as guests roam freely through the park, going to various attractions. He then looks at the newly built White Lightning ride that is up and running with a long wait time.
Mana groans loudly, slouching over with disappointment. "Here we go again with the massive lines," she complains. "Where's Kisara when you need her?"
"After you passed out the last time, I'm surprised you even want to get back on," Atem says with his arms folded. He is dressed down compared to most days where he would be wearing black pants, a white shirt and a matching black jacket. With the sun beaming down on them, he decided it would be good to break out a grey tank with black rimming along with long black shorts that reach just above his knees. His toned arms are on full display which has some of his female fans gushing as they walk by. But Mana isn't exempt from some attention of her own, wearing blue jean shorts that show off her legs and a white crop top that reads "DUEL" in huge letters.
"Did somebody say my name?" Kisara says, walking up to them wearing a blue romper. Mana beams with excitement, knowing that her blue haired friend will save them from having to wait in the long lines. "You guys ready to have some fun?"
"Hey Kisara!" Yugi greets before frowning. "I guess Kaiba isn't gonna come out today, huh?"
"Not surprising at all," Téa says.
Kisara shakes her head. "You know Seto. Even with all the security and employees in the world, he still feels the need to be hands on with practically everything." She looks to the White Lightning coaster and then back at Mana. "You seriously wanna get back on after last time's incident?"
"It won't happen again!" Mana fumes. "I know what's coming this time!"
Kisara shrugs her shoulders. "Suit yourself."
"I'm gonna pass on this one," Téa says. "I'll be sitting at that bench over there. You guys go ahead."
Mana grins, hovering over next to Téa and bumping shoulders with her. "You're seriously gonna sit this one out?"
Téa folds her arms and turns her head away. "Don't start with me, Mana."
Yugi uses his index finger to scratch his chin and he chuckles nervously, catching the attention of Atem whose eyes scroll over to his brother who begins fidgeting. Though Mana can be over the top, he doesn't think her suspicions are too far fetched. Téa and Yugi have really been laying low the past few weeks and with Téa coming up sick a few times, it is definitely a possibility that they could be expecting.
"How long are you gonna keep this up?" Mana asks.
"Why does it even have to be that? Why can't it be that I'm not feeling this ride today?" There goes that twitching in Téa's eye again. Why doesn't Mana ever know when to give up?
"Because you and Yugi have been keeping to yourselves. Not to mention you two do it like rabbits," Mana replies bluntly, causing everyone's face to go red.
Téa clenches her fists tightly at her sides, trying to prevent herself from bopping Mana on the head. Why is she even surprised by Mana's lack of having a filter? Instead of physical violence, she resorts to yelling at the top of her lungs. "SHUT UP!"
Kisara rolls her eyes as she drags Mana by the back of her shirt as the magician girl protests. "Any more out of you and you won't be around to help with Ziegfried," Kisara mutters.
After bypassing the line, strapping in and ascending up the large hill, Mana grips the handle bars, taking a huge gulp. Her heart begins to race the further up they go and she takes a deep breath, trying to get herself together. She glances over at Kisara who seems to be enjoying the view from up high. Then she looks to her left. In true Atem fashion, he doesn't show any type of emotion. But knowing him, he's probably enjoying this. Yugi, on the other hand, has his eyes closed shut, gripping on the bars for dear life. She inhales deeply when the coaster makes it to the top, creeping up over the edge. She repeats to herself that she isn't scared and that nothing on this ride can faze her. She has faced much scarier things than this. She can handle a roller coaster. Right?
The coaster zooms down the enormous hill, going through its various loops, turns and sudden drops. Kisara raises her hands in the air, enjoying the wind blowing through her hair while Yugi keeps his eyes shut. Atem lets out a light chuckle. "This is even better than I remembered," he says above the loud whooshing sound of the wind and the coaster running on the tracks. "You alright over there, Mana?" He manages to look over and he immediately dims his eyes in disbelief. Her head flops around with a dazed expression after passing out the moment the train went over the edge. "Unbelievable."
Getting off the coaster feels like déja vu to Atem as he carries Mana on his back. After reaching the end of the exit, her head springs up and she shouts, "Again!"
"Absolutely not," Atem replies, his expression still the same as the moment he found her passed out.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
After being able to get on more attractions, they all take a breather in the concessions area. Atem carries two ice cream cones before sitting by Mana on a bench while the others find something to snack on as well. She thanks him before happily indulging in the cold treat. It immediately offers her relief from the blazing sun and she sighs happily.
"So delicious," she comments, leaning back on the bench. "I really wish we could have brought Cairo along. This would've been a nice outing for all of us."
"Yes, but it would've been too risky." He looks out into the crowd of people that walk in opposite directions. They are halfway into the day and still no signs of Ziegfried, let alone any suspicious activity that would put them on alert.
"You think he'll actually try something today?" Her mind is on the same exact thing. So far, things have gone quite smoothly and they have been able to enjoy what KaibaLand has to offer. Is it possible that he won't show up after all? At this point, as much as she would like to end his shenanigans, she hope he doesn't show. They are having way too much fun and it would be a shame for their day to be ruined.
"Who knows," Atem finally responds. "But we still need to be on guard just in case."
Mana looks down with disappointment, his response bringing her back to reality. Regardless of what happens, they still need to be on the lookout.
Kisara walks over to them as she looks at her phone, a frown appearing on her face. Mana tilts her head. "Hey, what's up? Something wrong?"
"Well…"
Yugi joins them as well. "Kaiba wants to meet with us really quick," he reveals, rubbing the back of his head. "Says he needs to discuss more appearances by us in the near future."
"Seriously," Atem says in disbelief. "Today of all days?"
"Might as well get it over with," Mana says shaking her head, though even she is surprised that he would hold a meeting in the middle of his grand reopening. But seeing how much of a workaholic Kaiba is, she guesses they shouldn't be surprised at all.
"Hurry back you guys," Téa says before taking a drink out of her water bottle.
"Yeah and then we can have more fun," Kisara adds in with a smile. Atem only rolls his eyes as he reluctantly goes with Yugi to the nearby office building. Sitting next to Mana, Kisara sighs heavily. "I was really hoping that Seto would somewhat enjoy the moment…even if just for a little while."
"Have things gotten any better in terms of time between the two of you?" Téa asks and Kisara breathes out a sigh once more.
"It doesn't help that he feels that Ziegfried is always up to something which puts him on edge." She brushes the hair out of her face. "I mean his suspicions are definitely justified, don't get me wrong. But still…"
"He's really got a lot on his plate," Mana says and Kisara nods her head.
"But don't worry. Once Ziegfried is out of the picture, that'll be one less thing to worry about," Téa says optimistically.
"Yeah! And then you two will be in honeymoon mode!" Mana exclaims with a smile.
Kisara chuckles lightly. "Thanks guys." She hopes they're right. So far it has been a rocky start between the two of them since they got married thanks to Ziegfried practically destroying KaibaLand and causing it to shut down for months. "Speaking of Ziegfried…I'm surprised he hasn't made some sort of appearance by now."
"I was saying the same thing." Mana slouches over and places her chin on her hand. "How crazy is it that we actually want him to show up?" She chuckles.
"Well while we're waiting, you guys wanna check out the ferris wheel?" Téa asks. "It's near the office building so maybe by the time we get off, Yugi and Atem will be done with their meeting."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Mana jumps up from her seat, dropping the last piece of her ice cream cone in her mouth before wiping her hands clean. "Let's go!"
Fortunately for them, the line isn't that long at all, so they decide to wait as opposed to using Kisara to get to the front of the line. The sun is beginning to set, casting a brilliantly red and orange hue in the sky. Téa can't help but think of how captivating the view of the sunset will look once they get on the ferris wheel. And in addition to that, they will be able to see the entire park. The line proceeds forward a little before stopping.
Mana stands on her tiptoes, impatiently waiting to get on. "Almost there!"
"You can be such a kid sometimes, you know that?" Kisara comments with dimmed eyes. A hard nudge from behind her almost causes her to trip forward and she quickly catches her footing before whipping her head back to see who has bumped into her. "Excuse me. That was ru—" She gasps mid sentence, seeing men dressed in all black, grinning down at her. Without taking her eyes off them, she taps Mana on the shoulder.
"Yes?" Mana twirls around obliviously, her eyes initially on Kisara until her friend points at the men in front of her. Her aquamarine eyes go wide. "Uh…"
"What are you guys going on about?" Téa asks, turning around just in time as the men pull out different weapons from inside their bulky jackets.
"Might wanna get everyone out of the area," Mana says back to Téa and then she looks past one of the men, seeing three maidens on a horse, standing at a close distance. Placing one hand on her hip and the other scratching her head, Mana raises an eyebrow. "Now when in the world did they show up?"
"They must've been waiting around until Yugi and Atem weren't here," Kisara assumes, narrowing her eyes. "Pretty bold of you guys to be doing this right here and now. Though I'm not surprised."
"Where is he?" Mana asks, referring to Ziegfried's whereabouts, but none of them respond. She is tired of him hiding behind his monsters and goons. A tall, muscular and bulky man that stands in the middle, catches her attention and she groans, remembering him from when they snuck in Ziegfried's park. "Thought we did away with you."
"You thought wrong," he replies with a grin.
"Let's get rid of his henchmen first. And then we'll go for the Valkyries," Kisara suggests and Mana nods in agreement. "Be mindful of the guests."
"You got it." She eyes the muscular henchman and charges at him first, engaging in hand to hand combat with him as Téa scrambles to get onlookers to a safer distance.
Meanwhile in Kaiba's office, Yugi and Atem stand across from his desk as he multi-tasks by typing on his computer as usual, detailing the dates and locations of their next appearances. Atem taps his finger on his arm with his arms crossed, growing increasingly agitated and impatient. He doesn't understand why this couldn't have waited until another day or if anything, he could've sent it to their email and they could have logged in the dates of their appearances on their calendars themselves.
"This really couldn't have waited, huh," Yugi whispers over to Atem.
"You know Kaiba likes to hear himself talk," Atem mutters back.
Feeling his phone vibrate, Yugi reaches into his pocket to view a text from Téa. She is asking him where he is and raises an eyebrow. "Hm…? She knows I'm at the office," he says to himself, texting her back. Then she responds with asking him how much longer are they going to take and he looks at the message questionably.
Mana grunts as she hits the ground, holding the huge hand around her neck as she struggles to break free while spectators look on. The bulky intruder that has given her a run for her money in the past, chuckles with a sadistic grin on his face. "Any last words?"
"Y-Yeah." She closes her eyes briefly and then reopens them, revealing her glowing pink eyes. "Get off." She outstretches her hands, shooting a magical blast that blows him off of her, landing him next to the other two henchman that Kisara defeated with ease.
"Alright, let's go for the maidens next," Kisara says, opening her mouth and shooting a powerful blue wave at the three of them while Mana uses her hands to fire off another blast.
Mana smirks. "Direct hit," she predicts, seeing that the three Valkyries haven't made an attempt to move. But at the last minute, all three of them suddenly use their shields to protect themselves and to Kisara and Mana's horror, their attacks get aimed right back at them.
"No way!" Mana yells before crossing her arms over her face as she and Kisara get blown back into two different directions. Kisara lands in a nearby bush while Mana gets blown back toward the office. Quickly recovering and feeling annoyed, Kisara tries it once more, shooting another attack toward the maidens.
"Kisara, no!" Téa yells, knowing what the outcome will be.
All of the computer screens that the employees are working on shut off suddenly, leaving them unable to monitor what's going in the park. "Mr. Kaiba, it seems someone has hacked into our system and there also appears to be a disturbance in the park from what I last saw," one of his workers reports. Kaiba, Atem and Yugi all turn their attention to her, waiting on her to say more, but when she looks up toward the window behind them, her eyes go wide in fear.
"Well? Spit it out! What is it?" Kaiba snaps, feeling on edge and testy by her hesitation. She only responds by pointing behind them and they all turn around just in time to see Mana being blown back toward the window, crashing through the glass. The shards from the glass slashes through her clothes and skin and Atem immediately runs up to catch her just before she hits the floor.
"Mana, what—"
She gasps, seeing another one of Kisara's attacks being deflected as it heads toward them. "Darn it Kisara. If it didn't work the first time…" She jumps out of Atem's arms, whipping out her wand to form a protective shield around the whole building to protect everyone from harm and the blast collides with her shield. Gritting her teeth and letting out a cry, she pushes through the pain until the blast finally disappears before collapsing in Atem's arms.
"I need a nap…" Mana says in a daze and she passes out shortly after.
He shakes her lightly. "Mana, now's not a good time." He narrows his eyes, glancing at Yugi who nods, taking out his card and rushing out of the office. Then he looks down to observe Mana's injuries.
Kaiba walks up to the window and takes note of the maidens standing across from Kisara holding shields. "I see."
"What is it?" Atem asks, looking up.
"Kisara and or Mana must've attacked those maidens and they used their shields to deflect it. That would explain Mana crashing here and the second wave by Kisara."
"So he has more tricks up his sleeve." Atem gazes back down and Mana stirs a little, slightly scrunching her face. Getting hit by her own attack, let alone Kisara's isn't something to take lightly. But since her injuries seem mild, he has no doubt that she will be able to heal herself. He gently lays Mana down and stands to his feet. "Look after Mana for me." Seto watches from the corner of his eye as Atem runs out of the office to join the others.
"Go Celtic Guardian!" Yugi commands as it clashes swords with Valkyrie Dritte, Erste and Brunhilde while Kisara is on standby, trying to recover. At first Celtic Guardian is able to hold its own, but battling against three powerful maidens soon becomes too much and one manages to slash the guardian's shoulder. Yugi hisses, holding onto his own shoulder as Téa looks on worriedly.
"Be careful Yugi!"
Another Valkyrie takes this opportunity to land another blow, but is quickly intercepted by Atem's Dark Magician. "Are you alright?" Atem asks, joining his brother's side.
Yugi chuckles. "Yeah, just a scratch."
They notice the Valkyries exchanging looks, and they start to flee in a ball of light. "Oh no you don't!" Atem exclaims and he, Yugi and Kisara run after them. As the three balls of light try to make an escape, they zap sporadically in different locations, hitting any leftover cameras that are on the way. Kisara and Atem exchange looks and then set their eyes on the maidens while they are in their current form. "Dark Magic Attack!" Atem commands and his Dark Magician obeys, aiming his green wand while simultaneously, Kisara shoots out a blast from her mouth in an attempt to stop them. The attacks make contact, and the three beams of light fall down at a distance.
"Over there!" Yugi exclaims, pointing in the direction of where they've fallen. But before they can further pursue them, an explosion occurs by the Kaiba Dome, causing panic in the park.
"Oh no!" Yugi cries out. Across from the dome, another explosion occurs by the White Lightning.
"That monster," Kisara says between clenched teeth, looking toward the direction of where the beams of light descended on. She runs off in pursuit of Ziegfried on her own.
"Kisara, wait!" Atem calls after her.
"Come on! We gotta make sure no one is hurt!" Yugi exclaims and they both rush off.
As they head over, Atem receives a call on his cellphone from Mana and he quickly answers. "You're up."
"Kaiba and I are headed to the rollercoaster. Can you guys handle the Kaiba Dome?"
"Got it."
Kaiba and Mana reach the loading dock of the rollercoaster after the explosion. There is a gap in the middle of the tracks and a train full of people still running. All of the workers have left in a panic, leaving the remaining train still on its climb on the hill. Kaiba runs over to the controls.
"Geez. What is this guy's obsession with explosions?" Mana asks, looking on as the train makes it to the top. Then her eyes scroll down to the bottom of the drop, where there is a huge gap in between the tracks.
"Like me, his company used to have a military department."
They don't have much time to spare. Soon, the train will be speeding down the hill and off the broken tracks. Kaiba's eyes finally lands on a huge red button that says 'EMERGENCY' in large black text and he slams his fist down on it, in hopes that it will stop the train. He looks ahead and growls when he sees the train still going, and he presses the button multiple times to no avail.
He slams his fists down in frustration. "It's not working."
"Magic Portal!" Mana yells with her wand out, causing a dark blue portal to appear in front of her and she jumps inside of it.
"Mana!" Kaiba yells as the portal disappears. He looks to the gap in the tracks where another portal appears and Mana jumps out of it, standing right in front of the oncoming train. It begins to make its decent and she holds out her wand, grasping it with two hands.
A pink aura appears around her and the train that speeds toward her. She closes her eyes, chanting a spell that will get it to stop. She knows that she doesn't have a lot of time. If she can't get the train to stop in time, numerous people will get hurt. The passengers on the train scream in horror, seeing the gap in the tracks fast approaching.
"Come on!" Mana yells. Her arms begin to shake as she uses all of her strength to get the train to stop. She can see that it is slowing down, but not fast enough. She lets out one last cry, and a bright beam of light emits from her wand. A strong force slows the train dramatically, the wheels come to a halt and it screeches down the tracks. Mana shuts her eyes and continues to grasp her wand. "Almost…come on…" She feels a light bump on her knee and she slowly opens her eyes and blinks when she is face to face with one of the passengers who looks just as shocked as she is that the train is at a complete stop.
"Uh…hi," a teenaged passenger says and Mana returns a nervous grin, rubbing the back of her head.
After getting everyone out of the dome safely, Celtic Guardian swipes at a nearby fire hydrant causing the water to shoot out and Dark Magician uses his magic to aim the water at the dome to extinguish the flames. Yugi sighs somewhat in relief. "At least no one was hurt." He watches as Téa helps escort the guest to a safe area.
"Atem!" Mana calls out to him as she and Kaiba reach them with Dark Magician Girl flying at their side.
"Where's Kisara?" Kaiba asks.
His question is answered when a huge beam of light shoots into the sky, followed by a loud growl. His eyes widen in horror when he sees what follows next. Its blue wings spread out as it floats in the air, letting out its signature roar. Bystanders look into the sky with a mixture of fascination and confusion, wondering if it's a hologram or if the dragon flying at a distance is real.
"Is that…" Atem starts off, looking on with surprise.
"Kisara." Kaiba clenches his fists at his side. Knowing that she hardly ever summons the Blue Eyes White Dragon, he is almost certain that she is in trouble. And worse. She could be out of commission due to the amount of energy it takes to summon it. Without another word, he dashes off into the direction of the dragon, fearing the worst.
YGOYGOYGOYGOYGO
Looks like Kisara may have gotten herself into some trouble! Stay tuned! Leave a review!