Chapter 1
Domino City
Areku was awakened by the air pressure changing as the plane landed. After gathering their stuff, and getting their other bags from Baggage Claim, Areku suddenly said, "Wait! Hold up, Reiken!" she told him. Reiken abruptly stopped, turning around, "What now, Areku-ne-chan?" he asked, before Areku pulled a coat out of her bag. It was a floor-length, black leather trench coat. Reiken could only laugh as he asked, "You gonna pull out your Yami Bakura wig next?" Areku shook her head, "No, that's at the apartment in a box." She reminded him, as though she would put it on if she had it. Her waist length, raven black hair swayed as they walked outside, picking a Taxi, Areku gave the driver directions, before sitting inside beside her brother.
"Oh, and don't forget that mom said we need to introduce ourselves to our neighbor, " Reiken said, as they pulled up to the apartment complex, "because he's…"
"He's our age," quoted Areku for the thousandth time, "You've only told me 20 times since we left." Areku told him, rolling her eyes as she paid the driver, and gave him a little tip, "Arrigato." She said, getting her stuff out of the trunk of the taxi, and beginning the walk up, to the 4th floor of the complex. Reiken laughed, "Well I can't be sure with you. Sometimes you totally ignore me, and other times you seen to be hanging on my every word." He told her. Areku shook her head as she unlocked the door, "It's called being siblings." She told her brother, setting down her two other bags. All their furniture was sitting in the room to the left of them, and most of their boxes where strewn around them. She sighed, "Well, time to unpack." She told Reiken, who groaned, "Can't we do it tomorrow?" he asked, going into the other room and flopping down on the couch, Areku sighed, "No, because we have school tomorrow." She told him, glaring, throwing a light box at him she said, "Now get up."
Reiken sighed, "Your as bad as mom." He said, getting up and grabbing a pocket knife from the bag he picked from baggage claim, ripping the box open he sighed, "This one is yours, ne-chan!" he told her, setting down a large box of Yugioh cards. He grabbed another box before walking upstairs to start putting his room in order, 3 different boxes in his arms. When he was near the top of the stairs, one of them fell from the top of the stairs, a large crash sounded. Areku blinked, getting one of the kitchen knives, she opened the box to find her Tinkerbell lamp, smashed into about a million pieces. She glared up at Reiken, "You are so DEAD!" she shouted, making Reiken run into his room, locking the door. Areku sighed in irritation, setting the box aside. 'Great. Now it's a jigsaw puzzle.' She thought, setting it on the counter, she glanced over on the couch to see a pile of school uniforms. There were 5 sets for her and 5 for Reiken.
Her uniform consisted of a short, blue skirt, a pink jacket with a blue ribbon, a white shirt, and a blue ribbon for her hair. Reiken's was a white shirt, blue pants and jacket. Somehow it looked familiar, though. She shook her head. It probably just looked similar to something in one of her Anime. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, thought, and Reiken yelled downstairs, "Get the door!" Areku leaped over the couch, walking over to the door she opened it to see a boy with long, silver white hair and chocolate brown eyes. She gasped, almost dropping the box she was holding, 'What the hell? Is he a cosplayer? What, do Japanese people like… live in those costumes or something?!' she thought, as she said, "Hello…"
The boy in front of her smiled gently, "Hello. I heard I had new neighbors and I thought I'd come introduce myself. I'm Ryou Bakura." He said. Areku only blinked for a few seconds, in her own little world, before she said, "Oh! I'm Areku Tino. My brother, Reiken, is upstairs. If you want, you can come in… everything is still fairly messy, but you can help…" another crash sounded from upstairs, and she flinched, "… if you have time." She said, before shouting, "What did you break now?!" upstairs. Reiken laughed nervously, "It was something of mine… no worry." He told her. Areku sighed, irritated, she shuffled around boxes to get to the closet, finding a broom she said, "Open your door!" When it finally did open, she hurtled the broom at her brother, soft side first. Then she threw the dustpan up as well.
During the commotion between the two siblings, Ryou was looking around the room. In one extra large pile were boxes, labeled in large sharpie with game names. One of them was labeled, 'Monster World', the others had more of lists on them. Chess, Go, Up-Words, and on top of all the large boxes set a small, bright purple box with the words 'Finals Winning Deck' on it. "You play Duel Monsters, Areku-san?" he asked, picking up the box. Areku turned around, blinking, "Huh? Oh. Yeah, but it's been a while since I played for fun." She said, smiling, before her brother threw down the broom and dustpan, shouting, "Stop trying to get out of chores!" Areku ducked, catching the broom, but missing the dustpan, which clattered down into the kitchen, "I'm the younger one! I should get to do more stuff than you!" Areku told him, sticking her tongue out. Reiken hissed at her, "Your only younger by 10 minutes! That doesn't count!"
Ryou sweatdropped, "Bring your deck to school tomorrow. We can play during free period." He told Areku, before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Areku blinked, 'I didn't get to say bye…' she thought. Meanwhile, in the apartment beside them, Bakura sat on Ryou's sofa, smirking as he sensed the presence of something he had been waiting for along time.
Areku – Dreaming
Areku blinked as she looked around her, before gasping, 'I'm… floating! And there's… sand under me?' she thought, before another familiar voice called out. It was Shadi, "So… the time has finally come. Come closer, child." Shadi told her. Areku, uneasily, tried walking, which seemed to work. Soon, she was in arm's reach of Shadi. "Now it's time to see if I am correct, with a little test." He said, taking out a pendant in the shape of the Eye of Wedjat, hanging from a golden chain. Areku gasped, immediately backing up, "No way! I know what happens if I fail this test, and it's not just getting a big red 'F' on the top of a paper!" she said. She had never seen this piece of jewelry, and yet she knew what she thought it was. A Sennen Item. 'She's the one, Shadi. I'm sure of it.' A woman's voice said, as if coming from all around them. Shadi nodded, "I bid you: take these." He said, holding out a card and the Pendant. Areku gulped, she had a bad feeling about this but… she reached out and took the two items, but as soon as she touched it, she was swallowed up by darkness.
Reality
Areku awoke with the pendant in hand, along with a card she recognized, making her shudder as she looked down at Dark Necrofear. She couldn't go back to sleep as she stared at the pendant. 'Well… worst case scenario, is I get a evil, narcissistic, and possibly gay or bi Yami… and the best case scenario is that my hair gives me super-strength. Well, either way… if I was meant to have it, I might as well wear it." She thought, taking off the silver butterfly, with pink jewels for wings, and replacing it with the Sennen Pendant. Nothing happened, and she sighed. 'I guess this one just does something… no Yamis.' She thought, laying back down.
The next morning, Areku woke up to Reiken's bed, made and empty. It wasn't until she looked at the clock that she gasped, "8:00! I'm late!" she shouted, running out of the door, a piece of toast in her mouth. Eating it as she skated to school, she stuffed her skates in the cubbie, before grabbing the white shoes you wear in the school. She pulled out a map of the school, before finding her classroom, Reiken standing outside the door. Areku sighed, "Don't tell me your already in trouble." She said as she punched Reiken on the shoulder, "And that's for not waking me up, dumbass." She growled at him. Reiken didn't answer as the teacher called the two in and introduced them to the class.
Ryou looked around, listening to what people were saying about the twins, before he asked Yugi, "Was it like this when I moved here?" Yugi nodded, "Yeah, pretty much." He said, before Joey cut in, "But you said they moved in next door?" he said, Ryou nodded, "Yeah, and she's bringing her duel monsters deck." He told them, before Yugi started thinking, "…What did you say her name was?" he asked, Ryou smiled, "It was Areku Tino." He told Yugi again, who gasped in surprise, "Hey! She was the Duel Monsters Champion from Europe! I saw it on the Card Games Channel!"
"Alright, Areku, you can take the seat by Ryou, and Reiken… you can take the seat beside Tea." No sooner did the two sit down, before they were swarmed. Reiken was swooped off by the girls to be shown around the school, much like Ryou had been done on the first day. He sweatdropped, before he went out of sight. Areku was swarmed around by people asking questions, all of which making her sort of confused, before Joey came to the rescue, "Hey, back off'a her!" he shouted, making the class disperse back to their seats. Areku giggled, "Thanks." She said, Ryou tapping her on the shoulder, making her turn around.
"Hello, again." He said, before saying, "Guys, meet Areku. Areku meet from left to right, my friends Yugi Moto, Tea Gardner, Joey Wheeler, and Tristan Taylor." He said, pointing out all of the gang. Areku nodded, smiling before she remembered, "Oh! I brought my deck!" she said, digging in her purse, she found the green deck box, smiling, before a voice behind her made her jump a bit, dropping the box, the Velcro piece, which had just barely been hanging on the box from being so old, finally busted, and cards spilled everywhere. "And might I ask where you came by that pendant?" Ryou blinked before saying, "Oh, and this is Atem." Areku waved, as she began picking up her cards with Yugi's help, he smiled as he said, "Oh! You have a Magician Deck!" he said. Areku didn't answer.
"Areku you okay?" Ryou asked her, bending down by her he noticed, "You look pale…" he told her, holding his hand up to her head, she had a light fever. "I'm fine." Areku insisted, swaying a bit, "just… dizzy." And with that, she fainted. "AREKU!" Ryou and Yugi shouted, Ryou catching her.