Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! and its cast. All I own is my OC!
- o - o - o -
CHAPTER III:
Unintentional Accidents Move The Gears Of Fate
- o - o - o -
"Someone looks like they're in a hurry today." My father commented when he saw me tying my shoes and then abruptly standing to grab an umbrella from the rack by the door.
The day hadn't graced us with a fine morning, the sky deeming it the perfect opportunity to release a light drizzle instead. While the prospect of staying at home and preparing for the upcoming entrance exam tomorrow would be the more important thing in my agenda, a part in me still begged to return to that game shop and rebuild my deck.
Most people call it procrastinating but I'm pretty sure I can handle the exam they would be giving me. I've been studying the possible contents of the exam the moment mother decided that we would be moving to Domino City, after all. That's three months of studying, something no normal teen my age could even stomach to do.
The books I've compiled for it are just repeating the same problems, to be honest. It's become repetitive to the point that I've memorized most of the techniques for each question that would be asked. I'm pretty sure I deserve at least a day to rest before the exam.
"I'm meeting mother at the museum at 1pm. It's obvious that she's still avoiding Mutou Suguroku so I'll be doing the delivery before I head on over to see her."
"That's a surprise. If memory serves me right, you were just as reluctant as your mother when I asked you to do the errand."
I turn red from embarrassment at my father's remark, my expression obviously not going unnoticed when I saw his lips tug up in a teasing manner.
"He owns a card shop." I sighed in defeat, my father's smile erupting into a chuckle before patting me on the head.
"Should've known. Besides bookstores, card shops also seem to pique your interest whenever we went on outings."
I shrugged his hand off with a frown, knowing well that his teasing had hit a bull's-eye. My father raised his hand in mock surrender, the laughter never seeming to leave his eyes when he did so.
"Alright. I'll stop the teasing. You and Masika make it so easy sometimes that I tend to overdo it."
I really am my mother's daughter. While it's true that father has a terrible streak of teasing us, mother and I just can't seem to stay mad at him for long.
"I'm off now." I finally decide to say, giving my father a quick hug for goodbye before dashing out the door.
"I'm leaving the food in the microwave, Michi! Make sure your mother eats dinner, alright."
"Sure!" I quickly waved at my father before turning to the corner that led to the stairs.
- o - o - o -
The light drizzle had turned into a downpour by the time I made it to Kame Game.
The soft jingle of the store's doorbell resounded in the small shop when I entered, my eyes excitedly perusing each shelf with fascination while I put away my umbrella at the rack by the side of the store's entrance.
"Welcome!" A woman greeted me from the counter's area, her smile welcoming to which I returned the gesture with my own.
"I'm looking for Mutou Suguroku. I'm here to deliver to him a letter." I explained my visit before taking out the envelope with Suguroku's name on it. "I'm the daughter of an old acquaintance of his."
"My father-in-law is upstairs arranging his things at the moment. He'll be down here in a few minutes so take your time to look around while I call him over."
"Don't mind if I do." I nod with a smile before watching her walk to the back door of the shop.
My eyes returned to the shelves after the woman had left, my nerves already preparing themselves to meet this man that made my mother cower to even see him. Although, it is surprising that Suguroku had a daughter-in-law... I thought for sure he'd be the type to never really settle down.
Mother's stories made me think that he was some sort of adventurer that never stayed in one place, his wanderlust having taken him nearly around the world to challenge the games presented to him.
The chiming of the shop's bell made me look away from the shelves I had been inspecting, my eyes landing on a woman with piercing blue eyes. Her features reminded me of my mother's- hair dark as night and skin kissed by the harsh rays of desert sun.
She must be from the middle-eastern part of the country.
"Excuse me, but where may I inquire as to the whereabouts of Mutou Yugi?" She asked me, her terms taking me by surprise due to their formality.
I didn't have the chance to reply though (thankfully) when the sound of footsteps echoed behind us, my body turning to see a face that nearly made me choke on my own spit.
When the woman had meant Mutou Yugi- I didn't think she meant the 'King of Games' Mutou Yugi.
It was really him- in the flesh.
I had suddenly felt ten times conscious now. I mean, who wouldn't be. He was on every page of the gaming magazines ever since he won against Pegasus and easily conquered the Battle City Tournament not too long ago.
I had always admired his style of dueling whenever I got the chance to watch his matches during the Battle City Tournament on TV. It was like the cards responded well to him, always appearing at the right moment he needed them. He had an air of confidence in him whenever he was in the dueling ring- as if he was a different person altogether.
He looked like an unreachable star to a casual duelist like me and yet- even though I knew that he lived here in Domino City- I didn't think that fate would be so kind as to bless me with meeting him.
It really is a small world.
"Ah, Ishizu-san! Everyone's upstairs already." Yugi nodded to the woman, my presence almost hidden since I deliberately placed myself by the corner of the shop due to nervousness.
"Huh? He didn't come with you? What about the meeting?" Yugi added, his brows furrowing in confusion as if expecting someone else besides the woman named Ishizu.
Ishizu shook her head at his query, a knowing look in her eyes as she spoke. "He needed some time alone. He suggested we go ahead and fill him in when he returns..."
Yugi slouched in a dejected manner at this announcement. "Oh... Alright. I'll let them know." He sighed before gesturing to the back room he came out from.
"Everyone's upstairs. We'll let them know what he said.
"Very well. Then allow me to move on ahead." She dipped her head slightly in a poised acknowledgement before her gaze briefly fell to me, prompting me to freeze like a deer caught in headlights when Yugi followed her stare.
"Oh! I didn't notice that there was a customer," he chuckled embarrassingly, his prior dampened mood easily overtaken by a slightly more cheerful demeanor. "You can go ahead, Ishizu-san. I'll just finish this up." He added to the woman before she disappeared into the back of the shop, leaving me alone with the King of Games himself.
"Anything we can help you with, miss?" It was Yugi who started the conversation, prompting me to nearly jump out of my skin from the surprise question he threw at me.
"I-," I gulped. How does one even approach this? My lack of proper friends had denied me the ability to properly hold a conversation without letting it turn into an awkward one.
Spontaneous conversations were never my thing. Even when it came to vendors or the occasional sales lady, I always made sure I readied my desired purchases before even daring to speak to them. That's why they always made me uncomfortable whenever they hovered over me while suggesting that I should buy every shirt I decide to examine.
Only family members seemed to be excused from this though but that's only because they've seen every embarrassing side of me that I know they'd love me regardless of it.
Strangers, especially those whom I wanted to leave a good first impression, were always the ones that made me nervous.
"You're looking for cards, right?" Yugi's question snapped me back to reality, my eyes refocusing to see him smiling patiently while waiting for me to reply.
When I had first watched Kaiba Seto duel, he had an air about him that showed he was an exceptional duelist backed up with overwhelming arrogance. All of his opponents were nothing but insects he took pride in disposing of, rendering them incapable of ever picking up a card again.
At first, I believed that only Seto had exhibited such a characteristic but then there also came Bandit Keith, Insector Haga, and Dinosaur Ryuzaki- all of whom won prestigious awards and had arrogance to back it up as well. It was what made me believe that they were all unattainable beings we could never hope to walk side-by-side with and yet-
Here before me was the King of them all- a welcoming and humble presence compared to his fellow duelists.
"Y-yes, I am looking for cards, no, I mean I also have an errand and-," I stopped talking to prevent making a fool of myself further, my lips trembling to an embarrassed frown at my terrible first impression in front of Yugi himself.
"Take your time. The shop's open until seven in the evening so I can wait."
Once again, his reassuring words seem to ease my nervousness, allowing me to muster a sheepish smile.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm not very good with conversations... I came here because of an errand but, well-" I paused again to regain my bearings when I realized I was rambling and then continued calmly, "I also wanted to buy some cards for my deck as well..."
"An errand? Oh, you must be the one my mother was talking about." I was inwardly thankful that Yugi chose that question to ask, considering that I had yet to choose a card pack and him asking for what I like from the packs they sold felt too embarrassing to admit.
I didn't want him to judge my choices when I wasn't ready to receive the criticism, so I really am grateful that he opted to ask about the errand first.
"Y-Yes, the one and only. My mother told me to give this letter to a Mutou Suguroku. She's an old friend of his during her stay in Egypt." I tried to rifle for the envelope in my messenger bag only to end up pulling not only the envelope but my deck as well.
I never got the chance to buy a holder for my deck, considering I never played in a competitive match and opted instead to collect them, so my cards had been neatly stacked and held together by a flimsy rubber band. The same rubber band that decided to be useless at the inopportune moment and had sent my cards scattering on the floor and in front of Yugi of all people.
I've been told that you could tell a lot about a duelist by how they treat their cards. It is also said that regardless of skill, the moment one has owned even a single card, one can have the right to call themselves a duelist... So long as they know how to respect the cards they consider their allies.
A deck without a holder and secured only by a thin rubber band will really cause a terrible first impression...
"I-I'm sorry!" I hastily apologized before immediately getting down on my knees to collect my scattered cards. "I was also hoping to buy it a holder but never got the chance since the card shop back at our old home was a city away and-,"
"N-no, it's fine." Yugi assured me again when he knelt to help me pick up my cards, another surprising observation given I'd have expected him to reprimand me for putting my cards in such a terrible condition.
"Y-you're not mad?" I asked and winced when I realized that I had spoken that out loud.
Yugi's eyes widened with surprise at my question before a chuckle unlike anything I've heard of resounded within the shop. The closest I could describe it was that it was mellow, almost kind, and very warm. Not an ounce of a mocking tone in them, a genuine laugh that described its owner very well.
"Why would I be mad? I have friends who don't have holders for their deck but treat it with the same care." He admitted before picking up a card and handing it to me. "The cards you have all look to be well taken care of. Even without a holder, you obviously make sure that they aren't affected by the wear and tear. The edges of your cards are barely damaged and the cards themselves have little to no creases at all."
I...didn't think of it that way. I always assumed that without a holder, people were always quick to judge, the same way duelists usually looked down upon shuffling their cards using the riffle or dovetail shuffle. I didn't expect Yugi to actually assure me that he didn't think of me any less of a duelist because I didn't have a holder for my cards.
"I... Um-," I wanted to thank him for saying such nice things, and maybe ask for an apology since I did misjudge him, but never got to when a voice echoed from the back of the shop that I had now assumed led to Yugi's house.
"Yugi? Everyone's looking for you." The voice called out, a timid tone that would've been easily missed if it weren't for the fact that I was the only one currently in the shop.
Wavy reddish-purple hair that bordered near magenta tumbled elegantly in thick volumes until the small of her back, her honey-brown eyes were doe-like and innocent, matching her oval yet petite face as if she were a porcelain doll.
She was dressed in a simple pastel teal short-sleeved dress that reached below her knees, the color accentuating her almost pale skin in the brightly lit shop. She was peeking by the doorway, hesitantly observing us from her position.
"Sorry, Meikou." Yugi apologized to the woman named Meikou. "I'm still helping the customer so maybe the others can start without me?" He added, prompting me to widen my eyes at what he had just said.
"N-no need!" I blurted out, both of them shifting their attention to me. "I mean, I can come back tomorrow. We live nearby so I don't want to keep you waiting."
"Eh? Are you sure? I mean, we have the whole day so I'm positive they can wait-,"
"I'm positive." This time it was my turn to assure him that it was time for me to go. "B-besides, I originally came here to give the envelope to Mutou Suguroku. I'm supposed to meet my mother at the museum at 1pm and it's already 12:30-," I elaborated before hastily thanking Yugi when I took the remaining cards from his hands. I carefully wrapped them inside my handkerchief this time before returning them in my bag.
"I-I don't want to impose so I'm going now," I bowed and handed the envelope to Yugi. "I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow in the afternoon." I promise him before quickly backing away to take my umbrella.
I got too carried away. Of course Yugi would be very busy, being the King of Games, and all. I had almost forgotten his prior conversation with the woman who called herself Ishizu... Apparently they were waiting for her and another person before I had intervened.
His mother probably assumed that Yugi would be quick since I did explain that I'm merely here to give the envelope. That's probably why they sent the girl named Meikou down...
His kindness and patience is really something. To actually take the time to help me, a complete stranger, when he knows people are waiting for him- that's why I couldn't afford to trouble him any further.
"I-If you'll excuse me." I bowed for the nth time that day before opening my umbrella and exiting the shop, making sure that the blush from embarrassment creeping up my neck wasn't noticed by Yugi and Meikou.
-3rd Person PoV-
"Who was that, Yugi?" Meikou asked her cousin after watching the woman that had dash out of the shop in a hurried manner.
"A customer, supposedly." Yugi answered, his eyes never leaving the shop's door from where she left.
"Supposedly?"
"She was only 'supposed' to deliver a letter to grandpa but had thought about buying a holder and a few card packs when she came here." Yugi explained before returning his gaze back to his cousin with a smile, "I guess it's time for us to head on up then. I'm pretty sure I've kept them waiting."
"Jounouchi and Honda were getting pretty riled up in a game they were playing from your collection. Anzu begged me to come and get you before they embarrass themselves further in front of Ishizu-san..."
"Meikou?" Yugi prodded his cousin when he noticed she had trailed off, the look of defeat slowly encroaching her once optimistic eyes.
"Ishizu-san also told me about Atem..."
It seems that Anzu's pep talk hadn't gotten through to her after all, the guilt of what the gods had told them weighing her down into an abyss of self-loathing. She had even gone so far as to avoid Atem ever since that day, the Pharaoh practically torn at how to approach her.
Maybe that's why Atem couldn't bring himself to come back and join the meeting. He must have assumed that since Meikou wasn't speaking to him, then it meant that he had done something wrong.
If only he had spoken to her, then he'd realize what was really wrong. Yugi didn't have the right to tell it to Atem what Meikou was feeling, that conversation was reserved to the both of them. It was a problem they both had to resolve between themselves. That is, if only they could set aside their own self-deprecating moments and actually talk it out for once.
"I'm sorry." Meikou admitted in a form of a mumbled apology. "All I ever seem to do is trouble those around me. First with my parents and then that time when Marik used me, Jounouchi and Anzu as a leverage against you and Atem...
"I know how much it pained you. The thought of both Atem and I leaving. I chose him and the afterlife over you and the future." Meikou hugged herself, unable to face her own cousin in the eyes. The very cousin whose family took her in when she lost hers. The same cousin whom she considered like her own brother.
The kindness he and his friends offered her even after she chose to walk away from them- she didn't deserve that. Meikou was always the optimistic one of their group - that's why she and Anzu got along - but, right now, after hearing what she had done in her past life as Nephthys, Meikou knew that not even her positivity could save her from this inescapable fate she pulled herself and Atem into.
"Even after all that...I'm so sorry, Yugi. I-," when Yugi had stopped her by placing his hand gently over her shoulder, Meikou knew the tears would fall.
He had always been too forgiving.
"Maybe I had been too selfish..." Yugi admitted after a bout of silence, Meikou's eyes widening a bit at his unusual declaration.
Him? Selfish? Yugi was anything but that. He had always been the one who sacrificed the most even before all this. Giving Jounouchi his star chip so that he could participate in the Duelist Kingdom, giving him the money so Jounouchi could use it to get Shizuka's eyes operated on, and many more. In the journeys they've gone through, he even chose to risk his life to save Atem when the seal of Orichalcos tried to take their souls... He was the epitome of selfless and for him to call himself selfish didn't sit well with Meikou.
"Yugi-,"
"When you and Atem were leaving... A part of me wished too hard that it didn't have to happen." Yugi shook his head to stop Meikou after he spoke, knowing well what his cousin was thinking. He sometimes wondered why people put him on such a high pedestal. He was human too after all and, like every human being, was capable of making mistakes.
"Maybe I've been pushing my luck far too many times... I guess this time they weren't going to make my wish come true unless it came with consequences." Yugi smiled sadly. "I just... I didn't want it to end yet... Even though it had to happen. Even though it was time for you both to go... I thought to myself that it just felt too soon to let go."
"We really are cousins." Meikou sniffed, wiping her tears away before flashing him a somber smile.
The silent stare between the two relatives carried with it their intended words. Unspoken though it was, they knew deep inside them what each wanted to convey.
"You know Atem deserves to know this too, right?" The mention of the Pharaoh's name was enough to make Meikou freeze, her eyes turning away from her cousin's form.
"I wish I could tell him but-," the words never left her mouth when her eyes noticed something on the ground behind her cousin.
"Is that- a card?" she couldn't help but say, her cousin following her gaze to see a face-down duel monsters card on the ground near the shop's entrance.
Yugi recalled the customer who had accidentally spilled her cards on the ground, his brows furrowing with worry when he approached the fallen card. "This isn't good. She must've forgotten it when she hurriedly left the shop."
"Although, she did mention that she would return tomorrow..." Yugi trailed off before picking up the card, his body growing rigid with shock after he had flipped the card over.
Meikou noticed that her cousin had frozen on the spot, curiosity getting the best of her when she decided to approach him.
"Yugi what's wro-," she never finished her sentence when her eyes landed on the card her cousin held, color draining from her face at the golden eyes of the monster that glared at them with a ferocity of a warrior.
The monster in the picture was that of a woman, or rather, a half-human- the head taking the form of a fierce lioness that wore a nemes crown with a sun disc upon her head. She was dressed in a sleeveless blood-red linen dress that hugged her figure and reached until the ground like flowing lava. A gold mankhet lined with carnelian gems hung beneath her shoulder blades while a gold rope and a black sash was tied loosely around her waist. Her hands were raised up until her shoulders, the right grasping a scepter made of papyrus while the other held the ankh of life.
"That card-," Meikou couldn't help but shudder, her lungs tightening as if the card itself thrummed with a powerful force that could crush her with a snap.
Yugi couldn't speak when he stared at the card in his hands, his mind still reeling from the shock that came when he held the very card the gods had reminded them of. Could it be-
Could that woman be the one the gods spoke of?
They were given a year. They expected that the time limit given to them was too short to find a lone soul amidst billions of people. Yet, by some frightening twist of fate, here was their clue and it had only been a few days since the Ceremonial Battle.
It was too easy, how convenient it was for them to have met the soul so soon. Yugi felt like he might be dreaming. He was ready to believe that to be the case but the card's warmth upon his hand told him otherwise.
Daring to scrutinize the card, Yugi glanced up to read the name- the inked words forever tattooing itself into his memory.
'Lady of the Flame, Sekhmet'
-To Be Continued-