19
"If your enemy offers you two targets, strike at a third." ― Robert Jordan, Crossroads of Twilight
"Monster fighter?" Jounouchi asked as he, Yugi, and Naomi hung out at the game shop.
"I think it's a game you three would enjoy," Sugoroku informed them, he also believed Jounouchi needed a distraction after being ripped off by ZTV's game show.
"It's a combination of a monster boxing game and arm wrestling," Yugi explained as the other two looked at the stages they'd been handed.
"That sounds cool!" Jounouchi stated while Naomi pulled the trigger in thought.
"First you choose the monster you want to fight with, there's over a hundred you can choose from!" Yugi continued to explain.
"I'll take this one," Jounouchi said as he picked up a lizard.
"I have to go with a spell caster," Naomi said as she held up a cloaked wizard wearing metal gauntlets.
"Okay, you need to set it on the special fighting gun," Yugi explained further, showing them how to do so, "you connect the monster to the base with the remote control wire. Then you link your gun with your opponents and you're ready to battle!"
"So that's your monster Yugi," Jounouchi said as they connected their machines.
"It's cute," Naomi commented, getting a light blush out of Yugi as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Before you start the plays input their move data," Yugi said as he pointed out the small disk that needed to go on the gun, "there's a sensor on the back of the gun, you put the barcode disk on it, and it scans it and reads your secret move. Each monster has a different finishing move. Once the game begins, you watch your opponent for an opening and use the punch, kick, and guard buttons to defeat him!
"There's two ways to win, you can knock your enemy out by hitting their weak points, or you can force them out of the ring with a critical hit!"
"Alright, let's battle!" Jounouchi exclaimed, completely hyped up to play against his friend.
"Okay," Yugi agreed.
Sugoroku and Naomi watched the two in amusement as they battled it out with the game. Yugi was better at the game than Jounouchi, but Jounouchi was better at the real thing. Sugoroku began to give pointers and cheered for his grandson and Naomi smiled. He really did remind her of her own grandfather, her harabeoji. She clapped when Yugi won and Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head. Yugi never really lost at any game, did he? He looked towards Naomi and inwardly chuckled. She was the same, only ever losing to Yugi. They were pretty tied when it came to wins against one another.
"We should show this to everyone at school," Jounouchi stated and Naomi agreed with a small nod as Yugi cheered.
"I've got in some foreign games if you want to look around, Naomi-chan," Sugoroku said and she nodded, "did you ever find your Rubik's cube?"
"Fred refuses to stop hiding them, he says I need to be more present in conversations," Naomi stated, "apparently producers aren't the biggest fans of people not listening to them…go figure, huh?"
Surogoku gave a grandfatherly chuckle at her words as she looked at the games. She paused as she saw the Senet game. How he was able to get such a thing, she'd never know. However, she would like to play it against her brother. She picked it up and Sugoroku rang her up. It went into a plastic bag and she noted that he hadn't charged her from the monster game. She got a wink out of him and he got a tiny chuckle from her.
"I have to get going," Naomi quietly informed her friends, "my brother's visiting and I want to greet him."
"Man, one of these days we need to meet him," Jounouchi said and he noted the uncomfortable expression on her face.
"I hope not, Kaiba-san was horrible…and I get the feeling that my brother is planning something," Naomi admitted, "I'd rather not bring attention to you guys…well, I've got to go. See you tomorrow!"
Naomi quickly took her chance to hurry home. Yugi gave her a wave as Sugoroku rubbed his beard in thought. That girl had grown open with her friends, and he was glad about that. He knew her secret, about the many lives she'd lived and could only come to one conclusion.
That was a lonely existence.
Naomi felt her magic pull and heard Mahad curse as it caused his card to swing around. She brought a hand down and stopped the card from moving. She paused outside her front door and looked down at her friends. Mana knew what would have to happen. She would have to freeze their cards while her brother was around. She gave her a kind smile and Naomi gained a guilty look before slowly freezing their cards.
"It'll work out," Mahad told her before his card stilled completely.
"Naomi!" Pegasus greeted her as she opened her front door. "It has been too long!"
"It really has, big brother," Naomi said as she put her shopping down and slipped out of her shoes.
Pegasus was surprised when his sister practically launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his middle. She had grown a little since he had seen her, she didn't seem as plagued by sadness anymore either. He slowly hugged her back and closed his eye. This was his baby sister who was more like a daughter to him than a sibling. He released her from the hug and took the appearance of Fred to study her. She had a light to her eyes that hadn't been there as she bantered with her security guard before retracing her steps to grab her shopping.
The broadcast had done nothing to show how his sister had been fairing, and he hadn't been able to visit her in the hospital. He regretted that, but knew there was nothing he could do to fix it. He could be there for her now, and spend some quality time with her. She moved to the dining room to unload her new game and he raised his brow at the ancient game. Did she even know how to play it? He sat down, knowing she wanted to play against him. He could do a board game, he couldn't play that DDR game with ease like his sister. He lived a relatively stationary life, to his own chagrin.
"Tea, or coffee?" She asked.
"Tea, I don't know how you can drink coffee with no additives," Pegasus said as his sister got him a can of tea as she grabbed a coffee for herself.
"The bitterness keeps me going," she shrugged before sitting across from him to set up the senet board.
They played a round, and then two. Fred looked into the dining room to find the Crawfords looking at the board in contemplation before they made their moves. Pegasus seemed to be enjoying the time with his sister, and she seemed happy to be around him. He rubbed the back of his head in thought and decided to return the rubriks cubes he had been hiding. They kept her calm, and he hadn't known that until she had to go against a director that was making her uncomfortable when she was in swimwear. Promoting a sports drink shouldn't had required a sixteen-year-old to be wearing a two piece.
"How did you do in exams?" Pegasus asked as the game finished and Naomi started to clean up.
"I got first in my entire year," Naomi answered and she saw the pride in his eye at those words, "I should head to bed, have a good night."
Pegasus got another hug out of his sister and he decided one thing. Those friends were good for her, but he knew he would have to pull them into his plans. When she was back, they could raise Naomi together. Make the rest of her adolescent years their best. He smiled at that idea. He wanted his sisters happiness and his own.
"You seem harried," Mana commented as Naomi closed the door to her room.
"He's gunho on his plans," Naomi stated, taking the cards off and placing them on the desk before sitting in her chair, "a part of me was hoping he wouldn't go forward with them, but that was wishful thinking."
"The dead cannot come back, not unless the gods permit it," Mahad reminded her and she looked down at her hands.
A warning for the inevitable end. She sighed and got up to change for bed. She gently patted Bast on the head before grabbing a nightgown. It was funny, she hadn't reached for a nightgown in a long time. Domino City had changed her. She looked at the dice that started it all and noted that it was still on her desk. It glinted in the light and she closed her eyes. She hadn't had to create a shadow game in a long time. A part of her was relieved by that. Naomi got ready for bed and laid down, hoping that tomorrow was less stressful than her night had been.
"Oh, Naomi," Yugi greeted when he saw who was waiting for him that morning, "how was your brother's visit?"
"Pleasant, I beat him in senet," Naomi chuckled, "either that or he let me win."
Yugi gave a soft laugh as well and grabbed onto her hand at Yami's, honestly it was easier to call the spirit that, prompting. Yami wished he could walk to school with her, but knew it wasn't going to happen any time soon. He could barely leave the puzzle to move around in spiritual form. If that were to happen, he would be able to be by her side. Yugi paused at those feelings and felt his hand grow clammy.
"He really wants to walk to school with you," Yugi wryly said.
"Maybe one day we can, but I'm also happy to walk with you, Yugi," she informed him and his face turned a bright red, even though she was looking the other way, "you're my best friend, I do enjoy talking to you, you know."
Yugi's blush lightened at those words, but he still couldn't help but feel happy by that. She trailed behind him with a tiny smile on her face and her free hand in her pocket. She happily brought her monster game with her too so she could help bolster sales for Sugoroku. She was starting to think that's why they got so many freebies. It was a clever strategy. They hurried to school, they were starting to run a little late.
"Is Mutou-kun dating Crawford-Sama?" Started to float around as soon as people noticed they were holding hands.
Yami was pouting in his puzzle as people gossiped to one another. Just because he couldn't be seen, it didn't mean he couldn't put forth that emotion. He got an amused feeling out of Yugi and he huffed. He wasn't amused by this at all. An apology came through and he let up with his negative emotions. It wasn't Yugi's fault. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't even talk to him yet. Their bond wasn't that strong yet, they'd only been able to have one another know the others feelings but nothing too complicated. Still, this was the only way they could have a relationship without people getting suspicious. The two teens entered the classroom and were waiting for recess to begin to play their game.
"Battle monster time?" Jounouchi asked after the bell rang and Naomi nodded. "I'm gonna kick your butt, Naomi."
"Alright, bet," Naomi stated as she got her game together and they connected.
Their game had gathered a crowd and Yugi smiled as Naomi focused on the game and was thoroughly thrashing Jounouchi. Yugi explained to the others what the game was and their classmates grew excited as Naomi won when her spellcaster punched Jounouchi's Lizard and knocked it out of the ring.
"What was that about kicking my butt?" Naomi asked, giving him a teasing grin.
"Man, you and Yugi are monsters when it comes to games," Jounouchi stated and Naomi's grin became a little strained.
Monsters, huh? Yugi leaned against Naomi's shoulder and she blinked before looking his way. He was talking to another student and she found herself relaxing. He was comforting her, was it because he wanted to or was Yami asking him to. She wasn't too sure. Yugi was a little conundrum, but he was also her best friend. He smiled at her and she realized they would be walking home together when his smile grew. Still, she decided to go to the library during a break to help Miho. It had been a while since she'd done so. It had also been a while since she'd spoken to Hanasaki. She entered the library and noted that Miho wasn't there. Naomi shrugged and went to start putting books away, enjoying the silence she had been missing. She felt her ears burn a little as she allowed her thoughts to wander. They turned towards Yami and she felt a tiny smile appearing on her face. She hoped he was doing well within the puzzle. She looked to the side and wondered if there was a way for her to look inside and talk to him without him having to switch with Yugi. She placed a mystery book away and heard the library door open.
"Oh, Naomi-Chan," Miho greeted as she walked into the library to see the other teen putting books away, "it's been a while."
"Sorry about that," Naomi apologized, "I know that it get busy after exams, so I wanted to help put everything away."
"It's appreciated," Miho said with a kind smile before moving to work on another cart, "I haven't been able to talk to you since Chono-sensei decided to target you."
"I don't blame you," Naomi said looking towards her and watching as the brunette gained a sad smile.
"I know," Miho admitted, "but…I'm glad it happened because you seem happier."
Naomi's eyes widened in surprise before she gave a nod. She was, and it was honestly terrifying that others had noticed. They fell into a companionable silence as they put the books away. She didn't really react when her fan club walked into the library, she was too focused on the task at hand. Jounouchi and Yugi entering the library, on the other hand, caused her to try and ignore them as her cheeks turned a light pink. Jounouchi was there for a book, and Yugi went with to see if Naomi was in there. Yami was worrying about her. The pharaoh calmed down while Yugi watched as Naomi put a book away.
"What's up?" Jounouchi asked as he walked up with a book tucked under his arm.
"The spirit really likes her," Yugi stated and Yami was sending him alarmed feelings that slowly turned flustered.
"Huh…I should find that alarming," Jounouchi grumbled before his expression lightened a bit, "I wonder how that would even work out."
"I don't know," Yugi admitted.
"Can you two not gossip about my love-life?" Naomi's sigh made them jump in surprise.
"It's rude," Mana agreed and Naomi found herself relaxing a bit.
"We should be used to this because of the court," Mahad reminded Mana, and Naomi wanted to send him a look at that.
"I think we should wait until later to speak about that, Master," Mana pointed out, noting that Naomi seemed interested.
"Let's head back to class," Jounouchi stated and Naomi nodded, they returned to class and time seemed to come to a stand still.
Naomi found herself looking out the window the whole time as she thought back to the ancient Egyptian she had learned. She slowly turned to her notebook and began to write in Egyptian. Mahad couldn't help but smile at the sight as she wrote notes in the margins to deepen her understanding. He shook his head as she switched to designing a new pallet for Industrial Illusions. The Blue-eyes pallet, it was mainly shimmers, with some brighter colors. Naomi scratched the back of her head in thought. She would release a Black Magician of Chaos pallet eventually. She slowly sketched how that one would look and Mahad made a soft sound of surprise. He didn't recognize that monster.
"We should look at your soul room," Mahad stated and Mana froze.
"You want to know what her Ka is?" Mana asked, narrowing her eyes at her master. "That could be dangerous."
"I know, but there's something we need to know," Mahad agreed, shooting his living student a worried look, "we need to know how much damage has been done to your soul and if you can summon a Ka without bringing yourself to exhaustion."
Naomi gave a discreet nod, it could wait until she was home.
She walked next to Yugi as they headed to a store after school. He had a small smile on his face before pointing out how busy the game stores were getting. She rubbed the back of her neck in thought. Sugoroku was going to be busy. She wondered if he would want some help. She didn't mind helping the old man out.
"Will Mutou-Ji-san want some help?" Naomi asked, watching as people headed towards the Kame game shop.
"I think so," Yugi agreed before grabbing her hand and hurrying towards the game shop.
"Yugi, there you are," Sugoroku greeted as they entered the busy game shop, "I could use some help."
"Naomi wants to help as well," Yugi said and Sugoroku sent the teen a thankful smile.
Mahad and Mana watched the different kids as Naomi helped to grab more of the monster games, and duel monster cards. Sugoroku and Yugi ran the register as a team. Naomi found herself sweating as she handed game after game to kids. It had been a while since she'd done laborious work, a part of her found it rewarding after so many years of being unable to work. She sat on the ground as the store closed for the night. Hours had passed and the Mutou's had sold out of several games.
"Thank you for the help," Sugoroku said as Naomi pulled her hair down from the ponytail she had put it in.
"It was my pleasure, Mutou-ji-san," Naomi said and he chuckled.
"You can call me Ji-chan like Yugi does," Sugoroku informed her and she gave a tiny smile.
"Thank you, Ji-chan," she quietly thanked.
She put up the borrowed apron before heading home. Fred welcomed her as she walked through the door and she felt her stomach growl as she smelt something cooking. Pegasus was in the kitchen, making dinner. He was reading from a recipe and he turned to see his sister watching him cook. She looked exhausted, but happy to see him. He wanted her to eat something before heading to sleep. He knew her well enough to know she had a bad habit of not eating when her mind was busy.
He made Ta'meya for dinner and for dessert Kahk. Naomi ate it with no issues and smiled at her brother in thanks. It was heavier than she was used to, and he had made it vegetarian for her since he knew her issues with red meat. He ruffled her hair and she gained a fond smile. She really adored her older brother. The heavy food in her stomach making her sleepy.
"Love you," Naomi mumbled before giving him a small hug and staggering towards the stairs.
"Get ready for bed, and I'll walk you through the meditation for entering your soul room," Mahad stated, and Naomi nodded.
Naomi quickly changed and got into her bed. Getting comfortable. She listened to Mahad inform her of what she needed to do. She was relaxed, and she was focusing on her breathing. Her eyes slowly closed and she found herself waking up in a room filled with games and pictures. She saw one with her teacher and friend inside it. Naomi found herself walking towards it and gently touching the frame. Yami, or rather Atem, looked up at her and gave her a gentle smile. He brought his hand up and waved at her. She couldn't help but smile back, giving a wave of her own. He seemed to realize something and put his hands on his hips before turning towards Mahad. The brunette version of her teacher rubbed the back of his neck as Mana frowned at him.
"That's us," Mana's voice scared Naomi and she let out a yell of fear, "oh, Atem's reacting like he would if he could…"
"That's incredible…" Mahad complimented as he looked at the portrait that held their personalities within.
"Why is it in my soul?" Naomi asked as their past versions watched them from the portrait. "How are they so…real?"
"It's a magical imprint," Mahad explained, watching as his true self nodded a confirmation, "they are real."
"Why my soul?" Naomi stressed.
"Because of your connection with the pharaoh," Mana answered, watching as she reached forward and gave Atem a pat on the shoulder, "I think you two formed it when you end up in our past."
Their past selves nodded and Naomi ran a hand through her hair in disbelief. She couldn't believe that she had a bond with the pharaoh. She thought their shared feelings were enough. But, they formed something special. Atem winked at her and her cheeks burned. He was a different person with his memories.
"He's missing jewelry," Mana observed and her past self grinned in response.
She was obviously happy for her friend. Mahad crossed his arms across his chest and looked around Naomi's soul room. He could see sand everywhere if he focused. She held a power that she didn't even know of. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her monster form's shadow. The hulking body disappeared as quickly as he saw it. He felt a shudder go down his spine. He didn't like the idea that his student had gone through such horrors.
"Let us see the damage done to your soul," Mahad quietly requested and he saw his pharaoh tense in response.
Naomi looked down and felt her magic move across her skin. Mana's hand covered her mouth in horror. The amount of times she'd been killed was obvious. Her neck had a long line across it, showing beheadings. Her stomach glowed as well! Not even the criminals they challenged with shadow magic had done such things. Countless deaths, countless wounds on her soul.
"You should be able to summon a Ka, but I want to make sure you know exactly what that entails," Mahad said, he brought a hand up and gently ruffled her hair.
Mana blinked in surprise before her eyes widened. She grinned as she finally got to hug the smaller teen. She felt so frail. Mana squeezed her a bit and Naomi let out a soft grunt before she stumbled a bit as she regained her balance. It would be nice to spend time within her soul room with them.
"Now, can we talk about fashion?" Mana asked and Naomi blanched a bit.
Mahad wished her the best and stood back to study the games littering the room. He brushed some sand away from a senet board and smiled a little. She enjoyed older games. He heard her soft voice speaking to Mana and agreeing to wear a dress at least once. And then agreeing to one she picked out. She was going to regret that.
Naomi couldn't believe that it took two weeks for something to happen. Some kid had decided to beat up Yugi for his monster game. She enjoyed the game, sure it was mainly because Yugi enjoyed it, but she wouldn't have been upset if she'd never been able to get one. She was reading a book at her desk when a hand landed on her wrist. She felt the shadows curling around her and she looked up to see Yami there. He smiled at her. She caved at the sight of it.
"You can borrow it," she stated, "kick his ass though."
"Of course," Yami stated.
Naomi's eyes widened when he gently pressed his lips against the top of her head before heading out with the borrowed monster game. Mana squealed and she sent the magician a look. That was dirty and the pharaoh knew that! She laid her head down on her desk as her ears burned. Damn him! She felt the shadows shift again and knew he had come back. She slowly looked up and noted the fond expression on his face.
"Thank you," he said and she nodded as she accepted the game back.
She would always be there to help him. He chuckled a bit before changing places with Yugi. Yugi gave her a sheepish grin as she leveled him with a flustered expression. Seeing her blush like that was adorable.
The pharaoh was a lucky guy.