I've got another Yu-gi-oh fic in the works! if y'all like magic being a main focal point of the story, then you might like it as well.
25
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all."
― Emily Dickinson
"Don't be so aggressive with that announcement," Naomi instructed one of the security guards for the cruise ship her brother had gotten for the tournament, "just let them know it is time to board."
"Yes, Miss Crawford," the guard said and she let out a quiet sigh of disbelief.
Well, it was nice to speak English again without getting lookso ut of people. She checked her phone and saw that Anzu was planning on stowing away with Honda on the boat. She hadn't been able to talk to or see her friends for a week and she was missing them. When she had gotten home the day after Yami fought against her brother, she had been put to work. Fred cleared his throat from the doorway and she stood up straight. She fixed her blazer, the clothes from her excursion to ancient Egypt were what she decided to wear. The only piece missing was her ribbon. She brought a hand to the gold choker around her neck and took a deep breath. She had to protect her friends. She turned on her heel and walked out of the planning room and out onto the deck. The crowd of people below her looked up and started muttering at her appearance. Naomi accepted the head piece that was connected to a speaker so she could be heard.
"You've got this," Mana cheered from her card, and Naomi felt bolstered by her fellow magician and friend.
"Attention duelists!" The security guard called to get the crowds attention.
"Industrial Illusions welcomes you to this most amazing event!" Naomi stated and she heard more muttering about her, "those that are here for the tournament have been handpicked from tournament records to pull the best of the best from Japan. The star of glory shines above your heads and awaits for any one of you to reach it! Now's the time to cross the sea and fight for that light in the duelist kingdom!"
"You sound ridiculous," Fred informed Naomi as the crowd let out a loud cheer.
"Shut up," Naomi stated, her face a bright red.
She felt a shadow slither up her arms and felt the teasing fondness from face turned an even brighter red as Fred began to laugh. They could all soak their heads. She put her hands into the pockets of her slacks and quickly walked to the base of the stairs, greeting the participants as they got on the cruise ship. She paused when she saw her friends get on. She smiled at them as well.
"Don't trust anyone too much," she quietly warned Yugi as he passed by, "be careful."
"The hell was that announcement?" Jounouchi teased Naomi and she gained a bright red hue to her face.
"It's scripted, back off Katsuya," she stated, feeling those shadows gently caressing her arms before wrapping around her.
"Get moving," a kid snapped at Jounouchi and he sent them a glare before moving on to join the others.
Naomi looked to the side before nodding once the last duelist was on the ship. She motioned with a hand and the stairs were taken away before the cruise ships horn went off. They were on their way to duelist kingdom. She stood there for a few seconds, the baseline guilt she felt was nearly impossible to ignore. She had rooms on the ship, a nice one at that, and her friends didn't. She couldn't offer to let them bunk with her without drawing too much attention to them. Without making people think she was biased in the tournament. She was, she would be the first to admit it. She wanted Yami and Yugi to win. She wanted Sugoroku to be released and her brother to be taught a lesson.
Cynthia wouldn't want this, she would want her brother to be happy and move on. But he was a stubborn man, and Naomi knew it was going to take losing at his own game to kick his ass into gear. She sighed and wölkend across the deck. She felt one of the shadows gently tug on her hand and slowly followed it. Yami wanted her? For what reason? She felt her cheeks heat up, well besides the obvious.
"Yugi?" Naomi asked, looking at her friend in confusion.
"Is there a place for us to sleep on the island?" He asked, and she tilted her head in confusion before noting that Anzu looked worried about that.
"Unless you make it to the castle, I don't think there is," Naomi admitted with a soft sigh, "an oversight, I'm sure. I'll be sending Fred and a few of the other members of the staff out with provisions soon. It should've been mentioned on the invitations but it wasn't."
"Man, I'm starting to like your brother less and less," Jounouchi stated and she held in her flinch.
"Sorry," Naomi gave a quiet apology, "but you guys can trade with the other contestants to build up your decks, and I do have something for both of you."
Jounouchi was surprised when she gave him two cards. Polymerization and scapegoat. Yugi blinked at the scapegoat card and a dark magical circle. He looked back up at her and she gained a secretive smile. She was helping in her own way. He felt Yami's hackles rise and was a little confused as to what the reason was. He looked past her and saw Haga looking at her. Just staring as though trying to figure her out.
"It's Haga, isn't it?" Naomi quietly asked him and he watched her expression darken when he nodded.
"Somethings not right about that boy," Sugoroku agreed from the video camera, "Naomi-chan."
"Yes, Ji-chan?" Naomi answered, moving in a little closer so he didn't feel like he was yelling.
"Do you sense anything off about this event?" He asked and she paused for a few seconds.
"Yes, I don't doubt that there's something else going on behind the scenes that even I'm not aware of," Naomi admitted, not wanting to lie to them, "but…I do have to go. I'm going to make sure that provisions are passed out, make sure you guys grab some, okay?"
"Yes, Okaa-san," Jounouchi stated, grinning at the glare she sent him for that one.
"Yugi, call me if anything happens at all," she said before turning on her heel, "I'll be there to help if you need me."
Yami's emotions were a little gloomy as she went to help pass out backpacks with some food, water, and sleeping bags. Naomi refused to let kids walk around an island without something to eat or drink. A few of the younger kids looked down before asking her to sign specific cards. A few of them were crafting magician decks and wanted some tips. She was surprised by that before kneeling and helping a girl with a few of her spell cards. Her advice was to the point, but as helpful as she could be with the limitations she had. She went back to talking to a few of the other contestants before heading out for the night.
A shadow came out of nowhere and tugged on her arm hard enough that she was physically moved. Yami was panicking about something. She took off in the direction of his distress. Yami turned as Naomi entered the scene and called for someone in an earpiece. A guard, one that he didn't recognize, came running with a lifebuoy and tossed it over. He held onto the rope and began to pull Jounouchi back onto the boat. Another came by with towels and she roughly placed it on his head. He flinched at her angry look.
"When we get to the kingdom, I'm taking you out first," Yami informed Haga, and the bug duelist let out a snicker that made Naomi's hackles rise.
"Haga, if I see or hear you do any more tactics like this I will personally make sure you are removed from the competition and are banned for life from any future tournaments that industrial illusions," Naomi informed him, and she noted that he seemed to cower under her stare, "do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes," Haga confirmed before scurrying off.
"Damn brat," Naomi grumbled before she gave Jounouchi a look, "why did you jump off the boat?"
"He threw Yugi's exodia overboard," Jounouchi answered.
"I don't know if I should throw you overboard myself after hearing that, Katsuya," she dryly informed him before smacking his head, "don't even try to justify risking your life over some pieces of paper! You two need to take care of yourself, you both have something to fight for, yeah? So don't throw away your lives over something like that! I doubt Ji-chan or your sister would like to hear that you died because you dove off a ship to grab some cards!"
"Naomi," Yami said, and her shoulder slumped, "thank you."
She huffed before taking her leave of them for the night. She felt Yami's shadow attached to her and noted that it was surviving a much longer distance than before. He was growing stronger? That was a good thing, it had to be a good thing. She entered her room and sat down on the couch inside. The purple fabric showcasing her favorite color. She shivered a little as the shadow rested against her back. She wondered how that translated to a physical sense. She blinked when she suddenly felt exhausted. Running around for a whole week was taking its toll on her. She started to fall asleep and felt Yami slowly pull her down. She let out a sound when a heavy weight settled on her.
"All right, I'll sleep," she mumbled and the weight lifted a bit and she was stuck in an icy cold, "when all this is over, can we go on a date?"
She wondered if he was even able to hear her. She let out a soft grunt when it felt like arms tightly wrapping around her midriff. Well, he was happy about that question. She slowly began to fall asleep, or maybe pass out was the correct terminology. Her dreams were empty and she was puzzled by that. It was more like she was waiting for something to happen and she couldn't figure out what it was. She opened her eyes and her cheeks burned a little as she realized that she was still wrapped in an embrace. Naomi was fairly certain her shirt hadn't risen so high from her simply sleeping.
"Seducing me, huh?" She lightly teased and her shirt quickly righted itself as Yami's shadow sheepishly sat back. "I didn't say I didn't like it."
"Miss Crawford, you will be the first off the ship," one of the guards informed her from outside her door, "your brother is waiting."
Yami constricted a bit around her and she heard Atem mutter something. She got the sensation of protection from the outside and inside. It was odd that both versions of the same person wanted her safe. She just felt bad that there wasn't much they could do. She put her hands into her slack pockets and walked out of her room. The guard gave a slight nod and she walked behind him. Her earpiece crackled to life and she heard her brother humming on the other end. She felt a slight surge of anger towards him, and hurt. A part of her didn't want to see her brother. Not after what he had done.
"Oh, hello my darling sister!" Pegasus greeted her and she gave a stiff nod. "Come now, don't be so stiff with me."
"You attacked one of my friends," Naomi pointed out, "did you think I was going to be happy?"
"Don't be so judgmental," Pegasus stated and she remained silent after that.
He wouldn't admit it, but it hurt that his sister didn't want to be around him. He knew she wouldn't be happy to see him, but with how upset she seemed he had miscalculated her reaction. She stood below him outside, looking over the crowd with a thoughtful gaze. He cleared his throat and everyone looked up at him.
"Naomi looks mad," Jounouchi commented.
"Wouldn't you be?" Honda asked, raising a brow.
"Welcome everyone to the duelist kingdom!" Pegasus welcomed the crowd. "Let me explain the rules of this special, special tournament! The duels will take place with officially licensed duel monster cards! I hope you all brought your most powerful decks, if you're not completely confident you may trade cards with one another."
"Each participant should have already been given a duelist's glove and two star chips. At this time place the glove on your left hand! On the gauntlet you'll find ten spaces where you'll place your star chips."
He turned towards his sister with a bright smile and she shook her head. The children were putting their gloves on and putting the star chips into place on the gauntlet. She scanned the crowd and saw Yami doing the action as well. He glanced up and she got a softer look out of him. She sent him one back and Anzu gave him a gentle elbow to the side to get him to focus more. The brunette had an amused smile on her face.
"These star chips are your life on this island!" Pegasus exclaimed and the crowd below murmured in response. "Whenever you fight a duel you must stake one or more star chips on the outcome! The duels will take place 'battle royal' style all around the island. The first duelist to win ten star chips will be allowed to enter the castle, only they will have the chance to obtain the honors!"
"The duels begin in one hou and the time limit for the game is forty-eight hours! Now, my darling sister has a few extras for you all, I pray for your success in your duels!"
"Listen up!" Naomi called and people flinched as she sent them a severe look, "I will be watching over all the duels to make sure there is no cheating, if I see tricks once then you will be given a warning! If I see it again, you will be removed from the competition immediately and banned from ever participating in a future event, am I clear?"
Yami gave a light chuckle as everyone gave her a chorus of confirmation. Her words were completely clear. She looked his way with an incredibly soft look on her face and he felt his heart soar. She was going to hope for his success.
"She's so pretty," A boy whispered to his friend and Yami bristled a bit.
"Do you think they're real?" His friend whispered back, motioning with his friends.
"They've got to be," the first boy whispered back.
"What perverts," Anzu grumbled and their newest enemy, Kujaku Mai gave a sly nod of agreement.
"Good, now good luck in all of your duels!" Naomi's small smile got a few cheers out of the crowd and he could see her confusion on her face.
He turned towards his friends and noted their confident expression on their faces. They would make it to the castle, and win the tournament. He would do it for his grandfather, and Jounouchi for his sister. They had to win. Naomi couldn't help them by freeing the souls. They moved to the side and looked for their first fights. Yami was going to take Haga out of the competition immediately, the bug duelist had royally pissed him off.
"Naomi," Pegasus tried getting his sister's attention as she stood to the side and talked to the guards.
"Keep me posted on all the duels going on," she instructed, "especially those at night, I believe some people will take advantage of people trying to sleep."
Pegasus looked into his sister's mind and saw something that surprised him. The black magician stood before her thoughts, his eyes narrowed dangerously at him. Beside his was the black magician girl, her own eyes set in a glare as she put her arms around Naomi. They were protecting her mind from him? He blinked for a few seconds and watched as the black magician lifted his hand and waggled his finger at him.
He was forced out.
"Naomi, do you want to watch over your friends duel?" Fred asked as he stepped up to her.
"Yugi's going after Haga, and I really want to watch that bug get squashed," Naomi admitted with a shrug, "lead the way, Fred."
It took them an hour to get to the duel arena and Naomi looked at the stage. The forest was going to work in Haga's favor, but she had faith in her boyfriend. Anzu spun on her heel when she arrived and smiled at her friend, getting a tired one in return. Jounouchi slung an arm around Naomi's shoulders and Honda used her head as an armrest. They were messing with her, and she'd rather that than have them hate her.
"I can't wait to see Haga get what's coming to him," Honda stated and Naomi gave a slight nod.
"You'll stake both star chips!" Yami's order to Haga made the boy flinch in surprise.
"What?" Haga asked.
"I told you I'm taking you out first, it's like Ryuzaki said, it's kill or be killed," Yami informed him as he placed his single star chip down, "I'll stake one star chip and my life!"
"Well, now that's a twist!" Haga laughed, "very well, I will also stake two star chips, while Yugi stakes one and his life!"
"You better win if that's what you're staking," Naomi's voice carried to Yami with ease and he gathered she made sure it got to him.
He gave her a curt nod and she sent him a look that informed him that he better come out on top. The duel began and they drew their cards, making their hands. A crowd began to form nearby as people came to see how the duels worked. Haga versus Yugi was an impressive matchup. Seto really had gone and broadcasted death-t to the entirety of Japan, hadn't he?
"I play the killer bee in attack mode!" Haga stated and Yami quickly placed a card down as well.
"I play the mammoth graveyard!" Yami stated, and Naomi looked down in thought.
The skeletal mammoth let out a loud sound as the giant bee came flying towards him. Stabbing the mammoth through the stomach with its needle. Naomi watched as the mammoth was destroyed, and she figured out her brother's strategy. He had crafted the tournament on the island for a reason. Natural field bonuses, that was smart.
"Insects have a bonus when in a forest field," Naomi stated and Jounouchi jumped in surprise, "that's why the mammoth was destroyed…but he also got a field bonus because of the wastelands portion of the field."
"Then why was it destroyed and killer bee wasn't?" Anzu asked.
"It was!" Honda exclaimed and Jounouchi gave a cheer for his friend as Naomi and Ryou watched the duel with a serious expression.
"How'd you figure it out?" Haga asked, his anger evident.
"'Why did Pegasus decide to hold his tournament on an island' I couldn't get that question out of my head," Yami admitted, "however, as soon as our duel began and I saw the holograms of the field, I was able to solve that puzzle. It was why you led me to the forest, because it gives your insects an advantage."
"If my secret's out, then let's fight," Haga stated, pointing at Yami, "I'll turn this forest into your grave! The battle resumes!"
Naomi brought her hands together in a silent prayer and heard Yami's intake of breath. She felt his shadows relax a bit. She could see his shoulders follow his shadows lead. He glared at Haga and she gave a silent chuckle. Haga was going to lose if he was looking at him like that.
The Hercules beetle, a level five monster, he gets a thirty percent boost in attack power because of the forest's field power source," Haga said before laughing.
"I play the feral imp and the spell card horn of the unicorn," Yami stated.
The imp looked silly when it stood against the giant beetle. Naomi supposed it was the horn on it that did it. She put her hands into the pockets of her slacks and narrowed her eyes. Was her boyfriend bluffing his way through the duel? She'd never noticed it before. She tilted her head in thought when the imp was destroyed. So, the monster that got the field power up got to go first? Just what was her brother thinking?
"I'm sure he has a strategy in store," Ryou stated as their friends began to freak out a little.
"He's bluffing," Naomi quietly pointed out and he looked her way in surprise, "he's always bluffed his way out of a situation…but now he's being forced to face this aspect of him, he won't be able to bluff against my brother…"
"This whole situation makes you sad, yeah?" Ryou asked and she nodded.
"I wish I knew why my brother was doing this," she admitted, "but I can only guess…Haga you dirty little bug…."
Ryou held in his light chuckle at her disgust at the basic insect. It was obvious that she wasn't the biggest fan of bugs. It furthered at the combination that Haga was attempting to use. Yami narrowed his eyes, noting it as well. He put a card down in defense mode and Haga attacked it, cackling the entire time. Naomi was just watching Yami play, he was cautiously playing. Defending instead of attacking. It was a viable strategy.
"A pillroach?" Jounouchi asked, looking at Naomi.
"I didn't design the cards," she huffed, looking to the side, "if I ever do, I'm not going to give his deck any cards that could support it."
"That's petty," Honda pointed out and she shrugged.
"Let me petty for once," she stated, and Anzu snorted.
She was usually petty, and for good reason. They all gained worried looks as Yami was continually put on the defensive. Jounouchi looked at Naomi and noted that she was frowning a little. She had faith in Yami to win, but there was something about how Haga was playing. It was like he was enjoying it a bit too much. Even when he had dueled against Ryuzaki, he had been able to save face. Who was he playing it up for? The black magician came into play and Mahad crouched in defense mode. He would rather be attacking, but would follow his pharaoh's directions. He glanced around and was relieved to see Naomi standing nearby. She had been protecting his and Mana's cards, not allowing her brother to see them, so they had no idea what was going on. They were going to have to get used to gathering pieces of the situation together when they got summoned by the two.
"If I hit Haga, will you kick me out of the tournament?" Jounouchi asked and Naomi blinked.
"Oh, so you got the package?" She asked and they all slowly turned to look at her. "Don't tell me that you didn't get the invite."
"I was supposed to be invited?" Jounouchi questioned, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Yeah, of course you were," Naomi stated, "you also went through Death-t that was enough in my books to have a spot for everyone in the group, but you and Yugi would be the only ones that would participate."
"Are you kidding me?" Jounouchi quietly said under his breath.
"I wonder where it went," Anzu stated, and they all collectively shrugged.
There wasn't anything that could be done about it.
Naomi heard Yami giving a few chuckles and look his way. Ah, so he was starting to play aggressively. She wondered if his past was the reason why he was being so cautious. She had only met Atem during a time where she was starting to move on, and their meeting had been a little chaotic. Save for the first time.
"I play my trap card," Yami stated, flipping the card around, "my mirror force reflects your attack in all directions."
"No! My insect army!" Haga whined as his monsters were all destroyed.
"You must've won the tournament by dumb luck, maybe, just maybe," Yami stated, egging Haga on, "the weakest player on this island is you. Did you hear me, Haga? You're a weakling."
Oh, it was incredibly personal for Yugi and Yami. Their friends cheered and Naomi jumped a little when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She caught the scent of perfume and looked behind her to see a blonde standing there. She had violet eyes and a nice smile. She could tell that Honda and Jounouchi were looking elsewhere. She gave a mental sigh before politely nodding.
"Are you the secondary host of this tournament?" The woman asked and Naomi gave a slow nod. "Yet, you're showing bias?"
"Am I? Yugi's my friend, while I wish him luck in this tournament if he loses that will be on his own," Naomi stated and Yami looked down towards them with a strange face.
Mahad was quite glad that he had a fairly decent poker face. His pharaoh was so disgruntled by his students' words. Yami looked to the side and knew he was going to have to mess with her later. He would get his revenge. His brows raised a bit when Haga called him a 'big haired freak'. Was he supposed to be impressed? That feeling furthered when Haga played the larvae moth in defense mode. He played monster recovery and put his cards back into the deck. Mahad mentally cursed, not knowing what was going to happen was driving him mad. Kuriboh came into play as part of the card and he took some damage to his life points. It was when he played beaver warrior that Haga showed his plan.
"He's going to summon the great moth," Naomi commented as Yami drew Gaia the fierce knight, "damn, that's not going to slow down the cocoon."
Naomi heard her speaker crackle and put a hand up to it. She had to excuse herself, a frown on her face. She turned to see Jounouchi giving Yami a pep talk. Informing him to burn the forest down if he had to. Yami's eyes widened and she felt her shoulders slump a little in relief.
"Mutou Yugi is currently dueling Insector Haga," a voice informed her and she let out a snort.
"Thank you, keep me posted," she said.
"Mr. Crocketts wants you to know that you will have to be in the castle tomorrow morning," the voice added and she paused, "we are aware that you want to watch over all the duels, but Mr. Crawford believes that you should be around to welcome in the finalists."
"Fine," Naomi agreed, turning off the earpiece and looking over towards Yami. "You got this!"
Yami was surprised by the outspoken support and she gave him a small wink. He smirked and gave his friends a thumbs up. He was going to win. The blonde woman looked at the friends in surprise as Naomi rejoined them. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she was looking at Yugi with a fond look on her face. Ah, so there was something between those two. She had thought it was the brunette and Yugi. How strange.
Naomi flinched when the cursed dragon came into play and the field burst into flames. She hated fired, the irrational fear rearing its ugly head. Her hands clenched her biceps as she tried to push past it. It hadn't been that bad since she was a kid. She looked up when Gaia attacked the cocoon again, releasing the greath moth.
"When I see a tough monster, I get excited," Yami stated and Naomi looked at him in disbelief.
Her face turned a light red when he glanced her way with a teasing glint in his eyes. He didn't need to be flirting with her when there was a duel going on. She looked at the giant moth and raised a brow. Yami was going to win, and she was sure of it. Even as Gaia and cursed dragon fused together and was attacked by great moths poison mist. He played magic mist and she knew his plan. It cemented his victory in her mind. Good, she was glad that Haga was being knocked down a few pegs. It needed to happen. He summoned the summoned skull and finished the duel. The group cheered and Naomi gave a few claps to portray the polite tournament host so people couldn't say she was too biased towards her friends.
"Get off the island, Insect!" Yami's shout at Haga startled her as he picked up his newly acquired star chips. "Or I'll pull off your legs one by one!"
"I should be worried about that," Naomi muttered before giving him a tiny smile.
"What prize do I get?" He quietly asked her and she blinked.
"From me? You might get a kiss if you make it to the end," she chuckled before putting her hands into the pockets of her slacks again, "I think saving Ji-chan is a much better outcome, just be careful."
"Yugi says I need to bargain with you a bit more on that prize," Yami informed her and she chuckled in response, giving her friends a small wave before heading out.
She would keep an eye out for them, but she needed to get going to double check all the duels that were happening. She looked at her phone for a few seconds and noted that Mokuba hadn't emailed her in a while. She was starting to worry about him. He had kept in contact the entire time he was waiting for Seto to wake up.
It worried her.