A/N:

I began this story back in 2015 naming it "Yugi's Twin Sister." However, when I couldn't figure out how to write it I put it up for adoption. That being said, the old version of this story is out there with one chapter under Wade98's name. If you're interested, I recommend checking it out. If not, that's okay! This version will be very different from that. I don't want to go into the details, but everyone should know that this story will most likely have slow updates and be updated faster on Ao3 once I get it posted over there again (I deleted it on accident :P).

Regardless, I hope y'all enjoy!

(Updated 10/21/24)

The soft noise of air blowing through the old ventilation system drowned out the distant voices of students down the hall and cheers from the basketball game going on in the school's courtyard just under the art classroom's window. Classes had let out nearly an hour ago, but students were permitted to stay to complete homework or attend their clubs until early evening. Most of the time, however, students usually just hung out with their friends or completed their hobbies that they couldn't work on at home. Yumiko Mutou is one of the latter.

Her shared apartment with her brother, grandfather, and parents when they were in town, was rather small and cramped so she didn't have a lot of room to work on her projects. As such, she often found herself spending most if not all of the free time she had to paint at school. If she had a smaller project, she usually took it home to work on in her bedroom. It wasn't often, but she did what she could where she could.

She carefully brushes a strand of her platinum-white hair behind her ear and dips her paintbrush into a dollop of light blue paint. With one clean stroke, she spreads it across her canvas and allows her mind to drift, recalling all the changes that have occurred for her and her brother in the last few months.

Before her brother Yugi completed that upside-down pyramid of a puzzle, neither of the two had friends. They weren't very popular and, as such, were constantly overlooked by teachers and their classmates alike. The only attention they got were from the teachers who saw themselves in the two (which was not a whole lot) or from the bullies who enjoyed pushing them around or breaking their stuff.

Yugi, of course, had it the worst. He would come home nearly every day with a new bruise here or a new scrape there. Nothing overly major until last fall when Miko found him beaten to a pulp. At first, she had thought Joey and Tristan were the culprits until she saw them propped up against the nearby wall in nearly the same shape. Looking back now, she should have tried to help them then, but she had been too bitter and angry at them for constantly picking on her brother. It wasn't until Joey showed up that same evening sopping wet and smelling like fish to return a piece of the Millennium Puzzle he had stolen that Miko realized he wasn't at all a bad person. Since then, he and Yugi have really bonded. Due to their bond, Miko quickly warmed up to the blond as well.

Tristan, on the other hand, was another case almost altogether. Yes, he had become more friendly with Yugi and Miko, so much so that Yugi saw him as a friend, but Miko still thought he was odd. For her, he walked on thin ice, but it wasn't because he used to bully her brother. Most of this discomfort with him stemmed from his near-constant asking her out and flirting with almost every girl around. She wasn't jealous, but Miko hated it. Miko didn't want anything to do with him, but at least he was loyal to her brother and no longer tried to 'man him up'.

Miko exhales and dips her brush into the cup of water sitting next to her and swishes it around to remove all traces of the blue pigment. Afterward, she dips it into the indigo and begins to work it onto her canvas, smearing the darker paint into where she is beginning to build up the shadows.

The last person who had joined their admittedly odd friend group was the bossy brunette named Anzu Gardener. At first, Miko hadn't been too sure of her, but once she fought off a few bullies who were going after Yugi, Miko quickly accepted her and grew close to her just as Yugi had with Joey. Since becoming friends, Miko and Anzu hung out quite a bit and would often sit and chat together while the boys would play games. Miko enjoyed her company as it was nice to finally have another girl to talk to, especially since Miko grew up with only her brother and grandfather around.

After all the change, Miko can't help but find it odd how life works out sometimes. Looking back now though, she could have sworn that maybe her and Yugi new friendships only happened because he finally completed that Millenium Puzzle their grandfather had given him when he was around seven years old. Then again, maybe it was all just a coincidence. Coincidences do happen more often than not.

With a sigh, the white-haired girl drops her brush into her cup of water. She then stands and stretches to give herself a break from sitting so long. As she does, she looks over her canvas and smiles. Her project is coming along nicely and should be complete in the next week or two. Feeling good about her progress, Miko glances at the clock and curses under her breath. It's late afternoon, almost early evening and it was her turn to make supper tonight.

"Good going, Yumiko," She chides herself as she begins to clean up, "You still need to stop by the market on the way home too!"

In under ten minutes, she has rinsed out everything, put her paint away, and set her canvas out of the way so it could dry without being touched. Thankfully, not many students came into the art classroom and those who did are other budding artists who are respectful of other people's work. Miko didn't have to worry about much of anything happening to her painting.

Pulling her backpack up onto her shoulder, Miko steps out into the hallway and begins heading towards her locker to pick up her homework from her morning classes. She's usually pretty good about paying attention to the time, but today it seems to have gotten away from her. She hopes that Yugi and their grandfather won't mind having dinner a little later than usual.

As she marches toward her locker, she passes by her homeroom. She wasn't going to stop but upon hearing her brother's voice, she hesitated and nearly tripped over her own foot. What's Yugi still doing at school? She backpedals to peek through the doorway.

Yugi sat on the other side of the classroom in a seat closest to the window. Joey sat across from him, his chair turned around to face Yugi's desk to play what looked like a game that their grandfather had taught them to play: Duel Monsters. She can't say that she's surprised. Duel Monsters is a huge game right now and it's only getting bigger.

"Yo, Yugi!" She greets with a grin, "You're still here?"

Yugi looks up at his name being called. At first, he looks confused but once he sees his sister, he smiles, "Hi, Miko!"

"Hi, Miko!" Joey says, straightening in his seat, "Yugi's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters!"

Miko hums in acknowledgement as Anzu steps up beside her. The brunette leans against a desk and exhales contentedly, "They've been at it for hours. Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's an expert. How did he learn to play?"

"Our grandpa taught him. He taught me too, but Yugi plays more," Miko replies, watching Joey lay down a card with the confidence of a lion cub, "He taught Yugi and I everything about the game." She shrugs, and motions to the card Joey laid down, "If you look at each monster card, you can see that they have an attack number and a defense number. These, depending on what position they are in, determine how much damage each player takes from the other. The first player to eliminate the other player's life points wins the duel. However, the game is not about power. It's about strategy and trying to figure out the other player's moves so that you can counteract them."

"You really seem to know what you're talking about." Anzu knits her brows together as she studies the text of Joey's card.

Miko nods, "I guess. I know more about the concept than how to play."

"That was a good move, Joey," Yugi says, laying his own card down, "But not quite good enough."

Miko exhales sharply through her nose in amusement as Joey drops all of his cards in defeat. With that move, Yugi wiped out Joey's lone monster and all of his life points in one go. It wasn't a big move but to a beginner like Joey, it would probably feel pretty devastating.

"You did fine, Joey." Yugi reassures, "I just have better cards—" He flips his deck face up and begins leafing through it, showing off the balance of various monster, magic, and trap cards— "See, I get all my best cards from my Grandpa. Miko does too."

Joey turns his gaze to her and face palms, "Of course you do!"

Miko cracks a grin, "If it makes you feel any better, I've never beaten Yugi."

"But you have come close a couple of times," Yugi replies, righting his deck.

"Yeah, 'a couple'," Miko replies with a lighthearted shrug. She runs her fingers through a knot in her hair as she continues, "With our grandpa owning a game shop, it makes it easy for us to pick out cards and build our decks, Joey. He usually gives us the first pick of a few cards before he sells the rest."

"You own a game shop?" The blond jumps up, suddenly wide-eyed and alert, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Let's go!"

Yugi and Miko share a look before laughing slightly. The blond male has been to their apartment above the game shop at least once a week. Did he forget or just not notice? Either way, it was a typical Joey-move.

"What's so funny?"

"You've been to our grandfather's shop more than once already, Joey," Yugi replies as he begins to pack everything into his backpack.

Miko nods, "I'm fairly certain you've walked through it to get to our apartment upstairs as well."

Tristan snorts and playfully knocks his fist into Joey's shoulder, "Did little Joey forget already?"

Joey glares at the brunet, "I didn't forget. I just don't always pay attention."

"At least you're honest," Anzu sighs as Yugi tugs on his backpack as Tristan and hands Joey his messenger bag. As they finish pulling their bags on, other students around the classroom begin picking up their things as well. They must have just noticed how late it was getting too.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're honest, Joey. It's not a bad thing." Miko replies, adjusting her bag. She glances at the remaining few students, eyes landing briefly on one of the last few sitting at his desk. His brown hair is neat and his school uniform looks as though it had been freshly pressed despite him wearing it all day. His eyes are trained solely on his book.

"I guess," The blond mumbles, pulling Miko's attention back to the group.

"Maybe I can get Grandpa to show you guys his super rare card!" Yugi says enthusiastically, "He doesn't take it out very often but since you're my friend, I'm sure he will!"

"It also depends on what mood we catch him in," Miko nods before having the urge to glance at the classroom's clock, "Speaking of which, it is getting pretty late. Grandpa is probably wondering where we are."

"Oh, shoot," Yugi nods, noticing the clock as well, "It's nearly supper time."

"What, are you hungry?" Joey grins, teasing.

"Maybe a little," Yugi replies with a shrug.

Miko facepalms, heading hurriedly for the door, "It's my turn to make dinner tonight and I still need to stop by the market for a couple ingredients."

"What were you planning on making?" Yugi questions, stepping in line with her. The rest of their friends follow behind them.

"Gyoza and rice," She answers, "But I need some seasoning and the veggies."

—

The walk to Kame Games from the Domino City High School is usually a short one, but with the stop at the market it became a little longer. Joey, wanting to get better cards and see the rare one their grandfather had, really had to keep his patience. Thankfully, Miko knew what she needed and where to find it so it didn't take her very long. As soon as she rejoined them, they continued toward the game shop.

They arrived quickly and in high spirits at the shop an hour before closing. A lucky break, in Miko's opinion, since their grandfather probably hadn't even started to think about food yet. The man, while in love with food, will always let his store and games take priority.

Miko sighs in relief and takes in the sight of the small building. The shop, when compared to others downtown, is relatively small and old-fashioned in appearance as it was first built in the late sixties or early seventies. Since it's first being built, the structure had yet to be updated and desperately needed a paint touch up. Despite it's antiqueness, Yugi and Miko loved it. There's no other place they'd rather call home.

Once inside, those who had never been or never paid much attention before were in awe of the different and older games on display, many of which were no longer made or sold. As such, the games displayed were near mint and therefore sold for much more than new games out on the market. Having these older games in store allowed Kame Games to stay open. Be that as it may, Yugi and Miko didn't think much of them. They had grown up with these games and knew them like they knew each other. So instead of standing in awe, they watched their friends pedal about with amused faces.

"Hello! I see you've brought company," A cheerful voice greets from behind the counter. His voice captures the group's attention, pulling it to the elder man who looked very much like an older version of Yugi. He smiles warmly and straightens, becoming only slightly taller than both of his grandchildren.

"Hi, Grandpa," Miko grins, "Sorry we're late."

"Oh, that's alright," Solomon nods before noticing the bag in her hands, "For supper, I assume?"

Miko nods, sheepish, "Yeah, just a few small things we picked up on the way home. I'll start on dinner in a minute."

"Hey, Grandpa!" Yugi steps closer to the counter, "Could you show my friends your awesome, super rare card? Please! Please!"

"Pretty please?" Joey joins, doing his best to give puppy-eyes. Yugi, in Miko's opinion, still does it better.

The elder man sighs and strokes his beard, highly considering taking his card out. Miko rolls her eyes and shifts her bookbag up onto her shoulder. Boys. Despite her feigned nonchalance, she wouldn't mind seeing the card again herself.

"Ah, alright," Solomon finally relents, grinning wide, "How could I refuse? You kids are in for a treat, I don't take this card out too often." As he talks, he turns around and pulls a small box from his safe. He sets it down on the counter and waits for everyone to crowd close before carefully removing the lid, "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so rare, so powerful, I never let it leave my hands."

The very first time Miko was ever shown the card, she was barely old enough to remember. However, the card had impressed her so much that she had felt such a connection with it that she began drawing the dragon everywhere— sketchbooks, notebooks, the underside of her desk, and what was then the wall of her and Yugi's shared bedroom. After she had been caught, their grandfather had promised to show her and Yugi every year on their birthday— as long as she didn't draw on any more walls, that is. To this day, Miko still draws or paints it anywhere she can. However, every time she does draw, it has evolved to reflect her in some way.

She shakes her head slightly. She does not understand why the dragon seems to mean so much to her.

"Awesome!" Joey breathes, studying the card where it lies. Despite being the stereotypically dumb blonde and ex-bully, Joey was pretty respectful when it came to observing what was considered precious items.

The same could not be said for Tristan however. The brunet snatches the card from the box and looks it over with an air of blasé ignorance, "It doesn't look all that special to me."

Miko shoots a glare at the brunet at his treatment of the card, but he doesn't seem to notice. Unlike the others in their group, Tristan has never been very considerate of other people's things, even after befriending those he had once tormented. It rubs Miko wrong every time he touches something without asking and breaks something of importance to a specific person. Miko is still bitter about him snapping the bracelet Anzu had given her.

Solomon snags the card back as fast and carefully as he can and holds it close to his heart as he looks it over for any possible damage, "This card is priceless!" He fumes, "There are only four of them in all the world." He gently places the dragon back in its box and picks up the lid, ready to put the item away once more.

"Speaking of priceless, I'm ready to trade!" Joey announces, pulling his deck from his pocket. The collection of cards is held together by a well-used rubber band. Just seeing the rubber band makes Yugi and Miko cringe. Does he really not have a deck case yet?

"Not for this card," Solomon responds, a hard look still on his face.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Joey replies with a grin, "Show me some other cool cards to get me started."

Miko relaxes. She knew she could trust Joey. Since becoming Yugi's friend, he has been more careful about things that are important to the people around him.

"Oh, of course," Solomon blinks, taken aback, "Just give me a moment to put this away."

As he is about to place the lid back on the box containing his Blue Eyes the store's door swings open, revealing the golden sunset just outside. However, instead of having a nice view of the last sunlight of the day, a figure blocks in the doorway.

Miko recognizes him from school. It is the guy she noticed sitting at his desk reading. His hair and clothes still look neat and orderly, but his face seems different. Instead of looking relaxed like it had only an hour ago, it is now twisted into a scowl and his eyes are ice-cold.

"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me," The boy replies, stepping closer and allowing the door to shut behind him. Immediately, the inside of the store feels as though it has had all light sucked from it.

"Who is he?" Miko whispers to her brother, keeping her eyes trained on the newcomer. His demeanor puts her on edge, but there is something about him that makes her want to know more about who he is and what he does.

"It's Seto Kaiba," Yugi replies, leaning closer to her, "He's the owner and CEO of Kaiba Corp."

Well, that's a surprise that Miko was certainly not expecting. The boy is their age and he already owns and operates a massive, fortune one hundred company. He must have a lot on his shoulders.

"What're you doing down here?" Tristan asks, tilting his head to the side and crossing his arms, "Don't you have a big fancy company to run?"

"That's not any of your business," The newcomer replies cooly, "But I've come to see the card."

"Why?" Miko questions, stepping forward with a hard look. This guy, while intriguing with his steely exterior and mysterious background, had basically invited himself to their little social gathering. That was something Miko couldn't get behind. "Yugi and I only invited these three." His blue-eyes land on her and she almost shivers as she motions to the others standing around, "You are currently a solicitor."

"You were talking about it in a public space," He counters factually, "And this is a game shop, a public space. If you don't want to call unwanted attention to yourselves, talk quieter or, better yet, go somewhere else."

"Miko," Solomon begins, his tone carrying a gentle but scolding tone, "The shop is still open for another half hour. As long as he doesn't linger or break something, this young man is not a solicitor."

Miko clenches her jaw at being told off, but keeps her eyes trained on the taller male teen before her. A slight smirk dances on his lips, but it lacks any and all kindness. He thinks this is a victory of some sort.

"Are you into Duel Monsters too?" Joey asks suddenly, not picking up on the rising tension in the room, "Maybe we could all duel together sometime?"

Kaiba scoffs, "Duel? You? I'd have more of a challenge playing black jack."

Joey scratches his head, confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country," Kaiba responds, not bothering to mask his pride, "And the favorite to win the upcoming Duel Monsters championship. You wouldn't last two minutes against me."

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Anzu questions, crossing her arms. The profanity that just spilled from her lips startles just about everyone.

Kaiba appears unfazed by her words, "You may want to buy some soap to wash your mouth out."

"Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead," Joey snaps, coming to Anzu defense.

"Take it easy, Joey," Miko says, shifting the weight of her bags to her other arm and taking on an apathetic aura, "He's not worth it. Whatever fame he claims to have isn't all that great as I've never heard of him before. Besides, once Duel Monsters falls out of popularity, his name will be forgotten like those before him."

The billionaire turns his eyes on her again. This time, there is a slight crease in his brow and he appears to be fighting a frown from his face. Things Miko had said really seemed to have struck a nerve. Good. He deserves it.

In a last ditch attempt at retaining his dignity, Kaiba shoves his way to the front counter with his silver briefcase, "Does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?"

When he notices the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the hard expression drops from his face and is replaced by shock. In turn, Miko suddenly feels the need to cover herself with baggy clothes and a blanket. Instead, she crosses her arms over her nearly flat chest to feel more secure. What is with this guy? And why has people looking at her grandfather's card made her feel so exposed?

"This is the card I've been looking for," Kaiba says, regaining composure. He clicks open his briefcase and turns around to Solomon, "I'll trade you all of these cards for your Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Solomon barely glances at the open briefcase as he places the lid back on the box containing his Blue-Eyes, "That is a nice offer, but no thank you."

"If you won't trade, I'll buy it. Name your price."

Solomon shakes his head, "As the CEO of a megacorporation, I'm sure you could. However, this card is worth more than you could ever offer. Not because of its power or because it's so rare, but because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend and so I treasure this card as I do that friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question."

"You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?" Yugi asks, leaning gently against the counter.

"Yes," Solomon agrees, holding the box close to his person, "You see, this card, while precious, is the symbol of a bond between myself and a dear friend."

"I've heard enough of your nonsense," The prideful brunet scoffs, clicking his case of cards shut, "I'll get that card one way or another."

Miko keeps her eyes trained on him during his entire strut to the door. She doesn't like that threat, nor did she particularly enjoy his presence anymore. He was rude and completely disregarded everything her grandfather had said about the card being important to him. Anyone with that level of impertinence is not someone she wants in her life. Hopefully, they won't see that kid again.

The door shuts, making the bell above the frame tinkle. Instantly, the light flows back into the store and everyone seems to sigh a breath of relief. Who knew that today would be so eventful?