Emily Johnson looked up from her hand as Keith Howard played his next move. She had watched him in Duelist Kingdom and wasn't happy with his actions. Not many American Duelists were pleased with that show he'd put on in Duelist Kingdom. Rumors were going around that he would be banned from tournament competition, but that hadn't happened. The rest of the field had vowed one thing: they wouldn't let him cheat his way back to international competition.
"Keith, you're a bigger idiot than I thought." She muttered as she pulled her next card.
Aaron watched in glee as his little sister ended the duel in a spectacular victory.
"Way to go, sis!" he said in excitement.
"Thanks… but come on, it's Keith; everyone knows his tricks now. I'm surprised he's still allowed to compete at this level." She replied as she removed her cards from her duel disk and returned them to the pocket on her belt.
Emily looked at her phoneand then back at her brother as they left the venue to go home. It was a long weekend, and they were readyto relax. She hadn't told him about the dreams she had been having lately.
"Emily…" Aaron said in concern as they walked up to their bedrooms; Emily had been oddly silent since their conversation about Yugi and Battle City.
"Yeah…" she replied, looking at him in confusion.
"I lost you there… is everything okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine." She replied dismissively.
"Funny… this says something different," he says, holding up her diary.
"Aaron!" she roared in anger.
"Please, Em, I wish you'd tell me what was happening."
"For the past few weeks, I've been having these bizarre dreams… none make any sense…" she sighed.
"Would it help you if I said I have to?" he asked.
Emily's eyes widened in shock as she looked up at her brother.
"Seriously?" she asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and… and I've noticed other things too." He sighed. "I feel it… I don't know what or who he is, but he's coming, and things will be bad."
"I feel it too…" Emily sighed. "I don't like it."
They compared their dreams and found, to their shock, that they were having the same dreams.
Yugi sighed as he flopped back into his bed. With the defeat of Marik Ishtar, he figured they might get a few moments of peace before the next threat came into play, but if his dreams were anything to go by, things weren't done yet.
"Are you okay, Aibou?" Yami asked gently.
"I don't know." Yugi replied, "I've been having these strange dreams lately… something's coming." He sighed.
He could feel Yami's warm energy. It was something that Yami did when he thought that Yugi was particularly distressed. It had a way of easing Yugi's mind and reminding him that Yami would protect him from harm. Yugi likened it to the closest thing Yami could do to embrace him, and Yugi closed his eyes, letting it soothe his fears.
"Whatever is coming, we will face it together," Yami assured him gently as he lulled Yugi off to sleep. He felt it, too, felt the evil rising, but he felt something else, something Yugi hadn't noticed. There were more coming, more to help them in the coming war.
The next day, Yugi received a letter inviting him to compete with the current American champion for a "World Duel Monsters Championship." The current American champion was a young woman named Emily Johnson.
"You think we should do it?" Yugi asked Yami, who shrugged in reply.
"Couldn't hurt anything," Yami replied.
"I agree; besides, I'd love to meet the girl who humiliated Keith."
Emily wasn't sure as she and Aaron disembarked from the plane that took them to Domino City. Their parents had been unwilling to go on this trip, but because Aaron was twenty, they could fill out forms that gave him custodial rights over his younger sister as long as they were in Japan. This was helpful in an emergency, and the closer they got to the duel, the more the ominous feelings they felt kept mounting.
"Aaron, are you sure this was a good idea?" Emily asked.
"I don't know, but it feels like whatever's coming is getting stronger."
"I know, but I keep seeing someone else in my dreams… he looks like Yugi … but different." She sighed. "Plus, he has this weird symbol on his forehead."
"Like an eye?" Aaron supplied.
"Yes… I think it's some Egyptian symbol, but I'm not sure."
"If I'm right, the symbol is the Eye of Horus, an Egyptian glyph, but I don't know what it means," Aaron replied.
"The Eye of Horus… isn't that the symbol on that strange pyramid necklace Yugi wears all the time?" Emily asked as they unpacked in their hotel room.
"Yeah… rumor has it that was a puzzle his grandfather found in an Egyptian Tomb and brought back. He gave it to Yugi in the hope that Yugi could solve the puzzle because whoever solved it would get their wish granted, supposedly, and he solved it." Aaron replied, "I don't know the result of the wish business. It always sounded a little dubious to me that an Egyptian artifact would come with a blessing instead of a curse." He continued. "Most of those items are cursed that whoever removed them from the tomb would suffer an untimely and painful death. This one sounded like whoever placed it wanted, no NEEDED, someone to take itand solve this puzzle."
The story of the wish associated with the puzzle was a little strange to Emily, but who was she to speculate about what the Egyptians did all those millennia ago?
"Do you think our dreams have something to do with his puzzle?" she asked as she sat on her bed.
"I don't know, Em, only time will tell what this means." Aaron sat on his bed across from her.
"I'm going to look through my deck. I mean, it's Yugi; I have to be at the top of my game." She sighed as she turned and pulled her deck out to look it over. "I'm not going to lie. I'm not so delusional asto think I will beat him, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't give it my all."
Aaron had just put his head down when the hotel phone rang.
"Hello… Yes, we're settled. Is everything okay? Of course… yes, that would be great. Okay, I'll let her know… Okay, goodbye." Aaron hung up, and Emily looked at him in confusion.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"The production team wants to review the specifics before the duel tomorrow since it's supposed to be televised here and in the States." Aaron commented, "Yugi is supposed to be therewith an interpreter, but do we need one?"
Aaron and Emily had spent most of their lives in Japan, going to Japanese schools because their father worked for a large tech company. They only returned when their parents got a divorce, and, despite their protests, their mother dragged them back to the States, or to the States in Emily's case. She had visited the US occasionally, but she had been born in Japan and thus had dual citizenship, a flex even her brother didn't have.
"No, not really, God, Aaron, I have missed Japan," Emily admitted. She had been preparing for her high school entrance exams when their mother got a wild hair and moved them back to the States despite their protests.
"I know, but Mom wanted us with her, and for some reason, Dad didn't fight it," Aaron replied with a shrug.
Emily let out a long breath, andher nerves shot. What was Yugi like? What would these producers be like?
The following day came way too fast for Emily, who was still nervous about meeting the reigning 'king of duel monsters.' She tried to eat but found herself unable to do so. The jet lag was also hitting her full force. She didn't know why they weren't permitted to come a few days earlier so they could adjust to an over twelve-hour time difference between their home in Houston and their destination, Tokyo.
They arrived at the location to see Yugi and Jonouchi waiting patiently for their arrival. Yugi didn't seem nearly as imposing as he did on the screen, but Aaron didn't point that fact out.
"Come on, Emily, let's meet up with the producers to see what the plan is," Yugi said, pulling the younger girl out of her thoughts and into the moment this meeting was about. She, too, noticed the difference between Yugi, the duelist, and Yugi, the normal, albeit short, teenage boy.
The interpreter began to speak, but when Emily responded in Japanese, which sounded as fluent as Yugi's, he began to question why he was even there.
"They never asked us if we spoke Japanese." Aaron explained, "If they had, we would have explained we were only in America because of our mom. We grew up inShibuya and went to Japanese schools our entire school career up to this coming school year. I graduated from a Japanese High school; Emily was preparing to take the entrance exams when mom moved us back to the States."
Meanwhile, Yami was paying attention to what Yugi was saying and doing. He knew everyone expected him to be in ascendance when the duel began, and he wouldn't disappoint. He had no beef with herand no reason to duel with her as aggressively as he had Marik, Kaiba, or Pegasus. However, he wouldn't insult her by going easy on her, either. There was a title to be had, and he had a reputation to keep as the "King of Duel Monsters."
"Emily, what's wrong?" Yugi asked.
"It just feels wrong going into such a major duel without the card that earned me my title, the 'Angelic Assassin'." She confessed.
"What do you mean?" Yugi couldn't suppress his concern, and Yami's curiosity was piqued. He had only seen her after she was given the 'Angelic Assassin' title, and he never knew how she got it.
"The Wingweaver," she replied, "It was stolen a few months ago, and no matter how hard I try, I have yet to find another one. Don't ask me how they got my Wingweaver; I don't know. I don't trust my cards to just anybody, especially when I'm holding a card that is as rare as that."
Yugi chewed on the inside of his cheek. He couldn't imagine having someone take his Dark Magician, although replacing it would be far easier than Emily's Wingweaver. He had never seen that particular card in person, so finding out she'd had one stolen broke his heart. He knew the odds of her ever locating another copy were slim to none. That card was rare; it wasn't a Blue Eyes White Dragon by any means, but it wasn't Kuriboh either; those were as rare as pocket lint.
Hours later, they were preparing for the competition at the arenawhen Yami noticed Emily sway dangerously for no apparent reason. Seconds later, she was going down, and the former pharaoh reacted faster than even her brother could think, easing her to the ground so she didn't hit her head on the concrete flooring. He then started to look around and noticed the glow of the Millennium Ring and a smirk of pure evil on Bakura's face.
"Bakura…" he growled in rage as he passed Emily over to Aaron to care for, and he rushed after Bakura.
"I see you noticed me, Pharaoh…" Bakura gloated once they were out of earshot of the stunned/horrified crowd that had gathered around Emily when she collapsed.
"What did you do to her?" Yami demanded.
"You don't know what is coming, do you?" Bakura asked.
"What does this have to do with Emily?" Yami shot back, changing the subject to reflect on what was happening at the moment.
"The darkness is rising, and soon you will see what is to come… why Emily is so invaluable to the fight to come… why your friends are so valuable to the fight to come."
"Damn it, Bakura… quit talking in riddles!" Yami barked in rage, "What did you do to her?"
"Tisk… tisk… language… I thought a pharaoh wouldn't resort to such profanity." Bakura scolded sarcastically.
"Bakura…?" Jonouchi said in confusion as he joined Yami. "I thought you sent him to the shadow realm." He mused in confusion.
"So did I," Yami replied in bitter rage.
"This explains what happened to Emily…" Jonouchi said, "By the way, she woke up and said she's sorry 'bout what happened. Everyone keeps tellin' her it ain't her fault, but…"
"I'll talk to her later. We'll postpone the exhibition until she's in better shape." Yami sighed. "She earned the right to that duel. I'm not going to deny her that."
"I didn't think ya would, Yugi." Jonouchi replied, "Need help with this bozo?"
"I've delivered my message, and I'll be on my way, but remember, pharaoh, the worst is yet to come," Bakura replied, then quietly walked away. Don't forget what I've said, Pharaoh… and by the way, you might want to pay attention to the pendants she and her brother wear. They should be of interest to you, " he said absently over his shoulder as he walked away.
Yami and Jonouchi returned to where Aaron and Emily were sitting. Paramedics were checking Emily, and word had already gone out that the championship duel was postponed until further notice.
Soon, the medics left, pronouncing that the teen would be fine with some rest, and Yami knelt in front of her.
"I'm sorry Yugi… I don't know what happened… I…" Emily stuttered, wiping tears from her eyes.
Yami put a hand up to gently stop her. He was furious, but not at her. Bakura had caused this, and the fact that Emily felt it was her fault upset him.
"No apologies needed; that wasn't your fault… our duel will happen. You deserve that much, but right now, you need to rest, and we all need to try to figure out what just happened." He said as his eyes caught on the pendant that had fallen from her blouse. He wracked his brain for the name of the obvious Egyptian Goddess depicted on the pendant she wore but came up blank. He cursed the amnesia that left him so ignorant of his heritage and religion.
"Thanks, Yugi," she replied with a watery smile.
While Yugi/Yami was getting Emily calmed down and assured he didn't blame her for what happened. Jonouchi was talking with Aaron to find out exactly what he thought might have occurred and how Bakura got to the young duelist.
Emily looked into Yugi's eyes and realized this wasn't the same 'Yugi' she had met hours earlier. This was his duelist persona, something different, dark, and magical. She also realized that compassion was something that Yugi always wore, but there was something regal about this other persona. It's something royal that couldn't be denied no matter how hard anyone tried to reason that Yugi was just your average teenage boy who just happened to be freakishly good at playing duel monsters. There was something more about him few, if any, knew.
Yugi looked over to Aaron, who seemed relieved that Yugi wasn't upset with Emily about what had happened. Then Jonouchi revealed something that even the medics didn't notice: a strange darttangled up in Emily's hair.
"I think this has somethin' to do with what happened," he proclaimed, handing Yugi the dart.
"Poisoned, but why did it resolve so rapidly?" Yugi wondered aloud.
"Who knows?" she replied as she tucked the Egyptian-looking necklace into her shirt.
"Do You think this has something to do with what Bakura was talking about?" Yugi asked Yami.
"Maybe… but I'm not sure… for all we know, he's lying to us again," Yami replied, though it did make Yugi's recent dreams make sense. "I also don't understand why he said her pendant was important. He also implied her brother had one as well."
"I don't know, but why target Emily? Why not target us?" Yugi wondered. "I can't tell you that either, though it looks like some Egyptian symbol. Grandpa might know something; he was an expert in Egyptian lore before he opened the game shop."
"We will have to wait and see how this plays out," Yami replied as he and Aaron helped Emily to her feet.
Aaron was relieved when they arrived at the hotel room later that eveningandsaw that Emily was improving.
"Aaron, I have a question?"
"Go for it, what's up?"
"Is it just me, or did Yugi somehow magically look like the dude we keep seeing in our dreams… the one with the eye on his forehead?"
To Be Continued…