A/N:

Hi! Sorry for the long wait. I actually don't remember or know how long it's been... oops?

This story is not yet posted on Ao3 again as I am refining the tags and whatnot, but I'm going to keep updating here for right now 😊 I don't really have much else to say. I haven't made author's notes like this in a long time lol - OMG I just checked the publication date... it's been over a year 😶 ️

Anyway, hope y'all will enjoy the chapter!

(10/24/24)

Miko swings the knife down, chopping through a carrot. The short end launches from the cutting board and sails past Yugi's head. The latter ducks, nearly spilling his water as he narrowly avoids the incoming projectile.

She doesn't apologize, not verbally at least, but she pauses, a tightness pulling at her jaw. Nearly an hour has passed since Kaiba stormed out of the shop, leaving behind a tension that still clung to the air like stale perfume. His words echoed in her mind—"I'll get that card one way or another." She knows he meant it, and the thought of him pushing their family around makes her blood simmer just beneath the surface.

Her hand tightens around the knife handle, the blade glinting in the warm orange light that seeps through the kitchen window. The setting sun paints the cramped space in soft, amber hues, casting long shadows across the wooden cabinets and countertops. The kitchen, though small, is a familiar comfort—cracked tiles beneath her feet, worn edges on the laminate counters, and the faint scent of tea from the pot Grandpa brewed earlier still lingering in the air.

"M-miko, are you alright?" He asks timidly. If there's anything Yugi knows about his sister, it's her ability to get angry and hold it in silently.

Miko doesn't look at him right away. She focuses on the carrot, slicing through the remaining pieces with deliberate, precise movements. The rhythmic thud of the knife against the cutting board fills the kitchen, but her shoulders are tight, and her breaths come out a little sharper than usual.

Her mind replays the scene—Kaiba's smug expression, the way he looked at Grandpa as if he were nothing, and that infuriating tone when he spoke of taking what he wanted. It's as if he thinks money could buy anything.

After Kaiba left, the easygoing atmosphere never returned. It was like he took something intangible with him—something that made Miko's temper easier to manage and her smiles more genuine. Now, Miko's silence sits heavy between them, as thick as the steam rising from the pan.

She can feel Yugi's gaze, his concern a gentle weight on her back, but she's not ready to let him in on what's boiling under her skin. Not yet. So she forces herself to breathe slowly, tries to channel her frustration into the steady rhythm of her chopping.

"I'm fine," Miko finally says, but her voice has that edge to it—clipped and taut, like a rubber band stretched too far.

Yugi sets his glass down, choosing his next words carefully. "You sure? You seem... tense."

"It's just… frustrating," she finally admits, keeping her voice level as she tosses the carrot pieces into a nearby bowl. "People like him, thinking they can come in and do whatever they want. It's like they don't care about—" She cuts herself off, realizing she's gripping the knife too tightly, and sets it down with a clatter that seems to echo too loudly in the quiet kitchen.

Miko's gaze drifts to the window, where the sun sinks lower behind the cityscape, the sky burning with shades of orange and purple. For a moment, she focuses on the warmth of the sunlight on her face, letting it soften the edges of her frustration.

She glances back at Yugi, offering him a small, weary smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm okay, Yugi. Really. Just… thinking too much, I guess."

The countertops, a faded shade of blue, are cluttered with evidence of Miko's recent attempt at dinner: a half-filled pot of gyoza steaming on the stove, stray carrot ends scattered across the cutting board, and a bag of rice left open on the counter.

The space between them is narrow, the kind that usually brings a sense of warmth and closeness when they cook together, but today it feels more like a boundary drawn with a tightrope.

Yugi nods, but his expression remains uncertain. He shifts his weight, his hands fiddling with the edge of his glass, clearly unsure whether to push further or let the silence stretch between them. The way Miko is holding herself—tight and rigid—tells him enough. He knows that look, the way she keeps her emotions locked down until they're ready to burst.

"Kaiba's just a jerk," Yugi says, trying to lighten the mood, but it falls flat. He knows that isn't really what's bothering Miko, but it's the best he can manage. He hopes it's enough to make her smile, even if just for a second.

Miko's lips twitch, a brief almost-smile before she returns her focus to the task at hand. She picks up another carrot, slicing into it with the same methodical precision. "That's a surprise coming from you."

Yugi's shoulders relax a little at the almost-smile, but the tension in the room remains like a thread stretched too thin. Miko's thoughts keep drifting back to their grandfather, to the strain she'd seen on his face as he clutched that precious card like it was a piece of his own soul. Kaiba didn't just try to take a card—he threatened their family's history and their memories.

The warm light bathes the side of her face, the golden hue catching in her platinum hair, bathing it in a cream-colored hue. For a moment, she lets herself be distracted by the sunset's glow, the way it brings a fleeting sense of calm.

Yugi leans against the counter, shifting his gaze from his sister to the window. He can see the familiar neon lights of the city flickering on, colors blending into the sunset, a reminder of how small their apartment feels in comparison to the sprawling city beyond. But it's home, and for all its creaks and clutter, it's where they've made their memories—happy, messy, imperfect. He doesn't want to see Kaiba, or anyone else, disrupt that.

"You know, Miko," Yugi says, glancing back at her, "Grandpa has always said that the important things aren't for sale, no matter how much money someone throws at you."

"Yeah... I know," she replies, her voice a little less strained this time. She doesn't want Yugi to see how much Kaiba's visit had rattled her, how it had stirred up old fears about losing the things and people she cares about. But his earnestness, his quiet belief in Grandpa's wisdom, chips away at some of the anger she's been holding onto.

Yugi's small, hopeful smile is a balm, and Miko lets herself hold onto it for a moment longer than she usually would. The shadows in the room don't feel quite as heavy anymore, and even though the tightness in her chest hasn't fully gone away, it's eased a little. Enough, at least, for her to give him a real smile, if only a small one.

"Thanks, Yugi."

Yugi watches Miko for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought, before he attempts a different tactic. He pushes himself away from the counter and gestures toward the half-chopped vegetables, his tone lightening. "You know, Miko, with how you're chopping those carrots, they should probably be called firestarers and not matchsticks."

Miko pauses, mid-slice, and turns to look at him, her expression blank. For a second, she just stares, as if considering whether to roll her eyes or swat him with the cutting board. Then, unexpectedly, a laugh bursts out of her—short, genuine, and surprising even to herself. It's not much, but it's enough to release some of the tension that's been coiled tight between them.

"Really, Yugi?" she says, shaking her head with a smirk. "That's the best you've got?"

Yugi shrugs, grinning sheepishly. "What can I say? My sense of humor is as refined as this kitchen."

"Hey, this kitchen is vintage," Miko counters with a playful lift of her brow. She gives the carrot slices a final toss into the bowl, glancing toward the stove where the pot of stew bubbles softly. "Dinner's almost ready," she says, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Think you can set the table without any more terrible jokes?"

"I'll try my best," Yugi replies, making a mock-serious salute before he starts gathering plates and utensils from the cupboard. His movements are clumsy but cheerful, and Miko feels a small pang of gratitude for his efforts to lighten the mood.

"Joey has rubbed on you too much," She says, placing a hand on her hip.

Yugi chuckles, balancing the plates in his hands as he nudges a stray box of tea bags back into place on the shelf. "Hey, someone's gotta keep things interesting around here. Besides, you love it."

"Yeah, just as much as you like snowpeas." Miko rolls her eyes, but there's a warmth in her expression now, the earlier tension dissolving like sugar in hot tea. The sound of the stew bubbling on the stove fills the room, mingling with the soft clinks and clatters as Yugi sets the table.

Yugi snorts, "Hey, Joe— er… my jokes are better than that!"

"Right." She teases, smiling.

Just as Yugi finishes placing the last fork on the table, the creak of a floorboard signals their grandfather's arrival.

The elder man enters the room, a gentle smile already tugging at the corners of his mouth, his presence adding a new warmth to the cozy kitchen. He glances between Miko and Yugi, sensing the shift in the air. "Smells good in here," he says, rubbing his hands together with a chuckle. "You didn't burn anything this time, Miko."

Miko lets out a small huff, but there's no real heat behind it. "I burned tofu one time, Grandpa. One time."

—

Miko trudges along the sidewalk, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the pavement as she lags behind Yugi, Joey, and Anzu. Their voices mingle in front of her, talking about something she can't quite catch, but she doesn't try to keep up. The weight of yesterday's events clings to her like a shadow, a gnawing dread that she can't quite shake.

Her stomach feels hollow—a reminder of the skipped breakfast this morning, and the lunch she barely touched before passing it off to Joey. He didn't question it, just gave her a grateful grin and devoured the extra food, but Miko knows Yugi noticed. He kept shooting her those concerned glances from across the lunch table, like he wanted to ask if she was okay but wasn't sure how.

Ahead, Joey's voice rises in a burst of excitement, likely telling one of his wild stories. Yugi laughs, his usual soft, easy sound, while Anzu chides Joey about exaggerating again. Tristan is there too, teasing the half-American blond. The chatter should be comforting, but to Miko, it feels distant—like a scene playing out on a screen she's not quite a part of.

She hugs her arms closer to herself, feeling the autumn breeze bite through her thin school jacket. She shivers briefly and watches a few leaves dance across the sidewalk before getting caught in the grass.

A few paces ahead, Yugi glances back. He slows his stride until he's walking beside her, his expression gentle but worried. "You okay, Miko? You've been kind of… quiet today."

She looks up, noting how everyone has stopped walking. However, only Joey and Yugi appear truly worried about her falling behind. She's appreciative of Joey for being the only one besides Yugi to be concerned, but she can't find herself to express that gratitude. Her heart doesn't feel up for it today.

She forces a smile to her face and nods, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've hardly eaten anything since last night…" Yugi points out, his grip tightens on his backpack straps as he worries.

"I wasn't hungry," Miko shrugs, trying to appear nonchalant. She steps closer to her brother and they begin walking again. This time, she makes an effort to keep up to not bring more attention to herself.

Yugi doesn't look convinced, but he doesn't press further. Instead, he adjusts his backpack and tries to keep his tone casual. "Well, if you need to talk, you know I'm here, right?"

"I'm fine, Yugi." She nods, grateful for the offer even if she doesn't quite have the words to explain what's been gnawing at her. "You shouldn't worry about me all the time."

"I'm your brother, it's my job," He replies light-heartedly with his voice carrying an undertone of concern.

Miko sighs and presses her lips into a straight line, ending the conversation. appreciates Yugi's effort to be there for her, even if she can't quite bring herself to take him up on his offer. She knows he means well, but she very much dislikes it when people worry about her—especially her brother. He already has so much other stuff to worry about that she hates herself when she unintentionally adds more to his plate. Since their parents started working and being away from home more, Yugi had taken it upon himself to support and worry over Miko in their place. Yes, they have their grandfather, but it isn't quite the same.

They continue down the sidewalk, Yugi's presence a small comfort beside her. She feels guilty for not sharing, but she truly does not want to talk about it. When she does talk about something that stresses her out, she only ends up becoming more stressed until the whole thing is over and done with.

She frowns at herself then at the memory of the events that played out the evening before. She can't stop thinking about it or the threat that still seemed to linger unspoken over everyone's heads. What could it possibly mean? Why does Kaiba want her grandfather's Blue-Eyes so much?

Joey, noticing that they've fallen behind, calls out, "Hey, you two slowpokes! What's the hold-up? Anzu and Tristan are gonna beat us to your own house. C'mon!"

Miko musters a half-hearted wave and quickens her pace just a little. The last thing she wants is to be the reason they start asking more questions.

Joey falls back a bit to walk with them. "You sure you're okay, Miko? You look like you're carrying the weight of the world back there."

"I'm fine, Joey, really," she insists, trying to inject some conviction into her voice. But Joey's easy-going grin falters slightly, and she can see the worry behind it.

"Well, if you say so," Joey replies, though his tone is softer, less convinced. He shrugs, letting the matter drop, but he slows his stride a bit, keeping pace with Miko and Yugi as they walk.

"With you, Joey, and Miko knowing how to play, maybe I should build a deck too," Anzu ponders aloud, "It'd be nice to be able to play with everyone once in a while."

Yugi bounces on the balls of his feet as he takes a step, suddenly excited at the prospect of playing Duel Monsters with her, "I can show you how to play, Anzu."

Miko smiles slightly. Of course he'd be happy to show her how to play. It's not like he has had a crush on the brunette for over a year or anything.

"Yugi's a good teacher," Joey nods, tapping his chin as if to recall all the moves and tactics Yugi had shown or told him about, "He's taught me everything so far."

"Yeah, but you still can't win," Tristan teases, earning himself an immediate smack on the head.

Joey sighs with his fist still raised before turning to Yugi, "Man, I hope your grandpa has some cool cards today—" He crosses his arms behind his head— "I want to build a good deck and go against you again, Yugi. Maybe I'll get close to beating you one of these days."

"Yeah," Yugi grins, "Maybe you will."

"Hey, Miko!" Joey calls out suddenly, making the girl jump slightly, "I wanna duel you too! I wanna see how good you are."

She smiles, matching Yugi, "Sure thing, Joey. But don't think I'll go as easy on you as Yugi has."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

As they walk, the spirits of the group seem to grow considerably brighter in the last few minutes thanks to Joey and his ramblings about building a better deck and taking on the twins, namely Yugi. Despite the help the two were offered to their blond friend, they knew that there would never be a time he beat either one of them. They knew the games too well.

Joey yanks open the game shop door and holds it open for everyone else but Tristan to enter first, still bitter about the comment he made. The overhead bell rings briefly, but the shop quickly falls silent once they all are completely inside. Miko's nerves were immediately plummet to her stomach.

"Grandpa, we're home!" Yugi calls.

No one answers.

"That's odd," Miko mumbles, "He usually answers right away."

"Maybe he's stepped out?" Joey suggests, glancing at the games decorating the shelves.

"If he did, he would have locked the doors," Yugi replies, glancing behind the counter and the storeroom beyond, "He never leaves the shop unattended."

"Then maybe he fell asleep after he had lunch?" Tristan suggests unhelpfully.

Miko and Yugi shake their heads. Their grandfather never takes naps, even when they try to get him to. The old fart, for some odd reason, has way too much energy for his own good.

As the two siblings continue to investigate, the phone rings. Miko nearly jumps out of her skin as Yugi rushes over to it to answer.

"Hello! Kame Games, this is Yugi speaking."

A pause.

Miko balls her hands into fists. No one ever calls the store anymore so this can't be good.

Yugi tenses, "Kaiba."

Miko sucks in a breath at the mention of the name. Why is he calling them? What happened? Her blood runs cold. What did he do?

"What have you done, Kaiba?" Yugi yells into the phone. He grips his hair with his free hand as Kaiba speaks on the other end.

It doesn't last long as he throws the phone back on the receiver. He whips around to face his sister and their friends, a fearful look in his eye, "Grandpa is at Kaiba Corp. Kaiba said he's not 'feeling well.'"

Miko glares at the receiver and swears under her breath. She lets her backpack fall from her shoulders before tossing it behind the counter. With jerky, upset movement, she yanks the store's spare key from one of the drawers behind the counter, "Let's go."

"'Let's go?'" Tristan echoes, "You want us to come with?"

"They're like half our height, Tristan," Joey snaps, "And their grandfather is in trouble, of course we're goin' with 'em!"

Miko blinks dully at the pointing out of their heights, "We don't have time to argue, you two! Bags off, bring only what you need. Let's go!"

She grabs Yugi's wrist and heads for the front of the store. This Kaiba-guy has a lot of nerve, but so does she and she's going to teach him a thing or two about messing with the Mutous.

—

The group makes a mad dash to the Kaibe Corp. tower, Miko couldn't help but think of every little thing that Kaiba may have done to her and Yugi's grandfather. Yes, the old man is considerably spry for his age, but that doesn't mean he can withstand high amounts of stress or extended periods of physical activity. He doesn't take that much care of himself.

Now they were in the elevator on their way to whatever floor this supposed duel arena is located. Since being confined to the elevator, Miko couldn't stop moving. Her nerves wouldn't let her. She needs to do something with her hands. Before she can grab a hold of her hair, the elevator dings open, and Yugi darts out, yelling for their grandfather. Miko follows hot on his tail and lands hard on her knees beside her brother and grandfather.

"Yugi, Miko," The older man groans, "I failed. I wanted to teach that boy, Kaiba, a lesson about the heart of the cards but I lost."

Miko exhales and pulls a handkerchief from her pocket. She dabs it to the sweat on Solomon's brow. He's clammy and shaky. She hopes he isn't experiencing anything life-threatening.

"How's the old man feeling?" A familiar voice questions tauntingly.

"What have you done?" Miko growls, eyes flaring with anger once she sees the teen responsible for her grandfather's current state.

"We had a duel," The brunet says nonchalantly. He looks down at her, purposely making eye contact, and smirks, "We put up our most valuable card as the prize, but I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool."

Miko clenches her jaw. Most valuable card? Oh no— she balls her hands into fists to keep herself from facepalming. She and Yugi didn't bother to check the safe. As if to confirm her fear, Kaiba holds up the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that was once her grandfather's.

"It was a fair game," The billionaire-boy continues, "He lost and I won the card. Now it'll never be used against me."

Before she can think, he tips the card sideways and rips it right down the middle.

Miko blinks wide-eyed at the bits of laminated paper as they flutter to the ground, lifeless. Everything around her seems to grow muffled as she processes what Kaiba has just done.

He did not just do that, right? She needs someone to tell her that he didn't just do that. This must be some horrible nightmare. Someone needs to pinch her. She squeezes her eyes shut and reaches down to grip her grandfather's overalls only to grab a handful of sand in his place.