I own nothing
Chapter 15: The End of Duelist Kingdom
The gang ran on the upper part of the castle, hunting down their escaped host.
"Don't worry, Yugi." Joey assured. "He couldn't have gotten far."
The shorter male still looked concerned. "We've got to find him. Pegasus is the only one who can restore grandpa's soul!"
"And the Kaiba brothers!" Rain added as Tea suddenly froze, making them all skid to a halt. "Tea? Tea, what's the matter?"
"That tower, it looks...I think I've been there before. With Tristan and Bakura."
Tristan looked at her like she was crazy as Rain facepalm.
"You guys actually snuck around? That brand of crazy is my department."
Tea smiled bashfully before pointing at the tower. "I vaguely recall a secret room, Pegasus's sanctuary. I figured it was just a dream, but..."
"Wait, I'm starting to remember that too." The brunette male admitted. "Pegasus fought with Bakura, and then Bakura's evil spirit came out. But why did we forget?"
"If I had to guess, the Spirit of the Ring probably didn't want you blabbing that he was back." Rain suggested as Joey groaned.
"Evil spirit? Aargh!"
Tea shrugged. "Well, we remember now. Let's go!"
The two of them led the group towards the tower and the secret corridors. As they got closer, Rain couldn't help the feeling of dread seeping into her. A loud scream suddenly tore through the air.
"Did you guys hear that?" Tristan shouted.
Rain gave him a look. "How could you not? It sounded like Pegasus."
Just as they arrived, several of Pegasus's men were seen dragging the man himself out, slumped unconscious over one of their shoulders. Yugi stepped forward.
"Croquet, what happened to Pegasus?"
"It's none of your concern. He's suddenly taken ill."
As the goons carried Pegasus passed them, Rain caught sight of the empty, bloodied eye socket hidden beneath his hair. Her blood ran cold.
The Millennium Eye was gone.
"But what about grandpa and the others?" Yugi asked, not seeing what Rain did. "He promised he'd free their souls!"
Croquet stormed past him. "Not my department."
As he marched off, Joey watched with a suspicious look. "Did ya get a look at Pegasus? Who or what could have done that to him?"
"I don't know." Tea said. "Maybe we should check out the towers, right, Rain? Rain?"
The Wayfarer was still frozen to the spot, only to be snapped out of it by a strong shove from Tristan.
"You with us now?"
"Y-yeah." She said hesitantly. "Let's go check it out."
The inner chamber was just Tea and Tristan described in, topped off by a portrait of a beautiful blonde woman (Y/N) could only guess was Pegasus's deceased wife. As Tristan and Joey admired the painting, Tea snooped through the nearby desk, finding a humble looking brown journal.
"Hey! There's a diary here!" As she flipped through the pages, a card fell out, grabbing Yugi's attention. "It's all about Pegasus. Listen to this, he's written about that lady! She seems to be very important to him."
Yugi picked up the fallen card, revealing the art to be a copy of the painting.
Rain put her hands in her pockets.
"I'm pretty sure that's Pegasus's wife. She passed away a while ago."
"Ya don't say." Joey commented. "How do you know that?"
"He told me. Apparently, this whole mess was just his attempt to see her again." She stared at the portrait. "I get it, somewhat. It's not easy, losing people you care about, especially out of nowhere, but nothing can justify all the pain he's caused."
Tea began to read the journal out loud. "Darling Cecelia, at last, I've finally found a way to restore you to this world. It's an elaborate plan, but not one beyond my genius. It involves the Kaiba Corporation and ancient magic I plan to harness. When I obtain more Millennium Items and the corporation of the Wayfarers- Rain, you're right! This is why he set up this tournament, and why he went after you and Yugi!"
Tea began to read more about how Pegasus and Cecelia met. Apparently, it had been a grand gala and the two were only children, a romance that blossomed from a childhood infatuation, ending in tragedy by sickness. From there, Pegasus became obsessed, traveling the world in search of a cure for a broken heart. Eventually, it led him to Egypt and a fateful encounter with a man who's description seemed very familiar to Rain.
"Shadi...?"
From there, the diary explained in detail about the ritual bestowing the Millennium Eye on Pegasus, making Rain both cringe and be thankful her item was simply a bracelet. Unfortunately, despite the stranger's warning about the dark path, Pegasus seemed to be driven insane by the ritual.
"...gave me more hope than I thought possible. Even though you were gone from my world, I knew there was still a way to reach your spirit, and I wouldn't rest till I found a way to bring you back and once again feel your embrace and gaze into your eyes. It goes on to say that later, Pegasus got an inspiration. He found a way to combine Kaiba's virtual technology with the magic of the Millennium Items to restore Cecilia, but nothing about Grandpa or the Kaiba brothers." Tea then turned to Rain. "Rain, there is a name here though. Do you know a Jeanne (L/N)?"
She blinked in shock. "That...that was my mom's name. Pegasus seemed to have known about her, but why would her name be in the journal?"
Tea looked back to the passage. "Thanks to you, my darling Cecilia, I may have a lead on the items' location. Your old friend, Jeanne (L/N), appears to be a descendant of the mystic tribe. I should pay her and her father a visit."
"Sounds like Pegasus's wife was a friend of your mom, Rain." Joey said as Tea shut the journal.
She pursed her lips. "I didn't know. Still, that explains how Pegasus knew about my family and the bracelet, but that also means gramps had to have met Pegasus before. Why did he never mention that?"
"He probably didn't think it was as bad as it turned out." Tristan suggested. "Or he felt bad for Pegasus. Your mom passed away, so maybe he had sympathy."
Rain gloomily looked away. "I guess..."
Tea smacked Tristan on the head for his insensitivity. Looking for a way to change the subject, Yugi spotted the three soul cards on the desk.
"Hey, look! The soul cards and they're all blank!"
Joey, who had sat down during story time, stood up. "Pegasus must have freed them."
"Let's find out!" Tea insisted.
Tristan and Joey followed Tea out as Rain and Yugi lingered behind. Yugi walked up to Rain who stared at the painting.
"Rain? Are you okay?"
She shook her head. "Yeah, I just miss my mom and dad. It's...hard whenever they come up."
Yugi locked his hand with her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She sighed. "Not yet. Let's go catch up with the others."
"If you're sure."
The two ran to meet up with the gang, however, as they reached the stairs, something blocked their path: a swirl of magical energy.
"Things can't ever be easy for us, can they?" Rain said a man materialized in the midst of the fog, one she recognized. "Shadi!?"
The mysterious male said nothing as he stared at Yugi in shock, namely at the Millennium Puzzle which hung from his neck. His expression became much more stern as he approached the two teenagers. Yugi pushed Rain back instinctively as Shadi reached for his Millennium Key.
"Rain, get back!"
Instead, the Wayfarer tried to step in front of him. "Shadi, don't!"
The mysterious man did not listen, invoking the power of the key and forcibly entering Yugi's mind. Stepping into the corridor, he found the path split between two doors.
"This youth's mind contains two chambers. Never have I seen such a thing." He glanced into the room whose door was opened, the ground scattered with toys and other such games. "One is a room of pure innocence, devoid of malice. The purity of this soul could not possibly belong to the criminal that stole the Millennium Eye."
He then turned to the other door. Within, he could sense another presence, one much more ominous and mysterious. At once, the door opened, revealing the Spirit of the Puzzle. He looked at Shadi suspiciously, but made no aggressive moves.
"It's all right. You may enter my chamber if that is what you desire. But I warn you, tread cautiously. I will allow no harm to come to the boy whose vessel I share."
Shadi was a bit put off, but accepted the invitation. "Your presence here intrigues me."
He glanced around noting the chamber resembled that of a tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
"I don't know how you entered my mind." The spirit said. "Explain yourself before you trespass further. I demand an explanation for your intrusion."
"I seek a criminal who has stolen the power of a Millennium Item." Shadi explained, watching him carefully. "It has been five long millennia since the seven were created, and twice that since the bracelet was forged. All of their magical energies were trapped by a brave pharaoh and his queen. Combined, the seven Millennium Items possess power enough to conquer the world. Hence, many evil men have ventured to gather them for themselves. It is my duty to guard the seven and my charge to punish the thief who stole Pegasus' Millennium Eye."
The male spirit tilted his head, unamused. "And you accuse me of being that criminal?"
"You have already taken refuge in the vessel of another. That does not bode well. The one this vessel was with bears similar power, but I know well enough that that Wayfarer is no thief."
"You know Rain then."
Shadi did not answer him. "If you are not the criminal, then you have nothing to fear from my search."
The spirit smirked. "Guilty until proven innocent? An ancient concept for this modern age. However, I have nothing to hide. I'm not your criminal."
"Then grant me passage to your unconscious mind."
"Very well. I'll open the doors for you." He snapped his fingers as the room illuminated, revealing a seemingly endless maze filled with doors. "You may search them to your heart's content."
Shadi glanced around, slightly intimidated by the complexity of the mindscape.
The male spirit began to vanish. "And now, I will leave to your exploration."
Shadi began the daunting task of exploring the maze.
"There are mysteries within mysteries here. Levels beyond levels. I must probe each chamber for the truth."
He tentatively opened a door, only for a pillar to come crashing down, nearly crushing him. Shadi was knocked to the ground with a grunt. "A trap!"
Getting back up, he realized that even with the spirit's cooperation, his mind was a complex series of traps designed to keep outsiders from unlocking its secrets. He walked cautiously, scanning the many false doors that would likely lead to his doom. Fortunately, the Millennium Key kept him on the proper path, leading him to a door at the end of a long corridor. He opened the door, still cautious after the deadly trap from before. As he entered, though, the ground gave out from under him, leaving him dangling over an endless dark abyss. Shadi clung to the stone, knowing that falling into the abyss would mean the end for him.
"I don't know why the Spirit of the Puzzle's doing this to you, but I can't let him hurt you." A voice called from above as a hand grabbed his wrist.
Shadi looked up, baffled to see the innocent spirit attempting to pull him out of the trap.
"Let me help you up."
Without much option, Shadi accepted the assistance, eventually managing to haul himself out. Once the danger had passed, the two sat across from each other.
"I seek only the truth." The older male explained. "But it's strange. My way is blocked."
Yugi nodded, standing up. "It's strange, all right, but I don't think the Spirit of the Puzzle is doing this on purpose. I get the feeling that there are some memories hidden even from him. Gah, I wish Rain were here. She'd probably know more about this."
Shadi stood up. "So you are acquainted with the Wayfarer heir then."
Yugi nodded and smiled. "She's a friend of mine. You know here?"
The older male sighed and nodded. "We have met before. Perhaps I should have trusted her judgment."
"Still, I wish I could just figure out these memories."
Just as Yugi said this, light illuminated a door across from them. Slowly, it opened, revealing a room full of stone tablets engraved with the images of familiar monsters.
"What is all this?" Yugi asked.
"5,000 years ago, Egyptian kings played a game of great and terrible power." Shadi explained. "These Shadow Games were played with real magic and real monsters. But those games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world, until a brave pharaoh and his Wayfarer queen locked the magic away, sealing the monsters in stone tablets. But how could your other personality have knowledge of this ancient history? I would understand this if it were Rain's mind, but not his. And why do I suddenly sense here, in his unconscious mind, magic that the world has not known for five millennia?"
As he pondered this out loud and Yugi gazed at the engravings, neither noticed the depictions of two familiar monsters: Dark Magician and Ori the Forest Guardian. The eyes of both began glowing, red for the magician and blue for Ori.
Yugi ran his hand on one of the tablets, depicting what looked like Kuriboh. "They look just like the monsters on the cards we use to play with today."
A surge of energy cut off his contemplation as from a flash a light, the Dark Magician appeared before them. Yugi's ace monster pointed his staff threateningly at them.
"He is another mental defense against any intruders." Shadi said. "The magician intends to destroy us both. Unless we can stop him, we will never leave this chamber."
Looking for a solution, the Egyptian male caught sight of the tablet beneath their feet, depicting the image of Dark Magician's nemesis, Blue Eyes White Dragon. Shadi called upon the power of his Millennium Item, intending to summon the beast to obliterate the magician.
"No! Stop!" Yugi called out.
"Why should I?"
Yugi turned to face his monster. "Because he'd never hurt me. Dark Magician, we are not intruders! Don't you recognize me? Stand aside and let us leave in peace! We will not reveal the hidden secrets. You know me. You trust me."
True to Yugi's word, the magician stood down, allowing Shadi to stop his spell. Shadi was completely in shock as the Dark Magician only obeyed the word of the Pharaoh, so how had this boy commanded him? Before he could say anything, orbs of blue fire shot at them. Dark Magician defended them with a field of magic as Yugi looked up.
"Now what?"
A much smaller form descended from the ceiling, blocking the way to the door on the other side of the chamber. The creature's glowing white fur stood on end, its dark eyes narrowed in a glare, and its lips curled into a snarl. Spirit flames encircled it, threatening to attack once more.
Yugi blinked in surprise.
"Ori!?" The small beast growled as Dark Magician seemed to take aim at him. "No! Ori, calm down! It's me! Rain's friend!"
Ori, unlike Dark Magician, did not yield, remaining aggressive and ready to fight.
Shadi prevented Yugi from approaching the monster this time. "Don't! The Dark Magician is the servant of the pharaoh, but the Forest Guardian is the servant of the Wayfarer Queen. Even as the Puzzle's chosen, you can't command him."
"But I can't hurt Rain's monster!"
Suddenly, the door on the other side opened as a familiar girl raced out.
"Ori, stop that!"
The spirit beast suddenly became docile as Rain ran to them. Quickly, he climbed up her shoulder, wrapping his tail around her neck like a necklace.
"Are you two all right?"
"We're fine." Yugi assured her. "How did you get here, Rain?"
"I should be asking you that!" She shot back. "Shadi, I thought you were trying to explore Yugi's mind. Why did you bring him into mine and (Y/N)'s?"
The two males blinked at her.
"I did not." Shadi assured. "We entered this chamber through the mind of the Spirit of the Puzzle."
Now it was Rain's turn to be confused. "What? N-no, I got here through (Y/N)'s corridor. She sensed you both here and I came to stop you!"
"But, that doesn't make any sense!" Yugi insisted. "We definitely came from his mind!"
"The only explanation I can give is that the Spirit of the Puzzle and the Spirit of Bracelet's corridors are connected to each others." Shadi reasoned.
The two teens blinked at each other.
"Is that possible?" Rain asked.
"It shouldn't be possible for two rooms to exist in a single mind, yet, here you both stand."
Yugi touched his chin. "The Spirit of the Ring said that the two of them knew each other in the past. Maybe those shared memories are of...whatever this is."
Rain sighed. "Whatever the case, I think it's time to leave. (Y/N) doesn't appreciate having her mind invaded. Shadi?"
The male nodded as the trio were returned to the waking world.
"I apologize for my rude intrusion into your mind." Shadi said, looking at Yugi. "I did not realize that you are the chosen one and that the ancient predictions have been fulfilled at last! In my search for a thief, I instead found the two most worthy ones fated to unlock the magic."
Yugi was stunned, but Rain gulped, the confirmation of her destiny ringing in her ears.
"So it is time then. The legends are coming to pass."
Shadi nodded. "Indeed. The theft of Pegasus's Millennium Eye was but the first sign that evil once again walks the Earth. As in ancient times, chaos once more threatens to envelop the world, and only those who bear the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Bracelet can save it. Rain, I trust you will inform the Wayfarers that the time has come."
She nodded. "I will."
Shadi then began to walk away, leaving Yugi even more confused. "Wait! Is there anything else you can tell us about this?"
He stopped. "Take great care, be on your guard, for whoever the thief is, he will come seeking your items. Come what may, trust in each other. You will be each other's greatest allies."
The two looked at each other before turning back to the male who began to disappear.
"Wait!" Yugi called out. "I've got lots more questions, like who are you!?"
"I am Shadi, and I am certain we will meet again another day. Until then, stay true to your destiny. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders."
With that, he vanished, leaving Yugi just as confused. Rain placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll try to fill you in with what I know, but we should catch up with the others."
He nodded. "Right."
(Timeskip)
They were too far behind everyone else and eventually, they made it back to the viewing area. Mokuba's eyes opened tiredly as Rain ran to his side.
"Mokuba!"
"Rain?" He groaned.
She hugged him, relieved. "Thank the gods. You ready to get out of here?"
"Not without Seto. Where's my big brother?"
"He's somewhere in the castle." Yugi explained. "We'll find him. I bet he already knows you're safe."
"Yugi. Joey." Croquet greeted as he stepped out of the darkness. "Due to his illness, Mr Pegasus will be unable to attend."
"Ya ask me, it's just a lame excuse to avoid payin' off on the prizes!" Joey complained.
"All prizes are still to be awarded. Yugi has already received his agreed-upon award of 3 freed souls and the release of the Wayfarer Archive, but in addition, there's this."
Croquet held out a card that neither Yugi nor Rain recognized.
"What is it?" Yugi asked.
"It is a card called the Ties of Friendship. It's the only one of its kind, hand-painted by Pegasus himself. I was instructed to deliver it personally to Yugi Moto." Yugi took the card as Croquet pulled out an envelope from his suit. "You are now, officially, King of Games. This contains the check for the prize money won by Yugi in his duel with Joey Wheeler."
The two boys looked at each other and Yugi smiled. "It's all yours, Joey, just like I promised.l
Joey nodded and smiled gratefully at his best friend. "You're the best, Yuge!"
After Joey took the check, Croquet turned and walked away. "Now, we'd like you all to leave. Ms (L/N), I have been informed that your grandfather will be arriving soon along with a team of Wayfarers."
She winced. "Oh that is going to be the longest, most awkward helicopter ride in my life."
(Timeskip)
After some time searching, eventually, Kaiba turned up, leading to a heartfelt reunion between the brothers. When they parted, Rain also got a hug from Kaiba.
"You know, if you hadn't gotten your soul sucked out, I'd be pulling your ear off for the trouble you caused!"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "As if you could reach."
She parted from him and stamped her foot. "Maybe next time, listen to me."
"Fine..."
He absolutely wouldn't and Rain knew that, but there was nothing she could do. She was glad the jerk was safe though. Kaiba then turned to Yugi.
"Thank you, Yugi, for saving Mokuba's soul. He means everything to me."
"How could I do anything else?" The shorter male put forward.
"And I am grateful, but because of our circumstances, our last duel was not really conclusive."
"Seemed pretty conclusive from where I stood." Rain snarked as Yugi smiled at her.
"It's fine, Rain."
"One day, we will meet in the arena again to decide which of us is truly the better duelist." Kaiba declared. "And one of us will walk away with pride."
Yugi nodded in agreement as Kaiba turned to walk away.
"Come on, Mokuba. Let's go. The copter's waiting. Rain, you may join us if can."
"Don't worry about me." She assured. "Gramps is on his way and if I try to weasel out of that lecture, it's only gonna be worse later."
Kaiba nodded as Mokuba gave her a big hug. "Bye Rain! Say hello to Carter for us!"
The Wayfarer waved them both good-bye and moved to stand beside Yugi. The two smiled at each other as their spirit companions materialized beside them.
(Y/N) smiled softly at them both. "Well done, both of you. You saved everyone."
"We all did." Yugi assured.
The male spirit nodded in agreement. "Indeed. You two saved us plenty of times. I don't want to know what would have happened if you weren't there."
"Aw, don't give it a thought." Rain brushed off. "I'm sure you would've willed yourself out of that tight spot with Pegasus and other's strength would've reach yo-, you know what? No."
"Rain?" Yugi blinked as she pointed at the male spirit.
"He needs a name."
Both males looked at her in confusion as (Y/N) chuckled.
"Rain, is that really necessary at the moment?"
"Yes it is! We can't just keep referring to him as the spirit, Spirit of the Puzzle, or just him! You have a name. It will make it way easier to communicate. We do not leave this spot until he has a name!"
The others burst out in laughter at her outburst, but the Wayfarer girl seemed adamant about this.
(Y/N) swallowed her chuckles as she composed herself, looking at her male counterpart. "I do suppose it would make conversations easier if we knew what to refer to you as."
The male spirit sighed. "While that is true, unfortunately, I don't recall what it is."
"You don't remember?" Yugi asked.
"I sense I had many titles at one point, but none of them come to mind."
Rain crossed her arms, looking at her spirit companion. "Weird. You remembered your name, (Y/N)."
"Not at first, I only managed to recall it when you asked me, Rain."
The male spirit looked at her. "How did you recall your name?"
(Y/N) closed her eyes, thinking back. "I didn't necessarily remember it in of itself. I heard a voice echoing in my ears, calling out to me, and the name they called was (Y/N)."
"And you're sure that it is your name?" Yugi asked.
She nodded. "When I heard it, I knew it instantly."
"What did the voice sound like?" The male spirit asked.
"They were familiar, achingly so. I wanted to reach out to them, but I couldn't. They were in pain and I wanted to comfort them. That voice..." (Y/N)'s eyes opened as she stared at the spirit. "It was your voice."
The male's eyes widened. "My voice?"
"I'm certain of it now. You were the one calling out my name."
The two spirits looking at each other as if trying to will their memories to return to them, at least so it would reveal their relationship.
Rain tapped her foot thinking. "According to the Spirit of the Ring, you two knew each other in the past, and since your mind corridors are connected, you were likely especially close."
"Maybe you're the keys to each other's memories." Yugi said.
"I don't deny having a pull to you." The male spirit said. "Perhaps you are the key to everything for me."
She smiled and nodded. "I'd be more than happy to assist, especially if it means that we both can remember who we are."
The two spirits looked at each other fondly, only for Rain to clear her throat.
"That's all well and good, but we still need to give him a name until we figure out what his real one is."
The male spirit pondered for a moment before looking at (Y/N). "My voice told you your name. What name would you call me?"
She blushed slightly before thinking. "I feel a pull towards...Yami."
He nodded. "Then Yami is what I shall be called."
Yugi smiled. "Well, Yami, I'm proud to call you my friend."
Yami nodded back. "Good, because I'm proud to be one."
The spirits returned to their respective items as Joey suddenly perked up.
"Oh! I just thought of something. All the boats have left. So how are we supposed to get off this island?"
They all shrieked as Rain laughed. "I'll bully Kaiba into giving you guys a ride. I'd offer you one, but you really don't want to be in the same vicinity as me and gramps when words start flying."
The boys immediately charged to catch up to the Kaiba brothers while the girls laughed, trailing behind. Bakura, suspiciously, stayed behind for a moment. Rain took notice.
"Do you think he's the thief?"
(Y/N) appeared beside her. "I think we should find that Ring as soon as possible."
(Timeskip)
Kaiba begrudgingly was convinced to take everyone home given they all lived in the same city. Yugi and Rain were left alone as everyone else loading in.
Yugi hugged her. "I really can't thank you enough, Rain."
She hugged back. "Of course! What are friends for?"
He let go and gave a concerned look. "Will I ever see you again?"
"You kidding? Like it or not, you and I are partners in destiny now. We still have to figure out who Yami and (Y/N) are. Plus," She smirked. "I don't think those two want to be apart for very long."
Yugi chuckled. "Yeah, they do seem really into each other."
"Exactly. Trust me, you'll be seeing us again sooner than you think."
"Rain! Either say goodbye to your boyfriend or I am leaving him at the mercy of your grandfather!" Kaiba yelled.
"Way to ruin the vibe, Kaiba!" She shouted back before looking at Yugi. "You should go. He doesn't make threats lightly."
"Right. I'll see you soon, Rain."
She smiled. "See you soon."
With that, he was off, leaving both vessel and spirit with an empty pang in their hearts. Not long after, Carter and the others arrived. Rain gave them some basic orders to look for the Ring and try to salvage the archive. When they left, Carter embraced his granddaughter.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Did Pegasus do anything to you?"
"No gramps, me and (Y/N) are fine."
"Good." He then crossed his arms. "I told you this tournament was a mistake!"
Rain groaned. "Gramps..."
"I knew Pegasus was crazy, but using the Millennium Eye to steal souls!?"
"Gramps..."
"Who knows what would've happened if you two had dueled! I know you trust (Y/N), but have pity on this old man's heart!"
"Gramps..."
"When Samson warned me something was happening, I had comb the company tooth and nail to find all of the spies! I might not have been able to get to you if they had sprung their trap-,"
"Grandfather!" Rain finally snapped, getting the old man's attention. "The prophecy's started."
Carter blinked before getting a serious look. "Are you certain?"
"Samson must have told you about Yugi. He was exactly like me. Shadi even appeared and confirmed it. It's begun."
Carter rubbed his chin. "We'll need to tell the whole tribe. The whole world could be at risk. Where do we even start with this?"
Rain smiled. "For starters? I'd say moving and getting me a school transfer."
(Timeskip)
Weeks passed and besides a sudden duel with the grandchild of an old friend of Solomon's, life seemed to return to normal. However, Shadi's warning still hung in Yugi's head, just not as loudly as Rain's promise to see him again.
"You know, you can call her first." Joey teased as he saw Yugi lost in thought in homeroom.
Yugi snapped out of it. "Uh, wha-?"
The blonde smirked. "Rain. Come on, man, Mokuba gave you her number, just call her up!"
"J-Joey!" Yugi squeaked, blushing hard.
Tristan joined in. "He's right. Girls like a guy with confidence."
Tea sighed. "While I would never recommend listening to these two about women, I do admit Rain seems like the type who appreciates straightforwardness. You really should call her, Yugi."
The poor boy looked down at his lap, his face on fire. "F-fine, I'll call her after school, just to check in."
"Take your seats." The teachers demanded as she walked in. "Now, we have a new student joining us today. Please be respectful as she is foreign. Please come in and introduce yourself to the class."
A girl walked in and Yugi's eye widened.
Rain smiled in her usual manner. "Hi, my name is Rain (L/N). Nice to meet you."
"Welcome, Ms. (L/N). You can take a seat next to Mr Moto over there."
Rain didn't need to be told twice and strolled happily to her new seat, greeting Yugi with a smile.
"Hey there, stranger."
"Rain!" He said happily. "You're really here! You...transferred here?"
"Eh, if the end of the world is coming, might as well be nearby. Hope you get used to seeing my face around."
Tea, who was sitting behind her, hugged her from behind. "As if we'd get sick of it! Finally another girl in the group!"
"Welcome to the madness, Stormy." Joey greeted.
"Stormy?" Rain repeated.
"Hey, you can take it or leave it."
"Nah, I kinda like it."
She looked over and grinned at Yugi, who had a very soft expression on his face.
"Well, welcome to Domino City."
"Glad to be here."
Yes we're doing Kaiba Land and Duke's arcs. Also, I deliberately changed how Yami got his name because boy isn't supposed to remember anything.