Stay~ ::

Chapter # 1 Heart of The Cards

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

- William Shakespeare

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It's been a year since the incident with the boy in the alley. You found out that his name was Yami. The other boy, the one Yami was possessing, his name was Yugi. He was a good kid, honestly, he was, if it weren't for the circumstances, you would've been ecstatic to be Yugi's friend.

In the few months you've been with Yugi, you've seen Yami torture people with these shadow games. You don't know if it was part of your curse, but it seemed like only you, Yami, and the victim Yami was playing against were able to see these shadow games. After the Bakura drama, Yami had mellowed out, he also stopped appearing so often, which relieved you of a lot of stress.

Other the other hand, you had entered quite a friend group. In a lucky twist of faith, Tea, Joey, and Yugi were all friends, plus the addition of Joey's best friend Tristen. Tristen was a cool guy, a bit uptight at first but he became more and more chill as the weeks passed by.

You're in high school now, and you have yet to tell a soul about your encounter with the Shadow Games.

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You were standing next to Tristen, watching as Joey tried to play against Yugi, You and him had a bet going. Tristen says Joey would lose, and you (with no other choice) reluctantly bet that Joey would win. There's twenty dollars on the line, and you didn't have that much money. "Uhh... Hmm..." Joey stares intently at his cards, eyes squinting as he tries to figure out his next move. Tristen links his arm around Joey's neck, shuffling him up a bit, "Aww! Isn't he cute when he's thinking?" Tristen mocks.

Joey, unfazed by any insults, shows Tristen the cards in his hands, "Hey, Tristen, Yugi here's teaching me how to play duel monsters." Tristen stands up a bit, a confused look on his face, "Drooling Monsters?" Debating whether to smack him you grab the back of his jacket collar. "He said Duel Monsters you nimrod." Then you yank him off of Joey, "And stop bothering them, I want to see where this is going."

You move and stand by Yugi's side, ever since the spirit, Yami, had stopped showing up, you've gotten more comfortable around Yug, though still weary.

"Sheesh!" Tristen dusts himself off, "Ya don't get be so mean about it L/n" You just roll your eyes, focusing on Yugi and Joey. "They've been at it for hours." Tea comments, "Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert." Tisten nods, before shooting you a smirk, knowing he's practically won the bet. Waving him off, you watch as Joey finally begins his turn.

"Okay, Yugi. It's time to Duel." He puts down a card on the board. He smirks up at Yugi, "Pretty good move, huh, Yugi?" He leans back in his chair confidently. You give him a pitiful look as Yugi pulls out his next card. "Yup! Pretty good move!" He places down a card. "But not good enough." He plays a card with 1500 attack points, destroying Joey's card. The blonde glares at the board, "What!? Thanks a lot!" He shouts, "A card that powerful totally wipes me out!" 

Tristen laughs, "Whoa, you suck at this game, Joey." He then nudges your arm. "and someone owes me twenty dollars!" You start sulking with Joey.

Laughing at his friends' antics, Yugi looks at Joey, "No. You did fine, Joey." He smiles, "I just have better cards."  He tilts his head a bit looking up toward you. "See, My grandpa owns a game shop, and I get all my best cards from him." Joey stands, slamming his hand dramatically on the desk, "Your own game shop!?" He exclaims, "What are we waiting for, let's go!" He shouts excitedly, Yugi nods, laughing a bit at his friend, "Okay. Maybe I can even get my grandpa to show us this super-rare card he's got!" Everyone murmurs in agreement and excitement.

Nervously, you shake your head, "Eh... sorry Yugi, but I can't." You felt a bit bad, Yugi looked up at you "Oh... Uh, it's ok!" He smiles. "Let me guess, your mom again?" He teases. Nodding, you sigh, "Yeah, she'll burn down the kitchen if she tries to cook."

He laughs a bit, "Then, I'll see you later I suppose."

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You arrived at your apartment, the smell of fast food being the first thing you noticed when you walked in. Taking off your shoes, you walk to the kitchen to see your mom setting out the fast food in their respective spots.

"Hi, Mom." You say as you sit in your seat. "How was your day?" You ask, taking a bite out of your takeout. She sighs, sliding down onto her spot. "Exhausting, honey, exhausting. But the pays good so it's worth it." She smiles at you. Smiling back, begin to tell her about your day.

"Sound interesting Y/n. I'll be sure to tell your father when I'm able to get him on a call." She gives you a warm smile, "He'll be so happy to hear that you're playing Duel Monsters again." You nod, finishing the last of your meal. Your dad was a fun guy, but his job had forced you all to move to Domino City, though you don't mind that much anymore. Some distant relative, whom your dad was very close with when he was younger, had wanted to reconnect. He had offered your dad a job with better pay, and an apartment in a nice neighborhood, it a nice city.

"I'll head up stares to do homework." You say, standing up from your spot and throwing away your trash. Your mom nods, "Oh, a package came in for you Y/n, it's from Pegusus." She points to the package waiting for you in front of your room. "M'kay Mom." You walk up to your room, picking up the package on your way. Your so-called distant relative was none other than the famous Pegasus J. Crawford. He wasn't bad, per se, it was just uncomfortable with how friendly this stranger was to you. You get that he may have known your father, but still. Entering your room, you plop yourself down onto the couch, placing the package down on your bed.

You bring the package to your lap, scanning over it, before opening it slowly. In the package was a lanyard that had an ID picture of you, and the words VIP right next to it. And a tape.

You put the tape on the TV, a picture of Pegusus appearing. He was sitting at what seemed to be a Duel Monster's playing board. He was smiling, a bit too sweetly for someone you've never met. "Hello, My dear prodigy Y/n! As I'm sure you know, my name is Pegasus. If you're watching this, I would like to congratulate you! You are going to be a VIP in my duel monster kingdom championships!" He smiles and claps his hands as if he was giving you applause.

You stare at the screen, dumbfounded.

"What is this man on?" You get up to throw your VIP pass into the trash, you're smart enough not to trust random billionaires even if they're your distant relatives.  You turn away, intending to leave, until you hear a voice behind you. "Now, don't you know it's rude to throw away a heartfelt gift?" The voice was like a knife covered in honey. Sweet, but sharp enough to bear a threat. You feel your body freeze. Unable to move.

Just like the incident from a year ago.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I would like to let you know that you do have a choice. But I can almost guarantee that you're going to the island. After all, how else will you find a way to get your mother's soul back."

What

You hear a laugh behind you. "If you want your mother's soul back, you must come to my island and give me something that should have been mine a long time ago. Your invitation will to the Duelist Kingdom will arrive in a few days." Your breath quickens, and the desperate urge to move makes it hard to stay calm. 

The TV switches off, and after a moment you're able to move again. You run downstairs and into the kitchen.

And you saw her. Your Mom is unconscious on the kitchen floor.

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A/n: Is it short? Maybe, but is chapter two going to be longer? Also Maybe.