Love Will Find A Way (Sequel To Sands of Time) ~Complete~

Chapter 1: Let The Duel Begin

Since Atsuko wasn't allowed to watch any of the duels, she decided to stay in her room and go through her deck. Compared to most duelists, her deck was heavy, meaning she had a lot of cards, but that allowed her to have a large number of strategies and she could always change her strategy during the game. Her deck was a combination of Lightsworn and Egyptian cards and even though it sounds like a strange combination, her new strategy had never failed her. Atsuko looked at the card she had just picked up from her deck and stared at it. The card was Spirit of the Pharaoh, a card given to her by her late grandfather as a gift for her birthday. This card meant a lot to her and people seemed to fear it because of it's power. Ever since Atsuko had awoken from her coma though, it seemed that whenever she went through her deck the image of Atem, the one from the dream and the present, came to her mind. Placing Spirit of the Pharaoh on the table, Atsuko drew another card, which so happened to be Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, the card her ex had given her. Moving her free hand to her face, she felt the bruise that was very visible from the hard slap he had given her the night before. He had no right to come here and do that but maybe that will make him realize that I'm serious and I don't want to be with him. It's been three months!

Atsuko slammed the card on the table and moved into the bathroom, washing her face and looking at her reflection in the mirror, disgusted at watch she saw. The Egyptian mix in her made her darker than most Japanese girls and the genetic defect that made her eyes a pinkish orange. She wore green coloured contacts whenever she was in public so only her parents and the doctors that helped with her birth knew of the defect. Even so, people always looked at her because she didn't really look like her parents at all. When she was 13 she asked her parents if she was adopted and they showed her the birth certificates and photos that showed the seconds after she was born. Her father was in the background kissing his mother, who was looking at the nurses as the quickly assessed the baby Atsuko before allowing her mother to hold her. When she questioned her parents about why her hair was blonde they couldn't really give an answer. Her mother, like every other Japanese native, had jet black straight hair and her father had black hair was well. It was hard to believe, but Atsuko was the daughter of the multi-millionaire.

Putting on some simple makeup, for only the sole purpose to hide the bruise, Atsuko made her way to the suitcase that was on the floor beside one of the nightstand tables and grabbed something more comfortable to wear while putting her hair into a simple ponytail so it wouldn't bother her while she duelled. She didn't know when she would be duelling, for it was all based on how long the first duel took so she made her way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Abdeen Palace has always been known for the great chefs that occupied it so she would always eat with them to show her appreciation of their craft when she was there. She moved through the large doors that always had people moving in and out of them during large dinner parties, welcomed by the sight of the chefs laughing and joking with one another.

"Atsuko!" Someone yelled in a think Arabic accent and a large man came over to her, picking her up in a bear hug and spinning her, causing her feet to come off the floor. It was the head chef, Imam, who had seen Atsuko many times whenever her family was at an event here in Cairo. Everyone wanted to have Imam as their caterer, he was just that good.

"Hey Imam! It's good to see you too." Atsuko squeaked out, finding it hard to get her bearings due to the feeling of her lungs being crushed.

"I have made an excellent breakfast this morning. Come, sit, sit." He said, putting Atsuko onto her feet and patting on the empty stool that was pulled out from the large island. "I made my own variation of the traditional Ful Medames (fava beans) dish. I think you'll enjoy it." It looked as though Imam added eggs, tomatoes, basil and there was also some kind of sauce sprinkled on the plate as well. Atsuko took the fork that was placed beside the plate and took a bite of the mouth-watering dish, causing her to almost literally melt in her seat.