Yu-Gi-Oh: The Twin Pharaohs

Chapter 1. The Heart of the Cards

"Earth to Joey." Yugi signed.
Well, I spoke it, not because Joey needed Yugi's ASL or American Sign Language interpreted, but for the half dozen onlookers.
"You in there? It's your move."
Yugi had conspired, in my opinion, to convince the world that his head was aflame, the spikes dyed mainly black with a red trim and blonde bangs that shot in points away from his wide violet eyes like a kid from vegetables.
He wore the school uniform for boys, blue jacket, blue pants, and a light blue T-shirt. Around his neck hanging from a leather cord was an upside down golden pyramid, adorned with a modified eye of Horus, the same symbol as my bracelet.
The Millennium Puzzle and Millennium Bracelet.
I sat next to Yugi, ready to interpret.
He sat at one of two desks that had been turned to face each other, one hand holding a set of five cards, the other ready to sign.
His opponent, a boy with blonde hair in a cowlick, sat across from Yugi, one hand holding cards, the other poised above them, thinking.
"Isn't Joey cute when he's thinking?" A brown haired boy with a mullet asked, teasing Joey.
"Check it out, Tristan." Joey said, showing him the cards in his hand and on the desks. "Yugi and Iris are teaching me Duel Monsters."
"Drooling Monsters?"
"Duel Monsters, you nimrod!" Joey shoved the bigger boy away.
"They've been at it for hours." Tea, pronounced tay-ah, said. She was a pretty petite girl with a brunette pixie cut. She had on the same uniform as me, pink jacket, short skirt, blue bow around the neck. "Joey's getting the hang of it but Yugi and Iris are, like, experts."
"Okay, Yuge." Joey said, raising a card above his head. "It's time to Duel."
He slapped down a monster card. "Good move, huh?"
Like all monster cards, it had two numbers, attack or ATK and defense or DF. First player to destroy his opponent's life points or LP completely wins.
Joey's card had 800ATK and 400 DF.
Yugi nodded. "Its good but not good enough." He played a dragon card with 1500ATK, wiping out Joey's monster and his last life points.
"Dude! A card that powerful wipes me out."
"Like the last seven times." I said, speaking for myself the first time since the duel began.
You see, I was not only Yugi's twin sister but his interpreter as well.
About three years ago, while I was on a school over night trip, Yugi and our parents were in a car crash with Yugi as the only survivor.
It was so traumatic that Yugi became mute.
Ironically, that saved my life.
I was about to end it all for not being there to help that fateful night. If not for the realization that I still had family who needed me, I would not be here today.
I became Yugi's interpreter, vowing to never leave his side and to defend him from all that sought to do him harm, to keep him from ever falling into such despair again.
That's why I'm writing this, because Yugi wanted some record other then fading memories of Millennium Magic and Yami.
"You stink at this game." Tristan said helpfully.
"You did fine, Joey." Yugi said. "I just have better cards."
"Grandpa owns a game shop." I said. I switched to ASL for an inside joke. Family discount. One chore, one card. Advice is free.
Joey, Tristan and Tea laughed, having all learned sign language for Yugi.
"You should come over." I said. "I bet Yugi and I can convince gramps to let you see the card."
"The super rare one?" Yugi asked.
I nodded. "The super rare one."
So that's how all five of us ended up walking home together after school.
We stopped in front of a small green building with the word "Game" on it.
Opening the door I called out a greeting to the man behind the counter.
Inside he shop were hundreds of cards, all in neat little boxes behind glass casing.
"Welcome home, you two. I see you brought company."
Grandpa was a short man with grey hair and a beard, his spiky hair covered with a bandanna from his archeology days in Egypt.
He wore overalls and a pale shirt.
"Hey, Grandpa." I said. "Think you can show us the card?"
"My super rare one?" He asked, one hand stroking his beard thoughtfully, the other fishing under the counter.
Yugi rubbed his palm against the hollow of his throat. Please.
Grandpa's face burst into laughter. "How can I say 'no'?"
He pulled a battered wooden case the size of a pocket dictionary from under the counter. "You're in for a treat. I don't let anyone Iris or Yugi doesn't approve of see this."
He opened the case and pulled out a hand painted Duel Monster card. A beautiful yet terrifying white dragon with cruel blue eyes, creatively named Blue-Eyes, White Dragon. 3000 ATK 2500DF.
"This card is so rare I never let it leave my hands." Grandpa said proudly.
I laughed. "Its true. I asked to hold it once. He let me but had one finger on it for all three seconds."
"Awesome." Chorused Joey, Tea, and Yugi.
Tristan grabbed it. "I don't see what's so special about it."
Grandpa went ballistic, grabbing it back and shielding it with his body like a mother shielding her child from danger.
It was kinda funny.
"This card is priceless. There are only four in the entire world." Grandpa said, getting another round of amazed noises.
I would later find out that despite how big the world is, all four cards were in the shop that day.
"Speaking of priceless," Joey said. " I'm ready to trade." He pulled out his deck.
"Not for the Blue-Eyes!" I said before Grandpa had a chance to go nuts again.
"Definitely not." Joey thankfully agreed. "I want to trade for some other cool cards you got."
The door opened and a chill ran through me like a bolt of lightning.
"Can I help you?" Grandpa asked.
"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me."
I didn't look, finger spelling a name to Yugi.
S-E-T-O K-A-I-B-A.
Yugi made a knocking motion. Yes.
Seto Kaiba was everything wrong with the world: arrogant, prideful, selfish.
And of course, not only was he rich but was a genius and the Duel Monsters World champion.
I turned to look at him, trembling with anger.
He wore the school uniform, his brown hair sending his cynical eyes into shadow, ending in a point as sharp as a knife at the base of his neck.
In his hand was a briefcase, his cruel , angular features reflected in its silver surface.
Behind him stood two body guards in suits and military haircuts.
"What is he doing here?" Tristan asked. "Doesn't he have a huge company to run?"
I nodded. "Kaibacorp." I looked Kaiba straight in the eyes. "Why are you here, Kaiba?" I almost hissed, the aura of arrogance radiating off him making me defensive.
"Not that its any of your business but I'm here to see the card and no I won't duel any of you. I would have more of a challenge playing Solitaire."
I'll skip stuff.
Kaiba saw card.
Kaiba tried to trade trade for it with the $50,000 worth of Duel Monster cards in his briefcase.
Grandpa went postal yelling "never" like a revolutionary.
Kaiba tried to buy it off of him.
Grandpa went ballistic.
Joey tried to punch Kaiba.
Tristan held him down.
Kaiba said the place was a dump.
I tried to punch Kaiba in his smug little face.
Yugi ,with the help of two bodyguards, held me down.
I was a good fighter mainly because I defended Yugi from anyone who made fun of him for being mute.
Which happens a lot so I was really good.
If detention was an extra-curricular I would be looking really good to a lot of colleges right now.
"You will regret this. " Kaiba said all dramatic as he left the shop.
"Its sentimental value, you squinty eyed freak!" I yelled and I got dog piled on by Tristan and Joey.
Yugi stayed out of it, mainly because he was small enough that things held at shoulder height were too high up for him to reach.
Until I took down whoever was holding his stuff, at least.
"Its over." Yugi said.
If only.
As I look back, I realize that everything that had happened never would have occurred if not for Kaiba coming into the shop at that moment and seeing the card.
Yeah, its all Kaiba's fault.
The next day after school Joey said he wanted to trade some more so the five of us went to the game shop only to find it dark, unlocked, and over all, empty.
Maybe he went out? Yugi suggested.
"And leave the door unlocked?" Joey asked.
"Unlikely." I concluded.
The phone rang.
I picked it up and answered. "Game shop."
"Ah, Iris. That means Yugi is there as well."
"Kaiba?" I put it on loud speaker.
"Your grandfather is over here visiting but he's not feeling well. Why don't you and Yugi come by my office and pick him up."
I started to speak, to demand to know what he had done and probably call him a few names but he hung up.
So the five of us raced over to Kaibacorp in the dark, terrified for Grandpa.
But when we finally made it there, and the elevator doors had opened, what I saw still haunts me.
Grandpa lying motionless on the floor.
Yugi ran to him, his lips saying his name over and over silently, while I checked on his pulse. Weak.
"Yugi. Iris. I failed. I wanted to teach that boy Kaiba about the heart of the cards but I lost."
"How's the old man feeling?" Kaiba asked from behind us.
I turned, lunging, only to be grabbed by Yugi as I screamed at Kaiba.
"What have you done to him?" Joey demanded, looking ready to free me from Yugi and attack Kaiba himself.
"We had a Duel." Kaiba said smugly, hands in pockets, his blue eyes as cruel as the cards he coveted. "With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize, but I guess playing against a champion such as myself was too much stimulation for the old man."
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Tea yelled.
"It was fair." Kaiba shrugged. "And look at the sweet prize I got."
This day I don't know why he did what he did. He would have gained much more had he kept the card. Maybe he wanted to see how we would react, maybe be felt bored, or maybe he thought it worthless.
Whatever the reason he did it he still did it.
What did he do?
He ripped the Blue-Eyes in two.
I ran at him again but knowing who held me back made me hesitant to throw them off and risk hurting Yugi.
"Grandpa's card!"
"The rare and powerful Blue-Eyes, now never to be used against me."
"My Blue-Eyes!" Grandpa cried.
" Tea, call an ambulance." I said.
Grandpa clawed at his heart, but to this day I do not know whether it was from grief or a heart attack.
All I did know was that I refused to let another family member die.
"Take this, Yugi." Grandpa said weakly. He put his deck in my brother's hand. "I built this deck. I put my heart and soul into it and I taught the two of you everything I know. Take my cards and teach him respect for the heart of the cards."
"We need to gt you to a doctor." I said.
"Your friends can take care of that." Kaiba said. "Yugi and Iris can stay here to duel unless you want to use Grandpa Moto as an excuse because you're afraid."
"You two go on." Joey said. "Yugi, teach that guy a lesson he'll never forget."
"I don't know." Yugi said.
"You're the best player ever." Tristan said.
"And w have the Millennium Puzzle and Bracelet." I added.
"You can't lose." Tea finished.
"And we all know it." I said pointedly at Kaiba.
Yugi nodded. "Okay. I'll do it." He looked at grandpa who smiled.
"I know you will."
"Put your hands in." Tea said, pulling out a marker and making me nervous. She drew the Japanese symbol for friendship across all five of our hands, apart meaningless. "Now Yugi won't be alone. We'll all do this."
Kaiba pretended to choke.
I glared.
Tristan picked Grandpa up and ran out with Joey and Tea to the waiting ambulance.
Kaiba led Yugi and me to a huge room with a distinct modern feel.
Two platform shaped like spaceships waited on either side of the arena.
"I never expected an interpreter to be here so you'll have to share a dueling station with Yugi." Kaiba told me.
A huge score board, like what you see above a wrestling ring, hovered over the arena, displaying both Yugi and Kaiba's names along with the number 2000.
"I designed this virtual arena myself. I think you'll both find it adds more life to the game."
Yugi and I both stepped onto one of the platforms, a red one, and it moved out to let us hover about twenty feet above the floor. There was a two screens with the 14 spaces each, just like how you play with cards.
I looked at Kaiba, over a hundred feet away, on his own platform, blue. "Ready to play, runt?"
"Playtime is over, Kaiba!" Yugi and I said.
I touched his shoulder with the same hand that sported the millennium bracelet and the magic of both activated.
The puzzle and bracket glowed and the puzzle moved away from Yugi's chest, spinning on it's cord. "Yu-Gi-Oh!." Yugi mouthed, the same words echoing in my mind.
His hair moved to cover his check and touch his collar bone, the black flames of his hair now with cores of gold, his face growing more angular and confident, his violet eyes gaining an intense glint, and a scowl formed on his face. He was now over eight inches taller then me, his jacket splaying away like a cape at the waist, two ankh (cross with a loop on top) bracelets appearing on his wrists.
Everything about him screamed, "Cross me and I will destroy you and look cool doing it."
"What the-" Kaiba said.
"Prepare yourself!" Yugi warned, both to me and Kaiba.
I prepared myself to open my mind to him, a handy trick that let me know what he was thinking, but only when he was using the puzzle's magic.
"Its time to duel!" Yugi yelled.
Kaiba, having finally shook off the shock of seeing Yugi transform from innocent naive middle schooler to serious, confident highschool senior, nodded. "Virtual systems ready. Let's begin."
They both drew five cards, Kaiba drawing a sixth because it was his turn. "I'll attack with the mighty Hitotsu-me giant!" 1200ATK 1000DF "Get ready, Yugi. You've never dueled like this before."
A spot on the floor on Kaiba's side of the field started to glow. Suddenly, the cyclops like Hitotsu-me giant appeared.
"Holy crap." I said before I caught myself just in time to translate for Yugi.
"He brought the monster on the card to life!" Yugi said, eyes wide.
"I hate to give credit to Kaiba but that's kinda awesome." I mumbled.
"It's my virtual simulator. It makes life like holograms of every Duel Monster." Kaiba said smugly.
"So this is how you beat my grandfather!" Yugi yelled anger unlike anything I see when he is not using magic flaring in his eyes. "I summon the winged dragon, guardian of the fortress." 1400ATK 1200DF.
A sky blue dragon materialized, it's roar shaking the ground.
"Holy crap." Joey, who had jut returned to cheer Yugi on said. "Real monster!"
"Holograms!" I yelled.
"Fireball attack!" Yugi yelled.
The ASL equivalent of yelling is large, sharp and firm gestures. (There's a deaf joke about that. I'll tell you later.)
A large ball of flame shot out of the dragon's maw, hitting and destroying Kaiba's monster.
Kaiba groaned in real pain.
"Big brother!" A young boy yelled. Mokuba Kaiba, Seto Kaiba's little brother.
Kaiba's life points dropped to 1800.
The difference between two monsters attack power is subtracted from the owner of the weaker monster's life points. But only if both were in attack mode. But more on that later.
"Go, Yugi!" Joey yelled.
Kaiba chuckled darkly. "Well played, Yugi. For a beginner." He threw down a card. "Let's see how you deal with this." Sagi, the dark clown. 600ATK 1500DF.
I sensed a trap, but since both had played the duel had officially started and should I say anything other then what Yugi said, Yugi would be disqualified.
"Sagi?" Yugi asked, finger spelling the name. "But that card has hardly any attack strength."
"True. Your winged dragon has 1400 and Sagi only has 600 but after I activate this magic card." He held up a card framed in green with a picture of an electron. "The negative energy generator will triple Sagi's attack power."
Sagi grinned and got bigger.
"Attack with dark light."
The clown threw a black mass of energy , obliterating Yugi's dragon along with 400 LP.
"Combining cards can be very effective."
He's good. Yugi thought. He knows every aspect of the game. But my grandpa put every drop of his dueling experience into his deck. There must be a hidden strategy.
Yugi drew a price of Exodia.
This card is useless.
I kicked him from under the counter where I had moved to give Yugi more room but could still see his hands.
Or not. Iris must have seen I through my eyes. She must know what this card is. If only with her abilities weren't one way. Yugi sighed. I'll have to put a monster in defense mode. My monster will be sacrificed but my over all life points will be safe.
Any monster in defense mode was unable to attack and when destroyed, the card holder took no damage.
"Hang in there, Yugi!" Joey said when the defense monster was destroyed.
Four turns later the clown was still standing.
"You're not faring any better then the old man did." Kaiba taunted. "Your deck is just as weak and pathetic as he is."
Yugi scowled. "My grandpa is a great man and a better duelist then you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his deck and I can feel his heart in these cards. I doubt you have that same faith in your deck, Kaiba."
Once again, I laughed at Kaiba's sign name: k with arrogant.
"Huh?" Kaiba asked.
"I believe in my grandpa's deck." Yugi drew. "And that faith rewards me with Gaia, the fierce knight with the destructive power of 2,300!"
The jousting knight vanquished the clown, dropping Kaiba to 1,300LP.
"Go, Yugi!" Joey cheered.
"Your move, Kaiba."
I snickered.
Kaiba sneered. "This will be over before you think." Kaiba drew, grinned, and played. "Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!"
I shot out of under the counter, having to see it myself. "No way." I said.
Yugi nodded.
The fierce and beautiful white dragon appeared, terrifying and awesome in all its might.
"But we saw him tear it up." Joey said.
"Did you think that old fool was the only one to posses a blue eyes?" Kaiba asked smugly.
The dragon roared, shaking the floor, a bolt of lighting shooting from its maw and obliterating the knight.
Yugi's life points dropped to 900.
" Faith or no faith you will fall before my Superior monsters, Yugi. Power what this game is all about. Faith and for losers like you and your grandfather. In your entire deck theirs not a single monster who can stand up to my blue eyes, so what hope do you have against two?"
I can't give up. Grandpa is counting on me. He drew and grinned. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"
A dozen glowing swords dropped out of the sky, surrounding the dragon, imprisoning it for three turns.
"How desperate. What good will a three turn delay do you?"
He's right. What can I do with these cards? They're just a bunch of pieces. How can I use them to beat an expert like Kaiba?
This was when I first started to question both of our sanity (sanities?) because in that moment both Yugi and I heard the voice of our grandfather.
Either we were both nuts or gramps was telepathic.
For someone claiming to have faith, you're giving up so easily. Sometimes the cards are like a puzzle. You have to put them together in their proper places.
Like the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi thought.
Grandpa grunted and affirmative. Exactly. Each price helps to build a greater whole.
When are the cards like a puzzle? Yugi asked himself.
It hit him. A memory of grandpa explaining the basics.
The is only one unbeatable monster in Duel Monsters: Exodia. But he can only be summoned by drawing all five special cards. To this day no one has been able to do that.
"Quit stalling, Yugi, or you forfeit the match." Kaiba taunted.
"I never forfeit!" Yugi drew. Another piece.
"Draw any card you like . It won't change anything. my dragon may be frozen for another two turns but my next monster is under no such spell. The Judge man with an attack power of 2,200."
He attacked, destroying Yugi's lizard .
Yugi drew. I can attack with The Dark Magician but he's a goner once Kaiba's dragon is free.
The Dark Magician, a blue haired man in purple pointy hat, armour, and medieval robe appeared, staff in hand.
"Dark magic attack!"
The Dark Magician thrust out his hand and the judge man was destroyed.
"Your judgeman falls." or fallen or fell. Sign is like that.
"A sacrifice that doesn't even phase me. And although neither dragon can move for one more turn my next blue-eyes is free to attack."
The Dark Magician fell, Yugi losing 500 LP.
He was down to 400 with Kaiba at 1000.
"How's your faith now? On my next turn all three blue-eyes will attack."
Each dragon was in a menacing pose, all looking at Yugi.
"This game is over, Yugi. You never were a match for me!"
He had three blue-eyes all along. He only wanted Grandpa's card so it couldn't be used against him. My only chance now is to assemble Exodia.
I nodded my approval.
But the odds are against me. I don't think I can do this.
That was when I started to wonder about Yugi because I felt something in him shift.
The deck, it senses my doubt.
Don't lose focus, Yugi. A deeper, more ancient voice said. Don't lose faith. Concentrate.
I just assumed at the time it was Yugi talking to himself.
Yugi spotted the marks on his hand and his mind quieted.
I can do this.
"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this." Kaiba sneered.
"My Grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards but it does contain the unstoppable Exodia." He held up the last piece, the head.
I almost fell out of the platform with my boo-yah dance.
"Impossible."
"I've assembled all five special cards. All five pieces of the puzzle."
A pentagram appeared on the field and from it stepped what can only be described as an ancient Egyptian body builder. It towered over the dragon.
"Can I say it?" I asked Yugi.
He nodded.
"Exodia!" I yelled. "Obliterate!"
It was awesome.
I high fived Yugi.
"Yugi won!" Joey yelled.
"Big brother's never lost."
"You play only for power, Kaiba. That is why you lost." Yugi said. "But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."
"How could I lose to him?"
"Kaiba! If you truly want to know then open your mind!"
The eye from the Millennium items appeared on our brows and as one we thrust out our hand just like The Dark Magician had, and broke the part of Kaiba that held his demons, banishing them to the Shadow Realm, or as the Egyptians called it, the Duat. (Do-ought)
"There, Kaiba." Yugi said, more gently now. "Maybe now you can see that there is more to Duel Monsters and life than power."
I looked at my brother, Proud he had won, and scared of his, our, power.
Whenever the puzzle took hold it was as if Yugi vanished and was replaced by someone else.
Someone ruthless, without mercy or compassion
I looked at my bracket, the band around my wrist glinting in the light.
What were the Millennium items turning me and my brother into?