The Pharaoh and the Wayfarer (Atem/Yami Yugi x Spirit! Reader)

Chapter 25: Let the Finals Begin

I own nothing.
Chapter 25: Piece of the Puzzle

Night had fallen over the harbor as everyone, exhausted, began to make their way back to the city. Both Yugi and Rain hung close to each other, not exactly assured after their victory. Marik was more than likely waiting for them at the finals, and knowing that their friends had the will to resist even the power of the Millennium Rod, he get more desperate.
"Serenity." Joey said, turning to his sister. "I won't forget how you saved my life back there. And now that you can see again, you'll be able to watch me duel all the way to the top!"
Serenity nodded with a smile before Mai put an arm around her shoulder.
"Look, Serenity, I know you're really excited to see your big brother duel in the finals, but I'll tell ya, between us girlfriends, Joey's not gonna last too much longer, especially once he has to face me in a duel!"
Joey was insulted. "Oh yeah?! Who beat who last time?"
"Pure luck! Besides, Duelist Kingdom's ancient history, and this time, I plan to wipe out both of you boys! And you, (L/N)." Mai pointed at Rain. "You still owe me a proper duel."
"Any time, any place, Valentine." Rain retorted with a smirk before nudging Joey in the side. "Hey, Joey, are you gonna introduce me to your sister finally, or do I have to do it myself?"
The blonde boy smacked his head. "Aw nuts! You two still haven't been introduced. Hey, Serenity, this has been a long coming, but this is our pal, Rain. She's pulled my butt out of a bunch of bad situations. Rain, this is my sister Serenity."
The two girls shook hands.
Rain beamed. "It's nice to finally meet you, Serenity. Your brother's told me all about you."
Serenity paid her welcome back two-fold. "Likewise. The way he described you, I thought you were a superhero! Have you really been all over the world?"
"I'm hoping to hit every country before my time's up. I can tell you all about the places I've been if you'd like."
Serenity clapped her hands. "That would be amazing! Now that my eyes have been fix, I want to see the whole world! I'd love to hear some of your favorite places to explore!"
"You've come to the right person! I know some of the coolest spots you're gonna see!"
"Careful, Serenity. One of Rain's pastimes is exploring trap ridden tombs." Yugi joked as the Wayfarer stuck her tongue out playfully at him.
"Hey, guys." Tea stepped in. "Don't you think it's time to use those locator cards?"
"Oh yeah!" Joey agreed, pulling out his cards. "Battle City Finals, here we come!"
Placing the cards onto the Duel Disk caused a projection to appear, forming a familiar structure.
"It kind of looks like a stadium." Yugi noted. "But, how do we get there?"
A robotic voice came from the Duel Disk. "Congratulations. Our satellite network has confirmed that you are a Battle City Finalist. Standby for directions to Kaiba Corp Stadium."
"Oh great, more walking..." Rain moaned, her feet already aching from this whole day of running.
Mai smirked, twirling her car keys. "Call shotgun, (L/N)."
"Bless you, Mai."
Everyone hopped in the car, gleefully discussing their next move when Rain suddenly felt a horrible shiver run down her spine. (Y/N) appeared beside her.
"You felt that as well?"
"Obviously." Rain shot back. "But it wasn't like the other ones. Just...what caused that?"
(Y/N) crossed her arms. "Something tells me we'll have more than just Marik to contend with in the finals."

(Timeskip)

"We're two blocks from the stadium." Yugi announced as Mai parked the car, Joey kicked up a protest.
"Then why are we parkin' all the way back here in NowheresVille, Mai?"
"So when the finals are over, we won't get stuck in traffic!" She answered honestly, making the Tea nodded.
"Fair point."
"Well, come on!" Joey urged. "Let's get a move on and see who else made it to the finals! So, Mai, looks like you're gettin' another shot at a tournament championship."
"That's right!" She agreed. "And this time, I plan to crush you, Yugi, and Rain in front of a sold-out crowd."
"In your dreams!" Joey shot back as Rain joined in.
"Sorry, Mai, but I'm not going down to you."
"Hey, Yugi, your girlfriend's talking a bit too much. Mind shutting her up with a smooch?"
Both Yugi and Rain went red at this, babbling nonsense as the blonde woman laughed as Joey gave her a look.
"By the way, Mai, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while: why'd you save my hide in the Duelist Kingdom finals? I woulda been kicked right out."
"You looked totally pathetic and I guess I was touched and wanted to help, okay?"
Rain had a Cheshire grin on her face as she heard Mai's obvious attempt to deflect. However, before she could open her mouth, Tea covered it with a sharp look.
"Rain, no."
"Oh, come on!" The Wayfarer argued indignantly. "She gets to make jabs at me and Yugi, but I'm not allowed to fire back?"
(Y/N) appeared beside her. "You tend to overdo it when it comes to retribution."
Rain lowered her voice, glaring at her counterpart. "Like you have room to talk. Oh, by the way, I'm telling Mai about you and Yami if you two get out of hand. Yugi and I should not be under that kind of ammunition!"
The female spirit went red. "And what is that supposed to mean!?"
As the girls bickered, Yami then appeared beside Yugi.
"Were we really that noticeable?"
Yugi had to choke back a laugh from his friend's obliviousness. "Yami, I don't know if you've noticed, but you are extremely protective of (Y/N)."
It was Yami's turn to blush. "Oh, I suppose it's instinctive."
Yugi smiled. "It's fine. Like I said, you love her, so of course you want to protect her. Though, I don't think they need much of it."
"Either of them." Yami said, seeing the fiery argument.
Suddenly, a car unceremoniously crashed through the wall just behind them. Nobody was hurt, as Mai, Joey, and Serenity were behind, admiring some movie posters, but still. Rain, who had to be stead by Duke and Tristan, looked ready to have a heart attack.
"What the heck!?"
Joey seemed equally as pissed off as he marched up to the driver's door to give the driver a piece of his mind, only for a tall, familiar looking man to step out.
"Sorry, kid." He said arrogantly. "Hope my entrance didn't spook ya."
"Are you trying to kill us!?" Rain screamed as Tristan and Duke now had to hold her back.
The man took off his glass, causing the others to pause.
"Hey, isn't that the same guy in the poster?" Serenity asked as Joey screamed, looking back between the man and the posters.
"It's you! Jean Claude Magnum! I'm your number one fan! Maybe you've heard of me? I'm kind of a celebrity myself!"
Jean ignored Joey, walked past him and headed straight to Mai.
"Long time, no see, sugar." Everyone was taken aback by that, Mai most confusingly of all as the guy pulled out a bouquet. "Don't you see? I've come back for you, Mai, just like you told me to!"
"Sorry, slick, but you've got the wrong girl." Mai retorted adamantly.
Joey ran over to her. "You mean to tell me you're pals with Hollywood's ninth biggest box office draw!?"
"I've never seen him before!" The blonde insisted.
Jean rubbed his head. "Mai, sugar! Have you forgotten the offer you made me exactly one year ago?"
"What offer?"
"It was an offer of love, Mai!"
Jean recounted a tale of him and Mai dueling on a cruise a year ago, having fallen for her after she creamed him a duel and proposed to her on the spot. Of course, when Mai told him to try again after he could beat her in a duel, he didn't register the sarcasm in her voice. Again, he shoved the ring in her face.
"I've come here today to make you the luckiest girl in the world, Mrs Jean Claude Magnum!"
"He sure thinks highly of himself." Duke snarked, getting a look from Rain.
"Like you have room to talk."
Mai looked extremely done with this whole mess and turned her back on Jean.
"Sorry, ninja boy, I'm not interested."
Joey placed a hand on her shoulder. "Woah, slow down there, Mai! Come on, the man's come a long way. The least you could do is consider his offer."
"Joey, this is not up to you to negotiate!" Rain snarled.
He ignored her, of course. "Face it, Mai, he's a movie star and you're always cravin' attention, right?"
Duke shook his head. "And he wonders why he's not popular."
Tea nodded. "I'm gonna kill him."
Rain was about to agree with both of them when her phone started ringing.
"A little moving room, gentlemen?" Both boys let go as she answered her phone. "Thank you. Hello?"
"Rain?" A familiar voice asked.
"Oh, hey gramps! What's up?"
"Are you on your way to the stadium for the finals?"
"As if you-," She blinked. "Wait, how do you know that's where the finals are?"
"Oh, I called Mokuba because I needed to speak to you and I feel as though it needs to be in person."
She sighed. "Of course you did. What is it?"
"I found a little information regarding our enemy, though I'm not sure how much help it will be."
That immediately got Rain's attention as Mai seemed to agree to a duel with Jean.
"I'm on my way." She hung up the phone and turned to Yugi. "My gramps found something. I'm going on ahead. I'll meet you there."
"Are you sure?" Yugi asked, concerned. "I can go with you."
She smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Just make sure Joey doesn't bully Mai into a wedding."
With that, the Wayfarer was off, covering the remainder of the distance in decent time, though she was done running for the rest of the day. Outside of the stadium was a familiar car with Carter (L/N) standing in front of it. Rain came to a stop and hugged her grandfather.
"Hey, gramps."
"Hello, dear. How's the tournament going?"
She rubbed her head nervously. "Oh, just a few threats to my life, saving my friends from certain death. Nothing different from Duelist Kingdom, really."
"What!?"
"Yeah, can you smack some sense into Seto? He has let so much dangerous slide in this tournament."
Carter sighed. "You know that boy as well as I do. He'll double down if we try to talk him down."
"I hate that about him. So, you said you had information about Marik?"
Carter switched gears. "Perhaps not him specifically, but a bit about his family, the Ishtars. I contacted some of our relatives who live in Egypt, and one of the elders was familiar with the name. According to her, the Ishtars are guardians of sacred knowledge, much like we are, but they swore to keep the secrets safe from the world."
"And let me guess." Rain said as (Y/N) appeared beside her. "Those secrets were about (Y/N) and Yami."
Carter nodded. "Not just that, supposedly, they hold the key to prophecy."
"That could be problematic." (Y/N) said, clearly trying devise a plan. "Vital information in the hands of a close lipped enemy is dangerous."
"You don't have to tell me that." Rain then turned to her grandfather. "Thanks for telling me, gramps, though I don't get why you couldn't say this over the phone."
He smiled and hugged her. "Well, for starters, I wanted to wish you good luck in the finals."
She returned the hugs. "Aw, gramps."
"But also, I wanted to give you this." The old man pulled out a photo of himself, a much younger Rain, and two elders in a market place that she immediately recognized from her dream.
"That's that trip to Egypt!"
"Yup. I managed to dig it up from one of our files. I'm not sure it'll help much."
"It's okay. I appreciate it." Rain assured, pocketing the photo. "Will you stick around for the finals?"
He sighed in a joking manner. "Unfortunately, Kaiba says I'm not allowed due to personal reasons. How cruel. Really, I'd prefer to keep trying to find information on this Marik Ishtar. Something about that name strikes me. I'll keep digging."
"Thanks, gramps. I really appreciate it."
He ruffled her hair. "Give Mokuba a hug from me and a sound thrashing for Kaiba. Keep your phone on you."
"Will do. See ya later."
The two (L/N)s parted, leaving Rain and (Y/N) to stare up at the sky, pondering their next move.
"I'm not thrilled with the idea of Marik knowing something about the prophecy we don't." Rain said.
The former Queen nodded. "Agreed. Somehow, we need to learn what he knows."
"Maybe I could-,"
"Rain, no." (Y/N) cut her off. "Your safety comes first. You're not offering yourself up for information."
"It was just a thought."
"A bad one. Besides-," the spirit smirked. "I don't think Yugi would ever let you."
"Ugh! Don't start that again! I just had to hear it from Mai!"
(Y/N) chuckled. "Sorry. At the very least, I think we can trust Carter to find a trail if there is one."
Rain crossed her arms behind her head. "Yeah. I don't know, something about that trip..."
"You think that's where your paths crossed the first time? Yours and Marik's."
"I think. I don't know why else my mind would go back there."
(Y/N) pursed her lips. "I don't believe there's much of a difference in age between you and Marik."
"How do you figure?"
"The sound of his voice, the way he speaks, and his behavior in general, it points at someone still growing, not entirely matured."
"I guess that's a start."
The Queen sighed. "Though if you did meet him back then, he may have looked very different."
Just then, another chill hit the girls, causing them to shiver. As they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a beautiful garden, the bank of a river not far off in the distance.
(Y/N) narrowed her eyes. "This place...it's..."
Just then, a group of guards ran through their ethereal forms as they were clearly searching for something.
"Lady (Y/N)!" One guard greeted, looking up.
The two girls glanced up and saw a young (Y/N), seemingly the same as Rain had been when she had gone on that trip to Egypt, lounging by a pool, studying something. The child stood and greeted the guards.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned.
"I would get inside, Lady (Y/N)." One guard ordered. "An intruder was spotted in the palace."
The child gasped. "An intruder! That's horrible! I thought I heard an unfamiliar voice earlier while I was studying! I think they were heading towards the prince's chambers! I have to warn him!"
The lead guard shook his head. "That is admirable, my lady, but I must insist you stay here. Our sacred duty is to defend the Pharaoh, his family, and all who dwell in the palace. Onwards, men!"
They all charged off valiantly, however, the minute they were gone, young (Y/N)'s expression soured as she marched up to a nearby bush and kicked it.
"Ow!" A voice shouted as the young girl crossed her arms.
"How many times have I told you not to sneak into the palace?"
"I don't know." The voice said back. "How many dents do I have in my ribs."
Little (Y/N) stamped her foot. "One of these days, the guards are going to catch and I won't be there to save you!"
"Of course you will. You'd miss me too much if I died."
She stuck up her nose. "You're impossible. You don't even need to sneak in here. You're a Wayfarer-in-training, just say you're a messenger for my father and they'll let you pass. Though, if you keep running away from the caravan, I suppose I'll get my sigil long before you become a full member of the tribe."
The voice again laughed. "That's why I have to sneak in here! I need the best tutor in the world so I can become a true Wayfarer!"
Little (Y/N) rolled her eyes before laughing and picking up her abandoned reading material. "Fine, but actually try to learn this time."
Before the boy could emerge from the bushes, the memory stopped, bringing the duo back into the present.
"What was that?" Rain asked. "That was way different from all the other memories! And who was that person?"
(Y/N) looked down. "I don't know. Clearly it was someone close to me if I hid them from the guards, but just who would that be?"
"You called them a Wayfarer-in-training. Isn't that someone from outside the tribe studying to become initiated in?"
"Yes. Typically, it's for those who marry in, but that voice belonged to a child..."
Both girls looked down, trying to decipher the memory and why it had emerged now, (Y/N) feeling uncomfortable the whole time. Something about that voice was familiar. She didn't know why just yet, but it just did.
Fortunately, the others came along not too long after, giving the girls an excuse to leave it for now.
"Hey, Rain." Yugi greeted. "Did you find anything out from your grandpa?"
"A little." She admitted. "I'll tell you in a bit. Mai, I assume I don't have to start suggesting destination weddings?"
"Ha ha, you're hilarious." Mai snapped as they turned to head into the stadium, Rain gleefully smirking along the way.
"Just checking."
The group entered into the arena, watching their step as the structure was still not finished. Kaiba and Mokuba were there to greet them along with two goons.
"Welcome." Roland, one of the few consistent assistants for Kaiba, greeted. "Present your locator cards."
Yugi, Rain, Joey, and Mai all pulled out their proof to be allowed in as finalists. The other official verified the cards authenticity and headed each duelist an ID badge.
"These are your tournament IDs. Congratulations, you four are now officially Battle City Finalists. Now, security is tight, so make sure you have these cards with you at all times."
"Thanks." Joey said. "Where's everyone else?"
"So far it's just the four of you and of course, Mr Kaiba. We expect the other four finalists shortly."
Rain rolled her eyes and began walking towards the brothers. The other less experienced hand attempted to stop, but was interrupted by Roland. Mokuba grinned as he ran up and hugged Rain.
"Rain! I knew you'd make it!"
She returned the hug. "Like it was in doubt. Seto, the typical greetings from my grandfather and an order that I have to smack you in a duel. I apologize in advance."
The older Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Bold of you to assume you'd make it that far."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "So we shall see."
Rain let go of Mokuba and headed back to the group.
"You really are closer to them than Kaiba wants to admit." Yugi said with a smile.
Rain brushed him off. "With Seto, it's all about action when it comes to knowing who he's close with. You'll see."
Just then, another duelist entered the stadium, a boy around their age with light hair and lavender eyes. Joey and Tea seemed to know him, running up to greet him.
"Namu!" Joey greeted. "It's you!"
"Guys, this is the person who saved Bakura's life." Tea explained as the stranger smiled.
"Glad I could help. Where's Bakura now?"
"Resting in the hospital." Tea assured him.
"Excellent. So Joey it looks like we both made it to the Battle City Finals, didn't we? I never thought I'd get this far, but since the day I met you two, I've been winning every duel."
"Sorry, what was that about Bakura?" Rain asked as she and Yugi walked up to them.
Tea turned to her. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, Rain. Bakura lost consciousness and Namu here found him. I hate to think what would've happened if he didn't come across him."
"Bakura, unconscious?" Rain pulled out her phone. "Tea, what was the hospital he was at?"
"You think something's off?" Joey asked. "I'm just saying, Bakura losing consciousness usually ties back to-,"
"But he doesn't have the Ring anymore." Yugi pointed out as Rain shook her head.
"We thought that last time, and I don't think Tristan wants a repeat."
"I do not!" The brunette yelled as Tea gave Rain the name of the hospital to do a check.
"Sorry about that, Namu." Tea apologized as Rain stepped away. "That was our friend, Rain (L/N)."
"I know." Namu said, glancing at her direction. "She's a renowned duelist. I've heard so many stories about her."
Yugi felt something twist in him. Namu's expression may have seemed admiring on the surface, but the way he was looking at Rain hid something beneath the surface: obsessive, maybe even predatory, and Yugi didn't like it one bit. He stepped forward, prompting Tea to introduce the two.
Reluctantly, Namu broke his attention on Rain to look at Yugi. "I've heard about you, Yugi. It's an honor to meet you."
Yugi nodded, shaking hands with the male. "Namu. Thanks a lot for helping out Bakura. Any friend of Joey and Tea's is a buddy of mine."
"Okay, that's been handled." Rain announced, rejoining the group. "Gramps is gonna check in with the hospital and make sure Bakura's all right. Namu, sorry about that. I'm Rain. Thanks for looking after Bakura."
The male seemed to be especially excited about this greeting. "It was my pleasure. It's honor to meet a duelist of such caliber like yourself, Rain."
The girl rubbed her head. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm as impressive stacked up to Yugi and Kaiba."
"I disagree entirely."
Something about his words set something off in Rain, though Yugi was not far behind and he seemed to jump in front of Rain at the first distraction he got. Admittedly it was a good one as Bakura half tumbled into the stadium.
"Bakura!?" Everyone yelled, running up to him.
"You should be in the hospital!" Joey insisted.
"He's right." Tea agreed. "You should really be resting!"
Yugi nodded. "Yeah. Grandpa told me you were in pretty bad shape, and Rain's grandpa was going to check up on you!"
"I'm fine." The white haired male said sweetly.
Tristan crossed his arms. "Look, Bakura, I don't know how you found us here, but you better get back to the hospital!"
Yugi then noticed a familiar device strapped to Bakura's arm. "Wait! What are you doing with a Duel Disk?"
"How else could I win six locator cards?"
"You're a finalist!?" Rain said as the rest of the group had a collective heart attack.
Bakura smiled, holding the cards up. "Just look."
Both Rain and Yugi felt something off. None of this was adding up, and while Joey was interrogating the male about his entry in the tournament, (Y/N) appeared beside her as a test. Sure enough, try as he might to appear innocent, Rain did in fact catch the slight glance at her partner from Bakura. Before Rain could call him out on it, another finalist stepped into the stadium, one draped in a familiar black hood hiding his appearance.
"Another Rare Hunter?" Rain asked as Joey growled.
"Worse than that. He's the one who kidnapped me and Tea!"
The man marched past them straight to the Kaiba brothers.
"State your name." Kaiba ordered.
"I am Marik."
That set everyone off as Joey came charging. "I'll kick your brain-washin' keister!"
"You are no match for me, fool!" Marik insulted.
"The only reason I'm not tossin' you out by your cape right now is so I can save my energy to take you down in the finals! Got that, pal! And keep your creepy butt away from Stormy!"
Kaiba glared at the stranger claiming to be Marik. "I should disqualify you right now for kidnapping my little brother and threatening a business partner, but you have something that I want, and before the finals are over, your Egyptian god card will be mine!"
"Doesn't look like you have too many friends around here, Tattoo Face!" Mokuba spat. "And you better leave Rain alone!"
Marik said nothing and walked off, leaving Rain a bit puzzled.
"Rain?" Yugi asked.
"I felt it too. Something's off about all this. Still-," She glanced over at Bakura. "One problem at a time."
"May I have your attention please!" Roland announced. "Eight of the nine of you are here, so it is time to announce the true site of the Battle City Finals! The arena should be arriving here any second now!"
"Did he just say arriving?" Rain asked as Yugi stepped up.
"Where are the finals?"
Just then, Kaiba's blimp appeared overhead, making it clear what was happening.
Rain just shook her head. "Drama Queen."