YUGIOH: It's Time to Duel!

[3rd POV]

"Who are you? You'd come to the wrong place," Yuna hissed suspiciously while peeking through the small slit of the door.

"But I believe I have, Lady Sano." The man corrected calmly, "If you would only let me come in, I will explain everything to you."

"Not interested," Yuna responded swiftly. When she tried to close the door, Shadi suddenly stuck his foot through the crack, stopping her.

"I sincerely hope you will reconsider," Shadi suggested with a smile. "After all, the main focus of our conversation will be about your other self..."

Yuna's body immediately stiffened, and she stared at Shadi in disbelief. Struggling between the shock of his declaration and his trustworthiness, she carefully opened the door and allowed Shadi to enter.

Guiding him to the living room, Yuna and Shadi sat at the dining table as they stared at each other.

 "Speak now," Yuna demanded sharply. Her gaze was full of caution towards the man who was able to uncover her deepest concern, and she nervously rubbed her wrist under the table.

"Before we begin, I wish to inform you that I bear no ill will towards Lady Sano," Shadi announced and held up both hands in surrender.

"If you're not trying to hurt me. What's the point of doing all this..." Yuna questioned, unable to comprehend any other reason what Shadi would do with the critical information other than blackmail her.

"Well, I'm simply repaying a favour," Shadi smiled wryly while staring at his calloused hands, "For your other self, that is...."

Taking a sharp breath, Yuna bit her lips with a complicated emotion. Having her suspicions fully confirmed, Yuna felt a shiver down her spine. The fact that there was someone out there controlling her, acting as her, being her for a full year, made Yuna's skin crawl.

"Why... Why should I believe you?" She scowled warily, "You're just going to get her back, aren't you..."

Clenching her fists, Yuna felt a wave of immense anger and frustration, "You're like the rest of them..."

For days, people have approached her and interacted with her. However, Yuna knew that they were not here for her but for the other Yuna who had befriended them for the past year.

All these relationships that she wasn't aware of made her want to vomit. However, what angered her the most was their disappointment when they realised she was not the same.

It was wrong; why did she have to sit through their dissatisfaction? Why was she the one being punished for this unexplainable event? As Shadi remained silent, Yuna fumed, and the discontent in her heart came bursting out like a tsunami...

"This is my body! Mine!" She screamed and stood up, "How could I just give it away?!"

"I didn't ask to get possessed. Why can't I live in peace?! It's not fair!!" Crying, Yuna sank back into her seat and grasped her head in shock, "Why... Why do I have to go..."

Yuna wept in despair, her tears staining the table. She was the original owner of her own body, so why does she have to give it up for a mere stranger? 

It simply wasn't fair...

Watching her cry, Shadi hummed sadly. Extending his arm, he handed Yuna a handkerchief, and she wiped her eyes. "Lady Sano, we have no intent of forcing you to donate your body to your other self... This will be the same for everyone else..."

"How can I believe that?" Yuna muttered with doubt.

"You can't," Shadi smiled and shook his head, "But instead, believe in your other self... Because she will never wish for you to sacrifice yourself, Lady Sano..."

"The other me..." Yuna muttered in a daze, "What is she like..."

"That's something I can't answer for myself..." Shadi answered honestly, "Perhaps you may ask her associates."

"That's not possible..." Yuna replied, knowing her awkward relationship with the others.

"Then that's something you can ask her yourself." Shadi smiled sincerely, "Which is my purpose here today..."

Yuna's expression contorted; right now, the man sitting before her was giving her the impression of a professional scammer. Staring at his outstretched hand, Yuna clicked her teeth.

Despite how shady it was, Yuna couldn't suppress her curiosity. She wanted answers. She wanted to know why her body was taken over and wanted to find out the truth...

"So, will you accept my help?" Shadi asked.

"Fine..." Yuna groaned and shook his hand. Laughing, Shadi stood up, "Great, by the way. I recommend you take some time off school. After all, we will be going overseas..."

Yuna: ....

Forget about being a professional scammer; Shadi's label has suddenly upgraded to a manipulative human trafficker...

"Whatever you're imagining, I assure you it won't happen." Shadi hurriedly added under Yuna's judgemental gaze.

"Alright..." She nodded warily, and he sighed.

"Let's go tomorrow," He said and moved to the door, "Prepare all the necessary necessities. I don't know how long it will take." With a brief goodbye, Shadi left, and Yuna was once again alone in her home.

Feeling that the conversation still felt surreal, she anxiously stood up and stared at the close door.

"Right... I need to prepare..." Snapping out of her daze, Yuna swiftly entered her room to pack.

When her hands stopped at the Duel Monster cards, Yuna frowned in a state of hesitance. Finally resigning to her instinct, Yuna carefully stuffed the cards into her bag, feeling that there was something more to them than she was led to know.

"I will definitely find out the truth..." Yuna mumbled to herself. No matter how long or gruelling this journey may be. Yuna will only be satisfied when all of her questions get answered and when she finally meets her other self...

Days later...

Just as Shadi explained, Yuna found a message at her front door telling her to leave Japan first thing in the morning. Having never gone onto a plane, let alone another country, Yuna was obviously tense.

However, when she arrived at the airport, Yuna was stunned to find that her boarding area was in the VIP section of the airport. While double-checking her ticket, a woman suddenly approached Yuna with a benevolent smile.

"Miss Sano, we have been awaiting you..." The woman said and bowed respectfully, "Please call me Ishizu, and I will be the one escorting you on your journey." 

"Mr Shadi has already briefed us on the situation, and we will be meeting him in Egypt."

"Egypt?" Yuna furrowed her brows in surprise, "We're going to Egypt?"

"Yes, that's right," Ishizu chuckled with amusement, "Don't worry, I will make sure that Miss Sano will stay safe for the entirety of the travel."

Nodding, Yuna stared at Ishizu strangely when she sensed her over-friendly attitude. It wasn't hard for her to figure out that the person in front of her also knew more than she led Yuna to believe...

"Your relationship with me, what is it?" Yuna questioned, "How much do you know?"

"Well, I wasn't able to register the full situation." Ishizu admitted with an embarrassed smile, "But I'm aware that Miss Sano currently can't remember anything that transpired in the past year."

"That means we've met before. Correct?" 

"Yes..." Ishizu nodded and chuckled, "Our family is forever in Miss Sano's debt. Which is why we're assisting Miss Sano with everything we can."

Once again, someone was helping Yuna due to her other self, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth, "What did I do to deserve such hospitality?"

"You saved my brother from going down the wrong path," Ishizu explained, and Yuna's face showed a slight disappointment at the answer. "It may sound simple, but the world will be quite affected if his plans succeed."

"Let's continue our conversation once we're in the air," Ishizu suggested and led Yuna into the plane.

Inside, Yuna was once again blown away by the over-the-top luxury, unlike the typical rows and rows of seats in a normal plane. The one she's features multiple rooms, ranging from bedrooms, large wardrobe and private toilets.

"Miss Sano, please sit here," Upon Ishizu's beckoning, Yuna sat down on one of the large seats. Her lips subtly crept into a satisfied smile at the comforts of the fabric.

"I'm glad you enjoy it." Ishizu pointed out, and the small smile quickly wiped off her face, returning to her usual impassive expression.

Sitting in silence, the plane finally took off, and Yuna stared out the window in awe. Watching her city grow smaller and smaller, the clouds eventually covered her vision, and Yuna regretfully tore her gaze away. Turning her head, she finally stared at Ishizu, who was observing her keenly.

"What was I like... What is our relationship?"

Taking a long sip of her wine, Ishizu calmly thought about Yuna's question. Yet a strange thought crossed her mind, and she smiled playfully.

"Well, Miss Sano and I were quite close." Ishizu spoke mysteriously, "In fact, I tend to treat Miss Sano like a younger sister of mine..."

"I see...." Yuna muttered, unsure how she should feel about this new information.

"Of course, Miss Sano was quite also adorable." Ishizu continued and lied shamelessly, "You were always quite affectionate and enjoyed embracing me whenever we met."

"That..." Yuna squirmed uncomfortably, "Seemed unlikely..."

"But it is true." Ishizu insisted and placed down her glass, "Would you like to try? Maybe this can help you remember something..."

Holding out her arms in invitation, Yuna stared at Ishizu in discomfort and didn't know how to react, "I... will pass..."

"That's a shame," Ishizu laughed, "I was actually looking quite forward to it..."

Realising Ishizu was merely messing with her, Yuna scowled deeply and blushed with embarrassment, "Don't joke about such things..."

Ishizu giggled and took another sip of her wine, "Who says I'm joking? During a trip, you even slept on my lap once..."

"Stop it..." Yuna mumbled, unable to tell what was true and what was false anymore, as Ishizu's laughter echoed throughout the flight.

Sixteen Hours Later...

When the plane finally landed, Yuna stepped out of the aircraft with a gaunt expression. Despite the over-the-top luxury, travelling for the first time still left her exhausted.

Just below the steps, Yuna noticed two men waiting for them, "These two men are my brothers, Marik and Odion. They will also be helping you throughout the journey."

Nodding, Yuna scanned both of their faces. She thought about the troublesome brother that Ishizu was referring to, and her eyes subconsciously wandered to Marik.

"Is... Is there something on my face?"

Ignoring his question, Yuna turned to the large jeep awaiting them, "Where are we going?"

"Well..." Ishizu chuckled and pulled out a map of the Sahara desert. "This is where we will be going..." Pointing at a certain spot on the map, Yuna frowned in disbelief, and she felt stupid for thinking that they would be going somewhere normal.

"Let's go," Ishizu urged and closed the map, "Get ready, it's going to be a long ride..."

Without any more explanation, she urged Yuna to get in the car, and they set off to the place where she would get her answers...

A day later...

Travelling for quite some time, they finally stopped at an oasis in the desert. Stopping the jeep, Yuna and the Isthars stepped out as they stared at the patches of greenery amongst the dry sand.

"This is the location we were told to bring you," Odion's voice trailed off, "But there doesn't seem to be anything here..."

Taking a deep breath, Yuna carefully climbed down the hall and approached the oasis. Confusion spread across her face. Was this really the place?

Wandering through the desert floor, Yuna suddenly stopped when her foot hit something hard. Wiping away the sand underneath her feet was a tough sandstone brick floor running all the way between two trees.

With Marik and Odion's help, they cleared the branches, revealing a cave. The entrance was damaged from years of weathering, leaving only a vertical opening.

"I hope Miss Sano isn't considering entering that cave," Ishizu spoke with concern, "It looks quite dangerous."

Kneeling by the entrance, Yuna shined her flashlight into the hole. Thankfully, it wasn't that deep, and Yuna was able to see the bottom. As her curiosity outweighed the risk, Yuna confidently tossed her bag into the hole.

"Will be back soon," Despite Ishtar's protest, Yuna leapt down, and she let out a soft groan when she landed inside.

Waving her flashlight around her, Yuna found an entrance leading deeper inside the cave, and she carefully entered. Walking silently, she discovered more man-made structures, such as sandstone pillars, remnants of mounted torches and hieroglyphics carved onto the walls, assuring her that she may be in the right place...

After exploring for ten minutes, Yuna finally reached the end, and she held a sharp breath. Before Yuna was a large square room, torches were mounted around the walls, and Hieroglyphs were carved out of every nook and cranny of the room.

As her eyes wandered to the centre, Yuna paused in awe as a statue of a woman stood before her. The statue was created intricately, and the woman truly looked beautiful with her hands clasped together in a prayer.

"This..." Yuna mumbled in shock and subconsciously approached the statue.

Noticing a set of small Hieroglyphs at the foot of the statue, Yuna gently ran her fingers along the text with a hint of melancholy.

"Kisara," Suddenly, a voice hushed, and she quickly turned around, finding Shadi standing behind her, donning a solemn expression.

"It's you..." Yuna frowned and stood up, "What did you say..."

"Kisara, that was her name," Shadi continued, "That is the text written on the statue."

Repeating the name to herself, Yuna felt an overwhelming sadness. Unable to understand the sudden surge of emotions, she sighed and turned her attention to the other Heiroglyhps all around the room.

"These texts, what are they?"

"Epitaphs..." Shadi explained, "All these are words left by people after her sacrifice."

Curious by those Epitahs, she urged Shadi to read them out, and she listened patiently while a twisting emotion formed in her heart.

My only wish is to see you again. I want to see your smile one more time... I love you... - Seto.

A compassionate idiot... Even in the end, she thought about others first rather than herself... - Shada.

You have left too early, my dear... I regret that I wasn't able to teach you any more lessons... - Shimon

A hero that we should all strive to become. - Isis

We will never forget what you have done. I promise to protect the city you sacrificed for. Thank you... - Atem.

From nobles, soldiers and even servants, every inch of this room was chiselled with a small message for the woman for whom this tomb was built.

"What did Kisara do..." Yuna asked softly.

"The greatest sacrifice of all." Shadi answered, "Her death saved this world..."

Suddenly, the Millennium Key hanging by his neck glowed, catching the two completely off guard. Along with the statue, both began to emit a blinding light.

"What's happening?!" Yuna yelled, but before she could get an answer, her entire vision went white...

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I hope you enjoy it.