As the massive doors that connected the airport to the city opened, it felt exhilarating to have fresh air in her lungs again. Air that wasn't breathed, reventilated and breathed again.
She slipped at her steamy coffee, enjoying the breeze, and thought about her next move. Suddenly her body wheezed and she started to cough. Damn, big city air is different, she had always thought Mrs Goodtree was exaggerating when she said 'nothing beats the fresh, suburban air'.
Behind her came a padded crash, followed quickly by an exasperated groan from a man.
Zhara looked behind her. The old man who was sat next to her on the plane was scratching his head in confusion, as his wife looked on and chuckled to herself.
"I told you, they need to sit flush on each other, otherwise they'll fall."
"They were on flush, woman," he gestured to a rather large case that fell lopsided on the floor.
A second case slid right off the other side as if in response and skated towards his feet. Zahra was sure she heard a metallic clang as it hit the floor.
His wife raised her brows from her wheelchair, nothing else needed to be said.
The man moved to pick them up, she could see by how he shifted his weight that his knee was not in top form, arthritis perhaps.
As she glanced again, she noticed the wife was very pale in complexion, with an almost invisible, clear pipe that tucked behind her ears and travelled up through her nose. She didn't look thin though, in fact, her body looked a healthy size.
Zahra felt a shiver, she held out a hand and jumped a few steps until she was with them.
"Please, sir, let me help you with these," she dumped her bag and took the case from him, giving him no time to process.
"Thank you, little lady," she felt him wince as she grabbed for the second case. "Please be careful with that one, it has my wife's medical equipment in it."
Zahra lifted it slightly, its wheels helped skim it to the trolley. The weight hit her instantly.
"Shit," she said in shock. "What kind of equipment do you have in here?" Zahra felt the embarrassment burn her cheeks and her face freeze. She never swore, Mrs Goodtree would scold her to no end if she did. Where did that come from?
"Oh, please don't worry deary," she gave a trembling smile. "It's just an oxygen tank and lots of 'just in case' bits and bobs."
"Bits and bobs that keep you alive, Yuki."
"Oh, calm down Hiro, you really do go on." She waved a dismissive hand at his concern.
"Well, you certainly do have a young person's strength," Hiro said as she moved the bags on the trolley, making sure they were aligned enough not to fall again. "You must work out." Hiro chuckled to himself.
"Uh- yeah. Thanks," she wasn't ready to discuss anything about herself right now.
To change to subject, she quickly offered to carry the equipment outside to a taxi, so they didn't have to worry about damaging any equipment.
When they got outside, Zahra saw a small van that looked somewhat like an ambulance.
"Ah, right on time." Hiro waved to the driver and headed over.
She was puzzled, to say the least. It made sense that someone who may be quite medically ill would have specialised transport, but she had never seen a taxi quite like this one before.
"Where are you headed to, deary?" Yuki asked, as Zahra gently placed the luggage on the floor for the driver to put away.
"Um, to the city," she said bluntly, she had nothing else to add. She had nowhere to stay, and no strong leads to follow. Where am I to start? Doubts started to creep into her mind.
"Why don't you come with us? We'll give you a lift to where you're staying. It's no trouble." Yuki placed a cold and surprisingly heavy hand on her arm.
She was polite but firm, giving Zahra no room for protest. Suddenly, she was buddled into their taxi and told to put her seat belt on.
The journey was uneventful, there was nothing to see around the airport. When they entered the city, the streets were full of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. All across the billboards and screens were assorted adverts for Duel Monster merchandise.
The further they moved into the city, the more uneasy Zahra began to feel. It wasn't anxiety or doubt, God knows she felt all those emotions well enough on her journey here. This was a looming feeling of dread deep in her gut, it made her eyes dart and analyse a little more than normal. She shifted in her chair, an uncomfortable feeling kept creeping over her.
The taxi stopped at a red light in the middle of the high street, then she saw it, the biggest sign on the street. One for duel monster merchandise and a young man, with a very serious look on his face.
I know him!
Suddenly she pressed her nose up against the glass and braced her hands on the window. S-Seto?
Her mind felt like it was working overtime. If this was a cartoon, she was sure steam would be coming out of her ears right now.
Then it flickered another young man with his arms folded and a satisfied smirk on his lips, made her swallow hard. The tri-coloured hair she had seen in her visions, the determined look in his eye that sent a shiver down her spine.
The words on the sign read:
KING OF GAMES! YUGI MOTO
Something inside her snorted, King of games? He could never beat me at chess.
Her head pounded and she winced in pain.
As the taxi began to move she glanced once more at the sign. Hung around his neck on a strong chain was a golden prism. The eye in the centre… she made eye contact with it instantly, as though she was drawn to it.
Suddenly she saw his face, he was so close, she could almost touch him. His caramel skin seemed to glow. His strong determined look that everyone knew, stared her down. His royal gaze.
Her mind wobbled, he seemed to look right back at her. She saw his features soften. A small smile tugged at his lips, one she knew, a smile that was only for her, she knew it, nothing would tell her otherwise. Her eyes began to tear up, as though she had been reunited with an old friend. An old love. A flame that still burns.
She remembered the dreams, she could feel it burning. Lifting her hand, she went to touch his face.
Then it changed. His face morphed into something different. Something that made the looming feeling of dread in her gut jump to her throat. A maniacal laugh echoed in her mind.
The face she yearned for was gone. Instead of his tri-coloured locks that set him apart from the rest, there was a wild mane of grey-white hair. Instead of a beckoning smile, there was a devilish grin that made her squirm.
Everything felt wrong. Who was he? Should she know him?
In her core, he felt like the exact opposite of what she stood for. Or so she thought.
But what did she stand for? Who even was she?
"Memorising isn't it? The city streets. I'm from a small town myself."
Zahra came back to the world with a start, narrowly stopping herself from smashing her head into the empty, blank window.
Hiro nudged her playfully with his shoulder and chuckled lightly. "We're here at our shop. Why don't you come in for a hot drink before you head off? So we can say thank you for helping us."
Zahra pushed the hair out of her eyes. "Sure. That would be lovely." She smiled, grateful to be out of that dream. Vision. Whatever it was. Out of that plethora of emotions, she was thankful for one thing, she had a name.
The smell of disinfectant hit her as she walked in, her tongue felt thick with it. The place was surgically clean, you could eat off any surface, even the streak-free windows.
"We're a specialist travel agency," Hiro said proudly as he shuffled past her with some baggage, and went into the back room.
The driver brought in the bag of medical equipment, and with great strength and skill, he navigated it into the backroom, without so much as skimming the floor.
A travel agent? She mused as she looked around the office.
The office was a decent size, there were two small desks with chairs on either side and small computer screens on each desk, one of which looked much more used than the other. There were bookshelves filled with various colourful magazines showing far-off places, exotic beaches and snow-capped mountains, begging to be looked at. The top shelves were crammed to breaking point, the spines were faded and frayed. As you got lower, the books became newer, thicker and looked more 'serious' she thought, still colourful and vibrant but they had words like 'medical', 'protocol' and 'emergency' along the spine.
She couldn't help but run her fingers along the spines as she wandered further in. On the furthest wall, towards the backroom, something caught her eye. The entire wall was covered with frames and pictures of smiling faces and families. They all had one thing in common, in every picture there was at least one person who had a wheelchair, a thick white tube or something else medical. Then she saw two familiar faces, Hiro and Yuki. Hiro looked much younger, with a head full of black hair. Yuki looked pale and her eyes were tired, she had much less equipment than she did now, still, she looked quite a bit younger in the picture, and much slimmer. A little too slim. Zahra felt her heart sink, she must have been ill for some time,
The rest of the wall was interesting, there were older pictures with weathered frames holding black and white pictures. They were a young couple, full of life and smiles so happy that they made you smile too. A man with a head full of fluffy black hair and a cheeky grin, the woman with long, glossy black hair and the brightest eyes that were full of wonder and curiosity. Each was in some exotic-looking location, a jungle, an elaborate temple, waterfalls, a vast ocean and…. Pyramids.
Something about this picture felt familiar, the sand, the golden building in the far background. It gave her a nostalgic feeling, like when you walk the same path to your old school or job. She didn't recognise the other man in the picture though, there was a sheer determination in his eyes that she thought she knew.
Suddenly, she could feel herself getting sucked towards the picture. Her heart pounded in her ears and she could feel the wind being knocked from her chest.
Oh no, not again…
She was powerless to resist.
"That's Hiro and I when we went to Egypt, back in the sixties."
Zahra felt the air pile back into her lungs, she instantly relaxed, like when a sneeze was coming but then it leaves. She turned and saw Yuki sipping lightly at a steaming pot of tea, Her face looked sad as though she yearned for times past.
"We used to do adventure holidays, people would flock to our door for tailored adventures," she took another gentle sip. "We travelled everywhere, it was good for business to experience it for ourselves and develop relationships with the local guides and excursion leaders. We were much younger then of course."
"Then you got sick?" It all started to make sense.
"Then I got sick," Yuki repeated, taking a bigger sip of her tea and an equally deep sigh came after. "Then it was years, now I only have months left. In the beginning, Hiro wanted to put away all of our pictures from before, and all of the adventure holiday brochures, but I just couldn't bring myself to part with them, or the business," she looked around the room with a deep smile on her face, the kind of smile she had seen on Mrs Goodtree's face when she looked at her. "We're a specialist travel company for people with medical needs now. We've not looked at the adventure brochures in years, but I like to know they're there. Just in case." She turned and winked at Zahra, though her face said she knew there would be no case. "Why don't I make you that coffee?"
Guilt flooded her, it wasn't her place to pry and she felt like she may have tugged on a loose thread. Still, she felt compelled to follow her into the kitchen, just in case.
Yuki busied herself, it was all especially organised so everything she needed to make tea and coffee was right on the counter where she could reach it easily, there was even a small fridge where she picked out some milk, so she didn't have to bend
Yuki picked up a jar and lifted the lid. "Oh, the jar's empty. I'm pretty sure we have some more in the cupboard."
Yuki opened a cupboard door above her head and reached up on her tiptoes to reach a large jar of coffee.
Just as Zahra came up behind her to offer to get it, Yuki collapsed on herself and the jar tumbled out of her hand.
Zahra quickly wrapped an arm around Yuki's tiny waist and miraculously managed to catch the coffee jar in her other hand.
"Goodness, Yuki. Are you okay?"
Yuki's eyes were wide with shock, as though she had felt something intense and incredibly painful. She looked at her in confusion.
Instantly, Zahra moved her hands away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab you so roughly, I just didn't want you to fall. Why don't you go sit down and I'll finish up here."
Yuki ran a hand through her hair and managed a weak smile as she moved away.
"Thank you for the tea," Hiro drained every last drop, barely waiting for the boiling water to cool and sunk back into his padded armchair. He had just finished explaining to Zahra about all the changes they had made to the building, so they could have a living area and bedroom downstairs for Yuki.
Yuki herself had been silent ever since her near-miss in the kitchen.
"So, where are you headed to in Domino City, Zahra."
Zahra blew again on her steaming cup. "I'm looking for someone."
"Ah, you have family here?"
"Not quite," she rubbed the back of her neck and sipped at her tea. She was avoiding the question on purpose, for some reason she felt embarrassed to tell them she was looking for someone and had no idea where she could find him. "He's more like an old friend."
"That's nice. You must have known him a long time for you to consider him an old friend, you're so young still. What's his name?"
Zahra took a sip of her coffee and instantly felt the warmth and caffeine soothe her. "His name is Yugi Moto."
Suddenly Hiro and Yuki, who hadn't made a noise the entire conversation, stiffened.
"Yugi Moto? Like, the King of Games, Yugi Moto?" Yuki chirped.
"Y-yes," Zahra was taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm. "Do you know him?"
"Well no, I would say we know him, but we do know his grandfather, Solomon." Hiro placed an empty cup on the small table by his chair.
"Solomon was the other man from the picture we looking at earlier, the one from Egypt."
"I'm confident he's been living with Solomon too."
"Really? He must be helping Solomon in the shop after school or something."
The pair continued to chat between themselves about Solomon and Yugi, and how long it had been since they had seen either of them.
Zahra felt her chin drop, she knew something seemed somewhat familiar about the man in the picture. She was agog to find out more.
"Do you know where I can find him?" She asked with rising excitement.
"Of course," the couple chorused, their faces confused that she might think they didn't.
"Here, let me get my address book. Hiro is hopeless with his memory, and directions."
"Woman, I remember every damn scrap of knowledge. How many countries did I navigate us through? How many ruins, deserts and jungles? Like steel trap this nogging."
"Really?" Yuki asked sarcastically as she opened a drawer of their sideboard. "Then where is Solomon's shop?"
Hiro pursed his lips and folded his arms in annoyance. "I knew you had it written down somewhere, so I don't need to remember it."
Yuki and Zahra laughed. It felt like ages since Zahra had felt the comfort of a home, though it had only been a few days. The banter between the older couple was one born of love, respect and a mutual dependence on one another. They were two halves of one perfect whole.
"Here," Yuki handed Zahra a small scrap of paper with an address.
She folded it neatly and stuck it in the pocket of her jacket, and couldn't help but notice that Yuki seemed to be breathing much heavier now.
"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much help you both have been."
Yuki and Hiro sniggered, as Yuki sat in her chair and busied herself with her medical equipment.
"And you have no idea how much help you have been to us, it would have taken ages for me to have got this all equipment set up, ready for Yuki."
Zahra glanced as Yuki fiddled with a nozzle on her oxygen tank, a clear mask placed over her nose and mouth, she nodded in agreement.
It was then that she realised how much time had passed. It was early morning when she arrived, by the time they got here from the airport and got all of the medical equipment set up, the sky outside was beginning to dim.
"It's getting late, if you have nowhere to go, why don't you stay with us in the spare room upstairs? We can take you to Solomon's shop in the morning."
Zahra was so taken aback by their kindness, that she couldn't contain herself. Truth be told, she was concerned that she would be spending the rest of the night trying to find a bed for herself.
Hiro led Zahra to her room for the night. Yuki removed her mask and rose from her chair, she took a deep breath and felt the air inflate her lungs.
Once. Twice. Three times.
She didn't cough, she didn't feel any discomfort at all.
She moved to the window and looked up towards the moon and stars. It had been a long time since she had been able to breathe so comfortably without feeling the stabbing pain, and coughing uncontrollably.
She looked down at her hands and moved her fingers in and out of a fist. The pain of arthritis had been there for so long, that it felt strange to feel it fade.
What happened when she touched me? There was no other explanation for it, it had to be her. All the pills, creams and cortisol injections did nothing before. Ever since Zahra touched her, she felt an intense pain for a second, stronger than anything she had felt before. It was quickly followed by a strange euphoric feeling, the kind only morphine could bring, but without the grogginess that followed.
Throughout the rest of the day, she didn't feel herself tiring like she usually did. She didn't even feel the need for her oxygen.
It wasn't like she was cured, she wasn't naive enough to believe that, but it had been a long time since she didn't feel the crippling fatigue that made her want to crawl into bed at this time of the evening.
She heard his footsteps happily hopping across the office floor.
"Zahra's all settled in her room, I gave her a spare key in case she needed to grab a few things from the shop down the road," Hiro called from behind her. "Yuki? You're off the oxygen already. Are you feeling okay?"
His concern always made her smile, ever since the day they first met, he had doted on her, and when she got sick his devotion deepened. She moved over and placed a tender kiss on his cheek.
"I'm feeling better than ever."
Her honest words brought a smile to both their faces.
Zahra laid in her bed, her head swimming with anxiety. She replayed moments from the day around and around in her head. She felt awful for griping Yuki so tightly, she was so delicate.
That man's face in the window still affected her. Keeping busy with Hiro and Yuki helped, but now she was alone with her thoughts, there was nothing to keep his evil face at bay.
She almost fell into a second vision during broad daylight, that was what frightened her most. It was lucky that Yuki was there to bring her back. Since she met that man in the alley, the visions had only happened when she fell asleep. And until today, she would wake up in the same place.
Is it because I'm getting closer? She wondered. Tears began to fill her eyes, she had no idea what to think. Then as quickly as it started, she felt herself getting angry. Shaking herself she cursed her frailty. Get a grip!
Tossing and turning, it seemed sleep would elude her for another night. A growing frustration began to erupt inside her. She sat up, grabbed her pillow and groaned loudly into it. Throwing it to the side, she held her knees to her chest and rested her head, peering out of the window at the night sky. It had begun to rain pretty hard, the weather mirrored her internal struggle.
Have I done the right thing? She wondered glumly. Should I have just left and followed these… dreams? Then she chuckled to herself, when she was younger she always scoffed at those soppy American movies where the woman had some great epiphany to follow her dreams, then she'd get a makeover and a new look and there was normally some British man involved too…
Mrs Goodtree's words echoed through her mind.
Don't be so quick to turn your nose up, Zahra. Sometimes the smallest sign is all you need to point you to where you need to go.
Thinking of her did make Zahra feel more at ease, as she continued gazing out the window, the sky was pretty and soon the endless night and twinkling stars made her drowsy.
Just as she bent to pick up her pillow, the lightning began to strike. It startled her at first but she always found lightening to be so memorising. Allowing herself another moment to watch, she thought she noticed a small golden glow in the distance. It was tiny and as soon as she saw it, it almost fell off the roof of a building.
The smallest sign is all you need to point you where you need to go.
It was so close, barely a few streets away. The glow pulsed again and again like it was asking for help.
She didn't hesitate any further
"The smallest sign," she said to herself with enough encouragement for her to rise from bed and snatch her jacket from the seat.
"It's probably nothing, I'll just nip out, take a look and come back," she always spoke out loud to herself when she wanted to justify a decision. Tugging her jacket on she hurried to the front door. "Who knows… It may even help me sleep."
v With that, she left the sanctuary of the shop, her feet splashing behind her as she ran down the street.
The street lights shot past as she moved with speed to where she thought the light had been. Turning a corner, she recognised the metal stairs of the building from her window.
Nothing.
She quickly made her way down another few streets. By now she was soaked to the bone. The adrenaline had worn off and all she could feel was the fabric of the cotton pyjamas clinging to her skin and the cold of the night seeping through. It felt uncomfortable, and she felt stupid.
Then she saw it. The golden glow. It was coming from another alley just further down. Alleys had not proven to be her friend in recent times, so she steeled herself enough to take another few steps towards it, all the while trying to take in her surroundings.
Then came the laugh, the evil maniacal laugh she had heard in her mind on the ride from the airport. The sound she had tried to drown out by helping with menial tasks for Hiro and Yuki.
She froze, her feet paralysed by fear.
The glow grew even brighter.
There were a few voices, three she thought, but she couldn't quite hear what they were saying.
Suddenly there was a cold feeling that brushed past her. An icy cold that stopped her heart for a moment. She gasped when she was finally able to catch her breath and patted herself as drips of rainwater tumbled off her nose.
Then came a fourth voice, it was soft, and innocent and he sounded startled. The glow had seemingly vanished.
That was all she needed to start moving again, if something bad was happening, she'd never forgive herself if she didn't at least call the authorities. For that, she needed a description of the villain.
"Someone has to help," resolved in her newfound confidence, she stormed over to the alley's mouth.
As she reached the entrance, her eyes widened in shock. Two young boys in yellowish coats, lying face down and motionless on the ground. A tall man standing over them, like a hunter over their kill. A wild mane of white hair cascaded over his shoulders, matching his hunter prowess.
That was him, she knew it. Her feet moved back.
He tossed a small duffle bag towards someone. A boy, judging by his height.
In the flash of a bolt of lightning, she saw it. Tri-coloured hair, though a slightly different style, yet still the same. The boy was small, his voice was almost angelic, and he stood up to this madman with a confidence she could only dream of owning.
The madman lifted a large round pendant that hung on a thick thread. Wait? Not a pendant, but a ring?
Another bolt of lightning illuminated a symbol she had come to know well, an eye.
She winced as the voices echoed in her mind, some she recognised, some she didn't.
No, there was too much at stake right now to get lost in another vision, Yuki had managed to snap her back, she knew it could be done.
"Remember, I know things about the past that your Pharaoh friend seems to have forgotten." His voice was much louder now, either in anger or perhaps the rain had died down enough for her to hear better.
Pharaoh... A calmness washed over her. The voices were gone and suddenly she was aware of the smell of the rain, the cold of the ground and the coming of the lightning strikes. That was when she stepped out of the shadows, a Lioness ready to face an enemy.
"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Her voice echoed down the alley, much louder than she had intended.
The madman casually peered over his shoulder, she felt a chill when their eyes met, and she bit down hard on her lip to hide the shock on her face.
"Why, if it isn't Zahra, the Pharaoh's little Pitbull. Still as yappy as ever, I see."
His tone was easy-going and spineless, so casual about belittling her, as though she was something he had stepped on. She felt a rush of anger she had never felt before and spoke before she could think. "That's funny, I've always been more partial to cats. Leave the boy alone, dickhead, before I rearrange that dark and mysterious face of yours."
That laugh again, it made her shudder, and she did her best not to show it. He knew her name, that was enough to throw her off her game. He turned his head and looked back at the boy, they spoke briefly about the millennium items and the spirit world and how it may be where the Pharaoh belongs. The two seemed to argue between themselves, as she argued with herself. How does he know me?
He suddenly stopped and gestured to both of them.
"Don't you both want to help your friend?"
"Of course," the boy answered, quick as a whip.
His grin was disturbing as he looked back at her. "It seems that you have a similar lack of memory to the Pharaoh, that's good for me. I must admit, Zahra, I didn't expect to find you here in this time. Still determined to protect your precious Pharaoh? How delightfully foolish."
She felt a growing pride inside her, and a smirk to match. Taking a stance she readied her body to fire at the madman. He won't know what hit him!
As she went to launch, the golden prism that hung from his neck glowed.
"That's enough!"
That voice…
"Stop poisoning their minds!"
Suddenly the boy was no longer there. Standing just a few paces ahead of her was the man from the billboard, the King of Games.
It's him! I did it, I've found him.