Hi everyone. I’m new to the Yu-Gi-Oh section, and I hope I get some good reviews here, though, truth be told, I’m don’t know what to expect for this one. I’m not much of a YGO expert yet, and I actually never thought I’d like the show, but I watched it anyway and began to like it. My favorite character is Weevil Underwood. This fic is pretty much about him.

This takes place after the whole ordeal with Dartz and the great Leviathan is over. That is the last event on the show I've seen, so this fit in very nicely.

I don’t know much about the card game itself, although I do have a stack of cards. So I probably won’t be writing out any duel scenes. I’d probably screw up the rules without knowing it. Some of the monsters I’ve seen are cool, though, and I like that polymerization effect card.

I try to keep the characters I use in character, though sometimes the plot can slightly alter them. I try my best not to let that happen…Oh, and since I don’t know how much a yen is worth, I had to use American dollars as currency in the story.

Through New Eyes

"Now, look," Weevil argued, "I bought you two cans of soda, plus my own, at the vending machine yesterday, plus a ham sandwich for you. I think you owe me something!"

"Come on, Weevil," protested Rex. "All I have right now is a ten-dollar bill, and I don't owe you that much."

"Really? I don't suppose you remember that I pitched in two weeks ago to help you buy a comic book."

"Oh yeah." He never forgets anything.

"Besides, I always pay you back for things," Weevil went on.

"I'd rather wait until I get my allowance on Friday before I give you this, though." Rex didn’t want to be hurried.

"Rex, please," Weevil persisted, "All I want to do is go and buy that book after my eye appointment, and it doesn’t even cost that much!"

Rex sighed. "All right, all right!" He reached into his pocket and brought out the ten dollars, which he handed to his friend. "If there's any change left over, you'd better return it to me," he said.

"Of course," said Weevil with a grin. Finally. It's been a while since he's paid me back for anything, the dino brain.

The two teenage boys were standing on the street corner, in front of the very café where the mentioned sandwich had been bought. It was mid-morning and, having nothing better to do, they had met here, downtown, trying to find something worth discussing. There hadn't been any real excitement in Domino City for quite a while, and besides from participating in friendly duels, going to school, and unintentionally getting in trouble, there was nothing much to do. That is, until Weevil happened to notice an updated encyclopedia of Butterflies of the World through a bookstore window. His old copy seemed like nothing compared to this one. Besides being a Duel Monsters champion, King of Games, it was all he wanted right now.

Sheesh, thought Rex. Bug Boy wants that thing right away, doesn't he? This'll leave me stuck with no money until Friday! And can he blame me for being hungry yesterday? He and Weevil had spent the whole day at the fair, where Rex had held the job of running the ticket stand. Weevil had been bored out of his mind, and Rex had told him to go and play some games or go on rides until his break. This had had no effect other than to send Weevil staggering off to the bathroom after one round on the roller coaster. Then later, it was discovered that Rex had left his cash at home and he couldn't buy anything from the snack stands. At long last, when the fair ended, they went to the café and Weevil paid for Rex's food as well as his own.

"When exactly is your appointment, anyway?" asked Rex.

"At ten-thirty," Weevil replied. He held up a check. "My parents are sending me there with this. It'll take at least an hour." It happened to be the day of his annual optometrist appointment. He’ll probably try to convince me to get new frames again, but I never will.

"And what a boring hour it will be, for me."

"You think most of yesterday wasn't boring for me?" exclaimed Weevil.

"Heh heh. You hurled."

Weevil gave him a "shut up" look. "Look, why don't you work on your dueling skills or something to pass the time?"

"Duel against who? Them?" Rex pointed across the street, where Yugi and his friends were walking along on their way to Yugi's grandfather's gaming store. He made a face.

Weevil shrugged. “You can always try to win your respect back. Win mine back, too, while you’re at it.”

“Ah, forget it,” grumbled Rex. “You know they won’t accept. It’s not like we’re in Duelist Kingdom or Battle City or something.”

“Or under the control of Dartz’s mind games.”

For a moment they stood and watched their rivals go around the corner, all laughing at Joey’s latest joke. Tristan laughed so hard that he spit his soda out onto the sidewalk. Téa slapped him on the back of the head, and Yugi just shook his head.

“What a scene they make,” remarked Weevil, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger and trying to look dignified.

“Yeah. You don’t see us marching around spraying soda everywhere.” Rex looked at his watch. “Well, you’d better get walking if you’re going to make it to your eye thingy. I’m taking the bike back home. I’ve got some things to do, come to think of it.”

“What do you mean, you’re taking the bike?”

Rex got on the front seat of the two-seated bicycle that he and Weevil had bought after realizing one could come in handy. “I mean, I’m going to ride it home and do some re-assembling with my deck. You know how hard it is to ride this thing uphill, where you’re going.” He motioned with his head toward the other side of town, which was indeed very hilly.

“Oh, fine,” Weevil groaned.

“See ya.” Rex turned the bike around and pedaled off.

It was only quarter to ten, but that was enough time for Weevil to walk across town, for he was a fast walker. Now he was carrying not only the check, but also the ten dollars. Despite that he knew he was on his way to spend an hour going through eye exams he had done a million times in the past, he was thinking more about his future book, and also, since Rex had mentioned his own deck, Weevil was now thinking about his. The next time he entered any tournament, there would be no losing, especially right after he had actually made a name for himself. Fame would not slide away again. Thank goodness he now had his Insect Queen and Great Moth, as well as all the tactics he had practiced over the years.

As he passed the giant building which housed Kaiba Corporations, he looked up and squinted through the sunlight at the highest floor. How rich could some people get? Then again, if you had had a stepfather like Seto Kaiba did, there was really no need for an explanation. Kaiba seemed to keep his company under control fairly well, using the power and wealth he had inherited. Now, if that kind of thing was given to Rex or Weevil for any reason… But they could only dream. For now.

There had to be some card out there that could guarantee victory every time, that would enhance every monster’s abilities, damage any enemy monster severely, and wouldn’t make him go to the trouble of cheating half of the time. As long as it wasn’t the seal of you-know-what. Yes, it had been powerful, but, even though he had definitely never expected to lose, it had locked away his soul when he did - and not just once, either - but twice! Twice! The same had happened to Rex as well. It wasn’t even supposed to have happened to them.

That Dartz and his so-called promises.

The only remotely good thing the seal had done was give Weevil the chance to face the Pharaoh again, and let him know that his dueling career was far from over.

Anyway, there just had to be another kind of ultimate card...

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a call of “Hey! Why, it’s Weevil Underpants!” He looked around and saw Yugi and the gang up ahead, walking steadily toward him. Joey was the one who had shouted. Weevil sneered at them. “What do you want? And don’t call me that!” It was his most hated nickname.

The four older teenagers stopped in front of him. “Oh, nothing really,” said Joey. “Just to congratulate you on making it out of the seal of Orichalcos (a/n - I don’t know how to spell it) alive.”

“Yeah. I hope it taught you something, man,” Tristan added. He still had a few streaks of soda on his shirt.

“For example, you shouldn’t mess with an evil force and a madman who can take your life away from you,” said Téa. Weevil scowled. Like he didn’t know that now - anyway, none of them had actually been consumed by the seal!

Yugi just stared at Weevil in stony silence. He must know about the last duel I had with the Pharaoh, Weevil thought. He probably knows about the joke I played ripping up the one bug card, too. He’ll never forget that, I’ll bet. And since the seal had been active, it had made it even worse. Weevil tried to smirk but couldn’t. It was obvious that Yugi was through playing games with anyone who insulted him, the Pharaoh, or any of his friends. And all I wanted was to gain some real control in the dueling world... Weevil looked at Yugi with an expressionless face, then looked at the others.

“I don’t need your pity,” replied the insect duelist. “I went through that stupid thing twice! So don’t try to give me a lecture now. It’s all over.” He pushed past them, shoving his hands in his pockets. From behind him he heard Joey say, “Well, he’s right about one thing - it’s all over, and for good, I hope. He could be a little more grateful for being saved, though.”

“You know Rex and Weevil,” sighed Téa.

He didn’t need their comments any more. Shuffling on, Weevil surveyed the rest of the scene around him. It was a very sunny day, and the whole city seemed to be out of doors, whether working or not.

Across the street a few men were dragging a giant instrument case - it seemed to have a tuba inside - into a musical instrument repair shop. That brought back a memory. Years and years ago, Weevil had decided to learn to play the cello so he could be in the school orchestra, and also because he needed a hobby. He’d been pretty good at it, too. Then he’d started playing the game of Duel Monsters, which he found he could incorporate his admiration for bugs into, and had spent more time practicing with that. It had been ages since he’d touched his cello.

The tuba was lugged inside and the door of the shop swung shut. Weevil’s attention was then diverted to a man up ahead who was painting the wall next to the door of a karate studio that would open in a few weeks. Weevil wrinkled his nose at the smell of the paint wafting through the air, but paused to examine the painter’s work anyway. It was a half-finished picture of two karate students on either side of the studio’s logo.

Rex had wanted to try karate once, and had actually come very close to it, but when his family found out just how expensive it was at the closest studio, they’d immediately dismissed the idea, and Rex had started training in Duel Monsters instead. Weevil had inwardly thought that seeing Rex as a karate student would have been kind of strange, in the same way that Rex had thought Weevil’s cello-playing was strange. In the end, dueling had made Rex forget about trying karate, and had overtaken Weevil’s musical interest.

Weevil took a step closer to the picture on the wall, but suddenly tripped and fell forward, barreling directly into a can of blue paint. Landing on his stomach with an uncomfortable whump, he knocked over the bucket and heard a cry of outrage from the artist, who hurriedly set it up straight again to prevent too much paint from spilling.

Weevil got up, ignoring the scratches on his hands, only to see a sponge and a bottle of water being handed to him. “Sir, I tripped, and I have to run to an appointment...” he began, desperate to avoid any type of chore. “Just wipe it up, and we won’t have a problem,” interrupted the man, who was very annoyed. “You’re lucky you didn’t create too much of a mess. You’re not going anywhere until that is gone.” He pointed to the small blue puddle at their feet. Weevil was all set to protest, but he saw the dangerous look in the painter’s eyes and slunk down to the sidewalk, hastily getting to work.

Five minutes later the sidewalk was clean and he was once again going up the street, muttering to himself and wondering what time it was. It turned out, though, that he was actually early. As soon as he entered the office he looked at the clock - it was only fifteen minutes after ten. With a sigh Weevil slumped down into a chair in the waiting area. Besides himself and the receptionist behind the desk, the place was empty. All was quiet except for the soft background melody of a song coming from the radio speakers at the top of the walls. Weevil felt inside his shorts pocket to make sure the check and the ten-dollar bill were still there. They were.

He was not in the greatest mood after meeting Yugi and Co., and then scrubbing the sidewalk like some low-life, but the long walk through town was finally over, at least until it was time to walk back. And after he got through the appointment he could purchase the encyclopedia and then hang out with Rex. He leaned back in the chair to wait to be called.

In a few minutes another patient came into the office - a pretty young girl with reddish-brown hair and a modesty about her. She went to the desk and spoke to the man behind it, taking her own check from her handbag. At first Weevil paid no attention; then he noticed an anxious rise in their voices, and caught the rest of the dialogue:

“But my mother called to make sure of the fee for the added test. She added that to the total of the others, and they’re right here.”

“I’m sorry, but the cost for the special examination you requested is an extra forty-five dollars, not thirty-five. You had better inform your family of that and adjust the amount. Your health insurance does not cover these extra tests. Maybe you can reschedule an appointment?”

“I don’t think so. You see, I had an eye operation some time ago, and the surgeon and my doctor both told us that I should take all the standard examinations again as soon as possible, to make sure I’ll be permanently cured...it’s very important. When was the fee for the extra exams changed, anyway?”

“It never was...”

After a few more tries the girl succumbed to defeat and sat down in the chair next to Weevil. She worriedly began searching through her bag for some extra cash, or something that could save her. Her face had gone pale. Whatever was going on with this matter was extremely pressing on her.

And I thought I had serious problems with my vision, thought Weevil. I only thought older people actually got eye surgery... The girl seemed to have given up now. She was staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

Weevil found that his fingers were inside his pocket, curling around the money Rex had given him. It was only ten dollars, right? Butterfly encyclopedia, he reminded himself. A really cool and informative guide... He watched the girl unhappily wipe her brow and close her bag.

“Eh, excuse me,” he blurted out, before she had the chance to get up and leave. The girl turned to look at him. Weevil paused to clear his throat properly, and then said, “I had heard what was going on. To tell the truth, this office always increases their rates when you least expect them to...are you a new patient here?”

She nodded. “Yes; I got my optometrist changed after having surgery on my eyes, just in time to prevent me from going completely blind. It was very expensive. The last thing we need to worry about are increasing exam costs...” She sighed.

Weevil slowly produced the ten-dollar bill from his pocket and held it out. “Go ahead and use this to pay for the rest. It’s all right.” He was thinking, though, What are you doing, being this way? Being helpful to someone you don’t even know? Bah! It’s not right!

Her hazel eyes widened. “Oh, I couldn’t. My mother would be furious if I did. And anyhow, it’s not right.”

Weevil rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “Believe me,” he said, “I know how it is at this place...my family complains about the prices, too.” He could barely believe what he was saying or doing. “You can pay your mother back with this. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

The young girl appeared to be speechless. Weevil continued - “I insist, miss. There’s no shame in it.” He carefully picked up her hand and placed the ten dollars in it. In the back of his head he was aware of a faint voice screaming at him, saying there was nothing he could ever do to make up for this. But Weevil wasn’t really listening to it.

The girl was only able to say breathlessly, “Oh, thank you. I’ll repay you in any way I can.” She gave him a timid but grateful smile.

Weevil waved a hand. “You don’t need to.”

After a moment of silence she suddenly stuck out her hand. “I’m Serenity. Who are you?”

“Weevil Underwood,” he mumbled, uncertainly putting out his own.

“That name sounds familiar,” she said thoughtfully, as she shook his hand. “Are you a duelist?”

Weevil grinned for the second time that day. “Why, yes.” He was about to go into the story of his victory at the Regional Tournament, but Serenity spoke first. “Oh, I remember!” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “You competed in Battle City with an insect deck, against my brother, Joey. I remember - it was on T.V.”

It took a moment before Weevil realized just who he was talking to. “You’re Wheeler’s sister?”

She smiled shyly. “Yes.”

Weevil stared. “I didn’t know he had a sister.” I just gave my butterfly encyclopedia money to somebody related to one of my rivals! And I didn’t even know it...huh, she’s not much like Joey; all loud-mouthed and jumpy. Oh boy, can this really be happening?

Serenity went on. “I couldn’t see what was going on at the time, but it sounded like you had an impressive insect deck.”

“I do like studying bugs and using bug monsters,” admitted Weevil. He was still surprised out of his mind. But he didn’t try to retrieve the cash from her, even if she was Joey’s sister. He couldn’t. Not after how nice he’d been. And he found that he didn’t even want to take it back from this person, who’d actually decided to be kind to him, and not raise her eyebrows at his quirky voice or anything like that.

“That’s kind of neat. And it sure was an exciting duel.” Yeah, it sure was, thought Weevil sarcastically. Until it ended. He watched her carefully fold the money he’d given her, and she paused. “You’ve been very generous about this.”

“No problem,” he said demurely, wondering just what had come over him.

“Serenity Wheeler!” called her optometrist from across the room. “It’s your time...will you be keeping your appointment?”

“Yes, sir,” she answered. Before she went in she again thanked Weevil, who said goodbye with an odd feeling inside himself. The next thing he knew, he was being called in for his own appointment by his own optometrist. As he trudged into one of the exam rooms, all he could think was, Now, what am I going to tell Rex?

Later in the day, he and Rex met back at the cafe. Rex had brought back the bike, to Weevil’s great relief, since he didn’t feel like walking around any longer. On the way back from the office he had been trying to decide how big of a temporary loss his encyclopedia had been, and had decided that he’d just have to beg his parents for money whenever he got home. Rex noticed right away that he wasn’t carrying it around triumphantly and spouting out facts from it. “Well, where’s this great book you wanted?” he asked suspiciously. “I felt sure you’d have bought it already, so you could track down some rare butterfly.”

Weevil smiled. “I already found one.”

THE END

Well...I’m eager, and a little nervous, for your reactions! I know you Seto and Serenity people must be disgusted right now, but hey, this is definitely a rare thing, isn’t it? I personally prefer Seto and Tea stories. We all have our own different likes as far as pairings go.

I also liked the idea of Weevil playing an instrument for some reason. I can just picture that really easily.

If you liked this, or if you didn’t, let me know!