This is just a drabble-y thing that I needed to get out of my head. This story bends the original Yu-Gi-Oh universe quite a lot, hope you can still enjoy. Inspired by the song Ismael by Kent.

Note: Ishmael means God hears.

11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
"You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."

Genesis 16:11-12

Ryou's mother died on the day Amane was born. Ryou loved his mother dearly, more than anything. And so, the first time he saw his little sister, he hated her. With all of his little boy heart.

His father must have realized, for he gave Ryou a gift.
"It's pure gold Ryou. Isn't that amazing? I got it just for you."

Ryou's small hands clutched the Egyptian trinket with all their might.

He doesn't remember anything about the accident. The psychiatrist tells his father that it's absolutely normal. Quite a traumatizing event for a boy so young.

But there were whispers in the neighborhood. Saying that he pushed her.

A few weeks after the funeral, Ryou's father tells him they are moving.

Grandma was a devout Christian. She believed in spare the rod, spoil the child. "Little boys need strict rules, to grow up into good men." She often said.
The bible was Ryou's bedtime story every night. He liked the idea of angels, but the stories were hard to follow.

He ended up memorizing most of them anyway.

Grandma died of a heart attack. "Well, she was getting old." is what they said.
"But what about the look of horror stuck on her face, when they found her?" were the whispers.

That time Ryou's father didn't bother telling him about the move.

At school they called him nerd at first. Later, when his interests were found out, they called him occult freak.

Ryou hid his Egyptian necklace under his shirt to protect it. Sometimes he sort of felt a pain in his chest, but he didn't think it was anything serious.
He didn't mention it to anyone.

The bullying stopped little by little. Ryou figured it was caused by some higher power, and felt thankful.
Like a wish he didn't know he had made, came true.

Sometimes Ryou though he heard somebody's voice, when there was no one around. He didn't tell his psychiatrist about that.

One evening Ryou went to the bathroom and saw someone else reflected in the mirror.
He heard a laugh and after that he knew no more.

Ryou wakes up in a desert. Egypt, he thinks. He feels hungry. And sweaty.
He looks ahead, shielding his eyes from the burning sun. He sees a silhouette of a man.

He is too far away for Ryou to hear him, but suddenly there is a voice in Ryou's head, and he briefly thinks it sounds familiar.

"Do you remember Ishmael?"

The man turns and walks towards Ryou. He has a red cape and white hair.

"I am your Ishmael."