Hey wassup my bros and sistas! XD Well anyways, if you've made it this far to Chapter 4, I want to thank you guys for reading me and YamiHeart's work. Even if you're not reviewing (which, most of you aren't xD) it's pretty cool that you find the story interesting enough to read like 20 Microsoft Word pages of it haha.

Yugi: Awww look at that! Cyclonzgirl's getting all sentimental! *Sneering*

cyclonzgirl: What the…? Yugi! Why are you here?

Yugi: I was bored. But turns out being here talking to you is boring me even more!

cyclonzgirl: Hey! Why are you so mean all of a sudden? You're supposed to be nice!

Yugi: Well I guess things are changing, aren't they?

cyclonzgirl: …

Yugi: cyclonzgirl DOES NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! and she never will! HAHAHAHAHAHA…loser. HA.

cyclonzgirl: (must…not…punch…main character)

Joey's POV

It's been a week since he first saw Yugi with that…ring…if you could call it that. It seemed harmless at first, just changing Yugi in ways that everyone, including Yugi was for the better. Yugi was acing everything in P.E. which he's always failed at. He's acing all his classes and has plenty of time to work at the Kame Game Shop even after he finishes his homework, and he could defend himself from the bullies that always seemed to target him even without Joey's help. It was…strange…but good. In a way. But now, things seemed to be getting out of hand. Yugi sneaked off at the middle of the night to do things that no one can catch him at. He shirks his responsibilities at the Game Shop and refuses to do any school work, which includes lazing around the benches during P.E. unless he has a chance to pummel someone with a dodge ball which he all of a sudden seems unable to refuse to. Joey was worried and so was Tea, Tristan, Atem, Grandpa, and Seto (well…he doesn't act like it but we all know he is).

~End POV~

"Hey Yugi! Wait up!" Joey tried, knowing that Yugi would just race far ahead of him like he did every day for the past week.

"See ya later, loser!" Yugi sneered, sticking his finger out back at Joey as he stayed far ahead.

"Oh…you…son of a …" Joey started muttering, then, his instincts getting the better of him, he took off at top speed towards Yugi.

Joey's anger and fear for his friend resounded in every single of his steps as he slowly started catching up to Yugi. Then, just as Joey was one step away from punching him, he heard something that made him falter and trip, his jaw hanging the whole time.

"Come on Yugi…you can do better than that hahahah! Faster my pet, faster! Are you going to let some dumb blonde beat you? Are you?" a female voice hissing, making a slightly iridescent presence around Yugi that Joey hadn't noticed before.

"No…I do not lose…I…I…" Yugi seemed to stutter and his jaw grew a little more relaxed from the rigid pose it was in a few seconds ago.

"Yugi…?" Joey whispered.

"Joey…help…it's not…I'm not…she's….the r-…AH!" Yugi cried out.

"Yugi? Are you okay!" Joey shouted.

"Joey…if I needed help, it certainly wouldn't be from you!" Yugi laughed, which started to sound like barks.

"Yugi?" Joey whispered again.

"Hey Joey! Aren't ya gonna be late for class?" Yugi taunted, his voice seeming to have an effect added, as if two voices were speaking at once.

"What…?" Joey checked his watch. "Oh shit!" Joey yelled, running as fast as he could while recovering from his sprint when chasing Yugi.

Yugi blew past Joey again, laughing his new bark-like laugh.

Joey arrived about 2 minutes after the bell rang, and with his strict 1st period teacher, he got a 40 minute detention after school.

Joey craned in his seat to glare at Yugi who now relocated to the very back, left corner of the room but instead of the haughty, stiff Yugi that he usually saw these days, he saw a ghost white, trembling and sweaty Yugi, looking desperately over at Joey, Tristen, and Tea.

"Help!" Yugi mouthed. Or at least Joey thought he did.

But suddenly, Yugi's body sat straighter, his eyes grew darker and more brooding, and he looked straight in front of him, instead of towards Joey.

"Yugi…" Joey thought sadly. "What happened to you?"

"Sit down guys…make yourselves comfortable," Atem insisted, tossing a bag of chips to Joey and setting a can of Coke for each of them on the coffee table.

"Blargh!" Joey spat out the mouthful of chips he was eating into a napkin.

"Eww! Joey what'd you have to do that for?" Tea demanded, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Well these chips are the wrong flavor! Atem you know I like sea salt and vinegar, not dill pickle!" Joey said, a half joking tone complimenting the statement.

"Oh gee, next time I'm at the grocery store, I'll make sure to get sea salt and vinegar then, Joey," Atem said with a smirk and an eye roll.

"Guys I think we should get down to business," Tristan said, his serious tone calming everyone down.

Joey decided to schedule a meeting with Tea, Tristan, and Atem to discuss Yugi's weird changes over the past week.

"So what'd you notice 'bout a week ago Atem?" Joey asked.

"Yugi wasn't acting any strangely until about last Tuesday, the first day I saw Yugi with that…ring," Atem shuddered when he said ring.

"Oh yeh…that's the day Yugi first outran me to school, too!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's the day that Yugi started avoiding us and bullying the freshman kids…" Tea chided in.

"So I guess this all started last Tuesday?" Tristan said.

"I guess…." Atem said. "and I think it's because of that ring that Yugi started wearing. It's influencing him somehow, I know it!"

Atem's theory was greeted by murmurs of "yeahs" and "mmhms".

"Well, now that we know how it got started…kinda…how do we fix it?" Tea asked, a sort of steely tone to her usually gentle voice.

"Well I think…" Atem and Joey started making a plan and Tristan and Tea added details and pointed out any flaws. The meeting lasted until the bag of chips ran out and then Tristan said he needs to get back in time for his curfew. Joey left walking home with Tristan because they lived a few houses away from each other but Tea stayed.

"So…Tea…do you have to leave for anything?" Atem said awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Um…no…not really. Nothing important, anyways," said Tea, who started to look into Atem's eyes.

Atem got up and started straightening some loose games on the shelves.

"So what's your homework for today?" Atem asked, trying to make small talk.

Atem waited for a response for a few minutes but when he didn't get one, he turned around.

"Tea are you oka-"

Tea suddenly appeared in front of Atem's face as he turned around, slamming her arms on the wall on either side of his head. She put her face about an inch away from Atem's nose.

"Atem."

Atem froze, not knowing what was happening.

"I love you."

Atem's eyes widened and he made a confused noise.

"Wha…what?"

"I've loved you since I first met you. Do you love me?" Tea said, oddly calm through the whole last few minutes.

Atem slipped lithely through Tea's arms and stood behind Tea, waiting till she whirled around.

"Tea…I don't love you. I like you as a friend but not as a girlfriend," Atem also maintained a steady and calm voice.

"I see then…alright. I won't hold a grudge. Pharaoh." Tea said, her voice cracking on the last syllable of Pharaoh.

Tea walked out of the store, the small bell on the store door making the only sound as she walked away.

Yugi ducked behind a corner, eyes wide.

Yugi's POV

"Tea likes Atem? Wow…" Yugi thought.

"What does it matter to you? They're just a few foolish humans," Allie said, her comforting tone not matching her malicious words.

"They're my friends! That's why they matter! And besides, I'm just a human too!"

"Hehehehe…not when that rings making you immortal, you're not!" Allie cackled.

"Why don't you just let me go? Why did you pick me?" Yugi demanded, a few tears running down his cheeks.

"What? Would you rather I possess one of your dear, darling friends then?" Allie sneered.

Yugi sighed. "No, I don't want you to do that either…"

"Good. By the way, one of the ring's side effects should be kicking in, in about 1…2…3…"

Yugi screamed.

"Yugi!" Atem called from the floor below.

Yugi screamed again and this time, he fell to his knees and rolled down the stairs, his head landing on Atem's feet.

There! Finished the chapter! Shout out to Ali Ami Umi for being such an awesome supporter! XD What's happening to Yugi? Oh no! Well, he won't die. Right…? READ THE NEXT CHAPTER TO FIND OUT!
MuahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Well…cyas and thanks for reading! ~cyclonzgirl