Yugi sat bolt upright as the dream faded. Blearily he groped around for the puzzle, relaxing as he felt its cool metal beneath his fingertips.
"Yami?" He asked quietly, pausing a moment to wait for the spirit's reply.
Yes? Came the voice, smoothly crossing their telepathic link to sound in Yugi's mind. If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed that the voice did not carry its usual warmth, a sure indication that Yami was troubled about something. But he was too anxious to share his newfound information, so he missed the subtle clue that something was out of the ordinary.
"I just had the weirdest dream..." He murmured, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to remember everything that had transpired. "There was this wolf, only it wasn't a wolf, it was a woman, named Anelle, I think. She told me she was a Spirit Hunter, and that she tracked a demon called a Soul Stealer from her world into ours. She says it came through the Shadow Realm, and that it's going to steal one of our friends away!"
The demon stiffened reflexively, in shock and rage. Impossible! The Spirit Hunters had actually managed to follow it? Here?
It forced itself to relax when it saw the little one's face grow tight with worry.
Do not worry Yugi. The demon soothed, and Yugi inexplicably felt his mind grow more sluggish as the honey-coated words slid through him. I'm sure it was only a dream.
"Yeah, but..." Yugi started to protest, wanting to be absolutely certain that everyone was safe. But his mind wouldn't focus properly, and he kept sliding in and out of a coherent state.
"Only a dream..." The demon pressed a little more forcefully, and this time Yugi echoed the words dully. Satisfied that the spell was sufficiently set, the demon-in-Yami's-body retreated to the Millennium Puzzle swiftly to plan how it could consume the boy's life force before the Spirit Hunters found it.
Yugi blinked, confused, wondering what he was doing. He glanced at the clock, and jumped out of bed in a wild panic.
He was going to be late for school!
The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, having the demon's presence in Yugi's mind rendered him unable to remember the dream and Anelle's warnings, so he blissfully continued life as normal. But despite the spell that kept his memories locked safely away, he felt the strangest sensation well up inside his heart whenever his friends strayed out of sight. It was a strange mixture of anxiety and fear that made him very uneasy; his heart kept telling him that if they strayed too far away, they wouldn't come back.
You're being silly. A voice inside him chided, Yugi automatically assumed it was his conscience. They will be fine, just leave them. And again, as the demon whispered away in his thoughts, Yugi's mind became confused and sluggish. The Soul Stealer kept up an endless barrage of suffocating clouds swirling in the young mind, thinking that perhaps now was the time to seize what it wanted.
Yugi could tell that he was missing something important; he could feel it swirling teasingly around the edges of his mind. But there was a wall, fluid and shifting like fog, yet solid nonetheless, that blocked him. As he pressed against it, deadly tendrils of shadow reached out and slowly, carefully, wrapped themselves around him. He felt himself go numb, but his head was already too far gone to register the warning cries his heart was issuing. His eyes glazed over and his head drooped, as he struggled within himself to muster the strength to pull from the cold embrace of death.
He was slipping, the darkness dragged his spirit closer... closer... eternal sufferings and torments promised within its depths...
"Yugi?" Came a soft call from the darkness. "Earth to Yugi, you in there buddy?" That voice was so very familiar, deep and vibrant and twinged with concern...
"Joey?" He mumbled, and suddenly, the shadows vanished. He blinked, and found himself sitting at his desk, staring blankly into his best friend's deep brown, worried eyes.
Joey smiled when Yugi's eyes finally focused.
"You were totally spacin' out pal, the dismissal bell just rang. C'mon, I'll walk you home."
Yugi shook his head as he retrieved his bag, wondering what on earth had happened back there.
As they walked, Yugi debated on whether or not he should confide in Joey. There were best buddies, and they told each other everything, but he didn't want Joey to worry over something that could very well turn out to be nothing at all. He peeked up at the tall youth, deciding. Joey stood with his hands in his pockets, and a solemn and serene look on his face as the wind tousled his hair.
Yugi smiled. Even if this whole thing was just his imagination running off with him again, Joey would want to know of his troubles, and help however he could. Now he just had to figure out what to tell him, he wasn't so sure he understood it himself...
"Well, here we are." Joey announced, bringing Yugi out of his contemplation. He caught Joey looking at him worriedly out of the corner of his eye.
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked Yugi gently. "You seem kinda out of it."
Yugi couldn't help but smile at his friend's concern. Joey truly cared for him, beneath his tough-guy exterior lay a heart of solid gold.
"Actually," Yugi began slowly, unsure how to properly explain. "I've got this really weird feeling, like something bad is going to happen soon. And I feel like I know what it is, I just can't remember..." He trailed off, looking up to lock Joey's gaze with his own.
"I'm going to talk to the spirit of the puzzle about it, and I didn't want to tell you in case it turns out to be nothing. But I'd feel better knowing I had your support in this, especially if something bad is going on after all."
Joey looked completely baffled for a split second, and then he doubled over, laughing. Yugi blinked, unsure what was so funny, and Joey apologized quietly.
"Sorry Yug." He chuckled, wiping his eyes. He knelt down and pulled Yugi into a quick hug.
"Never a normal day with you, is it?" He asked, smiling widely over Yugi's spiky crown.
Yugi sighed and smiled too. 'Nope.' He mumbled sarcastically. Not that he minded, it kept his life exciting at least.
"Well don't you worry." Joey's voice turned suddenly serious, though Yugi could see the smile still tugging on his lips. "I'll be right here if you need me, just in case you're right, and something bad is going down."
He pushed Yugi out to arms length and looked him right in the eye.
"I promise, and I never break a promise to a friend!"
"Thanks Joey." Yugi smiled again. Joey nodded, and solemnly walked away. He turned back halfway down the road, and flashed a confident thumbs-up, encouraging Yugi further.
"C'mon Red Eyes." Joey said softly, pulling his trusted dragon out of his coat pocket. "I have a feeling Yugi is going to need all the help he can get."