Joey Is Gonna Die!
Joey careened down the middle of South Street on his skateboard. He would kick Tristan's ass this time. He was winning!
Joey and Tristan were racing down to Mr.Moto's Game shop. Yugi and the rest of the gang walked behind them. South Street was usually pretty empty so Joey and Tristan figured it would be perfect.
"They're gonna get killed," said Tea.
"Worry wort," Tristan yelled back. Joey used his distraction the speed ahead.
He breathed deeply with the exhilaration of almost flying. Wind whipped through his hair and across his face. This might have been heaven had it not been for the honk that broke his thoughts.
"Holy Shit!" A car was racing toward him. Frantically Joey tried to steer out of the way, but the board was to fast to stay in control. The car loomed up in front of him.
"Oh my god!" Tea yelled. "Joey!"
"Move!" Ryou added. But Joey was moving. The wrong way. Yugi gasped as the car headed on toward the 16-year-old dirty blond. Tristan who had been behind had the time to get out of the street. Joey didn't have that time.
Come one Joey you can do this! Mentally he cursed himself for being so stupid. Minutes no seconds counted now. He was beyond seconds, now milliseconds. Joey took a last minute impulse. He threw himself off the board at the last possible instant. The breath exploded from his lungs as he rolled out of the way, hearing a crunching sound that would have been him.
He sat up winded. His face was flushed with excitement. His friends came running up to him. All except Mai, who sauntered up in her normal queen-of-the-world manner.
"Are you okay?" asked Yugi.
"I'm fine," Joey stood up shakily. He had a few bruises and scrapes. He twisted his arms waiting for tell tail pain. It exploded in his right wrist. "That's gonna hurt tomorrow," He ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair and went to retrieve his backpack. He stuffed to splintered remains in it, being careful not to use his right hand, and came back.
"One day you going to get yourself killed," said Mai.
"Dogs are hard ta kill Mai," retorted Joey.
"Should we be so lucky,"
"You should really be more careful," Yugi placed his small body between Joey and Mai, who were facing off.
"Sorry Yugi, but the day he gets himself killed will be a happy day for the rest of the world,"
"Shut up Mai," muttered Joey.
Joey and Mai didn't talk to each other at all as the trooped into the game shop.
Grandpa was nowhere in sight so Joey assumed he must be in the back room. The lights were off and everything. Wait a second, maybe the shop wasn't open.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" called Yugi. "That's odd, he always tells me when he's going out," The silence inside the shop was terrible. Every sound seemed to echo. It seemed to be lacking its usual cheery atmosphere.
"Maybe we should split up and look for him," suggested Ryou.
"Yeah, alright. I'll go with Tea," said Yugi. They went upstairs.
"Tristan an Me'll go," Joey and Tristan went off between the racks of cards.
"I guess that leaves me and you, Ryou," Mai turned to the quiet boy. "We get the backroom,"
In truth Mai was not so sure about being alone with Ryou. He was sweet enough, but his Yami scared her. Mai had heard something… How Bakura had once stolen her friends souls. She desired to keep her soul a little longer. No matter how docile Yami claimed Bakura now was Mai had no reason to continue trusting him. She had never actually met Bakura, but she had a feeling she wouldn't want to.
They headed to the back room. The way back shelves were somewhat dusty but the ones closer to the door looked as though they had been used everyday.
"I'll start at the front, you at the back and we meet in the middle," Ryou suggested. Ma would rather have not, but she didn't argue.
She walked between she shelves of the storeroom. No one had been here in while common sense told her. Her footsteps echoed in the chamber. She could hear Ryou's as well.
"Grandpa!" she called softly. Then Ryou's footsteps stopped. Mai froze. It's okay, girl, she chided herself. He just stopped moving he'll start walking again in a minute. Mai, you're just scaring yourself, stop it. But the footsteps did not continue. Mai's palms began to get sticky against her sides. What if the same thing that had Yugi's grandpa had gotten Ryou? That would mean that it was in the storeroom right now, with Mai.
"Ryou! Ryou!" She whispered, being unable to make her voice get any louder. Common sense told her to get out of there. She figured it was time she listened to it. She turned to run back down the aisle.
And almost smacked into Ryou. She pressed a hand to her chest a heaved a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry. How did you get here so fast? I didn't even hear you coming!" Mai was relieved.
"I didn't mean for you to hear me," said Ryou softly. Mai's breath caught in her throat. It wasn't Ryou's voice. There was no soft British accent. It harsh and low with the type of accent Yami had. Egyptian…
"Bakura," Mai whispered.
"So we meet at last Mai Valentine. I know you quite well, though I don't believe you know me," His voice was strangely seductive, like purring.
"Yami Bakura. I believe I know more than you think I do," He nodded and took a few steps closer. So he could almost touch her.
"Watch Mai," He cupped his hands in a circle in front of him. A ring materialized from nowhere. Something in the back of Mai's mind asked, where have you heard about this before? "Mai, what's your favorite card? Ahh, the Harpylady, of course,"
Mai wondered what this had to do with anything.
"Ah!" She felt the breath jerked from her body. There was a quick sensation of flying, then nothing.