Chapter 3: Wet and Wild
Téa shook her head in disbelief. "We have to do something!!!" She cried.
Bakura looked away, bowing his head slightly. The ring hanging around the boys' neck began to glow for a second. Yami Bakura looked up and started to laugh evilly at everyone's expression. Joey and Tristan yelled and started to pound on the doors in fear. Yami and Téa just stared at him.
"Well, well, don't tell me you are afraid of me, boys?" Yami Bakura chuckled. He glanced up and noticed Yami and Téa were staring at him. "It seems we are in a little predicament, aren't we, Pharaoh?
Yami approached him. "Don't act so smart, just help us!"
"What makes you think I will help you out?"
Yami stared emotionlessly at him. "If you help us…" He gripped the puzzle that was chained around his neck, tightly. "I will give you my Millennium Puzzle."
Téa gasped.
"Don't do it, man!" Joey cried.
Yami turned around sharply, his voice booming like thunder. "WE HAVE NO CHOICE!!!"
Joey looked at him startled, and put his head down.
Téa put a comforting hand on Joey's shoulder. "Yami…" She walked toward the two spirits. "Please! This is no time for fighting! This bus wont hold out much longer..."
Yami started to open his mouth to speak when he suddenly felt himself tipping backward. Everyone else noticed this too and grabbed on to the polls tightly.
"What's going on?" Joey asked.
"This bus is tipping!" Mai cried out.
"It's worse then that, Mai!" Téa stated. "Were rolling backward into the city streets!"
Everyone screamed.
"Some one, DO something!" Mai shrieked.
"I don't think anything can be done!" Joey said, hanging on tightly to the bus poll.
Yami Bakura grinned. "Looks like we have two options. Either we jump and possibly break every bone in our bodies, or let the bus come to a crashing halt, blowing us up!" He laughed. "Now which shall we choose?"
Yami glared angrily. "Neither…" He ran to the front of the bus and reached for one of the bus polls that had broken off in the crash. "I may not be able to reach the breaks with my foot, but I'm sure this poll will!" He looked up at Yami Bakura. "Well?"
Yami Bakura sighed. "I don't know why I am doing this…" He walked over to where Yami was and helped him hold the poll up.
"Ok, now gently slide it towards the brakes." Yami instructed.
Yami Bakura frowned. "I know! I know!"
After a few seconds they felt the poll hit one of the petals.
Téa looked out the window and gasped. "Yami! The town hall is just ahead!"
Yami looked up at Yami Bakura. "Well, this is going to be one huge gamble."
Yami Bakura remained silent.
"Ready?"
Yami Bakura sighed in frustration. "Just get this over with! I want that puzzle!"
Yami mumbled something under his breath and pushed the poll into the breaks. "I just hope they weren't damaged in that collusion back there. Push!" He ordered.
Yami Bakura obeyed despite a few curses leaving his lips.
Everyone sighed in relief when the bus started to slow down.
"You did it, Yami!" Téa cried happily.
"It's not slowing down fast enough, Yugi!" Joey cried.
"Oh my god…" Mai gasped.
"We have to make a turn!" Tristan cried out. A large cracking sound made him wince. Looking down, he saw a large crack forming in the floor. "Uh oh…"
The bus spilt in two, carrying Yami and Yami Bakura on one side and Joey, Tristan, Mai and Téa on the other.
"Ahhh!" Téa shouted, sliding off the side of the bus.
"Téa!!!" Yami cried.
Joey slid down, trying to grab her hand. "Hang on, I got you!" He stretched as far as he could, but the bus hit a speed bump. Joey went flying over Téa and right into Yami. "Ahhh!!!"
Yami grabbed Joey and tried to steady him. Joey turned around to see Téa hanging onto the edge of the bus and the others trying to help her up. The bus was starting to veer to the right.
"Yami, help!" Téa cried, her voice fading away, as the side she was on tipped and rolled backward out of sight.
"Téa …" Yami whispered softly.
All of a sudden a large explosion lit up the sky.
"Oh my god!" Joey gasped, as he saw nothing but blinding light everywhere he looked.
"No…" Yami said in disbelief.
Yami Bakura remained silent. Glancing out the window, his eyes suddenly opened wide as he pointed toward the front window. (Which was now smashed to pieces) "Now's not the time you emotional fools! Look! It's the ocean!"
Everyone yelled as what was left of the bus was thrown into the deep blue currents
***
The streets of Domino City bustled with activity. Outside a small café on the corner of Oak Street, a tall figure stood clutching a suede brown briefcase in his hand. His sun streaked brown hair flowed in the wind. Checking his watch, his icy blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "He's late…" He huffed, placing his hand in his pockets. "I'll wait five more minutes, then…" He was cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing. "What is it?" He asked. "What? When did this happen? I'll be right there!"
***
A crowd of people gathered around the bus floating half up in the fountain while the other half was submerged.
"Do you think they're alive?" A woman asked her husband.
"I don't know, dear…" The man said, hugging his wife close to him.
A little boy ran up to the debris. "Cool! This is better then a movie!"
"Justin! Get away from there!" A woman shouted from the crowd.
"Awww, mom, I was just looking at…" He stopped, when he heard coughing and splashing. "Mom!" He cried, running to his mother. A hand reached out, grabbing the side of the bus.
"Oh man, I thought we were goners…" Tristan stood up, trying to ring out his clothes.
Mai woke up with an aching head. "Oh … my … HAIR!" She shrieked. She pulled a few strands to the front of her face and pouted. "It's soaked … ruined …" She darted her head upward at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Let me through!" The husky voice demanded. After the crowd parted, Seto Kaiba ran up to Mai and Tristan. "What the HELL happened?" He asked frantically.
"Yugi…"
Everyone turned around, hearing a faint voice coming from behind him or her.
"Téa!" Tristan shouted.
Téa sat up slowly. "Yugi … where's Yugi?" She asked in a panicked tone.
Tristan and Mai exchanged looks. Mai walked over to Téa, helping her sit up.
"We don't know honey … Yugi, Bakura … and Joey … weren't with us."
Téa's eyes widened. "What?" She stood up fast but the dizziness over took her and she grabbed Mai's arm for support.
"Now relax, I'm sure they're ok." Mai tried to reassure her.
Téa glanced over at Kaiba. "What are you doing here?"
"Well seeing as you crashed right next time my mansion, I had a right to see if any damage was done! I had no idea you guys were on there though…"
Tristan smirked. "I guess it's your lucky day, huh?"
Kaiba sneered. "Don't try my patience!"
Téa held a hand out toward Kaiba. "This is no time to be fighting. We have to find Yugi and the others!"
Kaiba nodded reluctantly. "My helicopter can get us to them, even though saving a dog and a shrimp is not worth my effort."
Téa glared daggers at him, but it only caused Kaiba to laugh.
"I'm only helping because I owed Yugi! I'm not your friend, so don't even think it!"
Téa looked away. "The thought never crossed my mind, Kaiba!" The police had just arrived and started to take care of the damage. Téa overheard one of them saying that a similar accident was seen at the oceanfront. "We have to go to the docks!" Kaiba gripped at the controls and mumbled something incoherently. Téa looked out the window, her heart beating fast. "Hang in there guys … please…"
***
Bakura's eyes opened slowly. He was back to his normal self again. He forced himself to sit up, his arm was cut, but he was more upset that his friends were nowhere to be seen. "Yugi! Joey! Where are you?" He stood up, shaking some seaweed out of his white mane of hair. "Oh dear, that can't be good…" He looked out into the ocean, seeing the bus sinking from view, slowly. "JOEY!!! YUGI!!!" He cried out. "They couldn't have been on the bus … the impact was too strong…" He looked over toward the debris scattered all over the beach. He saw a slight movement from underneath one of the scraps, but thought it was just his imagination. He slowly walked over to the pile. "Yugi?" He asked, bending down and lifting the scraps off of a prone figure. He dropped the scraps in horror. "Oh my…" He gasped. Yugi was lying there unconscious and his head was cut, blood was trickling down his face and into his eyes and mouth. Bakura felt his pulse. It was beating, but very slowly. "Yugi?" He asked softly, nudging the boy gently. Yugi's eyes opened and then closed again, his face scrunched up in pain. "It's ok, Yugi, just relax."
"B … Bakur … ra…?" He asked; his vision slightly blurred.
"Yes, it's me." He noticed that Yugi's puzzle was missing. "Yugi? Where's your Millennium Puzzle?"
Yugi bolted up ignoring the pain. "It's gone?" He asked, lifting the broken chain up. He stood up, and started to head off toward the wreck. "But … where's Joey?"
Bakura shrugged. "I don't know … he hasn't shown up yet."
Yugi looked out into the ocean. He saw a faint image in the water and then he blinked, noticing the image form a figure. Trying to clear his thoughts, he focused on nothing but the figure floating helplessly near the bus. He saw a face pop up and sink back down. "JOEY!" He cried out, jumping into the water.
"Yugi!" Bakura yelled, reaching for the smaller teen.
Yugi swam over to Joey, lifting his head out of the water. "Joey?"
Joey's head lolled to the side limply, but he was breathing. Yugi started to lift him up, when he felt something sharp jab into his side. He reached down and felt a hard metal clutched in Joeys' hands. "My puzzle…" He tried to pull it out of Joey's grip, but he couldn't.
"Yugi, is Joey ok?" Bakura asked from the shore.
Yugi nodded. "I think so, but we need to pump the water out of him. Give me a hand here!"
Bakura nodded and dived in the water, helping Yugi get Joey out. Once everyone was on the shore, Bakura laid Joey down on the soft sands.
Yugi leaned over him and checked his pulse. "It's very faint…" He murmured. He leaned in close to Joey's face and put a hand over his lips and his nose. "Faint breathing too…" He bowed his head, wiping tears away with the sleeve of his jacket.
Bakura placed his hand gently on Yugi's shoulder. "He'll be ok, Yugi."
A coughing sound came from below them.
Yugi's eyes widened and he smiled brightly. "JOEY!"
***
Téa hopped out of the helicopter, followed by Mai and Tristan. "Yugi!" Téa cried out, cupping her hands to her mouth.
"No one's … here …" Mai said sadly. Images of Joeys' face kept playing through her mind. She shook her head. "Stupid Joseph … you'd better be ok…" She whispered.
Téa started to grow anxious. Could they have drowned? She tightened her fists. No, I refuse to believe that! Suddenly she heard a faint sound coming from behind a large area of rocks. "There someone on the other side of the beach!" She cried with joy.
Everyone started to run toward the voices.
"I can't pry his fingers loose… " Yugi said, sighing.
Bakura nodded. "He must have been really determined to save your puzzle."
Yugi looked down at his best friend, unconscious on the sandy beach. "Joey…" He said sadly.
"YUGI!!!"
Yugi glanced up, and saw Téa running toward him and he noticed she wasn't stopping.
"Té…" He barely managed to say her name, as Téa ran into his tiny arms and squeezed him almost to death.
"Oh, Yugi! I was so worried!" She cried out.
Yugi slowly he put his arms around her. "I was worried about you too." He said gently, smiling. He felt Téa's weight drop against him and he pulled her back. Her eyes were closed and she was limp. "Téa?" He asked in a panic.
"It's ok … she just fainted." Mai explained.
"Yeah, she was hurt pretty badly, took a nasty bump to the head. She was so worried about you that she pushed all her pain aside to find you guys." Tristan said, pointing to the side of his head in explanation.
"The poor dear is exhausted." Mai added.
Yugi looked down at Téa s' peaceful face and noticed the large bruise on her forehead. "Téa…" He said softly, running his fingertips gently over the bruise.
Mai bent down and touched Joey's cheek. His eyes flinched slightly. "Thank goodness…" She whispered, smiling sadly at Joey.
A low groan emitted from his throat and he blinked. He sat up and stared at the group of smiling and relived faces. "What happened?" He asked.
Everyone jumped him. "Joey!" They cried out in unison.
"Uh, sorry I worried you guys."
Yugi laughed. "It's ok, we're just so happy you're alive!"
Joey blushed and rubbed his head. "No mushy stuff guys…"
Mai giggled and hugged him really tightly. His face turned bright red.
Everyone started to laugh,
"Well, we might as well head over to your house now Yugi. Everyone needs to rest." Bakura mentioned, looking down at Téa.
Yugi nodded and just as he stood up, Joey thrust the puzzle at him. "Hey, take it back now, man! When I saw the chain snap, I knew I had to get that puzzle back for you! Now you're going to where it, got it?"
Yugi handed Téa over to Bakura and held the puzzle tightly in his hands. "Thanks Joey…"
Joey winked.
"We'll get you a new chain when we get home." Tristan said softy.
Yugi nodded. "Right! Well, let's go!"
Everyone nodded and headed towards Kaiba's helicopter. Kaiba saw everyone was safe and sound and allowed a tiny smile just for himself. "That kid is amazing…" He remarked silently, watching Yugi starring down at his puzzle and smiling.
To be continued…
