Chapter 7

Yugi had made it to the coast of the island. He stood near the edge of a cliff and looked out towards the horizon as he talked to Yami. "I can't see anyway out of this, we're all done for."

"No you're wrong." Yami told his upset friend. "We can beat this."

"We can't." Yugi cried as he remembered what had happened to Tristan and Marcus as well as everything that the robot had told them. "This isn't a duel or a shadow game, so there's no heart of the cards for us to rely on this time."

"Don't do this." Yami tried to coax Yugi away from the edge. "There will be another way out of this situation; we just have to stay strong together to find it."

Yugi turned so that he now faced Yami who was stood behind him. "But you said it yourself about how people turn against each other in times of confusion." He clenched his fists and screwed his eyes shut. "I'd rather die now so that I don't turn against my friends before they turn on me!" He turned back round and began to walk towards the very edge.

"No Yugi!" Yami cried as he lunged at him, pushing Yugi's spirit out so that he could take over. With Yugi having given up the will to take control he just ended up residing inside the millennium puzzle. "I'm sorry my friend, but I won't let you do this to yourself." Yami apologized. "You have so much more to live for."

Having gained control of Yugi's body, Yami attempted to back away from the edge but it was too late as Yugi's weight had already caused the earth to crumble. He felt his feet give way and began to slide over the edge. He hadn't fallen far when he felt himself stop as he had been gripped from behind and pulled back on to firmer ground. He landed on his behind and gaped at his rescuer.

"Oh my, that was a close one." Bakura sat panting after hurrying to help his friend. "It's a good job that I spotted you, but didn't you hear me call out to you?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't hear you." Yami apologized. "I was lost in my own thoughts."

"I know the feeling." Bakura sighed, only to be met with a suspicious stare from Yami. "Please don't look at me like that. Emma defeated the spirit, destroyed the millennium ring and has it hidden far away. And besides if I were still under his control I think that I would have pushed you over rather than pulled you back." In a more serious tone he said; "I'm not about to go on a killing spree, especially when my friends are involved."

"I didn't mean to offend you." Yami found himself apologizing again.

"It's okay." Bakura said as he got up on to his feet and extended his hand to help Yami. "Now, I think it would be a good idea to try and find more of the gang before nightfall."

Zene walked through the forest thinking to herself. Part of her wished that she never won the stupid competition that had caused her to become trapped in the situation that she was now in, and another part of her was glad in a very strange and unexplainable way. She knew that if it came down to it that she would be the one that would win and walk away with her freedom. Then why did she feel bad about the two that had already been eliminated? It wasn't like she had known them or could have done anything to prevent it from happening.

"Please help me!" came a cry for help from nearby.

Zene looked around and finally saw Tea up to her chest in what looked like quicksand. She hesitated for a moment as she didn't know this person and she could quite easily turn against her if she helped her. But then again she had been the one who had forever gone on about friendship and sticking together as they were all being released one by one, so surely she wouldn't pose a threat to herself. Zene didn't feel like taking a chance by rescuing her so was about to pass on by when she felt a surge of guilt build up. She sighed as she changed her mind and decided to help instead,

"Give me your hand." Zene said as she leaned across to help Tea, making sure that her feet were nowhere near the quicksand.

"I can't reach you." Tea cried as she tried her best to take hold of Zene's hand only to sink another couple of inches.

Zene grabbed hold of a nearby branch as she leaned in closer, her feet now sinking into the quicksand itself. "Just a little bit further." she said through gritted teeth as her fingertips touched Tea's.

Crack! The branch broke and Zene went falling into the quicksand. She was now up to her waist in the horrible muck and tried to move only to sink down even further.

"I'm sorry that I got you into this." Tea said to her would-be rescuer.

"I'm the one who was stupid enough to try and help." Zene said with a fake smile. "I knew I should have kept on walking by."

Tea was unable to tell if the strange girl was joking or in fact telling the truth. She then heard her name being called by a familiar voice.

"Tea!" Yami shouted at the top of his voice. "Tea where are you!"

"We know that you're around here somewhere!" Bakura's voice also called out.

"Yugi! Bakura! Over here, I'm trapped in quicksand!" Tea yelled as loud as she could almost deafening Zene in the process.

"Tea!" Yami exclaimed as he came in to view and saw the two of them in the quicksand. He began to try and lean out to help them.

"Yugi stand back, I have a rope." Bakura told him as he pulled a rope from his bag and threw it out to Tea and Zene. Together they all pulled and Tea and Zene were free from the quicksand in no time at all.

"Oh Yugi, I was so worried that I'd never see you again." Tea said as she threw her arms around Yami. She broke away and turned to Zene. "And thank you, erm?"

"Zene." she replied quietly.

"You risked your life to try and save a stranger." Tea held her arms open to embrace Zene who in return held her hands up.

"Please, don't touch me." Zene told her as she also stepped backwards away from Tea. "I'm not the friendly hugging type person."

Yami looked up to the sky that was a mixture of oranges and purples. "The sun's almost set. I suggest that we find somewhere to rest for the night."

Together the four of them set off to find shelter. Even though Zene would have preferred to be on her own, she was glad that she had found people who would be there to look out for her as she had just done for one of them.

Andrew hid behind a tree as he had the feeling that he was being followed. He was determined to lose the person as the sky was dark and very little light remained, but as the person came closer and closer to his hiding spot he decided that the only thing to do would be to confront them. And since his item had been a first aid kit and not a weapon he would have to fight them fist to fist, but at least he still had his dueldisk that he could also use.

Without warning Andrew leapt out at his follower and pinned them against the tree with his dueldisk pushed up against their throat. The person that had followed him was the Dungeon Dice Monster creator, Duke Devlin.

"Take it easy!" Duke said as best as he could with the dueldisk digging in to his throat and both hands held up at his sides as though in surrender.

"You've been following me, why?" Andrew asked releasing some of the pressure on Duke's throat so that he was able to answer.

"Before we set out we all agreed to stick together and as you can see nobody has stuck to the plan." Duke told Andrew what they both already knew. "So I'm trying to find as many of them as I can, and you happened to be the first person I've found."

"Haven't you ever thought that the others could be actually playing this game?" Andrew asked still with his dueldisk raised.

"They wouldn't." stated Duke as he knew them better than the psycho who had him pinned against the tree. "But you on the other hand, maybe."

Andrew lowered his dueldisk from Dukes throat and stepped back. "I'm sure I can find a way out of this without shedding blood, but if you annoy me before we find anybody else, then I can't promise how I'll react." He turned and walked away.

Rubbing his neck, Duke followed along, and the two of them set out in search of more people.