Hey, sorry it took me a little while to update. I just haven't been in a writing mood and I've been busy. Hopefully this chapter will not be as confusing as the last one. If it is, I'm so sorry...my computer is being stupid and it won't let me change anything or add those lines that I like to put between paragraphs. Did anybody see the last episode of Waking the Dragons? It mad me mad, I wanted some more 'confrontations'. Like I at least wanted Mai to tell Joey good-bye. Oh well, nothing I can do about it. Anyway on to the reviewers...
Tammiya- Don't worry, things will clear up...later
intricate simplicity- It's fine, I've been busy too. Oh and I can't say anything about Mai just yet...
Cymorial Avalon- Thanks for the quick fix. It wasn't Valon, the man in the cape was just messing with Mai's mind. If it helps I named his Claudius so know he has name. I want to give Bakura some more air time soon, I think I found a way for that to work, but I don't know yet. I just love Bakura! I think Joey does have a brain, he just doesn't use it all the time. Thanks so much, you are always helping me out!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. . . if I did then things would be different! Oh they would!
The wind howled around Yugi's ears. Tea looked at him confused.
"What do you think it is Yugi?" Tea asked. Her eyes were full of concern. Yugi just gave her a small glance.
"The evil has actually started." Yugi said. His tone was dull and lifeless. Tea turned to Tristan and he shrugged.
"You mean, this isn't the worst?" Serenity asked. Duke and Tristan moved closer to her. Yugi shook his head no. Weevil was impatiently tapping his foot on the other side. He had to beat Yugi, and he wanted to do it now.
"Guys, I'm worried about Joey." Serenity stated. Everyone nodded, they were worried too.
"Maybe Tristan should go look for him, and I can stay here with Serenity!" Duke suggested. Tristan immediately sweatdropped.
"Why don't you both go. Tea and I will watch Serenity for a while. Besides Yugi is right here, we'll be fine!" suggested Bakura. Tristan and Duke gave him an evil glance. Tea pushed them along.
"Good luck guys, and be careful." Tea warned. Tristan and Duke walked away sadly.
"I'm seriously lost!" Joey said. He kicked the ground, but it didn't help. His toe was now throbbing in pain. The city was darker and there were many alleys. Clouds began covering the sky. Joey had followed the sidewalk for some way. He could see the airport in the distance. He sighed.
'I've got to find her!' he thought. Joey was still blaming himself for what happened. She left because she didn't want to hurt him.
'I guess she doesn't think I can handle myself.' Joey analyzed. He didn't know where everything went wrong. He had watched her change from a loud insensitive women to a women who lived out her fears everyday. He taught her about friendship, and for what. Joey couldn't stand to be alone with his thoughts and memories. His feet automatically took him towards the airport.
"Listen, boss I did it!" the man exclaimed. His boss was sitting on a huge swivel chair, and the man couldn't see him.
"It did take you a while, I know that this girl wasn't that hard to capture Claudius." the boss laughed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think they would run off!" Claudius apologized. His voice was quivering and he became afraid.
''Exactly, you weren't thinking. You gave them too much information, and now you will go to the Shadow Realm! You will spend the remainder of your useless existence there!" the boss laughed. He snapped his fingers and the man fell to the ground. The boss stood up and kicked the man.
''Now I believe I have a date. Of course if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.'' the boss said. He was looking at his worker on the ground. He kicked him again, just because he could. He left the office which he was in. He was covered in a dark cape and could not be seen by normal people. Only certain people could see him in his real form. He walked towards the place where Mai's body laid.
Tristan and Duke had argued the whole time. They had been gone for several hours and they couldn't find anything. Tea had become worried, so Bakura ran off to look for them.
"I could be with Serenity if you didn't open your big mouth!" Duke yelled, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis. Tristan shook his head.
"Yeah right, why would she want to be with you?" Tristan argued back.
"Because I am better!" Duke replied simply. Tristan rubbed his temples. Duke laughed. He was confident he was winning this argument. Tristan just happened to look up and see somebody running down an alley.
"Hey buddy, wait up!" Tristan shouted. The man stopped running.
"Tristan, Duke?" he asked. The man was none other than Joey Wheeler.
"Joey! Man everyone was so worried about you! Why did you take off running like that? You really scared your sister!" Duke lectured. Joey just cupped his head in his hands. He didn't have time for this, peoples lives were at stake.
"Seriously guys, just shut up!" Joey yelled. Duke looked startled. Tristan also looked surprised at Joeys sudden outburst.
"Yugi needs you Joey! You've got to go back!" Tristan pleaded. Joey dropped his head down.
"You guys don't understand. Yug will do just fine wit out me, he's fought Weevil many times before, he doesn't need me. He knows that I'm always there with him, and I always will be, but I got other friends I have to worry about right now!" Joey explained. His tone became sad and yet angry at the same time. Duke nodded in agreement and Tristan stood there watching him.
"Well, who are you saving right now?" Tristan asked. Joey looked up at him.
"Well, first of all did you hear a scream?" Joey asked. Tristan and Duke nodded their heads yes. They did hear the scream and they were curious as to what it was.
''Well, I knew who screamed. It was Mai." Joey asked.
"How do you know it was her?" Duke asked.
"I just do." Joey replied. It sounded crazy, but Joey knew.
"Well listen, she doesn't want to be helped man. She's the one who left the group." Tristan told Joey.
"Are you saying that it was her fault?" yelled Joey. Tristan stepped back from him.
"No man, I'm just saying maybe she doesn't wanna be helped." Tristan answered. He knew there were a few things not to get Joey mad about. Talking badly about Mai was way up on that list.
"She does, I've gotta save her. I've gotta ta prove to her dat she's wrong!" Joey exclaimed. Duke was baffled.
"Wrong about what?" Duke asked. Joey became silent for a minute. Mai and Joey were the only ones who knew about her fate, none of his friends knew. Joey didn't want to tell them either.
"Nothing." Joey mumbled. Duke was going to ask him to speak up, but he heard someone running towards them.
"Tristan, Duke, Joey!" yelled the man running towards them. Tristan automatically knew from the voice that the man was Bakura.
"Bakura!" Joey shouted back. He waved his arms up and down. Bakura arrived at the group of men. He put his hands on his knees and bent down. He took a few sharp breaths and stood up again.
"Everyone was worried about you guys, so I said I would find you guys." Bakura explained.
"But what about Serenity and Tea?" Tristan asked. He was concerned for their well being.
"Their with Yugi, and their fine. Yugi was winning by the way. His lifepoints were at 1000 while Weevils were at 800. I'm sure he'll do just fine!" Bakura told the group. For the first time that day, Joey breathed a sigh of relief. Something splat against his hair. Rain was slowly falling from the sky.
"Oh great." Joey muttered. Bakura was all ready to go back, but Joey stopped him.
"It's this way!" Joey said as he was pointing down an alley. It was exceptionally dark, even though it was still daytime. Of course the clouds and rain didn't brighten it up either.
The boss moved quickly and quietly through the maze of the city. He knew exactly which turn to take and which shortcut to use. In a matter of minutes, he arrived at his destination. He knew that people were running towards him, but it made no difference to him. He walked out towards the body lying in the rain.
He placed his hand on her head and whispered in her ears.
"Time to get up." the boss silently commanded. Suddenly it felt like life was given back to her. The view of the alley was slowly coming into focus. Her purple eyes were finally gaining back all the color they had lost. She focused her eyes and watched the man standing over her.
"Glad you could join me Miss Valentine." he laughed. Mai couldn't make out any indefinite body shape. All she saw was a cape and shadows of a man.
"What do you want with me?" she asked. She was sick of being sent back to the Shadow Realm. The man could only laugh at her futile attempts to move. She was weak from before and she grew weaker by the second.
"Have you ever heard the saying 'What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.'?" the boss asked her. Mai didn't think this was the time for riddles.
"Sure." she answered blankly. He nodded his head.
"Well, remember when you had the orachalcos stone? You thought it would kill you, but it only made you more powerful." he reminded her.
"It didn't give me power, it only caused pain." Mai snapped. He didn't know anything about pain.
"Oh but it did give you power, just like you give me power. See Mai, your angry...but not only that, your miserable. Your sick and tired of being alone. You know about your fate but you don't want to go through with it. Since you won't kill him, I become stronger." he explained.
"That doesn't make sense!" Mai yelled. His story was outrageous.
"It makes perfect sense. I'm connected to the Shadow Realm through a certain kind of magic, I thrive off of your fear. If you kill Joey, I get his soul. If you don't kill him, I'll thrive off of your fear until you die. It's a win win situation...well for me." the boss explained.
"Your sick." Mai yelled. The boss just laughed, she was fun to torment.
"Oh, am I? Why don't you ask your friends what they think of me? Go on, their coming now...perhaps you are going crazy." he said.
Joey, Tristan and Duke arrived at the scene. Bakura was far behind, they had got a head start running. What they saw, was not what they expected.
Oh and if you haven't figured it out yet the main evil character is the boss man...he's nameless right now so I will refer to him as the boss. Anyway I'm working on a name so stay tuned. (I think this chapter is a cliffie...maybe) Anyway hoped you enjoyed it and review if you want, if you don't...I'll get over it.