6. Past and Future
A sort of collective gasp of surprise went up around the room, then evolved into applause as Maximillion Pegasus walked out onto the stage. Yugi sat bolt upright in his seat and shot a glance at the next table over, where Kaiba had gotten to his feet, his face set in anger. "That snake, I thought he retired from tournaments!" Yugi heard Kaiba fume, but Mokuba quietly urged him back into his seat.
Pegasus strode out onto the stage, a wide smile on his face. He was a striking figure, well over six-feet tall with long silver hair that made him look older than his thirty-one years. It draped dramatically over the left side of his face, hiding his missing left eye from view. His gold-colored right eye twinkled as if in perpetual amusement, but Yugi knew from past experience it could switch to a menacing glare in an instant. As was often the case, he wore a brightly colored suit with a ruffled shirt that would have been more in fashion in the 70s than today. Pegasus loved to play the fop, an affectation he used in much the same way Rebecca used her little child act, to throw people off guard and make them underestimate his shrewd intellect. For all his eccentric mannerisms and childlike glee, Yugi knew Maximillion Pegasus was one of the most cunning and manipulative men alive. The Willy Wonka of the gaming world.
Yugi exchanged fleeting looks with his companions at his own table. Téa's eyebrows were raised while both Tristan's and Joey's brows were furrowed suspiciously. Duke's expression was more happily surprised as he had only had positive dealings with Pegasus. Serenity alone had no reaction beyond polite applause as she had never met the creator of Duel Monsters.
"Greetings Duel Monster champions," Pegasus oozed in his characteristic singsong voice. "and welcome to Industrial Illusions' Duel at Sea. You have all been hand chosen by yours truly to compete in this World Championship. Only the best of the best, the most gifted duelists are here. It's destined to be a tournament to remember."
Yugi's eyes narrowed as Pegasus emphasized the word destined while looking first right at him, then at Kaiba. What on earth was he up to?
As if he could read Yugi's mind—an unsettling thought because when Yugi had first met him and he'd possessed the Millennium Eye he could read minds—Pegasus smiled and said, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I am personally hosting a tournament again after, oh what has it been now, nearly five years since I retired from tournament dueling? Well, as they say, you can take the man out of the game, but you can't take the game out of the man." Again Yugi was unsettled when Pegasus looked directly at him again. "What can I say? I miss all the fun and excitement!
"Now let's get to the part you're all waiting for: the tournament format and rules. We'll be playing Single Elimination format with seven rounds of play. Lose a duel, and you're out of the tournament while the winner advances to the next round. Duel at Sea will be a little more regimented than Duelist Kingdom or Battle City. I'm sure you all noticed that you have different color badges. The eight different badge colors correspond with the eight different divisions: Black, White, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet. Each division has sixteen duelists who have been seeded according to ability and assigned opponents accordingly. Tomorrow morning at breakfast you will receive the schedule showing each of you when and against whom you will be dueling.
"For the first two days of competition, each division will have separate dueling areas somewhere on the ship. Dueling locations for each division will also be available tomorrow morning at breakfast. The first day will be Round One, eight duels per division with all divisions dueling simultaneously. The second day will be Round Two in the morning and Division Semifinals in the afternoon. Just to make things interesting, during the first two days, duelists are only permitted to watch duels in their assigned division. Guests, however, may attend any duel they wish.
"On Tuesday we'll dock in Ketchikan, Alaska and you will all have the day off to take shore excursions. Wednesday will be the Division Finals. At this point, all duels will take place in the main dueling area on the Sun Deck and the lucky—or should I say skilled—finalists will finally get a chance to scope out their competition in other divisions.
"Thursday and Friday will also be days off for shore excursions and taking in the beautiful scenery of the Alaskan Glaciers… not to mention time for the Division Winners to prepare for the Finals.
"Next Saturday will be Round One of the Finals. Another day off next Sunday, and then a week from Monday will be the Semi-Finals in the morning and the World Championship Duel in the afternoon.
"By the time we dock back in San Francisco ten days from now, we will have a newly crowned Duel Monsters World Champion!"
Pegasus paused here and the crowd cheered. When the noise died down, he peered at the crowd, a gleeful look in his eye. "Oh but wait, there's more. Much more." Again, a pointed glance toward Yugi's and Kaiba's tables. "As CEO of Industrial Illusions and the creator of Duel Monsters, I like to think that Duel Monsters duelists aren't just competitors, we're family. Oh sure, we have our rivalries and our bickering and backstabbing and the whole wanting to brutally destroy our opposition thing going, but then, what family doesn't?"
Yugi glanced at Joey who raised his eyebrows dubiously.
"In that family spirit, I want to create a little Duel Monsters family of my own, if you will; a select group of the best duelists in the world. At the end of the first round of finals, there will be four duelists left. These four duelists, the cream of the crop, will all be invited to be the first ever Industrial Illusions Professional Dueling Team, and will travel around the world representing Industrial Illusions and promoting Duel Monsters. If you are one of Chosen Four—"
Once more, Pegasus's gaze fell on Yugi's and Kaiba's tables.
"—you will be invited to live in a luxury penthouse apartment in San Francisco, rent-free. You will have access to all of the newest and rarest cards and the most advanced in dueling technology that Industrial Illusions, in cooperation with Kaiba Corp and Schroeder Industries, has to offer."
Yugi looked over at Kaiba at the mention of Kaiba Corp. Whatever cooperative venture Pegasus had planned was clearly news to Kaiba.
"As Industrial Illusions duelists, you will tour various gaming conventions and tournaments to promote Duel Monsters. All tournament entry fees and travel to tournaments for Industrial Illusion Duelists will be paid for by Industrial Illusions," Pegasus continued, "while prizes awarded will go to the individual competitors. We are also offering very attractive benefits, including a generous medical and dental plan, access to company cars and limousines, and many more goodies. All the glorious details will also be in the information packets you'll receive at breakfast tomorrow." He smiled, and Yugi was once again reminded of Willy Wonka. They had their Golden Tickets and now they were being tested to see who was worthy to work for the Chocolate Factory. But why?
"But enough about that. This is a party! Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we DUEL!"
This prompted thunderous applause from the crowd, bringing most of them to their feet. Yugi and his table, with the exception of Duke, stayed seated, as did Kaiba, Mokuba, and Rebecca at the next table. On stage, Pegasus made a theatrical bow and disappeared behind the curtains.
Mai watched from the back of the ballroom as Pegasus disappeared behind the curtain. What are you up to, Pegasus?
It was odd enough that that fruitcake would suddenly come out of retirement, but that he would invite her to this tournament where the top four competitors—one of which she was sure she would be—were to be offered positions as professional duelists for Industrial Illusions? It smacked of some sort of scheme. Why would he want her working for him after what she did to him the last time they met…?
But that only brought her back full circle. To Joey.
I need to get out of here, she thought, and turned quickly, only to walk right into someone.
"Hey Miss Valentine, where are you going? The party's not over yet."
She stepped back to find herself face to face with Evan Haines, the purser. I am so not in the mood for this, she thought, but screwing on her best smile, said brightly, "Oh, hi, Evan."
"You promised to let me buy you a drink."
"Oh, that's just so sweet, but I really can't right now—"
He frowned, obviously seeing through the Happy Act. "What's wrong?"
Oh yeah, I'm so going to pour my heart out to Gopher. "Oh, it's just…" she looked over her shoulder back at the stage. "It's Pegasus. I didn't know he was the tournament host," she told him, facing him once more. "We sort of have… past history." She let him draw his own conclusions.
He nodded. "Listen, let me get you that drink somewhere else. There's a private lounge for the crew. If we went there, you'd be sure not to run into him."
Wrong him, but that would workShe smiled with genuine relief. "Evan, that's a fabulous idea. Thank you."
She followed him out of the ballroom and through a door marked CREW ONLY and down a hallway to a narrow flight of stairs. He made small talk as they walked down two levels to the Lido Deck, but as it required little more from her than an occasional nod and smile, she couldn't keep her mind on the conversation. Instead, she kept drifting back to the ballroom and to her encounter with Joey.
She'd really thought it had been going well, too, Tristan Taylor's severity notwithstanding. She'd actually been expecting much worse. But what she hadn't expected was for Yugi Mutou of all people to be so harsh.
Mai wasn't the only person who was irresponsible with the Seal of Orichalcos
The words kept ringing in her ears, along with the uncharacteristic bitterness in his voice. No, she hadn't been the only person who had been irresponsible with the Seal of Orichalcos. She'd taken out Pegasus and Joey, but they hadn't been the only casualties. Rex and Weevil, though those two idiots had only themselves to blame. Alistair. Valon… though he was partially her fault, too. But before any of them had been victims of the Orichalcos, Yugi had been. And the person responsible for that was his own alter ego, the Pharaoh.
Whose Puzzle Yugi no longer wore around his neck.
No, the Millennium Puzzle is gone for good. Just like that. So matter-of-fact. Someone they'd considered their friend, certainly a better friend than she'd ever been to any of them, but one screw-up and he was gone, just like that. Nothing he did after that—and Mai knew enough to know he'd been at least partially responsible for defeating Dartz and setting all of them free—could make up for the fact that in playing the Seal of Orichalcos and losing the soul of a friend he'd done the unthinkable. The unforgivable.
That realization had hit her harder than she'd thought possible. She'd told herself that she wasn't expecting forgiveness, that her job was to apologize to Joey without expectation, without asking anything of him. But in that moment of knowing that there was no possible way he could ever forgive her, that they could ever be friends again, she'd felt absolutely crushed.
Who am I kidding? she thought bitterly. She could tell herself all the pretty stories she wished about her noble motives for coming here to apologize to him in person, but the truth was, she came here for one reason: she wanted to be with him. More than she cared to admit. At what point had she allowed a punk kid from Japan to be so integral to her life? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Uh, hello… Mai?"
"Huh?" she asked, shaking her head and looking at Evan.
"That is your name, right? I was thinking since you've agreed to join the crew for the evening I could dispense with the passenger courtesies and call you 'Mai' instead of 'Miss Valentine'?"
She grinned wanly. "Oh, yes, of course. Sorry. I'm afraid I'm not going to be very good company tonight."
"That's okay." He frowned again. "That guy really did a number on you, huh?"
She closed her eyes and sighed. "Actually, I'm the one who did a number on him and I guess he's not exactly the forgiving type. I'm not really thrilled about being stuck on a cruise ship with him for ten days."
Of course, he thought she meant Pegasus. And ironically, that answer worked for him just as well, but with much less emotion attached.
What a fabulous cruise this was going to be.
As soon as Pegasus left the stage, Yugi saw Kaiba jump to his feet and move swiftly toward the stage, his face set in determination. Mokuba was two steps behind him, leaving a confused Rebecca alone at their table.
The applause started to die down and the band started up again. Some of their fellow duelists got up to dance, while others left the ballroom immediately, as if Pegasus's mere presence made the tournament that much more daunting. Joey turned to Yugi. "Maybe Kaiba has the right idea. I don't trust that guy as far as I could throw him. Think we should go talk to him?"
Yugi considered this then shook his head. "Pegasus isn't going to tell us anything about what he's up to until he's good and ready."
Duke made a face. "C'mon, what's it gonna take for you guys to trust the guy? He helped me get started with Dungeon Dice Monsters, he helped you guys during that whole Orichalcos thing."
Rebecca joined them, pulling up a chair and squeezing between Yugi and Duke. "So what was that all about? Why did Seto and Mokuba run off?"
Joey stared at her. "Seto? Since when are you on a first-name basis with Kaiba?"
She shrugged. "It's what Mokuba calls him."
"Back to the topic of Pegasus…" Téa prompted.
"Yeah, what's the deal with that guy?" Serenity asked. "He seems kind of strange."
"Don't let him fool you. He's a wacko, but he's a cunning, devious wacko," Tristan answered.
To this, Serenity merely gave him a cold look and moved her chair away from him and towards Duke.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, you're not still mad!" Tristan complained.
She gave him a look that would have made it seem chilly in Death Valley in July. "I told you already, I have nothing to say to you after the way you treated Mai."
Yugi glanced at Joey, anxious for his friend now that the subject had been brought back to Mai. Joey was busy studying the water mark his soda glass had left on the table.
Tristan, defensive, did not notice Joey's discomfort and launched into a tirade. "You have no idea what she did, Serenity. There's a reason I don't trust her."
Joey now looked up and glared at Tristan. "Leave it alone," he warned, the threat in his voice unmistakable.
"I will not leave it alone," Tristan shot back. "You lost your soul because of her—yeah, you heard me," he added to Serenity when she gasped at this. "She joined those Orichalcos creeps and your brother lost his soul because of her. So yeah, I don't trust her."
"Joey?" Serenity asked. "That's not true, is it?" She looked around the table for someone to deny it, but everyone had suddenly become very interested in their own soda glasses and water marks on the table. Yugi alone did not avert his eyes from the three of them, but neither did he say anything.
"Joey?" Serenity prompted again.
Joey glared daggers at Tristan before looking at his sister. "Yeah, it's true," he said at last, but then hastily added, "but it's ancient history. She screwed up and she regretted it."
"Oh yeah, she regretted it so much she ran off the second everyone got their souls back," Tristan argued.
"What, none of us ever screwed up? You and I weren't exactly nice guys when we were younger. Where would we be if Yugi hadn't forgiven us for bullying him? We'd still be stupid punks picking on people smaller than us, that's where," Joey retorted. "Look, you weren't even there, okay? You didn't see how it ended. She tried to stop the duel but it was too late."
"And she lost her own soul trying to get to Dartz," Yugi added, joining the conversation at last. Joey shot him a grateful look. "And don't forget that I played that card, too."
Téa looked up at this remark, but Tristan shook his head. "That wasn't you."
"Okay, not really," Yugi conceded, "but I remember doing it. I remember making the decision and I remember what happened to…" here he faltered because he remembered being the victim of the Orichalcos just as much as he remembered being the perpetrator. He tried again, from his own point of view instead of the Pharaoh's. "It doesn't matter anyway. You forgave Atem. Before he forgave himself, in fact. Why should Mai be any different?"
"Because Atem was our friend and he tried to make things right," Tristan replied.
"Mai is my friend," Joey countered, "and she tried to make things right, too. Tristan, I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate that. But this is between me and her so please just let it go." He crumpled a cocktail napkin and pushed back his chair from the table. "I'm gonna go find her."
"Joey…" Serenity started, but seemed unable to say anything more.
"I'm sorry I never told you about everything that happened in California, Serenity. I'm sure Téa or someone will tell you the whole story, but I really just want to talk to her right now, okay?"
She nodded, but Tristan said "What about Pegasus? Don't you think that's a little more important right now?"
Joey shook his head. "I don't give a damn about Pegasus right now. Whatever he's up to, we'll figure it out." He rose and left the table, scanning the crowded ballroom as he went.
The rest of them sat in awkward silence a moment. Tristan looked hopefully at Serenity, but it was clear even knowing what Mai had done to earn his resentment, she wasn't ready to talk to him yet.
"Fine," he said sullenly, pushing back his own chair, "I can take a hint."
"Tristan—" Téa started, but at that moment, Kaiba reappeared from behind the curtain, his face stormy and Mokuba still on his heels.
"Kaiba!" Yugi called, waving him over. To his surprise, Kaiba not only complied, he sat down next to Téa in the chair Joey had just vacated. Mokuba perched himself on the arm of Rebecca's chair and Tristan returned to his own seat.
"Did you get to talk to Pegasus?" Yugi asked Kaiba.
Kaiba snorted. "For all the good it did. Apparently he's under the impression that the licenses Kaiba Corp holds to use Duel Monsters images in our Duel Disks and other enterprises give him the power to decide how and when we will become involved in joint ventures."
"The licenses are revocable, Seto," Mokuba pointed out. Kaiba merely glowered in reply.
"But what's he up to?" Tristan asked. "Why did he come out of retirement to host a tournament?"
Kaiba shrugged. "Who knows what's in that slimy little mind of his. He's definitely up to something."
"The question is, good or bad?" Yugi stated.
"So what," Duke interjected looking at Yugi, "your little speeches about forgiveness don't apply to Pegasus? I'm telling you, he's a decent guy."
"He's a snake," Kaiba retorted.
Serenity suddenly pounded the table in frustration. "Okay, I am so sick of being the only one who doesn't know what's going on! Would someone please tell me what the deal is with this Pegasus guy? Not you," she shot at Tristan when he started to open his mouth.
Yugi gave her a quick summary of their dealings with Pegasus, from their first "meeting" in a Shadow Game conducted via videotape that ended in Pegasus locking Yugi's grandfather's soul in the Shadow Realm, to the Duelist Kingdom tournament and the similar capturing of Mokuba's and then Kaiba's souls, and finally their much different encounter with him during the Orichalcos crisis where he was instrumental in their defeat of Dartz and his Great Leviathan. "He's difficult to read," Yugi finished. "I think what he did in Duelist Kingdom was influenced by something evil in the Millennium Eye—" Kaiba snorted at this "—but I don't entirely trust him, either."
"Why not? You just talked about forgiveness—" Duke reminded him again.
"Forgiveness and trust are two different things," Yugi interrupted. "I don't hold a grudge for what he did to Grandpa, but that doesn't mean I trust him. He always has his own agenda, even when he's helping us."
"Oh, he has an agenda all right," Kaiba insisted. "We just need to figure out what it is."
"We?" Téa asked in surprise. "Since when do you consider us—" she made a circular motion to indicate the others around the table with her "—part of we?"
Kaiba gave her a withering look. "I'm not stupid, Téa. It's no accident that the first tournament since Battle City where both Yugi and I are competing happens to be the one he's hosting. He wanted us both here and I want to know why."
"Me too," Yugi agreed. "He didn't give you any idea why he invited us when you were talking to him?"
"The only thing he would talk about was what he expected from Kaiba Corp in regards to this 'top four professional duelist' nonsense he's arranged as some sort of prize. Like I'd ever duel for anyone but myself," Kaiba sniffed.
"What makes you so sure you'll even be in the top four?" Tristan asked, and Yugi couldn't help but smile because he knew it was exactly what Joey would've said if he'd been there and Tristan was saying it on his behalf.
"Please," Kaiba replied contemptuously.
"It is a strange prize," Yugi agreed, sidestepping the discussion of who would and would not make the top four. "Why would Pegasus want four duelists working for him?"
"Control," Kaiba replied.
"But of what?" Mokuba joined in. "And don't say Kaiba Corp," he added when Kaiba was about to respond. "He already has a good chunk of control because of the Duel Monsters licensing and you know it, Seto. Most of what we do, from Duel Disks to Kaiba Land, depends on use of Duel Monsters and their likenesses."
"He can't change the terms of the licenses we hold," Kaiba snapped, pounding the table for emphasis. "Kaiba Land and Duel Disk holographs are a done deal."
"But he can choose to not license future cards, and if we can't make holograms of new monsters, spells, and traps, then Duel Disks will be completely obsolete and Kaiba Land will stagnate."
Apparently Mokuba had a point because Kaiba merely narrowed his eyes at his younger brother but didn't reply.
"There's something more going on here than business," Yugi said. "He's got something in mind for the top four finalists that involves more than just publicity for Industrial Illusions."
"You guys are some of the most paranoid dudes I've ever met," Duke scoffed, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded. "I'm telling you, Pegasus is on the level. I've been working with him for five years now and have never run across anything shady."
Kaiba laughed mirthlessly. "That's really sweet. Meanwhile, back in the real world, we need to figure out what he's plotting. Because there's always a plot. Several, probably. Plots within plots."
"You would know all about that, wouldn't you," Duke shot back.
"Hey, my brother is an honest businessman!" Mokuba shouted over Rebecca's head.
"Enough!" Yugi demanded, instinctively switching to Pharaoh mode. "There is no point in name-calling amongst ourselves and there is no point in arguing back and forth about whether Pegasus is or is not trustworthy. Whatever reason he had for hosting this tournament and inviting us to be a part of it he will make clear in his own time. In the meantime, we need to be cautious."
"Well I'm not going to sit back and wait for Pegasus to deign to fill me in. I'm going to do a little research on my own." He rose and nodded at his brother. "Come on, Mokuba, let's see what kind of dirt we can dig up. We can start with that labor dispute we just had. Suddenly I'm seeing Pegasus's sticky little fingerprints all over it."
"Ooh, sounds like some hacking is in order," Rebecca said, rubbing her hands together. "Can I help?"
"I don't need the help of little girls," Kaiba scoffed.
Rebecca crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare. "Need I remind you of who got past your pathetic security three years ago?"
Mokuba laughed. "She's right, Seto. She's really good. She should help."
Kaiba glowered at them both, but nodded. "Fine." Without bothering to say good-bye to anyone at the table, he turned on his heel and stalked away.
"We'll see you later," Mokuba said, and he and Rebecca followed him out.
"Nice manners, Rich Boy," Tristan grumbled after they'd gone. "At least his kid brother is a decent guy."
"Oh, forget Kaiba," Téa said, "and forget Pegasus, too. It's still our first night on the ship. I'd like to have some fun."
"Me too," Serenity agreed, jumping up from her seat. She grabbed Duke's arm, her back rather pointedly toward Tristan. "Come on, Duke, let's dance."
"You got it, Ren," he said, then leaned over to Tristan as he got up. "That'll teach you to open your big mouth," he winked.
"Listen, you—" Tristan started, but Serenity had already dragged Duke away from the table."
"Oh, don't worry about her," Téa told him. "She'll torture you for a few hours and then she'll be fine."
"Yeah, great," Tristan grumbled, rising himself. "I'm not much in the party mood anyway. I think I'll go check out the rest of the ship."
"Tristan!" Téa called out after him as he left, but Yugi put his hand on her shoulder.
"Just leave him alone. It'll all work itself out once Joey gets a chance to talk to Mai."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned back toward him and Yugi was instantly became very aware that they were the only two left at the table.
"So…" he started, his tongue feeling rather large and awkward all of a sudden.
"So," she said, looking as uneasy as he felt.
This is stupid, she's my oldest friend, he chided himself. The room was noisy and felt very warm. "Wanna take a walk?" he asked. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."
She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."
They left the ballroom and found a quiet deck outside. Although May, it was chilly out on the sea and it would only get colder as they sailed north towards Alaska. He noticed Téa shivering in her sleeveless dress and took off his tuxedo jacket and put it over her shoulders.
"Thanks," she said.
"Would you rather go someplace inside where it's warm?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. I like it out here. I love the sound of the ocean at night."
He nodded and they walked together, shoulder to shoulder. She stopped at the rail and looked out over the ocean.
"It's been way too long," he said as he joined her at the rail, resting both hands on it. He was cold in just his shirtsleeves, but it didn't seem to matter when he stood close to her. "I really missed talking with you the last few months."
"Me too," she said, looking at him. "I really missed you."
"Yeah, I missed you a lot. I mean, I missed everyone," he added hastily when he felt himself go red yet again.
"Yeah, I missed everyone too," she replied, her expression unreadable. Then she took a deep breath of salty air. "So I couldn't help but notice what you said to Tristan about the whole Orichalcos thing. That you played the card," she added for clarification.
"Yeah," he replied, not sure what else to say.
"Is that how you see yourself? As… both of you?"
He exhaled slowly. "I'm not really sure. I don't think I understand it any better than I did two years ago, but I'm used to it now. Does that make any sense?" When she nodded, he continued. "I studied a lot about the Ba and the Ka when I was in Egypt, but like any kind of spiritual beliefs, there are a lot of differing views. It could be that we come from the same Ba like you said, but then I wonder what that means for Bakura, and even Marik."
Téa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Bakura is just like me, isn't he? He has a past self, so they must come from the same Ba too. Some describe the Ba as the personality, so do we share the same personality with our spirits? Only… the Thief Bakura was evil and our Bakura isn't. How can they be so different if Atem and I are the same?"
"We all make choices, Yugi. You and Atem didn't always make the same choices, but that doesn't mean you don't come from the same place and that you can't do the things he did."
"And Marik?"
"That was totally different," Téa asserted. "His Yami sidewasn't a past life, it came from the abuse he suffered from his father. That's a choice, too, you know, how we deal with what happens to us."
"So have we been kidding ourselves saying Marik's Yami is somehow different from his good side? Does the evil really come from him?"
She looked thoughtful. "I think we all have the potential to be good or evil, don't you? Maybe the whole Ba/Ka thing is just a way to separate what's innate in us from the choices we make. You have all the same basic ingredients as Atem, Yugi. All the things you admire about him and think aren't you, they are when you choose them to be. Isn't that what he learned fighting you in that canyon in the desert, after he'd played that Seal of Orichalcos card and you lost your soul? He thought he was the Dark Yugi and you were the Light, but in that battle it was reversed because the dark and light are just choices we make and you taught him how to choose the light just like he taught you how to be assertive. But the capacity for all of that was in you both all along."
He considered her words. "I don't know. I'm adjusting to the way things are, but it's still hard to wrap my mind around. Sometimes it feels like I'm just a kid playing make-believe or I'm an actor in a play or something. 'Tonight the part of the Pharaoh will be played by Yugi Mutou… for lack of a better player.'"
"Yugi!" Téa chided him.
"Well, it feels like that, like I'm trying to measure up to something I'm not quite capable of. Don't get me wrong, I like that I get to keep a piece of him with me in our shared memories, but this way it's hard knowing sometimes where I end and he begins."
"Does there have to be a line? Don't you think it's all you? I certainly don't think you're just play-acting, Yugi. It comes from inside you."
"I don't know," he shrugged. "With him, I'm so different now than I used to be."
"Yes," she agreed, "you are different now than you were before all of this happened, but we're all different because of the experiences we've had and we're different just from growing up. I don't think that means you weren't already a whole person before he ever came. It just means you've grown and changed, same as the rest of us. I… I can see both sides of you at different times now, but you're still you."
"Is that a good thing?" he asked before he'd even realized the words had come out of his mouth.
"It is to me," she said, slipping her hand over his on the rail and looking into his eyes with a sigh. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, Yugi. You think you need to measure up to him, but all I see is someone who has always been a hero."
He felt a sort of dizzying spark flow like an electric current over him at that. He wanted to tell her what she meant to him, how being with her made him feel, but the very thought was terrifying. Her life was so different now than it was two years ago when she'd told him she liked him and even as well as he knew her, he'd never been good at reading how she felt about him. She'd always been his cheerleader and what she was saying now could easily be nothing more than that, support for a friend, though he wanted so much to believe it meant something more. He wanted to know, to find out if there was any chance that there could be something more than friendship between them, but he didn't know where to begin. Casting about for anything to say that would help him get some indication of where she was, his mind locked onto his new plans for grad school. Her reaction to the possibility of him moving to New York could give him a starting place to gauge how she might feel about him and their relationship.
"I… I'm really sorry I missed getting to see you in New York," he began, trying hard not to be overly conscious of the fact that her hand was still on his.
"Oh, that's okay, I'm just so glad you're finally here. I can't tell you how worried I was you weren't going to make it."
"Yeah, I know. I really tried to get word to you guys. The whole trip out here was just such a nightmare."
"I know, it's okay," she smiled.
"I really want to see you dance. You're still doing that show on Broadway, right?"
"Off Broadway."
"Whatever. Joey says you're amazing in it."
"Oh, I don't know about that," she said modestly, but something in her eyes changed, like she was wrestling with an uncomfortable decision. "Actually, I was going to talk to you about that. I—"
She was interrupted when a door down at the end of the deck slammed open. Her hand flew off his as someone stomped through and kicked it shut with a growl that sounded very familiar.
"Joey?" Yugi asked.
He didn't hear them, but it was definitely Joey. He turned around and smashed his fist into the bulkhead behind him. When flesh and bone met steel, he let out a howl of pain, and shook his hand, muttering to himself.
"I'm guessing it didn't go well with Mai," Téa whispered.
Yugi looked between the two of them, torn. Joey clearly needed someone to talk to, but he didn't want to leave Téa. They still had so much to talk about.
Téa solved his dilemma for him. "Go talk to him," she nodded. "We can talk later."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "He looks like he needs his best friend right now." She took his hand again and gave it a brief squeeze. She started to walk away, then stopped. "Oh, here's your jacket," she said, starting to take it off her shoulders.
He held up his hand. "No, keep it. I can get it from you later."
"Thanks," she said, putting the jacket back over her shoulders. She walked away, leaving Yugi and Joey alone on the deck.
"OW!" Joey howled, waving his aching hand. "Of all the stupid…" He sucked on a knuckle. "If she didn't want to talk to me, why the hell did she show up in the first place?" he mumbled into his sore hand.
"So who won the fight, you or the bulkhead?"
Joey looked up to find Yugi walking up the deck toward him. He gave his friend a sheepish grin. "The bulkhead. But I think it cheated."
"You okay?"
"I'm just great," he snapped, then felt bad for taking his frustration out on Yugi. If it had bothered his friend, however, he didn't show it.
"So what happened with Mai?"
Joey groaned and sunk to the floor with his back against the bulkhead and his knees up in front of him. Following his lead, Yugi sat cross-legged beside him. "Nothing, that's what. She disappeared into thin air. I looked everywhere on this stupid ship. I even went to the pursers desk to find out what cabin she's in, but they wouldn't tell me."
"It's a ten-day cruise, Joey. You have to run into her eventually."
"I don't know, for the first two days we're only allowed into the duels in our own division. Something tells me she and I aren't in the same division."
"Still, it's only a matter of time before we're all together in one place."
Joey pounded his fist on his knee. "This is just so stupid! Three years, Yuge! I kept that stupid letter of hers for three stupid years and then when I finally, finally realize she ain't interested in coming back, I finally tear up the stupid letter and throw it away, now she just waltzes up, says 'Oh, by the way, I'm sorry about the whole losing your soul thing' and runs off before I can even say a word? What's up with that? We used to be friends and now she can't talk to me for more than sixty seconds?"
Yugi's expression turned thoughtful and a little troubled. "It wasn't you, Joey. You're not what upset her."
"No kidding! I swear I'm totally going to knock Tristan all the way back to San Francisco!"
"It wasn't Tristan, either. I think she was prepared for that sort of thing. She even admitted he had a reason not to trust her, that she hadn't been a good friend. I think… I think it was me. I was just trying to help, though," he added hastily. "I wanted her to know I understood how it felt to make a mistake like that, one that hurt someone else, someone important to you, but for some reason I upset her."
"Yeah, that was weird the way she freaked out over you not having the Puzzle. What was that about?"
Yugi shrugged. "I don't know. But for some reason, that made her… I don't know… lose her nerve."
"I wish I knew why. But then again, how can I know if she runs off and won't talk to me?" Joey complained. He pounded his knee once more.
"She really means a lot to you," Yugi said, more a statement than a question, "even after all this time."
Joey sighed and leaned his head back against the bulkhead, his eyes closed. "Yuge, I am in so much trouble."
"Trouble?"
"Oh yeah," Joey gritted his teeth. "She is nothing but trouble. She's loud-mouthed, bossy, stuck-up, self-centered, spoiled…" he sighed again. "And I am absolutely crazy about her."
"I know," Yugi replied softly.
"You'd think after three years I'd have grown up and moved on, but I am such an idiot. I carry around a letter for three years like a schoolgirl with a crush on a rock star. How pathetic is that? And then I finally give up—and I swear, Yugi, I did. I tore up the letter and everything. Let it fly off Duke's balcony in pieces. And then the very next day she shows up only to completely blow me off again. Am I a chump or what?"
"No you're not," Yugi protested.
"I am," Joey insisted. "And let's face it, she has always been totally outta my league anyway. A girl like her and a dumb punk kid like me? Who was I kidding?"
"That's not true and you know it," Yugi chided him softly. "You know she has feelings for you. Why else would it have taken her so long to face you after what happened? Do you think if she'd have played the Seal of Orichalcos on me or Kaiba or someone she would have taken three years to work up the courage to apologize? I don't think it would have taken a week. And why else would she have singled you out when she was with Dartz in the first place?"
That brought a pang of guilt. "Yeah," he agreed, sullen. "That was my fault."
"What? How do you figure?"
"I knew what Marik had done to her, that he had been taking away memories of her friends. I knew how much that hurt her and yet did I do anything, one single thing after Battle City to let her know she had friends? No."
"None of us did."
"But it was my responsibility and I blew it. And why? Because I didn't want her to know how much she meant to me. I didn't want her to laugh at me for being such a loser. So she was left alone and that's why Dartz got to her in the first place."
"That is not your fault, Joey. First of all, you were sixteen and she was already an adult. That's reason enough to be intimidated right there. But more than anything, you can't be responsible for the choices other people make. She made her choices. We all make our choices. And when we screw up, we try to do better the next time. That's what… that's what Atem did and that's what Mai's doing. But you didn't do anything wrong. You've been nothing but a good friend. To her, to me, to all of us. And that's why she's not 'out of your league,'" he said making air quotes. "I think that whatever freaked her out, you can talk it out and everything will be fine."
Joey looked at his friend, feeling hopeful again. "You think?"
"I do."
"You're a real optimist there, Yuge."
Yugi cocked his head. "No, I just know you. You're a good guy. And she knows it too."
"Joey Wheeler is just a jerk! Who needs him?" Mai said out loud to the ceiling as she lay on the bed in her stateroom. She had moved on. She'd made her amends and if he and his friends were too good to forgive her, then she didn't need any of them. I have friends, she thought. I don't have to be alone just because he doesn't want to be with me.
She closed her eyes and rolled over on her side, pulling her covers around her. It had been a hard night, not the least of which was trying to get away from Gopher Evan after he was good enough to help her make her escape. Fortunately he seemed to realize she was going through something and was content just being friendly, which was a nice break. But now she was back in her luxurious stateroom. She'd accomplished what she'd set out to do in regards to Joey Wheeler and his friends, and she could put them behind her and concentrate on the tournament.
Taking a deep calming breath, she let herself relax. As she did the night before any big duel, she let her cards flow through her mind. Harpie Lady. Cyber Harpie. Harpies' Pet Dragon. Harpies' Feather Duster. Elegant Egotist. Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation. Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation. Her key cards. She imagined them each in turn, standing before her.
Breathe in. Breathe out. They are in the mountains, the Harpies' domain of strength.
Harpie Lady. Cyber Harpie. They are connected to her. She can feel the link between herself and her Harpies.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Mountain air.
Elegant Egotist. Harpie Sisters.
Breathe in. Breathe out. High above the mountains.
Harpies' Pet Dragon. Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation.
Breathe in. Breathe out. The ocean, a beach.
Joey. Serenity. Yugi. Téa. Tristan. Duke.
They are swimming, enjoying the sun and sand on a warm day. She is in sand, but not with them. She is above, locked in an hourglass. Sand is everywhere, falling from above, entombing her. She reaches out, but there is nothing but sand. There is sand in her hair, her eyes, her mouth. Through the sand, she calls out, but they don't hear. They are oblivious; she is not their friend. She is no one's friend. She is not connected to anyone. There is nothing, no one, only sand. It buries her and she calls out his name…
"Joey!"
Mai's eyes flew open and she set up, breathing hard, her stomach twisting in cold fear. She brushed hair wet with sweat away from her face, expecting it to be coated in sand. No, there's no sand, I'm in my room, a stateroom on a ship. There is no sand… She gripped the covers, feeling the tangible reality of the cotton and wool in her grasp. There is no sand. I'm safe. I'm not alone.
Except… she was alone. No. No, I'm not. I have friends. They aren't here with me now, but I have friends I made along the way. I am not alone.
Then why the nightmare? It had been so long since this nightmare had haunted her, her Shadow Game with Marik Ishtar, or his dark self, or whatever. She'd had this nightmare so many times in the year between Battle City and joining Dartz, but ever since then, in the time she'd spent rebuilding her life after leaving Dartz, she'd not had it at all. Why now then?
Because he's here.
"No!" she cried, startling herself when she heard her own shout. No, she wasn't going to go there. This was not his fault and she wasn't going to blame him for it, not again. She wasn't going to let a nightmare control her and she wasn't going to let her fears turn her into something she wasn't. Whether Joey Wheeler was her friend or not was irrelevant. He had been her friend at one point, a good enough friend to help her find her true self again in the middle of a battle for their souls. The dream came from a Shadow Game that was a lie and it would not control her. Not again.
Slowly, she lay back down, trying to relax again. It's only a dream. I am not alone.
But sleep would be a long time coming.