Chapter 5: The Shadow With No Name
Yami felt a strange aura being emitted from the Pharaoh's Pendant. He stared at the strange relic; however, Jessi thought he was staring at something else.
"Hey! Stop staring and untie me!" yelled Jessi, "Didn't your mother ever tell you that its not polite to stare at someone?"
"I-I'm sorry…." Said Yami with a flustered look on his face, "I'll untie you now…"
"Its about time…." Said Jessi sarcastically.
Jessi and Yami walked out of the muggers' hideout quietly. The two of them were really quiet. It was about eight thirty in the evening, the rush hour for Domino City. There were cars all lined up bumper to bumper, like the links connected to a chain. The air was humid, making sweat roll down everyone's face. Yami looked at Jessi, who still didn't say anything to him, not even "thank you". But Yami saw that Jessi had a sad look on her face.
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Yami.
Jessi turned around, "….you were talking to me?"
"Um….yeah. I was wondering if you're all right." Said Yami, "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
Jessi shook her head, "No, those idiots who attacked me didn't hurt me at all."
"That's good…." Said Yami, "Oh, by the way, what is your name miss?"
Jessi gave Yami a weird look. Never in her life has some stranger address her by "miss". She replied to him, "My name is…..Jessi. Jessi Reisia…"
"Jessi…..that's a nice name…." Said Yami, "My name is….."
Before he was able to finish his sentence, Yami realized that he had forgotten his name. He stop and paused for a moment in deep thought. He did the best he could to try and remember his true name, but as the seconds flew past him, nothing came. He had no memory of who he was. Yami was a man with no name or memories, a shadow in the world of the living.
Jessi saw the upset in Yami's face, "Hey, what's wrong?"
Yami whispered quietly, "….I can't remember….my….name…"
"You can't remember your name?" asked Jessi.
"….yes…" replied Yami in a soft whisper, "I have no memory of myself. I don't even know who I am…."
Jessi looked at Yami with mercy. She pitied him. She realized how lucky she was in having felt love, even though she felt it for short periods of time. She cherished the memories of her mother and Higure as much as she could. She thought, what would happen if she never had those memories of the ones she loved most? Her world would be a world of eternal darkness and despair.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, its all right. How about coming to my place?"
Yami raised his head and looked at Jessi, "Sure, but I don't want to be trouble for you…"
Jessi giggled, "No you won't any trouble at all. I live alone anyway…come on…I'll make something for you when we get there…"
"You'll…make something?" asked Yami, "…for me?"
Jessi nodded, "Just follow me, my condo isn't too far from here."
They walked through the busy streets of Domino. Jessi was indeed right when she said that her home wasn't far. It was only a few blocks from Kaiba Corp's main building, and it wasn't far from the Kame Game Shop either. The condo was an enormous building giving residence to about two hundred people. Jessi's condo was on the top floor, overlooking the entire city.
Jessi shuffled through her pockets, trying to find her keys. Yami was amazed a girl such as her had the strength to live on her own. When she finally found him he looked once again at the Pharaoh's Pendant. Though he had no memory at all, he found the ancient relic so familiar to him. Yami thought if he got to know Jessi a little better, she could be the key to help him discover who he really is.
"Hey, how are long do you intend to stare at my chest?" asked Jessi.
Yami blinked, "I'm sorry?"
'You were staring at…my….chest…." repeated Jessi, "If you keep this up, I'll won't make you dinner…"
"Dinner?" asked Yami.
"Yes…Diner." Repeated Jessi, "Get in or I'll change my mind and lock you out."
Yami quickly walked into Jessi's home. It was really small, but it was good enough for Jessi. As for cleanliness, the whole place was decently clean. There were no pictures of anyone, but there were images of creatures. They weren't framed, but they were there, hanging on the walls.
Jessi went into a small room and closed the door. Yami stepped towards the door and opened it slightly. He saw Jessi take her shirt off, and saw her bare back. He looked further into the room and saw a wrinkled photo lying on the table right in front of him. Yami slowly creaked the door open a little more, and reached out for the picture. He held the photo with care and looked at it. It was a picture of Jessi at a young age and her mother. They were standing on a dock by a beautiful lake.
This must be her mother…thought Yami. He carefully placed the picture back, but as he pulled his hand back, something grabbed him. It was Jessi. She opening the door with her other hand, and pulled Yami into the room.
"What were you doing?" asked Jessi.
"I was only looking…" said Yami, "at that picture of you…and your mother…"
"How did you know she is my mother?" asked Jessi, "She could be a family friend…or a stranger whom I've only met once."
"She is your mother." Said Yami firmly, "It is only with a mother can someone be as happy as you were in that picture."
"Enough." Said Jessi, "So now you know what my mom looks like, and what I used to look like when I was a kid."
"Why do you say that?" asked Yami, "You say that as if you want to forget."
"Just drop the subject…." Said Jessi, "Let me go to the kitchen and make dinner….you can make yourself at home…"
Jessi walked out of her room without a word. Yami could understand that something must've happened to her in the past that hurt her so deeply. He walked out of Jessi's room and took one last look at the photo. Yami closed the door behind him and turned towards the pictures he saw earlier. He remembered the images of the creature in a Duel Monsters magazine he read that morning; they were the ninjas with the ninjutsu ability, a very handy ability that can attack your opponent directly for the price of only two hundred life points. It could even be played if a ninja were in the player's hand, but just as long as there is another creature with the same ability on the field. Yami looked at another creature, a being of purity with four angelic wings. It was holding a spear that turned darkness into light. Jessi looked towards Yami as she was cooking. She was amazed at his curiosity of the pictures.
"You seem interested in those paintings…" said Jessi, "Do you like art? Or do you like Duel Monsters?"
"Duel Monsters…" said Yami in wonder, "Who made this?"
"….I did…" said Jessi shyly, "I've played this game since I was a kid. Most of those creatures I made were the cards who had the ninjutsu ability…..there's only seven cards in the game with ninjutsu. The angel with the spear, the one you were looking at just now, that is of course is not a ninja, but it's a rare card called, Soul Angelus. It is an angel that can turn the darkness in the soul into light with a single thrust of its lance."
"Is that so?" asked Yami, "You seem to be dedicated to the game then."
"I've played it for most of my life." Said Jessi, "My cards are one of the only things in the world that keep me alive."
"But don't you have any family?" asked Yami.
Jessi tried to ignore the question and replied, "Your dinner is ready…"
Jessi had cooked instant ramen for dinner, but she added some chicken to give it more taste. Yami sat down and enjoyed his instant meal. Jessi, on the other hand, felt guilty for making a cheap meal for someone who saved her life. She ignored her dinner and pulled a card out of her pocket. It was Soul Angelus. She stared at the card for a while, and put it back in her pocket. All of a sudden, her eyes grew heavy. Her head was slowly dropping, and the eye on her pendant began to glow. Yami took his eyes off his food and looked at Jessi, who was asleep. Her body began to tilt, and then she fell out of her chair. Yami stood up and caught her before she hit the floor. Jessi felt a warmth in her heart, and while Yami held her in his arms she felt something very familiar.
"Mom?" asked Jessi slowly, "Is that you?"
