Giving you all the second chapter so you can be introduced to my characters fully~

Anything in italics is thoughts.

Anything in bold is the voice in her head.

I do not claim Yu-Gi-Oh as mine, only my characters are mine.

A sigh escaped Yugi's lips as he walked home from school. It had been a few days already since the girl had been staying at his house and all he knew about her was her name, Jessica, and that she had a weird tattoo on her face that she didn't want to talk about. In fact, she had been completely standoffish about it. He would've thought she hated him but she didn't seem to mind his company at all despite her stubborn attempts to sometimes tell him to just dump her back in the alley. He couldn't do that, not after seeing how tormented she had been.

"I'm home!" He greeted his grandfather as he walked through the shop door and then immediately ran upstairs to check on Jessica. He paused in the living room as he noticed the couch empty besides the folded blanket and the pillows neatly stacked on top of it. She was nowhere to be seen and he panicked. Did she leave on her own anyway? He heard something coming from the hallway and he didn't even think about what he was doing as he threw open the bathroom door, revealing something he definitely wasn't expecting to see.

Jessica stood with her bare back to him, her clothes laying on the floor and a towel only partially covering her body. He had a clear view of a big jagged scar that ran from her left shoulder and partially down to the middle of her back towards her spine. She was slightly twisted so that she was able to glance over her shoulder at him. Her black hair was still dripping wet from having clearly gotten out of the shower and a blush dusted her cheeks from the predicament she was in.

Before she could even say anything, his face exploded with heat as he sputtered an apology and quickly closed the door. He ran to his room and slammed the door shut, throwing himself onto his bed and burying his face into his pillow as he hugged it tightly. How embarrassing!

Jessica stood there for a moment as she blinked in the aftermath, slowly coming to terms with what had just transpired. Shaking her head, she dried herself off and changed into the pajamas Yugi's grandfather had given to her earlier for a fresh change of clothes. Her own clothes would need to be washed and she knew she was wearing Yugi's clothes now. It was baggy on her but there was nothing she could do. Gathering her clothes in her arms, she exited the bathroom and headed back to the living room.

She wasn't surprised to see the house empty. He had most likely gone to hide in his room, judging by the slam she had heard after he had closed the door to the bathroom. She shrugged and set her dirty clothes on the couch. He'll come out eventually. She grabbed the cup of water Solomon had given her earlier and gulped it down, letting out a satisfied sigh as she set the cup back down on the table. She then sat on the couch and leaned back against the cushions, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Her fever had gone down and she barely even felt that it was there, besides the scratchiness of her throat that stubbornly remained. With the kindness and care of both Yugi and Solomon, she was almost fully recovered. She wasn't allowed to move around much due to the insistence of Solomon, so all she could do was lounge around and be left to her thoughts while Yugi was at school.

It was a while before she heard a door open and she lifted her head to watch as Yugi crept into the living room. He had changed out of his school uniform and wore more comfortable clothes, a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. The puzzle still hung from his neck and she wondered if he ever took it off. He twiddled his thumbs together as he looked at everything except her with an obvious blush dusting his cheeks. He sputtered out an apology and she held up her hand to silence him with a shake of her head.

"I know it was an accident so let's just move past it," she told him, and he gratefully nodded and shuffled into the kitchen. She watched as he poured himself a glass of water and chugged it down, obviously trying to calm his nerves. She drew her knees to her chest, hugged them, and propped her chin on top. When he sat down on the far end of the couch, she spoke up. "I know you saw it." He glanced at her with a quizzical blush. "My scar."

An 'o' formed on his lips and he rubbed the back of his head. "Wh-what happened?" He asked, his violet orbs round with curious concern.

She let out a breath through her nose and closed her eyes, recalling the memory. "My house caught on fire and a burning beam fell on top of me. I was the only survivor…"

His brows furrowed. This was the first time she actually talked about herself, and it was such a sad memory. "I'm sorry…" When she shook her head, he spoke again. "My parents died when I was young. I barely remember them…"

She opened her eyes and glanced at him, but his eyes were on the floor. "Looks like we have something in common," she said quietly. He glanced at her and offered a small smile. She leaned back again and pursed her lips. "Look, I didn't really plan on staying long. My body just had other plans."

He blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is that once I get my strength back, I'll leave. I've been a bother enough already and you don't need another tragedy in your life."

He scrunched his face in confusion. "Tragedy? What makes you say that? And you're not a bother at all."

She shook her head. "Let's just say I bring ruin wherever I go. So I don't try to stay in places for too long."

"You… You bring ruin..?"

"Yes. That's all I'm going to say."

A flash of gold light caught her attention and she reeled backwards, shielding her vision with her arm until it subsided. When she lowered her arm, her green eyes widened in shock at what she saw in place of Yugi. He looked like Yugi, but he definitely wasn't. He was taller, had sharper angles to his face, and he held an aura of confidence that she hadn't seen of her savior. His crimson orbs bore into her as he spoke.

"I know you're hiding something, Jessica. We only want to help." His voice was much deeper and it vibrated in her ears, sending a shiver down her spine.

Power! That voice growled in her mind and she hissed in pain as she clutched at her head, earning a concerned look from 'Yugi'.

She held a hand out to stop him from moving, knowing he would have gotten closer to her to ease her pain. "You can't help me," she hissed through her teeth. She could still feel a dull throb in her head but she lowered her hand as she looked him up and down. "What the heck just happened? And who are you?"

He crossed his arms as he leaned back against the couch. "Stubborn, aren't you?" He swung his leg over his other one. "Why don't we make a deal? If I tell you about me, then you tell me about yourself. No secrets, no lies, no games." His expression was unreadable as he stared at her intently, waiting for her response patiently.

She bit her lower lip as she stared at him. He didn't seem like he was playing any tricks, or that he would play any at all. She was stubbornly hesitant. Could she really just trust him and set out her heart for easy display? She was still afraid of getting close to people. Every time she did, terrible things would happen to them. She wasn't sure, but she could at least hear what he had to say about himself first before she decided.

"Fine," she huffed, snatching her cup off the table and leaning back against the couch. She got comfortable and lifted the cup to her face to sip at the water. "I'm all ears." Her green eyes watched him carefully.

He heaved a sigh before beginning his speech. "I am a spirit that resides within the Millennium Puzzle, an age-old item from 5,000 years ago." He clutched the golden puzzle with one hand for emphasis. "From what I've heard, my puzzle was given to Yugi by his grandfather who found it on an excavation in Egypt. It took Yugi eight years to solve the puzzle and since then I was brought out of the darkness. I have no memory of my own name or my past, but I have been guiding Yugi through threats and Duel Monsters ever since then." He paused for a breath. "My puzzle holds a great power that I am not fully aware of yet, but there are other Millennium items in the world with powers of their own. That is all I know."

Jessica had listened quietly as he told her his tale. She swirled the little bit of water around in her cup absentmindedly as she processed his words. He was an ancient spirit that had been trapped inside the puzzle until Yugi unlocked it, and it sounds like they've had their fair share of adventures together ever since. A spirit trapped inside the body of a boy. Not unlike her own story, but definitely a more pleasant sounding one.

"Now it is your turn to carry out your end of our deal."

She visibly grimaced at his words and gulped down the rest of the water before slamming the cup down on the table. Luckily it was plastic so it didn't break. She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh and then moved her bangs away from the right side of her face, exposing the tattoos next to her eye. "Do you recognize these markings," she asked, her voice deadly serious as she watched him. When he shook his head, she continued. "In a sense, I guess you could say I'm in a similar position as Yugi. But the one I share my body with is far less pleasant to hang out with than you."

She watched as his body tensed up, his brows furrowing as confusion and caution crossed his face. "What do you mean?"

"This is the mark of a demon that resides within me. He talks sometimes, and he's an asshole," she hissed through her teeth, glaring at the table. "His name is Malekos and he tries to take over my body every chance he gets. The damage he causes can kill people, and it's what caused my family's demise." She sneaked a glance in his direction and saw how his eyes widened at her words. "That's why I have no friends or family anymore. When he takes control, it often leaves me in a state of sickness like how Yugi found me. It's how my body recuperates from the stress he puts on me afterwards." She raked her fingers through her hair roughly as she continued to speak. "I try to fight his control the best I can, but it often gives me headaches." She placed a hand in the space between her neck and left shoulder, where her scar was. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears pricked the edges. She hadn't told anyone this before. She was letting her walls down and it scared her how easy it was. It scared her to trust again. "That's why I don't want to stay… I don't want him to hurt Yugi or his grandfather. I don't want to trust anyone because I'm scared he'll just take them away from me again! I'm scared…" Her voice broke at the end as tears slid freely down her cheeks, letting out a choked sob.

"Jessica…" His voice was soft as he whispered her name, concerned.

She felt his hands grasp her shoulders firmly and pull her to his chest for a comforting embrace. She tensed up considerably as she gasped, eyes wide open in shock. She felt as he rubbed soothing circles on her back as she held her breath, trying to calm her down. It took a few moments before she finally relaxed in his arms and closed her eyes, allowing him to console her in the silence. She listened to his heartbeat and she found herself wondering if it was the spirit's heart that was beating or if it was Yugi's. His arms were warm and it soothed her nerves. They sat together like that for what seemed like an hour, and she faintly heard the sound of Solomon closing up shop downstairs.

She eventually pulled away from his arms, fighting off the hesitation that came with leaving his embrace. She wiped her face and then looked at him, seeing how his crimson eyes watched her. She couldn't detect any of his emotions and she couldn't tell if that was better than seeing any trace of distrust or fear in them. "Thank you… I've never told anyone that before," she spoke softly. She offered a bitter smile. "I understand if you start to see me differently now because of it."

"I do," he started, and it made her visibly sag before he continued. "I see now that you're a girl who's been fighting her whole life to keep others safe. And you've become strong by doing so." He offered her a small smile, and she stared at him with wide eyes. "You've been running away because you felt it was the only way to keep the people you cared about safe. But you've also closed yourself off to the possibility of friendship." She looked like she was about to protest so he cut in before she could. "I know from experience, and from watching Yugi and his friends, that friendship can do more for a person than you'd ever realize."

She bit her lip and glanced at her hands, wringing them together. Friends? She scoffed mentally, as if Malekos would ever let me have friends. She flinched slightly as his hands grasped hers lightly. She looked up at him again and it took all her might to not lean backwards as she was now face to face with a wide-eyed Yugi, his eyes pleading. When the two souls had switched places, she didn't know.

"Please stay," he pleaded softly. He gave her hands a light squeeze. "We can help you. And together we can keep Malekos from hurting anyone ever again."

She was silent as her green eyes wavered, finding it increasingly difficult to stare fully at his pleading violet eyes. It was such a far cry of hope, one she had given up a long time ago. But with how stubborn both Yugi and the puzzle's spirit were, she wasn't sure if she could even say no to them. And especially not to the face that was currently waiting for her response. She couldn't help the tiny whimper that escaped her as she looked away, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

"O-okay… Okay…" She took a deep breath and ducked her head, letting her bangs shadow her face. "I-if it's really okay…I'll stay."

His hands squeezed hers and she looked up to see Yugi with the brightest smile she had seen from him yet, and it made her heart flutter. "Absolutely! I'll go talk to my grandpa." He let go of her hands and immediately darted around the couch. An after-image of the spirit appeared briefly to smile at her, and he was gone when she blinked.

She felt her face heat up and she covered her face with her hands, leaning over to plop down against the folded blanket and pillows beside her as she groaned. What had she gotten herself into?

I currently have 37 chapters pre-written so far so I'll be posting them every other day. For now, leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far~