This chapter takes place after Yugi's duel with a possessed Bandit Keith!

Regular reminder:

Italics are thoughts or emphasis.

Bold is Malekos' speech or emphasis in thoughts.

I do not claim Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters as my own. I only own Jessica and Malekos.

Jessica was beside herself with worry. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor and drummed her nails on the glass counter. She was 'holding down the fort' as they say, while Solomon was at the hospital. It had taken her much effort to persuade Solomon to go alone while she kept his business alive in his absence.

Yugi was at the hospital for some reason and she could only hope it wasn't as serious as her mind was making it out to be. All she could do was think about all the horrible possibilities of what had happened to him and her heart pounded in her chest. In the back of her mind she could feel Malekos growing uncomfortable with how much she was worried, but he never tried to surface. At least that was something to be grateful for. All she had to do was wait for the phone call that Solomon had promised her.

Customers came and went as she waited. Some of them only 'window shopped' and others actually bought something. An especially rowdy child had come in and threw a tantrum when his parent couldn't give him everything he wanted, so she appeased his cries with some candy Solomon kept in a bowl behind the counter.

As a customer left and left the store silent, the phone to the store rang. It echoed in her ears and she lunged for it immediately. Snatching it off the counter, she answered the phone louder than she expected. "Kame Game!"

"Jessica, it's Solomon." She held her breath as she listened to his explanation. Yugi had been in a fire and didn't sustain any major injuries. Just minor smoke inhalation and some scratches but he was otherwise fine. He was only there for the doctors to make sure there was no permanent damage to his lungs, and would be kept overnight.

"Oh, thank goodness..!" She let out a sigh of relief as she sagged against the counter, letting her forehead bump the glass. She thanked Solomon for letting her know and assured him that she was still fine with staying at the game shop to keep it open for him.

After hanging up, she set the phone back in its place and pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart still thumped against her hand but she was relieved to know that Yugi was going to be okay. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she buried her face in her arms. She knew it then. She really had fallen for Yugi.

Finally. She could just hear Malekos rolling his eyes at her.

"Shut up," she grumbled, sniffling quietly as she pushed his presence away. He thankfully didn't fight it and she was left to her thoughts in peace.

Solomon decided to stay overnight to keep an eye on his grandson and that left her to close up the shop by herself. She didn't feel comfortable going to the hospital, especially by herself, so she stayed in the house for the night. It was a sleepless night for her as she worried over Yugi's condition, tossing and turning yet somehow managing to get at least a couple hours of sleep.

She only ate an apple to appease her growling stomach the next morning and opened the shop by herself. She did the daily chores to keep her mind busy and tapped her fingers on the glass counter when she was left with nothing else to do.

It was sometime in the afternoon when Solomon and Yugi came walking through the game shop door, both looking the same as usual. Yugi looked a little sheepish as he walked over to the counter. His grandpa had told him that Jessica was worried about him, even if she hadn't said it out loud yet. So he wanted to apologize for worrying her. He was caught off guard when arms were suddenly thrown around him in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay! I was so worried when I heard you were caught in a fire…" Jessica buried her face into his shoulder, not daring to show her burning face. She felt his gentle hands pat her back and she pulled away to look at his patched face.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Jess," he spoke softly, his violet orbs staring into her green ones. He remembered her scar and figured it was a traumatic experience for her. No wonder she had been so worried about him.

Solomon cleared his throat and they turned to him as he spoke. "Jessica, you can take a break for the day. Thank you for looking after the shop for me."

"Oh… No problem."

"Let's go upstairs. I need to talk to you," Yugi said as he gently slid her hands off his shoulders. He held one of her hands with his own as he started to guide her up the stairs, and she never protested. She blushed at their hands but otherwise didn't say anything.

He led her to his room where they sat on his bed and talked. After some hesitation of thought, he decided to explain to her what exactly happened and why he was even in the fire. She listened with bated breath, an expression of anger flashing in her eyes briefly as he explained.

"He tried to take your puzzle?!" She had bristled and clenched her fists, noticing that her eyes flashed red for a brief moment before returning to green again. Yugi tried to calm her down, seeing her reaction and the effect her anger was having.

"Yes, but he had to duel me for it! No one can take my Millennium Puzzle unless they win it in a duel," Yugi explained, hands still raised as a gesture for her to calm down.

She sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to calm down. She took quiet, deep breaths and let them out slowly.

He waited until she had calmed down before speaking again. "What's worrying is that the person who was controlling Bandit Keith seemed to know a lot about the spirit's past…" Yugi glanced down at the puzzle as he held it in both hands now.

Jessica crossed her arms as she stared at him. "You should really give him a name, you know." That caught him by surprise and he gave her a dumbfounded look. "You can't just keep calling him 'spirit' all the time. If I were in his place I'd probably feel some type of way every time I heard it. Regardless if he acts like he's fine or not."

Yugi glanced down at the puzzle again and was silent for a moment. When he spoke again he looked at her timidly. "Why don't you give him a name?"

She pursed her lips in response. "I thought about that, but you know him better than I do."

He shook his head and gave her that face and she tried not to cringe. She looked away, hoping it would help her not to give in. "But I'm not very good at coming up with names. Please, Jess?"

Her eyebrow twitched at the tone of his pleading voice and the use of her nickname and she visibly sagged in defeat. She let out a sigh and jabbed a finger close to his face, making him flinch back in shock. "Fine, but you better use it when I do think of one. No ifs, ands, or buts out of you. Got it?"

He nodded his head vigorously and she thought he might knock his own head off his shoulders.

She let out another sigh and dropped her hand to hesitantly grab his. Her face flushed as she avoided looking at his face, instead looking at their hands. She saw him tighten his grip around her hand in response. "I'm just really glad you're okay. Please be more careful… Don't let anyone except your friends touch your puzzle, even if you think it might help him. It's risky and we can't afford you getting hurt again over it." And I can't either. She spared a glance up at his face, saw his round violet orbs as he was blushing while listening to her, and then she pulled away and slid off his bed reluctantly. "I'll let you rest now. Good night, Yugi."

"G-good night, Jess," was his squeaky response before he watched her exit and close the door behind herself.

A week later, Jessica kept herself busy in the game shop. Whether it was sweeping or wiping down the glass counters, she did it twice as much and everything seemed to sparkle when she was done. When she wasn't doing anything, she would sigh and get lost in thought. Solomon had to tell her to take a chair and sit down for a while before she overworked herself.

When she sighed for the tenth time that day, he finally asked her about it. "Jessica, what's got you sighing so much?" He gave a suggestive look with a hand to his chin. "Is it a boy?"

She glanced at him with wide eyes and gaped for a moment. "I-... Yes, and no." She sighed again as she ran a hand through her bangs. "Solomon-"

"Please, just call me Grandpa."

She paused with her mouth open. "Gr-Gra-..." She shook her head and decided to move past it. She'd conquer that milestone another time. "You know about the spirit inside Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, right?"

He was silent for a moment and then nodded. "I'm aware of his existence, yes. What's this about?"

She leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Well, I've been thinking about giving him a name for a while now since he doesn't seem to remember his own. I don't think it's right to only call him 'spirit' all the time. I find it… insensitive, I suppose." She scrunched her face as she had tried to figure out the word she needed. "I mean… I know that's what he is, but he's got insecurities just like everyone else and I'm sure being reminded of the fact that he doesn't even have his own body or existence to remember, doesn't make him feel very good." She scratched the back of her head in frustration. "But I don't know him very well, and Yugi thinks I'll do a better job of naming him. I just don't know where to start… Do you have any suggestions?" She looked at the older man finally, who had been listening to her quietly.

He hummed thoughtfully as he rubbed his hand on his chin, glancing off to the side. "Did Yugi ever tell you about the message that came with the puzzle?"

It was her turn to hum quietly in thought. "I don't think so. What did it say?"

"'The one who solves me will receive my dark knowledge and power.' And they would have one wish granted." He held up a finger as he explained.

"Dark knowledge and power?" She echoed, perplexed. There was nothing dark about the spirit as far as she knew, and he certainly didn't have any knowledge besides Duel Monsters.

"Yami no Game," Solomon said in a darker tone, making her shiver involuntarily. "The Shadow Game. It's an ancient power that's very dangerous and only the Millennium items can use."

"Yami no Game… Yami…" Jessica muttered quietly, testing how it sounded on her tongue. "Yugi and Yami… That's it!" She gasped and stood up, startling the poor man. "His name can be Yami!" She paused for a moment and then slumped back into the chair with her head in her hands. "Oh, what if he doesn't like it?"

Solomon blinked a couple times and then laughed, confusing her. He slapped her on the back fondly, earning a wince from her, and smiled. "You're very kind to be thinking about other people, Jessica. I'd say you're like Yugi in that sense." She blushed and looked down. "If he doesn't like the name, I'm sure you'll be able to come up with another one."

She glanced up at him and gave a small smile. "Thanks… g-grandpa…" She flushed darker, not used to calling someone else by a family term. He simply laughed and left her alone after that.

When Yugi came home from school, Jessica was already in her room looking at the Duel Monsters cards she owned. She traced images absentmindedly with her thumb until she heard the familiar soft rapping on her door.

"Come in," she called, not even glancing at the door as it opened.

"Hey, Jess. I wanted to ask you a favor…" The uncertainty in his voice made her sit up and turn to look at him, her cards forgotten on her pillow now.

"What's up?" She inclined her head and pat the bed next to her, allowing him to sit down while they talked.

"You remember the day someone tried to steal my puzzle and they knew about the spirit's past?" He began, earning a crinkle of Jessica's nose in response.

Of course she remembered. She almost worried herself sick over him that day. "Yeah? Where are you going with this?"

"Well, he's been really distant since then and I know he's been thinking about it too. He's been really caught up trying to figure out his past and I think he's honestly depressed." He fiddled with his thumbs absentmindedly as he spoke, looking at the floor.

She hummed as she nodded along. "I don't blame him. I think I would be too."

"I knew you'd understand. That's why I wanted to ask if you'd hang out with him for a day to take his mind off of things?" He gave her that darned puppy stare and she leaned back slightly in an attempt to escape it.

"What do you mean 'hang out with him for a day'? I'm not exactly the 'hangout' type. I don't have money and I'm definitely not good with crowds. I can tolerate customers but asking me to go around the city is honestly a ticking time bomb." She crossed her arms with a huff.

"That's not true! You're great company, and I know he'll feel a lot better after spending the day out with you. It'll help you both out, I'm sure!" He had a determined glint in his eyes now as he tried to persuade her that she indeed wasn't bad company. Sure she had a few...perks...but she hadn't seemed to be having many issues since her first couple of weeks living with him and his grandpa. "And don't worry about money, I've got you covered."

She let out a heavy sigh as she raked her fingers through her hair. "I-... I don't know. I'm still not-"

"Please, Jess?" He leaned forward to give her those eyes again. He knew exactly the effect it had on her and that's why he was doing it. He could be sly when he wanted to be.

"Oh, fine!" She flushed red at his close proximity and then jabbed a finger at his face, making him lean back now to give her some space. "But you owe me for this."

"I'll do whatever you want afterwards!" He grinned, glad that she had accepted his favor even if he had to persuade her.

"Promise?" She looked at him with questioning green eyes, an almost hopeful glint in them.

He smiled softly and stuck his pinky out towards her. "Promise."

She wrapped her own pinky around his and the promise was sealed. They both laughed and she suddenly started pushing him towards her door. "Now get out. I need to mentally prepare for this."

He chuckled and halted at her door to glance over his shoulder at her. "Meet me Sunday at Domino Station, 10 o'clock." Then he retreated to his own room and she closed her door before flopping back onto her bed.

Someone's got a date with an ancient spirit, Malekos teased. She could just see his fang-filled smirk in her mind.

Her heart sank at the word. It's not a date. I'm just helping out a friend.

Could've fooled me.

You're making it worse.

It's what I do best.

You know what next chapter entails~

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