Let the date begin! I'll post the next chapter along with this one so you can get the full experience~

Usual reminders:

Italics are thoughts or emphasis.

Bold is Malekos' speech or emphasis in thoughts.

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

Jessica didn't sleep well that night in all honesty. Her nerves refused to allow her to relax and she was worried about what the spirit thought of her. The times that they did hang out with Yugi, he didn't seem to mind her presence. But he could've just been acting polite in favor of making Yugi happy.

When Sunday morning came, she got up and did the morning chores to keep her nerves from skyrocketing further and making her sick. She sweeped the front of the game shop and wiped the counters and windows clean, and even made morning tea for Solomon. She retreated to her room after eating some toast and took a shower.

When it came time for her to leave, she worried about her appearance. She didn't have many clothes to her name so she often cycled through the few pairs she did own before washing them throughout the week. She settled for her dark jeans, black shoes, gray short-sleeve shirt, and black sleeveless hoodie before heading out of her room. She paused in front of Yugi's room and hesitated on the thought of talking to him. She could hear his voice on the other side of the door but she didn't dare eavesdrop to know what he was saying. He was most likely speaking to the spirit anyway. Instead, she flipped her hood over her head and left the building to meet up at the station like they agreed.

Before she left the building, a newspaper on the doorstep caught her attention. She unfolded it and took a quick glance through the different articles. One in particular caught her attention and she began walking while she scanned it. A new Egyptian exhibit has opened up to the public at Domino Museum. Isn't the Millennium Puzzle from Egypt? She pursed her lips and then rolled up the newspaper before shoving it into her hoodie pocket.

And as she stood among the bustling crowds of the city, she already regretted agreeing to their outing. She had found a somewhat quiet spot in front of the station away from the people that entered and exited continuously. She fidgeted on her feet as she waited for Yugi or the spirit to arrive, not sure which soul would be greeting her first. She had her hands stuffed in the pocket of her hoodie as she kept her face shielded with her hood. She could feel the festering presence of Malekos in the back of her mind, obviously reacting to her nerves.

You're pathetic. Just calm down before you make us both hurl, he growled at her.

I'm only like this because of you! She shot back harshly, satisfied when he didn't answer her. She huffed and glanced around with her eyes, wondering what was taking them so long.

A panicked voice not far to her left caught her attention, and she turned to see the spirit glaring down at the Millennium Puzzle as he sputtered out protests. He looked up and noticed her staring at him so he opted for an awkward wave and a "hello".

She walked over to him and grabbed his wrist before he could even say anything else. "Let's just get out of here and talk over a drink before I suffocate on my nerves." She quickly led him away from the bigger crowds and towards the nearest shop that sold beverages of all kinds.

When they had gotten their choice of drink, they retreated to a booth at the back of the store that had a window view. They sat in silence after that. It was awkward at first but then it relaxed into a comfortable silence as they both got lost in their own thoughts.

Jessica sipped at her lemonade, letting the cool tangy sweetness ease her nerves as she focused on her breathing. It was a trick she learned over the years and it had worked ever since. Sometimes it just took a little more patience than other days. The sound of plastic popping caught her attention and she glanced across the table to see the spirit gazing out the window while obviously to his thoughts, absentmindedly denting and undenting the cup in his hands with a satisfying yet annoying popping sound. She mentally cursed. Today was supposed to be "fun" to keep him from thinking.

She sucked in a deep breath and then reached out to grab his cup to keep him from making another annoying pop with it. He jolted in surprise and glanced at her. "Listen, I'm…" She bit her lip, unsure what she was going to say. "I'm sorry Yugi dragged you out here like this. I know I'm not exactly the best person to hang out with, but…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. I'm an idiot.

He furrowed his brows and he placed a hand over hers, which was still holding his cup in place. "No, I'm sorry. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize how uncomfortable you were to be here with me."

Her heart sank. That wasn't what she meant at all. She shook her head, I'm a big idiot! "That's not what I meant," she sighed and slipped her hand out of his grasp, only to start fiddling with the edge of her hood that still shadowed her face from everyone except him. She saw him waiting patiently for her to explain what she did mean. "I'm just… Friendship is new to me still. I used to stay as far away from crowds as I possibly could because I'm honestly a ticking time bomb because of you-know-who." An 'o' formed on his lips in response.

Hey. She ignored the voice in her mind and continued as if he hadn't interrupted her thought process.

"Yugi asked me to help you out today and I plan on keeping my promise to him. Even if he and crowds both suck."

HEY! Don't think I don't know what you're talking about! Malekos snarled in the forefront of her mind and she visibly winced at the stab of pain it brought her.

"Are you okay?" The spirit's crimson orbs grew worried as he reached his hand out to grasp hers again in a comforting manner.

She offered a strained smile, reaching up with her free hand to rub her temple. "Yeah. He didn't like what I said about him." She gave a sheepish laugh and then sipped at her lemonade, feeling the presence start to retreat again.

Nodding in understanding, he leaned forward against the table as he stared at his own cup. "Thank you, Jessica. You're very kind and I appreciate what you and Yugi both are doing for me."

She scrunched up her face slightly. "There's a 'but' in there, isn't there?"

He offered an amused smirk before nodding. "There's just so many questions about my past that I don't have any answers to."

It was her turn to nod in understanding. "Yeah, I get that. From my understanding, you've been trapped in that puzzle for...what was it...5,000 years? And suddenly woke up in another country and a time that's unfamiliar to you with both new people and technology. That would scare anybody," she told him. He nodded along with her. "The difference is that you've got friends who are willing to stick by your side, get to know you, and help you out in any way they can." She offered him a smile and took a sip of her lemonade.

"Does that include you?" He inclined his head and for some reason she found that action, with the addition of his curious crimson eyes, very adorable and she tried not to choke as she swallowed her mouthful of juice.

Clearing her throat, she nodded. "Of course. In fact, I have a question for you." He nodded to show he was listening. "I remember you saying that you don't remember your name, but what if we gave you one until you find out what your real name is?"

His eyes widened in surprise and for a moment she wasn't sure if he was going to speak. "I'd like that." And he gave the first warm smile she had ever seen, making her face blush.

Silently scolding herself for finding his face to be so undeniably handsome, she pushed down the blush that had risen to her cheeks. "What do you think of 'Yami'?" She tilted her head as she sipped her lemonade, mentally cursing when she started to hear that annoying sound of when the drink got low and all it did was make noise the more you sip.

"Yami…" He tested it out a few times on his tongue before nodding his approval. "Thank you, Jessica." He smiled that warm smile again and she had to look away before she started blushing again.

"Now that that's taken care of," she began as she set her cup to the side and fished the roll of newspaper out of her hoodie pocket. She unrolled it, set it flat on the table, and turned it so that he could see too. She pointed to the article about the museum. "I saw this before I left this morning and I thought it might interest you. Considering your puzzle came from Egypt, I thought maybe we might find some clues about your past there."

His eyes scanned the article with interest. "Yes… This is interesting, I agree."

"It's worth a shot, right?" When he nodded, she smiled. She took a deep breath and then got up from the booth as she grabbed her empty cup. "Alright, I think I'm ready to brave the crowds in favor of some fun before it's time for the exhibit this evening."

When Yami agreed, they headed outside to do whatever caught their interest. They tried the park first as a warmup and found that birds didn't seem to like him very much. They chased the poor guy around the park before they escaped to do something else. Next, they went inside a music store to listen to some CDs with the available headphones. She had an internal argument with Malekos about what genre to "poison" her mind with before leaving.

They were chatting about embarrassing moments they could remember when she paused, seeing a poster of Duel Monsters outside a store. "Hey, look!" She snatched his wrist before he could walk any further away from her, causing him to stumble backwards in shock. He followed her gaze. "It looks like you can trade cards here." She glanced at him. "Does it interest you?"

The way his crimson eyes lit up was all the answer she needed. They headed inside the store and she allowed him to take the lead. He almost looked like a little kid as he walked down the aisles and examined foil packs. He picked up two of them and seemed to be deciding which one he wanted.

Someone looks like he's starting to have fun. She smiled and followed him as he made the trade at the front of the store and headed out. He was practically beaming at the cards in his hands. "Found some good cards, I'm guessing?"

"Yes, especially this one!" She listened as he explained the card to her, nodding along as they walked.

They continued along the road until they came upon the local arcade. They paused at the entrance and Yami glanced at her with what she thought was concern, but it was actually difficult to read his expressions sometimes so she could only guess. "We don't have to go in if it'll make you uncomfortable." They both knew this place attracted large crowds at all times of the day.

She shook her head and took a deep breath to gather her nerves. "Nuh-uh. I've come this far and I won't back out now." She walked forward, leading the way inside as she sidestepped crowds and kids that ran throughout the building. She acknowledged his concerned comment of "let me know if it gets too much for you" but otherwise didn't reply.

They tried out all types of games. Rhythm games, racing games, shooting games, sports games, you name it. They joked and laughed, making jabs at each other whenever one was doing better than the other at a game. Unsurprisingly, Yami was the better of the two.

Jessica had just slapped Yami's shoulder as they laughed when a crowd caught their attention. They could hear whistles, cheers, and claps at whatever game they were surrounding.

"I wonder what's going on," Yami said as he tried to stand on his toes to look over the crowd, yet it didn't do any good.

"Eh, what the heck. Let's check it out." She grasped his hand and started pushing through some of the thinner sections of the crowd. She wasn't going to take the chance of losing him in a crowd.

"Are you sure?"

"Nope."

They reached a spot at the front of the crowd to the left where they could see what was happening. It was a Dance Dance Revolution game with dual floors, allowing a two-player match. They caught the last end of a dance-off with a taller dark guy and a smaller boy who looked rather dejected at his obvious loss. From the cheers in the crowd, they found out the winner's name was Johnny Steps.

"Who's next up to the challenge?" Johnny turned to the crowd, yet no one volunteered. "Anyone? How about you, in the hoodie?" He pointed to his right and the crowd hushed.

Jessica froze as she felt all eyes on her, her green eyes wide. Sweat formed on her neck and she tried to protest, "I-I don't know how to play-"

"Oh, come on, it's easy! All you gotta do is step on the arrows at the right time," Johnny insisted, trying to encourage her with a dashing smile and an extended hand.

She could hear encouragement echo throughout the crowd as Yami tried to tell her that she didn't have to accept the challenge. Her nerves spiked and it was as if time stood still, her heart thumping in her chest. It was a challenge. Would Yami or Yugi accept the challenge? Knowing Yugi, she was sure he'd jump at the chance to play a game especially if he was challenged. So she wasn't going to back down either.

"I'll do it," she said loud enough for Johnny to hear. She hated the smirk that played on his face.

"But, Jessica-" Before Yami could finish, she tossed her hoodie at him to hold.

She was wearing a plain, dark gray short-sleeved shirt underneath. She knew she was going to get hot with her hoodie on so she took the risk and discarded it. "I think I can handle one game," she told Yami as she stepped forward. She tried to sound brave but she wasn't sure if it came out that way. She probably wasn't even able to fool Yami.

As she stepped onto the empty platform beside Johnny, he turned towards the screen. "Nice tattoo," he commented with that smirk still on his face.

"Thanks. I wouldn't recommend it," she said with a frown without sparing him a glance. She turned towards her screen as Johnny picked the song and it started.