Finally back with another chapter! I was at Six Flags' Hurricane Harbor on Saturday for the first time and I had a blast even though we only got to visit three attractions, and I got kinda sunburnt so that's fun.
Anyway, here's the 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!
After watching Joey's first duel, which Jessica thought was equally as impressive despite all the teasing and mockery he gets from both friends and opponents, she followed Yami through the streets as they searched for his next opponent. As they walked, she couldn't get Malekos' words out of her head. She fiddled with the pocket of her hoodie absentmindedly until Yami's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"What is on your mind, Jessica?" He had asked, watching her fiddle with her hoodie pocket. She couldn't help but giggle at him, causing him to incline his head in confusion. "What's so funny?"
"I don't know if it's because you were a pharaoh or that's just how you talk, but you can just call me Jess like Yugi does." She giggled again as she watched him try to figure out what she meant. "Nevermind, it's probably because you were a king." She shook her head at her own silly statement and then glanced towards their feet. "Anyway… Can I ask you a private question?"
He blinked in surprise and then nodded. "You can ask me anything. Jess." He smiled as he tested out the use of her nickname like she had requested.
She offered a smile and then fiddled with her pocket some more. "Is Yugi listening?"
He was silent for a moment and then nodded. "He will respect your wishes if you don't want him to."
"Please." She waited a moment as he was silent and then nodded, giving her the go-ahead to start speaking. "What does Yugi think of me?"
The question caught him off guard. It definitely wasn't on his list of private questions he had expected from her. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again as he hummed, hooking his thumbs on the pockets of his pants as he looked up towards the sky thoughtfully. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully as he spoke. "He is very fond of you and treasures your friendship above all else."
She scrunched her nose slightly at his response, not sure how to take what he said. Did that mean Yugi only thought of her as a friend or does he think more of her? She let out a sigh, catching Yami's attention again as she kicked a rock in her path. "I value his friendship too," she said slowly as she chose her words carefully.
"There's something else, isn't there?" It was more of a statement than a question. He knew she wasn't saying everything.
"Asking a demon for relationship advice is...interesting," she said, furrowing her brows. "Not bad, just interesting." She had to add that in there quickly before Malekos got upset at her. "As a secret between you and me, I like Yugi… As more than a friend." She felt her face grow hot as she ducked her head, letting her hood shadow her face to hopefully hide the blush on her cheeks. Saying it out loud was more embarrassing than she thought.
"I see." She could just hear the smirk in Yami's voice and she took a chance and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was staring forward as they walked and definitely smirking. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, to be honest. But your secret is safe with me." He gave her a reassuring smile, to which she gratefully returned.
"Thank you." She let out a relieved sigh and lifted her head so her neck wasn't so scrunched anymore. "I'll try to get along with Joey and the others better too. I feel bad for giving everybody the cold shoulder at the start, but friendship was never in my dictionary because of my curse." She shook her head a bit and then gave a smile as she blushed sheepishly. "But you and Yugi really changed that for me and I'm really grateful for it." She turned to give him a closed-eyed smile. "Thank you for being my friend, Yami."
Yami smiled warmly and reached out to pat the top of her head, ruffling her head a bit. "And thank you for being my friend." They shared a laugh and continued along in a comfortable silence after that. They walked through a small playground area until a strange laugh caught their attention.
"Hello, Yugi. We've been looking for you." It was someone dressed in a jester outfit, with a mask to hide his face.
"Who's 'we'?" Jessica asked, crossing her arms.
"You'll find out if you head that way. 53 steps forward and into that tent." The jester pointed ahead of them to a circus tent across the street in an empty lot. "My master is waiting for you inside. It's in your best interest to go." He then laughed and back-flipped into the bushes and promptly disappeared from view.
"Master…" Jessica echoed softly and then gasped. "A Rare Hunter!"
"I'm afraid so." Yami nodded his agreement and started walking forward.
"You know, we could be walking into a trap. Are you sure about this?" She glanced at him with furrowed brows, a concerned frown on her lips.
"I'll have to face them eventually. They can't harm me unless they duel me first."
Jessica sighed, knowing he wasn't going to back down. She followed at his side as they crossed the street and entered the tent. It was dark inside and empty except for a stage with a tall box on it. It had three question marks on the box, and there were some stairs that led up to the stage. There was also a sign that hung above the stage.
"There's nobody here," Yami pointed out, glancing around. He read the sign aloud. "Magic Show?"
Suddenly the stage lights turned on, making Jessica flinch in surprise, and the box opened up to reveal the jester peaking through. "Enter here, Yugi. My master's waiting." He then slid back inside the box into the darkness, and she wondered just where he disappeared to.
"We're going in there, aren't we?" She frowned, glancing over at Yami.
He simply started walking forward as if he were in a trance and she groaned, reaching out to grip his jacket so she didn't lose him. They stepped up onto the stage towards the gaping box of darkness and she tightened her grip on his jacket as they stepped through with Yami in the lead. Suddenly the other side opened up to a completely different area that definitely wasn't the circus tent. She still gripped his jacket as they looked around.
Suddenly, a light turned on in front of them and an old computer screen started talking. It showed Yami's profile picture but spoke Yugi's full name, his star ranking, and his rare card: the Dark Magician. The card morphed into a different Dark Magician with red clothes, and then suddenly extended as a hologram to tower over the top of them. She held her breath as it began to speak.
"I've been waiting for you," it laughed with a sinister smirk. "You are not worthy of having me in your deck so prepare to lose me forever! You're not the only duelist with my power in their deck, Yugi, and you're certainly not the best." It pointed its staff towards them, mainly at Yami. "It's time that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!"
As Jessica stuck her tongue out childishly at the hologram, Yami smirked as he realized something. "Alright, enough of these tricks." He called out, glancing to the side.
Suddenly, a new figure appeared with that same creepy laugh as the jester from earlier. It was a man dressed in a red suit and a top hat, a black and white striped bowtie, and a striped mask of the same color that covered the top half of his face starting at the point of his nose with horns that pointed downward on the sides. He held a Dark Magician card in his hand, that arm adorning a duel disk. "Welcome, Yugi Muto. I am the illusionist known as Arkana. And soon your favorite card will be dueling for me!" He grinned and it sent shivers down her spine.
You were right, little one. That is another Rare Hunter. I sense the rod has touched his mind before, but he's not currently under its power. Malekos told her within her mind. She acknowledged him but said nothing, simply watching and listening.
"Only a true master of illusion deserves to hold a Dark Magician," Arkana told them. "You will never understand it's full potential." His grin grew wider.
Yami growled as he turned towards Arkana. "That is enough, Arkana!"
"Sorry, Yugi." Arcana took slow steps forward towards them. Jessica took a step closer to Yami in response. "I know it must be hard to think of your favorite card in another duelist's deck." He stopped and gave a wicked grin. "Well, I challenge you to a duel! The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician!"
"And I accept," Yami said without hesitation. "You must know that when a duelist builds his deck he chooses his favorites from many different types of cards. But sometimes a card can choose a duelist! The two are connected and the duelist can tap into the card's true power." He reached down and whipped his deck out of his extra belt like a gun out of its holster. "Because each is bound by the Heart of Cards. And the Dark Magician has chosen me." He started shuffling his deck flawlessly without looking away from Arcana. "He has never let me down, and I place my complete trust in my Dark Magician." He pulled a card from his deck and held it up to show his own Dark Magician adorned in purple.
Jessica had to contain the urge to whistle at his confidence, and how Arkana lost his cool at Yami's words. It was honestly fun to watch Yami get under his opponent's skin with just sheer confidence and a play of words that spoke volumes. It sent excited shivers through her as she was eager to watch the duel. She could practically see the two different magicians staring each other down in spirit behind their masters.
"So it's true. The great Yugi Muto never backs down from a challenge. Very impressive." Jessica blinked and the illusions of the magicians both disappeared. Arkana gestured to a downward staircase behind him, speaking of a 'special' duel ring below. So they all headed down the stairs with Arkana in the lead. They followed him through a door to a room with an indented circle in the floor. "I had it specially made for this match."
As Arkana laughed his creepy laugh, Jessica glanced around the room. Curtains hung from the ceiling but it was otherwise an empty room. No cameras, as Arkana explained to them, and no other presence that would've revealed an audience of sorts. She stayed on normal ground as she watched the duelists step toward the center of the circle where a table sat with an odd marking on it. They placed their decks on that table and then shuffled the other's deck before passing them back to their rightful owner. With a cautious eye, she didn't see any foul play with Yami's deck as it was returned to his hands.
"There's an extra downside to losing!" Jessica bristled at Arkana's words and the floor slowly started to shift and change beneath his and Yami's feet. They both slid backwards as the table disappeared into the floor and their ankles were locked into the shackles that had extended from the perimeter of the circle.
"Oh no!" She gasped, clenching her fists as she watched with concern as spinning saw blades appeared from the free sides of the circle. From the way they were placed into the wall, she could see each saw had a route straight for a duelist's legs. The stakes were that the loser would not only lose their Dark Magician, but their mind as well. "That's playing dirty," she growled out, earning Arkana's attention.
"I'm sorry, did I forget to include the little lady in our stakes?" That wicked grin sent a chill down her spine.
"Touch me, and you'll regret it," she sneered.
"Interrupt this duel and that won't be the only thing you'll worry about," he laughed, making her growl.
She met Yami's gaze and he gave her a thumbs up, and she knew what that meant. He would be okay. She frowned worriedly but kept her mouth closed, crossing her arms in an attempt to hug herself. She listened as Arkana explained the rules of the duel. Their life points directly related to how close the saws got to the duelist, and a key lies within a locked box at their feet. It would open only when the duelist won, and they could unlock their legs. But the loser would lose their mind to the Shadow Realm forever.
She could only hold her breath as the duel began, the saw blades whirring to life with a sickening metallic sound that echoed in her ears, and lights around the ring turned on, most likely the holographic emitters for the duel. They danced with colors the same way the ones on the duel disks did when launched. They each played a monster in defense mode and that was when it all turned around.
On Yami's second turn, he had managed to completely throw Arkana off his pedestal and attacked his life points directly with his faithful Dark Magician. The saw blade whirred closer to Arkana's legs before stopping at his life point counter, and the man was practically sweating buckets already.
Jessica grinned and called out in excitement, "Way to go!" She threw her fist into the air and smiled when Yami sent her a grateful glance. She knew her cheers were appreciated, so she would have to work on it more. Now all they had to do was see what Arkana would pull out of his deck next now that his original strategy was thwarted so early.
The remainder of the duel will be posted tomorrow so stay tuned. Please leave a review!