Usual reminders:

Italics are thoughts. Bold is Malekos' speech.

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

The gentle sway of motion was the first thing that Jessica noticed when she started to wake up. She heard footsteps and felt hands holding her legs. She felt her head resting against something soft yet firm, and she breathed in a familiar scent. She slowly cracked open her eyes and she groaned at the sunlight that battered her eyesight.

"Jess, you're awake! Thank goodness!" Yugi's voice reached her ears and she winced at the throbbing in her head. She felt his hair tickle her face and she lifted her head, seeing him glance over his shoulder at her with relieved violet orbs.

She blinked her green eyes slowly and looked around, noticing that they were walking through the city, with her riding on his back. She placed her left hand on his shoulder to keep herself from falling backwards and used her right hand to reach towards her temples. She paused when she noticed the stained color of blood on her hand. "What..?"

"When I couldn't find you, Yami noticed something strange and went to investigate. He found Malekos standing over some Rare Hunters…" Yugi paused as he gulped and looked away from her. "They were dead..."

She bit her lip and let her hand drop, not daring to touch his jacket with her dirtied hand, dried or not. "I'm sorry… I hoped you wouldn't ever have to see something like that…" She knew what had happened. The Rare Hunters had tried to kidnap her, but Malekos took control and saved her, killing them in his rage.

"I'm just glad you're safe," Yugi told her as he walked over to a bench outside a convenience store. He set her down on it to rest and she assured him that she would be fine so that he could go inside. He went inside to quickly buy a couple items and walked back out, letting his shoulders relax when he saw her right where he left her. "Here." He handed her a small container of wet wipes and a cold bottle of water.

Thanking him, Jessica opened the package of wipes and set to work on wiping the dried blood off her hand. It took a few wipes but she managed to have a clean hand again. Yugi threw the dirty wipes away for her in the nearby trash bin and watched as she opened the bottle and gulped down about half of the water. She let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit better now that she had some fluid in her system.

They rested there for a while until Jessica insisted that they go find a duel for Yugi. He still had the finals to get to. But when she tried to stand, she was still too weak and had to continue riding on his back, which he didn't mind at all. She simply blushed and rested her forehead against his back, mumbling to herself about how much of a burden she was being. He simply chuckled and assured her that he was only trying to help her like friends do, to which she nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence as he walked.

They ended up alongside a canal under a bridge, Yugi lost in thought as he stared into the water. She felt a presence beside them and glanced over to see Yami, also staring into the water. They must be talking. She closed her eyes and listened to the world around them, the cars on the bridge, the water in the canal, and the birds that made their homes under the bridge. She could hear them talking but she didn't want to intrude so she didn't focus on it.

"I sense a darkness approaching."

Yami's voice made her open her eyes and lift her head. She felt it too and Malekos grew restless in her mind. She tensed, gripping Yugi's shoulders as she looked around. She felt him rub his thumbs on her things in reassurance but said nothing as they waited. Something caught her eye and she looked up, gasping when she saw a bald kid leap off the bridge and slide down the slope towards them. She growled softly as she watched the conversation start, and felt Yugi start to set her down. She managed to keep standing, but she still gripped his arm.

"Prepare to duel, and lose your puzzle. Soon you and the entire world will be calling me pharaoh!"

As the conversation continued and Yugi switched places with Yami, Jessica found herself sitting off to the side near the bushes while clutching her water bottle. Her gaze flitted back and forth as they talked until the duel began. She shuffled further away when the holo-emitters landed too close to her, and instead she sat on the stairs nearby. It started off quite interesting. Yami thwarted Strings' strategy at the start and left him defenseless. And then slimes were summoned to the field via a large machine that was put into play.

As Yami hit a standstill, a cage was formed around him and his monster. She clenched her fists around the bottle in her hands, crinkling it loudly. "Yami!" She called, catching his attention. When he looked at her she spoke again. "You can beat him, I know you can!"

He blinked in surprise and then nodded, giving a grateful smile. He turned back to the duel and she could see the gears turning in his head as he thought of a strategy to get out of his sticky situation. But as the sky grew dark suddenly with storm clouds, lightning began to strike all around them, creating marks on the ground. Jessica shrieked and held her hands over her head, hoping they wouldn't hit her.

Then Malekos stirred uncomfortably within her and she peeked at what was happening. A vortex opened up overhead and a large, long red dragon appeared on Strings' side of the field. She gasped as her eyes widened in shock at the sheer power she felt coming from the monster. It had two mouths, one open as it roared at them and caused a gust of wind to buffet them. She shielded her eyes so no dust would get into them and only looked when the wind died down again. It's yellow eyes glared at Yami and she held her breath as it glanced at her from the corner of its eye. It pierced her with its gaze and she was frozen in shock, staring in horror at it. It's looking right at me!

I feel that these Egyptian God cards do not follow the same rules as the rest of them. They're in a league of their own. Just watch. Malekos' tone seemed calm in her mind, and she found herself able to breathe again. She took in a shaky breath and let it out again, allowing herself to relax slightly.

As the cage was lifted, Yami was able to drop Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack points down and he commanded his monster to attack it. She bristled and called out, "Yami, wait!"

But it was too late. The slime saved the dragon from the attack and Slifer's attack points rose again as Strings drew more cards. She bit her lip as she watched Slifer destroy his Buster Blader. And when Yami summoned a new monster, she gasped as Slifer's bottom mouth closed and his second mouth opened to destroy the Dark Magician Girl. She breathed a sigh of relief as she was hidden in three magical hats, along with a strategy he put into play.

She growled as she watched Yami redirect Slifer's attack, only for the slime to block the attack and reform, causing Slifer's attack to rise. Slifer attacked the magician girl, successfully destroying her this time. And she gasped as she watched Yami fall to his knees, looking defeated. Her eyes widened and she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling a bit but managing to stay on her feet. She clenched her fists as she called out to him. "You can't give up!"

"Get on your feet, Yugi!" The new voice startled them both and they looked over, seeing two people standing at the top of the slope. One was very tall and wore a long coat with his arms crossed, and the second boy was much smaller and younger. At Yami's call, she realized that this person was Seto Kaiba, the one who was running the tournament. "Since when do you bow to your rivals?"

"Never."

"Then get up and stop embarrassing yourself so you can defeat this nobody and relieve him of his Egyptian God card. And do it now!" Jessica stayed silent as she held her breath, flicking her gaze between the two. "You can take down this Egyptian God card! Just find out its weakness. Unless, of course, you've lost your touch? If you still have what it takes, then get up and prove it to me now!" He threw out his arm in a dramatic effect. "Maybe your Duelist Kingdom championship was just a fluke!"

Jessica growled as she listened to his words that were part encouraging and part condescending. She turned to call out to Yami, "I know you can do this! You've conquered every challenge you've faced so far. This one is no different!"

Yami's eyes widened at their words and he quickly pushed himself to his feet, causing her to smile in relief. He faced Strings with a hard stare, determination glittering in his eyes once more. She felt her legs start to shake and she allowed herself to plop back down on the stair she had been sitting on before, relaxing as the pressure was taken off of them. She watched as Yami tried to think of a new strategy. After his defense was destroyed, she found herself smiling as he suddenly realized something and was back to his confident self. About time!

"It's a simple matter of common sense," Yami began to explain. "If all of my monsters are too weak, then I'll use your monster to destroy itself!" He challenged Marik's knowledge of the Egyptian God cards and she crinkled the bottle in her hands absentmindedly.

She watched as Yami put his new strategy into play, starting with reviving his Buster Blader. She pursed her lips as she knew what would happen, but stayed silent. Yami knew what he was doing so she just had to believe in him. All she could do was watch as his swordsman attacked and was blocked by the slime, but her eyes widened as the slime reformed on his side of the field instead. She narrowed her eyes as things played out in front of her, and the loop caused her to smirk. He did it! He really is having Slifer destroy itself!

Yes, and because Marik's puppet will have to keep drawing cards, he will run out of them before he can make a move. And as per the rules, no more cards means an automatic loss. Malekos chuckled in her mind.

"Yes! Nice move, Yami!" She cheered, throwing up a fist to the sky. She watched as Kaiba's younger brother retrieved the locator card and the Egyptian God card from Strings before handing it over to Yami. When Yami took the cards and placed them in his belt for safekeeping, she took that moment to push herself to her feet again and run over to them. She stumbled into Yami since she couldn't really stop herself, causing him to catch her with steady hands, and she gripped his shirt with a grin. "You did it! I knew you could do it!" He smiled at her in response and then looked over as Kaiba walked over to them.

"So, you've figured out how to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon. Well done." He smirked as he continued, "It's a shame you won't have it for too long."

"Why not?" Yami asked cautiously.

"Because you and I are going to duel for it right now. Then when I defeat you, Slifer the Sky Dragon will be where it belongs. In my deck." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You see I'm already in possession of one Egyptian God card and I plan to win the others."

Malekos stirred uncomfortably in her mind and she looked around, knowing what that meant. She saw Strings start to move like a puppet and she tugged on Yami's shirt to get his attention, her eyes never leaving the Rare Hunter. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got an eavesdropper."

"You mean you?" Kaiba's accusing question made her growl at him.

"You're as blind as you are arrogant. Over there, doofus!" She pointed at Strings who laughed at them.

"Silly fools!"

Yami growled at him. "I've had enough of your mind tricks, Marik! It's time for you to show yourself!"

"Not to worry, pharaoh. I'm on my way to Battle City as we speak." She bristled as he explained his plan. "Which of your friends would make the best mind slave? Téa? Joey perhaps? Or Jessica?" Her eyes flashed red briefly, causing a headache to form in her mind again and making her wince as she was still weak from what happened before.

"You leave them alone! Understand?" Yami clenched his fists. "I'm warning you!"

"It appears I've hit your sensitive spot, haven't I, pharaoh? Perhaps I can use your friends to get what I want from you, mainly your puzzle and the Egyptian God card you've won."

"You're sick!" Jessica snarled at him, and she felt Yami's grip on her tighten as he brought her closer to his side protectively.

"I told you to leave my friends out of this! Do not test me! If any harm befalls my friends you will regret it. They did nothing to you so you'll settle your score with me!"

"Just as my dragon's weakness destroyed it, your loyalty to your friends will soon destroy you!" Then the body dropped as his mind was released.

Jessica gripped Yami's shirt as she glared down at Strings. How dare he! Using innocent lives for his own gain? How sick can he be?

"I must save them!" As Yami turned, they let go of each other and he began to run off. She surged forward and grabbed his hand as she willed her legs to run. It was a wobbly start but his grip on her hand tightened as he glanced at her. "Jessica, you-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she panted, feeling weak but not allowing it to stop her from running alongside him. Her eyes flashed red briefly. "I told you I'd help you no matter what. We're in this together whether you like it or not. You're just gonna have to deal with it!" He blinked in surprise and then nodded, continuing to run forward as he held her hand.

I wonder how Marik is going to use Jessica, hmm... We'll find out soon. I'll give you another chapter on Monday with FotR's update. I'll be gone for the weekend so I won't be able to update this story in the mean time.

Until then, leave a review!