Here's the next part!
Usual reminders:
Italics are thoughts or word emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech.
I do not claim to own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I only own Jessica, Malekos, and Zahra.
The gang made their way back down to the lounge after the duel was over, looking solemn after what had happened at the top of the blimp. Odion was rushed to his room to receive medical attention right away, and they were all left with chills after what they learned about the real Marik, and what had transpired after Odion fell. They had some time to spare while they waited for the next duel so the gang followed Yugi as he went to fetch Jessica. They entered the lounge and saw her sitting in a meditative pose on a chair, a bitten apple and a half-empty water bottle sitting on the table beside her.
"Jessica, you're not going to believe what happened up there!" Yugi jogged over to her, his friends not far behind him.
"Yeah, dat psycho Marik was trickin' us da whole time," Joey added as they gathered around Jessica, who hadn't moved an inch.
When she didn't respond, they all furrowed their brows and exchanged confused glances while Yugi knelt down beside her. "Jess? Are you okay?" He reached out to grab her shoulders, but a green aura surrounded his hands the moment he touched her, causing him to pull away in shock. He blinked, confused. It didn't hurt him.
"What's wrong with her?" Téa asked, looking concerned for the girl for the second time. The first time was when Jessica had come down with a fever and hadn't woken up until after they brought her to the blimp.
Yugi shook his head, not knowing the answer. He clenched and unclenched his hands into loose fists as he tried to figure out what just happened. He then decided to try again, grabbing hold of her shoulders and not letting go even as the green aura appeared around his hands again. It almost felt warm on his skin, and it gently licked the air as he tried to shake Jessica awake. "Jessica!" She didn't wake up, seeming to be almost asleep as she sat there.
Jessica scoffed at Zahra, "Yeah, and it took two years before a tragedy struck."
Zahra opened her mouth to speak, but a shudder in the water at their feet cut her off. Ripples lapped at their feet and spread out until it calmed once more. "Our time has been cut short. You are being called."
Jessica glanced around at the water and then looked at Zahra again. "Wait! Where is Malekos now? I can't find him!"
Zahra smiled softly as she folded her arms together in her sleeves again. "If you look hard enough, you will find him." Her body started to fade into the darkness. "We will meet again soon."
Jessica had reached out to grab Zahra, her mouth open to shout "don't go" when she was suddenly pulled back into the darkness, and she was finally aware of somebody shaking her. Disoriented, she allowed herself to fall forward into the person's arms, causing them to gasp and catch her before she fell.
"Jessica!" Yugi's voice reached her ears and she blinked her eyes open. She lifted her head and saw his worried face and how his features softened with relief as she woke up. She also noted his friends were crowded around them with equally worried and relieved faces. "I'm so glad you're back!"
"Huh?" Jessica allowed him to pull her to her feet, although she was wobbly from still being slightly disoriented from her ordeal. "What happened?" She glanced over at Joey. "The duel is over?"
"Yeah! I kicked some serious keester!" Joey clenched his fist with a triumphant grin, but the slightly troubled faces of everyone else caused Jessica to furrow her brows.
"Congratulations, but… You guys don't seem that happy about it."
Yugi shook his head and they all took turns explaining the events on the top of the blimp. How Odion had summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra and it retaliated in anger, striking both him and Joey down with lightning. How Joey won the duel by being able to get back on his feet in time. How with Odion's fall, Marik's true identity was revealed and he went 'psycho' as the boys described it.
Jessica scrunched up her face and held the side of her head with a hand. "That's a lot to take in…"
"You should rest," Yugi urged her, and his friends agreed seeing as how she still looked weak. "Let's go back to my room and talk."
Jessica didn't protest as she allowed him to lead her down the hall towards his room, ignoring the teasing remarks of the gang as they were left behind. Once safe in their room, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her hands, barely registering as both Yugi and Yami sat on either side of her.
"Jess… What happened while we were gone?" Yugi asked, his voice soft with concern. He reached over to grab her hand and gently held it in both of his, sending a soothing warmth through her.
Jessica's brows furrowed as she lifted her head, but didn't look at either of them. "I'm… I'm not entirely sure myself." She let out a sigh and ran her free hand through her hair. "Malekos' presence is faint and I'm worried. After you left, I tried to see if I could find him somehow by focusing my energy…" She suddenly turned to look at Yugi with a conflicted gaze. "I didn't find him but I found something else. A past I didn't know about."
She felt both Yugi and Yami's presence tense up beside her. "What do you mean?" It was Yami who asked.
She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, recalling the image of Zahra. "A woman named Zahra came to me. Do you recognize her name?" She turned to look at Yami, waiting for his response.
Yami was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I can't say that it sounds familiar to me. I don't think I've met anyone by that name before."
"Who is she?" Yugi asked, softly squeezing her hand.
Jessica glanced at Yugi again as she spoke. "She told me that I'm her reincarnation, and she showed me the past… During the war 5,000 years ago." She felt them both tense up again. "It was in ancient Egypt but I don't think she had any connection to the throne." She explained to them what she saw and what Zahra had told her. The boys listened quietly as she talked and she watched as a conflicted look crossed Yugi's face. "What's wrong," she asked softly, knowing something was bothering him.
"D-Do you still feel that connection to him?" Was his squeaked response.
Jessica blinked in surprise and it took her a moment to figure out what he meant. She smiled softly and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "No. I don't think any of Zahra's lives after that felt any type of way about him. I like you, and you only." He blushed before smiling softly, relief flooding his violet eyes. She continued with a sigh, allowing a frown to settle on her face again. "This is just all so confusing… I wish I could've talked with her more."
"Sorry," Yugi apologized quietly, making her shake her head.
She cupped his cheek with her free hand, making him look at her. "It's okay. You were worried about me. I honestly didn't expect for any of that to happen so I should be the one apologizing." They shared a laugh. "Besides, she said we would talk again so I just have to believe it."
"Will you tell us when you know more?" Yami asked, speaking up from her other side.
"Of course!" She smiled at both of them. "I'm not sure I could keep anything from you two even if I wanted to."
They shared another laugh before the announcement was called for all duelists to be present. Jessica decided to stay in the room and rest while they went up to watch the next duel so they parted ways with a hug. Left to herself once more, she decided to take a power nap to regain some of her strength. When she woke up again, she sat up on the bed and pulled herself into the same meditative pose as before. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, focusing on Malekos' faint presence in the back of her mind. It took a while just like the first time she tried it, but she suddenly felt the same sensation of being pulled into another space.
When her feet touched the ground, she opened her eyes. The area was dimly lit and the stones surrounding her were not unlike a horror film, old and crumbling in some areas. What was keeping the hall lit, she had no idea. Instead, she walked forward down the hallway until it opened up into a larger area filled with darkness. She could see rusted bars halfway into the room, but she couldn't see anything past them. She tried to squint to see if it would help her see into the darkness, but that didn't work.
"Malekos?" She tried calling out, listening as her voice faintly echoed back down the hallway behind her.
Red eyes appeared in the darkness behind the bars and she found herself tensing despite herself. She gulped and stepped closer until she was just in front of the rusted bars, and suddenly she could see inside. It was like what one would expect from an old prison cell. A stone wall surrounded by bars with a stone platform that served as a bed against the wall, having no cushions. Sitting on that platform and leaning against the wall was the demon that she had seen from the vision of the past. Malekos looked worn out as he stared at her, his gaze unreadable as he frowned at her.
"I see you've learned some new tricks," he commented. "Why have you come here?"
Jessica scrunched up her face as she crossed her arms. "I can barely feel your presence and you have the nerve to ask me why I'm here?"
He scoffed at her, closing his eyes. "Just as your body gets weak from using too much power, so does mine. Your body doesn't allow for much power usage."
"Yeah, well I was worried. You could've given me a hint."
He opened his eyes to glare at her. "Unfortunately, I'm too weak to speak to you in your mind. After I rest, I will return to you."
She tilted her head as she was silent for a moment. "Do you hate me?"
It was his turn to scrunch his face, but in confusion this time. "Why would you ask that?"
She gave a tiny shrug as she hugged herself. "I just wanted to know your feelings about me, that's all. This is the most we've ever spoken to each other."
He let out a sigh. "I don't hate you anymore."
"So you did hate me?"
"Are you deaf?"
She rolled her eyes. "Then I have one more question for you."
"What?"
She stepped closer to the rusted bars until she was mere inches from them. She stuck her arm through and held her hand out for a handshake. She watched as he eyed her curiously. "Can we be friends from now on?"
He blinked in surprise and was silent for a while. She almost thought he wasn't going to accept when he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to her. Just on the other side of the bars now, she had to tilt her head upwards in order to see his face. He hesitantly grasped her smaller hand in his much larger one, giving it a gentle shake as if he were worried about breaking her arm. "Friends."
She found herself smiling at him for the first time as she retracted her hand through the bars. "Then, I'll let you rest now. See you later." She felt herself fade and get pulled back to reality before he could answer, though she wasn't sure if he would anyway.
We finally know what Malekos looks like and now they've agreed to be friends! And yes, Jessica was correct. Zahra is not connected to the throne at all. She just happened to be living in a town in Egypt somewhat near the castle. I'm still debating on who her fiancé should be, but for now it's left a mystery!
Leave a review and tell me what you think~