Usual reminders:
Italics are thoughts or word emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech or thought emphasis.
I do not claim to own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I only own Jessica and Malekos.
Yugi and Jessica ran down the hallway for what seemed like forever before they both stopped to catch their breath. The pathway was black with glowing white lines that striped the entire path that seemed to stretch for miles both behind them and in front of them. Jessica took in a deep breath and suddenly wrapped her arms around Yugi's shoulders in a tight squeeze, catching him off guard and making him squeak.
"J-Jess!"
Jessica rubbed her cheek against his with a hum before letting him go, seeing him blushing as he blinked at her in surprise. She giggled, "I told you I'd hug you. You really had me worried back there."
Yugi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he muttered an apology. He reached out and laced their fingers together instead, and she accepted it with a soft hum. He glanced down the pathway in front of them with a frown. "Does this tunnel ever end?"
"It might." Yami's sudden appearance and voice next to her made her flinch in surprise before relaxing again. "But only when Noah wants it to. You mustn't forget, Yugi. He's controlling everything around us."
Yugi clenched his free hand into a fist and gave Jessica's hand a light squeeze. "Noah can try to stop us if he wants to but we're going to find our friends, no matter what!"
After nodding and Jessica sticking her tongue childishly up at the ceiling as if Noah could see her, which she was sure he could, they started running down the pathway once more. Yugi and Jessica were still holding hands as they ran with Yami's spectral form behind them.
You're such a child. Malekos' voice cut into her thoughts as she ran, though she barely had much time to think between trying to breathe evenly while moving her legs at a steady pace.
And you're a millennia old demon who likes to tease that child. She shot back at him.
He rolled his eyes at her in her mind and changed the subject. I've been thinking back on some of the things Noah has been letting on that he knows, and it's odd that he knows who you are. You still haven't even told Yugi your full name.
The topic of choice was definitely one she didn't like and she let it show as she frowned, furrowing her brows. She barely registered as they stopped to catch their breath again, letting their hands go so they could hold onto their knees while they took in deep breaths. You sure know how to ruin a mood. She let out a breath through her nose and stood up straight, not paying attention to anything as she was too focused on talking with Malekos. But you're right. I would like to know how Noah knows about me. And what he knows about me. Even if he is a spoiled brat, he seems to know a lot more than he lets on.
Exactly my point. And if he knows about our curse, then this situation just got all the more interesting.
"Jess?"
Jessica blinked in surprise as Yugi's voice cut into her thoughts. She turned and saw both Yugi and Yami's spectral form staring at her in confusion and slight concern. "Sorry, I was talking to Malekos."
It was their turn to be surprised. "Malekos is back?"
She nodded, "Yeah, he came back from recovery when our duel with Gansley started. We've been talking a little bit about Noah since then." She gave a nonchalant shrug.
"What about Noah?"
Jessica opened her mouth to answer when suddenly a sharp pain pulsed through her head and she held it in her hand with a grimace. She hissed through her teeth and was about to ask Malekos what was going on when she heard his deep voice right beside her.
"We were talking about his intelligence level." Opening her eyes, she could see Malekos in spectral form staring at the two boys in front of them. He was only visible from his shoulders and up.
She growled as she turned on him, still clutching her head in pain. "Why does everything you do hurt me?"
He cast a sideways glance at her. "If you weren't so weak, this wouldn't be as much of a problem."
"And whose fault is that?!"
"Guys!" Yugi cut in as he grasped Jessica's free hand in his to help soothe her. "Let's focus."
Malekos huffed but didn't argue further. "Noah knows things about Jessica that he shouldn't. Her last name has been buried for years and suddenly he brings it up like it's common knowledge. Which brings us to our next question. How much does he know?"
The four of them were silent for a moment until suddenly the scenery around them started to warp. Instinctively, Yugi and Jessica held each other close as they were suddenly teleported, falling into a black nothingness as they screamed. They landed unceremoniously at the bottom and quickly untangled themselves, nursing their bottoms as they got up.
Jessica hissed through her teeth. "I'm getting real tired of being thrown all over the place."
"Me too." Yugi looked around and gasped. "Jess, look!" She followed his gaze and they saw that they were surrounded by four different doors that could lead anywhere. Yami appeared next to Yugi in spectral form as they debated on the doors. "Which door to choose?" He started walking towards one of them. "If we don't pick one, we're stuck here!"
Yami must have sensed something because he whipped around to try to stop his host. "Don't touch it!" He successfully stopped Yugi, making both teenagers stare at the spirit curiously. "We have to test all these doors for traps first."
Jessica snapped her fingers together. "You're right! Noah wouldn't just let us open a couple doors to peek through so easily."
Yami nodded, "Precisely."
Yugi fished something out of his pocket. Jessica could see a silver coin between his fingers before he flicked it at the door he was about to touch. It bounced off and a light monster appeared, roaring at them. The coin landed at Yugi's feet once more. "Testing doors is definitely smart," he breathed, realizing he would've been that monster's lunch.
"We won our duel," Yami said as he narrowed his eyes. "But I sense a whole new game has just begun."
A shiver ran through Jessica and she hugged herself. "I'd like a break from games for a while…"
Suddenly, a quivering voice echoed around them. "Man, it's cold! I can't take much longer…"
Yugi gasped, "Téa!" He looked up, along with Yami and Jessica. "Where are you, Téa? Tell me!"
Her quivering voice echoed again. "It's so cold…"
"Téa needs our help right now! We have to find what part of this virtual world Noah sent her to!" Yugi exclaimed as he looked at Jessica and Yami.
"Yeah, but this place is so vast and Noah can just change where we are at the touch of a finger," Jessica told him with a huff, crossing her arms.
"Noah's letting us hear her just to torture us," Yami deduced, narrowing his eyes. "What a cruel trick."
Yugi clenched his fist. "We have to break out of here and find her!" He turned and started running towards the door he had just tested.
"Yugi, wait!" Jessica reached out to stop him, but it was too late. He rammed the door and it sent him backwards with a flash of light. "Yugi!" She ran to his side and helped him up. "We can't just rush into things right now."
Yami knelt down beside them. "Jessica is right, Yugi. Don't panic. That's just what Noah wants us to do."
"What about Téa?" Yugi asked worriedly, making Jessica bite her lip.
Yami glanced at the doors. "Look up, over the doors." They followed his gaze and noticed something etched on the doorframes.
"A star," Jessica breathed, standing up. She looked at the other doors and saw more stars on them. "They're above all the doors!"
"Of course!" Yugi stood up beside her. "In Duel Monsters, stars represent a monster's strength."
"Right. So I'd say behind that door lies a one-star monster," Yami told them.
"And I bet if I can defeat it, we can get through that doorway!" Yugi drew a card from his deck and summoned it before him, surprising Jessica. Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress appeared with a growl and he sent it to attack the door. A flying snake appeared at the door and the dragon instantly vaporized it, clearing the path.
"Alright, we'll go in," Yami said. "But who knows where it leads."
"Hopefully to Téa." Yugi led the way as the three of them ran through the open doorway, only to come through on the other side to an identical room. They tried the same strategy again a few more times, only to end up in the same spot each time.
"We don't seem to be getting anywhere," Yami realized.
Téa's voice echoed around them again. "It's freezing! My legs are numb!"
"We're coming, Téa!" Yugi called out and then turned to Yami and Jessica. "We gotta find our way out of here right now!"
Yami noticed something. "Look on the floor." They followed his gaze and saw the coin Yugi had used earlier.
"That's the same coin I threw at the door," Yugi gasped.
Jessica groaned, glancing over her shoulder at the dark space they just came through. It faded back to light, trying to trick them if they lost track of it. "That door must've put us back where we started." So she kept her back to it to make sure she knew which door it was.
"We've just been running around in circles!"
"Well, why don't we try those other doors?" Jessica suggested as she gestured to the three remaining doors. She heard Yami hum and watched as the two boys conversed about their options. She let out a quiet sigh through her nose and left them to it, allowing her mind to wander. Hey, Malekos?
His presence surfaced at the forefront of her mind, showing that he was listening even if he didn't respond.
What do you suppose Noah could be getting from all this? He's letting the Big Five have their way with us, but what does he get out of it for himself?
That part is unclear. Maybe once you save your friends you'll find out the answer.
Jessica closed her eyes and hummed quietly in thought. Yes, but we're currently stuck-
"Hey, Jess!" Yugi's voice interrupted her thoughts and she opened her eyes, seeing him standing in front of an open doorway under the two stars. Both he and Yami were waiting for her. "I think we've figured it out! Come on!"
"Coming!" She jogged over to them and they entered the doorway together. They ran down the tunnel and suddenly stopped when they heard Téa's voice again.
"I'm f-freezing! I don't know how much longer I can last out here!"
"We're getting close," Yami said as he appeared once more. He seems to come and go as he pleases quite often.
"Yeah, Téa's getting louder!" Yugi started to grin, feeling more determined and confident. His plan had worked. He turned and started running again, with Jessica close behind him. "I see another set of doors ahead!" They stopped and looked around. "We need the three-star door."
Jessica glanced at the stars on each door and pointed to it, "That one! But there's something else over it."
"Are those face-down cards?" Yugi asked thoughtfully.
"Let's find out!" Jessica pulled a card from the deck still attached to her arm and summoned it. "Pitch-Black Warwolf, attack!" It lunged at the door on command and then howled as it was destroyed, and one of the markings above the door disappeared. "Well, there's your answer." She shrugged nonchalantly at them.
Yugi hummed thoughtfully. "We need to get rid of those cards above the door…"
"So try again," Yami suggested, arms crossed as he watched.
Yugi summoned Gazelle and a weaker monster appeared at the doorway. "Say goodbye!"
"Wait! Another card is being activated!" Yami called out.
Sure enough, one of the cards above the door disappeared and a scythe materialized in the monster's hand, raising its attack power. Yugi summoned Berfomet before fusing his monsters together to form Chimera. The beast crushed the monster easily under its paws with a roar and the doorway was opened.
"Yes! Let's go!" Yugi exclaimed and started running through the tunnel.
"Wait for me!" Jessica called out and started running after him, trying to catch up. He was slightly faster than her even though they were the same height, but she didn't let that deter her. They entered the room on the other side and she could see him looking around with a determined face. They spotted the four-star door, but Yami stopped them from making any rash decisions.
"Patience, Yugi. You must be very careful," he told him as he examined the archway above the door. "This door has been equipped with five cards. Noah could have hidden just about anything behind that door, and you're low on cards. So choose wisely."
Yugi was about to play his favorite card when Yami stopped him again. So he played a magic card that destroyed all the cards on the door.
"Nice work. Now his monster stands alone with no face-down cards to protect it!"
A monster appeared at the doorway and glared at them. Yugi summoned a monster and sent it to attack. It was destroyed by the monster guarding the door, but that monster grew stars on its body and was destroyed as well. "Oh yeah!" Yugi grinned with a triumphant fist, making Jessica smile and giggle. "This could be the last door. Come on!" He darted for the door and she was right on his heels this time.
Yes, Malekos can sort of do similar things as Yami since he resides within Jessica. But Jessica isn't physically or mentally that strong yet so he isn't able to materialize fully like Yami can, that's why he was only visible from his shoulders and up. He most likely won't be doing it that often anyways so it won't matter lol.