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.

After running through the tunnel, a doorway appeared at the end and they ran through into a glacier tunnel. Yugi ran to the wall and looked through it, calling out Téa's name. Jessica stood beside him and peered through the ice, seeing a duel taking place on the other side, but they didn't seem to hear him.

He tried to bang on the ice and Jessica tried it as well, hissing through her teeth when she found that it was too sturdy to break. She tried kicking it, but it didn't even crack. She clicked her tongue in contempt, "Damn! It's too thick!"

All they could do was watch the duel and send their prayers to Téa as she fought for her life. She was hit twice with explosions, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Leave her alone! Téa!" Yugi pounded on the ice again until he hung his head, his arms shaking. "If she loses this duel, she'll be trapped here!"

Jessica frowned as she felt her heart twist. Yugi was crying! She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him towards her so that he was facing her instead. He buried his face into her shoulder and hugged her, and she could feel his hands bunching up her hoodie in his fists behind her.

"It's not fair! She's not experienced enough," Yugi whimpered as he continued to tremble. "And she's losing badly!"

"Yugi…" Jessica opened her mouth to reassure him, but Yami beat her to it.

"Téa can win, Yugi. By trusting herself and believing in the Heart of the Cards," he told him gently.

That seemed to calm him down slightly, since he stopped shaking. He turned his head to look at the duel again, and Jessica followed his gaze. They watched as Téa's Dark Magician Girl used her special ability, but Jessica didn't know what exactly was happening. Suddenly, Yugi's deck started glowing and his Dark Magician appeared in front of them. They let go of each other to stare in wonder at him.

"My Dark Magician!" Yugi exclaimed as he and his magician stared at each other, "But how was he summoned?"

The Dark Magician turned and blasted away the ice wall, and Jessica grabbed Yugi and pulled him away from the falling ice chunks on instinct. As the smoke cleared, they could see Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on Téa's side of the field. They both attacked and destroyed everything on the field, including Téa's opponent.

"She did it!" Jessica gasped, staring with wide eyes as she felt Yugi pull away from her grasp and cheer. They watched as the ice surrounding her disappeared and she fell to the ground, unconscious. "Oh no!"

A pathway of ice appeared and Yugi immediately ran along it, with Jessica not far behind. But suddenly the ground gave way under her feet in a perfect circle that could only mean one thing. Noah was transporting her somewhere. Time seemed to slow down as she stepped into the nothingness that awaited her, and gravity started to pull her at the same time. She could see Yugi running at a full sprint towards Téa, not realizing what was happening behind him. Yami was just behind him and he had turned to make sure that she was following, but she saw a look of panic cross his face as he saw what was happening. And neither he nor Jessica had the time to utter a sound before the ground closed around her, cutting her off from her friends. Time sped up as air rushed past her, causing a scream of terror to erupt from her throat as she fell down a virtual tunnel.

And as quickly as it had happened, her back connected with a hard surface that stopped her fall and she groaned as the air was forced out of her lungs. Shuddering from the pain, she rolled onto her hands and knees and peeled her eyes open to look around. She was in a black void, but there was a lit area only ten feet to her right. A couch sat in that area with a small table and a lamp sitting next to it, a potted plant on either side of it for decoration. Standing in front of the couch was Noah, dressed in white with his hands folded behind himself, staring down at her with a smirk.

"Sorry to just drop you in like that, but I didn't want Yugi Muto to interfere," he told her, not at all sounding apologetic about her less than graceful landing.

Growling, she pushed herself to her feet with effort as her back and lungs stung. But at least she was able to breathe. "What do you want with me, Noah?"

"Why don't you have a seat? This couch is quite comfortable and I'm sure you need it after that landing." He gestured to the couch on his left, the smirk never leaving his face.

She narrowed her eyes. "No thanks. I'm fine on my feet."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Suit yourself." He walked a few steps closer to her and stopped halfway, making her tense up in preparation for a fight. "I'm curious, Jessica Wilkes."

She clenched her fists as he spoke her full name, glaring at him. "What about?"

He met her gaze as his expression hardened. "About why your friends don't know anything about the real you."

She flinched, muscles tightening from growing tense. "What do you mean," she asked slowly.

He closed his eyes and paced calmly in front of her, making hand gestures as he talked. "Here you are, being all friendly and trying to protect your friends, but they don't know the real you." He stopped and turned to her, his eyes narrowing as he grinned. "The monster."

She grit her teeth. Many things flashed in her mind about what he could be talking about, but Yugi and Yami both already know about her curse and have met Malekos. But their friends didn't know anything about it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, we both know what I'm talking about." He started pacing in front of her again. "It's sad really. You call yourself their friend but they don't even know your darkest secrets. You're basically lying to their faces." He made a 'tut tut' sound as he shook his head. "That's not a very trustworthy friend."

She bristled, growling at his words. "I've never lied to them!"

"Half-truths are still lies. A piece of the puzzle but not the big picture." He stopped again to stare at her. "And I'm going to show it to them if you won't."

She froze, her eyes widening. "No…" She almost whispered, barely breathing. "You wouldn't-"

"Oh, but I will. They deserve to know the truth." He placed his hands behind his back as he grinned evilly at her. "But I'll let you guess when it'll happen. For now, I'll give you back to your so-called 'friends' since they're so worried about you."

She opened her mouth to say something when something to her left caught her attention. An image displayed in the darkness. Actually, it was several images. Each image showed a different section of the virtual world where their friends were. She could see Duke, Tristan, and Serenity together and didn't seem at all in harm's way. She could see Joey in the middle of a duel in what looked like a courtroom, battling for his body. She could see Kaiba and Mokuba together, walking down memory lane apparently. And finally Yugi and Téa were together, looking absolutely worried as they shivered and walked through the icy wasteland.

"Tata!" At his words, another hole opened up under Jessica and she screamed out curses at him as she fell through.

Not long after she was swallowed by the hole did she find herself landing unceremoniously among a row of benches. She groaned and hissed through her teeth at the assault on her body as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the floor, collecting her legs from being sprawled out across the benches around her. She rubbed her head and only realized she was hearing voices after her heart stopped thudding in her ears. Using the back of one bench and the seat of the other to help push herself to her feet, she looked around. She quickly spotted a monster dressed as a judge facing off against a familiar head of blonde in a duel. They were both staring at her, and Joey's expression of both shock and relief was evident on his face.

"Jessica! Are ya alright?" He asked, concerned after having heard her crash land among the benches.

"If I had a tail, I think it'd be broken by how many times I've fallen on my ass," she commented sarcastically as she rubbed the tender spot for emphasis. "But other than a few bruises, I'm fine."

"Order in the court!" The judge tapped his hammer on his podium to catch their attention. "Now that we've got an audience, let us continue our duel." He pointed the small wooden hammer towards her. "Sit down and don't interfere."

She growled and reluctantly plopped onto the seat of the bench behind her. "Whatever. Kick his ass, Joey!" She crossed both her arms and legs as she glared at the field.

"You got it!" Joey grinned at her and turned back to the duel.

Jessica tuned out their voices and sounds of their duel that had clearly only started before she was dropped in. Cards and monsters flashed on the field as she watched, but her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about what Noah had told her. Just that stupid smug face of his made her growl and dig her nails into her arms.

What exactly was he planning on doing? What was he going to show her friends? Even if they knew about her curse, would they still accept her? Would they still be friendly towards her? Both Yugi and Yami knew most of the story, but she kept the horrors of her early life out of it. She knew they still accepted her, and Yugi even returned her fond feelings for him. But if they saw what she had to go through, would it all come crashing down around her again just like that night?

She didn't even realize she was shaking until she felt the sting of her arms from digging her nails into them. Glancing at her left arm, she saw that her knuckles were white and she was on the verge of drawing blood if she dug even harder into her skin. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths in order to help ease her nerves. She allowed herself to loosen her grip on her arms but otherwise didn't move. She felt Malekos' presence surface as she breathed slowly.

If you wish it, I will find that brat and claw the circuit boards of this world apart myself. She could hear the growl in his voice. And was that a hint of protectiveness? She really has made him go soft, hasn't she?

No. We need to save our strength, she told him firmly. You just recovered and we don't know where he could be hiding. I just want to find the rest of Yugi's friends.

You're still acting like they aren't your friends. It wasn't a question.

She gripped her arms but didn't dig her nails into her skin this time. After what Noah has planned for me, I'm not sure they will be.

Malekos had more to say but he didn't get the chance when the sound of a door opening caught her attention. She twisted so that she could look over her shoulder down the aisle and her heart soared immediately. She visibly relaxed and sighed in relief when she spotted both Yugi and Téa standing in front of the door that closed behind them.

"It's Joey!"

"Hey, Yugi! Téa! Where ya been?" Joey greeted them with a smile, relieved to see them both.

The judge slammed his hammer on his desk again. "Order! Settle down! This court is still in session if you hadn't noticed."

"You're on trial?!" Both Yugi and Téa looked concerned, wondering what their friend had done in this world. Jessica took notice of Yugi's jacket hanging around Téa's shoulders, but she knew it was because of the cold area they had been in. It wouldn't be right to be upset over that. It was only gentlemanly to offer a girl his jacket.

Not getting up from her position, she spoke up for the first time to get their attention. "He's dueling one of the Big Five." The two turned around and spotted her, looking absolutely relieved to see her safe. Yami detached on Yugi's other side and she could also see his relieved face. She gave a small smile.

"And you're just in time to see me wipe the courtroom floor with him!" Joey was cocky, and she could only guess that it was because he thought he had the duel wrapped around his finger.

Johnson, the judge, told them to sit down and they immediately went over to sit with Jessica and watch the duel. Yugi sat between the girls after his jacket was handed back to him and Yami had disappeared back into the puzzle.

Yugi immediately turned to give Jessica a hug, silently noting her peculiar sitting position. "Jess, I'm so glad you're safe! We were so worried," he let go of her and looked her over to make sure she wasn't injured. "What happened?"

Jessica noted Téa's hidden look of jealousy but she was hiding it well with a curious gaze, also wondering what had happened to her after Yugi told her they had been together just before she woke up. She leaned back against the bench and felt Yami's presence reappear on her other side to listen, wanting to know as well. She tapped her index finger on her arm as she turned back to glare at the field. "Noah wanted to have a nice chat before dropping me in here." She muttered under her breath about 'ripping him a new one' that only Yami and Yugi caught due to sitting so close to her. They exchanged a glance.

"What did he want to talk with you about?" Téa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," she bit her lip. It was another half-truth, and by the way Yami crossed his arms from her peripheral view she knew he saw through it. Yet he didn't say anything, and Yugi and Téa had no idea. She gestured with her chin toward the duel to change the subject. "Joey's not doing so well."

Joey had no monsters on the field and Johnson had just fusion summoned a monster and used a card to have it attack right away. It cut down some of Joey's life points, causing concern among the four. Yugi gasped as he saw the card Johnson had played and explained its effects. Johnson would gain life points each time he attacks with his monster as long as it remained on the field.

You may have bought yourself some time by shifting their focus to the duel, but the pharaoh doesn't seem to have bought it, Malekos told her, catching her attention.

She shot a quick glance from the corner of her eye at Yami and he indeed didn't look satisfied with her answer. His gaze kept shifting between her and the duel and back again. She mentally groaned. They'll find out eventually… She wished she had a way to tell time in this world, but even if she did it wouldn't help. Noah never told her when he'd do it. He was leaving her guessing and it made her nerves shoot through the roof worrying about it. It was evident in the way she tapped her suspended foot against her knee, making no sound yet it was a subtle sign that she clearly was not comfortable. She was just glad that Yami was the only one that noticed, and he hadn't brought it up in favor of Yugi being able to watch the duel.

Uh oh, what is Noah going to show everyone about Jessica?