Part Three

Joey smiled and hummed to himself as he got dressed. He was getting together with his friends and he looked forward to the get-together. He sensed a nervousness that wasn't his and figured it was Jono. He knew Yugi and Kaiba could converse with their other halves via telepathy and decided to try it.

"You okay, Jono?" he asked. He was delighted when he got a response.

"I'm a little nervous."

"Yeah, I sensed that." He looked into the mirror and saw Jono drifting behind a shoulder. He glanced back, but saw nothing; Jono was only visible in the glass. He turned back to it.

"What if they don't like me? Or if my presence drives your friends away?"

"Jono, they'll like you. Your presence won't drive them away. Remember, Yugi has Atem and no one ran from him."

"Yeah, you're right. Okay, let's go." Jono vanished and Joey headed out of the room and the house.

"So, you talked with Seto yesterday?" Tea asked.

Joey grinned. "Sure did. He's so different from Kaiba; easy to talk to and he doesn't insult me. He's a nice guy."

"He sure is," Jono agreed. "Maybe he can get Kaiba to be nicer to you."

"Maybe. The guys needs friends."

Joey blinked when Tristan waved a hand and said, "Hello? You there, Joey?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Well, you looked like you were in outer space or talking to yourself."

"I wasn't exactly talking to myself," Joey said slowly. He then stared at the table and shifted uncomfortably.

"You okay, Joey?" Yugi asked.

Joey looked into Yugi's concerned eyes and could almost see Atem looking through his friend's eyes too. He sensed Jono shifting on his feet. He sighed. "Guys, I have something to tell you." He took a deep breath. "I have another soul inside me. Just like you, Yug'."

Tristan and Tea exchanged wary looks while Yugi seemed amazed. "You do? What's his name?"

"It's Jono and get this: He's Seto's best friend."

Yugi's mouth dropped. "He is? Wow, that's amazing."

"Can we meet him?" asked Tea, suddenly interested.

"Sure." He closed his eyes and said, "Come out and say hello."

The switch from Joey to Jono was noticeable as some of the blond hair turned brown. He opened his eyes and gave everyone a shy smile that was nonetheless friendly and so reminiscent of Joey. "Hi," he said.

Tea and Tristan blinked in mild surprise while Yugi smiled warmly. "Hi, Jono. Joey didn't say a lot about you."

"Mostly because I didn't tell him much and he hasn't explored my memories." Suddenly, he blushed and said, "Oh, gods, I'm sorry."

Yugi blinked at this outburst. "What?"

"I was talking about memories and I learned from Joey that the pharaoh had been trying to recover his."

"It's okay," Yugi said. "Atem has his memories now and were we surprised when we learned we would stay together."

"Like Joey and me."

"Don't forget Kaiba and Seto," Tea said.

"Or Ryou and Bakura," Tristan added.

Jono's head whipped around to look at Tristan. "B-Bakura?" he whispered, voice trembling slightly.

"Yeah. You okay, man?"

Jono shook his head. "It's just it's because of Bakura's monster that I died."

"Oh, Jono. That's terrible," Tea said, putting a hand on his shoulder. This gesture gave Jono comfort and he felt at ease with people he didn't really know.

I will have to look through Joey's memories of his friends to know them.

"I apologize that your life was cut short," a deep voice said, catching Jono's attention. He looked over to see that Yugi and Atem had quietly switched.

Jono immediately got up and knelt before Atem. "My pharaoh. I do not blame you for trying to stop the thief. I was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Nevertheless, I am sorry and you do not need to kneel. It's not necessary."

Jono rose and resumed his seat. "As you wish."

"Joey said you're Seto's best friend," Atem continued. "But he lived in a village before becoming a priest. How did you end up in my city?"

"The village was destroyed by a band of robbers. I managed to escape and traveled to your city, looking to earn a living. I succeeded in running a fruit stand for a few years until that fateful night."

"When did you end up in Joey's body?" Tristan asked.

"It was yesterday morning. I was confused at first. I was in the afterlife happy to be with my family and Seto and then Seto suddenly vanished. I didn't know that he was connecting with his other half. Then, I felt myself being pulled from the afterlife and placed in Joey's mind, technically. I was told that Joey was my other half and we had to stay together until Joey dies whenever that is."

There were nods all around. Yugi, Ryou, and Kaiba had all said the same thing about their respective other halves.

"What kind of family did you have?" Tea inquired, wondering if it was similar to Joey's.

"Actually, it was just my parents and me. I had a good childhood, assisting my parents in the fields with the other villagers and playing with the other children, like Seto."

Jono talked on about daily life in his village; the labor, mealtimes, clothing, jewelry, and games. He was surprised to find that the games of leapfrog and piggy-back were still played today; though piggy-back was more of a game between a parent and his or her young child.

"So, what games do teenagers play?" he asked, regretting that he hadn't explored Joey's memories extensively; he had been fascinated with his ability to read. He planned to remedy that oversight as soon as possible.

"Maybe we could show you," Tristan said. "That is, if Joey's okay with that."

Jono tilted his head as he heard Joey say, "Go ahead and have fun."

Jono grinned. "Joey's…cool with it."

Atem and Yugi switched back as the gang stood to show Jono a good time. "He's a lot like Joey, but different too," Yugi said.

"Yes, just as Seto is like Kaiba, but he's different as well. For one thing, Seto likes Joey," Atem said.

Yugi followed his friends into the arcade, ready to have fun with a new friend.

Jono couldn't believe what he was experiencing. He was in a world that seemed magical. If Joey and I weren't two halves of a whole, I wouldn't be here to discover this. He watched Tristan and Yugi demonstrate different types of games and as Tea showed off at the dancing game. He tried out a few and enjoyed himself. He knew he would remember this forever and intended to start a diary to record these experiences so that he could re-live it through reading. I know one other thing I want to do, but first I have to ask Joey a couple of questions.