DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

Mind Game Part I

Marik had left. They were just waiting for the medical staff to get up and pick up Odion. That was when Téa stepped up to Sharee. 'You knew it was him the whole time?' she demanded.

'Yes,' Sharee said.

'Why didn't you tell us?' Téa demanded. 'We could've avoided this!'

'Don't be ridiculous.' Sharee scowled. 'Look at how you're reacting now. You're acting like its offensive that you got fooled. Would that have been good before we got up here? I don't think so. Besides, you really should have worked it out yourselves. Marik couldn't have made it more obvious if he smacked you with a neon sign.'

'No, he didn't!' Téa insisted. 'He's a really good actor! I honestly thought he was a nice guy.'

'For you, that's not saying much.' Sharee's tone turned irritated. 'Let me ask you something. Who was with you when you got kidnapped?'

'Well…Joey.'

'Who else?'

'Namu was there too,' Joey reminded her.

Sharee raised her eyebrows. 'So why wasn't he grabbed?'

Téa frowned for just a moment before she caught on. Her eyes widened to saucers and her jaw dropped. Joey slapped himself in the head. 'Duh!' Sharee chuckled and nodded. She walked over to the lift as the medical staff finally came up to the top of the blimp where they'd been waiting.

'In future, Téa, pay more attention to the people around you.'

YGO

The heart monitor beeped with every beat of Odion's heart.

'So what's the diagnosis, doc?' Joey asked.

'Well, so far Odion's heart rate is steady,' the doctor said. 'His tests were fine, but I'm afraid all the mental stress he's gone through has left him unconscious.'

'Just unconscious or unconscious as in comatose?' Shamee asked.

The doctor nodded. 'He is comatose.'

Shamee nodded. 'So he won't be waking up for quite a while.'

'Yeah, I could use a nap too,' Joey remarked.

'The doctor means he's been knocked out, Joey,' Téa said. 'You should be really thankful you're not in the same state.'

Something on Joey's face twitched. 'You got a good point there. I mean he and I were both standing right there when his Egyptian God monster went all kablooey, but I'm perfectly fine.'

Tristan closed his eyes, taking on the air of someone smart as the doctor left. 'Aside from the brain damage you had going into it.'

Joey spun around. 'Stick it!'

'I guess that means Sharee's the only one who knows who this guy is,' Duke said.

'Yup,' Shamee said. She grabbed a chair and plopped down. 'Odion was technically Marik's manservant and looked after him right through his childhood. He joined the family before either Marik or his sister were born, when some miserable sot left him out in the cold as a baby. Marik's mom found him next to a well.'

'Who'd leave a baby out in the cold?' Téa demanded.

'There are people who would, Téa,' the Pharaoh said. 'Not everyone jumps at the chance to have children and raise them. Odion was just lucky Marik's mother was the kind of woman who would take an abandoned child into her own home.'

'Kind of mind-boggling how a guy like that can come from a woman who behaves that way,' Mai said.

'Hm.' Shamee said nothing more.

'It must be said.' The Pharaoh changed the subject. 'He was determined to protect Marik as long as he could.'

'And for what?' Joey demanded. 'Just look at him! Odion's lying in a hospital bed and Marik couldn't care less if he ever wakes up again. That creep's as nasty as they get!'

'What did you expect Marik to do?' Mai asked. 'Send flowers? Poor Odion? It's times when you're down that you need friends around the most.'

Joey looked at her. 'You guys, I figured it all out! I know how I was able to get to my feet and win the duel.'

'Huh?' Mai asked.

They all looked at him.

'Cause you helped me,' Joey said. 'See, you guys, I had this dream and it reminded me that my friends were rooting for me all the way. And it was like you were all on the field with me, you know?'

'Yes, Joey,' the Pharaoh said.

'And having you there gave me the strength to get back up and win,' Joey said.

Tristan, of course, had to poke fun at it. 'Wow, that dream's almost as touching as the one where you were making vanilla pudding with that monkey.'

Joey growled and grabbed his collar. He started shaking him. 'Hey, that was a secret!'

Shamee chuckled, but she did take note of just how…touched Mai was by the whole thing.

'Whoa,' Serenity said. 'Easy, bro.'

Tristan managed to distract him. 'Hey, guys, isn't it time for Kaiba to pick the next two duellists in the Finals now?'

'Aw, yeah,' Joey spun around to face Yugi. 'What do you say we get a move on, eh, Yugi?'

The Pharaoh nodded. 'Let's go.'

They headed out the door. 'I wonder who's duelling next,' Tristan mused as he led the way out. Duke followed him, and Serenity followed him. Shamee herself was just following the Pharaoh out when Mai called Joey's attention and got hers as well. Something told her to stop and wait.

'Hey, Joey,' Mai said. 'About that dream of yours.'

'Yeah?' Joey asked. 'Which one, Mai?'

'The one without the monkey,' Mai said. 'I was in it, wasn't I?'

And, just like that, Joey panicked. 'Uh…' With that word, his mind would have gone blank, but his heart signature was having a full-on melt-down.

'You know to help you up,' Mai said.

He's about to stick his foot in it.

Let's stop him before he does.

Joey had just blanched. Shamee laughed, taking the cue from what Sharee would do, and hooked her arm around his neck. 'Aw, look! Ain't he cute when he gets all embarrassed?'

Joey blushed beet red. Mai chuckled and shook her head.

'Hey!' He protested, and she let him go. 'I'mma see where Yugi's at!' He darted off.

'Excuse me.' Téa ran after him, no doubt to tell him off.

'You really think he was just embarrassed about it?' Mai asked her.

'Trust me.' Shamee fell into step next to Mai as they headed after their friends. 'It's a lot easier for boys to say things like that to a group or to their other guy friends because they're rarely actually looking at the person they're speaking to. Even so, they can't be seen being emotional with us girls. It's…' She deepened her voice. '…unmanly.'

Mai laughed. 'Boys!'

'I hear you.'

By the time they arrived in the room, they'd composed themselves somewhat. Then it was time for the next duellists to be chosen, following Kaiba's obligatory mocking of Joey of course. They watched the balls fly around in the Blue-Eyes White Dragon lottery machine with a tense atmosphere all around. Then it was decided.

Mai vs. Marik.

Shamee looked at Mai before she headed off. 'Don't let your guard down.'

Mai nodded.

YGO

'Where's Marik?' Kaiba demanded, loudly enough for Mai to hear from where she prepared for the duel ahead. 'The announcement was broadcast in every room.'

'He'll be here,' Sharee called across to him.

Sure enough the doors opened and in strode Marik himself. Mai forced herself not to turn around, even as her gut screamed at her to do so. He was dangerous, and she knew it. She may not have understood all this, but she understood the important bits. He strode into her field of vision, looking crazy as the last time she saw him. She turned her head slightly. Well, speak of the freak show.

Marik climbed up and took his place on the opposite side of the field.

'It's about time,' Mai said.

'This won't take too long,' Marik said.

Mai glared across the field at him. Yeah, it won't take long for me to seize this loser's Egyptian God Card and then use it to win the Battle City Finals. She was mentally grandstanding, she knew.

Marik chuckled. 'Prepare to be cast into the Shadows.'

'Elevate the playing field!' the ref commanded as the arena was risen. 'Mai Valentine, Marik Ishtar, ready your decks. This duel will now begin!'

Mai slid her deck into its slot. She saw Marik do the same in her peripheral vision. Mai activated her duel disk and drew her first five cards. 'So let's go. I'm ready to show you what real duelling's all about.'

Marik activated his duel disk. 'Good luck!' he sneered.

Mai pretended to ignore it. 'Thank you, now ladies first.' She drew and looked at the card. 'Hm. Not too bad. I play Dunomis Dark Witch in attack mode!' She set the card and it appeared on the field. The monster emerged from the card. 'Take it away, sweetheart.'

'Starting things off quickly, are we?' Marik tucked his Millennium Rod away. 'I see. Now let's see what my deck has for me.' He drew. 'Rather us.' He looked at the card. 'Excellent. Now I'll summon my Revival Jam in defence mode.' He set the card and it appeared on the field. The monster emerged from the card, appearing as first a blob of goo and then transforming into a small ghost-shaped thing. Marik took another card and played it. 'And the magic card, Jam Breeding Machine.' The card appeared on the field and a huge dome-shaped machine took up residence on his side of the field. 'This monster-producing machine will create one slime token for me with every passing turn. So I suggest you attack now before my slime creatures far outnumber you.'

Of course that was the moment Joey and the others came up.

'Aw, man, it started already,' Joey complained.

'Why are you surprised?' Sharee asked. 'I told you it was a bad time to choke on meatloaf.'

'I was hungry!' Joey complained.

'Amusing as it was watching you nearly die, I think Sharee's got a point,' Téa said.

Mai just rolled her eyes and drew her next card. 'My move now.'

Marik chuckled. 'Our battle has only just begun and already you doubt yourself.'

'You are wrong again!' Mai stated. 'Now, my Dark Witch, attack his Revival Jam with Spell-Binding Blast!' The tendrils of black energy shot across the field and slammed into Revival Jam. The small monster was destroyed. Mai's Dark Witch returned to her position on the field. 'That's it for Revival Jam.'

But Marik just smirked. 'Oh? Is it?' Suddenly, Mai watched as the gel-like pieces of Revival Jam began to draw back together. 'You'd better look again.' The creature reformed on his side of the field.

Mai drew back. 'What?' she demanded.

'Revival Jam is able to regenerate itself whenever it's attacked,' Marik said.

'I had no idea…'

'That doesn't surprise me. Perhaps you need some help.'

Mai scowled, rankled.

Marik drew. 'Now let's see. 'I'll play this.' He set the card. 'My Pot of Greed.' The card appeared on the field, and the Pot emerged from the card. It turned around and pair of arms came out of the top, holding one card each. 'A magic card that allows me to draw two more cards from my deck.' He drew the cards and looked up at Mai. 'Now, then, have you realised that this duel is far more than you can handle? Observe as my Jam Breeding Machine creates the first of many slime tokens.' The nozzle of the machine glowed and a small droplet-shaped monster appeared over the top of it. 'And, finally,' he took a card from his hand, 'I place this face-down on the field to render your attacks useless.' He played the card.

YGO

'Huh?' Mokuba asked. 'What does he mean, Seto?'

'Marik must have thrown down a trap card that's somehow able to block Mai's attacks,' Kaiba said. 'We'll soon find out.' Because, now, he would admit it. The man from before was not Marik, and this man was. Sharee was the only one who would have known all of that. She knew that whole family, so he should have paid more attention to her.

Bit embarrassing that Wheeler was the first one, besides her, to work that one out.

YGO

Shamee stood down with their friends, watching Mai with a critical gaze. She could easily see it. Mai's back was up. It had been ever since Marik had suggested she might need help. Old habits were hard to break. Total self-reliance was hard to let go of. Mai wouldn't turn to them for help now. She'd had it suggested she needed help and some part of her – the part that was used to being alone – would not allow her to turn back to her friends for help.

Pride was now Mai's greatest enemy.

YGO

'All right, tough guy, check it out.' Mai drew. 'I play this.' She set her card. 'The magic card, Harpy's Feather Duster!' The card appeared on the field and a wind vortex emerged from it, crossing the field to Marik's side of the field. 'It blows away all your trap and magic cards.' When the effect faded away, Marik's side of the field was empty save his Revival Jam. 'Sorry, Marik,' Mai said insincerely. 'But I saw your dirty little plan so I swept it right up.'

'Yeah!' She heard Joey cheering below.

'Now, my Dark Witch,' Mai called, 'the coast is clear, so attack the slime token with Spell-Binding Blast!' The Dark Witch attacked. The slime token was destroyed.

Marik's life points dropped to 2700.

'Keep it up, Mai!' Joey called.

'And now, to complete my turn, I think I'll place one card face-down and that'll do it.' She set the card and it appeared on the field.

'Very well.' Marik drew and set his card. It appeared on the field. The monster emerged, some kind of four-faced set of masks, and it turned around. 'I summon Melchid the Four-Faced Beast!' Then I sacrifice Revival Jam and Melchid the Four-Faced Beast to summon,' the two monsters vanished and a much larger, much uglier, bipedal one, with a mask on each of his three faces, appeared in their place, 'the Masked Beast Des Gardius!'

Not good.

'Now attack, my Masked Beast!' Marik commanded. It charged. 'Destroy her Dark Witch!'

'Wrong!' Mai activated her face-down card. It flicked up. 'Now, I activate my trap card – Mirror Wall!' The Wall rose up, protecting her Dark Witch. The Beast hit the wall. 'It attacks your Beast with its own reflection, cutting its power in half.'

The Beast's attack points dropped to 1650.

Mai called out her attack. 'Dark Witch, finish off his Masked Beast!' The Dark Witch rose up and attacked. The Beast was destroyed and Marik's life points dropped to 2550.

'Good plan!' Joey called from below. 'Marik's lost even more life points!'

Out of the corner of her eye, Mai saw Sharee speaking to Yugi and saw him nod. She didn't have to hear to know what the American teen was saying. Sure enough, some butt-ugly face-thing was sailing across the field. Mai jumped as it clamped itself onto her Dark Witch's face.

'Dark Witch!' Mai watched as her Witch struggled for only a moment before she lost her resistance and floated across to Marik's side of the field.

Marik was quick to explain. 'When it's destroyed, my Masked Beast leaves behind the Mask of Remnants which allows me to shuffle my deck,' he did so as he spoke, 'but more importantly, I gain control of your Dark Witch.' He played a card. 'Next I think I'll do away with your pathetic little trap,' his card appeared on the field and flipped up, 'as I play the magic card, Remove Trap.' The card glowed as its effect activated.

Mai's Mirror Wall card was destroyed.

'Good riddance.'

Mai set her jaw and glared across the field. Below, she heard Tristan even though she was sure it was not meant for her to be heard given the content of his speech and the thorough unhelpfulness of it.

'Aw, man! Looks like Mai's in some serious trouble up there. She better come up with something before Marik unleashes that Egyptian God Card.'

'Hey, she's doing just fine, okay?' Joey insisted. 'I mean, take a look at the scoreboard, bozo. She's winning this whole thing!'

I guess Joey's trying to be nice, but Tristan's right! If Marik pulls out that Winged Dragon of Ra, I'm a goner. Mai narrowed her eyes. I can't let that happen. Mai drew. 'Okay, Marik, you may have gotten a few lucky shots, but that's over! Things are about to change.'

'Indeed,' Marik said. 'Much more than you know.'

For some reason, that remark made her gut twist.

'Mai!' Joey called. 'Something's not right!'

'It'll be fine,' Mai told him. She watched as Marik reached behind him and pulled out that Rod thing again. He pointed it at her.

'Now, listen to me, foolish girl,' he said. 'I'm afraid that practice time is over, so I'd like to take this match to the true home of Duel Monsters: the Shadow Realm!'

Mai drew back, confused. 'I beg your pardon?'

Sharee suddenly broke her silence and yelled up at him. 'You can't Shadow Game a non-Shadow Gamer!'

Mai looked down at her. She understood what he was going on about? She was sure it was just an optical illusion, but it looked like the eye on Sharee's bandanna was glowing.

Marik sneered. 'Watch me.' Mai looked back at him and the same illusion seemed to be working with his Rod. 'Let the Shadow Game begin!' Suddenly, something strange happened to the air. It was like special effects in a movie. Dark purple exploded out from behind Marik and surrounded all of them. Fog seemed to roll in out of nowhere. Marik laughed manically.

'Wh-what's with this fog?' Mai asked. 'This is not part of the game! What have you done, Marik?'

'Welcome to the Heart of Darkness,' Marik proclaimed.

Mai paid attention to what was going on below.

'It's just as I feared,' Yugi said. 'Marik has summoned the evil powers of the Shadow Realm.'

'Of the shadow what?' Duke asked. 'It just looks like we flew into a fog.'

'Wait til the attacks start flying again,' Sharee told him.

'This is no ordinary fog,' Téa said. 'I remember this place!'

Yugi was grinding his teeth. It was weird. There must've been light coming from somewhere, because it was glinting off both the Puzzle around his neck and Sharee's bandanna, as well as that Rod Marik had, in such a way that it looked like the eyes of all three were glowing.

'Marik!' Yugi bellowed. 'End this now! Mai, this duel must end now! There's more at stake than you know! Forfeit the match!'

'Yugi, have you completely lost it?' Mai demanded. 'I've worked hard for this. It'll take a lot more than some creepy fog to scare me off. So if you'll excuse me I've got a duel to win.'

'Mai…'

'Listen,' Mai said. 'Yugi, Joey, everyone, I appreciate you concern but my mind's made up and I'm going to stay in this duel. Nothing can change that.'

Sharee huffed. 'Well, if you want to learn the hard way, we obviously can't stop you.'

Mai didn't dwell on that remark. She turned back to the duel. 'You ready, Marik?'

Marik chuckled. 'I'm always ready for a Shadow Game.'

'All right.' Mai drew. 'Here I go.' She looked at her card. 'I place one card face down,' she set the card and it appeared on the field, 'and I summon the Unfriendly Amazon.' She played the card and the monster emerged onto the field. It swung its sword once and the set the tip of it against the floor of the arena. Suddenly something unexpected happened. A purple hue appeared around her monster. Why is she glowing?

'Confused, Mai?' Marik asked. 'The energy that surrounds your Amazon is a symbol of you, or your mind to be more precise. If it goes out, so will a portion of your mind. This is the nature of the Shadow Realm. Don't worry. You'll understand it much better once you've experienced my dark magic first hand.' He lifted his eyes. 'Oh, how I love watching someone feel the Shadow Powers for the first time!' He chuckled.

Mai's eyes widened. There is something very wrong with this guy. She narrowed her eyes again. But I can't get distracted! She called the attack. 'Now, my Unfriendly Amazon, attack the Dark Witch with Soaring Slash!' Her Amazon attacked and sliced through the Dark Witch.

The Dark Witch was destroyed. Marik's life points dropped to 2350, but he chuckled. 'Very good. You've swept away some of my life points.' His smirk deepened. 'However, Dark Witch was originally your monster. Therefore, you've wiped away part of your memory as well.'

'What are you talking about?' Mai demanded.

'You see, Mai, each monster we play on the field carries with it the memory of a person we hold within our mind. So when a monster is destroyed, the memory of a person from your life is destroyed with it.'

'There's no way!' Mai insisted.

YGO

Shamee ground her teeth as she looked up at the field. Mai had no idea what she was battling. Now, it was going to cost her the memories she had. While her powers focused primarily on the heart, she did have some mind powers too. Hopefully, it would be enough.

'Say what?' Joey demanded. 'What on earth is Marik talking about? That psycho's gotta be outta his gourd. There's no way he's telling the truth!'

Shamee had a nasty feeling it wouldn't be enough.

YGO

'Now let's see which one of your friends will become your first lost memory.'

Mai was suddenly looking at a card that rotated at a steady pace, the face glowing. It stopped just as suddenly as it'd appeared. The picture was clear in the blink of an eye. 'Not Téa,' Mai murmured.

'Yes, and now she'll be banished from your memories.'

Mai glared. 'I don't believe you, Marik.' But fear churned its way deeper into her gut. 'You can't do that. It's impossible!'

'Impossible?' Marik sneered. 'Nothing's impossible in the Shadow Realm. Why do you think I brought you here, my dear? For I'm controlling this kingdom of infinite blackness. And by the time I'm through, you'll be a mindless shell all alone in world full of strangers!'

The next thing she saw was a vast whiteness. In the distance, she could see all her friends: Téa, Serenity, Joey, Yugi, Sharee, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura. They stood there, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Mai stared for a moment. Then, suddenly, they turned and began to walk away.

'Can you feel them?' Marik's voice taunted her. 'Drifting slowly away from you?'

Mai ran, trying to catch them. But she never got any closer. They just kept getting further and further away.

'Disappearing into the light? Fading from the chasms of your mind? The wells of your heart?'

They faded away from her view, leaving her all alone.

'Wait!' Mai called. 'Come back, please!' There was black and then she was looking across at Marik. 'No, this can't be!'

'Now, now,' Marik said. 'Don't worry, my dear. You're only losing one of them, for now.'

Mai glanced down. She lifted a hand to her head. 'I can't see her!'

'That's right,' Marik said. 'Now, Téa's nothing more than a faceless phantom to you.'

Mai looked down again. Téa seemed to be flickering in and out of existence where she stood among the others. 'My memory's growing faint.'

'Yo, Mai!' Joey called. 'Are you okay?'

'Mai!' Yugi called.

'Oh, you're far from okay!' Marik called her attention again.

Mai glared at him.

'I'm afraid this is just the beginning. For behind each dark corner, the Shadow Realm hold another frightening twist, like an eternal nightmare – only this is quite real!

The last remnants of Téa were dashed from her mind.