Chapter 29

Thinking it was probably best to give Mai and Joey a little privacy, Duke and Yugi had gone on ahead of the happily reunited couple. For some reason they'd been walking along in a strangely muted silence. It wasn't that Duke couldn't think of anything to say, it was just every time he tried the words became strangely stuck to the roof of his mouth. Something felt a little odd about it, as though someone else had decided conversation between them wasn't necessary. So when the strange unknown male appeared on the path in front of them, Duke couldn't say he was exactly surprised.

He was a broadly built man, at least a head taller than Duke, dressed in glinting orange tinted red armour. He was helmetless and his tightly curled, ginger main fell neatly around his richly tanned face. A face made strangely threatening by his washed blue eyes which stared piercingly at them.

'Du,' Yugi took a defensive step back, 'what are you doing here?'

'I am here at the request of my brother,' his voice was as broad and booming as Duke would have expected from a man his size. 'I am here to challenge you and you will accept.'

'Says who?' Duke tried to sound more confident than he felt.

'Says me,' he gave a single flick of his hand, causing a glass case to rise up from the ground.

'Cat of Darkness and the Squire of Dragons?' Duke's whole body became rigid with fear. 'Why... why did you do that to Cat and Mokuba?'

'I didn't,' Du rolled his eyes, 'this is my brother's game, not mine. Now, will you accept my challenge or not?'

'You have Cat's soul; I'm not going to say no.'

'Me either,' Yugi's eyes lifted to meet with Du's formidable gaze. 'So take that as a yes Du, we accept your challenge.'

Joey hadn't answered her question. Instead he'd struggled his way back to his feet and indicated they should start following Duke and Yugi. Mai couldn't believe it; why, after all the time Joey had spent proposing to her, would he get cold feet about it now? She wondered if she'd insulted his pride or made him feel like she was treating him like the woman just because he was the pregnant one. Then again if he was having anywhere near the kind of mood swings she'd had then the reason didn't have to make sense. He could be acting this way just from being hormonal.

Mai wasn't totally sure she liked that thought, but she didn't want to make things any worse by pushing the issue with him.

'Mai,' Joey carefully broke the silence, 'is being pregnant the only thing which held you back from saying yes when I asked?'

'Of course.'

'So then why did you ask? I mean, I'm not going to carry Jo to term, which means you will be pregnant again as soon as we figure out how and…' he hesitated.

'And?'

'And you're just going to take it back.'

'What?'

'You only want to marry me because you're no longer pregnant. When you get Jo back, you'll change your mind again.'

'Is that what you think?' Mai found herself laughing in amusement.

'I'm certain of it; you only want to marry me because I'm pregnant. That's what my gut keeps telling me.'

'Oh Joey,' she felt a look of complete and utter adoration fill her face as she stared at him, 'I promise I won't take it back.'

'Yes you will. You say won't, but you will.'

'Joey, what kind of person do you take me for? I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I wasn't planning to go through with it.'

'Then ask me again when you're the one who's pregnant,' Joey's eyes were filled with a strange look. 'I know it doesn't make sense and I know it's not rational, but it's how I feel Mai. I feel like if I say yes to you, I'm leaving myself open to get hurt. I don't want you to hurt me Mai.'

'Uh...' there was something about Joey's words which reminded Mai of her own feelings about the situation, 'okay,' she lowered her gaze, 'I'll do what you've asked. I'll ask you again when I'm the one who's pregnant and then... then you'll see just how much I love you. Because when you agree to marry me Joey, I won't ever take it back.'

A part of her was surprised at just how accurate the Master's predictions had been. Four of the twelve had fallen at the first hurdle and with the last two challenges now issued she was certain things would turn out exactly as the Master planned. For a few moments she found herself circling the glass case containing the cards which now belonged to the Master. The way things stood currently, it would be her and Mov against the remaining players. She felt more than a buzz of excitement race through her. From the moment the game had begun she wanted nothing more than to have her chance to take part in it.

'You know this state isn't good for you, right?' Mov's voice was calm and clear as she appeared on the cliff edge behind her.

'Right now I don't care,' she shrugged, 'I like being like this. It makes me feel... powerful,' her grip on the axe tightened.

'I thought this might become a problem, but I was truly hoping my uncle knew what he was doing with you.'

'This is a problem? She laughed. 'How is this a problem? Am I not watching over this little game properly?'

'That's not it.'

'Then what is?'

'You... you're no longer thinking clearly,' Mov shifted her gaze away, 'you are no longer thinking like the girl you once were.'

'I'm not that girl anymore, can't you tell?'

'I can and that's exactly the problem. When all this is over you need to go back to the way you were and I'm not sure you can right now.'

'Then I won't go back. I like being like this. And if I stay like this then so can she.'

'You would give up everything you have for a dream?'

'Yes,' a cruel smile tugged at her lips, 'because compared to my reality, this dream is paradise.'

'Hey do you see that?'

'See what?' Ahna winced in the direction Catilin was pointing.

'Over there, look, pink rocks,' she giggled.

'Pink rocks?' She frowned. 'Are you sure your eyes aren't playing tricks on you?'

'Nu-uh, I know they're pink,' Catilin grinned, 'I think it's another henge, like the other one.'

'Maybe,' she pressed her lips together, 'but we're way too far to tell.'

'Then we should go there, come on,' Catilin caught hold of her hand and began pulling her forward, 'bet you anything the others are there.'

'Oh yeah?' Ahna laughed as she cocked an eyebrow. 'And just what makes you think that?'

'Because its pink rocks, duh,' she rolled her eyes before giggling again. 'If everyone has to meet up because they won their cards, then you want them to go somewhere obvious. Why not pink rocks?'

'Well that makes about as much sense as anything else in this place I guess,' she shrugged, 'and if you're wrong we can always rest there for a while.'

'But I won't be wrong.'

'You might be wrong Cat, so be prepared for that, okay?'

'Okay.'

'That's my girl,' Ahna pulled her hand back from Catilin as the two of them continued to make a brisk pace forward. 'You know, it's a shame Jay had to go and lose his challenge, he'd probably have enjoyed a walk like this.'

'Mm, but Jay walks real fast, can you imagine having to keep up with him?'

'That's true,' she laughed, 'he'd probably have us racing over there cutting what should be a pleasant half hour walk down into ten minutes.'

'He forgets our legs aren't as big as his,' Catilin laughed.

'No, he just likes turning everything into a healthy competition,' she gave a dramatic sounding groan. 'He's dead, what does he need to be so active for?'

'Because he's Jay.'

'That's not exactly a good reason Cat,' Ahna smirked at her.

'Because he's a teenager,' she innocently tried again.

'Some teenager,' Ahna couldn't help but laugh, 'he's almost forty.'

'Nu-uh, he's almost seventeen,' she shook her head, 'he's just always almost seventeen.

'Well that's one way of looking at it,' Ahna kept her pace up as her gaze turned towards the definitely pink stone structure they were heading towards.

'Do you think the next stage of the game will be fun?' Catilin's voice toned with curiosity.

'I'm not sure I could consider any of this fun considering the fact I may never see my son again.'

'Uh... sorry Ahna,' she lowered her gaze, 'I'd forgotten what all this was about.'

'It's alright Cat, just do me a favour and try not to forget again.'