Wolfie: I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh. All I own is Yuki and any plot alterations that I make in order to add her into the story. Look I know that it seems like I am copying the canon episodes almost word for word but if you look around I'm not the only one doing it. Now I'm going to try, emphasis on try, to diverge from canon at some point in time. But I am literally retelling the canon events as if Yuki was the one experiencing it instead of Yugi. So if you don't like it then I'm afraid that this fanfiction is not for you. Now please read, review, and I hope you like the story so far.
Chapter 20: Trial by Red Eyes part 2
"So do us all a favor and let him eat it." Mai said from a few feet away from them with a laugh as that was what finally made Joey stop what he was doing.
"Now what do you want, Mai?" Joey asked as Mai simply pulled out an open candy bar and chomped down on it.
"Huh?" The group of five asked in unison as they saw the candy bar Mai was eating as those that were hungry sniffed the air.
"That's it. You can duel me, you can insult me, but you're not eating infront of me." Joey said in frustration as he got free from Tristan's hold and got up in Mai's personal space.
"You're that hungry, are you? Ok, then. Give me your star chips and I'll give you some food." Mai said and it was hard to tell if she was serious as Joey groaned ad drooled with a small blush on his face before snapping out of it.
"Forget it. Potato chips- I mean, star chips are priceless." Joey said as there was no way he would give up his star chips no matter how hungry he is.
"I was just kidding, Joseph. I'll be more than happy to share if you can manage to ask politely like a gentleman." Mai said with her usual smirk as she gave an annoyed Joey a side glance.
"Right. So then you can go make fun of me for that, too?" Joey asked as he was not in the mood for being made fun of right now.
"Look. By tomorrow, I'll have won entrance to the castle, so there's no point in me keeping an entire knapsack full of food." Mai said giving an explanation as to why she was suddenly being so nice to them all.
"Yugi and I have already eaten our fill but, it would be nice not to duel on an empty stomach tomorrow..." Yuki said as she had no doubt that by tomorrow they would all be hungry and she only has one bento box left.
"Yeah, and I'm almost out of snacks." Yugi added as he didn't have much left to eat either.
"How do we know this isn't another trick? Give me just one good reason to trust you." Joey said with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"'Cause it's either me or that poisonous mushroom." Mai said as she held out her knapsack causing them all to groan.
Not five minutes later Mai had the contents of her knapsack scattered across the ground for them all to see. She had paper plates, paper cups, candy, junk food, a first aid kit, canned goods, and much more. That stuff wouldn't exactly make a healthy meal but it would be a meal nonetheless. As Yuki and Yugi listed off the things that they saw either Joey or Tristan would call out dibs whenever it was something they wanted. It was a little annoying but what should they expect from two hungry knuckleheads that have next to no manners. However Mai had jobs that needed to be done before anyone could eat any of the food she brought with her.
"Sorry, boys. No dibs on anything yet. At least not until you complete your chores. I want Yugi to go look for some fire wood." Mai said as she glanced at Yugi who looked up at the blonde when she said his name.
"Sure." Yugi said as he was willing to help out so they can all have some more food so they're not starving tomorrow.
"Just be careful and don't wander off too far little bro." Yuki said as she felt a little nervous to let her brother go off and do something on his own.
"Ok I will." Yugi said since he didn't want to start and argument with his sister right now.
"And you two boys can go and fetch us some water." Mai said to a smiling Tristan and a once again annoyed looking Joey.
"You bet." Tristan said since at this point he'd do anything for food.
"If she's not slingin' insults, then she's barkin' orders." Joey grumbled with a reusable water container in his hands as Tristan was pushing Joey along so he'll move.
"I'm willing to swallow my pride if it means swallowing some food." Tristan said with a smile as he kept pushing Joey in the direction of the river.
"I'll go and gather us up that firewood." Yugi said with a small wave as he left, leaving Tea and Yuki alone with Mai.
"What's your name? Tea, is it?" Mai asked whilst looking at Tea as she already knew Yuki's name.
"Mm-hmm." Tea hummed in confirmation that that is her name.
"Well, Tea, if you and Yuki want to freshen up a bit, there's a makeshift shower just over there." Mai said as she motioned in the direction of the shower with her head.
"Uh, thanks, Mai." Tea said as Yuki was silent once again, but she did nod in agreement at what Tea said.
"Hanging out with those boys is no reason to have to smell like them." Mai said in response to Tea's thanks as she looked at the brunette.
Once the boys had returned from their jobs they got a fire going as they set up a way to cook over the fire. As the three boys sat around the fire Mai and Yuki kept guard over the makeshift shower that Tea was in. That way no one would try to go inside of it whilst Tea was in there and possibly already showering. Yuki had showered before her so she was standing there feeling refreshed despite wearing the same clothes. If she had known there would be makeshift showers on the island she would have brought a change of clothes. However Pegasus neglected to include that little tidbit of information the invitation, among other things.
"Joey, I don't think we should cook the candy bars." Yugi said feeling a little skeptical about cooking something that isn't meant to be cooked.
"Back off. I know what I'm doing." Joey stated as he continued to cook the candy bars over the fire.
'Mai sure is a hard gal to read. One minute she's starting trouble with us, and the next we're sharing a campfire.' Tea thought as she began to undress within the closed curtain of the makeshift shower.
"Look at you go, Joey. Only thing missing is a chef's hat and a cute apron." Mai said and at first Joey seemed annoyed but then that annoyance washed away.
"Jeez. All right, already." Joey said as he honestly found what she said flattering.
"Now keep cooking!" Mai ordered as Joey had stopped cooking in order to talk to her.
"You're tough, Mai." Tea said with a smile as she had now taken her shirt off.
"Us gals have got to look out for each other, especially with a couple of bozos like Joey and Tristan around. I don't even see why you and Yuki even bother hanging out with them." Mai said as Yuki gave her a pointed look since she didn't want to be apart of this conversation.
"That's easy, Mai. They're our best friends." Tea stated but that did nothing to help Mai understand why they were friends with Joey and Tristan.
"Those goofballs? In my experience their type is only good for moving furniture or fixing cars." Mai said as she continued to look at the three boys crowded around the camp fire.
"Hey, Mai?" Tea asked now standing only in a towel as she heard the sound of rustling leaves which caused her to scream.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked as she came inside the makeshift shower.
"Why'd you scream?" Yuki asked as she also came inside the surprisingly roomy makeshift shower.
"I heard something moving around right outside." Tea said as she was cowering on the floor and clutching her towel close.
"Hmm. Hmm. Hmm? Hmm?" Mai hummed as her and Yuki poked their heads out of the curtain and looked around at nothing but bushes and trees. "Well, it's gone now." The taller blonde said as her and the heterochromic eyed girl left so Tea could finish and get dressed.
"Wow. It sure smells good." Tristan said as he looked at the boiling pot containing the food that Joey cooked.
"Time to dig in!" They all said in unison as they all sat down, got a plate of food, and then began to eat.
"Tasty." Tristan said around a mouthful of food as he shoveled it into his face in big spoonfuls.
"Hey, thank you very much." Joey said feeling happy that Tristan was enjoying the food he cooked.
"Not bad. Yugi, Tea, how's yours?" Yuki asked as she looked at both Tea and Yugi.
"Mmm. 4 stars." Tea said like she was some food critic as she smiled.
"It might be even better than your cooking, big sis." Yugi said around a mouthful of food with sauce and crumbs on his face.
"Mind your manners, Yugi. You've been told once before that talking with your mouth full is bad manners." Yuki said as she wiped the crumbs and sauce off his face with a napkin. "Although, speaking of stars, I see you've won quite a few, Mai." She said as she looked at Mai who was drinking a can of soda. "It looks like you have 8 now, right? Or is it 9 now?" Yuki asked curiously as Mai finished drinking but stayed silent for now. "However many, it definitely sounds like your on a roll." She said as she was just trying to be nice and make conversation in order to end the silence.
"Ha. Don't think you're gonna fool me with your nice girl routine, Yuki. It's only a matter of time before you-." Mai said causing Yuki to loose her smile as she was now frowning in confusion.
"Can't we just forget about the tournament for one night?" Tea asked cutting off Mai before she could finish what she was saying.
"Let's make fun of Joey instead. That's always fun." Tristan said as a way to help change the subject.
"Ok, just so long as everyone is crystal clear about one little thing- any duelist in my way is going down." Mai said causing everyone to be confused at her sudden mood change. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go for a walk." She said as she stood up and walked away causing them all to be confused once again as they watch her leave.
"Oh, man. She can really ruin a meal." Joey said as things were now really awkward after what Mai said.
'I should never have sat down with those losers, even if they do seem like kind of nice losers.' Mai thought as she was now standing on a cliff that overlooked more of the forest and the ocean. 'And friendly. And- No. I can't afford to go soft now. I'm a duelist first, and that means everyone is an enemy.' She thought as that thought honestly made her feel really depressed. "So no friends for me. I want to win, and I'll do it all alone." Mai said aloud as she closed her eyes and hung her head slightly, not noticing the hulking form standing menacingly behind her till it was too late.
A massive hand wearing a dueling glove suddenly covered Mia's mouth as another hand grabbed onto her from behind. She was then pulled into the darkness of the bushes as she squealed, struggled, and let out muffled protests behind the hand. Though what was happening to her was unknown by the group of five that is back at the camp fire. They had decided to let her have her walk seeing as she seemed a bit agitated and may need to cool off for a bit. Which meant they all were just lounging around the fire now that they have finished eating and had cleaned everything up. A while had passed since Mai had left so some of them were starting to get tired or were tired and said nothing.
"Man, oh, man. I'm fadin' fast here." Joey said with a yawn as he stretched a little bit.
"Me too." Yugi mumbled with a yawn as he leaned against Yuki's side sleepily.
"Don't you think we should check on Mai?" Tea asked since it had been a while and despite how mean Mai is the brunette couldn't help but worry.
"Good idea, Tea." Yuki said also feeling like they should go check on Mai.
"She has been gone for a while." Tristan observed feeling somewhat concerned for the MIA female.
"It's probably some trap." Joey said not really all that concerned for the person that has taunted him since he got here.
"Hmm... Aah!" Tea suddenly yelled as there was rustling in the bushes behind her.
"Huh, what's goin' on?" Yugi asked sleepily as the yell had woken him up slightly.
"What was that? A squirrel or something?" Yuki asked as she instinctively held her little brother close.
"Yep. Bet you she's been waiting there the whole time. Come on out, Mai!" Joey ordered as him and Tristan were now standing close to the bushes as out walked Bakura rather than Mai as most of them gasp.
"Bakura?" Yuki questioned upon seeing the soft spoken British albino that goes to school with them.
"See? I told you. I haven't just been seeing things." Tea said as this proved she wasn't seeing things whenever she said she saw Bakura.
"What are you doing way out here, Bakura?" Joey asked since he would remember if he saw Bakura on the boat.
"Same as you guys, I guess." Bakura said with a neutral expression on his face.
"You gave us a scare sneaking around those bushes." Tristan said as that much was obvious thanks to Tea's scream.
"Yeah. For a minute there, we actually thought we had something to worry about. Heh heh. Pretty silly, huh?" Joey asked trying to play off their fears as something silly and unnecessary as they all went and sat around the fire again.
"Joey, you've been staring at that card for, like, an hour. What's up?" Tristan asked having had enough of Joey just staring at that one Duel Monsters card.
"I'll tell ya. Just don't laugh. Sometimes, when I'm in a duel, I pretend that it's me out there on the field swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out. Isn't that dumb?" Joey asked with a chuckle as the whole group, minus a once again sleeping Yugi, listened to him with a single card in their hands. Except for Tea, she listened to him speak but wasn't holding any card in her hand.
"Well, if you were, which card would you want to be, Joey?" Bakura asked curiously as it seemed to be an innocent question.
"Uh... This one." Joey said as he showed that the card he was holding was the Flame Swordsman. "The Flame Swordsman kicks everybody's ass. Ha!" He exclaimed as he stood up and slashed the air with the card like it's a sword.
"Not mine, guys." Tristan declared as he also stood up alongside Joey. "The Cyber Commander." He said showing off a card depicting a shirtless guy with weapons strapped to his back, an army cut hair do, and a metal mask over his mouth.
"You boys and your cards are hilarious." Tea stated finding it funny that her male friends identified with those cards.
"C'mon, Tea. Honestly I think if a duelist doesn't have a card they can identify with in their deck, then their heart's not fully in it. Look through your deck, see if there's one that speaks to you." Yuki said as he glanced at Tea with a soft smile on her face yet she was very serious about this.
"Ok." Tea agreed as she pulled out her own deck and quickly searched through her cards. "I pick this one, Magician of Faith." She said whilst holding up a card depicting a purple haired elf in blue and red robes with a crescent moon staff.
"What? You gotta be kidding me." Tristan said in disbelief to the happily smiling Tea.
"More like the Magician of Freaks if you ask me." Joey said causing Tea's smile to turn to a fierce glare.
"Shut up!" Tea snapped causing the boys her glare was fixed on to hug each other and smile sheepishly.
"Tell me which one you identify with, Yuki." Bakura said as he turned his attention to said girl.
"Oh. Well, despite the fact that Dark Magician is my go-to card in duels. This is the one I identify with most." Yuki said whilst holding up a card showing a pink haired magician in clothes similar to Dark Magician girl but were white, the boots were thigh high, and showed more skin. "High Priestess of Prophecy." She said as this so called priestess was looking at a glowing green tablet with glowing green number's floating around her. 'After all, why wouldn't I identify with her? She's the last card mom ever gave me before her and dad...' Yuki trailed off rather than completing that train of thought as she looked at the card.
"Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but don't you guys think it's a little silly to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?" Tea asked as she was not fully onboard with the whole 'identifying with a Duel Monster's card' thing that they were doing.
"Maybe just a skosh, but like I said. If a duelist doesn't have a card they can identify with in their deck, then their heart's not fully in it. You get what I'm trying to say?" Yuki asked as her friends hummed and nodded in understanding. "So, which card do you identify with most, Bakura?" She asked curiously as she turned her attention to the aforementioned albino.
"This one is my favorite." Bakura said as he held up a card showing a blonde girl with one angel wing and one demon wing. She was holding a red heart as half of her was shrouded in darkness and the other shrouded in light as she smiles.
"That's the Change of Heart card, isn't it Bakura?" Yuki asked curious as to why Bakura identified with a card like that.
"Kind of a weird lookin' picture, don't you think?" Joey said with a frown as he felt a little creeped out by that choice.
"Hmm." Bakura hummed as his eyes narrowed slightly at that. "If you want to see how it works, we can have a duel right now. Not for star chips, just for a little fun." He suggested hoping that they would agree as it seemed like a harmless suggestion.
"Sure. I'm down with that. After all this star chip stuff, it'll be nice to have a duel with no strings attached." Joey said with a small smile as he glanced at everyone to see what their answer would be.
"Sure. A nice, relaxing duel among friends sounds great right about now." Yuki said with a happy smile as some of the stress she was feeling seemed to just melt away.
"Why don't you guys each put your favorite card into Yuki's deck, so it'll be like we're all playing." Bakura said since it's not like all of them could duel him at once, though there was an undetectable ulterior motive to his suggestion.
"That's a good idea." Joey said as him and Tristan shared a look with one another.
"Yeah." Tristan agreed as they smiled, the whole group completely oblivious to Bakura's hidden ulterior motive.
"Awesome. But I gotta warn you Bakura that with this all-star group of cards, it's gonna be tough to beat us." Yuki said confidently with a smile as the idea of dueling with a piece of her friend's in her deck had her feeling excited.
"True, but maybe I'll surprise you." Bakura stated as he watched Joey, Tristan, and Tea hand over their cards to Yuki.
"This'll be fun." Tea said not noticing the smirk that came to Bakura's face.
It didn't take long for them to set up a dueling mat that Bakura had surprisingly brought along on a nearby big tree stump. Now they were using rocks they found as seats as Bakura sat on one side whilst Yuki sat on the other side. Joey, Tristan, and Tea were crowded around Yuki whilst Yugi was still fast asleep by the fire with his sister's folded up jacket as a pillow. Now the girl with gravity defying tri colored star shaped hair had to add her friends cards to her deck. So Bakura decided to be a gentleman and give her time to shuffle them all into her deck. He also gave her time to add any other cards she may have that may be some kind of help if that's what she wanted to do. Once she was done Yuki set's her deck on the proper place on the mat and gave Bakura a small smile.
"Ok, they're all shuffled in and I'm ready to go." Yuki said with the smile still on her face.
"Now you're sure you don't mind playing alone?" Tea asked in worry since she didn't want her friend to get overwhelmed.
"Don't worry about a thing, Bakura. We'll go easy on ya." Joey stated to the albino as he gave him a thumbs up with a smile.
"Thanks." Bakura said whilst only giving Joey a quick glance before his attention was on Yuki again.
"Right. Now let's get this duel on the road." Joey said as no one noticed how Bakura's face took on a darker more harsh look.
"Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all." Bakura said as there was a mysterious double meaning to that sentence that confused everyone. "And especially with you, Yuki." He said causing said girl to raise an eyebrow in question as to what he meant.
"What's that?" Joey asked curiously as him, Yuki, Tea, and Tristan lost their smiles.
"You'll see." Bakura stated before he started to hum sort of like how Mai did during her E.S.P. trick.
"What's he doing?" Tea asked Yuki as if the smaller girl had the answer's to everything.
"This is gettin' freaky." Joey said as a ring of pure gold with a pyramid in the middle and 5 spikes hanging down from it seemed to physically come out of Bakura's chest as he hums.
"No way! That can't be what I think it is!" Yuki exclaimed in shock as he noticed the eye of Anubis in the middle of the pyramid. "A Millennium Item." She uttered in disbelief as that had to be what that thing he's wearing is.
"Yes, and the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm." Bakura said as his soft spoken voice became harsher and crueler as the world around them ripples and grows darker and clouded.
"Man, I hate magic." Joey whimpered as he looked around at the now changed scenery.
"Bakura why are you doing this to us?" Yuki asked wondering why someone who was her friend was putting them through this.
"You have something I want, Yuki, and I aim to take it!" Yami Bakura declared without moving his mouth a his Millennium Ring shines brightly.
Then one by one Yuki and the gang let out small yells of discomfort as their souls were forcibly pulled from their bodies. Then they were forcibly sucked inside of some kind of vortex as streaks of light entered Yuki's deck causing it to glow four times. As the last flash of light entered her deck their soulless bodies, frozen with looks of shock on their faces, collapsed to the ground. Their bodies now seemed to be coated in blue as they laid their completely motionless. Not even seeming to breath as they had their eyes closed as if they were just simply asleep like Yugi currently in the real world. The only one still moving and alive looking was Yami Bakura as he stood up whilst chuckling darkly.
"That wasn't too difficult. Their souls have been locked away. And now, after waiting for countless centuries, the legendary Millennium Puzzle is mine." Yami Bakura said as he approached Yuki's soulless body and tried to take the Millennium Puzzle from her.
Though just as his hand was about to touch it the puzzle suddenly glowed brightly as the light engulfed Yuki's body. The bright light caused Yami Bakura to grunt and shield his eyes as he stumbled back slightly in shock. When the light died down Yami Yuki was laying where Yuki's soulless body had been a few seconds ago. Even with her eyes closed she had a peaceful yet serious and determined look to her face as she laid there. The color had also come back to her body as she was no longer the cold blue color that the rest of her friends currently were. Now that the light had died down Yami Bakura was finally able to open his eyes as he rapidly blinked away the spots in his vision caused by the bright light.
"No, it can't be!" Yami Bakura exclaimed just as Yami Yuki's eyes snapped open.
"So... You want my Millennium Puzzle, Bakura? Then why don't you stop being a spinless coward and duel me for it." Yami Yuki said as she slowly stood up and brushed some dirt off her clothes. "But, if I am the victor, then you'll let my friends go and take us all back home." She said with her arms crossed and a look on her face that meant she means business.
"Ha ha. I agree to your ridiculous terms, Yuki. But I promise you, there is more at stake here than you can comprehend. And this is one Shadow game that you cannot win!" Yami Bakura bellowed confidently as him and Yami Yuki just seemed to stare at each other for a while.