Lion's Mouth: Part I (Yu-Gi-Oh)

Chapter 2

'Yugi' seemed to contemplate something. Then suddenly, he changed, and I sensed that the real Yugi was there once again. "I can tell you I am no spirit, but I do think there is magic in the Puzzle. Maybe that's all you're sensing."

I blinked several times. The terrifying presence was gone, yet Yugi seemed to be acting the same. "You remember all that? You've never blacked out or felt someone take control?"

Yugi shook his head. "I've felt power, magic, and guidance, but I have never lost control of my body."

"Yugi does seem to be different when dueling," Tristan said. "It's like the Puzzle gives him confidence."

"Then m-maybe that's it." My intuition told me I was right the first time, but how could I explain this? Something was different from Bakura, and I could not place my finger on it. What I could tell, though, was that Yugi was good and I could trust him. I accepted his hand this time and let him help me up. "Thanks."

"You're Samia, right?" Tea said with a friendly smile.

I nodded.

"How do you know Mokuba?" Joey asked, still seeming slightly uneasy.

"My brother works for KaibaCorp," I said, "and Mokuba is my little sister's friend."

"What are you doing here?" said Yugi. "Are you a duelist?"

I shook my head, but then I froze. Memories of Bakura filled my mind, threatening to cause me to break down again. I started to talk so I did not have to think. "I don't duel. I'm here with my friend, Bakura. He's a duelist."

"I knew I saw Bakura on the ship!" Tea said triumphantly.

"Bakura was invited?" Joey said suspiciously.

I flushed. "Er, well..."

Yugi chuckled. "It's alright. Neither was Joey." His friend frowned at this. "Where is he now?"

My fear returned, and my hands started to shake. I had to come up with something quick. "I – I got separated from him. I dozed off and had a nightmare. I woke up in terror and ran..." I was not lying about it being a nightmare, but I did not tell them it was a living nightmare. I did not know how they would handle the truth.

"Yugi, we don't have time for another side mission," said Joey.

"But we do have four hours before Yugi's duel," Tea said.

"Y-you don't need to help me," I said. I did not want to burden them, and I would be putting Yugi in danger if I stayed with him. But what would the Spirit of the Ring do to ne if I came back alone? "I can find him on my own."

"But it's dangerous to be alone without a dueling deck," Tristan said. "You could get into serious trouble."

"Tristan's right," said Yugi. "You should stay with us. I'm sure we'll run into Bakura eventually. This is an island, after all."

"And it would be nice to have another girl in the group," Tea said with a smile.

"Hey, what's wrong with boys?" said Joey. Tea simply rolled her eyes.

My senses told me they were all sincere, and I could not believe their kindness. Only Bakura had been this nice to me in the past. It was hard for me to refuse them. After all, I had no idea what else I was supposed to do, and if Yugi did have magic in his Puzzle, then maybe, just maybe he could help Bakura and me. I found myself smiling back at them. "Sure. I would appreciate that. Thank you."

Yugi smiled. "No problem. Why don't we find some place to rest?"

"Can we find some food?" said Joey. "I'm hungry!"