Chapter 2
Twigs scraped my clothed arms and legs as I raced through the forest. I thought only of fear. Then my foot hit something hard, and I sprawled on the ground, my glasses exiting my face. I lay in the dirt and grass, listening to my rapid heartbeat.
I had to get up. I had to come up with a plan.
Where was I supposed to go? How was I supposed to find Yugi? Who could I go to for help? I remembered some of my mother's last words to me and decided to trust in my intuition. For that to work, I had to push down my fear.
I took a deep breath and choked down a sob. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and reached for my purple glasses. I knew my hair must be even more out of place after that fall, but I had no time to think about that. I brushed myself up as a slowly stood up. Then I took another deep breath.
I could do this.
I closed my eyes and tried to think and feel nothing. After several minutes of silence, I felt a pull to my right. My eyes shot open as I took off running again. I could not hold off the fear for long, and I wanted to get far away from the Spirit of the Millennium Ring as possible.
I did not know where I was going, but I felt the need to get there quickly. Soon, the trees thinned, and I could see water up ahead. I slowed down as I reached the dock. What I found at the dock caused my mouth to fall open in surprise.
Yugi and his friends stood on the dock, but who they were facing was what shocked me: a man dressed in black holding Mokuba Kaiba!
My fear forgotten, I raced towards the scene. "Mokuba! Let him go!" I cried. I did not consider myself the brave type, but my little sister's friend was in trouble. The man stepped back in surprise, yet before I could reach him, someone grabbed my arms and pulled me back.
"Samia!" Mokuba cried as he struggled.
"Yugi is taking care of this," said Joey's voice.
"They're dueling later, so let them go for now," said Tristan.
The man grunted before walking off with the kid. I did not try to go after him, for my adrenaline was dying down, and with that came the return of my reason. I would not be helping Mokuba or Bakura by getting myself hurt.
My senses returned, and they gave me an uncomfortable feeling. My arms were suddenly free. I spun around and came face-to-face with Yugi Muto.
Except, it wasn't Yugi...
It looked like him, but my senses told me it was someone else. In fact, there was something oddly familiar about the sensation I was feeling...
"Are you ok?" he said in concern.
He reached out to touch me, but I leapt back like I had been burned. My pulse skyrocketed as I connected the dots. "Spirit!" I cried. I stumbled backwards, falling onto the dock.
For a second, I saw a flash of surprise in his eyes, but then confusion replaced it. "Spirit? What are you talking about?"
"Are you feeling alright?" said Tea.
Yugi stepped towards me again, and I scooted away. All I could think about was the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. Why had I not considered that the Millennium Puzzle would also house a spirit?
"Maybe she hit her head," Joey said.
'Yugi' glanced down at his Puzzle and then back at me. "Do you sense magic from my Millennium Puzzle?"
I nodded. "I can sense emotions... and magic."
"Yep, definitely hit her head," Joey said, earning an elbow in the side from Tea.
'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!"
"I've got some rice balls in my backpack," I said timidly.
"Really? Great!" Joey grinned at me.
"And you didn't want her to join us," Tea teased him.
I smiled slightly as we headed away from the dock. I was not perfectly at ease, but I felt much better than I had moments before. I tried not to think about my future and my best friend. I needed to trust that these people could help me. Still, something told me that I had just stepped into something much bigger than anticipated.
We walked in silence for several minutes, and I took the chance to calm my heart and mind. Eventually, we reached an open space with trees surrounding it. We decided to stop here, so I slipped off my backpack and pulled out my bag of rice balls. I smiled slightly when Joey almost mauled me to get the two I handed him. Well, that was one way to make friends.
Everyone split off after taking their food. It seemed we all needed to rest after the long morning. I settled against a tree to eat my rice ball. I glanced at Yugi in surprised when he sat next to me. "Do you mind?" he said with a friendly smile.
I shook my head. "No." Truthfully, I had almost liked him. His kindness was attractive. If I had not met Bakura first, maybe we could have been good friends.
My eyes fell to his Millennium Puzzle. I could still feel energy and power radiating from it, but it was dulled, making me able to discern the difference between what I was feeling now and what I felt near the Millennium Ring and its spirit. The energy was different. There was no obvious evil with the Puzzle. That would make sense if there was simply magic inside, but what if my initial intuition was right? Could the Puzzle contain a good spirit?
Then I remembered what my mother had said about good spirits and knew it did not matter. It was still dangerous, which was why I had avoided Yugi. But now... I needed to find a way to save Bakura.
"Can I ask you about your powers?" Yugi said once he had finished his first rice ball. "It sounds really interesting."
I nodded. "It runs in my family. I – I'm not very good at it yet, but I can sense what other people are feeling. And I can guess at their intentions and the state of their heart unless they're good at concealing it."
"Wow, that must make you very compassionate if you can feel what other people feel."
I shrugged. "I guess so." I did care a lot about people, and it hurt me when they were hurt.
"I bet you're good at making friends."
I frowned and glanced down at my lap. "Not really," I mumbled.
"Huh?" I felt his surprise.
I had not meant for him to hear that, and now I had to explain. I sucked in a sharp breath as I lifted my head to meet his gaze. "People think I'm too sensitive. I always end up caring more about people than they do about me. They end up leaving, and it hurts too much. Only Bakura has stayed. And my siblings." I did not know why I was speaking to him about this. It was not something I shared lightly. Yet, there was something about him that calmed me and made me comfortable. Maybe it was because I could feel that he generally cared about me despite not knowing me for long. He was a good person. One of the best I had ever come across.
"I'm sorry." His eyes shone with sympathy, and I knew he was sincere. "I used to have trouble making friends. Everyone always passed me by. But then I met Joey and Tristan and then Tea. And now we're you're friends too." His smile lit up his face, making it hard for me to doubt him.
"Thank you," I said softly.
"We'll find Bakura. I'm sure he's looking for you too."
I was not so sure, but I could not say this, so decided to change the subject. "Why are you in this tournament?"
"I like dueling, and I thought it would be fun."
He was lying, which seemed out of character for him. I decided to trust my intuition and reveal another secret. "Bakura and I aren't here to duel. My brother thinks there's something going on with KaibaCorp. Kaiba and Mokuba hadn't been seen for awhile, and he thinks it has something to do with Pegasus. Now that I have seen Mokuba captured, he has to be right." I had not had much time to reflect on that until now. What in the world was going on?
Concern flashed across Yugi's face. "You're right. "Mokuba said that Kaiba is missing, and his company will be given to Pegasus if he can beat me in a duel. That's why he forced me to participate in the tournament."
My eyes widened, "Forced?" I could feel pain and grief coming from his heart.
He nodded. He seemed hesitant to go on, but then he spoke: "He captured my grandfather's soul."
My mouth fell open in shock. "Th-that's terrible!"
"I know. That's why I have to win and get his soul back."
"But how-" A thought struck me. "Pegasus has a Millennium Item, doesn't he?"
Yugi was surprised at my question. "Yes. He has the Millennium Eye."
"That's how he did it then." I leaned my head against the tree and groaned. How many Millennium Items were there? Did Pegasus host a spirit as well? "I need to get off this island and return to my normal life."
"Agreed. I never asked for any of this."
It pained me to hear the sorrow in his voice. I felt a strong need to do whatever I could to assist him. "I don't know if I can be of any use, but I'll do what I can to help you."
Yugi's features relaxed as he smiled at me. "Thank you, Samia. I appreciate it." He looked around the area to see that his friends were dozing off. "Maybe resting isn't such a bad idea. I'll keep watch of the time if you want to take a nap."
The mention of sleep made me realize how tired I was, and I could not argue with him. I took my glasses off and set them to the side. Then I moved to the grass and curled into a ball. For once, my thoughts and emotions did not torment me as I drifted into a slumber.
Something disturbed my sleep. I opened my eyes and stuck my glasses back on my face. Yugi stood in front of me, gazing into the distance. Except, I felt the same presence I had when I first ran into him earlier in the day.
Was this really Yugi? I was still not used to my powers, but there was something different between what I felt now and what I felt around the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. I could still feel Yugi's presence. It was almost like he was blended with someone else. Was it really just an enhancement from the magic of the Puzzle?
Everyone else stirred. It was time to leave. Yugi looked at me, and I knew there was something different about him. His eyes were confident and determined, and they told me to trust him. I did not sense any evil or immediate danger, so I let my weary mind rest as I followed Yugi to the dueling arena.
I became alert as soon as I saw the guard from before holding onto Mokuba. "No!" I exclaimed. "Mokuba!"
"Samia!" Mokuba said as he struggled. "Yugi! Get him off of me!"
"Put him down now!" Yugi demanded.
"I'll consider it if you win the duel," the guard said.
"Oh, I'll beat you, all right."
"I never said I would duel. There is your opponent!" The man pointed to the dueling arena where someone stood in place. I gasped when I saw who it was: Seto Kaiba. "He's an old friend who's dying to see you again. He met an unfortunate end earlier today, but he's come back just to duel you."
"What are you saying?" said Mokuba.
"Yes, Yugi," said 'Kaiba.' His voice sounded off, and something felt very strange as well. "It's me, Kaiba. And this time you don't stand a ghost of a chance."
"Yugi, you don't have a ghost of a chance beating Kaiba," said the man, "because this time he is a ghost."
"A ghost?" said Yugi.
"Stop it, Kemo!" said Mokuba, who now stood beside the guard.
"It's a fact," Kemo said. "Two witnesses saw him fall to his doom."
"Liar! Take back what you said!"
"That's not Kaiba!" I interjected. This did not feel like him at all.
Yugi glanced at me. "Are you sure, Samia?"
I hesitated. "I'm pretty sure." A ghost was similar to a spirit, right? And whatever was on the dueling field did not feel like the Spirit of the Ring... or the magic from the Puzzle. Yet there was a hint of Kaiba coming from this imposter that I could not explain.
"You're in denial," Kemo said, smirking at Mokuba. "Get used to it. All that's left of Kaiba are your memories. Plus a very cranky ghost just looking for revenge."
"It's not him," Yugi said.
"Well, he's seen better days. It's time to duel with the ghoul."
"It can't be. That guy's nothing but a fake. A trick by Pegasus."
I nodded. "Beat him and expose him." I was really getting tired of this. We needed to rescue Mokuba and find out what really happened to his brother!
Yugi took his spot opposite of the imposter, and the duel began. It was much harder for me to read his emotions now then when I had been talking to him earlier, but I did not see any reason to fear. He had beaten Kaiba before, right? He could definitely beat whoever this was. Or whatever this was.
"You may look like Kaiba, but there is no way you can imitate his deck," said Yugi.
"You mean my deck," said the imposter. "Kemo, once I beat Yugi, Pegasus can have KaibaCorporation. All I want is revenge."
My eyes narrowed as my intuition told me something was off. There was no way this was Kaiba. I was glad Yugi was not buying it either.
His confidence did not fade even when the imposter apparently opened with the same move the real Kaiba had used in his duel against Yugi. Yet something was off even about this, but I could not put my finger on it.
This was not the first duel I had ever seen in person, but it was the first duel with holograms. I flinched when the realistic monsters appeared on the field, and I found myself missing Bakura, who I knew would know how to put me at ease. I took a deep breath and focused on Yugi's emotions.
"This next card's a blast from the past, Yugi," the imposter Kaiba said after several minutes of dueling, "with the emphasis on blast." He flipped over the card to show his opponent. I could not see the card itself, but I could see and feel Yugi's horror. This could not be good. "I attack with the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
I knew enough about Duel Monsters to know that there were only four in the world, and Kaiba had three of them. There was no way – Unless...
"Only one deck has got that card," Joey said, echoing my thoughts.
Mokuba was just as stunned. "That means what they say... could it be true?"
"No, they stole Kaiba's deck!" I said. That was the only explanation. "Yugi, don't let him psych you out!" I sensed his frustration, and I knew my words had not affected him. Instead, his emotions were giving me a hard time. What was the point of having these powers if I could not use them to help people? My mom would know what to do. She would know how to tell what was going on and how to assist Yugi. Why wasn't she here?
After more mockery from the imposter, Mokuba cried out in anguish: "Shut up! Please, someone make him go away!"
My heart went out to the boy as I was consumed by his emotions. I emotionally disconnected myself from Yugi as I ran over to Mokuba and pulled him against me. Kemo, still holding the boy's wrist, glared at me, and I glared right back at him. "It will be alright," I said softly as I rubbed Mokuba's back. I did not have the talent to fake my emotions to make someone feel better like Bakura did, but I hoped my presence would bring some comfort to him.
I few more turns passed before more interruptions by the imposter. It was obvious to me that he was trying to get inside Yugi's head to defeat him. I could only pray that it would not work.
"That's not my brother!" Mokuba exclaimed as he held onto me with his free arm. "There's just no way! Yugi, you know that's not him. Everyone thinks he's a bad guy, but I know my brother, and he's not mean like this. He's my best friend in the whole world. That thing's not him! You just gotta believe me!"
The young boy's emotions made my heart hurt. It was not just feeling his pain that did it either. I was reminded of my own pain in the past, the way I had lost my parents and the new threat that wanted to take my best friend away from me. "He's right, Yugi. I know Kaiba, and he's not like this. I'm not sure what's going on, but I know this is a trick."
Yugi did not answer us but instead continued the duel. It was hard for me to follow along, but somehow he managed to defeat the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Just when I began to feel relieved, the imposter brought out a second Blue Eyes. Both sides now only had 500 life points.
I started when I felt another presence. No, no one was there, but... The Blue Eyes' attack points were draining, and the dragon hologram was melting away!
But its attack was still too strong, and it prepared to launch the attack that would finish Yugi. I shut my eyes in fear.
'Yugi!'
My eyes shot open as a voice, Kaiba's voice entered my mind. Yugi glanced at me, and I could tell he had heard it as well.
Then I heard it a second time. Everyone else appeared in the dark. My powers must have allowed me to hear the voice, but what about Yugi? I suddenly felt great power coming from him, and I undeniably knew that he was not alone. At that moment I felt no fear.
The dragon destroyed itself, leaving Yugi's monster unharmed. Mokuba let go of me and cheered.
The imposter Kaiba then started to freak out. "Why me?" he exclaimed, clutching his head.
Yugi had now regained his composure and responded calmly: "Why? Because Kaiba's still alive. He stopped you."
"Silence! I am Kaiba!"
"Enough! Your charade is over."
"My brother is alive!" Mokuba said. Relief washed over me at the sudden change of atmosphere.
"Imposter!" Yugi said to the fake Kaiba. "The real Seto Kaiba destroyed that monster. I know because I sensed him calling out to me when it happened. Now, enough of your lies. We know you're not Kaiba! It's time for you to show us who you really are."
"I told you, I am Kaiba!" the imposter said manically. "Or at least I'm part of him. The darkest part." His clothes and skin fell away, revealing an ugly clown that caused me to cringe. "I can see you don't recognize me, Yugi. I wasn't lying when I told you I was Seto Kaiba... the evil part of him that you sent to the Shadow Realm after out last duel. Now I'm back thanks to Pegasus!"
"You're not a part of my brother anymore!" Mokuba said.
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "Shadow Realm? What's that?"
Tea glanced at me with a small frown. "I'm not sure."
"Yugi did something freaky with his Puzzle to banish the evil from Kaiba," Joey said.
I nodded. I doubted it was Yugi who had done it. How would he know how to use such power?
The duel continued. Eventually, the clown drew his last Blue Eyes White Dragon. This time, the monster's attack points stayed at 3000. I held my breath.
I felt tension all around me, but oddly, none of it came from Yugi himself. I relaxed when I realized that he must have a plan. Sure enough, he used a magic card to bring back a Blue Eyes. Then he used his Mystical Elf to transfer her attack powers to his dragon.
"Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba," Yugi said. "You lose!" The two Blue Eyes clashed, and Yugi's ended up victorious, winning the duel for him.
The explosion from the last attack was huge, but that was not what overwhelmed my senses. I now could barely feel Yugi. Instead, I felt a very strong and powerful source inside his body. I knew without a doubt, this was a spirit.
"Pegasus may have helped you escape the Shadow Realm once before, but it won't happen again!" the spirit declared. "Never again!"
I doubled over as the magic I felt overwhelmed me. I had to force my eyes open so I could watch the scene, though my powers told me more than my eyes ever could. A strong force sent the clown out of this world, but his terror was not the most consuming. I now did not have much trouble gazing at the person who was supposed to be Yugi.
I could swear he was surrounded by light, the Millennium Puzzle glowing. The magic and power that poured from him became more bearable and transformed into a deep attraction. Despite my initial fear, I felt a need to go to him. It was the same pull I had felt when I had first seen Yugi with the Puzzle.
My mother's warning flashed in my mind, but then another thought struck me. I felt no evil from this Spirit. And he had helped Kaiba, his rival, by freeing him from his evil. Plus, he had risked his star chips to save Kaiba's brother. If that was not good, what was? I felt an odd peace with my decision that I did not question. I could trust him. I had to trust him.
"I'm sorry, mom," I whispered. Then I dashed towards the dueling arena. Yugi/the spirit had just retrieved Kaiba's deck form the other side when I reached him. "Spirit!"
Something flashed in his eyes as he stepped down from the platform so he was level with me. "What?" he said in a voice that was most definitely not Yugi's. He even looked different. Was I the only one who could see it?
I could feel Yugi regaining power in his body, and I knew I had to act fast. Almost like acting from an ancient instinct I did not know was there, I reached forward and placed my hand on the side of the Puzzle. Then I said in my mind, "Can you hear me?"
"Yes," said the Spirit's voice inside my mind. "Who are you?"
My eyes widened in surprise. The power and magic I felt was dwindling, and I had no fear. This was no time to think about consequences. "I could ask you the same thing. I need your help. My best friend Bakura is possessed by the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. I need you to help him. He wants the Millennium Puzzle! He'll hurt Yugi!"
The Spirit's strong gaze caused me to shiver, but it was not a bad feeling. "I will help you. I promise."
I gave him a small smile as relief flooded me. ''Thank you." If he could help Kaiba, then he had to be able to help Bakura. Right now, he was my only hope.
I let go and took a step back. A second later, I could feel and see that Yugi had regained control of his body. He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. "Did you say something? I spaced out there for a minute."
I could still feel the Spirit's presence in the Puzzle, and I knew he was watching. I smiled at Yugi. "I just said that was a great duel and a great thing you did for Mokuba."
Yugi blushed and rubbed the back of his beck. "Thanks, Samia."
"That creep took Mokuba!" Tea suddenly exclaimed.
I gasped and spun around. Oh no! "I shouldn't have let him out of my sight," I said through gritted teeth.
"It's not your fault," Yugi said, putting a hand on my shoulder. His sympathy and concern made me feel slightly better.
"Let's look for him," said Joey.
I nodded numbly as I started forward. I found myself wishing for another break. So much had happened within the last hour, the last day. But looking at Yugi, I knew that some good had come of it as well. These were good people, and with any luck, I would come off of this island with some much needed friends.
***
A/N: That chapter was longer than expected. I hope you like how I'm doing things. Sometimes I'll simply summarize duels, but other times I think it's helpful to the story to show some of it. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!