Yugi- Spirit Blacksmith?! By: DJ Rodriguez   (Author’s Notes: Well, I’m glad that you guys and girls like this story so far! Your reviews mean so much to me, so keep them coming whenever you can! Here are the people I would like to thank!   Sayian Moon Goddess- Don’t worry, I know that! That was Yugi’s gratitude for your complement, that’s all. I know you and Hiei are together. In any case, thanks for the review! The katana is your choice of weapon, huh? Good choice! And also, what did you think of my descriptions of the characters?   Darkspider- Yeah, Kai. You should be proud of your little sister! She’s very cool, and also very intimidating! Thanks to all of you for the review! Hey, where are your Bit-Beasts? Don’t they have anything to say?! And also, did you like the way I described the people? I thought Tyson or Ray there would be drooling like mad at Wyna or Kyleen!   Cherry- Yeah, I made Yugi blush a lot for two reasons: 1.) A lot of fangirls like you think it’s cute when he blushes, so I did that. 2.) He’s shy around women, what else can he do? Thanks for the review!   Rox- Hi! I hope you feel better soon! And also, your choice in weapons is nice. Yugi, you take care! Thanks for the review!   Star Angel- I would like to help, but it seems that you have everything under control. Your choice in weapons is cool, so the Rapier is yours! I’ll also take your suggestion to heart as well. Also, Yugi here is blushing for the compliment! He sends his thanks to you! Thanks for the review as well!   Everyone else- Thank you very much! Your reviews, and your choice of weapons, were all pretty good! Keep them coming! And also, tell me on how I described the characters in the earlier chapter. Did some of you guys out there drool for Wyna? Hahaha!   Anyway, on with the story!)  

Chapter 4

  Everyone was sitting down at the table in Sodina’s backyard, eating, laughing and making light conversation. It was like old times to them, even for Yugi. Soon, it was getting late. The sun had set and night was coming on. They all moved back inside Sodina’s house, where they sat in the living room. Muza, Wyna, and Kyleen were now sitting on the large couch, while Soushi sat by himself between the couch and an armchair. Yugi and Nelsha sat together in the armchair, both of them just smiling at one another. Meis and Sodina were standing up, looking at the whole group.   “I think I need to tell everyone now.”, Meis whispered to Sodina.   She noted the seriousness in his voice, and replied, “Okay. I would like to hear this too.”.   Meis then raised his hand and announced, “Guys, there is something I need to tell you.”. They all stopped their laughing and conversation, taking in the seriousness in Meis’s voice. They soon gave him their undivided attention. Meis closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and started.   “I’m glad you are all here, because I have something important and extraordinary to tell you.”, he started. He then turned to Yugi, and motioned him to come to him. He obeyed, leaving Nelsha and going towards his teacher. He stood before them all, Meis putting his hands firmly on his shoulders.   “I’m betting that you would like to know more about Yugi.”, he said. They all nodded their heads, wondering on where this was going.   Meis then told Yugi, “All right, Yugi. Show them.”. Yugi nodded, then he closed his eyes. He seemed to relax a bit, then something strange happened. Muza’s claymore, Wyna’s war hammer, Soushi’s katana, Kyleen’s rapier, Nelsha’s needle, Meis’s sword, and Sodina’s knife were starting to glow brightly! They all took them out, surprise etched on their faces. The weapons then started to squirm and wiggle about, causing them to grip them tightly so they wouldn’t get loose!   They were making squeaking, frantic noises. They looked all around, and saw that it wasn’t just their weapons moving, but the pots, pans, and silverware were moving too! They had risen from their places, glowing like the others, in a brilliant mix of light green and blue. Suddenly, they flew frantically around the entire place! Anything in a fifteen-foot radius was acting crazy!   After a few minutes of chaos, Meis said, “Okay, Yugi. You can stop now.”. Yugi nodded his head once again, closed his eyes, concentrated a little bit, and then opened them again. Suddenly, all of the flying objects moved back to their original place, the glow dying down.  The weapons as well calmed down, no longer glowing and squeaking. Everyone looked in awe at Yugi.   “What just happened?!”, Wyna exclaimed.   “Yeah, what gives?!”, Kyleen added. Everyone was surprised and shocked on what they just witnessed, including Sodina!   “Meis, what happened?!”, she exclaimed. She continued, “The spirits inside the objects and weapons were acting crazy! They were being filled with power, and also saying that, ‘Such a powerful spirit and soul!’. What’s going on?!”.   Meis gave off a mysterious smile to him, and to them all. He answered all of their questions calmly by simply saying, “Do not look at me. It is Yugi who did it.”. They now stared at Yugi, wonder and puzzlement on their faces. Yugi was a little uncomfortable under their gaze.   Meis then explained, “Yugi is not from here. He is from another dimension, another world. Metalia brought him here, asking me to train him as a Spirit Blacksmith.”. They were all shocked to hear this little info.   He continued, “Metalia said that he had a pure heart, soul, and spirit. A kind like she had never seen before, in all of the ages. She had brought him here, so that he can save us and the world from a powerful evil.”.   Muza then exclaimed, “A powerful evil?!”.   Kyleen then groaned, “You mean that Dark Emperor is back?!”. She remembered on fighting him, and it was no picnic she wanted to have again.   Meis shook his head sadly and answered, “I wish it was. Metalia had also told me that a powerful evil was sealed beneath Dianova. It turns out this thing was far too powerful and unstoppable for the Emperor to control. So, he and some others sealed it up good. Unfortunately, since we defeated the Emperor, the seal is now starting to fade. Once it is completely gone, that thing underneath Dianova will emerge.”.   Everyone was silent about this. Meis then said, “Yugi here is the only one who can battle the evil that is coming soon. And after all he’s been through, I have no doubt that he can do it!”.   Soushi then inquired, “What do you mean?”.   Meis looked at Yugi, a sorrowful expression on his face. “Yugi, you want me to tell them? Or should I?”, he asked him.   Yugi slowly shook his head and answered, “No, I should tell them.”. Meis nodded his head, let go of his shoulders, and walked back to Sodina. Yugi then turned to face them all, ready to tell them his story.   “Okay, here is how it all started.”, he started to say.   Thirty minutes later, Yugi had finished telling his little story. He had told them everything; on how he met Yami, his adventures, his trials, and also on Yami and his friends betrayal and actions. He also told them on how he first met Metalia, saving her from a group of bullies. “And, that’s how it all happened.”, Yugi finished sadly.   All of them were in shock and awe, on how Yugi’s life was and also on what happened to him. Muza then boltly stood up from the couch and exclaimed, “Those bunch of jerks!!”. His hands were clenched tight into fists, showing that he was very angry and upset.   Wyna also stood up, fury on her face. “That’s right! After all you did for them, they do something like that?! Back-stabbing idiots!!”.   Soushi stood up and declared, “Those fools! Vowing to never leave you, and do?! Such dishonor!!”.   Kyleen also stood up and exclaimed, “Ingrates! Nothing, but idiotic, stupid ingrates!!”.   Nelsha also looked angry, saying, “Nelsha think they had no right to do that to you! They bad people!!”.   Sodina had a look of sorrow on her face. “I can’t believe you endured all of that… and still kept you heart and soul the same. You truly are extraordinary.”, she told Yugi quietly.   Wyna punched her left fist into her palm and growled, “I would love to teach those jerks a lesson!”.   Muza took out his claymore and stated, “Just give me five minutes with them! That’s all, just five minutes! I would show them my Twister Blade!!”.   Kyleen stood up and added, “Same here!”.   Soushi also exclaimed, “Such dishonor is unforgiveable!”.   Nelsha got up, ran to Yugi, and hugged him tight. “Nelsha so sorry that you went through that!”, she cried out. Yugi hugged her in return, trying to calm her.   Sodina also went and hugged the little warrior. “You are truly a good person, Yugi. Since you went through all of that, and still helped Metalia without hesitation against those thugs, you are a very good and sweet person.”, she told him.   Meis had a look of pain and sorrow on his face. ‘I may not know him that long, but I’m making myself a promise. I will not abandon him, like those jerks did! I vow, on my honor as a Spirit Blacksmith, that I will never hurt him the way they did.’, he said to himself.   Back in Yugi’s world, Ishizu and Shadi saw the whole thing. “It was wise for Yugi to tell them everything.”, Shadi said.   Ishizu nodded and added, “I’m also glad on their reactions. They are right, those fools are very stupid to have done that to someone who had risked their lives and health on many occasions!”. It was getting late, and soon they retired to their rooms.   Before they left, Shadi asked, “Do you think we should inform Serenity on this?”.   Ishizu nodded and answered, “Yes. I think she has a right to know this.”. They both nodded, then turned in for the night. After getting dressed for bed, the two got on their beds and were drifting off to sleep.   Ishizu whispered to herself before she dozed off, “Yugi, you now have a whole new beginning for you. I know you will do well, much better then before.”.   Shadi also said, “Young one, you have a great new path ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck.”. Then, the two fell asleep.   Back at Sodina’s home, the place had calmed down to an extent. Meis then called the attention of the group. They gave him their attention once again. “Listen, guys. I’ve been thinking, maybe tomorrow we can take Yugi to the Misty Mountains.”, he told them.   Kyleen asked, “Misty Mountains? Why?”.   Sodina explained, “In the Misty Mountains, there is room called The Mirror of Souls. There, it shows you on how the spirits look at you, show you on who you truly are. It will also show you your true destiny.”.   Soushi said, “I think it is a good idea. I think Yugi will benefit on the experience.”.   Yugi also agreed with this, saying, “I think it’s a good idea, too. I would like to see my true self, and destiny.”.   Meis then asked, “So, its agreed?”.   They all shouted, “YEAH!!”.   Meis smiled and said, “Good. Now, lets get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow.”. Sodina the led them upstairs, to where the bedrooms where. Once there, she led them to the rooms.   “Since there are only three rooms, some will have to sleep downstairs.”, she told them. She let Yugi and Meis have the two rooms, while she had her own room. She went in it, and later came back with some sleeping bags.   “Here you go.”, she said as she each handed a sleeping bag to the others. They thanked her, then wished everyone good night.   Muza clapped Yugi on the back and said, “Good night, Yugi. Sleep well, man!”. Yugi thanked him, then Muza went downstairs towards the living room. Kyleen went up to him, and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.   She said, “I may not known you for that long, but I do know this. After hearing your story, I think you’re cool in my book.”. Yugi blushed a bit at this, and thanked her for the compliment. She smiled warmly at him, then went downstairs.   Soushi stood before Yugi, then he bowed. “After hearing your endurance through your dilemma’s, and also your actions against those thugs, it is a fact that you have much honor and strength within you.”, he told him. He thanked him for the kind words, then Sosuhi left.   Wyna was up next, and she gave Yugi a good kiss on the other cheek. “You’re stronger then you look, Yugi! And that’s what I like about you, you’re strong spirit and heart! Stay that way, and you’ll go far!”. Yugi blushed again and thanked her for that. She smiled, then left.   Nelsha was the last one, and now both had a faint blush on their faces. “Nelsha think you’re sweet and cool. You a good person, and Nelsha like that!”, she told him shyly. She then gave him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. Both were blushing like crazy!   “T-Thank you, Nelsha.”, Yugi said. She smiled at him, giggled a bit, then left. Meis and Sodina were looking at Yugi, who still had a faraway look in his eye. Both were grinning at this scene.   “Aww. Puppy love, and right before our eyes.”, Meis said teasingly.   Sodina added, “Its sweet, don’t you think?”. Yugi heard them when he snapped back to reality, and a deep blush covered his face. He tried to hide it, but it was no use.   “Um, well… I think I’ll go to bed now. Good night.”, he told them before entering and closing the door to his new room. Sodina and Meis laughed, then they went to to bed as well.   “Good night, Meis.”, Sodina said as she entered her room.   Meis replied, “Good night, Sodina. Sweet dreams.”. Then, the lights were turned off and everyone dozed off into a peaceful slumber.   In Dianova, something big was moving about. Earthquakes of great magnitude was shaking all of the crumbled empire up! The Fortress of Dianova, the most lethal of all places, was crumbling like a fragile rock! The shakings slowly dimished, but still continued. Deep below, the door with the seal and mark of Dianova was slowly fading away. On the other side of the door, lurked a being with immense power. It was anxious and getting antsy, very much wanting to get out of its prison. Numorus and large claw marks were on the door, but it held together somehow. From the other side, a deep and angry growl came out. It sounded hungry. But, what does it crave? And also… how much will it take it satisfy this craving?   Morning was slowly coming over Boyzby, the sun’s rays lighting up the sky. In Sodina’s house, someone was up and about. Muza, who was sleeping on the floor of the living room downstairs with the others, was the first to awaken. He slowly woke up, a very faint but enticing aroma arousing him from his slumber.   He groggily sat up and said quietly, “What? What’s that smell?”. He stood up and looked towards the kitchen. He saw a shadow, and decided to investigate. He stood up, walked to the kitchen, and was surprised to see on what he saw. He saw Yugi, making breakfast. He was wearing some strange clothes that Muza had never seen before. It was Yugi’s school uniform, which suited him quite well. Yugi was busy around the kitchen, humming a tune while working.   Muza made his notice by asking, “Hi, what are ya making?”.   Yugi spun around to see Muza up. “Oh, sorry if I woke you up, Muza. I was just trying to make some breakfast for all of you.”, he said.   Muza waved his hand off and replied, “Its alright. So, what are you making?”.   Yugi turned his attention back to the stove and answered, “I’m making a special breakfast for all of you. It’s the least I could do to repay all of you for you kindness and hospitality.”. Before Muza could ask anything else, Yugi’s smile widened a bit.   “There, it’s all done! Do you mind if you can wake up the others?”, he asked the tall warrior.   Muza shook his head, chuckling a bit. “Sure, Yug! Hold on a sec.”, he answered. He then left to go wake the entire lot.   When he entered the living room, he was looking down at his sleeping friends. ‘Well, I hate to do this. But…’, he thought as he prepared himself.   He then sported a mischievous grin and yelled, “HEY!! GET UP, EVERYONE!!!”. That sound literally rocked the house. Nearly everyone woke up immediately, and Yugi was a bit startled by that. They were all groaning, the noise still rattling inside their heads. Wyna was the first to fully awaken, glaring at Muza.   “Any last words before you die?”, she growled. Muza chuckled at this, although he had a very nervous face on when he saw her glare. Soushi and Kyleen also rose up, staring at Muza with death glares as well.   “You’d better have had a good reason for waking us up, Muza!”, Kyleen mumbled.   Soushi added, “Because if you don’t, it’ll get pretty messy in here soon.”.   Nelsha was the last person to wake up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she rose. “Nelsha still tired!”, she whined.   Muza smirked at them all and said, “I just wanted you guys to wake up for breakfast. Yugi’s made some for us.”. They all were surprised to hear this news.   “Yugi… is making breakfast?”, Kyleen asked surprised. Muza nodded, then he saw Sodina and Meis coming down the stairs.   “Hey, good morning!”, he greeted them. Sodina gave a weak smile, while Meis was very annoyed.   “Care to explain why we are up at 6:30 in the morning?”, he asked him sarcastically. Muza nodded, and was about to say something when Yugi’s voice rang out.   “Breakfast is ready!!”, he called out. This got everyone’s attention, and they started to file in to the kitchen table. They all sat down in the chairs, Meis being at the head of the table. Few minutes later, Yugi emerged from the kitchen with steaming plates in his hand.   “I hope you guys like these.”, he told them as he gave the first plate to Meis. It had golden scrambled eggs, strips of bacon, and golden buttered toast.   Yugi then handed the other plate to Sodina. “I’ll get the rest.”, he told them as he left the table.   Soon, the whole table was loaded with food. Yugi had made enough to feed everyone, also pouring them glasses of milk and orange juice. Meis tasted his meal first, and was pretty much impressed. After he swallowed it, he turned to Yugi and said, “Hey! Not bad, here. Thanks, Yugi!”.   Yugi smiled widely, then went back to the kitchen to get himself a meal. When he came back, he saw that they were all eating. Apparently, his cooking was pretty good. “This is great, Yugi! Almost as good as Sodina’s cooking!”, Muza stated.   Yugi smiled and replied, “Thank you. I really put a lot of effort into this.”. Yugi the sat down between Kyleen and Nelsha. They were now all eating and drinking heartily, conversation going all around.   “Thanks for breakfast, Yugi!”, Sodina said. They all thanked him for the tasty meal.   He grinned widely and replied, “It was nothing. Thank you, anyways.”. Twenty minutes later, they were all done and full. Yugi got up and put the plates and dishes back in the kitchen. After that, he asked Meis on when they were going to the Misty Mountains.   Meis replied, “Today, around 10:00. Until then, me and you still have some training to do.”. Yugi nodded, then decided to get ready.   “Sodina?”, he asked her.   She looked up and replied, “Yes?”.   “Can we use your smithy for my training?”, he asked politely.   She smiled and answered, “Of course you can.”. He grinned and thanked her. He then went upstairs to change into his training clothes. When he was out of sight, all of them started to talk. Amazingly, it was all about their new friend.   “That Yugi sure is a dedicated one, isn’t he?”, Sodina asked.   They all nodded and Muza added, “Yeah. He’s pretty thoughtful too. I mean, we didn’t ask him to make breakfast for us. But, he did it anyway.”.   Kyleen then said, “He’s a cool kid, that much I know.”.   Wyna added, “Yeah! He’s sweet, but also strong. Pretty rare combo these days.”.   Soushi stated, “You are right. He has the right balance of character within him, which is special indeed.”.   Nelsha went off into space a bit and said dreamily, “Nelsha think he’s very cute too.”. They all now stared at her, then she was quickly brought back to reality. She was blushing red with embarrassment on what she had just revealed.   “Its okay, Nelsha. I think he’s cute too!”, Sodina said while giggling. Wyna and Kyleen were also laughing as well.   “You got that right! He may not be as handsome as some boys, but he’s definatly cute!”, Kyleen stated.   Wyna said, “You’re right there! He’s so cute, its unbelieveable!”. The guys chuckled at this, then they heard some footsteps coming down the stairs.   “Okay, I’m ready.”, a voice stated. They saw that it was Yugi, and Kyleen and Nelsha blushed a bit on what they saw. Yugi was in a white muscle shirt, having blue jeans on and his small black boots. Even though it had been four or five days since he arrived, he was beginning to fill out because of his training. His arms now had some muscles showing, not big but they were there. His legs were also filling up too. He carried his sword in his left hand. His face showed a mix of determination and childlike innocence.   Kyleen and Nelsha thought, ‘He’s so hot right now!’. That thought just made their blush deepen a bit.   Meis smirked, nodded his head and said, “Well, let’s get started.”. He then stood up from the table, and walked towards the smithy. Yugi soon followed, ready to learn more about becoming a Spirit Blacksmith.   Back in Yugi’s world in Egypt, Ishizu and Shadi were up and eating breakfast. They were also watching Yugi as well, a deep blush on Ishizu’s face when she saw Yugi in his training clothes. “It looks like Yugi is filling up a bit.”, Shadi said to Ishizu.   When he turned around to see her, he was sort of surprised to see his friend blushing and also having a dreamy look in her eyes. He chuckled and said, “It looks like you like what you see.”.   She shook her head, snapping back to reailty. She had a small sheepish grin on her face and replied, “Y-Yeah. Sorry about that.”.   He laughed this time and said, “Don’t worry, its okay! Besides, if Yugi was here, he take that as a compliment!”. Her blush increased by the second of the thought of Yugi actually being here.   “W-Well, at least his training is coming out good.”, she stammered.   Shadi then looked at her mischeviously and remarked, “So I see. Or is it, so you see?”. She was now red as fire, as she continued to watch the boy.   ‘I’ll say this now. If I had a chance with Yugi, I certainly wouldn’t blow it!’, she thought to herself.   In Domino City, Mokuba and Seto were eating their breakfast in their mansion. Seto was eating like he normally does, slow and steady. But, he saw that Mokuba wasn’t eating at all. He was just toying with his food, a sad expression on his face. He put down his fork and asked, “Mokuba, what’s wrong?”.   Mokuba just sighed out, not answering him. “Are you sick?”, Seto asked.   Mokuba shook his head and answered, “No, I’m not sick.”.   Seto then asked stated, “Then what’s wrong? You’ve been depressed for some time now.”.   He put down his fork and looked at his brother. “I’ve been worried about Yugi, that’s all.”, he said. Seto was now surprised that his little brother has been concerned about Yugi’s well-being.   He then asked sharply, “Why is that?”.   Mokuba was taken aback by his brother’s tone, but he answered, “I don’t know. Its just that… well, he wasn’t looking so good some time ago. Now that he’s disappeared, I’m worried that he might be in trouble.”.   Seto stood up and said coldly, “That’s Yugi’s problem, not yours. Besides, he’s weak and helpless. Why concern yourself over his health?”.   Mokuba was now scared to reply, so he kept quiet now. Seto then looked down and said, “Its almost time for school. Let’s get ready.”.   He merely nodded, and left the table. His plate was still there, but he knew that the maids would clean the table. He slowly went upstairs to his room, but a thought kept nagging at his mind, ‘Where is Yugi? I hope he’s okay, wherever he is right now.’. He then got dressed for school, slung his orange backpack on, then walked outside. A limo was waiting for him. He got in, and the driver drove out.   Back at Serenity’s house, she and Joey were eating breakfast as well. Joey looked at his sister in concern and asked, “Anything wrong, sis?”.   She looked up from her meal and replied, “Huh?”. He sighed and put down his spoon. He then stated, “Look, you’ve been keeping something from us. I would like to know what.”.   She sighed and also put down her spoon. She said, “I’ve just been really worried about Yugi, that’s all.”. Joey was very surprised to hear that his sister was worried about Yugi.   He asked sharply, “Why would you worry about that little shrimp?!”.   Serenity was taken aback by her brother’s words, not to mention a little angry. She answered, “I just feel that he needs my help.”.   Joey then exclaimed, “He always needs help, sis! That’s why he’s a weak and helpless baby! That’s why he’s pathetic!”.   Serenity’s anger was growing by the minute, but she decided to play it cool for the time being. “Okay, Joesph! I see perfectly clear now.”, she said sharply.   He smirked and said, “Yeah. Glad to see that you do.”. He then left to get dressed for school.   When he was completely out of sight, Serenity declared, “I see now why Yugi was so depressed and broken, you jerk!”. After blowing that much steam out of her system, she put up the dishes and went upstairs too to change.   ‘I really hope Yugi is doing okay. I juts can’t wait to see him again!’, she said to herself as she was in her room changing.   Meanwhile, Yami was busy getting dressed himself. He made his own breakfast, seeing that Solomon was still in his room. He had been crying all night long, very saddned to think that his grandson was now gone. Yami shook his head sadly and said to himself, “I really can’t understand why he’s crying over Yugi? He may have been his grandson, but he was still weak and helpless! I certainly don’t want anyone like that around me.”.   After eating his meal and putting up the dishes, he slung his blue backpack on and left the store. He was soon joined by Téa, Mai, Ryou, Bakura, Tristen, Joey, and Serenity. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”, he asked.   Joey replied, “Not much. Just that my sister was going whack.”. They all looked at him, except Serenity, and Téa asked, “Why is that?”.   He then told on what happened this morning, and the others were puzzled indeed. Mai inquired, “I wonder why she would worry about that puny runt, anyway?”. They all shrugged their shoulders, and continued on.   Serenity, on the other hand, was still fuming at Joey and the others. “He is not weak, you bimbo!”, she said to Mai in a low voice. Mai didn’t hear it, and continued on.   Serenity shook her head and asked herself, “Why did Joey have to hang out with these idiots here?!”. Soon, they reached the school and went to their classes.   Meanwhile, Yugi and Meis were hard at work. Yugi was hammering away at another piece of metal, while Meis watched and observed. “Remember, put your heart into it, and the spirit will know.”, he told Yugi. He complied, and started to pound harder. Sweat was building up, and his small muscles started to grow little by little. The others were watching, fascinated by Yugi’s strength.   “For someone so small, he’s got a lot of guts and determination.”, Muza said.   Soushi nodded and added, “Yes. He is certainly fiery when he wants to accomplish a goal or task.”.   Wyna smirked and said, “What do you expect? He’s got what it takes to go all the way!”.   Sodina smiled and added, “He certainly does. He’s got the heart and spirit needed to forge a good sword.”.   Nelsha and Kyleen were just staring at Yugi, a certain glint in their eyes. “Nelsha thinks that Yugi is wonderful!”, she said to herself.   Kyleen also said to herself, “He is so hot! Looking good, and having a good heart and soul, is a rare combo indeed! He’ll make a good boyfriend for me, soon!”. It looks like Yugi has already the attention of two ladies here! After a few hours of training, Meis saw that it was going to be ten o’clock soon.   “We better get ready to leave. Come on, let’s get packing.”, he told them all. Yugi stopped what he was doing, put back the equipment and tools, and went back upstairs to shower and change. The others did their own thing as well. Nelsha, Kyleen, Muza, Soushi, and Wyna stayed at the house to change for the trip. Sodina and Meis left to go shopping for some supplies.   Yugi was in the shower, refreshing himself fro the trip. Ten minutes later, he emerged and told the others that he was out. He then headed for his room, to change to his traveling clothes. When he was finished, he emerged and went downstairs. He saw Wyna, Kyleen, Nelsha, and Soushi waiting for him. “Where’s Muza?”, he asked.   Wyna answered that he was in the shower, and taking a long time. Then, Meis and Sodina came back. “We brought some food and some mediacal supplies, in case we ever get into a battle.”, Sodina told them. They nodded their heads, then Muza came back downstairs, dressed and claymore in hand.   “Well, I’m done. Who’s next?”, he asked. Soushi quickly stood up and ran upstairs before anyone could say anything.   “Smart man, isn’t he?”, said Yugi with a sheepish grin on his face. They all chuckled and agreed with him. It was awhile until all of them were prepared to go. They had showered, dressed up, and packed everything that they needed for the trip.   “You ready, Yugi?”, Meis asked him.   Yugi looked at him and answered, “As ready as ever, Master!”. Meis smiled, then they all went out of the house. They soon left Boyzby, Sodina leading all of them.   “The Misty Mountains are east of Boyzby, about 30 miles. May take a day or two to reach it.”, she told them all. They didn’t seem to mind, so they continued onward! It was on to the Misty Mountains, and the Mirror of Souls within it.   It was 12:00 at noon, two hours since the group left Boyzby. They had battled plenty of Knife Thieves and Chrono Spears ever since they left. Yugi watched the fights, picking up tips and lessons from the lot. Muza and Wyna had asked him if he wanted to learn on how to fight with them. He accepted. Now, they were passing through a large meadow. They all talked and joked with one another. Meis and Sodina were up in the front, talking about the past. Muza and Wyna were walking together, exchanging jokes with one another.   Soushi was walking by himself, deep in thought about something. Kyleen, Nelsha, and Yugi brought up the rear. The two girls walked close to Yugi, which made him blush a bit and also a bit nervous. ‘This is kind of an awkward situation for me, being sandwiched by two lovely girls.’, he said to himself. Kyleen and Nelsha smiled sweetly at Yugi, but also gave one another glares. Kyleen then asked Nelsha to come with her.   “There’s something I need to talk with you about.”, he told her. Nelsha complied, both walking together and a bit away from Yugi. Once they were a fair distance from him, the two started talking.   “What are you doing, girl?!”, Kyleen demanded.   Nelsha glared at her and exclaimed, “What do you mean?! Nelsha wants to know on what you’re doing!!”.   Kyleen smirked and answered, “Isn’t obvious? I’m going to make Yugi my boyfriend!”.   Nelsha turned red at this and exclaimed, “No! You can’t do that, because Yugi is going to be Nelsha’s boyfriend!!”. Kyleen glared at her, and both went into a staring contest.   She then stated, “We’ll just see on who gains Yugi’s heart!”. Both of them then turned back, and sandwiched Yugi again. He was a bit embarrassed by this, him seeing the whole exchange and all. He didn’t hear it, but believed that it was about him. Suddenly, two Chrono Spears appeared from out of nowhere! Meis was going to battle, but Yugi stopped him.   “Meis, may I have a crack at them?”, he asked him. He saw the determination in his eyes, and Meis allowed him to battle. Yugi thanked him, then stepped up to the plate.   “Okay. My first battle! I know I can do this!”, he said to himself as he prepared himself. Sodina and Kyleen were his back up, standing by to help their friend.   Yugi stood before the two machines, sword drawn out and ready to battle! The first Chrono Spear attacked, going for another multi-hit jab attack. ‘Not this time, you pile of junk!’, Yugi said mentally as he avoided the attack. He saw his opportunity, and attacked fiercely! Bring down his blade, he attacked with a horizontal slash! Then, he attacked again with a vertical slash! It was a two hit combo! The machine backed up, trying to regroup.   Suddenly, the other Chrono Spear was engulfed in green light! ‘That means that it is powering itself up! This isn’t good!’, Yugi said as he saw his partner attack! He couldn’t dodge this time, and took the attacks. He got shrugged it off, and stood ready to attack. Charging in, Yugi attacked the same way he did last time. The machine dropped, obviously out of the fight. The next fighter came up, looking forward to avenge his fallen comrade. It attacked quickly, and Yugi took the attack again. He was still standing, but that last attack took a good chunk of health from him. Sodina cheered, pumping her fist in the air and shouting encouragement to him.   Yugi felt some of his energy flow back. It was little, but it would enough to keep fighting. He smiled at Sodina in gratitude. He then turned back to the fight. “I’m not down yet, spear-head!”, he told his opponent. The machine said nothing, but waited for the attack. Yugi went on the offensive, and took a good hit at the enemy. It was still standing, but severely weakened. Yugi stopped his assault, and waited for the thing to attack. It didn’t, going into a defensive position.   “I wonder why it’s going defensive? Well, I better go on the offensive!”, Yugi said to himself. He charged in, and defeated the machine! He had won! The two just laid there, in a huge scrap heap.   “Way to go, Yugi!”, everyone cheered out. Yugi turned and looked at all of them. He then gave them his trademark grin, and a thumbs-up.   The ran up to him, and he was in the middle of the group. They were shouting and cheering, congratulating their little friend on his first win. “Way to go, Yugi!”, Muza cheered.   Wyna slapped him on the back, grinning. She said, “You the man, Yugi!”.   Meis stated, “Not bad, Yugi!”.   Sodina exclaimed, “Nice work, Yugi!”.   Soushi bowed to him and said, “A job well done, little one.”.   Kyleen and Nelsha gave him a big kiss on each cheek, Kyleen on the left and Nelsha on the right. Yugi blushed a fiery red at this. “That was totally sweet, Yugi!”, Kyleen exclaimed.   Nelsha added, “You were wonderful, Yugi!”. Yugi smiled and thanked them all for the compliments. Sheathing his sword back in its scabbard, Yugi was prepared to go back on the road to the Misty Mountains. Before they continued, Sodina handed Yugi a bottle. It was small, filled with yellow liquid. Yugi examined it, then asked on what it was.   Sodina answered, “It’s a Potion bottle. It’ll heal your wounds and also replenish your energy.”. Yugi gave her another look of gratitude, opened the bottle, and the liquid suddenly jumped out on its own! Yugi was surprised by it, because the liquid now turned into a golden ball of light! It encircled Yugi, going around him in a downward spiral. He suddenly felt rejuvenated, and he saw his wounds closing up and fading. After a few moments, the light disappeared, and Yugi was as good as new.   “Thanks, Sodina! Now, let’s go!”, Yugi said. They continued onward.   Meanwhile, Ishizu and Shadi were watching the entire event. Also, Serenity was there with them. While no one else was looking or spying, Serenity had sneaked out of school during lunchtime, and asked the two to teleport her back to their place. They complied, and she was brought just in time to see Yugi ask Meis if he could fight the Chrono Spears. They had a look of surprise and shock on their faces when Yugi fought the machines.   When he had won, they wore huge grins. “I knew Yugi could do it!”, Ishizu cheered.   Shadi nodded his head and added, “Yes, he did do it! He fought with determination and honor, like that of a true warrior!”. Serenity was still in surprise and shock on what she saw.   “That was… incredible! That was amazing!”, she exclaimed. The other two looked at her, and a smirk formed on their faces.   “You’re surprised at this?”, Ishizu asked.   Serenity looked at her and explained, “Well, Joey told me that he was always weak and helpless! This certainly proves him wrong!”.   Shadi’s smirk widened a bit and he said, “Yugi is going to prove all of them wrong!”. Ishizu nodded in total agreement, the smirk never leaving her face.   Serenity was thinking, ‘Joey, it looks like you and the others were wrong about Yugi! He’s stronger then you all think! Maybe even stronger then you, Yami!’. They all continued to watch the events unfold, unaware of the time.   Back in Domino High School, Ryou was searching for Serenity. “Where can she be? I couldn’t find her during lunch, and now lunch is over and she’s didn’t meet me at the entrance to the school!”, he told himself. He wanted to keep searching, but he saw that class was about to start and he didn’t want to be late.   ‘I’ll look for her later. Maybe Yami and Bakura can help me find her.’, he thought as he rushed back to class.   Meanwhile, at Domino Middle School, Mokuba was in the library. He was reading a book, but his mind was elsewhere. ‘I really hope that Yugi is okay, wherever he is.’, he thought to himself. He then put the book down and got lost in thought.   ‘Seto says that Yugi is weak and helpless, but I don’t think so. In any case, I want to look for him. But, where to start?’, he thought. Before he had any more time to think, the bell rang and class started again. He sighed, put the book away, and headed back towards his class.   ‘Yugi, just be okay. I know everyone else says you’re weak, but I doubt that big time!’, he said to himself as he left the library.   Back in the Thousand Arms world, the group were still on the road. They had run into many battles, but they all came out victorious. Yugi had his share of fights, and he won them all! He was also getting stronger and faster with each fight, little by little his strength increasing. Soon, at 4:00 p.m., they had reached the entrance to the Misty Mountains.   “I can see why they call it that.”, Yugi said to himself. The entire region of mountains were encased in a thick blanket of fog, nearly making it impossible to see clearly.   Meis now led the group and he stated, “Stick together, everyone! You could easily get lost in this place!”. Doing just that, the group slowly entered the area. Soon, the fog swallowed them. Meis was right, you could not see anything except the ground beneath you.   The trip started off slowly. Meis warned everyone to tread carefully, least they fall to their doom. They went about 50 feet, when they ran into another enemy. But this time, it was a different one. Nelsha volunteered to battle this time, only now it was against… A light-pink ghost?! This ghost had yellow eyes, which were thin and straight. It was big and puffy, and also had large puffy arms.   Meis said, “You’ll see things like these from time to time. That’s a Damashi.”. Yugi was confused by this time of enemy.   “Damashi are playful kind of ghosts. They like to battle, but mostly just play around. But, they do have a weird way of fighting.”, Meis continued.   Yugi inquired, “What’s that?”.   Meis smiled and replied, “Look and see.”. The battle was on. Nelsha took out her needle, ready to fight. She took a glance at Yugi, a slight blush adorning her face.   “Nelsha will do her best for Yugi!”, she said to herself. Then, she turned back to her opponent. The Damashi had a silly look on its face, its red tongue drooping out and a smile on. Soon, it attacked! But, something just didn’t turn out right. It went up to Nelsha, waved its left hand in front of her, and a red spiral of light was swirling in front of her. Yugi was worried, but Meis told him not to.   “Here’s what I mean what I said earlier.”, he said. The Damashi floated back, laughing and pointing at Nelsha. The red light faded… and Nelsha was fine. It was the Damashi, which was glowing red and standing still.   “What just happened?”, Yugi asked confused.   Meis chuckled and answered, “It put itself to sleep.”.   Yugi exclaimed, “What?!”.   Meis laughed and explained, “The Damashi are just plain funny. Their spells most of the time backfire on them, putting them to sleep instead of the enemy!”. Yugi just had to laugh at this; the idea of putting yourself to sleep instead of your enemy was funny. Nelsha then went to work, repeatedly stabbing the thing with her needle. Amazingly, the Damashi never woke up from that. After a few more rounds, the thing faded into nothing. It was defeated!   Nelsha was relived that was over. She turned to look at Yugi, and he gave her a warm smile. “You did good, Nelsha!”, he told her.   She blushed a faint red and replied, “Thank you, Yugi.”. Kyleen scowled at this, but decided to let it slide. The group then continued onward. On the way, the found out that the entire cave was like a maze! They went into all sorts of directions, feeling very confused by this. They also ran into new monsters, tougher and stronger then the previous ones they faced. They faced off against Mermen, a sea snake like monster. It was huge and bulky, about Meis’s height. It was blue and scaly, and had armor on some parts of its body. It wielded a large trident in its massive hands, which was effective in putting the hurt on them. Luckily, they were able to defeat it.   And also because of Sodina, her bringing a lot of Potions. They also faced off against Water Spirits, a very ghostly specter of water. It was looked like a blue flame with eyes and hands, which was pretty weird. It attacked with magic spells, like a Water spell. A massive drop of water would form above, and drop on the attacker. Muza and Soushi learned that attack the hard way. In any case, they were defeated.   Along with them were Blade Soldiers, cactus-like monsters that were shaped like swords. Long yellow needles were sticking on the side of their sword-like heads, adding extra damage to their attack. The way they did it was by going up to the attacker, and bring its head down like an axe! Needless to say, Kyleen and Wyna got the job done with them! After much navigating and turning, as well as finding some cool treasure boxes with some awesome stuff inside, they came to their destination.   Back in Egypt, the trio were very much excited and anxious. After witnessing the fights and cheering when the heroes won, it was like one big party! When they saw that they arrived at their destination, they sat still on the couch, very much anticipation mounting up.   “Where are they at?”, Serenity asked.   Ishizu answered, “The Mirror of Souls.”.   Shadi explained, “The Mirror of Souls reflects the person’s own true self. The spirits see on what the person truly is, and shows it to them. It also reveals one’s destiny and path.”.   Serenity was amazed that such a thing existed. She continued to watch, her mind burning with one question. She thought, ‘What will Yugi’s true self be?’. All gazed into the mirror, watching the event unfold before them.   Yugi and the others were standing in awe. They had seen that the fog lifted up, revealing a marvel towards them. They were now in a cave, with white stonewalls shining because of the pool water below. A small waterfall was in front of them, the gentle sounds of the running water soothing them. Yugi saw that there was a stone path before them, which lead to a large stone formation. On it, was a massive mirror.   Meis went to Yugi and put a hand on his shoulders. “Go on, Yugi. This is it.”, he told him gently. He looked at him, smiled, and then slowly walked towards the mirror. Everyone was on edge, wondering on what Yugi’s true form would look like. It was like an event they didn’t want to miss out on! They held their breath, waiting to see on what would happen. Yugi slowly strode up to the mirror, soon standing before it.   Suddenly, the mirror glowed in a bright, sky-blue light! Yugi had to shield his eyes from the immense glow. After a few minutes, the glow died down and Yugi uncovered his eyes. He was amazed at what they saw, they all were. Back at Egypt, Ishizu, Shadi, and Serenity were in awe on what they saw as well. Yugi couldn’t believe on what stood before him. “This… is my true self?!”, he exclaimed in shock.   What stood before Yugi, amazed even him. In the mirror, was a reflection of his true self. Yugi saw that his reflection was tall, a little bit taller then Ushio! It was lean and muscular, like an athlete. It had muscles everywhere, not too big like bodybuilders, but big enough! From the look of it, the image could easily defeat Ushio in a fight! An intense aura of bright blue light surrounded it, making it brim with life and strength. However, it was the face and eyes that surprised Yugi. He saw that they were still the same, soft and gentle.   The reflection showed that it was strong, but gentle. Warrior-like, but still having a child-like innocence. It was an odd mix indeed. “This… is my true self? This is my heart, soul, and spirit?”, Yugi asked himself in disbelief. Then, the mirror flashed! The image changed to show Yugi’s reflection, but it had changed as well. It was wielding the Y. Sword, its eyes changing to that of determination and strength. It changed to that of Yugi’s eyes, not Yami’s. It was battling a large, fierce red dragon-like creature!   Both were locked in combat, battling in a death match. Then, the mirror flashed again and it was blank. Yugi was still staring at it, in shock on what he just saw. After a few moments, he snapped out of it and went back towards the others who were waiting for him. When he got there, he saw that they too were still shocked on what they saw. Yugi then asked uneasily, “So, what do you guys think?”.   Back in Egypt, the three were just in awe. Shadi’s eyes were wide with shock, as he saw Yugi’s true self and also his destiny. “That… was unbelievable!!”, he exclaimed. He glanced at Serenity and Ishizu, but when he saw their expressions, he chuckled. The two ladies had their mouths hung open, their eyes wide with surprise and admiration.   ‘He was so handsome! Not to mention hot!’, Serenity said to herself as the image of Yugi’s reflection was permanently burned in her mind.   Ishizu thought, ‘So, that is Yugi’s true self. That means that he was really strong all along! Not to mention very cute and handsome!’.   Shadi snapped them out of it by saying, “I see that you like what you saw.”.   The two ladies shook their heads and started to blush immensely. “Well, I-I saw that he had changed.”, Serenity stated.   Ishizu added, “Indeed, h-he was very handsome and cute.”.   She didn’t realize she had let that slip, until it was too late. Her blush deepened more. Shadi chuckled yet again and explained, “That was Yugi’s true self, that was the reflection of his heart, soul, and spirit. That was his inner self.”.   Ishizu and Serenity were both surprised by this. “Then… everyone who said that Yugi was weak and helpless was wrong.”, Serenity said.   Ishizu nodded and replied, “You got that right!”.   The group snapped out of their trance, and looked at Yugi. “Wow! Yugi, that was something else!”, Muza declared.   Soushi added, “Yes. It looks like the spirits saw and revealed your true self.”.   Wyna exclaimed, “Man, Yugi! You were amazing! Such strength and power, that was very cool!”.   Sodina said, “Not only that, but you retained your gentleness and innocence. It was most spectacular!”.   Kyleen exclaimed, “Yugi, that was awesome! You were so handsome, it’s not funny!”. Yugi blushed bright red at that statement.   Nelsha added, “Nelsha thought that you were cool! You were very handsome, Yugi!”. Yugi’s blush deepened a bit at that.   Then, Meis went up and stood in front of Yugi. He put his hands on his apprentice’s shoulders and said, “What you just saw was a reflection of your true self, on what the spirits see in  you.”.   He continued, “That does not mean that you will look like it. Even if you soon become like that reflection’s image, it is what inside that counts. That is what the spirits have shown you.”.   Meis then smiled and stated, “With you kind of heart, it’ll be no problem for you to attract as many girls as you want!”.   Yugi then blushed in embarrassment at this. He didn’t think of himself as a player or playboy. Meis and the others laughed at this. Then Meis stated, “Not only did you see yourself, but your destiny.”.   They all stopped laughing to hear him out. He continued, “It showed that you are destined to fight the evil that is soon to come, and save the world from it.”.   Yugi nodded his head, understanding and accepting his fate and path. “I will do my best. This is all I can offer.”, he told Meis and the rest.   Meis smirked and replied, “I wouldn’t have it any other way!”.   The others exclaimed, “Yeah!!”.   Muza then suggested, “Come on, let’s go home.”. They all agreed with him, and the group left the Mirror of Souls.   Back in Egypt, Serenity was preparing to leave too. “Its already 5:00 p.m., and I’m sure the others are worried about me. Or at least, Ryou.”, she said. The two former guardians nodded their heads, saying silently that they understood. Using their powers again, they teleported Serenity back to Domino City.   After she was gone, Shadi asked his friend a question, “Do you believe that Yugi will change into his reflection?”.   Ishizu shook her head and answered, “I do not know. All I know is this. I look in a person’s character and heart, not solely on looks. After witnessing Yugi’s true self, I was right in him being ten times the man Yami could ever be!”.   Shadi nodded his head, agreeing with his companion. They started to make dinner, while watching Yugi and the others exit the Misty Mountains.   In Domino City, Serenity saw that she was teleported back home. She was in front of her apartment, which surprised her a bit. “Well, I better go see if anyone is home.”, she said to herself.   She opened the door, and a voice called out from the living room, “Serenity!”. She turned around to see Ryou and all of the others inside the apartment.   “Ryou.”, she replied. The others stood up from their places and went over to her.   “Where have you been?! Are you alright?!”, Ryou asked.   Serenity nodded her head and answered, “Yeah, I’m all right. I was just… with some friends of mine. That’s all.”.   Joey exclaimed, “What friends?!”.   Serenity glared at her brother’s outburst and answered, “That’s none of your business, bro! Anyway, I was with them after lunch. We were looking for someone.”.   Yami asked, “Was that someone… Yugi?”.   Serenity glared at him and remarked, “What if it was?”. Yami did not tolerate that kind of attitude, but because she was Joey’s sister, he let it slide.   Tea asked, “Why would you and your friends go looking for Yugi?”.   Serenity glare turned to her and she answered sharply, “We were worried about him, Tea!”. Tea was taken back a bit by her answer.   Seto put in, “What would convince you to go and find that little runt?!”.   This time, Serenity was fed up! ‘That’s it! I can’t take it anymore!’, she said to herself. She strode over to Seto, looked him directly in the eyes for a moment… then punched him hard in the face!! She decked him good with a hard right hook! Everyone gasped in disbelief and shock, as Seto went down hard!   She looked down at him and shouted, “What gives you the right to call him that, after everything he has done for you?!”. Seto looked up at her from the floor, shock and disbelief in his eyes. The rest looked at her the same way as well. She glanced up at all of them, fury in her eyes.   “I’m going to my room now.”, she told them all harshly. She brushed past everyone, walked up the stairs, and then went to her room. The door slammed shut.   Downstairs, Seto was slowly rising from the floor. He gingerly touched his right eye, which was now starting to swell and blacken. Everyone was too much in shock to say anything. After ten minutes, Joey decided to break the silence. “I better go check up on her, find out on what’s wrong.”, he said quietly.   He went upstairs and knocked on Serenity’s door. However, there was no reply. “Serenity, its me, Joey! Open up the door!”, he called out. Still no answer. He tried to open it, but he found that it was locked. After more knocks and yells, he found out it was no use. He walked slowly back downstairs, then apologized to Seto.   “Sorry, man. I never knew she react like that!”, he told him.   Seto replied, “Same here.”. His eye was now black and blue, swelling up a bit.   Mokuba then suggested, “We better go home, bro. So we could take care of that eye.”. Seto agreed with him. He and Mokuba started to walk out the door, saying their good-byes before leaving. When the two were gone, the others also decided to leave.   Mai hugged Joey before she left and said, “See ya, Joey. And find out what’s up with that sister of yours.”. He said that he would try, then she left. Tristen and Tea also left, requesting Joey to find out on what is going on.   “We’ll help you out, however we can.”, Tristen said. Joey thanked the two, then they left. Duke, Rebecca, and Bakura left as well. Ryou was very much still in shock on what he had seen his girlfriend do. He slowly started to walk out of the apartment, not saying anything. Yami was the last to leave, very much surprised by the whole ordeal.   He turned to Joey and said, “I will help you find out on what is going on. In the meantime, talk with your sister.”. Joey replied that he would, then Yami left.   Back in Egypt, Ishizu and Shadi saw the whole thing. They were very much surprised by Serenity’s action, just like the others. But, it was different somehow. “Yes! About time someone put one of them in their place!”, Ishizu cheered.   Shadi was, however, was not overly happy like his friend. “That was… unexpected.”, he said. Ishizu was just glad that someone had stood up for Yugi.   “Perhaps. But, they still got what was coming to them!”, she replied.   Shadi, then, had a smile smirk on his face. “I guess that you are right.”, he said. The two were hoping that would make the others come back to their sense, to worry about Yugi now.   “I hope that she knocked some sense into him!”, Ishizu stated. Shadi only replied, “We shall soon see.”.   Meanwhile, Yugi and the others were traveling back to Boyzby. They knew that they would never make it back before the gates closed, so they decided to pitch camp when they had traveled halfway. Meis and Sodina went out to fetch some water, Wyna and Muza went out to gather some firewood, Soushi decided to got look for some wild fruit, and Yugi, Kyleen, and Nelsha set up camp. Yugi was setting up the fire pit, finding some small rocks and making a circle formation. Kyleen and Nelsha cleared the area of any unnecessary items.   Soon, night fell and the stars and moon came out in all of their glory. Sodina and Meis came back, each with a bucket filled to the brim with clear, cold water. Muza and Wyna came back with a lot of firewood in tow. Soushi returned with an ample amount of berries and other wild fruit. Putting enough firewood in the fire pit and lighting it with a match, the group gathered around it and started to talk. Yugi was, once again, sandwiched between Kyleen and Nelsha. The two snuggled up to him really close, Kyleen on the left and Nelsha on the right. Yugi was blushing in embarrassment at this. He was shy around one beautiful girl, but two girls?!   “This… is going to get complicated.”, he said to himself. Soon, it was time to sleep. Putting the fire out, the group got into their respective sleeping bags. Everyone, except Yugi, drifted off to sleep. He stayed awake at the moment, looking at the stars in the sky.   “I still can’t believe on what I saw in the Mirror of Souls.”, he said to himself. All this time, after all he had been through, he had seen his true self and was much surprised by it.   “One thing is for sure. I will not let Meis and the others down! I’ll make them proud of me!”, he said with determination. He turned and saw that Kyleen and Nelsha were beside him, sleeping bags close to him and content smiles on their faces.   Yugi smiled a little at them and he said to himself, “I now have not one quest to think about, but two! And I think the second will be harder then the first.”. Soon, he too fell asleep.   Back Joey’s house, Serenity was awake in her room. She was still surprised on what she had done to Seto Kaiba, but didn’t regret it. ‘He had it coming to him! All those times of making fun of Yugi, its about time someone stood up to him!’, she thought to herself.   Joey had given up trying to talk to her, and just went to bed. He reasoned that he would find out what’s up with her in the morning. ‘Man! She decked Kaiba with one punch! I never knew she had it in her! But, why was she defending Yugi? I just don’t understand.’, he thought as he climbed into bed.   Soon, both Wheelers drifted into a deep slumber. Back at the Game Shop, Yami was also getting ready for bed. He checked on Solomon, but found that he was asleep in his room. ‘The old man actually cried himself to sleep, and all because of Yugi.’, he said mentally while he was dressing for bed.   When he did get into bed, a single thought nagged at his mind: ‘Why would Serenity stand up for someone so pathetic?’. Then, the former pharaoh went to sleep.   The sun was slowly rising, casting its golden rays on the land of Tradguld. The warm light softly hit the campers, Yugi the first one stirring and feeling the warmth. He slowly opened his eyes, and he remembered the events of yesterday. A small smile escaped his lips, as he rose up to silently greet the day. He was careful not to wake the others as he got up and stretched. He saw the sleeping forms of Kyleen and Nelsha, who were sleeping next to his sleeping bag.   “This… is going to be a problem.”, he told himself. He would never lead a girl on, but this was confusing. Both girls were very pretty, and he didn’t want to hurt their feelings.   “But, someone will get hurt eventually. As for now, I just need time to think on this.”, he said as he quietly folded up his bag. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quiet enough. The small sounds of him folding the sleeping bag slowly stirred Kyleen from her slumber. She moaned a little, then she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Yugi, standing and smiling down on her. A small smile crept on her face and she slowly sat up.   She stretched and said, “Mmmm. Good morning, Yugi.”.   He replied, “Good morning to you too, Kyleen.”. Soon, Nelsha as woke up from her sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, the first thing her vision came upon was Yugi.   She sat up as well and said, “Good morning, Yugi.”. He also said good morning to her. A chain reaction followed, and the rest of the gang were waking up.   Yugi smiled a little and said, “Better make some breakfast.”. He went to his bag, and started to pull out some items. He took out a frying pan, a bag that had some bacon, and slices of bed. He went over to the fire pit, put some more firewood in it, lit a match, and started it up again.   “Breakfast will be ready soon!”, he told the others. He was going to make bacon-toast sandwiches.   ‘Its not much, but I like think it’ll last us until we get to Boyzby.’, he said to himself as he cooked away.   Back in Domino City, a certain girl was waking up from her slumber as well. It was Serenity Wheeler, and boy was she tired. Moaning a bit as she sat up, she shook her head to clear it. Then, she remembered the events from last night. “I may have overacted a bit, but I just had to do something to wake those jerks up!”, she said to herself as she rose out of bed.   Unlocking the door, and making sure no one else was up, she made her way to the bathroom. Once inside, she locked the door and quietly took off her clothes. After that, she turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. After a few moments, it did and the girl stepped in. The gentle, warm waters calmed her down and also revitalized her. Ten minutes of showering, she turned it off and stepped out.   She went to the cabinet, and took out a large, fluffy green towel. Wrapping the dry towel around her, she unlocked the door and peeked out. Seeing no one up yet, she went out and back to her room. Once there, she closed and locked the door again. Drying herself off, she put the now wet towel into her hamper basket and she went to her drawers to see on what she could wear.   “I’ll have to come up with an excuse to some of teachers because of yesterday, but that’s okay.”, she said to herself.   A small mischievous smile crept on her lips and she added, “What I saw yesterday was very much worth the absence!”. Fifteen minutes later, she was fully dressed. She was wearing her school uniform, the same that Tea wore as well.   “Knowing Joey, he’s probably still asleep. He’ll wake up when breakfast is ready.”, she said to herself. She went downstairs, entered the kitchen, and started to make the meal.   Upstairs, Joey was still sleeping. He was sprawled out over the bed, a very funny scene indeed. He was saying in his sleep, “Pizza… hot dogs… sushi…”. It turns out he’s always dreaming about food. Suddenly, his nose started to twitch. A lovely aroma was entering his nostrils, smelling something wonderful cooking. His eyes slowly opened halfway, then sprang up quick!   “What’s cooking?!”, he exclaimed, some drool hanging on the right side of his mouth. He bolted out of bed, slammed his door wide open, and raced down the stairs. He saw Serenity, in her school uniform and also hovering over the stove. She took her attention away from the food, and stared at her brother.   “Good morning, Joey.”, she said nonchantedly.   Joey knew that she was talking like that because of last night. He had a small frown on as he replied, “Good morning, sis.”. He sat down at the table, waiting for his meal. Serenity soon put the food on two plates. She handed one to her brother, then took the other one with her as she sat at the end of the table. Joey looked down and saw his breakfast; eggs, toast, orange juice, and bacon.   He started to eat slowly, then his eyes now looked at his sister. Serenity saw his gaze, and she replied with a hard look. Joey was taken back a bit, then he stopped eating. “Serenity, care to explain why you decked Kaiba?”, he asked her.   Serenity also stopped eating, gave another hard look at Joey, and answered icily, “I did it because I was defending Yugi. I just had enough of his trash talk abut him.”.   Joey knew that she was using her angry tone of voice, because he had also said some nasty things about Yugi too. He decided to let the situation drop, for now. He finished his meal, put the plates and glasses up, and went upstairs to change to his school uniform. Before he was out of sight, he gave his sister one last confused look.   ‘I wonder why she cares for Yugi all of a sudden?’, he thought. Then, he continued on his way.   At Kaiba’s mansion, Mokuba was the first one up. He was already dressed and was heading towards the kitchen table. When he got there, he was a little surprised not to see his brother there before him. “I guess that punch did a little more damage then I thought.”, he said to himself as he sat in his seat.   A few minutes later, he heard some footsteps. Turning his head, he saw Kaiba come down. He was in his school uniform, but something else was added. He still had that black eye. The swelling had gone down, but that purple and black color was still on his face. Seto did not look too pleased, either. He had an angry expression on his face, very much similar to looks he gave to Yugi/Yami when he lost to them at Duel Monsters.   Soon, the maid came in with their breakfast. Mokuba ate slowly, as he watched his brother eat at the same speed as well. ‘Man, he’s taking it hard! Well, I’d be the same way if I got decked like he did. And by a girl too!’, he thought.   Fifteen minutes later, they finished their meal. Seto said nothing during the entire time. He snapped his fingers, calling the maid. She came in, took the plates from them, and left the room. Mokuba soon saw that it was time to leave for school. He got up from his seat, went over to the wall, picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders.   “Well, gotta go, bro. See ya!”, Mokuba said. Seto just acknowledged him with a small nod. He didn’t even turn to face Mokuba. The small boy sighed, opened the door and left the mansion. A limo was waiting for him. He got in, closed the door, and told the driver to go to Domino Middle School. While riding there, Mokuba was in deep thought.   ‘Domino High isn’t far from my school. I think I’ll go over there during lunch and ask Serenity if I could join her and her friends for looking for Yugi!’, he thought. Earlier, he was afraid of saying anything that might help Yugi, on the grounds that he’d be teased and taunted for even caring about him. Now, because of Serenity’s actions, he felt a little more braver now.   At the Turtle Game Shop, Yami was also up and about. He had finished making his own breakfast, seeing that Solomon was still asleep. He called the police last night, asking if they found his grandson. They reported a negative. He was very much devastated by the news. Yugi had been missing for nearly a week, and it was very heart breaking to the grandfather.   Yami, however, seemed unfazed by it. However, he was fazed by Serenity’s actions yesterday. In fact, he was thinking about it now. “I better see on what is going on. Serenity was acting strange two days earlier, and last night was downright shocking!”, he said to himself.   Finishing his meal in ten minutes, he put the dishes up. He then went over to the wall near the door, slung his backpack on his shoulders, and left the complex. He walked down the street, soon greeted by the others. All of them walked together, except Serenity. She was keeping a distance from them walking a good fifteen feet behind them. Even Ryou was surprised by Serenity’s actions, right now and yesterday.   He went over to Yami and asked, “What do you think is wrong with her?”. Yami just shook his head and answered, “I do not know.”.   Bakura then said, “She was angry, that much I know from last night. She decked Kaiba good!”. The billionaire turned and glared at the tomb robber, who just glared right back.   Joey put in, “That she did. She was also hard on me during breakfast.”.   Duke inquired, “Why is she making such a big deal over Yugi?!”.   Tea added, “Yeah! I mean, he’s just a worthless little punk!”.   Mai whispered, “Shh! Don’t say anything like that out loud for the moment.”. Tea wondered on why, and Mai answered by jerking her thumb (hitch-hiker style) in Serenity’s direction.   “After last night, she can wipe up the floor with you no problem.”, she said. Tea then saw her point, and decided to keep her mouth shut about it.   Yami then stated, “I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll find out on what is going on with her.”. The group nodded their heads, agreeing with Yami’s plan. Soon, they all arrived at the school.   Back in the Thousand Arms world, Yugi and the others were on the road again. After finishing their breakfast, they cleaned up the area and put up their stuff. Meis told them, “I think we’ll be back in Boyzby in the afternoon, maybe around 11:00.”.   It was now 9:00, which meant that they had two more hours of traveling. Along they way, they fought more of those Knife Thugs and Chrono Spears. However, because their experience and strength were increasing, the battles were a lot easier. Yugi was improving immensely as well, his skill with his Y. Sword increasing with each battle.   As a little bonus, the Knife Thugs would leave behind money after they had run away from a defeated battle. So, they earned a little extra change on the side. Soon, the group were back in Boyzby! Going through the archway, the entire lot went back to Sodina’s house. However, when they got there, a note was attached to the door. Underneath it was a large package.   “Hmm. What is this?”, Meis asked himself as he pulled the note down and started to read it. It read:   Dear Meis,   I have some terrible news. It seems that the seal underneath Dianova will not last long. By my calculations, the seal will be completely gone within six months. That is when our troubles begin.   I have talked with the spirits within the Holy Flame, and it seems like they want to help out as well. In the package I have sent, there is a special tool for Yugi. The spirits have made this gift for him, so he could use it in his quest. You and the others must go with him, help him find and use the Holy Flames from the Sacred Alters like last time.   Please take care, and hurry. We do not have much time left! Good luck!   Metalia   Everyone was shocked at this. Meis slowly put down lowered the note, and his gaze was on the package. He slowly knelt down, lifted the package up, and started to rip it up. Ripping the yellow wrappings off of the rectangular box, Meis opened it and all were amazed on what they saw inside. It was a blacksmith’s hammer, exactly like the one Meis carried. Only, this one was different in many ways.   It was small compared to Meis’s large hammer, but just the right size for Yugi to wield. The handle was made out of solid gold metal, while the actual hammer on top was made out of pure silver! It gleamed and shined brightly in the sunlight. Suddenly, the hammer glowed golden, and slowly floated out of Meis’s hands. The thing then floated towards Yugi, stopping merely centimeters from him. Yugi was surprised by all of this, but he knew what he had to do.   “I saw my reflection and destiny in the Mirror of Souls. I know what my path is, and I will not turn away from it!”, he declared to all. The group had a smile on their faces, very proud of Yugi’s determination. Yugi then lifted his right hand slowly towards the hammer. Then, he grasped it firmly.   The hammer’s glow then died down, now being handled by Yugi. “The hammer has acknowledged you as its rightful owner.”, Sodina said.   Yugi had a small smirk on his face, then he lifted the hammer high! “Yeah!!”, he shouted out! They soon cheered, glad that Yugi had accepted this quest and his destiny!   Back in Egypt, Ishizu and Shadi watched the entire scene. Ishizu had a large, proud smile on her face. She was like a parent who had just witnessed its child accomplish his first big task. “I am so proud and glad that Yugi has accepted this quest, and his destiny!”, she declared.   Shadi chuckled and added, “Me too. He will succeed, that I know! It may be rough in some places, but he’ll pull through!”.   Ishizu nodded her head as well and replied, “He has so far! I know he’ll do what he can to stop this evil and save the world!”. The duo looked on, reminding themselves to tell Serenity on what had happened. It was a good day for them all!   (Author’s Notes: So, ladies and gentleman. How do you like this one? Be honest, now.   Darien: DJ is going to have some major revamps in the next chapter, so enjoy this one while you can. More action on the way!   R&R, no flames, enjoy, and leave long reviews!)