DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

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Pegasus's Special Deck
Chapter 5: Last Night on the Island
By Shadow's Mirror

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After their run-in with Bandit Keith, Yugi and the others didn't waste any time in leaving the castle. While all the attention had been on Yugi and Téa, Keith had managed to get away; so they were all wary as they made their way back to the dock. The boat wasn't due until the following day, but they wanted to be there when it arrived. As Joey put it, he wouldn't put it past Kaiba to have ordered the captain to turn around again if they weren't ready and waiting. So, nightfall found them all gathered around a fire in the stretch of open area between the dock and the forest.

Yugi lay in the grass thinking over what had happened. He couldn't remember anything except a few vague feelings of helplessness after Mokuba started dueling Téa, so he knew that Yami had taken over at that point. He also suspected that Yami had done something to destroy the machine. The others believed that Bandit Keith had made a mistake and broken it, but Yugi didn't think so. He closed his eyes, a slight smile on his face.

'Thank you.' From somewhere deep inside him, he felt the faintest response.

'For what?'

'For saving her. I don't know what happened, but I know you kept her safe.'

There was a strange sensation, as though the spirit was struggling to find the right words. 'The duel started. I… I have never seen an outfit such as that before.'

A vision flashed through Yugi's mind, stunning him.

"Yugi?"

Téa's voice. Yugi's eyes snapped open. Tea was kneeling beside him, looking at him curiously. He felt the heat rising into his cheeks. "Um… Téa… Hi." His voice shook as he sat up.

Téa blinked. "Yugi? Is something wrong?"

"Um… no… No! What could be…?" Yugi trailed off as Téa looked away. Suddenly the words simply tumbled out of him in a guilty rush. "Yami just showed me an image of the cat costume."

Yugi fell silent as Téa glanced at him in surprise. Then she smiled. It was a little shaky, but it was still a smile. "Oh." Her smile became more relaxed as she settled down beside Yugi, tucking her legs under her. "That's okay. I don't mind. It was just a little embarrassing at the time."

"I won't tell," Yugi promised softly and was rewarded with a grateful look.

"Thanks. So, you said it was Yami there, not you?" Téa frowned slightly. "I was sure…"

Yugi smiled. "It was me at first. Yami and I switched places when we realised you were in trouble."

Téa's eyes widened as she realised something. "The machine… did he make it stop?"

Yugi nodded slowly. "I think so." Although he was grateful to the spirit for helping Téa, something about the thought of Yami being able to use the incredible power of the Millennium Puzzle without his knowledge greatly disturbed Yugi.

"The power he has… It scares me a little." The words were so soft that Téa barely heard them.

"It's a lot to get used to. Just give it time. I'm sure that things will work out." She smiled at Yugi. "After all, you did say that you both worked as a team in order to defeat Pegasus."

Yugi thought about that for a moment, then smiled back. "You know Téa, you're absolutely right!"

- - -

Mai looked over at the two figures talking quietly on the other side of the fire. "Those two sure seem serious." She glanced at the boy sitting beside her. "I'm surprised that you're not over there."

Joey shrugged. "I figure they need time to talk over whatever happened in that virtual reality they were in. They know where to find me when they're ready to clue me in on it."

Mai blinked. "Why Joey Wheeler, that was almost… mature of you. Careful. At this rate you might just make me change my mind about you." She smiled slightly. Joey grinned back.

"Well we can't have that, now can we? Hey, I know! How about we have a look at these cards? Oh… probably not a good idea…" He paused in the act of pulling a deck of cards out of his bag and looked suddenly embarrassed as he tried to put them back again.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "What cards?" His behaviour stirred her suspicions. "Joey… what have you got there?" The tide of red rising up his neck and into his face was enough to confirm her guess. "You mean the cards in the program… they were real? You found them?"

Joey grinned shakily and ran his hand through his already hopelessly tousled hair. "Yeah… well… they were just lying there beside the files. I picked them up to look through while Tristan was looking at that video and I got a bit… distracted. I kinda… forgot I had them and ended up putting them away in my bag. Out of habit, I guess." He grinned sheepishly as Mai shook her head.

"Joey, Joey, Joey…" She sighed and then her smile became a wicked smirk. "Well? Let's see them then! I don't know about you, but I want to know what all the fuss is about!"

They studied the cards one by one. Within ten cards, they were both stunned. Halfway through the deck, Mai was shaking with silent laughter and Joey was having trouble keeping a straight face. By the time they'd seen the whole pack, they just stared at each other, trying not to laugh out loud.

Joey couldn't resist. "You know, even though I still think Keith's a rat for what he did to Téa and Yug, a part of me wishes that Pegasus had used these on Kaiba while he was at the castle. Especially this one." He pulled out his favourite card, a spell card with an image of an extremely frilly dress with a very short skirt. "And that I'd been there to see it."

Mai and Joey lasted almost a full second before they both burst out laughing at the thought of Kaiba in the dress.

Tristan looked up at the sound and stared. "What's gotten into them?" he wondered out loud, causing the boy sitting beside him to stir.

Ryou shook his head and shrugged, then returned to his silent contemplation of the campfire in front of him. As he stared unseeing into the flickering flames, his hand slowly rose and he distractedly rubbed his chest… and the ancient golden ring that was hidden below his shirt.

- - -

As they sailed away from the island the next morning, Tristan grinned. "Good riddance! Let's hope we never have to see that place again!"

Yugi and Téa both nodded in complete agreement.

Ryou nodded too, but his troubled eyes remained locked on the island as it faded into the distance.

Joey glanced at Mai and they both burst out laughing.

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The End