Past Repeating - Book 1

Arena of Lost Souls

Star Chips: Yugi: 6/Joey: 4/Sarah: 5

I woke up to the sound of Joey shouting in our ears. Blinking up at the sky, I sat up and looked at the blond, wondering why he had to wake us up so suddenly.

It was another beautiful day - the second day of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. The air smelled fresh and clean, and with a deep breath, I felt myself wake up even more. Easily, I stood up and stretched, but the others didn't seem to like the new day and woke up unwillingly.

The busy night that just passed must have put some unease on everyone's hearts, especially when Kaiba came in telling us that he was going to defeat Pegasus. However, I hoped that we could pull together despite the difficult road that lay ahead.

Tristan rubbed his eyes as he followed suit, holding his coat close to him. "What's wrong, Joey?" he asked, tiredly. He wished that his blond-headed alarm clock would turn off and let him continue sleeping.

Joey grinned. "Nothing's wrong," he said chirpily. "It's a brand new day and I'm eager to duel is all." He seemed shaky underneath that smile. His honey coloured eyes held a sort of fear. Did his duel against Kaiba really make him fearful of what was to come?

Tristan looked at his friend, probably wondering about how many candy bars the blond had eaten last night. "Alright... but you don't have to yell about it," he said irritably.

Before an argument ensued, Téa appeared from behind the bushes with Mai's pack in her hands and a piece of paper in the other. Yugi waved at her.

"Good morning," he said.

She smiled warmly at him. "Good morning," she replied.

Joey blinked. "Hey, where's Mai?" he asked. "Isn't she with you?"

"She said she had to go," said Téa. "But she left you this note, Yugi." It was then she handed Yugi the piece of paper and set the bag down beside her. We looked at the note curiously. Yugi started reading.

"'I owe you eight Star Chips. See you 'round. Signed, Mai,'" read Yugi. Then he blushed at the kiss Mai left near the bottom of the page.

"Looks like you can 'kiss' those Star Chips good-bye," said Tristan, pulling his coat back on.

"I don't know..." said Yugi. "Maybe we really can trust Mai."

"And if not..." Joey punched the air with his fist. "Well, we're still the team supreme, right?" he said with a smirk.

The gang smiled. "Right!"

Yugi nodded with a smile.

Perhaps I was thinking too much. Nobody's spirit was down. Everyone was ready to tackle on the day ahead. I suppose this was what support looked like.

Star Chips: Yugi: 6/Joey: 4/Sarah: 5

"So, how many duelists do you think are left on the island?" I asked, pulling my duffel bag over my shoulder. Tristan did the same with the pack Mai left behind for us. It was very nice of her to do so, because now we didn't need to worry about food.

As we started walking along through the woods, Ryou said, "Probably half." I nearly jumped, almost completely forgetting he was with us. That Millennium Ring of his was going to keep me on edge for as long as it was near, and it didn't help that I wasn't used to Ryou's presence.

Joey nodded, holding his chin in hand. "They shipped a couple dozen home yesterday," he said.

"Even more will have been eliminated by now," said Téa.