Metal Bird of Death (Part 2)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Atem watched as Joey dashed up the stairs, grabbed Masika and swung her around in his arms. "Joey, there's something I must tell you. That is not Téa, that is a spirit named Masika who helped to save her."

"Huh?" Joey let her go. Masika clearly felt a little off course as she backed all the way upstairs toward Ryou Bakura. "A spirit? You gotta be kidding, Yug, there's no way a spirit possessed Téa. She don't mess around with nothing. Is this supposed to be a joke?"

"Masika?" Mokuba looked toward Masika. "Is . . ." She bent down slightly with a smile. "Masika!" He basically did the same thing, except without the swing. "You're okay."

"I'm here," she said, holding him quite dearly. "You have grown, Mokuba. I am glad to see you again. How have you been?"

"Damn, you ain't kidding, Yug." Joey shouldered him. "A spirit possessed her? That's crazy. At least it's a good spirit and she's okay."

Atem wanted to hold his ears as Joey suddenly shouted next to him.

"Yo, Mai, come say hi! Everything seems okay!"

Atem ignored the ringing in his ears.

"Hey, Téa, we were worried." Mai came over and noticed Mokuba just staying in her arms in an embrace. "Okay. That's a little peculiar."

"Téa's sharing a spirit kind of like Yugi once did." Atem felt another playful shove from Joey. "Crazy, huh? Ain't got the deets yet except that she helped save Téa. That's all I need. Oh, wait, it's not." Jonouchi strolled toward Masika as well. "Téa can hear me in there, right?" Masika nodded. "Good." Then, he shouted right next to her. "You're bringing your butt out of New York! This is hotspot number one for Skeezy, so get your shit together! We are busting out of here!" He crossed his arms. "That's final, and Joey said so."

"Oh, please." Mai went up the stairs and pushed Joey away slightly. Playfully? "You can't be here right now, Téa, it's dangerous thanks to my fiance being a little overprotective of me. You can go ahead and come on our tournaments until we figure something out." She snapped her fingers. "Stay near me, and Skeezy will stay away. He just wants me."

///Yugi: No! No, no, no! I do not want her at tournaments, Atem, speak up because Joey is not going to be with her alone!///

///Atem: Hm. Am I missing something, Yugi?///

///Yugi: He isn't getting her.///

///Atem: Getting her?///

///Yugi: He's not getting his hands on her to make a two-girl dream squad! She isn't for that, she isn't like that, and I will ring his throat if he ever decides to-!///

"She is coming to Domino City to work on the Game Shop, Joey." Simple and done. Atem often didn't point out to thoughts that would create expressive creativeness the wrong way. It was his fault, not Yugi's. Nothing was his, they were Yugi's private thoughts. Nothing Yugi even spouted was probably true but stemmed in jealousy, love, fear, and nature. Atem always had the same issues.

Private thoughts weren't always kind, well-mannered, or perfect. Even the innocent weren't completely innocent, or they would not be human. Often scrambled, only the most well-defined reached Atem, but this was a new adjustment. He adjusted the thought barrier even higher to filter.

"You are coming back to Domino City?" Mokuba finally let her go. "Sorry."

"No worries, Mokuba," she responded. "Yes, we are coming back."

"Great, that's fine, just stay out of Skeezy's way," Joey said, his usual warning flair. "Let's book it out of here. Mokuba's letting us ride with you all too. Which'll be great because then I can go see my sis. Oh yeah?" Joey moved toward Masika. "Oh yeah and hi. Joey Wheeler. Thanks for helping out Téa."

"She isn't the only spirit who is back." Atem was trying to convey he was not Yugi. "Quite a lot has changed, Joey. I am not Yugi either."

"Eh?" Joey looked at him oddly. "No way." He looked at the millennium puzzle. "Okay, so I obviously noticed the jewelry on Téa, comes with a spirit but . . . you moved on. It can't be you."

Atem noticed Joey's gaze, he knew who he had been. He gave a slight nod. "I'm afraid it is me, Joey, and things only get darker."

"Darker?" Joey was on edge again. "Things always get dark with you, give me a second to catch up, huh?" Joey pulled back some. "That was the hardest day for everybody, but it was over. You were at peace, Pharaoh. The hell are you back for?"

"Yes," Atem agreed. "It's a long story. Yugi and I are one again, the same as Masika and Téa." He quelled his worry quickly away. "Yugi and I are one, but we are no longer afforded the luxury of when we change from each other."

"No control? So." Mai looked toward Masika. "Same with you?" Masika nodded. "So they only live, what, half their lives?"

///Atem: And we are forced to live the other half./// Atem watched as those words triggered Mokuba to hug Masika again.

"Thank you for helping," Mokuba told her. "You're more than welcome to come back. Everyone is. We'll go to Téa's place to get whatever you need, and then we'll go."

"Wait," Masika added. "We are working something out." Masika reached in her pockets and pulled out the wallet. She looked at the credentials. She put it back away.

"Can we go now?" Joey asked. "I mean, we got us, we got Kaiba Corp, a freaking Pharaoh, so this'll be the last time you'd go home for anything. Ask her what she wants so we can get going."

"No, Joey." Mai nodded toward Masika. "Don't rush Téa and don't make her do anything. If she doesn't want to go back to her apartment too, then forget it."

"Yeah, but? Documents. Resumes. Pictures of friends. Computer?"

"Joey, just drop it!" Mai was aggressive toward him, no playfulness in the manner. "Stop trying to play the budding hero. I hate that in a guy."

"Sure, but when Skeezy uses that as an excuse for what happened to Téa, it's fine, huh?" Joey yelled at her.

"I'm not fighting with him over this. It keeps her safe," Mai said. "Skeezy let me come because he trusts me. He let me come with you for the same reason. I'm marrying him, so just drop it. I'm used to getting the short end of the stick."

"It's freaking marriage, Mai!"

"It's my friends' safety, Joey," she reminded him. "Drop it. Just do whatever Masika says."

"There isn't anything pressing except for her cat, Divinity. Téa wants to go with Joey and Mai to get her," Masika said, although she didn't look happy about it.

"Yeah, okay." Joey agreed. "Sounds great, we'll go get this Divinity, I don't mind. You can even stay with me if you want until the Game Shop is ready for you."

The thought barrier was higher but Atem could hear the consistent muttering. Yugi was having a subconscious involuntary fit. ///Atem: Yes, I know, I will tell him, relax./// "I believe Yugi will take care of them from this point forward," Atem said. "This is an unusual predicament, no one knows for sure what will happen, and I think it's a good idea to stay together for now. Being away from Mai is a better idea too."

"I don't know about that?" Bakura decided to speak up. "I can't . . . stop getting the . . . bandit to stop cursing about that decision."

Bakura? "What decision?"

"The decision to take Masika with you. He is very adamant she does not go with you or Mai Valentine," Ryou Bakura said. "Very adamant." He rubbed his ear. He was probably getting yelled out very loudly by him.

Mai looked at Masika. "If Skeezy wanted her away from me, he wouldn't give me the chance to get her and protect her."

Even with the connection turned up, Atem turned it up even higher, making it even harder for Yugi's thoughts to reach. "We will get things figured out. This is something spirits and vessels must work out in our own way." He noticed Joey's look toward him. "What is it, Joey?"

"So, like, this thing," Joey asked him. "For how long really? How'd Yugi get the puzzle back and how'd Téa get the new jewelry?"

"Save it, Joey, it's a long way back home," Mai warned him. "Let's go get this Divinity and then we'll squeeze them for answers after we're up in the air."

///Yugi: Why is Bakura throwing such a fuss? Why can't she just come with us? Why is she going with Mai and Joey now?///

///Atem: They brought a rental car, Yugi. I don't know about the Bakura thing.///

///Yugi: Oh. Well. They better not take long, and there's no way Téa is going to go with Bakura!///

///We will get it figured out. Relax.///