Spirits and Cats (Part 2)

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

There was no more guessing in the matter, and now that a soul was on the line, Yami took over. "I want to know about the secret of The Ties of Friendship. Is it a soul card, Mokuba? Tell me, and I promise I will find a way to get it back to you. You are right, no one owns another soul."

That actually made Kaiba laugh. "That's rich. After hearing her, I know that's not true. Pharoah," he teased him.

"I can't say for sure, but there's a chance," Mokuba admitted. "We are looking for an exclusive card that Pegasus made and it seems like the closest match. It might not be it," he said to Yami. "But we have to try. It belongs somewhere, but not in anyone's deck."

"That is all I need to know. Kaiba?" Yami questioned him. "I will do my best to get that card to Mokuba. Once it is in his possession, he will decide it's future."

"Fine," Kaiba said, not caring. "As long as I have it near. I don't care. Come, Mokuba. We have a business to run."

Mokuba waved with a big smile on his face. "Bye Yugi! Bye Joey!"

"Yeah, take care." Joey waited for them to leave. "Good kid. Bad brother. Smart call wanting to get it to him, Yug, but how you gonna get it back from Rebecca? You just gonna ask?"

"It was a symbol I used for friendship," Yugi said, now in control again. "I wanted to make the card meaningful to someone. It isn't nice to just ask for it back, but if there is an actual soul trapped in that card? Then we need to find a way to free it."

"But Pegasus released all the souls," Joey said. "Why would he release three souls and then just give the winner of the duel a card with another trapped soul? How could he guarantee the winner would be you, Yug? He'd have been more prepared for that."

"You're right, Joey, it doesn't make sense," Yugi admitted. "But Mokuba clearly said 'they should be together'. Like they already had another card."

"Oh, I get it," Joey said. "So maybe like, The Ties of Friendship is like a key card to another soul card they've run across? Yeah, that might make sense, Yug."

"I believe Rebecca will understand the urgency to see or borrow the card," Yugi's grandpa answered. "If it holds the key to saving someone's soul inside, we must get it back."

"True," Yugi answered. "Maybe we don't need to give it away. If it's a key, maybe it just needs to be used one time? In that case, it shouldn't be too hard to just borrow. Grandpa, do you have Professor Hawkins' number now?"

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GAME SHOP

"Yugi!" Mokuba's voice urgently pierced the air as he stepped into the Kame Game Shop. "You said you have The Ties of Friendship?"

"Not so quick there, pal," Joey confronted Mokuba. "Yugi had to do a lot for that card. Nobody likes to give up a card. He has to have a date with Rebecca Hawkins now."

"Joey," Yugi said quietly. It was embarrassing enough without him talking about it. "I'll leave in a few minutes," Yugi admitted.

Joey grabbed the card. "But we still don't know the importance of this card," he complained to Mokuba. "We just want to know? Is it a soul trapped by Pegasus? Give us something. Not the whole deets that your brother said is off-limits."

"No," Mokuba admitted. "Yes. Pegasus was involved, but not the same way as with me and my brother." He was quiet a moment, like he was trying to think of what to say. "I wish I could tell you. I should, but a promise is a promise. Kaiba's been keeping the end of his promise. But. She's just so . . ."

///Atem: Yugi, switch places with me.///

Yugi switches places with Yami, leaving him in his command.

"Promises are important, Mokuba. Being true to those we promise is something we should all strive for. However, there comes a point when a promise may have to be broken. If doing the right thing inside one's heart is overwhelming you, for instance. Are you experiencing an overwhelming need to tell us?"

"You should see. Oh, you could see!" Mokuba shouted at Yami. "Come down to Kaiba Corp! Seto said I couldn't tell you." He held up the card. "He never said I couldn't show you."

"Show you what?" Téa asked as she and Tristan walked into the game shop.

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Kaiba Corporation's Experimental Dueling Arena.

Mokuba strode through the security with Yugi's friends (but not Yugi) easily. Yugi was going to wait for Rebecca Hawkins to show up and meet them down there. Joey tried to convince him to just call and make it another time, but Yugi stood his ground. He had to be decent.

Still though, a date by going over there and hanging out with Yug's friends? Joey doubted that would happen without a second date promise.

Confident, proud and almost running. It was clear whatever Mokuba had been hiding, he was glad to finally get it off his chest. "This way guys. This is going to blow your mind." Mokuba went to the dueling arena and turned it on. "Joey, get on the other side, but don't make any moves against me. This is delicate. Okay?"

"You bet." Joey went over to the opponent's side. "So, does the soul gotta be set free using a dueling arena? Weird."

"No, it's not what you think." Joey watched as Mokuba held up the card they once saw at Pegasus'. A picture of Cecelia, Pegasus' deceased wife. "It doesn't have an official name," Mokuba said, "but I call it the Masika card. I think you'll learn why." He looked hesitant. "I haven't shown her to anyone but Kaiba. I mean, she hasn't been seen by anyone except Kaiba Corp. So." He looked toward Joey. "I will play a monster card. Don't attack it, okay?"

"I promise, Mokuba," Joey said. "I won't hurt anybody."

"He never would," Téa agreed from outside the dueling arena. She was watching with Tristan. "You can trust in Joey. He won't attack."

"Okay." Mokuba laid the card down. "I play the Masika card."

Hm. She was bowing to Mokuba. Joey didn't really see anything different about her. "Hey, uh, how are you?"

She glanced toward him. "My soul is trapped within a dueling arena and the shadow realm, so I have had better days?" She looked toward Mokuba, like she didn't understand why he'd ask that.

"Shadow realm? Yep, I see it," Joey said confidently. "Well, dang, so like . . ."

"She's a soul, trapped in a card, that only comes alive in the dueling arena," Téa said for him. "She said shadow realm too."

She bowed toward Joey. "I only want to be reunited with Heba. She may be in the card that you brought. She is my youngest daughter's soul."

"What?!" Oh no, this got real complicated. Masika didn't look real old in the first place, that meant her daughter must be real young. "You're so young, your daughter must be a small kid."

Masika didn't seem to know how to answer his question. "She is very small, barely talks yet, but this appearance is not mine."

"She's stuck in the illusion of Cecelia Pegasus," Tristan said to Joey. "Is that right?"

Mokuba nodded. "See? This is so different than what happened with Pegasus."

Oh yeah, that's right. Wrong statement, but hey, Joey still got it part right. She was a mom looking for her kid. Stuck in a game. "Damn, Yug should have came." He better be running through those doors soon. "Two old spirits trapped within cards."

Mokuba smiled at Masika. "Don't worry, Masika. I didn't pull you out to meet this goon for nothing. Joey, play a real gentle card, but no attacking."

"Yeah, no kidding," Joey said. "Scapegoat."

"Good. Now." Mokuba looked at the card. "Let's hope this all works. Masika? I hope this is it. I hope I didn't get your hopes up for nothing." He laid the card down. "I play, The Ties of Friendship!"

She audibly gasped as she turned around and looked. The magical aura that always appeared before a card emerged had come to the arena. In it's place was . . .

A cat? There was a black cat that came from the card. That didn't look like any kid to Joey. Yet, Masika looked over ecstatic, like it had been her kid?

"Ebonee!" She cried out as she went and held her kitty so close. "Oh, how I've missed you."

"The uh . . .?" Joey pointed to the scene. "The cat's not her kid, right?"

"Um?" Mokuba didn't know what to say either. "Masika?"

Masika bent toward Mokuba. "It's okay, Mokuba. Since Heba's soul was not here, she must have crossed over. Meanwhile, I was once again united with my wonderful Ebonee."

"Oh, man." Joey shrugged. "At least Yug didn't miss anything." Then he watched as Masika and her cat were bathed in a glow and disappeared.

Right as Yugi and Rebecca arrived at the scene. "What just happened?" Yugi asked.

Joey shrugged. "There was a soul trapped in the card, but then the old ties of friendship card . . ." He couldn't make it sound cool no matter what he did. "It had her pet cat in it and then they just kind of glowed away."

"So, her soul was waiting for her cat?" Tristan seemed just as dumbfounded as Joey.

"Wait, what?" Yugi tried to find more details. Mokuba shared that the card came from Pegasus, and was stuck in the illusion of Pegasus' dead wife, Cecelia. The other card could have had her daughter's soul, but instead it had her pet cat.

"This was a weird time," Rebecca complained to Yugi, "but at least you promised me a second date if I came here." She held onto his arm tighter. "You reunited an old soul with a cat. How funny. Let's go, we can still make the movie."

"A cat?" Yugi tried to stifle a groan. "Well. A soul was set free from its confines. An animal lover apparently. At least it's okay." But he was still stuck for two dates now. "Okay, let's head to the movies."

Ugh. Téa watched Rebecca rub up all over on Yugi. Disgusting. Seriously. Yugi only went on a date for the card, but she didn't have to get that grabby. ///Téa: Forget this, I'm going home./// She'd see them later. She came by the game shop to hang out, but was thrown into something crazy again as soon as she went to the game shop.

Today she saw a trapped soul get a cat and find peace. It sounded kind of funny, but she also thought it was nice. Adorable even, that a cat meant that much to someone. It was a cute cat too, it had this neat little design on its leg like an anck. So adorable.

///Confident voice in Téa: Really adorable. Lovable kitty.///

///Téa: Yeah, real cute kitty. Much cuter than Rebecca./// Téa continued on her way.

///Confident voice in Téa: Don't let her bother you. Life's too short for petty jealousy.///

///Téa: Wow, yeah, I guess that's true./// Téa seemed to make more sense to herself today. Like a new self full of confidence sort of emerged. ///Téa: I think I'll go enjoy life with some dancing right now.///