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It's sunset on the island when Yuma once again sees the sphinx, this time near the Slifer Red dorm.
It's not the first time Yuma's seen this particular Duel Spirit lurking around the island. All it really does is lurk, popping up every so often to silently stare with its pale eyes. It never tries to talk or make clear what it wants, it just stares.
That said, there is one thing Yuma is certain about regarding the sphinx, and that's that it seems to appear the most around Michael Arclight.
"Hey, what do you want this time?" The mechanical sphinx doesn't respond, silently staring as it does, but when Yuma steps towards it, it takes a few steps of its own back. Yuma tilts his head, taking another step forward, only for it to step back again, staring pointedly at him.
"...Do you want me to follow you?" As usual, the sphinx doesn't respond, but Yuma takes its silence as confirmation. Mind made up, he's about to follow it when a crystalline orb of a Duel Spirit appears at Yuma's shoulder.
"Kuri?" Astral Kuriboh stares at Yuma with a familiar 'you're doing something stupid look', earning a loud groan from him in return. A few passing Slifer Red students stare at Yuma in open confusion, unsure of what prompted his frustration, but he doesn't care.
"It's not gonna get me lost or anything, Astral!" Yuma gestures at the sphinx as he shouts at Astral Kuriboh, disregarding how the Red students are now walking faster away from him. "We're on an island, where's it gonna take me?"
Astral Kuriboh stares pointedly at the distant volcano, causing Yuma to shut up as he remembers that yeah, it is possible that the sphinx could lead him into danger. The sphinx could be the seventh Shadow Rider for all he knows (actually, how would a four legged sphinx duel without hands?), or it could be trying to lead him to the seventh Shadow Rider.
Then again, he's seen this Duel Spirit around even before the Shadow Riders turned up, so surely he'd know if it was one by now, right?
"...I'm gonna follow it." Yuma says decisively, ignoring Astral Kuriboh's huff as he runs after the sphinx. The sphinx runs ahead towards the forest, pausing every so often to let Yuma keep up, but never stopping for long as it pushes onwards into the trees.
"Wait up! Where are you taking me?" Yuma calls as he almost trips over a tree root in the growing darkness, envious of the way the massive Duel Spirit running ahead can just phase through obstacles like they aren't there. "At least give me a hint what you want!"
The sphinx remains as ominously silent as ever, merely pausing for a moment to wait for Yuma to recover himself before loping onwards again, its blue-gold-black wings glinting in the dark. Yuma rushes after it, Astral Kuriboh (its whole body shining bright against the dark, providing just enough light to see any impending trip hazards) remaining at his side despite its clear unease.
Eventually, the sphinx stops, standing at the edge of the trees as an out of breath Yuma approaches. For a moment, as Yuma recovers from the race through the woods, he doesn't know what in the world it wanted with him, then he finally manages to peek out through the trees and it all becomes clear.
The sphinx Duel Spirit led him directly to the abandoned dorm, where Yuma can see Michael curled with his knees to his chest just near the main gate.
"...Are you worried about him?" Yuma asks, something long overdue finally clicking into place as he looks between the massive sphinx and Michael. "Are you his Duel Spirit?"
The sphinx doesn't respond, not even so much as twitching an ear as it stares at Michael huddled with his back to the brick pillar flanking the fence. Yuma stares between Michael and the sphinx, wondering what kind of Gravekeeper monster it has to be if it's somewhere in Michael's deck, when in his distraction his foot lands on a fallen stick.
"Who's there?" Michael scrambles to his feet as the stick cracks under Yuma's foot, his gaze hardening as one hand reaches for the Spirit Key hung around his neck. "If you're a Shadow Rider, come out now before I come over there to duel you!"
Yuma hesitates, glancing again at the sphinx, then slowly emerges from the trees with Astral Kuriboh at his side. The sphinx stays behind, watching from the trees as Michael's gaze softens at the sight of Yuma.
"Oh, it's just you." Michael lets out a sigh, his hand still toying with the Key as he watches Yuma. "What are you doing here?"
"A sphinx Duel Spirit led me here." Michael frowns slightly at Yuma's explanation, his gaze never shifting to the sphinx Yuma knows he can't see. "I didn't know there was a sphinx Gravekeeper monster-"
"I don't use sphinx monsters." Michael snaps out, something flickering in his eyes as he abruptly looks away. "There's no sphinx monsters in Gravekeepers anyways."
"Huh? But..." Yuma briefly glances back at the still watching sphinx, not sure what to make of this. "...But it appears a lot around you. Are you sure-"
"I'm sure of what's in T- my deck! There's no sphinxes there!" Michael's words are accompanied by a brief glance back at the abandoned dorm, and for a second Yuma can see tears gleaming at his eyes before he scrubs them away with his free hand. "Look, what do you want?"
"I just..." Yuma pauses, struggling to make sense of what's going on before latching on to something he hopes won't upset Michael more. "...What are you doing out here alone?"
Michael pauses, his stare fixed on Yuma, and for a second Yuma thinks he'll just storm off on his own. Then Michael shakes his head, huffing out a sigh as he glances back at the dorm building again.
"...I'm upset, okay? I don't know what happened to Thomas in that dorm, and Rio still isn't saying much about what happened to her, and now Professor Daitokuji's up and vanished without a word so I can't question him about what happened and I just-" Michael lets out a frustrated sound akin to a choked scream, kicking angrily at the ground in front of him before reining himself in. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this."
"Hey, I don't mind! I get it-" Yuma cuts off as Michael abruptly shakes his head, fixing him with a glare that says he's toeing the line again.
"No you don't. You didn't lose anyone to that dorm." Michael goes to walk away, stalking back in the direction of the Ra Yellow dorms, only to stop when Yuma rushes forward to grab his arm.
"Well then..." Yuma hesitates, scrambling for something to talk about. "...What was Thomas like? Before he vanished?"
"...Why do you want to know?" Michael grumbles, but thankfully he doesn't yank away from Yuma. This gives Yuma enough of a moment to pause, glancing at Astral Kuriboh for support before continuing.
"...I've only heard about him from Shark, and... I don't know, Shark makes it sound like he doesn't want Thomas back. He's always going on about how annoying he is."
Michael blinks, then lets out an amused little snort that catches Yuma off guard. It seems to catch Michael off guard too, as he blinks in surprise for a moment before speaking.
"Yuma, I'm pretty sure that's not what Shark thinks about Thomas." Yuma lets out a confused squeak, prompting Michael to sigh before continuing. "...Nevermind. Thomas is... he's always been good at dueling. No one was surprised when he got into Obelisk Blue, he's always talking about how he's going to be a pro duelist when he graduates."
"And he used Gravekeepers?" Yuma's question gets a slight frown out of Michael, but nothing like his earlier outbursts. Instead he pulls out his deck, flipping through it until he finds Gravekeeper's Oracle.
"Yes. He's really good at this deck. I know a lot of people don't like playing against stun decks, but he has a lot of fun with Gravekeepers." Michael's hand tightens on the card slightly as he talks, not enough to damage it but enough that Yuma notices. "That's how he is. He's impulsive, temperamental, and likes riling people up, but he cares about me."
Yuma stays quiet, thinking. He stares out at the sphinx, still watching from the trees, something poking at his mind. Something feels off about this situation, but...
"...You said that he has fun with Gravekeepers, but do you?" Michael instantly stiffens at the question, that odd glint flickering in his eyes again, but Yuma presses on, the not right feeling nagging at him. "I mean, you're good at using Gravekeepers, but it doesn't look like you enjoy using them-"
"I told you, I don't have any other decks! Why are you so hung up on what I chose to use?!" Michael is clenching the deck of cards in his hands now, eyes glaring daggers at Yuma. "So what if I use Gravekeepers like Thomas?!"
"Because that sphinx-" Yuma breaks off, the not right feeling suddenly coming into clarity. He shoots a glance at Astral Kuriboh, who nods as if it knows what he's thinking, then decides to go for it, despite Michael's anger.
"The only way that Duel Spirit can be following you around is if you're carrying its card! You do have its card, and- and I want to see you duel with it! I want to see your deck, not your brother's deck!"
Both Yuma and Michael freeze, Yuma's words hanging in the air between them. Michael sucks in a single tight breath, eyes glittering with barely restrained rage, then, every word clipped and forced out, he speaks.
"Alright, I'll duel you tomorrow. Meet me at the arena at noon." Michael's voice is ominously level, his gaze leveled right at Yuma. "I'll use my Gravekeepers deck, and if you win, I'll let you see my old deck. But if I win, you have to leave me alone about how I choose to duel. Deal?"
"Deal!" There's nothing for it. If Yuma wants to see Michael's real deck, he has to agree to this. "I'll win, you'll see! Then you'll have to show me your real deck!"
"Sure." Michael turns to leave, shooting a final cold glare over his shoulder at Yuma before stalking off into the night. Yuma watches him leave, that glare doing more to unnerve him than anything else he's experienced on the island so far.
(Somehow, that glare was worse than helplessly watching Shark duel Nightshroud-Rio in the volcano, or watching Anna deliberately lose to Camula to save Allen, and Yuma can't name why.)
"We'll win this. Then Michael will have to reveal his true deck, and that sphinx Duel Spirit will be happy. Right, Astral?" Astral Kuriboh doesn't respond, too busy staring in the direction Michael left in. Yuma huffs, his worries fading into annoyance at being doubted by his own Duel Spirit partner. "...Okay, fine. But I'll win."
Having reassured himself, Yuma turns to stare at the sphinx again until it vanishes, then with a sigh goes to return to his own dorm for the night.