I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it! I've posted the first 3 chapters right off the bat, my goal is to add one chapter a week, but when classes start it may be more like every 2 weeks.
Criticisms are welcome, but try to keep them constructive. If something is not well received overall, I may just change it to keep you happy.
For the most part this story takes place two years after Atem left for the spirit realm, although the first 3 chapters take place smack in the middle of episode 200 (The evening/morning before Yugi and company fly to Cairo).
As I'm sure you know, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters.
*For the peeps who were sent here for the missing portion of the story: See this line below here? There's one just like it further down the page, that's the start of what you missed because I failed to copy and paste correctly.*
It was late in the evening and the bedroom was silent. Yugi had fallen asleep hours ago and Yami could feel the faint touch of the boy's dreams in his mind. There was a sense of calm in Yugi's thoughts that made him jealous of the teenager. He hasn't slept in days; there were too many concerns on his mind. With Yugi in the unconscious realm of dream, Yami was free to use his body; so with a deep sigh he rolled out of the youth's bed and looked out the window at the moon, stretching as he did so. Their encounter with Bakura earlier in the night had left a sinking feeling in the pharaoh's stomach; a nagging sensation that they were playing right into the enemy's hands... but what could they do? It was time to find answers, and the only place to go was Egypt.
Tomorrow I go home.
The thought was so immanent, so final. The truth was he didn't want to leave. He had found friends in this time, Yugi, Joey, Tristan... Téa.
A wave of thought flowed through the pharaoh that was not his own: images of Téa before he had met her, and an overpowering emotion of desire. Yami tightened his hand into a fist and put up a mental barrier to block out Yugi's dreams. Anger seethed inside him along with another emotion... something he had buried for so long.
He had always assumed that because of how interwoven their minds were, Yugi's emotions for Téa affected the way he thought of her as well. So he had dismissed the feelings and never mentioned them to anyone. Especially not his host. But now with his departure so close, he could no longer lie to himself. She was the only one who ever made me feel human. He lamented, The only one who makes me feel alive. Maybe it was because Yugi was his reincarnation that he felt drawn to her, or maybe it was just coincidence; but he couldn't ignore the feelings anymore, even if he would never act on them.
He had seen the jealous sidelong glances Téa had been giving Rebecca the past few months while she had been hanging off of Yugi's shoulder, even if the boy hadn't. It frustrated him to no end. He wanted to yell at Yugi for upsetting the woman they both cared so deeply about, but every time he remained silent, in a selfish hope that Yugi would never notice, and he would be able to continue... what? Pining after her? It was foolish how childish he was being.
Yami walked over to the window and opened it fully. For a moment he just stood there, taking in breaths of the outside world and allowing his mind to go blank. Did I ever feel like this before? He wondered, trying once more to conjure up a memory of his past life. It was an act in futility he knew, but he stood like that for a long time, his forehead against the screen of the window; his eyes closed trying to remember feeling this way in a time long past. I need to get out of here for a while.
Quietly so as to not wake Yugi's grandpa, he changed out of the pajamas he wore. Returning to the window he removed the screen and stepped out onto the roof. Careful not to make too much noise he walked over to the edge and dropped gracefully down onto the sidewalk and set off in no real direction into the city.
As he walked his thoughts were sporadic; his first memories of this time, moments from Battle City, a duel with Kaiba. As he passed a diner he froze in his tracks. This is...
"Yugi?" The pharaoh looked up and across the road. He felt his heart soar.
"Téa," he tried his best to smile at her, but his muddled emotions showed through, "what are you doing out here so late at night?"
"I could ask you the same question pharaoh." She crossed the street to meet him in front of the diner they had eaten at during the day they had spent together. "You need your rest for the trip tomorrow."
"I can sleep on the plane. I needed to get out and clear my head, see the city one last time." Téa opened her mouth to protest but he raised his hand, "Yugi is fast asleep, he won't suffer any ill effects from my late night stroll. What about you? It isn't safe for you to be out here alone so late at night."
"I couldn't sleep." She admitted brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Concern washed over the ancient pharaoh's face. He wanted to put a comforting arm around her and hold her, but he knew that urge came with strong ulterior motives and so instead he shoved his hands into his pockets. "What's wrong?" He simply asked instead.
"I can't stop thinking that you and Yugi leave tomorrow for Egypt, and that you might not come back." Yami berated himself for it, but he took pleasure in knowing she wanted him to stay too. "I think about all of the things we've all been through together and all the evils we've overcome. There's this tiny voice in the back of my mind that keeps saying 'This is the one we can't fight' and I can't shut it out. I can't sleep because when I close my eyes I see shadow games and monsters." A shiver ran through her body even though the night was still warm. "And then I thought of you." Again the pharaoh's heart rate quickened. "All these burdens lie squarely on your shoulders, I know that you must feel them weighing down on you, and as if that isn't enough you don't remember who you are. When I thought about that, I felt selfish for even thinking about my troubles." A dog barked down the road and they both turned to watch as it chased a cat into a nearby alleyway. "I'm sorry; you have enough on your mind right now without me unloading my problems on you too."
"You…you worry about me?" Yami's voice was shaky as he spoke. He could feel his cheeks reddening and he turned to hide them from the streetlights.
"Of course I worry about you." She smiled warmly, "The boys seem to forget sometimes that you aren't some all-powerful being from another world just because you don't have a body of your own. You are every bit as human as the rest of us and are just as affected by emotions like worry and doubt." And desire, he thought as she took his hand. "If you need someone to talk to pharaoh I'm here. Would you walk with me for a while?"
This time his smile was as warm as hers, "How could I refuse?"
They walked hand-in-hand to the park and sat down on top of a small hill. A cool breeze blew ruffling Téa's baggy t-shirt. She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, trying to warm herself. Yami shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. As Téa thanked him she pulled the coat in around her, closing her eyes for a moment and inhaling his scent. Or Yugi's scent. He reminded himself, wondering which one of them she was thinking about."Téa..." When she looked at him their eyes met and the question caught in his throat. How could he betray Yugi's future all for the sake of one night? Swallowing his pride he looked away from her, "please take care of Yugi when I've gone."
He felt her hand against his cheek as she turned his face towards her. "What are you talking about? Yugi's strong, he'll be fine without you." She smiled again; confident, encouraging, beautiful. Why did she have to make this harder on him?
"That's not what I meant. I've seen those looks you've been giving Rebecca, even if Yugi has not." Téa's cheeks reddened and he felt his resolve waver. Clenching his fist he continued, "I know you have feelings for him, and I can assure you that his love for you is great and pure. The two of you are destined for each other I'm sure of it. So please... take care of him." As he finished there was a long silence where the only noise was the crickets in the field.
"What makes you think Yugi is the only one I have feelings for?" The pharaoh's heartbeat quickened. This was what he had wanted to hear for so long… but he had made up his mind. He would not betray Yugi's trust.
Rising, the pharaoh looked out at the field, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. "Téa… I'm a three thousand year-old dead Egyptian pharaoh. You have no future with me. Yugi is my reincarnation in this time, the only reason you feel drawn to me is because of the bond I share with him." His words were harsh and measured, hiding his true feelings perfectly.
Téa looked away, and once again there was a long silence. When she finally spoke her voice quavered, "Couldn't you have lied to me for one night?" she asked. "I know it's selfish of me to ask that of you with everything that's resting on your shoulders; but how hard would it have been to tell me you felt the same? I'll probably never see you again, so would it really matter?"
"Téa," Yami moved beside her, crouching down to look her in the eyes; when he saw the tears streaming down her face his resolve shattered. "Téa there is nothing I wouldn't give to be able to stay here in this time with you. But I don't belong here, and I cannot stay. You have a talented, kind hearted and intelligent boy that loves you, and who does have a future in this world. Not to mention a body of his own. I love you more than anything; so I won't jeopardize your future with Yugi for the sake of my foolish pride. I have to let you go."
Her cheeks darkened into a beautiful shade of red as she wiped her tears onto the sleeve of his jacket. "That's all I really needed…just to know," she told him, her voice barely a whisper, "I just didn't want to spend the rest of my life wondering."
A sad smile found its way to the pharaoh's face as he took her hand and helped her up. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking he should not tell her. "Come with me, I should take you home."
