Tea Gardner had developed a habit of reading people via their body language. It was a trait she needed to perfect if she wanted to become a dancer, to enthrall a waiting audience, so in her spare time she observed how she and her friends conducted themselves with motion rather than words.
Usually, it was just harmless fun. Everyone she knew had a different way of walking, of speaking and moving about. Yugi had a sort of childish bounce to his steps, while the Pharaoh strode around like—well, like a Pharaoh should. Tristan had an air of precision to him, whether it was in a fight or just heading to school, and by now Tea could recognize Joey by his confident, easy swagger alone.
But today it was more than fun. Today it was dangerous.
Today was when Tea realized, when no one else did, that Ryou Bakura wasn't Ryou Bakura.
Admittedly, Tea herself hadn't known anything was wrong at first. Ryou had a sense of calmness to his gait, not quietness, but a reserved, composed walk that made him hard to read at first. Like Tristan, he thought carefully before making decisions; unlike Tristan, when he did make them he wasn't boisterous about it—not often, anyway. Even when he'd led the way through the caves in Duelist Kingdom, Tea had noticed an uncertainty in what he was doing, second-guessing whether this was really the right thing to do. Ryou, she thought, moved through life like it was a particularly tough puzzle in a game.
So when Ryou fell behind them as they walked, it wasn't an unusual occurrence. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan moved on ahead, already eager to absorb the sights and sounds of Domino City. Tea was quick to follow them, knowing that Ryou would catch up—until a Duel Monsters card slipped out of her pocket, fluttering behind her as she ran.
She turned to pick it up, idly noting the card's image—Invader of the Throne—and when Tea stood she noticed that Ryou had fallen even farther behind.
She looked closer. No, he wasn't falling behind; he was deliberately slowing his steps, glancing to the side as if to be sure no one was watching. Then, as Tea watched, he walked backwards a few paces, then whipped around and broke into a confident run she'd never seen from him.
Tea spared a glance ahead of her and saw that Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were already fairly far ahead, having gravitated towards a game shop. Another glance behind her and Ryou was nearly gone. If it was the Spirit of the Ring, which she suspected, she'd need help—but at the same time, she couldn't let him get away. Who knew what nefarious deeds he had planned? There wasn't enough time to warn her friends and tail him; like a thief, the Spirit knew how to disappear even in a crowd.
It took Tea only a moment to make her choice. She ran after Ryou, shouting over her shoulder that she'd forgotten something at home. She only hoped, as her shoes slapped on the hard pavement, that she'd made the right choice.
If she slipped up, Tea knew, he'd get away. But she was a dancer, she was trained to exert herself, and she found herself keeping pace with him, if not catching up. He turned near an arcade, and as he rounded the corner the boy glanced back.
Yami Bakura, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, met her eyes. A cruel, confident smirk lined his face, and in another second he, quite calmly, walked into the arcade and waited. Tea's relief that he'd slowed was balanced by the fear that he had slowed. He had seen her. He was waiting for her.
But there was nowhere to go but forward. She followed him in, moving past the people playing first-person shooters, racing games, and, she noted with distaste, pachinko machines. Tea found the Spirit waiting by a dancing game, the image so out-of-place that she almost laughed. It reminded her of that fool, Johnny Steps—but the Spirit was no fool. He was dangerous.
He turned to face her, hair wild and a dark grin never leaving his face.
"Well, you found the 'other' Bakura, Tea," Yami Bakura breathed. "Now what?"
Tea clenched her hands into fists. "You give Ryou back, that's what. I'm not leaving until you do!"
Yami Bakura rolled his eyes. "Would you believe me if I said I merely wanted to stretch a little? Useful as it is, the Ring isn't the most comfortable of prisons. It's not like my host would miss much; he's barely aware of things as it is."
Tea frowned. "No, I wouldn't believe you. Every time you take over, you're always plotting something!"
The Spirit smirked. "I didn't think you would—but that's fine. Unfortunately for you, Miss Tea Gardner, you're right. I was just on my way to repossess some materials for the ultimate Shadow Game when you interrupted me. And those who are privy to my schemes…well, they have a tendency to disappear."
Yami Bakura snapped his fingers, the Millennium Ring glowing bright under his shirt and slipping through the fabric so Tea could see it. The lights and sounds of the arcade faded until it was just the two of them floating in a void of shadows occasionally wracked by cold, black lightning. Tea vaguely recognized this place; it was the place they'd all gone in that Duelist Kingdom duel, the place Pegasus and Marik had threatened to send them all, the place Pegasus had sent Yugi during their duel.
The Shadow Realm.
Without a word, Yami Bakura approached her. Tea backed away, but there was nothing to back into, and in moments he walked quickly towards and past her.
He'd slipped his hand into her pockets so casually that Tea didn't realize he'd taken her cards until he shuffled them loudly enough for her to hear. The cards flicked between the Spirit's fingers as easily as knives. He shuffled one-handed, like a magician, before cutting the cards and spreading them out on a flat, fragmented surface that had just materialized.
Tea stared. "Hey, that's my—"
"My deck now," he sneered. "But your cards are so pathetic that I don't think I'll keep them. Just long enough for a tarot reading. My Millennium Ring will let these cards peer into the depths of your soul. What mysteries shall they reveal, I wonder…"
Yami Bakura drew three cards from the set and singled them out. "You do know how tarot works, don't you?"
Tea's glare was ice. "Yeah, and I bet Ryou would give a much more accurate reading."
The Spirit scoffed and drew the first card, which represented Tea's past. It showed an elf with blonde hair and thin, razor-sharp wings. Clad in green, she danced among the winds so closely as to be one with them.
"Ah, the Dancing Elf! You have dreams of becoming a famous dancer, free and light as the wind. But like the secretive elf, you haven't told many about this dream, for fear that it won't come true."
Tea was silent, and he smirked. "Am I wrong?"
To her dismay, she found herself blushing. "W-well, I did tell Joey. And Yugi. But… I haven't really told anyone else."
"But at the moment your desires have been put on hold, thanks to this," the Spirit continued, as if he already knew what the next card would be before drawing it. The picture showed a round, cherubic ball with stubby arms, wings, and a huge smile.
"Shining Friendship," he said, raising it so she could see. "You care so much about your friends that your little dream's been left in the dust. And do you know what happens to dreams deferred? Care to see your future, Miss Gardner?"
Before Tea could reply, Yami Bakura cut her off and, with a flourish, revealed the last card. It showed a girl with red hair sitting morosely on the street, her blue dress torn and ragged, her arms emaciated, and only a half-full basket of flowers at her side.
"The Unhappy Maiden! Nothing's left of you but sore, withered muscles, skin scrubbed raw, and a lifetime of menial chores for low income. That aspect of society hasn't changed at all in the past few millennia."
"Funny," Tea said, trying to keep her tone even. "That card always reminded me of Cinderella the night before she goes to the ball."
The Spirit let out a sharp, harsh burst of laughter. "As if fairy tales could shield you from reality."
Yami Bakura reshuffled the cards and handed her the deck; Tea immediately wiped it on her uniform before pocketing it. "All right, so you did your tarot reading. Are we done?"
A low chuckle. "Hardly. You figured it out when none of the others could—and that makes you a liability, Miss Gardner. We're going to play a little game, you and I."
An icy shiver ran up the back of Tea's neck. His tone reminded her of the Pharaoh's, back when she'd known him as nothing but a strong, confident voice that played dangerous games with all manners of villainy. "What kind of game? What are the stakes?"
The Spirit grinned. "A Shadow Game, of course. Is your life a satisfactory wager? I'll be generous and wager my host's to make it even."
Tea gasped. "No! Never! Leave Ryou out of this!"
"I thought not. Poor little girl lacks the stomach for those sorts of games. But I do have another offer. If you win, you can run on back to your world and tell Yugi and all his friends that I've returned. If I win, you'll stay here until I've completed my plans."
Bakura's voice was a whisper. "Humans can't survive long in the Shadow Realm, Tea. I'd choose wisely."
Tea thought. "What happens if I don't play at all?"
The Spirit's eyes turned black. "Why, then I win by default."
"That's not fair!"
Yami Bakura snorted. "You were the one who followed me here, Tea, and I could easily rescind this generous offer and leave you to rot in the Shadow Realm. You chose this path."
Tea swallowed. He was right, and she knew it. A chance to win, no matter how slim, was better than none at all. "…All right. I'll play the Shadow Game for my freedom. Now, what kind of game is it?"
Bakura grinned. "Dueling you would be so unfair there's no point in it. For this game, Miss Gardner, I think I'll choose one suited to your interests."
Somehow, that didn't reassure Tea in the slightest.
With a snap of the Spirit's fingers, the shadows receded—or perhaps something from the real world was merely brought in—and revealed the dancing games from the arcade. Tea would have laughed if the stakes weren't so serious. There were two machines, both on opposite ends of wherever in the Shadow Realm they were. Instead of a dance pad, two spotlights shone from somewhere above them.
"You want to dance," Yami Bakura cackled. "Then you'll dance. For your life, that is! But before we begin, I think I'll make this more interesting."
He concentrated, and 10 Duel Monsters cards appeared in his hand. He fanned them out, revealing them briefly to Tea—there weren't any monsters, but there were Trap cards and Spell cards. Bakura spread them out, face down, over the surface he'd used for the tarot reading.
"Choose five cards," he said brusquely. "What you don't take, I'll claim. You'll see what they're for soon enough," he added with a laugh.
Tea frowned—it'd be nice if she had gotten a closer look at what cards they were—but selected five cards and looked at what she'd chosen. She'd picked Spellbinding Circle, Bottomless Trap Hole, Silver Bow and Arrow, Swords of Revealing Light, and Chain Energy. Yami Bakura didn't reveal his hand, but he seemed pleased with what she'd left for him.
"Shall we begin," he asked with a wave, inviting Tea to take her place under a spotlight. With trepidation, she moved to the one on the right, while Yami Bakura moved to the opposite spotlight.
"What are the rules," Tea said.
"They're quite simple. You and I will dance according to the whim of the lights. When a light shines over us, we dance, and when it stops, we stop. We may use the cards in our hands to give ourselves an advantage, though only one may be played at a time. Those machines, there, will measure how well we're doing. The one with the highest 'score' wins—but the first to run out of energy, or the first to fall, automatically loses the game. Understood?"
Tea mulled over the rules, then nodded. Fear gnawed at her stomach—she was a good dancer, but something told her Yami Bakura wouldn't have chosen this game if he'd do poorly at it. She would just have to take whatever came, and hope that she could outlast him. If she didn't… she didn't want to think about what horrors could await.
She turned and faced him. "I'm ready, Bakura."
Yami Bakura grinned and raised a hand, bringing it down like an axe. "Then let the Shadow Game begin!"
The spotlights wavered a moment, then snapped firmly on for both of them. Instantly, music began to play, though from where Tea wasn't certain. After an initial moment of surprise, Tea began to dance, as did Yami Bakura. Pace yourself, Tea, she told herself. You don't know how long he can last. Concentrate on the flow of the music.
Tea had never heard this tune, but Yami Bakura seemed to know it well. It had an eerie mix of choir, violins, and instruments she couldn't recognize. It reminded Tea of ancient, faded streets swirling in the sands, of running for one's life—though she didn't quite know why. She jumped slightly as the music changed tempo, sounding like a twisted, sadistic waltz. Tea adjusted as best she could, sparing a glance at the score machines. So far, they seemed evenly matched.
Yami Bakura paused briefly, raised a card, and grinned. "Thousand Knives."
Tea had half a second to comprehend the statement when the card in the Spirit's hand glowed and disappeared. From the depths of the Shadow Realm came an assortment of gleaming throwing knives—thankfully not a thousand, but any one of them could injure or kill her. They hovered in the air a moment, as if waiting.
Tea stared.
Don't think. Act.
The knives sped towards her.
Tea ran forward and dove, the majority of the knives sailing over her head. Remembering the rule about falls, she planted a hand on the ground to stop herself, legs keeping the balance.
The knives lower to the floor she attempted to dodge, veering left and right, any attempt at gracefulness gone. One sliced off a bit of her hair, and another narrowly missed her right ear, but Tea was unharmed. Shaking slightly, she stood just as the spotlights snapped off and the music faded.
Bakura was laughing. "Tea, I'm impressed! Most mortals don't possess basic pattern recognition."
"Comes with being a dancer," she said hotly. "Now what on earth was that!?"
"I told you the rules," Yami Bakura said, eyes narrowing. "I used a card to give myself an edge, and now have only four. Did you forget that in this realm, the cards are as real as we are?"
Tea was about to retort when the spotlight above Yami Bakura snapped on, the music returning—but the light above her did not. Against her better judgment, she watched him. His gait was fascinating. He moved with practiced ease, wiping sweat from his brow in the same motion as making a fluid turn. The Spirit threw her a casual grin, and Tea just knew he'd had a lifetime to hone his skills.
Tea's gaze fell from his eyes to the cards in her hand, and she realized with a jolt that she should be using them—if the light wasn't shining on her, she'd be unable to raise her score by dancing, but his score would continue to shift until it was her turn. From the way he was dancing, she doubted he'd make many mistakes.
If she couldn't gain points at the moment, she'd have to stop Bakura from gaining any more points.
Tea raised a card. "Spellbinding Circle," she shouted in what she hoped was a firm, commanding voice not dissimilar to the Pharaoh's.
Instantly, a glowing ring of magic surrounded Yami Bakura, pinning his arms to his sides. The Spirit winced as the circle grew tighter, cutting into him slightly. Yet he continued to dance, as if to show that he still could in this state, before he held out a card.
"Should've saved that one for later, girl," he bit out. "It may be a continuous trap in Duel Monsters, but here, it's not quite so permanent. Especially when I have this—Seven Tools of the Bandit! By giving up some of my energy, I can negate your trap."
Shadows flowed from Yami Bakura to the area around him; Tea noticed his score on the machine dwindling as well. A giant Swiss Army Knife appeared out of thin air, cutting into the magic circle and freeing Yami Bakura. Tea groaned. She'd barely slowed him down, and even with the diminished score he still had a lead.
But she barely had time to think when the light above her snapped on. Tea gasped at the harsh light, then went back into dancing. At the very least, the music remained the same, so she had a constant to go on. By now she could pick out a rhythm, sense when the song looped, and it became easier to repeat old steps as well as invent new ones. Her score rose until she'd tied with the Spirit. Tea smirked right back at Yami Bakura. See, she thought. You made a mistake when you challenged me. I'm going to be the best dancer Domino's ever seen!
Looking bored, Yami Bakura raised a card. "Acid Trap Hole."
Tea looked down and let out a scream. The ground opened up directly in front of her, widening every second into a large, circular hole. A greenish liquid sizzled at the bottom, and she quickly decided she couldn't worry about the realism of the acid as opposed to the fact that it was acid. Her foot caught on the very edge of the pit, but she managed to leap over and past it just before it would have engulfed her.
Bakura gave her a slow clap in the midst of a twirl. "Decent reflexes, too. I can't imagine Yugi surviving that trap at such close range," he muttered.
Tea froze and whipped out a card of her own. "Let's see how you like it, then! Bottomless Trap Hole!"
A pit black as the night opened just beyond Yami Bakura's feet just as his spotlight snapped off; he stumbled briefly before righting himself and vaulting over the pit. Tea had a sudden, ridiculous image of the man leaping across rooftops, and wondered where it had come from. Still, while he hadn't fallen, he'd stumbled, and his score reacted accordingly. Tea now held a slight lead.
Bakura raised a card and growled. "Swords of Concealing Light."
Dark, glowing swords—for a certain definition of glowing—appeared out of the shadows, and their dim light was backed by heavy fog. Suspended in the air, they surrounded Tea, preventing her from moving more than two feet in any direction. Tea couldn't see more than a few inches around her face, and when she looked up she saw that her spotlight had vanished too.
But she'd heard the card's name, and though she didn't quite remember what it did, she doubted she should stop dancing. The shuffle of footsteps and rustle of clothes that weren't her own told her Yami Bakura had also begun to dance—from that she assumed that both spotlights were on. But if she danced when her light wasn't on, she'd be penalized. If only she had more light, she could know for sure…
Wait, she did have a light source!
"Swords of Revealing Light," Tea cried. Three swords made of pure, shining light pierced the darkness, suspended in the air much like the previous swords. Tea saw that her spotlight was indeed on, as was Yami Bakura's. As she continued to watch, Tea saw, with trepidation, that both trap holes remained on the playing field. Just another thing to watch out for, she thought, as the swords suddenly vanished.
Sparing a glance at the machines, Tea saw that the Spirit had a lead again—perhaps her indecision with the swords had cost her points. Then, when she tried to move, she gasped as a wave of tiredness flowed over her. Adrenaline had kept her from sensing the strain of how much she had danced, but the brief pause was enough to make her feel it in full. She was beyond tired; she was near-exhausted. Another glance at the machines and Tea saw her score had fallen even further, even though she was still dancing.
With a jolt, Tea remembered the Spirit of the Ring's first condition for losing—running out of energy.
She'd nearly reached her limit, and the spotlights still gleamed bright. Yami Bakura seemed like he could go on for hours, and the music still went on. Tea had a bad feeling that even if she did survive, that accursed tune wouldn't leave her brain.
To her relief, her spotlight snapped off. She had to finish the game, and fast. If he wasn't tired, perhaps she could make the Spirit fall? Tea immediately raised one of the two remaining cards left. "Chain Energy!"
Bands of light materialized from the air, wrapping around Yami Bakura's arms and legs. After about half a minute, during which the Spirit could still walk, the bonds snapped of their own accord just as his light snapped off.
"Told you that you should have saved that Spellbinding Circle," Bakura sneered. "But you know, Tea… I'd say we've reached endgame, don't you? We both have one card left, and you're one card short—I could easily dodge your Silver Bow and Arrow."
"Doesn't mean I won't play it," she snapped, and the Spirit's grin turned feral. Cackling in triumph, he raised the last card as both lights turned on. The music was so loud as to be deafening.
"I'd like to see you dodge this! Ectoplasmer! By giving up half of my score, I can convert it into energy, directly aimed at you."
The Shadow Realm itself seemed to respond to his will, draining him only briefly before the shadows curled and launched like a tidal wave directly at Tea.
Several things happened at once.
Tea made a desperate leap. This caused the wave of energy to shift and follow her position.
Just before it hit, she raised and called her last card. "Silver Bow and Arrow!"
Yami Bakura, who had stood still as the energy drained out of him, was caught flat-footed when the arrow of light sped towards him.
The shadow energy hit Tea straight in the back, launching her forward—and towards the Acid Trap Hole Bakura had laid down.
The Spirit swerved, barely dodging the arrow, and saw with horror that in doing so he'd planted a foot into Tea's Bottomless Trap Hole.
Tea screamed, and Yami Bakura, crying out in surprise, stumbled back gracelessly.
Yami Bakura hit the ground first.
The holes seemed to swallow themselves up, and Tea made contact with solid ground an instant after the Spirit of the Ring. Instantly, the spotlights wavered, then flickered out of existence, the music ceasing as if someone had suddenly displaced a record needle.
The scores on the machines glowed bright, and Tea could see, with amazement, that she'd won. Yami Bakura had fallen first. Judging by his energy levels, it seemed he was better at hiding tiredness than she was—but that didn't mean he wasn't tired.
If he hadn't tried to kill her several times, she'd almost feel sorry for him—he looked furious.
"I win," Tea said, twirling almost playfully. "That means—"
"I know the stakes, Miss Gardner." Bakura spat, wiping at his forehead. "You're free to go, then. Tell your pathetic friends I've returned—not that they can do anything about it."
Tea grinned. "The first thing I'm going to do is tell Yugi how I beat you."
The Spirit stood and approached her, offering a hand to help her up.
Unconsciously, Tea took his hand—and the Spirit howled with laughter. The Millennium Ring glowed brightly, and she tried to wrestle free—but found she couldn't move a muscle. She could barely breathe. The shadows around them seemed thicker than ever before.
"The thing about the darkness, Tea," Yami Bakura breathed, "is that it conceals. It misdirects. Yes, I said you could tell your friends if you won—but good luck telling them if you can't even find them. Time and space work differently in the Shadow Realm, and this contest went on well into the night."
Tea squirmed, pleading that this wasn't fair, that he promised—
"And what good is a thief's word," he cackled. "You should be thankful I'm letting you go back at all, memories intact! As for the pain and exhaustion, you'll just have to live with it—"
There was a wrenching sensation, followed by pain, darkness, and what felt like an eternity of silence.
Tea opened her eyes and found Ryou Bakura standing over her, eyes tinged with worry.
"Tea," he cried, shaking her once to make sure she was awake. "I-I was so worried! You weren't waking up, and you looked so exhausted, and I feel exhausted and I don't know why!"
Tea blinked. "Ryou? W-where are we? What time is it?"
Ryou looked around, as if unsure himself. "At the arcade, but it's awfully late. What's more, I'm really not sure how I got here. I know Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were headed to a game store, and I was joining them, but…"
He shrugged, taking in their surroundings with interest.
"Well, as long as we're here, what do you think about trying one of those new games before we go? We have enough time for one game before they close for the night. The rain might let up by then, too."
Tea shrugged. "Alright. But, uh, for once I'll pass on the dancing games. I feel like I've run a mile! What do you think about those space flight games?"
Ryou grinned. "It's not Monster World, but it'll do!"
He headed towards the cabinets, and she had begun to follow when a Duel Monsters card fell out of her pocket. Tea turned and picked it up—and saw it was Protector of the Throne.
Tea smiled. Not only had she protected the Pharaoh and Yugi, she'd saved herself, as well. It didn't matter how long it took for her to become a dancer. As long as she never gave up, she knew her time onstage would be in her future.
And for that matter, she didn't mind not being able to tell her friends of her battle right away—what mattered was that, eventually, she would tell them.
For now, she had a game to play-and hopefully one to win. As she passed the dancing machines, she happened to glance at the high score table and gasped.
Tea Gardner's name was at the very top.
This story came about when I wanted to write a story about Tea. Thief King Bakura's theme got stuck in my head and I realized I could see Tea and Yami Bakura dancing to it, and wove the plot around that. They're meant to be dancing to the Thief King's theme, though it was hard to describe it in words.