Dear readers,

Like many of you who have stumbled upon this story of mine I longed for Tea and Yami to find their way to romance in the Yu-gi-oh original series. Unfulfilled, I have finally decided to write my own. I appreciate any feedback and I hope you enjoy. I will try my very best to continue to update on a regular basis until the story is complete.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh or any of the associated characters.

Rated M for lots of lemony goodness later on. If you don't like lemons, trust me, this story is not for you.

Chapter 1

"Yami! Ahhh, no, no." The darkness closed in around her - a cold, black and purple fog, thick like mud - choking her.

"Atem!" She tried to cry out through the smothering darkness. "Pharaoh!" Her eyes clouded over with the deadly smog as it filled her nose and mouth, stifling her cries. "Atem..."

As the cold darkness overwhelmed her, threatening to crush her into nothingness, she felt a solitary spot of warmth on her right shoulder. Attempting to turn in the thick fog she stretched her neck to the side and through her bleary eyes she could just make out a soft golden glow. Growing brighter, the warm spot seemed to move closer. As it did so, the spot on her shoulder began to radiate wider across her body, up her neck and through her chest. The glow then spread and intensified into a bright flash, overwhelming the darkness and freeing Tea from the shadows entirely.

"Tea."

That voice... She was left suspended in the soft, warm glow. Though she didn't know where she was, there was something intensely comforting about the light.

"Tea."

She felt safe.

"Tea!"

"Mmm... Huh? What?" Tea awoke with a start, lying on her front, tangled in her bed sheets. It was still dark in her room, but the light of the dawn was just beginning to peek through the window of her suite aboard Kaiba's blimp. She felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder, just where the glow had appeared in her dream...

Through bleary vision, foggy still with sleep, she looked up into wine colored eyes, deep and rich, with facets of amethyst and subtle flecks of gold. Suddenly she realized exactly whom she was looking at and scrambled to make sure that she was covered by her blankets.

"I apologize, Tea. I did not mean to startle you," Yami said carefully. Brushing a blonde lock of hair away from his concerned eyes, he crouched easily by her bedside, moving gracefully like a predatory cat.

"Are you alright?" he asked warily. Conquering her embarrassment at his closeness in her state of undress, she looked again into his eyes seeing something more than concern there. Surprisingly, she saw fear lurking behind his strong burgundy gaze. He couldn't be afraid of her?

"Tea?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry," she stammered, realizing she had completely ignored him the first time he had spoken.

"You were screaming in your sleep," he explained, "so I came to wake you. Were you having a nightmare?"

"Well, it started out that way. It felt like I was caught in that fog that appears when a shadow duel happens. It was suffocating me. But then this glow, this warmth, overtook it and the scariness melted away. I don't know what happened. I guess I'm just nervous for your final duel with Marik..."

"Do you remember what you yelled out?" Yami prompted cautiously. His tone made Tea worried that she must have embarrassed herself in some way.

"No…" She tried to concentrate. "I can't remember... did I say something bad?"

"No…" Yami tried to reassure her, but hesitated, not knowing quite what to say. "You... you yelled out my name. Well actually, names."

"Oh, I'm sorry I woke you. Wait, your names? You mean like Yugi and Yami?

"Yami, yes, but not Yugi. Another name. A name I haven't heard in a very long time... Atem."

"Atem? I don't think I've ever heard that name…"

"It was my name in the ancient past when I was Pharaoh," he explained warily. "I had all but forgotten it." This must be where his fear was coming from - this strange connection to a long buried memory.

"But if I didn't know that was your name, how did I dream it?" Tea's sleepy mind was confused.

"I do not know, Tea," Yami contemplated.

Atem. She let the name roll around in her mind. A vision of Yami from the past, tall, tanned and adorned with gold in his Pharaoh's garb flashed into her vision, but it didn't feel like it came from Tea's imagination; it felt more substantial, like something she was remembering. The millennium puzzle gleamed around his neck emitting a soft golden glow. A familiar glow. The same light that had rescued her in her nightmare.

"Yami," Tea began cautiously, "I think it was you coming into my room that made the light appear in my dream..."

"Oh?" His voice was deep and soft and made her stomach flutter.

"...Yeah, it was the same kind of light that comes from your millennium puzzle sometimes. And the glow started on my shoulder where your hand was when you woke me." Yami considered her theory quietly. "I don't know," Tea continued, "maybe that's silly. But you do make me feel safe."

Wait, did she just say that out loud? Crap. That's so embarrassing. You make me feel safe. Ugh. She couldn't reveal those feelings to Yami. He was an ancient Pharaoh whose destiny was to save the world. He didn't need her silly crush distracting him.

"Uh, I mean, it's your destiny to beat Marik and free Joey and Mai and everyone from the shadows, right? So that makes sense..." she babbled, attempting to hide her embarrassment.

But Yami didn't seem bothered by her sentiment of safety. Instead, he said, "Thank you, Tea. I am grateful to have your trust."

Her stomach fluttered again at the velveteen base of his voice.

"I'm sorry again for waking you up. What time is it anyway?"

"It's just after 5:30," he replied. "Don't worry, I wanted to be up early anyway to review strategy before the match."

"Well, uh," she stifled a yawn, "I guess I'm going to try to get some more sleep before the dueling starts up again. Cheerleading can be stressful stuff." She smiled sleepily.

Her sleepiness was adorable and her smile was infectious, causing the Pharaoh's lips to mirror hers. His eyes were gentle and warm. "Would you like me to stay?"

Wait, did she just hear him correctly? Stay? In her room? While she slept?

"In case your nightmare returns?" he added at her hesitation.

Oh, right. "Um, sure. That's really kind of you, thanks."

"I'll be right here going through my deck," he said, moving to the easy chair on the other side of her bedside table.

"Thank you," she mumbled again, already slipping back into sleep.