Tea stood on the school steps, waiting. They had to come, they had to! She thought urgently, straining her eyes to see when the boys came into her sight. People had been disappearing all over Domino, and when no bodies started appearing the police's only theory on the issue had been mass kidnapping. They had told the Domino population to take extra precaution, and even for the risk takers to back off just until someone could be taken into custody. But this was Domino, and Tea knew better. No single person, or even a group of people could have done this. And Tea knew from personal experience that this wasn't just mass kidnapping, it was people being Taken. She had been walking home with her friend Jess the week before, and while they were talking she just vanished. No one in a van had come had pulled her in before speeding off, she was simply walking on the side walk one second and the next Tea was walking by herself.
This was Domino City, people didn't just disappear unless evil was rising.
Not even Yugi or The Pharaoh could figure it out, and when the leader didn't know what was up it made her a little nervous.
So here she was waiting, and praying, and hoping.
Trudging up the path was Yugi, and with a gasp of relief she ran down and hugged.
"I was so worried you would be Taken!" She exclaimed breaking the hug with a smile.
"I'm not gone yet." He replied with a smile, a blush still on his face from his friend's hug. "Have you seen Joey or Tristan?" Tea shook her head and looked toward the school gate in apprehension. A minute later Joey slumped into their presence.
"Joey!" She cried, giving the blond a hug with relief. Her friend remained stiff and cold. "Joey?" She asked quietly in fear.
"Tristan's Taken." He muttered, and Tea gasped in horror.
"What do you mean Taken?" Yugi asked in shock.
"He wasn't home, and he ain't at any of the usual hangouts. He's Taken." Joey said coldly, and pushed passed the two and entered the school.
"Tristan can't be Taken, can he?" Tea asked in horror. One third of the school was Taken, not to mention half the teachers and Nurse Cline. Almost everyone in Domino was Taken, and the one man left on City Council was seriously considering evacuating the city.
But there were also reports of disappearances happening outside Domino too.
"What are we supposed to do, Yugi?" Tea whispered.
"I-I don't know." He replied shakily.
"Well, hey, let's go in. I heard Mrs. Krystal disappeared so I bet we won't be having AP World History!" Tea said cheerfully, trying to lighten the black mood she was feeling. If Tristan was Taken, what did that mean? Where would he be hidden?
"Mr. Marks isn't here either, that kills off calculus." Yugi replied spiritless.
"See? These are good things. So, did Vice Principal Coro ever find a lunch lady replacement?" Tea asked while smiling, although her heart was full of darkness. The two entered the empty school pretending everything was okay.
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Yugi and Tea headed toward one of the only restaurants still open in Domino City in a gloomy mood. Tristan was gone, Taken, and no one had ever reappeared after being Taken. Yugi and The Pharaoh had been trying to find a way to save everybody, but so far they hadn't found a single thing that could help them. The two chatted quietly, and sipped sodas with out much enthusiasm, took a single bite of a french fri and said they were full. The two had decided to sit outside, and as they ate listlessly they felt the wind blow at them in whispers. Suddenly a girl was standing by the table looking at Yugi intently.
"Uh, hello?" He asked a little unsure. He had fans always coming up to him these days, but this didn't seem like the typical type.
"You. You aren't...normal. Soul,.….double. Two in one, you-you aren't full. You are...Pharaoh." She gasped. Her black hair flew back in astonishment, and her bright green eyes grew wide. "A double being." She whispered, and then like that she ran away faster than we could see.
"What? Wait!" Yugi called in confusion, but she was already gone.
"Weird." Tea sighed, not really caring about these little episodes anymore. Ever since Yugi had solved the puzzle, these kind of chats had become more and more frequent, so half the population just up and disappearing and some crazy girl muttering about Yugi's 'double being' status wasn't sounding to weird to the dancer that day.
