Author's Notes:

Hey there minna-san! I'm still pretty new at writing fanfiction, so please let me know what you liked and didn't like about my writing style, and please be gentle! Most of my fics are centered around Yugi/Tea romances and Sesshoumaru/Rin romances. I'll publish chapters whether you review or not, but your input not only makes those chapters appear faster, it also gives me ideas and pointers for more fics!

' italics ' -signifies thoughts

[...] -signifies Yami Yugi speaking to Yugi

{...} -signifies Yugi speaking to Yami Yugi

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its subsequent plots and characters. All of these wonderful things belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

Japanese Translation: A yukata robe (noun) is a lightweight cotton kimono, akin to pajamas. They tend to be moderately patterned, and are closed by a sash that is twisted into a flat knot and turned around so that the knot doesn't show in front.

Reviews much appreciated!!!

-Pharaohess Yami Anzu

Imagine My Heart Was Yours

Chapter 1-Enter the Motley Crew

Sixteen year-old Téa Gardner trudged wearily out of her classroom, the circles under her eyes ashen, her hair mussed, and looking as thought she had just tumbled out of bed with her school uniform on.

She might as well have.

Wearily hauling her hand carry book bag at her side, the pretty, blue-eyed, brown-haired girl might as well have been walking to her execution in front of a firing squad. Her face pale and her eyes dazed, the teenager walked up to her locker and entered the combination to open it.

An enthusiastic shouting and boisterous laughing in the distance announced the arrival of one of Téa's friends, Jade. However, Téa was far too dazed and exhausted to even realize that. It wasn't long before the brown and pink-haired, brown-eyed, spicy-tempered cheerleader flounced to Téa's side, her gold, pink, white, and blue cheerleading uniform flaring, shining, and sparkling with every step she took, chattering animatedly for about twenty seconds about a random topic before Téa turned her head, revealing her worn, exhausted face.

"So Ricky was going on about this new rocket fuel he was working on in chemistry lab that could blow half the school to kingdom—whoa. Téa...sweetie, are you all right? Are you sick or something? You look...well...forgive me, hon, but you look awful."

The poor blue-eyed girl groaned. "I feel awful. I stayed up until midnight studying, but I couldn't sleep...I kept coughing and sneezing..." Her serious side surfacing when she heard the proffered explanation, Jade stepped up and placed the back of her hand against Téa's forehead, exclaiming as she jerked her hand back. "Your forehead is like a roaring furnace," she said, brown eyes full of worry.

"Is Téa alright?" came the worried inquiry.

Startled, both girls turned around to find Ricky, Jade's boyfriend and sweetheart, standing behind them, peering at Téa worriedly. Jade gave him a mock-angry punch to the shoulder, making a wrinkle in his royal-blue and white school uniform. "Don't startle me like that!" she scolded, before standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Téa's sick," Jade murmured, before turning back to survey her friend. "We're lucky today's a shortened day, which means we can leave school now since we have our fourth period class free. Of course," she added, a hint of oblique criticism in her voice, "not that I'd leave my friend to suffer like this while I snore through another class in this Kami-forsaken school. Come on, Téa, I'm taking you back to my house. You can't stay at home by yourself." Ricky only chuckled, knowing as well as anyone that their high school, Tokyo Naniyori Kokusai High School, was not only the best high school in Tokyo but in practically all of Japan. As much as Jade went on about snoring through her classes, she had an excess of school spirit that proved to be an asset.

Téa lifted puffy eyes to her friend, eyeing her uniform. Like Jade, Téa was a member of cheerleading team for their high school. They were in the same squad, but Jade was the assistant coach and captain of the team. "Why ARE you wearing your uniform today?" Téa asked, her voice cracking slightly before going hoarse. Jade shot her another look of concern, before replying nonchalantly, "It's a shortened day...you know that means the head of sports teams meet with the principal. Today one of the yearbook photographers needed a picture of me and Coach for the year book. So I had to be in full cheer uniform." Jade plucked at the brightly-colored uniform's pleated skirt.

Her own messenger-style book bag strapped securely across her body from her left shoulder, Jade took Téa's book bag, ignoring the brunette's protests as she turned around to speak to Ricky. "You need to let the others know...Joey and Tristan are probably with Yugi somewhere, and Kaiba's probably somewhere nearby if Yugi's around...and Cori, Rasma, and Susan are in choir fourth period. Do you think you can find them and have everyone meet up at my place?"

Ricky nodded, his golden, blue-green eyes concerned as they locked on Téa. "Are you sure you don't want me to walk with you two right now? If something happens and she, well...you know..." and Ricky lowered his voice so that the blue-eyed brunette wouldn't hear, "collapses..."

"Then I am more than capable of picking her up and carrying her if need be," Jade said firmly, reminding her boyfriend that she wasn't captain of the cheerleading team for nothing. As captain, she had to be able to be fill base, flier, and tumbler positions as the need arose, the first of which meant being able to support at least your body weight half again or twice over. Jade also knew that Téa's parents were away for the next several months on overseas business, and wanted to keep a close eye on her friend, to make sure nothing went wrong in battling the nasty sickness that had taken hold of her.

"Just find the others...especially Yugi...he'll be worried about her," Jade replied, raising an eyebrow significantly. Ricky nodded acquiescence. "If you need anything, call me," he said, tapping the pocket that held his cell phone. With a nod, Jade turned her head to receive the quick kiss that Ricky bestowed on her, and gently taking Téa by the elbow, girlfriend and boyfriend parted to set about their separate tasks.

It had been an hour since they had left school, and Jade and Téa had almost reached Jade's house on Shinsei Blvd. Normally, it only took Jade half an hour to walk to school every morning, but today it took twice as long getting home because of Téa's failing equilibrium and dizziness. Several times, they had had to stop for a few minutes so that Téa could regain her bearings before proceeding.

Admittedly, by the time Jade fumbled for the keys to her main door, her stomach was roiled with frustration and worry. She had never seen Téa as ill as she was today. Usually, the girl kept herself in such good health and fitness that she hardly caught more than the sniffles.

Finally, the heavy oak door swung open, revealing the clean, calm, colorful interior of Jade's home. Jade's parents often worked overseas, her father an engineer for an international architectural firm, her mother a fully-trained medical doctor who accompanied diplomats on their trips worldwide, and as a result, were rarely home, if at all. Jade's older sister Jessica, eight years Jade's senior, was an world-renowned surgeon often called to do surgery in Kyoto, Japan and in various cities in the United States, where she and her younger sister were born. Both daughters had dual citizenship with the United States and Japan, which made their living situation that much easier in case they had to follow their parents. Travel from Tokyo to Kyoto every day and back was simply not feasible, and so the older sister had gotten her own place there to spare herself the stress of commuting.

As a result, Jade lived alone in the large two-floor, 5-bedroom house. Despite its size, it had a cozy, comfy feel to it, and was fully furnished so that the guys and girls could spend the night of they so desired, which was a fairly frequent occurrence. There were, of course, the usual teenager's decorations about, including the anime wallscrolls and decorative knick-knacks, but for the most part the house was classically decorated, the theme and color scheme changing with whichever room one was in.

Jade quickly ushered Téa up the large carpeted staircase, and brought the slightly shorter girl to her own bedroom, a fairly large room that was heavily decorated with various cultural items from around the world, anime wallscrolls, and photos. Téa nearly wanted to cry with relief when she saw the nice, plump down-mattress bed that looked so inviting. She nearly slumped over onto it, but Jade was quicker than that and managed to grab Téa by the arm before she fell. "C'mon Téa, you just stand up a little longer hon. I promise, give me another minute and then you can lie down and I'll take care of you."

Téa grudgingly nodded her acquiescence, though deep in her mind she felt terribly guilty that her best friend had to take care of her like this. Tears of frustration finally forced their way out of her eyes, and Jade turned around, a star-patterned blue and yellow cotton yukata robe in her hand. Her eyes widened when she saw her friend weeping. Not knowing what else to do, Jade went over to her and gently started easing the stiff school uniform off her best friend's fevered body, murmuring gently. "Hey Téa, c'mon, don't cry...I'd be a lot more worried if you were at home by yourself...at least here I can keep an eye on you...besides, you know I love having company." Jade had finally managed to get Téa down to her undergarments, and hastily pulled the brightly colored yukata robe over her friend's shoulders and wrapped it securely before she could feel the chill.

With several deft twists of her fingers, Jade tied a slender yellow sash around the yukata to keep it closed and quickly flat-knotted it in back so that Téa could sleep comfortably on her back. Téa nearly wept with relief when she was finally allowed to sink under the warm covers. At her friend's bidding, the fever-stricken girl managed to swallow two acetaminophen tablets. A look of profound relief settling over her weary features seconds after she swallowed the bitter-tasting pills, Téa drifted off into a blissfully blank sleep.

Worriedly, Jade touched her hand to Téa's forehead. 'It's still as hot as a furnace...Yugi will be beside himself when he finds out...' Despite the worries fogging her brain, Jade glanced over at the number of pictures adorning her desk and bureau dressers. With the exception of one or two pictures, every single picture Téa figured in showed Yugi by her side, constant and ever-present. A smile crept across Jade's lips as she went to her closet and rummaged for a set of clothes to change into. 'I do hope one of them makes a move,' she thought, as she changed out of her cheerleading uniform into a pair of tight black jeans and a pink tube top. 'Or I might just have to start playing matchmaker...' Her heavy gold pendant jangled softly on its long chain as she changed, and she smiled, as if it were a sign that a higher power was agreeing with her. Her heart considerably lightened by the delight at this self-induced duty, the brown-eyed teen quickly checked to make sure Téa was asleep, and closed the door softly behind her as she went downstairs.

"Ahhhh, you did it again, Tristan!" Joey commented, brushing back his blonde hair with an impatient twist of his hand.

Tristan crowed his triumph, laughing as he reached over and tousled Joey's hair. "Hey, you almost had me a couple of times." Still looking sour, Joey batted Tristan's hand away. Beyond them, Seto Kaiba was working on something, his serious blue eyes glued to the screen of his expensive laptop.

"Yeah, but I bet if I got my Axe Raider out on the field, I'd have—"

"Are you kidding!? My Cyber Soldier would have creamed him!"

Ricky walked in, unnoticed, on the good-natured squabble and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms as he watched. His amusement transparent, he listened to Tristan and Joey shoot insults back and forth and noted with a sense of perverse delight the growing ire on Kaiba's face. Although he wasn't like his girlfriend, whose open animosity for the rather impetuous teenager manifested itself as outright insults and well-founded threats, Ricky himself wasn't all that fond of Seto Kaiba either. Granted, he was a virtual systems genius, and was positively amiable when it came to his little brother Mokuba, but he often flaunted the fact that he was rolling in mountains of cash, a source of constant irritation to practically everyone around him. In fact, the only one who seemed to be able to stand him at all was his girlfriend, Rasma.

Mokuba, on the other hand, was a fine young man, and, not surprisingly, the best friend of Ricky's younger brother Robert. Both brothers were two years junior to their older brothers, and got along perfectly, though, as often as not, got themselves into scrapes that their siblings had to rescue them from. Mokuba, unlike Seto, was a cheerful, uncomplaining teenager, who was at least possessed of the mind that NOT everything in the world was about being the best.

Shaking his head to clear it of his reverie, Ricky looked back up, his grin widening when he saw that Joey and Tristan were still going at it.

"Naw, man, I'm tellin' ya, the Flame Swordsman would have had you—"

"And I'm saying he wouldn't stand a chance against Dragon Seeker—"

"Do the both of you ever shut up?"

Startled, both Joey and Tristan stared, openmouthed, at Kaiba, who was glaring at them, irritation and indignity obvious on his face. Joey immediately became defensive.

"Hey, what business is it of yours what we talk about? We have every right to be here and talk how we want. You don't like it, you can just take that fancy computer of yours and shove it right up your—"

Deciding that now was the time to intervene before things got ugly, Ricky stepped smoothly between the two rivals. "Well, this is certainly fortunate. I've found you three. C'mon, get your things together. We're going to go get the girls and head over to Jade's."

Kaiba gave him a suspicious look. "Why?"

Ricky turned cool eyes on him. "Because Téa's sick, and Jade might need our help if she's going to take care of Téa until she's better."

"Téa's sick? What's wrong with her? She looked kinda tired in class this morning, but I thought she'd been up studying again..." Tristan looked genuinely concerned.

Rick's eyes shadowed briefly with irritation at Kaiba's attitude, but he noted that the millionaire teenager didn't hesitate to shut his laptop and pack it up to leave. There was no love lost between Kaiba and Téa, but at least Seto did respect the fact that she was sick and that her caretaker might need assistance in her altruism. Likewise, Joey and Tristan were hurriedly putting away their Duel Monsters decks and packing up their bookbags so that they could get going. 'Maybe I ought to mention it to Jade...and she won't try to kill him so much next time' Ricky thought with idle amusement. It was just then that Ricky realized something. He looked around for a certain tri-colored haired teen.

"Where's Yugi?"

Kaiba gave an impatient snort, but quelled it immediately at Ricky's stern glance. It was Tristan who spoke in response to the question. "I'm not sure...he left a few minutes before you came...said he had to take care of something."

"Did he leave any clue as to what he was planning on doing?"

All three teens shook their heads. Ricky sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Taking out his cell, he speed-dialed Yugi. The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then came the friendly voice of Rick's best friend.

"Hi, you've reached Yugi Mutou! I can't make it to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you! Have a great day!"

Wincing at the almost sickening friendliness of the message, Ricky had no choice but to do exactly as the phone instructed. "Yo, Yugi, it's Rick. Me and the others will be heading over to Jade's place for the rest of the afternoon. Téa's sick, and Jade's decided to take care of her over the weekend, so we're all going to pitch in and do what we can. Call me back when you get this message. Later."

Ricky had just hung up his phone and shoved it back into his pocket when he was suddenly bowled over by the force of two miniature hurricanes. Or, in this case, two little brothers. With a grin for the result of their combined efforts, Mokuba and Robert cheered when Rick managed to straighten up after nearly been thrown into the floor face first. Glaring at the two, he muttered, "Why do you two ALWAYS do that?"

Grinning impudently, sporting a looped barbell earring in one ear, much to Ricky's irritation, Robert shrugged, the good-natured grin threatening to cleave his face in two. "Because...you're my BROTHER," Robert replied cheekily. Mokuba grinned, and acknowledged his own brother with an admiring gaze. Brushing himself off, Ricky glanced at the two irrepressible adolescents. "Well, you two go get your things. We're going over to Jade's place. Téa's sick. Jade's taking care of her for the weekend."

Mokuba's eyes widened with worry. Even if his big brother wasn't close Robert's friends, he himself still cared. And he was quite sure that Seto did too, even if he didn't show it very much. "What's wrong with her?"

Ricky shrugged. "She had a fever, her eyes were swollen, and her voice was hoarse. It sounds like the flu to me. So the both of you make sure you have everything you need for the weekend." Smiling impishly, the pair of younger brothers patted their backpacks. "Already did," Mokuba said with a grin.

"Yes! We're going to go to Jade-nee-sama's house! I call dibs on playing the Inuyasha game! I wonder if she'll make those dumplings for us like she did last time," Robert added, his eyes glazing over as he drooled at the thought of the delicious meat dumplings his "big sister" had made last time.

A hard slap upside the head left Robert rubbing a bruise and muttering angrily. Ricky snorted. 'I swear...sometimes I wonder if the only reason he's so eager to go there all the time is because of the food and video games.'

"Let's get going then, and get the girls...maybe by then we'll know where Yugi is," Ricky said.

"No need," came a smooth reply.

All six boys looked up to find three pretty teenage girls at the door, each wearing a different expression. Rasma, with knee-length, curly ink-black hair and slightly crazed-looking sky-blue eyes, squealed happily before she pounced on Kaiba, smothering him with hugs and kisses as they crashed down to the floor. The sea-green-haired, sky-blue-eyed Susan awarded Joey a perfunctory kiss on the cheek, and the speaker, Cori, brushed aside a wisp of her long bright-blonde hair, her bright purple eyes flashing, as she strutted in and proprietarily pinched Tristan's cheek. The three girls were Tea and Jade's other best friends at Naniyori Kokusai High, and as varied in their tastes and interests as the phases of the moon.

"How long were you listening!?" Kaiba demanded, as he tried, without much success, to unwind Rasma's arms from around his neck so he wouldn't suffocate. His words were promptly cut off by a happy squeal from the hyperactive girl as she hugged him tighter, effectively cutting off his breathing air. Robert and Mokuba were laughing hysterically, practically howling on the floor at the scene the two older teenagers made.

Yanking the dazed-looking Tristan's ear without protest from her devoted boyfriend, Cori awarded Kaiba a slightly irritated look. "Long enough to know that we have to go to Jade's place on account that Téa's sick. And that Yugi is MIA. And that if you don't STOP, Ras, you're going to choke your boyfriend to death!" Cori glared at her friend, who immediately released her death grip on the multi-millionaire, allowing him to breathe and get up, his face dreamily glazed-over and covered with kiss marks.

Ricky felt a headache starting. "Kami...let's just get out of here..." he sighed, rubbing his right temple wearily. "We still have to find Yugi...oh forget it, I'll just wait til he calls back...let's just go."

With an assortment and volume of noise equal to that of a small parade, the group of teenagers departed.

Author's Notes:

Reviews are appreciated! The title may seem somewhat sappy, but I promise, its significance will become strikingly clear as the story progresses! And yes, all the characters I've introduced are reincarnations of Pharaoh's peers back in ancient Egypt! Stay tuned for more adventurey and romancey goodness!