Let me start by apologizing for the length of this note.
I am not totally thrilled with this chapter but it gave me a lot of trouble. I had only ever seen the dub version of the 'date' episode and so I thought watching the original subtitled version might help me understand it a little better, because I know some stuff was cut out of the 4kids dub.
Come to find out the sub version is totally different than the dub. the biggest difference being that in the dub, Yugi is aware of what happens at the museum and what Yami finds out about himself. In the sub he knows nothing.
Most of the dialog from this chapter is from the Japanese sub version so if you don't recognize what there saying that's why (also because I tweaked things and added stuff) I hope this is all believable within the context of the canon story, and that my decision on what to do with Yugi's knowledge of what happens makes sense. It'll all work out in the next chapter hopefully.
And speaking of the next chapter it might take a bit to get up, I haven't started on it yet, nor do I have an outline of what I want to write. I am helping my brother with college scholarships so that's taking up a lot of my time. Thank you all for reading, and again sorry about the long note! :D
Yugi has gotten surprisingly good at closing off our mind link. He's up to something, I am sure of it, but I don't know what, I can't read his thoughts.
He stands in front of his mirror snapping a black leather bracelet around his wrist.
"Yugi, what are we doing today?" I ask from my spot on his bed.
"It's kind of a surprise, and if I told you that would ruin it." He says without looking my way.
"I suppose that's true. But we don't really have much time for surprises right now. We should be trying to figure out who's after the millennium puzzle." I explain.
"I know, but we can have a little bit of fun before we start on all that right?" He asks, glancing over at me.
"If you like." It is his body after all; I can't tell him what he can and can't do with it.
He smiles and returns to slipping another chain bracelet on his wrist.
It's a strange observation to make but I realize that Yugi dresses differently now. Most of the time he still wears his school uniform but it's not lose and rumpled anymore like it used to be. He's traded in his sneakers for a pair of boots with metal studs. I glance down at myself but my projection only reflects the clothes Yugi's chosen today, a black tank top and black pants. I look back at him again, fiddling with a collar around his neck. For a second I wonder if he's trying to dress like me. In my earlier days I always appeared in different clothing than Yugi's. Straps and buckles and dark leather but I traded that outfit in a long time ago, opting to retain Yugi's clothes when we changed.
I turn my gaze away from him, deciding not to worry about it for to long. Yugi should be his own person; he shouldn't try to be like me, especially when I don't even really know who I am.
Eventually Yugi makes his way out of the house. I settle back into my soul room, content with the silence for now.
It's only been a few minutes when I feel a tug on my spirit. I glance down at my puzzle, it shines and I close my eyes against the light. When I open them I no longer find myself in my room but standing outside, Yugi switched bodies with me.
"Yugi, what's the meaning of this?" I shout at the puzzle. I hear faint laughter inside my head and I know this was all part of his plan. I look up to see Téa staring at me, a worried expression on her face.
"Hello." I give a wave, slightly embarrassed about my outburst.
"Hey!" She smiles and makes her way over to me. "So I assume Yugi didn't tell you what he had planned." She adds.
"No, he didn't." I say.
"I thought you guys were kind of linked." She says, pointing between her head and mine. I smile and nod.
"We are, but Yugi has learned to keep his thoughts to himself." I say.
"Ah, sneaky." We both laugh.
"Well, did you wanna go grab something to drink?" Téa asks, pointing at a coffee shop behind us.
"Yeah sure." I fall into step next to her and follow her to the building.
We order drinks, Téa get's a coffee, I decide on just water, I've never had coffee. Yugi had it once or twice but it turns him into a jittery mess.
We sit in silence for a while, Téa seems nervous, though I am not sure why.
"Oh, I saw this article in the news paper today; I thought we could check it out." She says finally, holding up a page with the words 'Ancient Egyptian Exhibit opens at Domino Museum.' written across the top.
"I saw this mark and it reminded me of the one on your puzzle." She adds, pointing to a stone with the carving of an eye on it, the same one that graces the millennium puzzle and on occasion my forehead.
"I thought that might mean that your puzzle has some connection to Egypt." She seems proud of her deduction. I am silent for a while, it must worry her.
"Sorry, did I say something wrong?"
"No, no it's fine it's just," I try to re assure her, she's done nothing wrong, I am just deep in thought again.
I glance down at my wrists, at the bracelets and studs that Yugi dressed himself in.
"He put all this on this morning; I didn't realize this was what he was intending." I say, glancing over at Téa.
"He hides who he really is, changes to please other people." I add quietly.
"He's worried about you." Téa says.
"He has no reason to be worried about me." I tell her.
"He's trying to find himself, just like I am." I add.
"Trying to find himself?" Téa asks.
"Trying to figure out who he really is, and so am I. Who am I, where did I come from? I am not sure of the answers."
Téa is quiet for a while, as if she's pondering something.
"But that's okay with me, I am fine the way I am now." I say, hoping to break her silence. It's true, I may not know much about myself but I am mostly content with my life as it is. Being with Yugi and his friends is enough right now. I wish there weren't so many dangerous people after us but I know Yugi and I can handle it together.
"I am kind of like that too ya know, we all are." She says.
"I want to be a dancer, to move to America after I graduate. I know it's not going to be an easy dream to achieve but I have to believe I'll do it."
"I am sure you'll reach your dream Téa." I tell her. She smiles and nods. One of the first things I learned about Téa is that she's extremely determined. If anyone can archive a dream it's her.
"Come on; let's go see what the world has in store for us today." Téa says, standing up from her seat.
"Right." I smile and follow her outside.
We spend most of the afternoon wandering around the city. We walk through whatever shops catch our attention. At one point we find ourselves in a music store. Téa moves over to a small machine and puts what I know are headphones over her ears. She pushes some buttons, though I am not quite sure what they do. She turns to find me standing behind her, watching the small screen as it flashes.
"Here." She says, stepping over to a similar machine. She hands me a pair of headphones and then turns to the screen.
"Use this button to look through the songs and then push this one when you find one you think you might like." She explains, I nod and she steps back to her own machine, placing the headphones back over her ears.
I use the small buttons as she told me and scroll through a list of songs until I find one whose title interests me. Then I place the headphones over my ears and press the button to make the song play. Almost instantly a defining amount of music comes through, I jerk back in shock, letting the headphones fall to the floor. I see Téa turn and then rush over to me.
"Sorry, forgot about the volume." She says quietly, then picks up the headphones and hands them back to me. I can still hear the music playing from them until Téa spins a little knob on the side and the music quiets.
"Thank you." I say, offering her a smile.
"Sure." She smiles back and I feel like there might be more emotion behind her eyes but she turns away to fast and I can't tell what she was thinking.
We don't linger to long in the store, I don't know much about modern music so I have little interest in purchasing anything.
Instead we step back out on the streets and start to weave our way through the crowded sidewalks. It takes a few minutes but eventually I feel Téa's stare on my back. I turn to face her.
"Everything okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, it's just," She glances around and then falls into step next to me.
"You seem to be able to make your way around so well. I don't know I guess I just assumed, and maybe this sounds stupid but, you're a spirit, possibly very old. I suppose I just didn't expect you to be able to make your way around modern downtown Japan so easily." She says with a laugh as we weave through yet another crowd of people. I understand exactly what she means.
"I used to hate it." I say, letting her fall back into step beside me.
"In my early days with Yugi I wanted nothing to do with crowds, I hated all the people. But when Yugi realized what was going on and that I was apparently going to be with him for a while he wanted me to get used to doing 'normal things' he said." Téa nods and glances over at me.
"So he started letting me take walks during the day, or running errands for his grandpa. Trying to help me adapt to the modern times I assume." I say with a shrug.
"So you think wherever you're from was an older time period than this one?" She asks.
I think for a few minutes. I never realized it but anytime I refer to the time period I am in now I usually say 'modern' as if it's much different from my own.
"I suppose. You were right Téa; I do feel like my spirit may have some ties to ancient Egypt. If I know nothing else I know that the puzzle was found in Egypt, which must have something to do with it." I say.
"Well that's a starting point." She says a smile on her face. I nod in agreement.
We stop at a card shop for a while; Téa says it's only fair since I went to places she liked to shop, that she would go somewhere I wanted to. I purchase a few packs of cards and then we head back out.
Eventually we end up at the arcade. It's packed as it usually is on the weekends.
"Wanna play anything?" She asks me. I am about to answer when we hear a commotion on the far side of the room.
We follow the voices to the dueling dance game that Téa enjoys so much. There's a large crowd surrounding it, we make our way to the front, I overhear a few people raving about someone named Johnny Steps. Once we reach the front of the crowd I can see the man who must be Johnny, he's beaten his opponent and is looking for someone else to play.
"How about you?" He says, I realize he's pointing at Téa.
"You don't have to accept his challenge Téa, let's get out of here." I say, Johnny seems a little to sure of himself, I don't care to much for his attitude.
"No way am I turning down a dance challenge, I'll be fine." She hands me her jacket and steps up onto the platform.
"Téa." I try to call after her but the crowd is cheering for her and it drowns out my calls.
She does well, which doesn't surprise me, I've seen Téa master this game before. But Johnny thinks he's better and eventually starts to cheat, trying to trip Téa and make her fall. She stands her ground though, and beats Johnny anyway.
We leave the arcade after this, the sun is setting and I follow Téa down to the boardwalk near the ocean's edge. She leans against the railing and smiles.
"That was fun! And now I am even more determined to follow my dream, dancing is definitely what I want to do." She says.
"Is it okay to have a dream and not want to follow it?" I ask, moving to stand next to her.
"You think that's a good idea?" I know she understands what I am talking about.
"I want to know more about myself. Where I came from and why I am here but, if I keep things the way they are, I can stay with you all. I am sure Yugi must want that as well."
This is the worry I haven't spoken to Yugi about. I am conflicted in what to do next. I want to find out who I am, and what my purpose is. Especially if it means that Yugi and his friends will no longer be put in harm's way. But on the other hand I want things to stay the way they are. I want to stay by Yugi's side and be with our friends. I feel that if I go searching for answers our paths will go separate ways and I'll have to leave Yugi, and I am not sure I want that.
"You have two hearts." Téa says, I turn my gaze to her.
"But you need to follow your own, not Yugis. I am sure he would want you to stay, I am sure we all do. But if that's not what's best for you, then we'll understand." She says. There's a flicker of emotion in her eyes, the same one I thought I saw earlier but she turns her gaze again and I can't catch it.
"We should go to the museum." I say, I watch Téa school her emotions into a supportive smile.
"Let's do it!"
The museum isn't a long walk, but we're both quiet the whole way there, struggling with our own emotions I suppose. I keep turning my gaze to Téa, hoping to see something in her eyes that will explain her emotions but she shows nothing. I wish I understood, she was happy all day but now she seems apprehensive.
"The clues to my past are here." I say, once we reach the steps of the museum.
"I feel like I have to be here, but part of me is scared of what I'll find." I admit.
"We can do this together." Téa says, a smile has returned to her face.
"Your right, let's go." I know if I don't go now I'll change my mind and then I'll never find out. Something led me here tonight, there's a reason for it. I have to know.
The museum is quiet when we enter; a few people mingle around ancient Egyptian artifacts and speak in hushed tones. Téa and I walk side by side through the exhibit. Eventually we come to a hallway, Téa turns, but I stand still, a door in front of me. It's roped off and a sign points away from it but I can tell this is it. Something inside me is telling me to open the door.
"Yugi?" Téa steps up behind me as I push the door open. "A room in the basement?" She asks quietly.
"I am not sure we're supposed to go down there." She adds.
"No, it's okay; this is where we need to go." I say simply, Téa seems worried but she follows me down the stairs anyway.
The room is empty when we finally reach it, no one is here and the only things on display are two large stone tablets hanging in glass cases on the walls.
"This is it." I can hear myself saying it but none of this feels real, it's as if all of a sudden I am watching myself, like I am in a dream.
Téa and I walk up to the tablet and within seconds of looking at it everything makes sense. It's as if everything clicks together, ironically, like the pieces of a puzzle finally fitting. My head pounds, as if it's trying to force memories on me that I can't understand.
Carved into the stone tablet is a man, a king, and that man is me.
"I know who I am Téa." I say simply. "I am the soul of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, trapped in the millennium puzzle, my memories wiped clean." I explain. The pounding in my head get's stronger, but I close my eyes and shake the pain away. There's no point in hurting over things I can't yet understand.
"I've been waiting for you." A voice behind me says. We turn and watch as a lady walks into the room. She wears a plain tan dress, almost like a robe, her hair is long and black.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"My name is Ishizu Ishtar, I've been protecting a piece of the Pharaoh's memory for 3000 years." She explains.
I glance at the item wrapped around her neck and realize,
"You have a millennium item."
"Yes, the millennium necklace allows me to see into the near future, I knew you would be coming here tonight. I also know that soon a battle will wage in this town, a battle to retrieve your memories." I try and process her words as quick as I can.
"To fully regain your memories you must collect all seven millennium items." She adds.
"And I am supposed to believe you?" I ask.
"I am not your enemy. You will meet that person soon, and they wield a millennium item of their own so be extremely cautious."
"Who is this enemy, what do you mean a battle to regain my memories?" I have so many questions but Ishizu simply smiles and turns to leave.
"The rest you must discover on your own, best of luck Pharaoh." And then she's gone.
"You alright?" Téa asks after a few seconds.
I turn back to the carving and try to understand it.
Just when I think I've answered the biggest question, now even more come to mind. Why was my spirit sealed into the millennium puzzle, why are my memories contained in the other items? Most importantly what is this new evil I must face?
Suddenly I only feel numb, as though I've been stripped out and left empty. I was a Pharaoh once, but what happened between then and now that caused me to be sealed away? My actions during my early days with Yugi come to mind again. I was cruel and twisted; could that be why I was sealed away, because I became evil?
I shake my head to clear the thought away. I refuse to believe that.
I just wish I knew the real reason.
"Yugi?" I hear Téa's voice break through.
"Yes, I am fine, just."
"Shocked." She offers. I smile and nod.
"Yes, quite."
"Well, I think it's pretty cool, I mean you were an ancient Pharaoh, at least now you know who you are, and that's a good place to start."
"That's true. Thank you for coming with me Téa." I say, my gaze finding hers.
"Of course, what are friends for right?" She smiles.
I move to the door, more than ready to go home, I still feel like I am in a state of shock, and no matter how much I try to get rid of it the pounding in my head won't stop.
We make our way back to the downtown area, heading back to the square before we go our separate ways.
"Yugi will be worried." I say as we make our way into the square.
"What do you mean?" Téa asks.
"He didn't know we went to the museum tonight, his link has been closed off today. I'll have to tell him what happened. He'll worry about what will happen when I regain my memories." I explain.
"I am sure he only wants what's best for you." She says.
"Yes, I just hope he understands, I am not doing this because I want to leave, I just need to know."
"I am sure he'll understand." I can't tell if she's trying to convince me or herself.
I have no desire to leave Yugi, at least not right now. I know we have another battle a head of us and I must be here to help him. But now that I know who I am, I know that there are bigger things at play here. There's a future that I can't avoid, and I feel that visiting the museum tonight has suddenly set things in motion.
Then I feel something, aggression, though not my own.
"Hey, you okay, what's with the face?" Téa seems worried; my concern must be showing.
"No, it's nothing."
"Hey Yugi!" Téa and I turn to find Mai running towards us, she smiles and waves.
"Mai, how are you?"Téa greats her.
"Oh just fine, you know me," She smiles and wraps Téa in a hug and whispers something in her ear. Téa's eyes go wide and a blush creeps up her cheeks.
"Mai, come on, stop it." She says. Téa glances over at me again and her blush get's deeper. I wonder what Mai said to her.
"What are you doing here Mai?" I ask.
"You didn't hear? They're supposed to announce a huge duel tournament here tonight." She tells me.
"A duel tournament?" Could this be what Ishizu meant?
"Don't you feel it Yugi?" Mai asks, and then I realize she can feel the same thing I do.
"Agression." I say. Mai nods.
"These duelists are from all over the country." She says.
As I look around I notice a few familiar faces. Rex and Weevil, even Mako is here.
"Yugi look." I follow Téa's gaze up to a large screen, the image it was showing moments ago has been replaced with an image of Kaiba.
"Apparently he's the one who sent the invites to come here." Mai says.
"So he must be hosting the tournament." I say, Mai nods in agreement.
"Welcome duelists to the town of Domino, and to my duel monsters tournament." Cheers erupt from the duelists around us.
"To participate in this duel tournament, you must be in possession of a duel disk." The image changes to a picture of the duel disk.
"Also, the most important rule, everyone must ante up there rarest card when they duel, the winner get's their opponents rarest card. The winner of the tournament will have a deck built of all of their opponents strongest cards."
There are cheers around us, I exchange a glance with Mai, we both know this means that only one loss can completely ruin our decks.
A gust of wind makes the three of us turn, a helicopter appears in front of us, Kaiba stands at the door, a serious look on his face.
"The entire town of Domino will be the stage for this tournament, in one week this town will become a Battle city." I know without a doubt this is the battle Ishizu must have meant. I can feel it; something inside me knows that I have to take place in this tournament.
I worry about the danger this might place Yugi in. I know I'll have to tell him about what I learned at the museum. I also know that he'll agree wholeheartedly to help me, but I don't want him to be in danger.
Somewhere deep inside me I know that this is the beginning of what is going to be a long battle. And not even just this duel tournament. I know that there is much more to come for Yugi and I. I worry about the outcome, about what path I must take. But I decide, right now, to not worry to much about what the future holds for Yugi and I. I must focus on now, and about enjoying the moments with Yugi and his friends that I have. Because I have a feeling that, when my journey is finally over, I'll have to say goodbye to these people I've grown to care so much for. I'll keep this thought from Yugi, I know he's worried about me now and I don't want him to be worried about losing me too. Mostly because I don't want to lose him either. He helps keep me grounded; I am not sure who I'd be without him.
But I suppose it's something I am going to be finding out very soon.