Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.
Many thanks to those still reading. From here on out, it gets deeper, darker, and more dangerous. And more romantic.
Rated M for language and mature content.
Summary: When Marik begins stalking Téa and ruining her life, Ryou Bakura offers up his home. He wants her safe at any cost, but Ryou is continuously plagued with illnesses. Téa finds herself left with only Yami Bakura for protection, but the tomb robber is far from anyone's savior. As Marik's attacks grow worse, Téa finds that not everything is as it seems...
Sanctuary
By: Chi Yagami
She had gotten too comfortable these past few weeks. So he had decided to send her a little reminder, using the person she held most dear.
Ryou Bakura's white hair was flecked with blood from a deep cut on his head. There was another huge splotch of red on his side. The boy's chest was barely rising and falling, but reinforcements had arrived before he could finish the job. Tears poured down her cheeks as she stared at the body. She had seen it. There, on the upper left arm. A crude drawing etched into the skin. His mark, a rose.
He had seen the two of them together on the hillside, her and the tomb robber. An unexpected development, but not at all a setback.
He'd just have to remind her of what was really important.
. . .
Téa couldn't remember the exact date, but Ryou Bakura had appeared the day after Yugi first completed the Millennium Puzzle. No one had thought anything of it at the time, though she realized now, he had probably moved here because of the Puzzle. The spirit and the Ring itself undoubtedly forced the family to uproot their lives and relocate to Domino City. She wondered what excuse was conjured up.
"Class, we have a new student today," the teacher had said, ushering the young man into the room. Téa knew at once he would be a shy, soft-spoken person. His snow-white hair shielded most of his face from the classroom, but by the way he was gripping his briefcase, she could tell he was nervous.
"This is Ryou Bakura; he just moved here from a little village over in Lancashire, England," the teacher explained, nudging him slightly. "Tell us a bit about yourself, Mr. Bakura."
Ryou Bakura seemed hesitant. Shy indeed. But perhaps also, he thought his Japanese classmates wouldn't be able to understand him? Téa raised her hand, catching both the teacher's attention, and his.
"Yes, Miss Gardner?"
"I just want to say… Don't worry, Bakura, we know a bit of English. And Joey Wheeler is a native speaker!" she told him, using her best English. Joey perked up at hearing his name, and he grinned cheekily at the new student.
"Don't you worry about it, Brit-Boy! I gotcha covered!"
The tops of Ryou Bakura's ears were flaming pink. "Th-thank you," he stammered, "but I do know some Japanese. And you can just call me Ryou…" He trailed off then, catching her eye. His cheeks matched his ears.
Although it was common knowledge that Joey wasn't the best influence, in the end, the teacher decided it would be best for Ryou to sit next to the American, so that Joey could translate anything he didn't understand. After dividing the class into pairs, they were given fat work packets full of Algebra problems. Téa and Yugi had been paired together, but Joey was stuck with Ryou instead of Tristan. The blonde, who sat directly in front of her, turned around to copy her answers. Yugi tried to be the voice of reason, stating Joey needed to do his own work, and Téa merely bopped Joey on the head with her math book. She caught Ryou Bakura watching openly.
"How are you liking it here so far?" she had asked him in Japanese, then thought better of it. "Or would you prefer English?"
"Japanese is fine!" he stuttered, seemingly embarrassed at the attention. "I need to practice anyway."
"How do you know Japanese?" Yugi asked, swatting Joey's hand away from his worksheet.
"My father used to come here on business trips, so I picked up the language from him. It's not perfect, but I'm working on it."
"Your father's been here before? What does he do for work?" Téa asked conversationally.
"He's an archaeologist of sorts," Ryou replied, glancing between the three of them, surprised at how attentive they were being (even Joey). "It's nothing important…" His eyes paused on Yugi, who smiled. However, Téa did manage to catch him sneaking a glance at Yugi's Puzzle. The moment was soon forgotten of course, and it was only now that she remembered such an insignificant detail. That had probably been her first glimpse of the spirit of the Ring.
Although he sometimes chatted with them and played Duel Monsters, Ryou Bakura never really became a part of their group. Being the friendship queen that she was, Téa tried to invite him many times to eat together or hang out at the Kame Game Shop, but he politely refused each time with excuses of homework and such. He was cute and quiet, and Téa had developed a tiny crush on the British boy. However, with his continued friendship rejections, and her developing feelings for Yugi Muto's mysterious, darker side, her brief crush quickly faded. Eventually she bothered him less and less, though Téa always gave a friendly smile in passing.
And so for that first part of sophomore year, Téa hadn't given much thought to the boy named Ryou Bakura.
. . .
Strong arms wrapped around her body and began to pull her away. Téa tried to scream in protest, but her throat was burning, and she could only choke on the words to keep from vomiting. No, no, why were they taking her away? She needed to be with him! Ryou! She weakly struggled against the person, but their hold was firm. Blinded by her own tears and the sight of blood, Téa stumbled wildly as she was dragged off to the side.
"What are you doing?!" Yami shouted, his voice not too far away. The panic in his voice… was Marik behind her?! Téa struggled harder to free herself.
"Just stop that," Bakura ordered gruffly into her ear. She stopped fighting and blinked through the tears to see what was going on. She wanted to demand that he take her back, but thinking of Ryou only caused visions of his still body to flash before her eyes. Téa's stomach lurched horribly. She looked down to see a trash can.
She wanted to say thanks, but instead she puked into the bin.
She vomited several more times. Her body was heaving so hard that Téa couldn't even tell if her feet were touching the ground. She would have collapsed if it weren't for Bakura's sturdy arms holding her up, pressing her against his chest. Téa felt the metal of the Millennium Ring pressing into the fabric of her top, spreading warmth through her body. She would have thought the metal would be cold, but it was surprisingly soothing.
She leaned over and retched again, heaving until there was nothing left. And yet somehow she managed to repeat the process several more times.
The ambulance sirens cut through the air like knives. She struggled to turn and see them, but Bakura held her steady.
"Stop! You can't even stand up straight," he groaned, tightening his hold as she mustered up as much strength as possible. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.
Paramedics wrapped Ryou's wounds and started the careful process of loading him onto a stretcher. The police would likely be here soon as well.
"It's all right, ma'am," someone said gently. "We're here to take you to the hospital."
Bakura reluctantly let go, and Téa fell into the arms of the paramedics. She wanted to fight and stay with Bakura, but she simply didn't have the strength to do anything. She couldn't even get her mouth to open in protest.
"We'll follow you there," Yugi said.
She felt a cushion under her head, and the world tilted. Something else was laid gently on her face, and Téa breathed in deeply, quickly surrendering to the sleep.
. . .
She had never expected to run into Ryou at Duelist Kingdom. He was probably the last person on her mind as she and Tristan sneaked aboard the large ferry. They couldn't risk getting caught by the men in suits, so they were forced to stay on the cargo deck and hide behind large crates. It was very windy, and very cold.
"Téa, stop shivering so loudly," Tristan hissed as two crew members walked by. "You'll get us thrown off the ship!"
She glared at him, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to keep warm. "I can't help it; it's freezing!"
"Well, in another few hours, the sun will rise."
"That's not funny, Tristan!"
"Maybe you should have dressed warmer?" he asked, looking down at her short skirt. She huffed in embarrassment.
"I didn't know it was going to be cold! It was so warm earlier…"
A door leading inside had suddenly banged open, and Tristan quickly covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her behind the crate. The two strained their ears against the wind but heard nothing. Tristan slowly removed his hand from her mouth once he was sure she would stay quiet, and Téa cautiously peeked around the side of the crate to see who had come outside.
"Hey, Tristan," she whispered, motioning for him to look, "isn't that Ryou Bakura?"
"Bakura from school?" he asked, glancing over the top of the crate to spy on our classmate.
"What do you think he's doing here?" She watched Ryou lean out over the railing and stare at the sea.
"I guess he's entering the tournament," Tristan answered, turning back and thinking no further on the matter.
She had continued to watch Ryou Bakura for a few more minutes. While he had played Duel Monsters with them a few times, he wasn't exactly very good at the game. He was probably at about her own level, which wasn't saying much. Téa should have questioned the situation more, but she was there to cheer on Yugi, so after thinking on it for a bit, Téa decided Tristan must be right. No point in worrying about it; he obviously wouldn't get very far, and he wasn't any of her concern anyway. Who even knew if they would see him again before he was eliminated?
. . .
"Is she going to be okay?" Serenity's asked, extremely concerned. She had never seen Téa look so pale and lifeless. The older girl had always been the spirit of the group, passion burning in her eyes when she spoke with conviction. But now she lay limp in the hospital bed, attached to a patient monitor. The little green line beeped steadily.
"The doctors say she'll be fine," Yugi replied wearily. "She threw up a lot, and she hadn't eaten anything in a while… But they think she may have passed out from the sight of blood."
Téa's friends glanced at the girl worriedly.
"Man, I thought Yami Bakura was trying to kidnap her there for a minute," Joey said, pacing back and forth for something to do.
"Yeah, that was weird," Tristan agreed. He was taking a turn sitting in one of the two chairs and had his elbows propped against his knees, hands folded under his chin. "But all he did was guide her over to a garbage bin, which honestly, was probably the best thing he could do. Otherwise, she would have puked straight onto Ryou."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Joey paused in his pacing. "Where's Yami?"
"Outside with Grandpa, talking to the doctors," Yugi replied. "I think Grandpa said he was going to try calling her parents again; they didn't answer the first time."
"How's Ryou?" Tristan asked the girls. Everyone waited for an answer.
"He's still in the ICU," Serenity answered grimly.
"He got through surgery okay," Mai chimed in. "But he had that huge stab wound in his side, and he had to get fourteen stitches for the one on his head! Not to mention that strange cut on his arm…"
"That's his sign, right?" Duke spoke up. Everyone looked to him in confusion. "The stalker's, I mean. Well, there was a rose in her locker, right? And that wound looks like it was cut purposefully. I don't think it was random."
"Thank god we found Ryou when we did," Mai said. "Any more blood loss and he could have died."
"Bakura told you all of this?" Yugi asked, surprised.
The blond woman laughed bitterly. "Of course not. That jerk wouldn't tell us anything; he didn't even want to let us in the room! If the nurse hadn't already been in there, I doubt we would have been able to see Ryou at all."
"He didn't hurt you?" Joey inquired, contempt creeping into his tone.
"No, not at all," Serenity replied reassuringly. "He stalked around in the corner while we talked with the nurse."
"Geez, the guy doesn't even care about his own…" Joey paused, trying to find the right word in front of Mai and Serenity, who weren't as familiar with the whole ancient Egyptian spirit thing.
"He didn't say anything to us really," Serenity added. "Though…"
"What? He better not have done something rude–!"
"Joey! Let me finish!" she said impatiently. "I'm not certain but… I think I saw Bakura relax a bit when I mentioned how Téa was doing. He didn't say anything, and I'm not completely sure he was even paying attention, but I could see it in his posture."
"Did something happen between them?" Mai inquired.
"Well, the three of them–Téa, Bakura, and Ryou–they're all living together now. I had noticed she and Ryou had been spending more time together," Tristan said, "but I didn't realize she was living with the evil spirit of the Ring."
Mai hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know much about this spirit stuff, but I think they'd be good together."
"Who?" Yugi asked. "Téa and Ryou?"
"No, Téa and the other one, Bakura."
"WHAT?!"
"Are you outta your mind?" Joey asked loudly, before being shushed by the others.
"I can see that," Tristan mused. "I think she'd be good for both of them, actually. Téa is a very caring person, so she's probably been taking good care of Ryou. You guys know he gets sick a lot, and I'm sure Bakura doesn't go easy on him. Having Téa around could only be a good thing."
"Well, yeah," Joey quipped, rolling his eyes. "But I doubt Bakura wants her taking good care of him!"
"True. However, Téa's not a pushover, and Bakura needs someone who isn't afraid to put him in his place. They have been fairly civil to each other lately, from what she told us at Kaiba's party," Tristan argued. "Maybe she and Bakura have a mutual arrangement in place so they don't kill each other."
Joey snorted with disbelief and began a rant on the despicable qualities of Yami Bakura, much to everyone's annoyance and amusement.
Somewhere across the hospital building, and two floors down, the tomb robber in question sneezed.
The nurse glanced over to bless him, but seemed to think better of it; his glare sent her scurrying about her business, checking the patient's vitals and making notes. As soon as she had finished, she swept from the room, the closing door practically shoving her out.
All for the better, Bakura thought darkly. His pathetic excuse for a host, well former host, could never recover if those healers kept babying him. No wonder everyone in this century was weak; taking medications for every little thing didn't allow the body to grow stronger, but rather, dependent. If only he had possessed the body of a healthy person, things could have turned out very differently. Well. No, that wasn't quite true. Most of Ryou's wounds and illnesses hadn't started until the Millennium Ring had possessed him. Not that Bakura felt at all guilty.
However, those girls seemed to think he was concerned for the boy in the hospital bed. The blond woman from Battle City... Mai, he recalled, and Joey Wheeler's sister had invited themselves in earlier. Unfortunately for Bakura, the nurse had allowed it, and he couldn't make any of his usual threats or else he'd have been thrown off the premises. Or had the police called on his ass. Normally he wouldn't care about such things, but today he had held his tongue.
Mai and the Wheeler girl tried to extract information about Ryou's well-being from him, but one well-pointed scowl had sent them running to the nurse for conversation instead. He half-listened as the nurse recited off Ryou's conditions, but he really didn't care. The girls might think he was in here because he cared about Ryou, but really, he didn't. Bakura didn't want to be trapped in this small, stuffy room. But he couldn't exactly go visit her without getting her friends all riled up. Then again, he would never visit if any of them were in the room. If he was going to visit her at all, and that was a very big IF, he would do it when she was alone and preferably unconscious. But Téa Gardner wasn't being held in the Intensive Care ward, so she was allowed to have any number of visitors at any time of the day. Someone was always with her.
Not that he cared about her condition. Really, he didn't.
She had cried for him earlier. Bakura had never asked for pity, and he had even demanded against it, but Téa Gardner had cried for him anyway. Her words had affected him, as much as he hated to admit it. She was crying for his childhood and his losses like no one ever had, and it must have affected him because he'd gone and kissed her forehead in some sort of appreciative gesture. What the hell had compelled him to do that?
Bakura gnawed at his cheek. The sound of her name had made him pause, however.
The girls were discussing Gardner's health, rather loudly too. It worked to his benefit though, as he pressed himself into the farthest corner and listened. Relief flowed through him; she was fine. Dehydrated but fine. He noticed the Wheeler girl glancing in his direction, so he sent a nasty glare her way. Soon after, they left, muttering about what a terribly rude person he was.
Bakura had no reason to stay at the hospital now that he knew Gardner was okay, and damn it, she hadn't been the reason to begin with! Ryou's ward would close for visitors eventually, and Bakura hadn't decided what to do about sleeping arrangements. But he'd be damned if any of Yugi's little gang caught him dozing off unaware. Or worse, Marik.
Bakura would just have to find somewhere nearby, dark, and undisturbed. Or it would be a long night.
. . .
Téa might not have been fully aware of the Millennium Items at first, but she wasn't a total idiot.
After that weird night In the woods when Ryou finally revealed himself, she had stayed cautious of the quiet boy from England. It couldn't be just a weird coincidence that everyone all had the same bizarre dream about an evil Ryou dueling the gruffer Yugi, with the rest of them dressed as Duel Monsters. She was also suspicious of Ryou's Millennium Ring and its ability to lead them through the underground maze to Pegasus's castle. The fact that both Yugi and Ryou had strange jewelry and had both had alter egos in the dream was too uncanny to just be coincidental. Téa trusted Yugi completely, but she was keeping tabs on Ryou Bakura.
Her suspicions were confirmed after they had reached Pegasus's Castle and entered the final rounds. The night before the first duel, when Yugi would face off against Mai Valentine, Tristan woke her in the middle of the night.
"What do you want?" she had hissed through the crack of her doorway. That lackey Kemo had been strict about giving rooms to non-duelists, but he had relented after many protests. Tristan and Ryou had to share, but as a girl, Téa had been given her own room. And while it had been a restless sleep, she had been sleeping.
"Tristan thinks Pegasus cheated in the duel against Kaiba."
She opened the door wider to see that Ryou was standing there, too. She glared at both of them for interrupting her sleep over stupid superstitions.
"Well it's true!" Tristan defended. Ryou said nothing.
Téa sighed and opened the door fully, allowing the two boys to enter. "This better be important," she grumbled. "I was trying to get some shuteye. Yugi's going to need our full support tomorrow!"
Tristan and Ryou sat on the couch while she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Think about it, Téa," Tristan said. "Kaiba is one of the top duelists in the world, but Pegasus beat him with the ease of stealing candy from a baby! No one could beat Kaiba like that… at least not fair and square."
She glanced over at Ryou to see what he thought of all of this. He actually looked… incredibly bored! Or perhaps he was just as tired as she was. Tristan had probably even forced him into this.
"It was like Pegasus knew all the cards Kaiba was holding at any time! I'm speaking the truth!" he added when neither of them agreed. "I think Pegasus is a huge fake! He's a punk; you can't trust that guy."
Well no shit, Sherlock. Téa had figured that out right after he stole Grandpa Muto's soul.
"And what exactly are we supposed to do about this?" she asked sarcastically.
Tristan grinned knowingly. "We're going to figure out just how he cheats."
Ryou still looked completely bored out of his wits; perhaps he had already heard all of this back in his own room.
"Let's check out the Dueling Arena platform for mirrors or cameras or something," Tristan continued. "We'll expose Pegasus for the fraud he is!"
She sighed loudly, and Ryou finally blinked out of his stupor.
"There will be a lot of guards, I'm sure… Shouldn't we wake Yugi and Joey?" he asked thoughtfully.
"No, they need to rest up for the duels tomorrow. It's all up to us."
Sensing that Tristan wasn't going to let the issue go, Téa gave in and nodded. "Fine, fine, we'll check it out. And then straight back to bed!"
Tristan pumped his fist in the air excitedly, but Ryou frowned, looking doubtful. If he was so doubtful, why had he gone along with Tristan in the first place?
Once they had managed to get down to the arena, Tristan had Téa check the balconies for hidden cameras, while he and Ryou explored the platform itself.
"You know, Pegasus could just be really good at dueling," she called down to them after checking the banister for the tenth time. "Or maybe he spoke to a psychic."
Tristan scoffed. "Somehow I seriously doubt that. I went to a psychic once. The lady said I'd have a girlfriend within six months; it's been a year, and not a single date!"
"Well, maybe if you asked out other girls besides Miho Nosaka, you'd have some luck," she replied dryly. Tristan blushed but continued fiddling around the platform. Ryou was as quiet as ever. Téa watched them fumble around on the floor a bit more before she gave up completely and just leaned against the railing.
Then something caught her eye, and she gasped and pointed.
"Something wrong, Téa?" Ryou called up.
"Yeah, look over at that pillar above Tristan," she said, causing both boys to follow her hand. "There's moonlight light coming through!"
"That's odd," Tristan agreed. "How can light come through a stone wall?"
Téa hurried down the stairs and joined them on the dueling platform. The hole wasn't visible, but if she stood in just the right spot…
"Tristan, stand here and pretend like you're dueling!" she exclaimed, stepping out of the way. "Pretend like you're drawing a card and looking at it!"
She and Ryou watched as Tristan held up his right hand with an invisible card. All three of them gasped together: the moonlight hit that exact spot! Tristan strode over to the pillar and examined it.
"I'm gonna need a boost," he called back to the others. Téa glanced sideways at Ryou, who looked at her innocently.
"What?"
"You heard him, give him a boost," she urged, shooing him with her hands. No way was Tristan standing on her back!
Ryou sighed and walked over to the pillar, choosing to create a step with his hands rather than be used as a footstool. "You'd better not crush my fingers… OOF!" Ryou almost crouched under the weight, but he held Tristan up high enough to reach the small landing over the arena entrance. From there, Tristan had to stand on his tiptoes to find what they were looking for.
"What do you see?" Ryou called, nursing one of his hands.
"There's a tower across the way," he replied, sounding satisfied. "And isn't convenient that there's a window facing this direction? I'll bet Pegasus had one of his goons up there with a telescope, reporting all of Kaiba's cards back to him."
"His hair is long enough is long enough to hide an earpiece," Téa added reluctantly. She still had has doubts, but the tower and conveniently placed hole were suspicious.
"Good thinking!" Tristan said, climbing down (without Ryou's help this time, much to the other boy's relief). "I bet there's loads of proof over in that tower. Let's go check it out!"
Téa was not thrilled at the idea, but they had already gotten out of bed and come this far… might as well. Ryou, however, looked horrified at the very idea.
"But what about the guards?" he had asked in a high-pitched voice.
Tristan just slapped him on the back and grinned, which didn't make Ryou feel any better. "Stick with me, kid."
Although Tristan had made it sound easy enough to sneak over into the tower, they didn't really see any guards in the main part of the castle. It only after reaching the tower that they ran into trouble.
"This castle has so many mazes," Téa muttered. "What the hell was Pegasus thinking when he built this place?"
"Shhh! There's guards just around that corner," Tristan whispered.
Ryou sighed. "There's guards round every corner. Why is this part of the castle under so much watch?"
Tristan shrugged, but he smiled as something caught his eye. He quickly ran over to where some rope was hanging from the wall. Téa didn't bother asking why there was a length of rope randomly on the wall; it was probably one of the more normal decorations Pegasus had in this place.
"A grappling hook?" Ryou asked. "What're you going to do with that?"
Tristan's grin widened. "This gives me an idea…"
Twenty minutes later, Téa could have killed Tristan. Instead of entering the tower from below, which was swarming with goons, they clambered across the rooftops, all while she was in heeled boots! The plan was to scale the side of the lower roof, and then climb the outside of the tower using the rope. As they had trudged sideways over the shingles, her foot slipped.
Téa cried out and fell backwards. Tristan reached out to grab her arm, but Ryou was faster, grabbing her around the chest and hoisting Téa back up against the roof. They sat there for a minute as she caught her breath, with Tristan still clutching her arm and Ryou still squeezing her around the chest. In fact, his hand was… practically cupping a feel!
"Ryou," Téa said calmly, taking deep breaths. Her cheeks had grown warm.
"Yes, Téa?" he replied, his fingers actually pressing in further instinctively to keep her from falling again.
"Thanks for saving me, but could you uhh…" She glanced down at his hand, and he followed her gaze. "Could you maybe remove your hand from my…?"
Ryou's entire face flushed redder than a fire hydrant, and he snatched his hand back. They were both blushing. "I'm so, so sorry, Téa! I didn't mean… I was only trying to… Oh, I really am sorry!"
Tristan only shook his head. "Well, now that we've gotten the hormones out of the way, let's keep moving, shall we?"
Téa's red face went from embarrassed to angry. "This is your fault, you know! This has got to be one of the most ridiculous plans in the history of plans!"
"It was either this or face Pegasus's goon squad," Tristan replied, shifting the rope to his other shoulder. Hmm, falling to her death or facing Pegasus's goon squad? Téa had decided they might be equally as bad.
Once they had reached the flat rooftop beneath the tower window, Tristan threw up the grappling hook and caught it on the rail. He tugged it tightly.
"Okay, here's the plan: Téa, you'll go first," he explained, pulling the rope again for good measure. "That way, Ryou or I can catch you if you fall."
She blushed slightly. "What?! No way!"
Tristan and Ryou stared at her, both clearly confused. "Why not?"
"Geez, don't you get it?!" Téa hinted, blushing even further while pulling at her mini skirt. "I'm not going first!" She yanked the skirt down as far as it would go.
"What, what?!" Tristan asked, still confused, as Ryou (figuring it out and blushing as well) gasped. He turned and tried to whisper quietly in the other boy's ear, but Téa managed to hear anyway.
"She's worried about us seeing up her skirt while climbing," Ryou whispered.
"Téa, you'd think so lowly of us?" Tristan asks, pretending to be deeply hurt.
She scoffed. "You and Joey tried to flip my skirt up once with a BOARD! You think I'm about to scale the wall above you?!"
He flushed and mumbled an apology, while Ryou's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared beneath his bangs. "We were idiots back then. I swear, I won't look. Ryou won't either!"
"I'll just follow you guys," Téa said. "Besides, how are you going to catch me if you're climbing? You'd have to let go of the rope to try and catch me, and then we'd both fall! Just let me go last."
Tristan shook his head. "Not a chance! If you fell, we wouldn't be able to help you. So, no!"
"Then what are we going to do, hmmm?"
"You're going first and that's final," Tristan declared, refusing to budge. "Look, we'll put Ryou in the middle if it makes you feel better. That way I can't see up your skirt, even by accident."
She snickered dryly. "Considering Ryou basically got to second base with me earlier, that doesn't comfort me at all."
The albino-haired boy's face reddened, and he began coughing out apologies again.
"Well, you're going first," Tristan insisted.
"And I don't want you to be able to see up my skirt," she insisted right back.
Tristan crossed his arms while Ryou tried to calm down from his coughing fit. "Then just what do you suggest, Ms. Paranoid? That we blindfold ourselves?" He laughed at his own joke.
Looking back on the situation now, blindfolds were a very BAD idea. But at the time…
Téa shrugged. "Works for me."
The two boys blinked and looked at each other meaningfully, no doubt wondering if it was a good idea (it definitely was not).
"Well, I guess it'll be okay… We're just climbing straight up."
Ryou, on the other hand, wasn't so easily persuaded. "But how are we supposed to catch her if we're blindfolded?!"
"I'm not going to fall anyway, so the whole thing is stupid," she argued, watching as Tristan pulled two rags out of his coat pocket. Where did he get those from?
"Like how you didn't fall earlier?"
"Shut up! Just put those things on so I can start climbing."
After the boys had covered their eyes and secured a hold on the rope, Téa began to scale the tower. Back in sophomore year, she wasn't exactly the most athletic dancer (she still wasn't in top form, but these days she practiced much harder), so it took pretty much all of her strength and more to climb that wall. Téa had beads of sweat rolling down her face. Behind her, Ryou moped and complained the entire way up!
"Tristan, stop grabbing my leg! This is already scary enough!" he whined. "I can't see anything!"
"Good," Téa had hissed back.
"Just follow the rope, Ryou. And climb faster!" Tristan ordered from below. "Or I'm going to grab your shoe and pull it off next time." Ryou whimpered.
Téa became aware of her upper arms; they were beginning to feel heavy. She paused for a moment, just to rest. Unfortunately, Ryou was trying to climb faster at that exact moment.
"EEK!"
She shrieked, loudly at first but then, not wanting the guards below to hear, she managed to lower the scream into the squeak of a mouse. She heard Tristan swear, and thankfully both boys stopped moving.
"Téa, I hope you're okay, because I can't see anything," Tristan muttered.
"I will be okay," she whispered loudly, seething with rage, "once Ryou takes his hand OFF MY ASS!"
She was sure he had been trying to figure out which hand was in the wrong place (Téa had thought of him as a bit dimwitted at first), but there was a boy's hand on her butt and damn it, she was impatient. So after a split-second of nothing happening, Téa resorted to threatening.
"RYOU, STOP GROPING ME OR I SWEAR I'LL KICK YOU IN THE FACE SO HARD, YOU'LL BE BLIND FOR GOOD!"
He hastily withdrew his perverted hand. "Oh my god, Téa, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean – I was just – Oh, I'm so sorry!"
That was TWO times the little scaredy-cat had felt her up that night!
They made it safely up into the tower without any more incidents, but Téa tried to distance myself from Ryou and his pervy left hand the rest of the night. The three of them searched the entire room in the dark, but they came up empty-handed.
"Come on, there must be something here," Tristan murmured, rubbing his chin.
Personally, Téa was ready to call it a night. Her arms arched, her knees were bruised from crawling around the ground, and she was getting sleepy again. Finding nothing under the table, she sat back on my legs. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Ryou staring, but as soon as they had locked eyes, he blushed and hurried off to examine the opposite corner. Had he been looking at her butt while she'd been crawling around?! In less than an hour, Ryou Bakura had seen and felt more of Téa than any other boy in her lifetime! If it had been anyone other than little Ryou, she would have kicked them in the face.
"Who do you suppose this is?" Ryou asked, catching her attention.
He had been referring to a large frame hanging on the opposite wall, beautifully draped with curtains.
"It looks like some sort of painting," Tristan said, examining it, "but it's too dark to properly see…"
The lights switched on suddenly, but no one else was in the room. Ryou began to panic again, but Téa made no move to comfort him. The large frame held an equally large painting of a lovely blonde woman.
"Who is she?" Tristan asked no one in particular.
"I think this painting was also in the dining hall, next to that weird guy in the turban…" Téa recalled.
"Well, she must be someone important to Pegasus," Tristan deduced.
She nodded. "Yeah, but I haven't seen her at all since we got here."
"His dead mother, perhaps?" Ryou suggested.
"Or wife?" Téa countered. Tristan shook his head.
"Nah. She's too pretty to be Pegasus's wife–"
Loud footsteps approached from behind, and the three friends turned around to find none other than Pegasus J. Crawford himself!
"Three little nosy children have been running around my castle unsupervised," he quipped. "Isn't it way past your bedtime?"
Téa hadn't been entirely sure of exactly how evil Pegasus was, but she had a good hunch he would steal their souls just like he did with Yugi's grandpa.
"The jig is up, Pegsy," Tristan cried, pointing at him. "We know exactly what you've been up to and how you cheated in the duel against Kaiba." Pegsy?! Even faced with Pegasus's wrath, Téa had to cringe at that nickname.
"Strong accusations coming from someone who just broke into my private sanctuary," the man drawled. Téa couldn't tell if he was more angry or amused. Probably the latter, if he planned to steal their souls.
"I'm afraid you three have seen too much," he had continued, smirking evilly. "But, since you came all this way… how about I show you a little more?"
She instinctively grabbed Tristan's arm when Pegasus reached up and tucked his veil of hair behind his ear, revealing the Millennium Eye. To this day, that thing still gave Téa the creeps! Why did the ancient Egyptians even invent something so disgusting?! Why not make Millennium Glasses instead?
The floor turned to some kind of purple quicksand, and the three teenagers were pulled under. Téa still didn't know how it happened, but Pegasus had somehow transported them to an underground crypt using the powers of his Eye. When she came to, Téa was lying on a stone floor, surrounding by walls depicting Egyptian hieroglyphs. Tristan and Ryou had arrived similarly.
"Realm of Shadows, in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power."
Ryou groaned and touched his head gingerly, while Tristan stretched and looked around. He extended a hand and helped pull Téa to her feet.
"Where are we?" he asked, looking at the hieroglyphs.
"Realm of Shadows, in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power."
"Does anyone else hear… chanting?" she asked, inching closer to the boys. In front of them, the corridor disappeared into darkness.
"Let's go check it out," Tristan whispered. Téa wasn't keen on the idea, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her. And anyway, the corridor behind them also disappeared into nothing, so they didn't have much of a choice. Ryou was still afraid though.
"Do we have to?" he whimpered.
"Must you be so scared?" Tristan snapped, marching forward.
Glancing at Téa, Ryou bit his lip but said nothing more. Perhaps he'd had a hunch at what they would find down in Pegasus's secret chamber that night, having lived with the spirit for a while. Bakura tended to scramble Ryou's memories whenever he had taken over his body, but perhaps Ryou had recognized the situation back then. Maybe he wasn't scared so much as worried.
"Realm of Shadows, in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power."
The corridor had ended and opened up into a large underground chamber. The three poked their heads around the corner to see a gathering of what seemed to be robed priests. There were more, large hieroglyphs on the tall walls. The priests were separated into two groups that faced each other, with two lone priests in the middle. All of the men were chanting the same thing over and over again.
"Realm of Shadows, in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power."
"Who are these weirdos," Tristan wondered aloud. "And what exactly are they up to?"
"Some sort of Satanic ritual, perhaps?" Ryou answered, swallowing nervously. "Whatever they're doing, it's creeping me out!"
"Realm of Shadows, in this twilight hour, accept these souls and grant us power. BEGIN!"
The priest to their right had raised his hand suddenly, and a large stone tablet rose from the ground. There was a drawing etched into the stone, and Téa squinted to get a better look.
"Hey, isn't that a Blue Eyes?" she asked.
Ryou's panic button had fully been pushed, it seemed, for he was sweating like crazy. "I don't like this at all," he moaned. "Let's get out of here–"
"Look!" she whispered harshly, silencing him. She pointed across the way to a large painting hanging on the opposite wall. "It's her again!"
"Who could she possibly be?" Tristan mused. The other priest raised his hand then, also summoning a stone tablet. "Hmm. Doesn't it look like… they're dueling?"
Tristan had been right. The two priests faced each other with determination, and the tablets swung around, revealing the drawings to each other. Téa couldn't make out the second picture (which also looked like a dragon), but she supposed it didn't really matter since it was up against a Blue Eyes White Dragon.
"You lose," the winning priest said smugly. The loser cowered in fear.
The three teens had cried out as the priest, scared for his life, tried to run but suddenly burst into flames! They watched as the flames consumed his entire body, leaving nothing behind. Unfortunately, their screams had caught the attention of the room. The remaining priests all but flew over, surrounding the doorway. Tristan swore loudly, and Ryou said something in English that Téa was fairly certain was also a curse.
The winning priest, who hadn't moved, laughed loudly. He flung back his hood and revealed his face. To their horror, it was Pegasus again! Tristan took on a defensive stance (although what sort of fighting moves he expected to work against a Millennium Item, Téa would never know), and Ryou stepped in front of her protectively.
"Where'd that other robed guy go?" Tristan had demanded.
Pegasus laughed maniacally and smiled. "The Shadow Realm!"
Téa didn't like the way he emphasized it. She didn't really need an explanation to know that, wherever the Shadow Realm was, the poor priest was not coming back. Unlike Yugi's grandpa, this man was gone for good.
"The Shadow Realm?" Tristan repeated, sounding scared for the first time that night. "Not that again!"
The way Ryou's fists had clenched and his eyes narrowed, Téa knew something was off. He didn't seem frightened anymore, and even though he seemed to be shielding her, Téa wasn't sure she should count on him. The memories of the evil Ryou Bakura from the dream came creeping back into her mind.
"This is how the Shadow Games were played thousands of years ago," Pegasus explained. "Duels back then released the Shadows, which consumed the loser and took him to the Shadow Realm. And every soul I trap there increases the power of my Millennium Eye!"
Téa put a hand over her mouth, horrified. This man, who ran tournaments for a children's card game, was secretly murdering people to power his creepy eyeball?! What a sicko!
"You can't imagine the power of my Millennium Item," he continued arrogantly. "However, I still need more souls to have the power to awaken the dead. Not that the Eye doesn't have its other uses… Tristan Taylor, you're realizing that I'm going to send you all to the Shadow Realm."
Tristan gasped. "How did you–?"
"And Téa Gardner," Pegasus gloated, turning to her, "you're completely creeped out by the Millennium Eye itself. Such a simple thought!"
"He's reading our minds!" she cried, thoroughly petrified. This horrible man was about to kill them all!
"Indeed, smart girl. I read your minds with the power of my Mind Scan," he informed them. Then, turning to Ryou, he said, "Shall I read your mind next?"
Ryou had only smirked.
Pegasus looked victorious for a moment, but then he gasped. "What's this?! I can't read your mind… Someone's blocking me!"
A bright glow had emitted from Ryou's chest, and suddenly the Millennium Ring was there! Téa knew it! It wasn't a dream!
Ryou laughed darkly. "Change of plans," he said in voice that did not belong to Ryou.
"Can this be?!" Pegasus cried, power and light shooting out from his Eye. "I sense a dark spirit in your Millennium Ring!"
"I see you're not a complete moron," the dark spirit replied. "Time to end this!"
More light flashed from the Millennium Ring, dark Ryou Bakura laughed evilly again, and then, there was nothing.
The next thing Téa could remember was waking up on the floor next to Ryou. Tristan was lying a foot away on her other side. Immediately, she had stood up and scurried away from Ryou. However, there was nothing to worry about. Tristan and Ryou were confused as to why she was in their room in the middle of the night, and Téa realized that neither of them remembered a thing. She wanted to described the events in detail to them, but she was also scared of the dark spirit of the Ring. She had thought he might come back and fully erase her mind. So Téa had made up a lame excuse and went back to her own room, her heart beating insanely.
Why did she remember when the others couldn't?
After that, Ryou Bakura began to hang out with them regularly. Téa tried to keep a friendly distance though, without drawing too much attention to herself. Once they had returned from Duelist Kingdom, she let her guard down slowly, as Tristan had thrown the Millennium Ring into the forest. The Ring was long gone; they were safe. Little had Téa known, she was completely and utterly wrong.
. . .
"I think she's coming to… Ah yes, welcome back, Miss Téa."
She groaned and slowly cracked her eyelids open. The hospital room was so bright! No wait, that was just because she'd had her eyes closed for so long. How long…?!
"How long was I out?" she asked, her voice barely more than a croaked whisper.
A nurse to her right smiled and tapped her clipboard. "A little less than twenty-four hours. You threw up quite a lot! Do you have an aversion to blood?"
"Not really," Téa replied, recalling the blood in her lockers and on the mirror.
"Téa!"
"Téa, you're awake!"
She looked around to see most of her friends crowding into the small room. The nurse slipped out, leaving her alone with everyone else. Yugi, Yami, Tristan, Joey, Mai, Serenity, and even Mokuba Kaiba had gathered around her bedside. Téa winced when she noticed the IV stuck into her arm.
"They said you were a bit dehydrated and under-nourished after all that puking," Yugi explained, following her gaze. "They also gave you some heavy drugs at one point because you were crying out in your sleep."
"Did you have nightmares?" Joey asked. She shook her head and tried to remember.
"Not really…" A few hazy memories came to mind, but she didn't repeat them aloud. "Are they going to release me any time soon?" she asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, in a bit I think," Mai replied, smiling. "You had us worried there for a minute, girl! Are you really that scared of blood?"
She shook her head again. "I think it was just the sight of Ryou's body and the fear going through me… How is he?!"
"He'll be okay," Serenity piped up. "He'll have some bad scars, but he made it through the surgery okay. You can visit him once they check you out."
"You guys checked up on him?" Téa asked, reaching out and squeezing Yugi's hand.
"Of course," he said, smiling a bit mischievously. "Bakura didn't like it, but we all paid him a visit in turn. He was never awake though."
"Did you guys see who attacked him?"
Her question rendered the room silent. Téa's heart dropped into her stomach at the looks on their faces. Mokuba cleared his throat.
"About that… None of us saw anything, but Seto called right before you woke up. He's been out at the beach all this time, clearing things up with the police, you know, since it happened on our private property," he said quickly. "Well, they got some security video from the cameras near the bathrooms. One of the cameras caught someone running past, away from the scene."
"And?!" She held her breath.
"The man had long-ish light hair, probably blond."
Marik.
"The tape is black and white on those cameras, so we can't tell for sure," Mokuba added. "But Seto is fairly confident that the culprit is Marik Ishtar."
Her whole body felt drenched in ice. Marik had probably been out looking for her. But she had been out talking to Bakura. Ryou was found halfway in between where Bakura had been sitting and where the grills and picnic tables stood. He had probably gone to look for Téa, worried about Bakura hurting her or about her being hungry. Marik had been looking for her, but he had found Ryou instead. It was all her fault.
"I'm so sorry," Téa cried, tears springing from her eyes. "I've put you all in danger–"
"Hush now," Yami commanded, cutting her off. "We're your friends, and we're not going anywhere. I have no doubt Ryou feels the same. You need us now more than ever, Téa. Together, we can stop Marik."
All of her friends nodded enthusiastically, even Mokuba. More tears flowed forth, but these were tears of gratitude. She had the best friends in the world.
After checking out of the hospital and hearing all that her friends had to say, Téa was honestly ready to go home and just sleep for a while. Unfortunately she couldn't, since her housemates were still here at the hospital and she had no way of getting inside the house (she'd left her keys on her desk since Ryou had taken his to the beach party). But at least she had been smart enough to pack a change of clothes into the tote bag that morning, so she didn't have to walk around in her swimsuit. Not that she would ever wear that suit again; when she had hurried to check on Ryou's body, she apparently knelt down in his blood, so the skirt had bloodstains on it. Right now, she was in one of the bathrooms changing into the knit dress she'd brought; it was a light brown with a tribal triangle print. After changing, she slipped some wedge sandals on and headed off to Ryou's room.
Yugi and the others had told Téa that after everyone sat down to lunch, Ryou was worried about her since she hadn't eaten anything all day besides a granola bar. He had gone off to find her (and presumably Bakura as well). About two minutes after he'd left the table, they heard shouting and Ryou screaming in pain; they got to the scene almost right as she had. Téa could not believe she and Bakura had heard none of the screaming. Good thing the Ring had picked up on Marik's Millennium Rod, or Téa could only imagine with horror what would have happened had they not arrived then. At least, Téa was assuming it had sensed the Rod; she wasn't sure what else could have set it off. Either way, for once, Téa was thankful that Shadi hadn't taken the Ring from Bakura.
Her friends had taken turns visiting both her room and Ryou's, though they said they never stayed long at Ryou's bedside since Bakura was always in there staring daggers at everyone. Mr. Muto had actually managed to get a hold of Téa's parents (if only for five minutes), and apparently they were trying to end the trip early and fly back home. Téa had thanked the man, but she knew from experience that they hated letting anything interrupt their work more than anything.
Although Ryou was done with surgery, Serenity had said that he probably wouldn't be able to leave the hospital for another week or so, after they removed his stitches. Not only was he recovering from the attack, but he also had another round of fevers and sleep spells. Téa wished they would hurry up and diagnose him with something so they could start treating it, but so far they were just attributing it to a weak immune system and the common cold.
Yugi and Yami had offered to go with her to see Ryou, but Téa politely declined. She knew her friends were just worried about Bakura, but she could also see that they were dead tired. It had been an incredibly long two days, and no one, aside from her, had gotten much sleep. It was better this way; Bakura would likely throw another fit if Téa's friends were there, but hopefully with just her around, he would calm down a bit.
Like how he had been at the beach?
There was a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when Téa thought about how open Bakura had been with her about his past. They had been arguing a lot lately, but she really hoped he could learn to relax around her. The two seemed to be on a wave of highs and lows, and every time Téa thought perhaps they were moving closer to a possible acquaintanceship, he would pull back and turn violent and distant. Téa didn't want to confront him about it again; she was worried she had pushed her luck already. And she certainly shouldn't mention to him that she was hoping for friendship. Than again, those moments of near-friendship that they'd had together were driving her insane. She didn't understand Bakura's actions. He wasn't trying to get into her pants with kindness like Marik had, but in the back of her mind, she still considered the possibility he may have ulterior motives. She really didn't want that to be true… but Téa couldn't let her guard down.
And maybe it was better if Bakura stopped acting so... different. She wasn't sure how much more of Bakura's sensitive side she could handle before doing something drastic, like straight-up ask him what he was doing and why. At the beach… he had kissed her forehead. That really wasn't something even normal friends did often, right? She supposed it could be a European thing, something Ryou did, but this was Bakura, and even if he had been European, she doubted he'd live by any of their affectionate customs. Had it even meant something to him, or had he just been lost in all of his past memories and caught up in the moment? For that matter, did it mean something to her? She… Téa couldn't tell for sure what it meant to her, but her heart rate increased just thinking about it.
She stopped just before the door to Ryou's room so she could collect myself. The blinds were tightly closed; Bakura sure liked his privacy. Téa wondered if he had been in there this whole time… No, wait, of course Bakura wasn't there for the actual surgery. So what had he been up to…
…probably terrorizing unsuspecting doctors and nurses.
Téa let out a long sigh and grasped the door handle. The guilt of what Ryou went through because of her… would likely haunt her for a long while. Part of her wanted to simply run away and put distance between them. Her stalker, Marik or whoever it was, was only after her. If she left, Ryou would be safe.
However, Ryou would never let that happen. He would chase after her once out of the hospital. He was too good a friend to let Téa save him. She bet Bakura would go along with her plan; maybe she should run it by him. Téa would miss them though.
Them?!
She sighed. No point in denying it, she thought with a smile. Yes, them.
She opened the door and slipped inside, closing it quickly behind her. No need to agitate Bakura further by having people look in. Téa's eyes swept around the room for the tomb robber.
Huh?! Bakura wasn't here?!
She scanned the room twice more to be sure, but, nope, he was definitely not here. Téa even checked the bathroom to be sure. Sighing with a bit of relief, she placed the vase of lilies she'd bought from the gift shop on the table and dragged one of the chairs up next to the bed.
"Ryou…"
He was sleeping, but she had a hunch that it was drug-induced. Ryou was hooked up to both an IV and a ventilator. She couldn't see his body below the chest, but Téa spotted the beginning of what must be the wound on his head. There was a purple-blue bruise poking out from underneath his hair, and Téa was sure if she were to inspect his scalp right there, she would find the stitches. Ryou had a few other minor cuts and bruises on his face and arms, but she was most drawn to the bandage on his left arm. That was where Marik had carved the rose.
What a sick and twisted thing to do.
The tears came easily. She sniffed and tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming. "I'm so sorry, Ryou," she whisper, gently taking hold of his right hand in hers. "I didn't mean to drag you into this. Maybe it would be better… if we had never been friends. You've done so much for me by letting me stay with you and just being yourself… just smiling… And what do you get in return?"
She didn't bother answering her own question; Téa just lay her head down on the sheets and continued to hold his hand. She continued to cry quietly, for a long time, before sleep settled in.
. . .
It wasn't too long after they had defeated the Doma group, that Yami Yugi and Yami Bakura received their own bodies.
Yugi had called Téa over to his game shop one afternoon, shortly after they had finished their junior year of high school. Téa had thought perhaps he was going to try to sneak in alone time with her; Yugi had already tried to sneakily her out on two dates that year (without using Yami as bait). Deep down he probably knew that she didn't feel the same way, though Téa was not sure if he knew then that her feelings for the pharaoh had started to wane. So she had reluctantly gone to visit Yugi, dreading another awkward 'not-a-date.'
Imagine her surprise then, when Téa entered the Kame Game Shop and found not just Yugi, but also Joey, Tristan, Duke, Mai, and Serenity. "What's going on?" she asked.
"I dunno. Yugi called us all here for some reason or another," Duke had answered. "He said it was something important."
Did he? All Yugi had told her was to come over. Then again, maybe Duke needed a bit more motivation (Téa had agreed fairly quickly, even if reluctantly).
"That's everyone then," Joey announced, turning to Yugi. "So, why don't you explain what's going on?"
"Not yet," the short boy answered. "We're still waiting on one more."
Tristan looked around. "I'm pretty sure we're all here. Err, unless you meant your grandpa, who's coming downstairs right now…"
Mr. Muto had walked in just then with a stack of boxes. "Don't mind me! I'll just put this stock away in the next room!" No doubt he would listen in on whatever was about to happen.
Téa turned to the boy who had been her best friend since childhood. "Yugi? What's going on?"
"I'll explain soon," he said with a small smile. He then turned to everyone else. "Let's take a seat, guys. He should be here any second."
They all sat around the small couches and tables the game shop offered to duelists. The CLOSED sign hung on the door so that they wouldn't be disturbed. At the mention of the "he" they were waiting on, Joey's eyebrow had twitched.
"Yuug, don't tell me you invited that nose-wipe Kaiba here?!" he asked, annoyed.
Yugi smiled. "Now, Joey, Kaiba is our friend, even if he's a bit stand-off-ish."
"You mean rude," Duke corrected, scooting closer to Serenity on the love seat. Tristan did the same from the other side, causing the poor girl in the middle to sigh.
"But, no," Yugi continued. "Kaiba's not coming today. I didn't think he'd be interested in this sort of thing."
"'This sort of thing'? Yugi, what are you talking about?" Tristan asked, pausing in his war with Duke. "Just who exactly are we waiting on?"
The welcome bell had jingled abruptly, and everyone looked to the entrance as the door opened.
"RYOU BAKURA?!"
Ryou paused at the many outbursts, one foot halfway through the door. Yugi hurried over to reassure him that everything was okay. But really, it wasn't. No one had seen much of Ryou after Battle City. After Yugi had defeated Yami Marik on KaibaCorp Island and they'd all returned to the mainland, Ryou was immediately taken to a hospital to recover from his injuries, along with Joey, Mai, Odion, and anyone else Kaiba suspected may have health issues. Téa had thought Kaiba was being kind at first, but she found out later he only did it so that no one could sue him… selfish rich jerk. After getting out of the hospital, they rarely saw Ryou Bakura, even at school. He didn't travel with the group during their time against Dartz and the Doma organization, and so Téa suspected a few people had even forgotten about him. Yugi had the Millennium Ring in his possession, so it wasn't like they had to worry about the evil spirit.
"So, Ryou, how've you been?" Tristan, the first to recover his voice, asked.
"Umm, fine, I suppose. Yugi, why is everyone here?"
"I think I can answer that question."
Quite a few people, Téa included, screamed as a man walked straight out of the back wall! He wore a robe and turban, and though he looked somewhat familiar, she couldn't place where she had seen him before.
It took Yugi a while to explain to everyone else about Shadi and his history with the Millennium Items. Téa wasn't sure she had understood all of it, but she was a bit proud for having already suspected a good chunk of what was said about how Yugi and Ryou's Millennium Items contained ancient souls.
"So… the one we call Yami Yugi is actually a pharaoh from thousands of years ago, trapped in Yugi's Puzzle until recently?" Joey asked, trying to process everything.
"Yes," Shadi had answered patiently.
"And the creepy guy who possessed Ryou Bakura is also originally from ancient Egypt? Some kind of tomb robber, you said?"
"Also correct."
"And you're the one who is supposed to guard these powerful Items?"
"Again, yes."
Joey was ticked. "So why haven't you been guarding them, huh? You gave Pegasus the Millennium Eye and he tried to kill us! You've let Yami Bakura run around for years committing horrible crimes and murders! What the hell have you been up to?!"
But Shadi had merely ignored Joey, and instead he turned to Yugi and Ryou.
"The time has come," he said mysteriously. "Your human bodies will not be able to sustain two souls for much longer. I am not sure how successful this process will be; you may be ill for a bit afterward. However, if we do nothing and let things continue, you both will surely die, and the spirits will remain trapped forever."
Téa assumed he was referring more to Yami than Bakura. At least, she had hoped so at the time. She had never imagine he'd be setting the tomb robber loose.
"You're … you're going to separate them?" she had asked, slightly understanding what was about to happen. "Yugi and Yami, err the pharaoh, will become separate people?!"
Everyone else gasped at this revelation, and even Yugi himself looked anxious. Shadi had nodded and explained the dire situation. The Millennium Items had been forged five thousand years ago, and their power was slowly decreasing. All things must end, Shadi had said. When that happened, the Millennium Items would not be able to support the spirits, and so the spirits would have to reside in the humans they were connected with. And human bodies were not meant for two souls.
"There's no way to fix it?" Duke asked. "Re-power the Items or something?"
Shadi looked to him with pale, vacant eyes. "Only if you want to sacrifice innocent lives." Duke hastily shook his head and allowed the man to continue.
Shadi had been reading every scroll, every wall, and everything he could inside the tombs of the pharaoh. He said there may be a way to save Ryou and Yugi, as well as the ancient spirits.
"I will use my Millennium Key to unlock the souls in your Items," he explained to Yugi and Ryou. "But first, my pharaoh, this will require giving the Millennium Ring back to Ryou Bakura."
Everyone in the room had stilled, aside from Shadi and Yugi. Even Ryou looked extremely hesitant. "What about the evil spirit of the Ring?" Tristan asked worriedly. "Won't he just take over and escape?"
"But," Joey cried, recalling Shadi's exact words, "you said you're gonna unlock the souls. Souls plural as in, you mean that freak gets a body too?!"
Shadi had said something then about 'equivalent exchange.' Joey had replied by calling bullshit. But Shadi was serious.
"No way," Téa said. "You can't! The guy's crazy!"
In the end, Shadi ignored all of their protests. With Yugi and Ryou nervously agreeing, Shadi proceeded to use the Millennium Key to unlock the Puzzle and Ring. Then he used his Millennium Scales to 'judge' the four souls. Shadi said that if the Scales found a soul to be worthy, they would be granted a body (or in Ryou and Yugi's cases, keep their current bodies). As expected, Yugi and Yami were quickly judged worthy. The Scales took longer to decide on Ryou and Bakura. Téa had seriously hoped the Item would find the tomb robber undeserving, which he most certainly was! However, the Scales tipped, and all four were deemed creditable.
As soon as Shadi had announced the decision, flashes of light and darkness flew out of the Millennium Puzzle and Ring, blinding the room. When it faded, Yugi and Ryou remained, along with the spirits of Yami Yugi and Yami Bakura, in their own bodies. They looked the same as they always had whenever they possessed their hosts, although now Téa could see the differences better. Yami was taller and stood straighter than Yugi, while Bakura's features were more angled than Ryou's soft ones.
Immediately Bakura snatched up the Ring and put it on. He looked as if he was about to do something, until he noticed Shadi and the new pharaoh standing opposite him. Bakura sneered, turned on his heel, and ran out of the game shop.
"Hey!" Joey called, racing after him.
"Do not worry," Shadi said, holding up a hand. "The tomb robber will not get far, I promise you. Pharaoh, you may keep the Puzzle for now."
"Call me… Yami," he had said.
After talking with Yami a bit longer, Shadi had bid farewell, leaving to go hunt down the tomb robber. Yugi, Yami, and Ryou said they felt fine for the most part, if not tired. The whole thing happened so quickly that everyone hadn't had much choice other than to simply accept it. Téa had thought a lot about it that night, but she was still confused as to why anyone would judge Yami Bakura as being worthy of a fresh start. Then again, wasn't she the girl always preaching stuff about friendship and second chances? Of course, it wasn't as if she expected to become friends with the spirit of the Ring.
So time had passed, and everyone grown used to Yami and Yugi as separate people. Yami enrolled in school under the guise of being Yugi's cousin. Yami Bakura did the same, if only because he was forced; he rarely actually attended school though. Not that anyone minded; they had way too much on their plates with senior year to worry about what the tomb robber would do to a teacher if he was called on in class.
Téa had a few classes together with Ryou, so they began to talk a bit more. Without Bakura hanging around his mind and threatening to torture anyone he so much as looked at, Ryou began to open up. And as the gang gradually stopped hanging out every day and started thinking about college and the future, she and Ryou became good friends.
"So what's the spirit up to these days?" Téa had asked one cold autumn afternoon. "He doesn't… hurt you, does he?"
"Not really," Ryou replied as they walked home from school. "He makes a lot of threats, but they're mostly empty. Whatever Shadi said to him seems to be working."
"Did he threaten to kill him?" she asked curiously. "If that's all that's keeping the tomb robber from acting out, I won't hold my breath for very long."
"I have no idea what Shadi said, but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of threat. Oh, and he just goes by 'Bakura' now."
"He's using your last name?"
Ryou shrugged. "He claims that's what he was called in Egypt. I don't mind, really."
Téa had chewed on her thoughts of the spirit until they reached Ryou's house. "Well, I guess I'll see you next week at school," she told him when they stopped at his mailbox. "Don't let Bakura push you around, okay?"
He blushed. "You're always so worried about me… I'm sorry for that."
She smiled. "No need to be sorry! I care about you, Ryou."
His blush had deepened at those words, and he hiccuped out a thank you. She waited for him to turn and head up the walkway, but he just continued to stand there, shifting his briefcase from one hand to other.
"Everything okay?" she had asked. He nodded. "Well, all right then, I'm going to head home. See you later, Ryou!" She waved and continued the trek home.
"Wait! Téa!"
She turned around to see Ryou chasing after her. "Yes? What is it?"
He had paused to catch his breath before looking her square in the face. "Téa Gardner."
She was very confused as to why he was using my her name. "Yes, Ryou Bakura?" she asked, smiling as she used his full name back at him. He couldn't help but smile, too.
"Do you want to do something this weekend?" he asked quickly. "Like a movie or something?"
She should have picked up on his hopeful tone, the way he fiddled with the buttons on his jacket, how he was trying to keep a straight face… but she hadn't. She was so surprised that one of her friends actually wanted to hang out, she never stopped to think if it was supposed to be more than just that. Téa broke out into a wild smile.
"Of course!" she replied excitedly. "I think there's a new anime movie out right now, or we could go see an American film if you like!"
"Sounds great," he replied, his cheeks slightly pink.
They had decided to go see an American movie at the small theater known for showing foreign films. Téa still hadn't suspected anything when Ryou offered to pay for her ticket; she just thanked him and offered to buy the popcorn. They had almost the entire theater to themselves; the movie had been out for a week already, and it wasn't a big blockbuster. Téa had never even heard of it.
"What's this supposed to be about?" she asked Ryou as they picked seats towards the back.
"Umm, I think it's the movie version of a tv series," Ryou answered. "Joey went to see it when it first came out. He said something about it being a wrap-up to his favorite television show that had been canceled. I forget the name, but I think it's related to bugs."
"A TV show about bugs? What sort of movie is this?"
"I think Joey said it's some kind of futuristic 'Western' or something," he said, taking a sip of his soda.
"And here I figured he came to see it because of his sister," Téa joked.
"Haha, no, actually I think she was too scared," Ryou had explained as the lights dimmed and the previews began.
"Too scared to see a movie called Serenity?" she asked. "How scary can it be?"
Okay, so the movie hadn't been that scary. However, there were a few scenes that had Téa gripping Ryou's arm or hiding her eyes behind her hands. She probably shouldn't have acted so scared and clingy, as that probably just helped Ryou right along.
"Hey," he whispered after a particularly suspenseful scene, "it's over; you can look now." He gently draped an arm across her back and rubbed her shoulder. "Wow, Téa, I wouldn't have expected you to be this scared," he teased lightly.
"Yeah well… Those things are hideous and disgusting!" she replied, leaning back into his arm comfortably. "Seriously, that's the type of thing I'd expect to be in that Bonz guy's deck!"
Ryou chuckled, and they stayed like that for the rest of the movie, sitting close together with his arm wrapped around her. Téa stupidly thought nothing of it.
So she was very surprised when, after the movie was over and Ryou walked her home, he asked to take her out again. This time, she did recognize his nervous, hopeful tone.
"You mean… like a date?" she had asked. He nodded sheepishly.
"Oh. Was this supposed to be a date?" Téa asked hesitantly. She had never thought of Ryou as anything other than a friend. There had been a small crush she'd developed right after he joined her class, but that had faded after he kept refusing her offers to hang out. And while she knew first dates weren't always the best way to judge someone, Téa had known Ryou long enough that she could tell with certainty that she wasn't interested in pursuing anything romantic.
Ryou looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Um, well, I mean… it could if you wanted it to be…" Something must have shown in her expression though, because he immediately changed his mind. "I mean, not really, no! I just thought it might be nice to hang out together, outside of school, you know?" he clarified quickly.
Téa had felt bad then, turning him down like that. But on the other hand, he seemed to pick up on it quickly, and they continued chatting easily for the rest of the walk home. She was sure to tell him how much she valued his friendship, and he smiled and did the same.
When they reached her porch, they were surprised to find Yami Bakura waiting.
"Bakura?" Ryou asked, just as confused as she was. "What are you doing here?"
"How do you know where I live?" Téa asked, genuinely curious. He glared at her.
"It's called a phone book," he snapped, before turning to Ryou. "Where the hell have you been?! I've been hungry and you have no food!"
"Didn't you get my note?" Ryou asked, looking extremely embarrassed.
"Obviously, or I wouldn't have known to come here, now would I?" the tomb robber had replied sarcastically.
Téa crossed her arms. "If you can figure out a phone book, maybe you should learn how to go shopping or something," she suggested, tired of his entitled attitude already. "Though I'm surprised you didn't just steal something."
Bakura scowled and stood, towering over her. "Gardner."
"Bakura," she replied evenly.
"Gardner!"
"Bakura," she said again, confused.
"Gardner, wake up!"
… … …
"Gardner, wake up already!"
Téa jerked up suddenly, her vision hazy with sleep. Someone stopped shaking her shoulder, and she peered up to find Bakura scowling down at her. Flinching as she recalled her dream, she glanced over to find Ryou still fast asleep in his hospital bed. She must have dozed off at some point.
"Get up. These foolish healers want to change Ryou's bandages," Bakura muttered, dragging Téa to her feet. "They want us to leave."
She finally noticed the friendly nurse standing in the doorway, waiting. She flashed the woman a smile as Bakura pulled her out the door; she had no grudge against the hospital staff, and she was very appreciative to those looking after Ryou right now. Bakura finally let go of her arm once they reached a corner lobby. He sank down into the small couch with a gruff sigh, and she followed suit, slowly sitting next to him. He didn't tell her to move, so she relaxed and leaned back into the soft cushion.
Téa checked her phone for the time. Wow, she had been asleep for several hours! It was now almost two o'clock in the morning on Monday. Next to her, Bakura looked dead tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was staring off into space in a drained sort of way. She wondered if he had slept at all since they had left for the beach. With a sigh, she remembered that her dance review classes started tomorrow. She would have to get a good night's rest later, and she prayed she wasn't be too rusty. She would visit Ryou after class, maybe even before if she had time; hopefully he would be awake by then.
Bakura, on the other hand, seemed ready to pass out.
"Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" Téa asked, curious as to why he was even still here. It wasn't like he had ever cared about Ryou before; she doubted he had suddenly started now.
"Why don't you?" he retorted lazily.
"Because I'm worried about Ryou," she answered, surprised he couldn't come to that conclusion himself.
"I'm aware of that," he snapped, rubbing his temples. Okay, so maybe he had figured that much. "But you worrying over his health here is no different than if you were to worry over his health at home."
While he was correct, Téa felt better staying close to Ryou's side. She wanted to at least be here when he woke up, to make sure he would be okay mentally. She would feel awful if she went off to class tomorrow and hadn't heard his voice yet. But she couldn't just skip out; the classes were very expensive, and she really needed a cram course of sorts before her performance review in July for the academy.
"I don't want to go too far," she mumbled, realizing how stupid that probably sounded to Bakura. "It's my fault he's in this mess. I have to make sure he's going to be okay."
The tomb robber scoffed loudly, leaning back into the couch. "Don't flatter yourself, Gardner. This entire thing is Marik's fault."
Don't flatter yourself?! What sort of thing was that to say? Oh, was he telling her not to blame herself? In some weird, roundabout way? Of course, being Bakura, he couldn't just outright say something nice; it had to be coated in a snarky remark.
"I know, it's just… I can't help but feel bad," she said, putting her head into her hands. "Ryou's done so much for me, and all I do in return is get him into trouble!"
"The weakling could use some roughing up," Bakura grunted, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Téa sat up and frowned.
"Bakura!"
He opened one eye lazily. "Can't say anything without offending you, can I?" he grumbled. "It was a joke, damn it; calm down."
Aside from the one eye peering at her, Bakura looked as if he could be asleep.
"So, why don't you go home?" she asked again. "You're not that concerned over Ryou, are you?"
"Of course not," he jeered, blinking and closing his eye once more. "Those stupid healers would be running around frantically if he was in any immediate danger."
"They're called doctors, Bakura."
"Whatever."
Téa sighed exasperatedly; he was still avoiding the question. "Well?! Why don't you go home? You look like you could pass out at any moment."
"Are you going home?" he shot back.
"Of course not. I just told you–"
"Then be quiet and get some shuteye," he countered.
She stared at him incredulously. Was he refusing to go home because she wouldn't? What a stupid reason! Did he not want to leave her alone with Ryou or something? Bakura just said he didn't care about him, so why would he care if she and Ryou were alone together? Hmm, he had been ticked before whenever they spent time together, and sometimes he had even (incorrectly) assumed they were being intimate.
"Do you not want to leave me alone with Ryou or something?" Téa asked incredulously. "I know you think something's going on between us, but I can assure you, we're just good friends. It's not like I'm going to sneak into his hospital room and do something inappropriate!" God, he was acting like an over-protective father or something.
"You're an idiot," Bakura replied quietly, watching her through weary eyes.
"What?!" she growled. "Just what is up with you? Why can't you just go home and–"
"Marik might come back."
She paused in her rant to consider his words. Well, that was a possibility. Was he worried Marik might come back to finish Ryou off?
"If you think I'm about to leave you alone while there's a psychopath out there looking to kill you, you're really an idiot."
Her face burned as Bakura continued to look at her, waiting for her to accept his argument. Téa was both angry and pleased that he didn't want to leave her alone. She was peeved he thought she needed a babysitter, but the fact that he was volunteering to stay in case Marik showed up… it was rather touching.
"Oh," Téa said at last, staring down into her lap. "Well… thank you, Bakura."
He grunted as if to say don't mention it. Téa tried to stifle a yawn then, but Bakura managed to catch it. He reached up and yanked the brunette back into the cushion, before crossing his arms and closing his eyes once more.
"Just get some sleep already."
Their shoulders barely touched, but Téa could feel the spirit's body rise and fall with each breath he took. With the comforting thought of Bakura next to her, Téa eased into the cushions as well, drifting back to sleep once more.