I DO own the Blue Eyes Lullaby that Yugi's grandfather sings in this chapter. Ask and ye' may use it. .-!
Chapter 2Tea went to her favorite dance spot to find it occupied. The area was a stage in the local recreation hall's auditorium. She opened the door when a blast of sound from an electric guitar made her wince. "I'm always one card short! Always one delay! For once I'd like an ending I can celebrate…"
Then four other voices joined in. "I stack the deck myself, so there's no one else to blame, I need just one more move, one final chance to pro-ove, I can win this game!"
Then the first voice cut in again. "One card short, one delay, oh give me something, something to celebrate!" The first voice trailed off.
Tea stepped into the room. Weevil was there, he was saying. "It's definitely a problem with the amplifier Nyassa. If you'd just let me have a look. I think I can fix it."
A girl with long, silky dark brown hair and cobalt blue eyes nodded. "Go ahead, we're so good at acoustics that we don't need the amp for the microphone. The guitar might be another story though."
Tea made an ahem noise. "I'm sorry to bother you."
The heads of five girls, plus Rex and Weevil swiveled around to see who had spoken. "Oh, Gardner, nice to see you." Weevil said coldly.
"Tea! Come on in and join the chaos!" Rex said cheerfully.
"I was going to practice my dancing." Tea said shyly.
"Well the stage is taken, sorry." Rex said with a diffident shrug. "You can watch though."
"Who are you guys?" Tea asked the brown haired girl.
"We're Element Wheel. You wouldn't have heard of us, but we're a new band." Said the girl with the brown hair. "Natari, Fera and I are the singers. Plus Natari and I play guitar. Selene here plays the keyboard. And Carola plays the drum. Rex does our hauling. And Weevil takes care of equipment maintenance." Nyassa nodded in turn at each of her companions. "We write songs about Duel Monsters battles. The one we were practicing was about Pegasus's duel against Yugi Mouto."
"Cause he was ooooonnnneee card short of a full deck!" Carola cackled with laughter. She wore a red hat just like Rex's and a green tank top with a turtle neck. She also wore tight darkly colored blue jeans. She had brown hair with a silver lock dangling between her eyes, just like Rex did.
Natari had long platinum blonde hair and large doe brown eyes. Her left eye seemed to shimmer. Tea realized that her left eye was just a hologram! Sure enough, the hologram faded away to reveal a silver version of the Millennium Eye. "Oh no not again!" Natari complained, reaching up to cover the afflicted eye. "It always goes out when I meet somebody new!" Natari slouched backward to sit on the stage.
"We'll get it right." Said Selene. She had long sea green hair, exactly the shade of Weevil's. Her eyes were softer than Weevil's though, and larger. She wore a white t-shirt and emerald green denim jeans. Selene put a comforting hand on Natari's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Natari." Fera ripped open a chocolate bar with her teeth and attacked it with startling ferocity. She swallowed the first bite. "I'm Fera Mouto, pleased to meet you." Tea blinked.
She HAD to be a relative of Yugi's. True, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but it had the same lightning bolts of blonde, the same streaks of red, as Yugi. The purple eyes were the same as well. The only difference was that Fera was taller, slimmer, more delicate. She wore what looked like a silver version of the Millenium Puzzle. Tea was about to ask what it was. But she decided against it.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Tea Gardner." Tea said politely.
"Oh, you're on the list to go to Duelist's Kingdom." Nyassa said with a cheerful smile.
Nyassa held up her own hands. On them were a pair of white Dueling Gauntlets. They didn't have the single row of stars that a contestant would have had. These were the double row of an Eliminator. The right gauntlet had a symbol of a golden pentacle on it. Faulty starchips that had been discarded for any number of reasons had been sewn to the knuckles. On the left gauntlet an American Flag patch had been hand sewn on with great care and skill. "I'm an Eliminator for the new Duelist's Kingdom. S-Class to be precise."
"What's the difference?" Tea asked, taken aback. If this girl was an Eliminator then she might not be as nice as she pretended she was.
"An S-class Eliminator has special skills, like Mechanics or Ecology. My skill is Mediation. Also an S-class Eliminator has more privileges. I can make up cards if I want to. And I can distribute them as I care to. I don't use that privilege very often. Also, an S-Class Eliminator is allowed to take on apprentices. Fera is going to be competing, so she can't be. So is Selene. But Carola is signed on as my apprentice." Nyassa grinned. "It's gonna be wild right Carola?"
"Hell yeah!" Carola cheered.
"Right. Girls, while Weevil's fixing our noise box, why don't we sing something for our friend Tea here?" Nyassa asked, standing up.
The other girls nodded in agreement. "I'll get the boom box. We can use it to back us up since our amplifier's busted." Selene grinned and left. She came back a few seconds later with a boombox and a CD. "Okay, get ready girls. I'm counting in 3… 2… 1…"
They took their places. The music began to play. The girls stood in a line, with Fera and Nyassa at the front.
"How'd it come to this
After all we've been through
Two of a pair, now on opposite sides
From the very start, with honor we've dueled
Watched each other's back and we've battled with pride"
It took Tea about two seconds to realize that they were singing about Yugi and Joey. Then her face glowed with pride as she heard her words two years ago sung back to her.
"We are closer than brothers
And now we have to fight each other
And we trust our fate to the heart of the cards
No matter what
Let the games begin
No matter what
May the best man win
No matter what
We're in this together
No matter what
We'll be friends forever
No matter what
It's been you and me
Hanging out playing games
Didn't everything ever get this hard
Time's running out, and there's so much at stake
Everything riding on the turn of a card
We'll show 'em what we're made of
As we fight for the ones we love
And we'll be friends to the very end
No matter what!"
They finished with a flourish. Tea grinned, applauding. "That was beautiful!" She exclaimed.
"You were the one who inspired it." Natari said with a grin. "I was there when Yugi and Joey dueled. I was also there when you said they were closer than brothers, and that it would be sad if their friendship didn't survive the duel."
"You heard that?" Tea demanded.
"Yes, I did. I also saw Yugi's Duel with Pegasus." Natari snorted in disgust. "Waste of talent on Pegasus' part if you ask me. But Yugi played his… ahem cards to the best of his ability in that duel. I wrote a song about that one too. You heard it when you came in."
Tea giggled. "Yeah, he sure was one card short!"
Rex laughed. "That's the spirit Gardner!"
Tea paused, before asking respectfully. "Fera, what's that pendant around your neck?"
"Oh, that? That's the Reflection Puzzle. You know what the Millennium Puzzle is right?"
Tea nodded. "Yes, what's that have to do with that thing?"
"Well, the Reflection Puzzle is meant to replace the Millennium Puzzle if it's ever destroyed." Fera explained. "It's sad though. I'm not allowed to meet my Millennium counter part. It's forbidden."
"You mean Yugi?" Tea asked.
"He's the one who's got it? Typical." Fera sighed. "That's sounds like what I've heard of him, but yes. Because if a Millennium Item and it's reflection get into a Shadow Game, then the Penalty Game is reflected back on whoever fired it." Explained Fera. "So I'm not allowed to meet him just in case we get into a Shadow Game." She slumped sadly on the stage.
"Does that mean that you can't Duel him either?" Tea asked. "I mean, you will be going to Duelist's Kingdom right? So will he! I can even introduce you to Yugi. He doesn't pull a person into a Shadow Game unless they hurt somebody he cares about." Tea explained. "So you should be safe. Come on!" She tugged Fera's arm gently.
"Yeah! That would be great Tea."
"Are you NUTS?" Demanded Rex.
"Nope, just altruistic. Rex it's a virtue you need to learn." Natari said, looping an arm around Rex's shoulder. "Come on girls; let's take that new one about Seto and Pegasus from the top. Okay?"
Tea lead Fera down the streets of Domino City to the Turtle Shop. Fera's eyes brightened. "My grandmother has a game shop too. It's called the Eagle Shop!" She took a deep breath, as though stealing herself to do something forbidden. She tied the Relfection Puzzle to her belt and pulled her jacket down to hide it.
Yugi, Joey, and Seto were there, debating over tactics. Seto was extolling the virtues of a burn deck when they came in. "I'm telling you. If you have enough burn cards in your deck, even if you can't play a monster you can still do…"
"If I may interrupt this tactical meeting." Tea said dryly.
The boys turned to face her. Fera seemed to shiver. She squeezed the puzzle hanging from her belt tightly. Tea gulped inwardly. Yugi had that habit too, when he was nervous about something. Her eyes unfocused and Tea realized what she was seeing. This girl had a Millennium Spirit as well. She was speaking with it.
"Yugi, I was on my way to the dance hall when I saw Fera here and her friends practicing their music." Tea began. "She's got a Millennium Item that looks like yours only silver, not gold."
"It's a reflection item ma'am." Fera said. There was a slight glow from the eye on the Reflection Puzzle and Fera grew noticeably taller, leggier. Her features refined to become harder, more sculpted. Tea smacked herself inwardly. Great, the last thing that she needed was a shadow game in the Turtle Shop. "There's a difference." Her voice was slightly deeper, having gone from contralto to alto/soprano.
Seto blinked. So he had caught the change too, Tea thought. Yugi clutched the chain of his puzzle. It's okay Hikari. Yami told him. I've heard of the Reflection Items before. Although I've never seen one. She's just nervous, that's why she's called on her spirit.
Yugi stood. "I'm Yugi Mouto, pleased to meet you." He held out his hand.
"And I'm…"
"FERA??" Yugi's grandpa demanded from the doorway. He had a backroom manifest on a clip board in his hand and a pencil behind his ear.
Fera whirled. "Do I know you?"
"No, I don't think you would."
"You know her Grandpa?" Yugi demanded.
"Yes…" Solomon put down the clip board. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Yugi. It WAS planned for you sixteenth birthday coming up. I'm surprised that she showed up so soon."
"What's wrong?" Joey asked, looking from Yugi to Fera.
"Fera, pull the band out of your hair." Solomon said knowingly.
Fera did. Everybody gasped, as her hair fell from where it had been styled. Then it stood almost straight up, forming into spikes just like Yugi's. "She looks just like I do Grandpa!" Yugi exclaimed.
"Yugi… it's hard for me to say this… but Fera is your twin." Solomon said, sitting down with his head in his hands.
"WHAT???" Yugi demanded.
In his soul room Yami jumped about a mile. TWIN???
"Twin??" Seto demanded. "Great, two of him. That's the last thing that I need."
"But Grandpa, why didn't you tell us?" Yugi demanded.
"And why didn't grandma tell ME?" Fera shrilled. "I mean, I don't even know all of you beyond what I've heard, and I haven't met Tea at all!" She stepped back two paces.
"Fera calm down." Tea told her. Then she turned to Yugi's grandpa. "I'd like to hear the story behind all of this."
"Well I DON'T!" Fera shook her head and strode to the door of the shop.
Yugi's grandfather stood and looked at her retreating back. Softly he sang…
"Look into your eyes of blue
Sleeping on a dragon's wing
Don't you fret, don't you cry
But most of all remember to try
Open minds and open hearts
Whether they're in bodies or cards."
Fera whirled around, tears in her eyes, but she joined in.
"Together we will cross the sea
You and me and dragon three."
Fera regarded him strangely. "How did you know that lullaby?"
"I used to sing it to you when you were a baby." Solomon said with a wry smile. "You wouldn't remember. You were too young."
"But Grandpa, what happened?" Yugi asked, looking from one to the other.
"Your father and I got into a fight Yugi; one that I couldn't forgive him for, one that he couldn't let go of. He took Fera and went to America. And I stayed here with you and your mother."
"Dad's dead. I guess that's why he never told me." Fera sighed, flopping down into a chair.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Solomon said sadly. "He was a good man. We just didn't get along very well."
Fera smiled softly. "He told me that if I had faith in myself and in my deck, there wasn't a single duel that I couldn't win."
Solomon laughed. "That's what I told him… years and years ago!"
"How did he die." Yugi asked gravely.
"A car accident. He was on his way home from the nationals when the car slipped and crashed on the mountain roads. It was a rollover. The only things that survived the crash were his deck and the reflection puzzle." Fera shivered. "It was really weird. Everything else was burned up." She sighed.
"Must have been really sad." Tea commented.
"Cold as death, death bearing
Stay and die unguided
Brave and braving linger
This way was twice decided." Fera sang softly.
"I guess it was destiny for that to happen. Just as it was destiny for me to solve the Reflection Puzzle." Fera smiled, fingering the item gently. "I still miss him though." She said sadly. "Gran is going to throw a fit. She's the one who told me that a reflection item holder can't meet their Millennium counterpart."
"Well, if it was destiny for you to get your item. Then it was destiny for you to meet me." Yugi said with a smile. He held out his hand. "I'm Yugi Mouto. These are my friends, Joey Wheeler, Seto Kaiba, Tea Gardner, and my grandfather, our grandfather Solomon."
"Pleased to meet you Yugi." Fera said, taking his offered hand. They shook on it, and that was how Yugi gained a sister.