A/N: Whoo! Thanks for the reviews; I am amazed there are so many! In response to some of my reviewers:
Elusia: No offense taken! Just pointing out that every character has sides – this illustrates Tea's sort of depressed side and Yami Bakura's sort of player side. He's so busy being evil and plotting how to overthrow the Pharaoh, the show doesn't really show him going out to the bar. But his nature would paint him as that kind of guy if you take his traits one step further.
Ladyofthedarkoneandthedead: That's the first time I've been told I updated too fast! XD I have most of it written the day it was posted but it took a while to show up on the site. If you want to see another chapter, sometimes it pays to go to the URL and change the last number to the chapter number you want to read!
Black cold rose: I was inspired by several stories to pull off a Yami Bakura/Tea fic, with a sort of ghetto theme, and I list those at the end of the story. One of these stories was indeed A Sexy Change in Thought by kaiba's run-away bride5. But apart from the club scene and meeting up with Yami Bakura in the dark when she couldn't really see him, it's not the same plotline. And as kaiba's run-away bride5 reviewed and didn't mention anything, I'm gonna hope it's ok. :)
Rowan and Sakura: I wasn't actually going to add '"Oh, shit."', but then my Yami typed it for me. ;)
Now, ON WITH THE FIC!
Earlier that day...
Yugi sat on the park bench, watching Tea run down the path and out of the park. He looked down at his shoes. He hated that he had made one his friends unhappy. When he looked up, a misty form was sitting beside him on the bench. He tried to smile, but it came out rather flat.
"Oh, hey Yami," he said dismally.
"What's wrong, Yugi?" asked Yami, looking with concern at his small aibou. "Isn't that Tea?" He nodded towards the girl running away from them, her sobs echoing against the great ceiling of trees and branches.
"Yeah," sighed Yugi, fiddling with his puzzle and not looking at him. Then he looked curiously at Yami. "Weren't you listening?"
"Only a bit," said Yami. "I was working on new Duel Monsters strategies." He paused, and Yugi could feel a slight ache in Yami's heart – he wanted to go after Tea. But he didn't move, and instead turned to Yugi. "So what happened?"
"Tea asked me if I...liked her," said Yugi. "But I think she..."
"You do like her," cut in Yami with confusion. "She's one of our best friends."
Yugi blushed. Yami was so lost in the ways of the 21st century.
"No, not like that...As in, she asked if I was interested in her..." Still seeing Yami's furrowed eyebrows, he said slowly, "As a girlfriend."
"Oh," said Yami, sitting back somewhat. He looked blank for a moment, his mind spinning. Then he asked cautiously, "And what did you say?"
"I tried to tell her I don't like her, but you did..." Yugi sighed again. "I think she had us confused. She's the only one who ever notices something different about us when we duel, but I don't think she understands that we're separate."
"So why didn't you explain to her?" asked Yami, his voice urgent.
"She started crying and ran off before I could," said Yugi sheepishly. "I tried..."
"She was crying?" repeated Yami, a hollow pit forming in his stomach. Tea, crying...when he had come to try and tell her that she liked him. And he hadn't even been there!
"We've got to go after her," he said.
"She could be anywhere, Yami. Domino is a big city. I guess we could check her favorite places, like the café and the arcade, but – "
"No, but perhaps we can use the puzzle to find her..." said Yami, trailing off. Yugi looked at him quizzically. "Tea's...I don't know, Yugi, but sometimes it feels like I'm not the only one with an Egyptian past."
There was a moment's pause when neither of them said anything.
"We just have to trust in the heart of the cards."
"I don't know, Yami," said Yugi from his soul room, and he felt Yami's breath running in and out of his lungs as he panted for air. "The puzzle doesn't seem to be working right. We've been following it all night, and we still haven't found her. Maybe she's already gone home."
"We had a lead around midnight," said Yami. "I'm not giving up. It's brought us to this part of town." He looked at the dark streets, gray with the first light of dawn as the gangs and drug dealers slipped into the shadows to wait for another night. If it was anywhere but here... "She could be in trouble, Yugi. We have to keep searching."
Yugi yawned and his eyes itched with lack of sleep, but he nodded and steeled his resolve.
"You're right, Yami. We can't just give up now."
Suddenly the puzzle began to glow a brilliant golden light. It gave a strong surge of energy, as though trying to pull them down the street, quivering slightly.
"That way," said Yami quickly, and set off at a heavy run, trying to keep up with the fierce pull of the puzzle. It seemed to be drawn to something, like a magnet. His face set with grim determination, he swerved into the decrepit apartment building on the corner. He hoped he would find her – alive.
"Hold on, Tea. Just hold on."