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Notes: I mentioned before that I'd had this idea in my head for a long while. However, the specific details that I'm trying to form from my own imagination, I'm afraid are being shirked from other people's great stories. I've been trying desperately to avoid that, to the point of editing a few details out of the story. Don't ask why I'm telling you all this; nagging feelings of guilt I suppose.
Disclaimer: I don't own any references used here or in the rest of the story. The one that comes to my mind for this chapter is Spirited Away. I also named a mountain after a character from Lord of the Rings. A horse, no less. ::grins sheepishly::
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Chapter 2
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Yugi had done a good job hiding it from his grandfather, but he'd been growing increasingly worried as the evening had worn on. What could Ishizu want? One side of him said it was silly to fret, but another argued that Ishizu had never really bore good news. Important, yes; helpful, definitely; but rarely good news. The other side countered that, if it had been bad news, or news that would hurt someone, she would have tried harder to reach him. 'In your best interest'- that didn't necessarily mean something life-threatening, right?
Domino museum normally didn't open until eight o'clock. Yugi normally didn't rise until ten.
At seven fifty-six, the phone in the basement of the museum rang. The first shrill hadn't died away before a smooth hand picked up the receiver. "Ishizu Ishtar."
"Hi- this is Yugi Moto. I'm returning your call?"
She'd known it would be him. She didn't need the Millennium Necklace to know that. But she simply said, "Ah, yes. Thank you. If it's not too much trouble, I would advise you to stop by the museum today. I'll meet you in the basement. Yami should know the way."
Yugi started to say something along the lines of "That's fine," but she interrupted. "Oh, and please- bring the Millennium Necklace as well as your Puzzle." "Okay," he answered, surprised. "Can you tell me what this is about?" No answer. She'd hung up. He stared blankly at the phone until it began to emit a rude dial tone, at which point he gently replaced it in the cradle."Yugi?"
Yugi turned to see his grandfather making his way down the stairs. "My, you're up early," he said cheerfully. "This is certainly a special occasion! Why don't I whip us up some pancakes?"
"Maybe later, Grandpa," Yugi said distractedly, rising from the table and grabbing a jacket to wear over his tank top in the coolness of the morning. "I've gotta stop by the museum. I just need to grab something from my room first-" With that, Yugi darted up the stairs. A few minutes later, when he emerged, he wore a confused expression on his face. His hand was closed over something in his jacket pocket. "See you," he said, passing by and exiting through the door. It banged shut behind him.
Alone in the house, not due to open shop for another hour, Solomon scratched his head. 'Must be that Téa's gone', he reasoned. 'Yugi's never the same when she's not around.'
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/Why do you think Ishizu couldn't have just asked us to come by when she left the original message with Grandpa?/ Yugi asked, slightly grumpy. /Instead of making us call just to hear, 'Come by the museum and then we'll talk/ His irritation was rising partly from being awake so early on a Sunday morning, and just when vacation was beginning; partly from the Necklace in his pocket. When he'd first picked it up, he sensed a sort of- a sort of buzz. It was almost as if the Necklace was trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what. He'd kept his fist clenched over it, reluctant to pry it away. Short images kept bursting in his head at random intervals, too quick for him to distinguish them.
Yami was silent in response, probably sensing his hikari's foul mood. After a while, sensing Yugi growing tense, he tried to relax him. What do you suppose she wants?
/I wonder if she wants the Necklace back/ Yugi mused, thoughts momentarily occupied. He'd never really put it to good use, he had to admit. The only time he'd actually touched it and felt something was now.
He reached the doors of the museum and yanked them open. It was early; not many people were here yet. He made his way to the basement, not realizing his destination until he was there. Yami was guiding him and his subconscious was blindly following him. For the first time, that thought sent a little chill down his spine. He quickly dismissed it, however; Yami was his best friend and other half. This bond they shared was natural.
"Hello, Yugi Moto," Ishizu said quietly. She looked the same as ever, calm and composed. Her black hair fell in a sheet down her back and her dress was simple and creamy. The only thing different from the first time they'd met was the absence of the glittering gold necklace at her throat: the same necklace Yugi held in his pocket. He nervously removed his hand and felt the strange waves cease.
"Hello, Ishizu," he said, a bit awkwardly, holding out his palm. She shook it, then turned gracefully. "Follow me."
They passed by the giant stone tablets on their way out of the room, and Yugi couldn't help but gawk. He wished he had hours to spend, studying all the detail laboriously carved into this slab of rock- but Ishizu's matter seemed more pressing. He trailed her into a second, smaller room, lit by a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. Two people were waiting, partially swathed in shadows.
"Shadi!" Yugi blurted in surprise. "I- well, hello." He was having trouble finding the appropriate words of greeting. What exactly did you say to a guy like Shadi, anyway?
Either Shadi was having the same problem, or he simply didn't care. He gave a slight nod and redirected his attention to the wall above Yugi's head.
Yugi's gaze automatically shifted to the other figure in the room. The boy, as slender as Yugi but a few inches taller, was trying to shrink into himself.
"Bakura?" Yugi asked in surprise. "What on earth are you doing here?" Closer scrutiny revealed that Bakura looked on the verge of tears. Yugi's eyes widened in shock and a little fear. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked in concern. "What's going on?"
"All the Millennium Items are gathered in this room," Ishizu intoned solemnly.
"All of them?" Yugi asked in confusion. Didn't Marik still have the Rod? And the Eye was lost, wasn't it? Who had the Scales, anyway?
A hand fell heavily on his shoulder. He wanted to jump in shock, like most people did. Instead, his reaction was far more dramatic: Yami took over for him, eyes flashing dangerously, and whirled around, grabbing his attacker by the wrist and twisting it sharply.
Lavender eyes stared back at him, unwilling to back down or admit pain.
"Marik," Ishizu said testily.
Marik continued glaring directly into Yami's eyes for a few seconds, until Yami grudgingly released him. Then he did something entirely unexpected. He laughed.
Yugi, observing from Yami's eyes, noted that the laugh was unlike that he'd heard right before Marik possessed someone or sent someone else to the Shadow Realm or defeated anyone else in a duel. Anyone listening on the streets might have thought that the laugh belonged to a completely normal teenager. It was light, unforced, and carefree.
"Sorry," Marik apologized, and in the soul-room Yugi's jaw dropped. He was almost glad he wasn't the one in charge. Yami maintained a perfectly normal facial expression. "I was trying to startle you," Marik explained. "Guess you don't startle easily."
"You should remember I don't," Yami murmured, obviously slightly confused. He caught sight of Ishizu staring at him intently. Her expression betrayed an aura of hopefulness, anxiety, and a little bit of pride. Yugi caught on more quickly than Yami. /I think she wants us to like Marik! She's worried that we'll still be mad at him for everything that happened during Battle City!/
I think you're right…Yami realized, with a tone of wonder. She was always very protective of MarikAfter all, they had been bereft of parents for years. Odion had taken it upon himself to look after Marik, and Ishizu had always been striving to do the best she could.
"Greetings," Yami said cordially, extending his hand. His face taking on the same hopeful air as his sister's, Marik shook hands with his former rival.
'I bet now, that everything's over and done with, all Marik wants to do is be a normal kid. He probably wants to forget his past as leader of the Rare Hunters and enjoy his life the way most teenagers are meant to.' Yugi entered his own body again; Yami relinquished control almost gratefully. Yugi would be better at handling Marik than he would.
The purple-eyed boy fixed Marik with a beaming smile. "I'm glad to see you! How is everything?"
Marik's gaze dropped almost shyly. "I'm okay," he mumbled. "I guess I should be asking you that."
"Oh, I'm fine," Yugi assured, his gaze suddenly sliding to a petrified Bakura, remembering that there was someone in the room they should be more worried about. Marik followed the direction of his vision, and suddenly his face fell as well.
"I have the Rod, big sister," Marik offered, removing said Item from his belt. He held it out to her, but she simply glanced it over and nodded.
"And I am the bearer of the Millennium Key and the Millennium Scales," Shadi said suddenly. Yugi hadn't seen them before, but suddenly the mysterious Scales were right there, dangling from Shadi's hand. He blinked; how had he missed them before?
Knowing what was expected of him, he slowly drew the Necklace from his pocket. The Key gleamed around Shadi's neck and his own Puzzle seemed to flash with faint golden light in the dark and oppressive room. Automatically, Yugi searched out the Ring, hanging from its ever-present place on Bakura's neck. "That's six," he said aloud, knowing that someone had been waiting for him to state that very fact.
"Indeed." Shadi wore a grim expression on his face- grimmer than usual. Roughly, he reached out and seized Bakura's sweater collar, shaking it a little.
"Hey!" Yugi said, outraged, seeing his friend's pale face contort. "You can't do that to him!"
Slowly, Shadi's blank eyes turned to fix on Yugi. He stood his ground determinedly. "Show him, thief," he said coldly, and Yugi blanched. Shadi couldn't be talking to him, could he?
But no. Bakura let out a stifled sob, then trembling hands reached into his pocket and pulled out something. The thing was small, round, and golden, although part of its surface was caked in a dark reddish brown. Yugi realized what the coating was the second he realized what the object was.
The Millennium Eye. And it was covered in dried blood. And Bakura had it.
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Téa was huddled in a dry blanket, happily sipping hot cocoa. She was curled up on the couch in her aunt and uncle's house; her three younger cousins were gathered in various places around the room. Their eyes were fixed on the television, blaring the movie Spirited Away. She'd already seen it several times, and although she could happily watch it again she was taking advantage of this chance to write home.
Joey and Serenity:
I heard you guys were staying together over the school break, so I decided to write to you together. How are things going back in Domino? Does everybody miss me??
I do miss you, even though I've only been gone two days. It's beautiful up here, though. Cold- but beautiful. My cousins live at the foot of Mount Asfaloth; we've gone sledding once and they started me on skiing lessons. Whatd'ya want to bet I break a leg by the time vacation is over? They kept telling me I didn't do too badly for a beginner, but I think they were just being nice. I made it down the bunny slope okay the first time, but the second time I fell down on my face and got snow up my nose. Real nice, huh? The only thing I'm worried about is spraining something for real. That's never a good thing to happen to a dancer.
I guess you two can relate to my happiness at seeing my family again, for the first time in two years! I forgot how great my aunt and uncle are, and my cousins have grown so much since the last time I saw them. It's amazing; little Aimee has shot up in height. She's almost as tall as I am now!
Well, about time to wrap this letter up, but watch out for your mail!
Love, Téa
PS- Joey, some words of advice. Should you ever decide to travel by airplane, bring your own food on the flight. The food was horrible, which probably wouldn't bother you, but there was a suspicious lack of it as well!
She sighed wistfully and brushed her fingers over the finished letter. She'd already completed a letter to Tristan. That pretty much took care of all the people she'd promised to write to. Of course she had a lot more friends than those three, but none close in 'that' way. 'The way that would entail drawing a big happy face over all their hands', she thought with a giggle. Her other friends, including but not limited to Bakura, Mokuba, Mai, and Duke, were receiving some cute postcards Téa had gotten at the airport. She'd taken the time to scribble personal messages to all of them, because even if they weren't her best friends, they were important to her.
Of course, the one person she was leaving out was Yugi. Or Yugi-and-Yami. For the first time since their relationship had begun, she was at a lack of words for him. He'd been the first person she started writing to, but hadn't gotten farther than the greeting.
Dear Yugi…
She'd stopped there. What about Yami? Should she somehow include him?
Dear Yugi and Yami…
But that wasn't right. She'd taken a second look at the heading. 'Dear Yugi'. He was a dear, she thought. A sweetheart; the kind of guy any girl would marry in an instant. The same went for Yami, although she was a bit more hesitant to call him a sweetheart. Yami was the kind of person that girls dreamed about, imagining being in his arms. Smart, confident, and sexy to Yugi's sweet, innocent, and passionate.
And that was what she had fallen in love with. That merging of their voluptuous personalities.
'I wonder if I would have fallen in love with Yami while he was still Pharaoh,' she thought dreamily. The thought startled her, and she sat up. The blanket slipped off her shoulders. Her younger cousin, sitting on the floor, shot her a look out of the corner of her eye. She maneuvered up onto the couch and tugged on the blanket questioningly. Téa smiled and lifted the edge, allowing Jennifer to slide under with her. As the two girls snuggled and watched the last few minutes of Spirited Away, Téa's thoughts kept returning to that question.
She had once dreamed about Yami as a Pharaoh. He'd been sitting rigidly on his throne, arms clenching the sides of the chair. His crimson eyes watched the man in front of him, talking animatedly and gesturing at a stone tablet, upon which were carved strange-looking hieroglyphics. He barely moved his head when he nodded. He'd been so… stern. Commanding.
Would she have loved him?
He was different now, to be sure. Yugi's influence had changed him.
Her eyes fixed on the television, attention divided, she barely heard herself think until it echoed again in her brain. 'I would probably have loved him more as Pharaoh than Yugi without the Puzzle.'
Her head jerked up, brushing against Jennifer's head. The younger girl didn't change her gaze, but Téa gazed around the room in horror. Where had that thought come from? It wasn't anything she should be thinking about; it wasn't anything she'd have to deal with, she tried to reassure herself.
"Téa? Are you okay?"
Jennifer had pried her eyes away from the TV and twisted her head around, staring into her cousin's big, blue, and worried eyes.
Téa forced a reassuring smile onto her face. "Of course, honey. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Jennifer asked doubtfully, putting a hand on Téa's chest. "Because I could feel your heartbeat through all those layers of clothing you're wearing. It's going a million miles an hour."
She couldn't stop herself; a shiver traveled down her spine and she gave a slight twitch. "I'm okay," she quickly said again. "Just… thought of something."
"All right…" Jennifer said slowly, still staring at her cousin. Téa quickly fixed her attention on the movie, and after a while, Jennifer followed suit.
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"But I didn't take it," Bakura insisted, wiping his nose on his sweater sleeve. "I don't know where it came from!"
Shadi had released his grip on the boy's collar to cross his arms disapprovingly. Yugi glanced wildly from him to Ishizu (who was standing very still, looking troubled) to Marik (who was gazing at Bakura with a curious expression) back to Bakura.
"What's going on?" he demanded. Shadi didn't answer, just glared at Bakura. The white-haired boy cringed under the accusing stare. He shifted his gaze to Ishizu, who remained obstinately silent. Finally he turned to Marik, irritation growing. "What's going on?" he asked again, taking a few steps toward the blonde boy.
Marik shrugged, holding out his hands- and with them the Millennium Rod- freely, showing no signs of guilt. "I don't know," he confessed. "Ishizu has been very secretive about her talks with Shadi." He shot his sister a look, and now Yugi saw guilt in his stare. 'Marik must be worried about saying something Ishizu disapproves of', Yugi reasoned. "She had me stay with Odion whenever he came up. Then this morning, all she told me was to bring the Millennium Rod in this room at about eight-thirty."
"Shadi tracked down the Millennium Eye," Ishizu finally spoke, turning away from Shadi himself. "He traced it to Ryou Bakura."
"He's the thief I sought for so long," Shadi growled. His eyes were still boring holes in Bakura's back.
"Bakura didn't steal anything!" Yugi defended, and the room fell silent. All eyes were now turned toward him, including an extremely grateful pair belonging to Bakura.
"How would you know that?" Shadi asked dangerously. A tinge of suspicion also rested in his voice.
"Because Bakura's my friend!" Yugi said loudly, trying to overcome the oppressive feeling in the room. "I know him! I know he's not a thief!"
Bakura looked like he was about to speak up for himself, but seemed to remember Shadi standing behind him. A shudder wracked his body.
"You didn't steal anything, right, Bakura?" Yugi asked quietly, feeling faintly guilty but wanting to hear the words passing through his friend's own lips. It might help to convince Shadi.
Bakura shook his head vehemently, then parted his lips. "I didn't," he croaked.
"I believe him," Yugi said firmly.
"So do I."
Now everyone's eyes were focused on Marik. Ishizu looked faintly exasperated, but a new light had come into Shadi's gaze. "Speak," he commanded.
"When- when I was- a few months ago," Marik said nervously. "I made a deal with Bakura. But- not Bakura. I made a deal with the Spirit of the Ring. He told me that he wanted all of the Millennium Items. He said something about his 'collection'. I think it was the Spirit that stole the Millennium Eye- not him." He gestured at Bakura. "I don't think you should blame the light for something the dark did."
Yugi glanced at Marik out of the corner of his eye. He was, of course, referring to his own experience. Something his darker half had said once was true; however bad Marik was, his yami was ten times worse.
/But he's gone for good now, right?/
I assure you, Yugi. It is so
Yugi didn't know how Yami was so sure. But he had absolute faith in his other half.
"Well," Ishizu said after a pause. Shadi's face was set; it hadn't wavered all through Marik's speech. "The point is moot. We will drop further discussion."
"Ishizu, you can't-" Shadi began, but she held up a hand.
"That's not why we called Yugi here today," she said quietly. "There are other things that must be discussed."
"What things?" Yugi asked nervously. The knot that had begun to form in his stomach tightened. He suddenly sensed a change in the atmosphere. Bakura, relieved and exhausted, started paying closer attention to his friend; as did Marik, who looked simply curious. Shadi seemed peeved, but ready to focus in on this new topic. Ishizu took a deep breath before speaking.
"The Millennium Items are all gathered in this room. With the seven- Puzzle, Necklace, Ring, Rod, Scale, Eye, and Key- it is possible to unlock new, and far greater powers than any you have seen before."
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Notes: I'm so sorry it took me this long to update. Now, I have some (bad?) news. I'm going to be veeeery slow coming out with the next chapter, because for the moment I'm concentrating on a different fic (and finals, but we won't talk about those…). The (good?) news is that it's also a SetoTéa story, but slightly darker. As soon as I think up a darned name for it, I'll post it.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!