Glass Tears of the Chosen

Disclaimer: If you want it, go to the First Chapter and seek it

A/N: I know I have a lot of explaining to do. Let me start out by saying that I'm very thankful for those of you who have stuck true to this story during the past months I have neglected to update it…for that I owe all of you a very LARGE thank you.

Now let me continue by explaining my actions. I had given up on this story, plain and truthful because I have not seen a Yu-Gi-Oh episode in nearly a year. Well…I saw one last Saturday and with renewed hope and vigor I typed this chapter for you. Let me also say our computer crashed and we lost everything on it, everything. sighs so, all my stories were gone. Thankfully this story I had been smart enough to save on a disk. But I went into a depressive state where I didn't write very much of anything, thus I didn't bother to look at this story.

Just recently, I went back to and re-read my chapters, re-read my reviews and realized that even though I had given up on this story, my reviewers hadn't. So, even though I know some of them wish to kill me right now for my long absence, I say this: Thank you for being patient and not losing interest in GTOTC as I had. You truly have more faith in my writing than I do…

Which is why, before I give my personal thanks to my recent reviewers, I say this. I do not think I will continue this story. I love it very much, but I think in this one chapter I've given it much depth that new readers might not like. So…I will leave it up to my readers to tell me whether it should be continued or not. Now…on to my thanks.

miikochan: Thank you so much for your support. I hate that I made you cry from my long absence with this story, but I hope to have made it up with this chapter. I count you as one of my better reviewers, and only to beg your forgiveness if I have angered you by not updating in so long. I only hope to see your name again as you review this chapter.

Red Knight3: blinks wow…what a nice compliment. I don't think I've ever had a fellow writer say something so kind to me. You have my utmost thanks for it, and I will try to live up to your expectations for my writing in the near future . Thank you very much; you made my day with that single comment.

yugi-star: I hope this chapter will make up for my lack of updating. I can only think that this will cast even more interest for you. Hope you enjoy! And thanks for reviewing.

Umiko Morimoto: Well, read and see!! This chapter should shed some light upon Téa's power for you, but if you can't understand it feel free to e-mail me and I will gladly explain. Thank you for reviewing, I hope this chapter will entertain you!!

angelus2040: Hm…I'm actually passing fond of other pairings that involve Téa, but I have seen a diminish of Yami/Téa/Yugi and I wanted to try my hand at it. I would also like to express my utmost apologies that it has taking me so long to update, but my reasons were explained above. Also, thank you so much for reviewing!

un named: Hopefully this chapter will have given you more than you expected. I've been doing my best at trying to deepen the plots and I thought this chapter would be perfect to deal my hand in. I'm glad you like the Yugi and Téa fics; I hope you will continue to read and enjoy mine! Thank you so much!

ShiningFriendshipII: Oh my, you really did add me to your favorites list!!! Oh thank you!! hugs I think there is no better praise to a writer than to find that she or he has been added to a favorites list by their fellow writers. Your praise is highly noted and I thank you very much for it, and your devotion to the story. I shall take your review into consideration on continuing my story.

Lemur/Da Lemur: Lemur, you had better read my story soon!!! You left those random reviews in HEALTH CLASS after we finished our assignments, now I want a REAL REVIEW FROM YOU!!!! glowers and chicken is better than chocolate chip muffins!! AND DUO/HEERO AND TROWA/QUATRE DO NOT NEED TO DANCE!!!! Get off that already!!

Anime-AngelWings: Oh wow… blushes faintly thank you so much for your review. I had nearly given up on getting anymore reviewers, but I saw yours and felt my heart leap that there are still some people left who enjoy my writing. My reason behind not updating is explained above, and you have my deepest apologies for it. Also, your review shall be considered when I make my decision on continuing this story. Thank you so much for the review!

Random Person: Let me tell you right now that you're the ENTIRE reason I decided to finally update this chapter. Even if you never check out my story again, I want all my other reviewers to know this review was the one that finally brought me out of my reverie and pushed me to finally continue the little bit I had of this chapter. My deepest thanks goes to you, I only wish I could know a name or something better than "Random Person" to thank!

Dedication: And finally, this is the first time I have ever really dedicated a chapter to anyone. So, my dedication goes to miikochan and Random Person. Miikochan had reviewed my story multiple times begging for an update to the point where I probably made her cry for the long wait. So miikochan this chapter is dedicated to you, thank you so much for your loyalty!! And Random Person, this chapter is also dedicated to you for your review that finally spurred me on to give the finishing touches of this chapter. Thank you both so much!!!

To my other reviewers, I am so grateful of you for keeping true to this story. I only hope you will wish for me to continue it, for I am so unsure about it. My eternal gratitude to every single one of you!

Now those who are impatient, I'm sure you're ready for this chapter, so please enjoy it!!! And don't forget a simple review, that's all I wish for! Enjoy!

Lillia

.................................................

"Happy Birthday Téa!!"

The newly turned fifteen-year-old blinked at her friends as they broke out into a badly tuned Happy Birthday song. Yugi smiled at her, motioning her over to the table where her birthday cake sat with fifteen neatly burning candles stuck into its soft surface.

"This is the surprise I had to show you Téa," he replied softly.

Téa shook her head, unable to reply as she rubbed at her eyes. "T-thanks guys..."

Ryou smiled happily, standing beside Joey who was looming over the cake with hungry eyes, fingers itching to take a chunk out of it. Tristen rolled his eyes skyward and grabbed the blonde's collar, dragging him back.

"Easy boy, don't want you drooling on it before some of us have had a piece," he grinned.

Joey glowered at his friend. "What was dat?!"

Ryou sighed. "Oh don't start you two, this is supposed to be Téa's special day, please don't ruin it…"

They both glanced away with guilty expressions on their faces, but Téa merely smiled as she toyed with a lock of her dark auburn hair. Two years ago, she had chopped off her lovely waist-length hair in favor for shoulder-length, telling her stunned best friend Ryou that it would now be easier to care for. She had neglected to inform him and his stubborn Yami that the Shadow Master had been in favor of her beauty and she had wanted to ruin it as much as possible. True to Bakura's word, when Ryou had taken Téa home that next morning, her mother was gone.

It wasn't long before the billing companies realized there was no one old enough to pay the debts Téa's mother owed, all their money having gone to Lisa's expensive drinks and bottles of wine. Luckily, Ryou's father had come home from Egypt that month for a visit and was willingly contracted by social services, which had been brought in for Téa's defense, and adopted the young girl into his home. Téa's old home was seized by the bank, and all the possessions she didn't take to her new home were sold in payment to the large amount of debts.

She had no idea how she had come to befriend Yugi, Tristen, and Joey. They found out about her situation and were suddenly around for her, especially Yugi, becoming her friends and watching out for her. Imagine her surprise when she realized Yugi had a spirit similar to Ryou's living inside him as well. Yami, whom she had met only a year prior to her birthday, had indeed become her secret confident. Her friends had become a comfort she looked forward to every day now; to finally have friends and not live her life in constant fear of the next beating she would receive from her mother. But in the deeper parts of her mind, Téa felt the darkness she had been harboring, the very shadows that gripped her heart and the fear of her next meeting with the Shadow Master.

"Téa?" It was Yugi's soft voice that brought her back from her thoughts.

She blinked and looked up at him, fingers curling around her lock of hair. "I'm sorry Yugi, I must have been zoning, what were you saying?"

He looked shyly at her as he held out a small blue box neatly wrapped with an emerald green ribbon tied into a pretty bow. Her friends had gone quiet behind him, sharing grins with each other as they watched her take the gift and gently unwrap it. Inside was a bounty of white tissue paper and pulling from its depths came a small glass figurine of a ballerina, her graceful body stretched into a perfect arch.

Téa gasped, eyes widening in pleasant surprise and shock as her gaze flickered from the present to Yugi. "I…" she seemed at a loss for words, before she carefully set it down and threw her arms about Yugi's neck.

He blinked, before a heated blush spread across his cheeks and he awkwardly patted her back. "So I take it…you liked it?"

She pulled back from him and nodded. "It's beautiful! Oh Yugi, thank you so much…"

He smiled nervously. "It was my pleasure Téa…oh, I almost forgot!"

He handed her a fresh white rose twined with blue ribbon. "From Yami…"

Her hands trembled as she took it and smiled, playing with the ribbon. "Tell him thank you…"

Joey and Tristen bounded up, both grinning and shoved their present into her lap. She blinked and glanced up at then with suspicion written clearly across her face.

"It's not going to explode and spew silly string all over my lap like last year, right?" she asked darkly.

Joey grinned. "Jus' open it!"

Tristen nodded, equally eager. "C'mon, we promise it won't explode."

She glowered for a few minutes, before tearing into the carefully wrapped paper on the large box, producing a small basket filled with a royal blue blanket, a milk bottle, a ball of yarn and some other questioning toys, as well as a collar with a little bell on it. Téa blinked and looked up at them both.

"Are you two trying to tell me something?" she held up the collar, the bell chiming as she dangled it.

Tristen and Joey made a dramatic show of moving aside and Ryou came forward. In his hands was a small mewling kitten, barely a week old, which moved blindly towards the sharp intake of Téa's breath.

"Oh g-guys…" tears brimmed her eyes as she blinked frantically to keep them at bay.

Ryou gently laid the kitten into her hands, watching as she cuddled the kitten to her chest, where it promptly fell asleep. A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked up at them, her friends, and felt a deep ache form in her heart. This was what she had always wanted…a life with people she loved. Her best friend busied himself in getting the basket ready for the kitten and she laid its sleeping form amidst the blankets, before standing and gathering her four friends into a hug, which they promptly returned with "Happy Birthday Téa's" and "We love you's."

Afterwards she cut her cake, sharing it with the boys, giving Joey a bigger chunk than the others knowing his love for the sweet foods. She had received other gifts as well from Ryou's grandparents, now called her own, who had given her a lovely painting of the Swan Lake in ballet format and much-needed clothing. From Ryou's father, who she proudly called her own, she had been gifted with a golden medallion from one of his digs, the shiny surface engraved with the Eye of Ra and on the back was an elegant sun carved with many spiraling rays. A gift she would wear and cherish from her "father". He had also sent her a beautifully crafted case of glass with many symbols upon its surface to encase her dueling deck.

All too soon, Joey and Tristen were taking their leave, Joey's shift at the Turtle Game Shop was beginning in a few minutes and Tristen had to work the rest of the day at Domino's Bread Bakery. Téa thanked them, hugging them apiece and sending another slice of cake home with both of them. After they left, she began to clean up with the help of Ryou and Yugi and a comfortable silence descended between them. Ryou suddenly looked at his watch.

"Look at the time, I need to go…read something academic," he proclaimed, winking at Yugi and padding quietly upstairs, taking the kitten and most of Téa's gifts with him to deliver to her room.

She blinked and watched him go, and then turned to Yugi. "What was that about?"

"Welll…" he looked down at his feet and shifted nervously, before holding up two tickets, looking up at her from beneath his golden bangs, "these…are for tonight. Yami…thought you would like to see the Russian Ballet…"

He never got to finish his sentence as Téa practically squeezed the air out of his lungs in her excitement to hug him. "Oh Yugi, really?!"

Yugi nodded, glad she finally moved and a heavy red stain coated his cheeks. "Uh-huh…this is our special present to you Téa, mine and Yami's."

She felt a thrill race through her veins, and smiled at him. "What time?"

"Uhm, we'll come pick you up at seven tonight, does that sound all right?"

"Perfect!"

....................................................

Ryou watched Téa practically dance around her bedroom from his position on her bed. The guest room that had been situated across from his bedroom had been given to her, and she had taken full advantage of its white walls to add her own personal touches to it. Where his was a theme of outer space, Téa's was a dancer's dream. His father had hired the best painters available to coat the walls in soft pinks and purples, vibrant colors that went along with the graceful dancers in flowing costumes painted on various points around the room. Her ceiling was a remake of the Russian Ballet she was to see tonight.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" he questioned.

She nodded, collapsing beside him, her eyes roaming to the basket near her desk where her sleeping kitten lay. "The Russian Ballet…can you believe it?!"

He smiled impishly. "I'm sure you will have a great time…"

A voice answered from the doorway. "A waste of time if you ask me…"

Both teens looked up to see Bakura, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and his crimson gazed narrowed to the floor. Ryou blinked, hand groping over his shirt to feel the solid metal of the Millennium Ring.

"I didn't feel you exit the Ring," he murmured.

Bakura sneered. "I didn't want you too."

Téa shook her head. "What did you mean a waste of time, Bakura?"

He glowered at her, picking out the distinct dark aura that had dimmed around her form with the passing of the two years. "Why would you pay money to sit there for hours on end to watch people twirl and flaunt themselves in costumes?"

She blinked. "Because you see how much practice and perfection they have put into those 'twirls' as you call them. It's an art form, dancing, and a prized one still considered to be one of the oldest fashions still in style from thousands of years ago…"

Bakura snorted. "It's a waste of time," he repeated.

Her brows knitted in confusion, but she shook it off. "I won't let your depressing attitude ruin my birthday."

Ryou smiled nervously as his gaze flickered between the two, similar to what Téa had done between Joey and Tristen when they had dumped their present in her lap. Bakura raised both brows and then bared his teeth in what resembled a smile, giving a sweeping bow.

"Well, happy birthday then." And with that, he disappeared back into the Ring.

Ryou and Téa exchanged bewildered glances, before Ryou's fingers closed about the warmed metal of the Ring. "I wonder…what's gotten into him…"

..................................................................

Deep in the Realm of Shadow he laid in wait, watching her through the eyes of his human servants. Two years he had watched her put the scattered pieces of her life back together, watched the power he had lain within her prosper in secret. She would only now begin to feel the flickers of darkness gnaw upon the edges of her heart and mind. He smirked and ran a hand across the finely made mirror that linked him to his human and shadow servants, watching her talk with her best friend, Ryou. Oh yes, the Master of the Shadow Realm knew of the Millennium Items and their sacred power…it had been the Pharaoh's own grandfather that had enslaved him in the Shadow Realm, binding him with Eternal Chains to a black throne to rule over the Dark World and not trouble the other.

But he had escaped and prospered among the Darkness, gaining many followers, converting them to Shadow and turning them into faithful servants. He managed to sway many before he ran afoul the grandson of the old Pharaoh and was once again chained to his throne. Only recently had he been released by the woman Lisa Gardner, who had stumbled upon him in her dreams. The Shadow Master had reveled in the darkness that consumed her soul, using it to his whims for he needed a child, but he found an obstacle in his way. Téa.

He wanted to kill her at first, pitting Lisa against her own loving daughter for years, until only two years ago he had discovered Téa somehow had inherited his own powers. Even now the Shadows protected her from the deepest depths of the Darkness, a blessing and a curse. He had named her his Heiress to the Shadows and laid the Kiss of Power upon her brow. Now she would prosper in Darkness and Light, for neither could live truly without the other and her power was beginning to flicker anew. She had impressed him greatly by the simple ease she fell in with her friends, smiling and laughing as if a terrible weight didn't press down upon her shoulders.

But she knew. She would always be reminded of that weight every time she looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her darkening blue eyes. Soon the Kiss of Power would shift into the Seal of Shadow and it would present itself to all and she would finally be his. But the waiting was angering him. It had been a slow and torturous process to wait for the power to take root in the darkest regions of her soul and only begin to spread and work its way through her veins. A slow smirk curved his lips, baring an ivory fang, as he watched her laugh.

It wasn't just her he needed…he needed the Millennium Items to complete the process of his plan. Not only would he lay the entire Shadow Realm at Téa's feet, but with it a power unimaginable once the items were gathered together and bound by Shadow. He would give her the world…

His musings were interrupted by a quiet monotone behind him. "My Lord…"

The Shadow Master turned to face Lisa, her royal blue eyes were blank and devoid of any thought or human emotion. "What is it?"

"The Portal is ready…"

He nodded and brushed past her, making his way from his room. Her footsteps fell in behind him as they walked silently down the narrow halls. Many Shadows hissed and laughed as they past and human servants scurried to and fro with blanked expressions. The Portal was a set of large doorways carved from obsidian gem and engraved with many symbols inlaid with golden liquid. What set it apart from the other doors was the black flame that consumed the doorway, lazily floating on a non-existent breeze. He passed through the black flame unharmed and the doors opened slowly before him. Lisa stayed out of the flame's reach, hands tucked behind her back.

Entering the room, torches flared to life, casting strange light off the obsidian walls. The doors groaned closed behind him and in the center was a swirling vortex of Shadow. The Portal would transport him to the human world once more and there he would seek out Téa. He smirked and paused before it, staring into its misted depths. An image rose unbidden into his mind of Téa in a long robe of black with flowing sleeves, the Seal of Shadow flaring upon her forehead as she laughed and destroyed her friends.

He raised his eyes towards the ceiling. "What a message the Gods have sent me…"

And with that he stepped through the Portal.

...................................................................

TBC…Don't forget to review please! Now that I've written this chapter I'm extremely…unsure…of continuing this story. You're feedback would be appreciated in helping me determine the status of GTOTC…