Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Now, it's definitely official.

A/N

My God...I'm on the chapter 18...I honestly hope you don't mind me making so many of them, but I really didn't want to rush this story and all. I like it when things go slow and natural. Ahem, anyway, thank you for the reviews; they really are the encouragement and the inspiration I need to keep writing.

Right - now, let's move on.

The legend of the Three Souls

Chapter XVIII – Reunion

-by Alena S. Anigor

Tea was standing in the middle of the, what she realized were the Ruins of the Doomed. She was still panting heavily, but at least, they managed to reach their destination. Still, she almost stepped on one of the scorpions, crawling near the ruins, but luckily, Bakura warned her on time, and she almost screamed when he suddenly retrieved his knife, raised his hand and threw the sharp blade down. It landed swiftly in the middle of the scorpion's back, swaying slightly. Tea gaped at the sight for a few moments, trying to collect herself from the initial shock.

"You could've...you could've hurt me!" She accused him a minute later on which he only smirked and disappeared behind one solid rock. She was left to stand there alone, looking around and observing the ruins. On the soft moonlight, they almost did look creepy and threatening and Tea hugged herself protectively, an unsettling feeling making her nervous and cautious. When Bakura suddenly emerged from the shadows and touched her shoulder, she jumped and screamed again, making the thief look at her oddly.

"Would you stop doing that!" She yelled at him after she tried to smack him on the head unsuccessfully. He only let out a chuckle then told her to follow him. Tea looked behind him and saw only walls and one narrow looking path. She glanced at him in confusion.

"Where to? I thought we were here," she asked him, after he pulled her by the hand. He led her through that narrow path until they reached a small area that reminded her of a small room. All around them were wrecked walls and solid rocks thrown around, and she couldn't comprehend what was supposed to be here. Her confusion turned into surprise when Bakura stepped forward, bent down and pushed one flat piece of rock aside, revealing a hole in the ground. He stood up and turned around, looking at her smugly.

"There is an underground chamber beneath the old ruin," he explained and stepped aside to stretch his hands and motion for her to step into it. "Ladies first," he added with mock courtesy. 

Tea stared at the dark hole in the ground warily, then crossed her hands and looked at him with a frown. "No way," she retorted grimly, "I'm not going down there."

Bakura's smug expression quickly turned into an annoyed one. "Then you'd rather spend the night outside, with those ogres free to get you?" He asked her, making her grimace at the sheer thought of cloaked creatures, hovering above her and stretching those skeletal hands to get her...

Tea shook her head quickly, and glared at the thief then at the hole for a good minute. "Fine," she said after a moment of consideration, "but you go first."

Bakura sighed in irritation and turned around. "Fine."

In a second, he jumped into the hole and disappeared again. Tea could hear him jump down; it didn't seem like the underground chamber was so deep down below. When she heard him mumbling to get her butt down there already, she sighed then carefully approached the hole, and looked inside. She could only see darkness and nothing else, and started wondering where Bakura went. She almost yelped when she saw a pair of strong hands reaching up for her and grabbing her by the shoulders. Bakura pulled her down, laughing at her childish squeaks while she was yelling at him to put her down.

"Foolish girl," he muttered when she managed to smack him on the head this time angrily. He put her down carefully, and she landed softly on the ground. Although she couldn't see anything she could still feel the coldness around her, making her embrace herself once more around the shoulders. She could hear Bakura fiddle with something not so far away until she heard a cracking sound and then light flickering in front of her. Bakura was holding a box of matches in his hand, lighting the candle that was hanging on the wall of the chamber dully. Now, Tea could have a chance to glance around. The chamber was not very large but it was definitely more spacious than that shed he was holding her in for a while. The air was dry and cool and she could see a few hieroglyphs, embedded in the wall in front of her. She observed them for a while, trying to remember some of them, but none of them seemed familiar to her. But then again, she knew only the basic alphabet and hieroglyphs had many other shapes and meanings she didn't know about. Perhaps, Ishizu could decipher them, she thought then let out a soft sigh. Bakura turned around to look at her and saw that she was staring at the wall with hieroglyphs numbly. He approached her and looked at the ancient markings on the wall, as well.

"I wonder where Ishizu and Yuugi and others are right now," she whispered quietly, making him look at her sternly. "I wish they could come already," she ventured softly then looked at him suddenly, making him stare at her in wonder. The candlelight illuminated her features perfectly, making her look almost magical and serene. Tea stared back at him then flinched suddenly when she felt something crawl over her shoe. She looked down and almost shrieked, seeing a huge rat passing nonchalantly by.

"Rats!" She yelled in panic and quickly jumped behind Bakura, grabbing his hand. The thief stared at her for a moment, then chuckled a few times and in the end started laughing out loud, his laughter echoing through the dim chamber. Tea looked at him as if he just insulted her.

"It's not funny! That thing that was supposed to be a rat could easily be mistaken for a cat, you know!" She yelled angrily and then growled when he continued on laughing. When he finally stopped, he turned around and saw her staring at him with a look that could kill.

"Feh," he snorted, "afraid of the petty rat!" He commented then turned back to look at the gap in the wall where the said rat disappeared in. Tea crossed her hands irately, glaring at the other wall instead. Jokes aside, Bakura got serious now; glancing at few stony stairs that led to the hole they jumped through. He dragged the flat looking rock back but left a little gap to be able to hear when someone approached the ruins.

He remembered the man with a turban suddenly and quite unexpectedly and turned to Tea again, curious. When he managed to catch him with such strength that made his bones crack, he could only stare heatedly at him and wait to see what happened to him. Then, he was dragged to the hall of the museum and presented like some kind of object for everyone to see. The man with a turban said something about him being some kind of soul...what was that supposed to mean?

"The souls," he said abruptly, making Tea glance at him curiously, "what is this whole thing about? Who are those damn creatures and what do they want?" He asked her, his face now serious, eyes sharp and narrowed in concentration. Tea stared back at him for a few seconds; not understanding herself what was really going on. She remembered Shadi saying something to all of them back in the museum, something about the souls and the legend and...

"The legend of the Three Souls," she breathed, her mind practically screaming the name at her. Bakura, however, was still puzzled and unsatisfied with the answer.

"What?" He asked her, dark orbs glistening with confusion. Tea redirected her eyes to the hieroglyphs involuntarily, cerulean orbs flickering with sudden comprehension. The legend of the Three Souls; the mysterious legend only a few heard about, and the busts...and Ishizu's discovery, and...Tea's eyes widened; it all fell into place now, pieces of puzzle finally managed to rejoin again. But, and there she looked at Bakura in wonder, what had it all to do with Bakura, and Yuugi and all of them in particular?

"I..." she started, looking at him helplessly, "I'm really not sure..."

Ishizu, together with Yuugi and Tristan was already halfway down the sandy path when she heard someone calling for them. Yuugi was the first who turned around and spotted Joey, waving at them and calling after them.

"It's Joey!" Tristan yelled, surprised. Ishizu turned around quickly and stared at the little group of people that was running towards them. She could see Joey tagging Mai behind him, and his sister, together with Seto Kaiba. Her lips curled into a wide smile, and she resisted the urge to start running towards them. She felt such joy for seeing them again that she wanted to scream. She clasped her hands in front of her instead, thanking Allah for brining them safely back. She was even happy to see Seto Kaiba.

When Joey let Mai to walk on her own, he started running more faster and reached Tristan and Yuugi first, enveloping them in a bear hug.

"I never thought I'd see you all again!" He let out, making the two boys blink at him in surprise. Ishizu laughed quietly, and then hugged him as well. Mai and Serenity exchanged hugs with them all, too. Seto Kaiba stood indifferently by their side. When Yuugi turned around to hug the next person, he halted, a pair of two, blazing blue eyes greeting him. Yuugi sweatdropped, already forgetting about Kaiba's reputation to remain a solid rock. But, he still outstretched his hand forward and smiled at the CEO. Kaiba stared at his hand for a while, then without a word, shook hands with him.

"We managed to avoid those monsters somehow, thank God," Mai said exasperatedly to Ishizu who nodded and listened carefully.

"Yeah, then we saw the three of you in the distance but we weren't sure at first," Serenity added happily, looking at them and smiling softly.

"But when we saw Yuugi's pointy hair, there was no doubt!" Joey finished enthusiastically which made the spiky-haired boy blush and everyone else laugh, except Kaiba of course, who was still standing stoically by the side, waiting patiently for them to stop with useless chitchat. He reminded them of that a few moments later, grimly stating that they have a place to go to. Ishizu opened her mouth in surprise, completely forgetting about the ruins.

"He is right," she agreed, turning around to look at the glistening sand, "we have to keep moving." Everyone else agreed as well, although Mai had some complaints; she wanted to take a rest for a few minutes. Joey smiled at her and offered his hand again. Although he looked tired and exhausted, he still offered his help to her, and she stared at him briefly, speechless. She blushed when he took her by the hand and headed forward after Yuugi and Tristan. Mai reminded herself to thank him later, when all was over. The boy definitely deserved it.

"Are you coming, Mr. Kaiba?" Serenity asked the taller young man and he glanced at her calmly before nodding curtly.

"By the way, Tristan," Joey asked, confused and perplexed, pointing at his robes, "What happened to you while we were gone?" He added, staring in wonder at the lump beneath his robes. Yuugi and Ishizu snickered quietly, knowing very well what was beneath it. Tristan didn't think it was funny, though and quickly retrieved the bust out of his robes to show it to him.

"This!" He snapped, a faint blush grazing his cheeks. Serenity and Mai giggled at the sight before Ishizu informed them that they were very close now. Everyone silenced down, looking at the outlines of the ancient ruins ahead, visible as dark and mysterious silhouettes in the night.

"I hope Tea is all right," was the only thing that Yuugi said while they were approaching the Ruins of the Doomed.

"But then again..." Tea was mumbling, her index finger on her chin, as she was walking around the chamber, making Bakura even more confused than he already was. "No, no, no, that couldn't be...or could it?" She looked up from the floor and at Bakura who arched his eyebrows at her quizzically.

"You're asking me?" He replied gruffly, already sick and tired of her tirades about various theories concerning the legend. It all sounded like useless jabbering to him, anyway. Tea sighed heavily, wanting so desperately to sit down but she could only either sit on the cold ground or keep walking around in circles. The latter was starting to make her dizzy, so she decided to join Bakura who was sitting on one of the stairs. She plopped down, exhausted, tired and with her stomach making numerous embarrassing growls and howls.

"I'm hungry," she said finally and looked at Bakura expectedly. He only snorted and looked away.

"You better get used to that," he replied somewhat coldly, "because I for example, haven't had a decent meal since I live here on the streets."

Tea's eyes saddened and she suddenly felt guilty for being hungry. She looked down and stared at her own shoes; barely visible from all the dust and sand they collected on the way. "How did you...I mean, when did you become a..." she stopped suddenly when she looked up again and saw the dangerous look in his narrowed eyes. Her eyes widened a bit, and she quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I-"

"A thief?" He finished her line quietly and looked at the wall on his right. Tea stopped babbling and lowered her head in chagrin. Bakura took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. It was quite odd to talk about his past with a girl he barely knew, but...in some twisted way, he felt as if she could understand him, as if she was as lonely and lost as he was deep down under.

"Since I was a child, I was forced to steal in order to survive," he started and Tea slowly raised her head to look at him. "I don't know who my parents were and I don't care...I grew up on the streets and they've become my home. I was alone, but I survived on my own..." He added almost solemnly then turned to look at her, his expression now changing into a curious one. "And you, Tea?"

Tea shifted uneasily and reverted her eyes from him. What was there to say? That she also lived all by herself, surviving by working as a secretary at a local company, that her parents deceased when she was sixteen years old and the only people she considered to be her siblings were Mai and Yuugi...

"I...Well, there's nothing much to say about me, really," she started and earned a snort from the thief who looked at her almost angrily and leaned in closer. Her breath got caught in her throat and she backed away a bit, but only to bump against the solid wall.

Bakura was leaning towards her until she couldn't move anymore and their noses were almost touching. He stared in her eyes intently, dark orbs mirroring in the cerulean ones. He opened his mouth and she was caught in his eyes, helpless.

"You're lying," he said in a low voice and she gasped softly. He frowned slightly, his eyes still glued to hers. "No matter what you say I can still see in your soul," he said again, making her almost squirm under his intent gaze, "because it's all in your eyes, girl, they reveal everything."

With that, he craned his neck a bit to kiss her but stopped abruptly when he heard voices coming from the near distance. Tea heard them as well and sent him one, frightened look. He quickly stood up, and blew at the candle, leaving only faint smoke behind. Tea backed away from the stairs and from the small gap in the rock above them to bump into him. He put his hand around her waist, the other one already holding the handle of the knife in his robes.

When Tea heard one faint "Shut up Joey!" she gasped and turned around to send Bakura one, happy look.

"It's them!" She exclaimed excitedly. Bakura narrowed his eyes, the voice familiar to him, as well but he was still reluctant to get out so quickly. When voices became more audible, Tea recognized Yuugi and Mai's voices and turned to Bakura again.

"Come on," she insisted, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, "it's them, Bakura! My friends are here!"

Bakura let her out of his grasp, quite unwillingly and helped her to move the rock above their heads. Tea hopped out as quickly as she could, running down the narrow path and then turned right to see the beginning of the ruins. The voices were there, right behind the corner and she let out a joyous laugh, turning behind the corner.

Ishizu screamed when Tea suddenly jumped out of nowhere in front of her, alarming everyone behind her who stopped hastily and got ready to fight with everything they possessed. When they saw Tea, hugging Ishizu tightly, they blinked, perplexed for a brief moment. When Mai recovered first from the shock, she forgot all about the pain and hurled at the two women to hug them as well.

"Tea!"

"Mai!"

Ishizu was stuck between them, smiling uneasily and sweatdropping while the others gawked at them. Finally, Yuugi approached them and hugged his childhood friend, as well. When Bakura suddenly appeared behind them, giving him a warning look, he quickly let go of her.

"Are you okay?"

"Nothing happened to you, guys?"

"Is anybody hurt?"

Questions were bombed among the girls, the boys watching them from aside. Tristan and Joey approached Yuugi and Bakura, Joey giving the thief a dirty look. Bakura glared at him for a few moments until Yuugi stepped between them, just in case.

Kaiba was standing nonchalantly by the side, but his head started to ache again. The white haired thief was the main cause for the rising headache, and he had to turn away quickly to avoid the explosion in his head. The explosion of images still happened and he clutched the bridge of his nose tightly, slightly bent. Visions of the white haired man swirled in front of him: the two of them standing in the middle of some kind of temple, praying while Yuugi was approaching them; an image of Bakura in the battle, wielding a sword to slash a hideous creature then a vision of the three of them again, on their knees with their hands raised, speaking in, to him, completely unfamiliar language.

"Mr. Kaiba!" Someone yelled worriedly and Kaiba opened his eyes to look at the worried expression of Serenity Wheeler. "Are you all right?"

Others stared at him oddly, Ishizu explaining to Tea something about visions Shadi told him he was having. Kaiba realized he was on his knees again, the fabric of his pants covered with sand. Why was he the only one who was experiencing those blasted visions? Slowly, he got up, still massaging his temples and trying to make the pain go away. Serenity offered him her hand but he refused to take it. He got up by himself, too angered by having to see all those images again. How come Yuugi didn't have to endure the almost excruciating pain and have his head swarmed suddenly with flashes of light and visions of his, so called previous life?

He looked at Bakura almost accusingly, on which the thief frowned in return.

"What's his problem?" He asked Ishizu who wanted to explain it to him when a soft breeze tousled everyone's hair suddenly, making everyone look around quickly. The previous encounters with such breezes brought only cloaked creatures to them, so they had every right to be apprehensive and agitated. They failed to notice that the breeze, compared to the one followed by the monsters, was warm and pleasant. Bakura stood behind Tea immediately, Joey grabbed his sister by the hand involuntarily while Yuugi, Tristan and Joey quickly stood in front of Ishizu and Mai, ready to act if necessary. Seto Kaiba glared at the sand in front of him, cursing the visions, the bust, the creatures and whole Egypt inwardly for making his life a living hell.

Silence followed after the breeze and nobody dared to make a move or a sound. A few moments passed in utter stillness until one voice startled everyone, coming from the ruins.

"Nice evening, isn't it?"

They all jumped and quickly turned around to see a figure, sitting coolly on top of the ruin's wall, right behind them. What startled them even more was the familiarity of the figure and they all yelled in perfect unison after they realized who the figure was.

"Shadi?!"