Tea pushed her way through the crush of people, trying in vain to find her companion. The shifting currents of happy museum goers had separated the pair
within three minutes of entering the exhibit. She withdrew gratefully into a small alcove, catching her breath while still keeping an eye out for the spirit. Suddenly, a huge, black-suited figure emerged from the crowd and loomed over Tea. "Please come with me, Miss Gardner." said the man. With that, he grabbed her arm and steered her out of the wing, the crowd hastily parting before his bulk. Hardly able to resist, Tea trotted to keep up with the man's large strides. Soon they reached a door marked "Museum Personnel Only". Tea's escort produced a small keycard and pulled her through the door with him. She was ushered into a small but well-furnished room and instructed to wait. Moments later, Yugi's doppelganger was also pushed into the room. Tea almost felt sorry for his guide; the look the dark one was giving him would have frightened even the most stout of heart.
The door closed with an audible click and left the spirit and Tea alone in the room. He quickly crossed the space and asked, "Are you all right?" She nodded, frowning. "Do you know why those Neanderthals brought us here?" He shook his spiky head and seated himself on the tasteful couch upholstered in black leather. Tea flopped down next to the phantom and stared broodingly at the walls. "I wish whoever's behind this would hurry up." she complained. Just as the words left her mouth, the door quietly opened.
The doorway framed a striking young woman, almost tiny in comparison to the hulking bodyguards that flanked her. She moved into the room, shutting the door behind her. She held up her hand to forestall any questions, saying, "I'm sorry if my men alarmed you, but there was no other way to bring you here. I am Ishizu Ishtar, the curator of this exhibit. I believe I have information that will be of great interest to the both of you." Tea glanced up at the spirit who had automatically risen to his feet. He, still looking warily at Ishizu, asked, "How did you know we would be here today?" The woman shook her head, saying, "All of your questions will be answered in time. Come with me please."
Tea flushed the toilet and leaned against the cool metal of the stall. She grimaced, still tasting vomit, and moved to rinse out her mouth. The girl stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, torn between feeling joy and overwhelming shock regarding her epiphany.
~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~
Ishizu lead Tea and the spirit through a maze of corridors and stairwells, going progressively lower each time. Finally, they reached the fourth sub floor and she entered a lengthy code into a forbidding-looking lock. A large door, obviously designed to be fireproof as well as tamperproof, swung open and the three entered the new area. A series of what appeared to be stone panels covered nearly all of the wall space, but Tea could not discern what was on them. With the flick of a switch, Ishizu illuminated the carvings and invited her guests to examine them. Tea stared keenly at the panel closest to her and was astonished at what she saw. "But those are duel monsters!" she thought. Indeed, behind her Ishizu launched into an explanation of how Ancient Egyptians had harnessed the power of the real monsters, launching the world into an immense war. But her astonishment was nothing compared to the spirit's. For the woman had just named the great pharaoh who had sealed the evil away five thousand years ago.
Tea watched as the ruby-eyed boy sagged against the wall, his eyes locked on one particular corner of a panel. As she shifted her gaze to the area, Tea felt the blood drain from her face. Inscribed on the stone was a perfect image of the young man opposite her. Affirming what they all knew, Ishizu said, "You are Yami. Destiny has brought you to this time and place to defeat the evil once again." Yami managed to look Ishizu in the eye and ask in a hoarse voice, "How do you know this?" In response, she brought a graceful hand up to her throat to caress a golden necklace inscribed with the same symbol that decorated the Millennium puzzle. "My Millennium necklace allows me to see both the past and the present. That is how I also knew that you would come. It has the same origins as your puzzle, I believe." Tea could only watch, mesmerized, as Ishizu narrated the images of Yami's past that her necklace revealed. The three watched as the pharaoh's supporter's were struck down, and then finally as Yami himself was forced to battle. As the haze over his memory burned off, comprehension dawned on his face. Abruptly, after watching the pharaoh being sealed in the puzzle, Tea's mind was reunited with her body in the underground vault. She immediately looked to Yami. His head was cocked slightly and he was staring into the distance. Tea realized that he was having a conversation with Yugi. After a minute or two, his startling eyes locked on her blue ones and he gave her a look she could not interpret.
Now more than ever, Yami felt a powerful pull towards Tea. He could feel that there was an explanation, but that part of his mind was still closed to him. Ishizu regarded both of them carefully. "I wasn't sure if I should reveal the rest of your past to you, but it appears it would do more harm than good to hide it." She turned to the girl, saying, "You too have a tie to Ancient Egypt, Tea. But I cannot simply show you as I could Yami. That is only possible through the connection of our Millennium items. I can only prompt your memory. The rest you will have to discover on your own." With that, Tea's mind was bombarded with a montage of images. She felt something rise within her, a part of her soul that had lain dormant for scores of centuries. As quickly as they had begun, the memories stopped, leaving Tea with only fragments of her past and a queasy feeling. She could only vaguely hear Ishizu telling her that it would take a few days for her mind to completely recall the memories. Tea nodded numbly and suddenly bolted for the bathroom.
~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~
So it was that Tea came to be in a small, dingy bathroom four stories underground struggling not to vomit again. She managed to win the battle as another group of recollections fitted themselves into the incomplete jigsaw puzzle of her memory. This meshing of her past and present selves was not going to be easy. With the sick sense of deja vu subsiding, Tea could actually focus on the scenes themselves. Warmth swelled within her as she watched Yami and herself on their wedding day. She was still confused, but things were beginning to become clearer.
Yami ran swiftly through the halls, his mind still processing the rest of what Ishizu had shown him. He could hear Yugi's extraneous cry of protest as he opened the door of the ladies' room. Curled up next to the sink, as he expected, was Tea. Her head was tilted back, her eyes closed. She suddenly fixed her gaze on him, and they both smiled a smile of wordless, blissful understanding.