Author's Notes:

Hey there minna-san! I'm making pretty good progress with my stories, and distributing my time nicely between my Pern club and my anime fanfiction! As you all know, most of my fics are centered around Yugi/Tea (Yuugi/Anzu) romances and Sesshoumaru/Rin romances, of course. I hope to get started on some Sesshoumaru/Rin fics soon, as I have some interesting plot ideas running around in my head. And, of course, I'll publish chapters whether you review or not, but your input not only makes those chapters appear faster, it also gives me ideas and pointers for more fics! Reviews, of course, are always much appreciated! Arigato gozaimasu to all the people who sent me reviews! Keep 'em coming!

'italics' -signifies thoughts
(...) -signifies Yami Yugi speaking to Yugi
:...: -signifies Yugi speaking to Yami Yugi

-Sorry that I had to change the way that Yami and Yugi communicate with each other, but the brackets I had used previously, the square brackets and set brackets, suddenly don't seem to want to work anymore...if anyone knows how to fix this or if they're just not usable anymore, please let me know, as I would prefer to keep a consistent method. Personally, I liked using the other brackets, so if anyone has the answer to my question it'd be great if I could get a response.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its subsequent plots and characters. All of these wonderful things belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

Here's translations of the Japanese I use in my fics:
Iie- no

Nani? -What?
Aa,Un -Yes,yeah (first is men only, second women only)
Udon - soup, usually with seaweed, vegetables, seafood, meat, or any combination thereof
Ne – equivalent of 'no?' meaning, "Don't you agree?" or "Don't you think?"

Oe - hey
Urusai -shut up
Minna-san -everyone
Arigato gozaimasu -thank you very much

Karasuhebi -black snake

Enjoy!

-Pharaohess Yami Anzu

Imagine My Heart Was Yours

Chapter 3-Deeper Meanings

It was dusk when Jade and Yugi arrived, the sun outside settling down in a bed of dusky blue and misty orange amid flashes of magenta in the evening sky. Yami had thought it best to allow Yugi control as they approached the lit, welcoming house.

Yugi couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt as Jade let out a small sigh as she fumbled for her keys. Jade glanced over, instantly repentant, and awarded the slightly shorter boy with a friendly pat on the back. "It's alright. It's just been a long day."

Yugi gave a sigh of his own. "I know what you mean, believe me. I guess all the noise and people inside means we're all spending the night again, ne?" he said.

Jade nodded. "Un…I want to make sure no one else gets sick…Téa's already fallen ill from that nasty flu going around the high schools."

Yugi and Yami were alert instantly. "Téa…she's sick? Is she alright? Can I see her? Is it okay? Did she take any medicine? How bad is the flu? Is there anything I can do?" At Yami's gentle admonition, Yugi remembered his manners and clapped his hands over his mouth, a blush making itself apparent on his smooth features.

Jade smiled knowingly, her grin almost wicked as she turned the keys in their locks. "I think," she said, deliberately teasing, "that she will be much happier and feel much better when she sees you. In fact, I'll have you come with me to take some tea up to her, deal?" With a smile for Yugi's eager nod, Jade pushed open the heavy door, her eyes widening as the volume coming from within her home increased exponentially.

And indeed, the scene that met their eyes was almost too bizarre to describe. Robert, Mokuba, and their good friend Ross were all sitting cross-legged on the floor, yelling and howling an assortment of ragged cheers at the television screen as Robert pounded the living daylights out of his game controller, Susan was tangled up in PS2 controller cords and jabbing the buttons furiously as her character fought with Robert's for dominance. Rasma was smothering Kaiba with kisses, squealing as her ever-tightening hug threatened to crack his ribs, though indeed, the multi-millionaire would scarcely have noticed if he'd had a grand piano dropped on him as well. Joey was doing his best to untangle the cords around Susan's ankles while Cori was taking the same untangled cord and wrapping it around Tristan's neck like a leash. Ricky, it appeared, was the only one attempting to be constructive as he did his best to gather several dirty dishes so that he could get them into the dishwasher.

For single moment, Jade and Yugi stood shock-still, until Jade's well-practiced bellow sent everyone stumbling into silence. Thankfully, Yugi had had the foresight to clap his hands over his ears.

"OE MINNA-SAN URUSAI! URUSAI! URUSAI! URUSAI! URUSAI!"

Everyone stood completely still for a few minutes, watching almost fearfully as Jade's ragged breathing resumed its normal pace as she calmed down. "That's better. I'm not going to ask why the volume in my house could deafen an army, since I already know that particular answer, but I respectfully request that YOU ALL KEEP IT DOWN! CAPICHE?"

A variety of muted nods and murmurs answered her query, and Jade patted Ross on the head. "I'm glad to see you, Ross. Did you help yourself out to some food?" Jade smiled when Ross responded with an enthusiastic, though distracted nod, as he had turned his attention back to the video game battle taking place on the television screen.

Ricky was on Jade in an instant, wrapping his arms around her and bestowing her with a very passionate kiss, though he broke it off quickly when he saw how uncomfortable it made Yugi. Rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish expression on his face, Ricky greeted Yugi enthusiastically. "You two make it here all right?" he asked, his gaze chiding as he spotted the bruise on Jade's shoulder. He placed his hand gently on it, his heart thrumming as he saw Jade wince in pain. Jade shrugged away from the painful contact to brush past both Ricky and Yugi, waving her injury off. "It's no big deal. I lost my balance and fell. It'll be gone in a day." Taking the stack of plates from Ricky's hands and depositing them neatly in the dishwasher, she prepared a tray of tea and snacks for Téa. Ricky prepared a plate for Yugi, seeing that the shorter teen was nearly faint with hunger, and managed to snitch a few more dumplings for himself while his girlfriend's back was turned.

"I saw that," Jade said, not even bothering to turn her head around. Rick grinned, mouth full of dumpling, but said nothing as his sweetheart poured Yugi a cup of tea. "Echinacea. Drink it so you won't get sick." Yugi was only too happy to comply as he eagerly wolfed down the variety of pasta, udon, and dumplings, almost as voraciously as Mokuba, Robert, and Ross had.

A sudden eruption of cheers from the living room nearly caused Jade to drop the teapot, and another one of her bellows sent the noise level plummeting once more. With an indignant huff, Jade set the teapot down and went into the living room to see on the TV the replay of Robert's spectacular defeat of Susan in the Inuyasha game. Morbidly entranced, Jade could only stare wordlessly at the screen as it showed Inuyasha's Bakuryuha attack eliminate the rest of Kikyo's life points.

Susan pouted as she reluctantly relinquished the controller to Cori, crossing her arms and huffing, though her mood immediately brightened when Joey gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. Cori yanked sharply on the cord to snap Rasma on the butt like a whip, which startled the hyperactive, amorous raven-haired teen, and was enough to rouse her from her kiss-and-strangle-fest long enough to give her boyfriend a chance to breathe. Cori's brilliant lavender eyes narrowed in concentration, and a fight between Robert's Inuyasha and Cori's Kagura began in earnest.

A nagging thought tugged at Jade's conscience, and the memory of the mark she had seen on the pursuer's face flashed briefly into her memory, unsettling her. 'I have to make sure Yugi sees Téa…that will keep them both distracted for a while…then I can talk with Ricky about what happened…and the others will need to know too...' Jade gave an indelicate snort. She doubted that Kaiba would openly show any concern where Yugi's welfare was regarded…but she knew that he did care, however remotely.

Ricky noticed the grim and concerned expression on Jade's face and knew at once that her trip to the Ueno district had been a dangerous one. 'Something happened…and it's probably the exact same something that gave her the bruise on her shoulder.'

The pair exchanged knowing looks, without Yugi any the wiser, but Yami, who had appeared during Jade's brief interlude in the kitchen, knew better. Jade and Ricky were both able to sense Yami's presence, and both gave nods of greeting, however misdirected they were. Yugi, his stomach now pleasantly full, shifted his glance over to his other half.

:Something wrong, Yami:

(Iie…I am glad that you will get a chance to see Téa…)

Yugi stilled, and glanced surreptitiously at Yami.

:You will too, you know…: Yugi left the meaning of his words hanging in the air.

Yami turned his stately, regal head to give the young man an odd look.

(You…know…how I feel then?)

:We both feel the same way, don't we? It's not a bad thing…we're virtually the same person.:

(Aa…)

A hand on his shoulder startled Yugi out of his conversation. Jade gave him an apologetic glance. "Did you want to come up with me to see Téa? I'm sure she'll be quite happy to see you." Yami glanced at Yugi, nodding only once before he disappeared into their soul room. Yugi glanced up at Jade and Ricky, and nodded, standing up from the kitchen table, self-consciously brushing any food crumbs from his blue school uniform. Picking up the tea tray in both hands, Jade stuck her head through the doorway. "We're going up to see Téa, and then Ricky and I will be back down here. Keep it down, okay?" she said, giving the girls significant glances. Each girl surreptitiously nodded. Satisfied with their responses, Jade turned and led Ricky and Yugi up the stairs.

--

Jade pressed her ear against the door, and easily detected the rhythmic breathing that meant that Téa was still asleep. Balancing the tray carefully on one hand, she held a finger over her lips to signal the boys to be quiet. Too impatient to see the girl that he and Yami cared so much for, Yugi pushed open the door, as quietly as he could despite his haste, and strode in, his heart quickening at the sight of her as she lay there.

Ricky relieved Jade of her burden and set the tray down carefully on a small table next to the bed. Jade bent over, her voice barely audible next to Yugi's ear. "Wake her…gently. She'll be glad to see you…she has to eat and drink some tea…it will help her feel better…if you need anything, Ricky and I will be downstairs." Yugi nodded. With a reassuring smile for Yugi that she did not completely feel, Jade took Ricky's proffered arm, and the pair left.

--

Jade and Ricky went a little ways down the hall, before Ricky stopped and turned around, his deep golden blue-green eyes boring into hers. He raised a tentative hand to her shoulder, gently caressing the now black-and-blue bruise. Jade did not pull away or flinch at his touch. One of her own slender hands reached up to brush the silver and blonde-streaked hair off his forehead.

In a fraction of a second, Ricky's arms had wrapped around her and pulled her close. "You're hurt," he said softly. "What happened out there?"

Jade relaxed in his grip, resting her cheek against his chest. "We were attacked…five cyclists. I used the NOX system in my car to take out the three in the center…and then I remember giving Yami a bullet-proof vest and drawing a katana…the rest…"

"A bullet-proof vest? They had guns?" Ricky asked, his eyes widening when he realized the level of danger his girlfriend had just been exposed to. His grip twitched convulsively from fury, and in the very core of his soul Ricky knew that at that exact moment he'd like nothing better than to kill, in the most brutal way possible, the men who had dared try and harm his love so.

Jade nodded. "I was alright…I managed to deflect the gunshots…but the rest…"

"What about the rest?" Ricky prompted her. "Did something…take over?"

Jade looked up into his eyes and nodded. "I can only remember a few things…I remember cutting off one of their hoods and seeing…a…mark on his face…that's when everything became very indistinct…I can't remember much more beyond that…except for an explosion and the words 'I will protect the Pharaoh, no matter the cost.'"

A sudden shock of memory jarred Ricky. "We've heard those words before…" Jade nodded again. "Unfortunately, neither of us can remember exactly from where," she responded, brow furrowed delicately as her mind ran through several possibilities.

"What about the mark on the assailant's face? Can you remember what it looked like at all? Anything?"

Jade felt a tremor of anger as she recalled the repulsive sign etched into the man's face like a carving into a rock. Her eyes glowed strangely golden for a moment as she recalled the image that was embedded in her memory.

She looked up at him, worry clouding her eyes. "It was the mark of a snake."

--

Yugi felt his breath catch as he sat in the armchair next to the bed, hardly daring to breathe, lest he wake Téa up. He could feel Yami stirring inside him, both of them entranced by her auburn hair spread out on the pillow like a mantle, her dewy skin a lustrous peach-pink color, her long lashes resting silently against her cheeks as her sonorous breathing whispered in the air around them.

:She looks...so fragile…almost child-like…I'm almost afraid…:

(Afraid to wake her?)

:Yes…but Jade made it clear that she needs to be woken up.:

(Jade's instructions have never led us astray. Though I do understand what you mean. Her frailty…her vulnerability…her mere mortality…are almost frightening concepts…)

:I wouldn't be able to live without her…her life is my life…without her…:

(Without her, all existence...loses meaning.)

:Aa…:

(Wake her, Yugi…)

His heart fluttering in his chest, Yugi reached out and tenderly touched the side of Téa's face, surprised by its softness and warmth. He felt his heart skip several beats, found his hands trembling as he gently ran them down the curve of her cheek. Of their own accord, his fingers brushed against the silky mahogany strands of her hair, wanting to embed themselves in its feather-like softness.

As one, Yugi and Yami called their love from the world of dreams.

"Téa…"

--

The living room was full of chatter and noise, though it ceased somewhat when Jade and Ricky walked in. Cori and Susan looked up expectantly, and Cori gave Rasma a sharp tap on the butt to get her attention. Rasma let out a startled squeal, but calmed the second Kaiba wrapped his arms around her reassuringly. Kaiba glared at Cori, his dark blue eyes irritated, and Cori's lavender eyes glared right back, her gaze unflickering and challenging.

"Both of you, leave it," Jade said, effectively cutting off any potential conflict. "We have something important to discuss." Ricky nodded agreement, though he wasn't pleased when Robert, Ross, and Mokuba turned around suddenly, their eyes focused expectantly on Ricky and Jade.

Kaiba spoke. "If it's something potentially dangerous, I want Mokuba and his friends out of here. They don't need to hear this," he added, ignoring their indignant protests.

Jade fixed Kaiba with a penetrating stare. "Iie. They will stay. Whatever this is, it's a danger to all of us, and to anyone who's ever had any prolonged relationship or contact with Yugi." Ricky held up a hand to still Kaiba's protests. "They are old enough to know how to stay out of a dangerous situation. But in order to do so they have to know where this danger comes from and what form it takes," Ricky added firmly. Rasma, too, tugged on Kaiba's school-jacket in agreement, and the multi-millionaire could do little more that sit down, unpleased though he was with the situation he had just allowed his little brother to be placed in.

It was Susan who spoke first. "So…exactly what happened?" Jade sighed, and began to explain to them at length what had happened, though she stumbled through the parts that she didn't remember, making the best of the facts she did know to formulate he progression of events. She went through the appearance of their assailants, through the details about dealing with them, and finally rounded up the whole story with the explosion. It was Cori who noticed the expression on Jade's face as the latter had vaguely mentioned the facial marking.

"This mark you're talking about…can you describe it…maybe draw it?" Cori suggested tentatively.

Jade nodded, though a shudder of revulsion was apparent on her features. "Karasuhebi," she muttered indistinctly. The girls exchanged worried glances, but the boys looked at one another in mild bewilderment.

"Huh?" said Kaiba, a dubious frown on his face.

It was Rasma who spoke up suddenly, startling them all. "Black snake," she murmured. Jade nodded. "That was the mark that the man had on his face…the strange thing is that I know I've seen it before…I just can't remember from where." At this point, Kaiba startled everyone by flipping his laptop open and thrusting it at Jade. "Here…draw it…" he offered.

"Un…"

With a stylus, Jade's fingers managed to quickly draw a startlingly accurate likeness to the mark she had seen upon the vile man's visage. The coils of a sinister, thick black snake, its sinister black eye outlined in white, its lethal fangs dripping poison, marred the otherwise immaculate white screen on the tablet laptop. Her fingers trembling, Jade handed the laptop back to Kaiba, who likewise could not resist the sudden revulsion he felt at the sight of the malicious-looking serpent.

Susan tilted her head, her sea-green hair strands rustling slightly. "There has to be some way we can find out what it means…the sooner we do that, the sooner we can figure out who pursued Yugi and Jade."

Joey gave Kaiba a withering look. "C'mon, Mr. Fancy Pants, there must be someway that shiny computer can search for any links with that image." Susan yanked sharply on Joey's blue jacket, giving him a warning look, while Rasma kept Kaiba from rising to the bait.

Kaiba smirked. "As a matter of fact, Wheeler, I can do better than that. I'm linked directly to Kaiba Corporations main server. I'll use the corporate supercomputer to do a world-wide search for this image…and have it bring up all relevant information. Our smart-search engine, Deltus, is more than capable of figuring out what this is."

"There is, of course, the question with how this all relates to Yugi, once we find out what that mark means," Ricky said. "Even if we find out what the black snake is a symbol of…there's no guarantee that we'll be able to figure out exactly who…or what…was behind that attempted ambush."

Cori looked up from putting bows in Tristan's hair. "There isn't a guarantee…it's a gamble, isn't it? Whoever made the attack took a risk in exposing themselves…I say we take advantage of their mistake…and then kick their ass 'til kingdom come," she growled, placing a glittery pink barrette on another lock of her boyfriend's hair.

Jade sank comfortably into the lush couch cushions. "All work and no play make Tristan a dull boy, ne Cori? Is that why you feel the need to dress him up?"

"Hey! I'm just as much fun as anyone else in this room!" Tristan protested. Cori grinned, snapping a yellow rhinestone barrette into place and pinching Tristan's cheek possessively, digging through her bookbag cache of hair ornaments. "It makes my life more sparkly," she replied cheekily, earning an approving snigger from Mokuba, Robert, and Ross.

"Be that as it may, this is still a very serious situation we have on our hands, but now is not a good time for sparkles," Jade said softly. She turned to Kaiba. "Any luck on that search?"

"Aa…hmm, interesting…" he said, placing a thoughtful kiss to Rasma's temple as she leaned in for a closer look, all business now. Adjusting her glasses, she spoke a quick command. "Deltus…display all perfect matches within 10 pictorial error boundary…archive all other information."

A flat, monotonous voice responded. "Perfect matches displayed. All relevant information has been archived."

Cori and Susan glanced at Rasma in mild surprise. Kaiba gave the room a smug smile before giving her a quick kiss. "She's quite intelligent, you know, quite the master of computer programming…she set the framework for Deltus." Amid surprised praise and disbelieving stares, Kaiba and Rasma shared a quick, secret smile.

"Deltus," Jade said suddenly, startling everyone. "Display all applicable information relevant to the keywords 'Ancient Egypt'."

Ricky's eyes lit up in understanding. "They were after Yugi's Millennium Puzzle…it's an item from ancient Egypt…if they want it, linking that mark with the search might better identify who those men were."

Susan idly stroked Joey's hair, her sky-blue eyes quizzical. "But there's also a chance that they might just want to get rid of Yugi…after all, eliminating him means eliminating the best duelist in the world," she said, glancing over at Kaiba.

"That doesn't make any sense," Tristan remarked. "Then that'd mean that they'd be after Kaiba and the rest of us…we've all come a long way since our middle school dueling days," he commented. Cori nodded agreement to his statement, then quickly shoved him back into her lap as she proceeded to affix a bright purple clip to one of his sideburns.

Seeing Rasma's eyes filled with worry, Kaiba patted her arm reassuringly, a derisive snort escaping him. "I'd like them to see whoever these lunatics are come after me…or any of us, for that matter…we have all the resources of Kaiba Corporations to draw on."

"Unless these lunatics are using means other than what the human eye can see," Jade said, her eyes faced forward blankly, as if painfully focused on the future.

A long silence overcame the entire living room, until Deltus' monotone broke it, making everyone jump slightly. "All search results concurrent with the keywords 'Ancient Egypt' compiled."

Ricky and Jade made to shift over on the couch to get a closer look, but Kaiba waved them off. "I'll project a wireless signal to the plasma television," he said impatiently. The screen showing the character selection screen for the Inuyasha game disappeared, to be replaced by a number of open files, each displaying the same picture that Jade had drawn earlier.

It was Susan's voice that sounded, reading from one of the open search files:

"Within the Egyptian hierarchy of deities, Ra is considered the greatest of most powerful god, source of light, protection, and life. Living in a nature-based society, with the waters of the Nile to sustain them, the ancient Egyptians naturally understood the opposing forces of life and death, earth and water, and light and dark."

"According to Egyptian mythology, the rising and setting of the sun was caused by Ra successfully riding through the Underworld each night to ride his boat across the sky during the day. However, on overcast, cloudy, or rainy days, Egyptians believe that Ra's greatest enemy, Apophis, the Egyptian god of evil and darkness, had managed to slay the Sun god, stranding him in the Underworld until Osiris and Isis revived him and returned him to the world of the living."

It was Jade's voice that broke in. "Apophis, also know as Apep, is Ra's immortal enemy, the god of all that is dark and evil. Egyptians feared this god fore all others, believing that this dark deity had the power to destroy entire families, cause famine and rampant destruction, and cast all the world into darkness, utterly eradicating all life. Many of the texts and stone slabs that make mention of this dark god have been lost since the fall of ancient Egyptian civilization, though rumors abound that worshippers of Apophis built in secret a great temple, far underneath the Egyptian sands, where the god would hold court as he plotted to destroy his enemies. These enemies included, naturally, the god Ra and all the parties the god patroned, which included the ancient Egyptian royal family, the supposed direct descendants of Ra himself. There were several popular theories in circulation suggesting that the worshippers of Apophis were also members of the political front that sought to overthrow the royal family to place themselves on the throne of power."

Jade paused here, casting a glance at Rick, her expression worried, almost fearful. They both knew, perhaps better than anyone else in the room, the extent to which Yami, and for that matter, Yugi, were involved in the affairs of the ancient Egyptian royal family. Her voice shaking slightly, the pink-and-brown-haired girl continued to read on.

"While the symbol of Ra is the great golden sun-disk atop the head of falcon, as well as the great boat which the god would ride through the sky, the symbol of Apophis is far more sinister and alarming in appearance. The symbol of this god, appropriately enough, is a great dark serpent, or black snake, fanged and coiled maliciously, the complete antithesis to the sun."

Jade stopped, sudden fury rising in her chest as she looked at the picture below the last paragraph, the same picture of the sinisterly coiled serpent, its single black fang dripping a lethal black drop of poison, its evil black eye staring before it, as if it could sense her anger and take delight in it.

Ricky saw the fury in Jade's eyes and stayed silent, rummaging about in his own thoughts, not quite sure what to say.

Kaiba, however, had plenty to say. "So you're telling me we're dealing with a bunch of freaks who worship a snake god that eats up the sun?" he said incredulously.

Cori gave him a hard look. "I think the better way to put it is that we're dealing with a bunch of psychos. They may like what this Apophis freak stands for and may have decided to use his symbol as a rallying point."

"Or it just could be that we're dealing with an ancient evil that's decided to make his move in this current time era," Jade said, earning a startled response from Mokuba, Robert, and Ross, and a derisive snort from Kaiba.

"So you're telling me that a snake god from ancient Egypt has decided to awaken from his temple buried deep in the Earth to go after a three-colored hair teenager in modern-day Tokyo?" Kaiba challenged, snapping Ricky's last thread of patience.

"I'm telling you that there's another force awakening that wants the power of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, you arrogant ass," Ricky snarled. "And that we are at a distinct disadvantage if we've only discovered their presence just now. They went after Yugi and Jade today, and they're armed to take whatever they want, no matter what they have to do. If you've learned anything from your experience with Duel Monsters, you should have learned that there are most certainly forces at work here that don't necessarily exist in the same plane of reality that we do!"

Kaiba opened his mouth to respond, his face flushed and thoroughly suffused with temper, and undoubtedly what he had been about to say most certainly would have been venomous.

"We're not going to get anywhere arguing with each other," Rasma said, her voice calm and soothing, which quelled Kaiba's temper immediately.

"Rasma's right," Cori added, braiding a bit of Tristan's hair with lime-green ribbon. Tristan looked about to say something, but was far too busy gazing at his girlfriend with nauseating adoration to notice or care that he was being turned into a colorful Tokyo rockstar right before everyone's eyes. "Arguing will only divide us at the time we need to stand together. What we need to consider now is what steps we're going to take, to protect ourselves, and eliminate this threat."

Joey spoke up, his arms wrapped around Susan, who seemed oddly distracted, as though considering several interesting possibilities in her mind. "We can't decide anything without Yugi and Téa here, especially Yugi. Speaking of which, how's Téa doing?"

Jade sighed. "It does seem like she's going to shake the worst of the flu off quickly, which is a good thing. Yugi is with her now, and under the circumstances I ordinarily wouldn't want to disturb her, but Joey's right…we need their input before we can decide what to do." Ricky exchanged a quick glance with Jade, before he thought silently to himself. 'Aa…and Yami might be able to give us some insight into this enemy as well…'

Kaiba stood up. "So it's decided then? We go upstairs and get them in on this?"

Jade nodded, and crossed her arms as she stood up, walking a bit stiffly to the kitchen. "You're all to behave while we're up there. I'll not tolerate any ruckus while Téa's trying to get some rest, got it?"

With bemused smiles relieving the tension in the room, everyone nodded their assent, and with their quiet chatter rolling gently around them, the group crossed the living room and kitchen, and proceeded up the carpeted stairs.

--

Yugi's hand lingered on Téa's cheek, as he and Yami called her forth from the realm of dreams.

"Téa…wake up…we're here…"

The dark eyelashes fluttered briefly against the cheeks on which they lay. In the confines of the nether region between sleep and wakefulness, Téa lingered, startled, as though she had recognized something, but just as suddenly, lost it once more.

"I'm here, Téa…we're both here…"

"Yugi….?" Téa's voice came as little more than a breath of whispers.

A delighted smile spreading slowly over his face as he watched the azure eyes slowly flutter open, Yugi could only watch, breathless, as Téa regained her bearings as her mind returned to the world of wakefulness.

Téa blinked several times, her sleepy vision focusing, her breaths deepening as her body fully woke. In that instant, Yugi instantly released control to Yami. The switch was little more than a brief intake of breath, and Téa's eyes focused on Yami's regal, handsome form.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his amethyst eyes clouded with worry. Téa shivered at the sound of his voice. It was a voice that had a velvety darkness to it, rich in its startling masculinity and authority. She blushed briefly, at a loss for words, and glanced nervously down at the comforter covering her, before gentle fingers under her chin tilted her head up.

'Gods above help me…I can't keep myself from blushing around him…what's suddenly come over me, that I can't even talk to my best friend anymore…for fear that…that…'

"Téa?" the darkly shimmering voice asked again, and Téa felt her heart flutter madly as she glanced into Yami's eyes. Startled, she chirped a reply, in a voice that was startlingly high-pitched.

"What? Oh me, I'm…umm…I'm just fine! Well, no that's not really true…I'm sick, obviously…Jade said I caught the flu or something, so she's been—"

"—stuffing you full of food and natural remedies and mothering you enough to drive you mad?" Yami finished, a wry smile coloring his face. Téa was quite sure her heart had stopped for several seconds, seeing him smile like that. 'It's devastating…he could have any girl he wanted just by looking at them…heaven knows he already has me…'

"Un," she murmured. Yami chuckled, making Téa feel slightly faint.

"Well, she did bequeath me a certain task," he said, flicking his hand to the tray that sat next to them.

Téa groaned. "I'm still full from earlier…she made me finish several plates worth of food and a pot of tea…" 'Speaking of which…I really need to use the bathroom…oh great…how can I possibly say that in front of Yugi?"

Yami noticed her discomfort, and felt a hot flush suffuse his face, making his heart lurch strangely for a few seconds. 'This feeling…'

Within the interiors of the mysterious Millennium Puzzle, Yugi felt the same warm flush in his face, felt the sudden skip of his heart.

: It's all right, you know…to feel the same way I do for Téa…:

(Aa…she's…)

:Remarkable? Amazing? Beautiful:

(And so fragile…and yet it makes her all the more ethereal…)

: I know…I can't imagine what she's going through right now…being sick and all…:

Yami smiled mysteriously, entertaining his own thoughts in a very private corner of his mind, rousing Yugi's indignance at once.

:What are you grinning about:

(Yugi…can't you tell…the way she looks at you…the way her face is turned away when she blushes…it's not because she's ill…it's because—)

:—because what:

Yami chose his next words as carefully as possible, though it was with great longing that the next words were spoken.

(Because she feels the same for you…for us…)

:…WHAT:

Yami had been about to respond, but instead was pulled from his internal conversation with Yugi when Téa struggled weakly against the bedclothes as she attempted to get out of the bed.

Yami placed his right arm around her, supporting her, yet barring her from getting up. It was obvious from her trembling that she was trying valiantly to support her own body weight, and was clearly failing at it. Both of them jumped slightly when they felt a small tingle of electricity shoot between them at the contact, and Téa blushed, laughing a little nervously, though Yami could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"I guess it must be some static from the carpet, ne?"

Yami smiled. "Aa…" he murmured.

"Now then," he chided softly. "You know you're not supposed to be moving about…Jade said specifically you were to rest until you were completely better."

Téa groaned, her face flushed pink from mild embarrassment, casting her mind around desperately for a more graceful explanation to get out of bed, rather than reveal the truth that her bladder was fit to burst. "She also said I have to eat and drink tea…and you know how I am…I have to wash my hands…you know how fussy I am sometimes."

Yami tilted his head. "You're not fussy at all, Téa," he said softly, his voice intense and warm. "But as it is your wish…then I will help." His heart pounded heavily as he said those words, and for a split second, Yami wanted desperately to take the beautiful girl in his arms and kiss her, as if he could ease what he knew she must surely be suffering.

Téa, for her part, couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through her at the warmth in Yami's voice, and for a fraction of a second, she saw in his eyes a sudden heated, longing desire. It rocked her to her very core, and she trembled as she once more attempted to free herself from under the heavy eider-down quilt.

Yami slipped his other arm around her, his brow furrowing with concern as he felt Téa's body tremble in his arms. It roused something in him, and all at once, he felt a fierce protectiveness, and intense desire, and a thrumming love reverberate through him. He could bear it no longer. His heart beating rapidly, he slid his other arm around Téa's waist, ignoring her small gasp of surprise, and was silent as his lips slowly bent toward his beloved's astonished face.

--

The group of teenagers became unusually quiet as they made their way up the stairs and down the carpeted hallway. Everyone seemed to be absorbed in their own thoughts, and the only noise that came forth was the flip-flop of their house slippers and the occasional muted jangle from Ricky and Jade's pendants. Kaiba and Rasma were too busy pondering ways to further improve the Deltus system, Susan and Cori seemed to be blankly staring ahead of them, as though reading signs of what was to come in the future, while Joey and Tristan looked on, equally confused. Robert, Mokuba, and Ross were all somber at the serious atmosphere in the air, and Ricky was eyeing the bruise on Jade's shoulder critically. As for Jade, she was feeling troubled over what had happened in the Ueno district earlier, and was trying to force her mind to unearth the tiniest dregs of detail about that particular recollection.

It was therefore, with little ceremony and a distinct absentmindedness that Jade pushed open the door to where Téa and Yugi were. The guys didn't notice anything untoward, and since Susan, Cori, and Jade's minds were drifting about on matter far more paranormal, it was only Rasma's enthusiastic cheer that roused everyone from their stupor.

"Téa-chan! You GO girl!"

Alright, alright, so it was an abrupt end to the chapter, so shoot me! Reviews please, and millions and billions of thanks to those who've reviewed!

-Pharaohess Yami Anzu