"I thought I told you to leave?" asked Seto, as he looked back upon hearing Téa's footsteps.

"Yes, you did," agreed Téa. "Rest assured that your memory isn't playing any tricks on you." Matching sarcasm with sarcasm seemed to be the best idea at the moment.

Seto wasn't amused, but he knew that trying to convince her to leave would be an impossible task. With a frustrated sigh, he continued on as she followed silently behind him.

Guided only by a small flashlight beam through the dark and dusty stone corridors, they took care to remain on alert for any Rare Hunters who may have been close by. But they came across no one until they reached a central chamber. Bandit Keith was there, addressing the other Rare Hunters. Seto and Téa stayed on one side of the door frame, perfectly silent so that they would be able to hear every word.

"According to our informer," the card shark was saying. "It seems that Seto Kaiba has left Domino in pursuit of us. I have a feeling that he was the one I ran into in Vancouver. However, it's a safe bet that he has no idea where we are, so we may as well proceed with our plans."

Strings blinked; he knew the truth, of course, but he still maintained his silence.

Seto, in the meantime, was smirking in amusement at how his adversaries had clearly underestimated him. Téa rolled her eyes, but paused as she realized that Keith's appearance in Tokyo had not been due to his searching for Seto after all. So why had he shown up?

"Kaiba," she said, in a whisper so quiet that only he could hear. "Don't you think it's strange that--"

He silenced her with a warning glance.

"What about our informer?" asked a voice that Seto recognized as Umbra. "Are we still going to have to give her a portion of our dividends?"

"What do you suggest that we do?" asked Keith. "We need her to keep tabs on Kaiba Corporation, as well as Yugi Muto. At this point, Kaiba and Muto are the only ones capable of stopping us. Thankfully, their whereabouts can be confirmed. Muto is still in Domino, and I'm willing to bet that Kaiba is still searching Vancouver to find out where I'm hiding."

"Exactly how much are you willing to bet, Creep?" Seto thought to himself. "And if I know Gardner, she's probably already filled Yugi and his entourage in on the whole scenario."

"So we stick to the original plan?" asked Arkana.

"Yes."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," said the green-haired Rare Hunter. "Someone was spying on us in Buenos Aires; we received an anonymous note telling us to carefully inspect the belongings of one of the dancers."

"A note?" asked Keith. "That's impossible; our informer wouldn't have been able to send you a note. It must be from one of our other insiders."

"Whoever it was, one of the girls in the room must have followed the mecha-gnome we sent to root through everything. We didn't have time for a complete search; the girls came back, but one of them followed the gnome. We didn't see who she was," he man went on.

The card shark frowned.

"Whoever she is, she's too nosy for my liking," he replied. "Keep your eyes open. If she recognizes you, she might try to spy some more."

"And if we catch her?" asked Lumis.

"Bring her straight to me," Keith answered. "I'd like a little word with our detective…"

The sound of cracking knuckles filled the air. Despite himself, Seto glanced at Téa; even in the dim light, she was clearly trembling.

"Of course; she's still not used to having the truly dangerous on her case," he thought. "Well, if my suspicions are true, I have a feeling that she'll learn to live with it soon enough…"

"As far as I know, she knows too much already," said the green-haired man's companion. "Nobody is supposed to know that the Rare Hunters have regrouped in the first place."

"Then make her one of us," said Arkana. "Give her an offer that she can't refuse. If she doesn't join the Rare Hunters, she could serve as my assistant for my next magic show."

Téa covered her mouth as her stomach gave an involuntary lurch; Yugi had told her all about Arkana and his madness, and she wanted no part of it. Seto recoiled slightly, apparently irked at the prospect of being so close to a girl with an upset stomach.

"Get a grip on yourself," he ordered in an undertone.

"I don't want to be sawed in half!" she replied, visibly petrified.

"Then why don't you just stay out of it like I told you to?"

"Because I don't want anything to happen to you, too," she replied. The sincerity in her voice was unmistakable.

"Just… calm down," Seto replied, slightly thrown off by her remark. "Nothing is going to happen; I refuse to allow it."

Was there a double meaning to those words? True, at first glance, it seemed as though he was vowing that Keith would never get the best of him. But was he also vowing that he wouldn't let the Rare Hunters harm Téa? No; it couldn't be true—he only cared about his company… right?

The Rare Hunters, in the meantime, had progressed with their conversation.

"Whoever this girl is, she won't be too much of a threat, regardless of how nosy she is," said another unknown man. "She couldn't possibly figure out what we're doing."

"Agreed," said Keith. "Now we need to focus on getting the remaining messages from our other insiders; only then can we procure our money."

"I still say that it's a shame that we have to give a share to her," said Umbra. "She's not going to use it where she is; I don't see why--"

"Look, it's thanks to Vulsor that we know about Kaiba and Muto's whereabouts," said Keith. "I don't like the idea of giving her the money, either, but if she even catches wind of your treachery, she'll go so far as to betray us. She knows too much; she's officially one of us, Umbra. And this matter is closed; have I made myself clear?"

Seto's eyes narrowed in anger.

"I thought that Vulsor is in prison," said Téa.

"That doesn't stop her from communicating, apparently," the CEO growled. "So she's their inside contact… I should've known that she'd do her best to get revenge."

"But it still doesn't explain why the Rare Hunters keep showing up at our performances," said Téa. "Is that where they meet to exchange information? Do they transfer coded notes to each other while everyone else is preoccupied with watching the dance?"

"Quiet!" Seto ordered, as Keith looked up, prompting the other Rare Hunters to turn around.

"Take a look and see who's out there," the card shark ordered.

Seto didn't bother waiting; he seized Téa's arm and led her away, but she let out an audible yelp.

"It must be that girl!" the green-haired Hunter snarled.

But by the time they had reached the door, Téa had gone; Seto had led her to the safety of one of the other passageways, and was leading her outside. Twilight had fallen over the ruins by this time; unbeknownst to them, they had been in the ruins for hours.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, after they had found their way out after several anxious minutes. "I really blew it."

"True; I could've found out a lot more information if I had been able to stay longer," the CEO replied, only partially annoyed. "But on the other hand, your little exclamation has masked the fact that I was there, spying on them as well. As long as that's the case, they'll still think that I'm in Vancouver. And, for the moment, that works to my advantage."

"At least he isn't too upset…" Téa thought.

"You, on the other hand, have more to worry about than you think," Seto went on.

"Me? Why should I worry? I thought that they didn't see me, thanks to you."

"Have you forgotten that your green-haired friend over there mentioned something about a note tipping him off about you?" Seto asked. "Have you bothered to consider about who sent them that note? Someone is on to you, or doesn't trust you. And don't forget that Keith mentioned insiders."

"What are you trying to say…?" asked Téa, her eyes wide.

"There must be at least one member of your dance troupe who is either a member of the Rare Hunters, or affiliated with them," Seto replied. "I'm willing to bet that there's more than one person in on this. Someone might be keeping tabs on you, and if they report that you were at this temple, it won't take much for Keith to put two and two together."

"Luckily, nobody knew that I'd be here today."

"Are you certain?" Seto asked.

"Well, I guess I did tell the other three dancers of fire…" Téa trailed off as Seto's eyes narrowed. She knew what he was thinking, but it couldn't be true! It couldn't be Aurus; he was the only true friend she had! If there was an informer, it'd have to be one of the Tessurcas. But that didn't make any sense; the gnome had invaded Caerii's suitcase, too…

"I think you have a reason to worry."

"No; it just couldn't be them!" she said. "It must be one of the other element dancers spying on us!"

Seto rolled his eyes and muttered something about naiveté.

"Kaiba, just because you don't trust anyone, it doesn't mean that there aren't people out there worth trusting!" she said.

"Look, you were the one who was shivering as though you were in the Arctic," Seto reminded her. "Unless you want to end up as a Rare Hunter (or that crazed magician's assistant), I suggest that you watch yourself."

She glanced at him at that moment. Deep down, she wanted to ask him if he was going to help her.

"You won't let them get me, will you?" she mentally asked. She knew that if Seto Kaiba vowed to defend someone (usually Mokuba), he would stop at nothing to ensure that person's safety. But was she worth defending in Seto Kaiba's view, or was she as expendable as the rest of the world?

"Look," Seto went on. "Keep a low profile. Don't go wandering around anymore, even if you see any gnomes, unicorns, or any other nonexistent creatures. Can you give me the itinerary of your dance troupe?"

"Of course I can…" she said, puzzled. "But why would you want it?"

"If my instincts are correct, and that Keith has an inside contact in the troupe, it stands to reason that he or the Rare Hunters will follow the troupe wherever it goes," Seto explained. "We just need to find out who their contact is, and how they slip the messages to them."

"I couldn't begin to tell you how," Téa admitted. "We're not allowed to mingle with the audience; that night in Tokyo, they wouldn't even let me talk to you."

"I hope you didn't say that you knew me."

"Don't worry; I didn't mention your name at all," she replied, in a slightly cold voice. "I know that you don't want to be associated with someone who lectures endlessly about friendship--"

"Gardner, don't even start with that," he said. "I have my reasons; I don't want Keith knowing that I'm closing in on him."

"Right…" she said, her eyebrows slightly arched. "Well, I can email you the itinerary after I look it up; I know that Broadway is somewhere in our future. But I know for a fact that we're heading for Sydney in a couple days; that's where our next performance is. Are you going there, too?"

"Yes, I am," he replied, glancing back at the ancient ruins. "If I can get a few more pieces of this puzzle in place, I'll be able to stop that lunatic's inane scheme. But keep one thing in mind: when you're chatting with your colleagues, you do not know who Seto Kaiba is. Is that clear?"

"Sometimes, I don't think I know who Seto Kaiba really is at all," she replied, in a slightly forlorn tone.

The CEO blinked, caught off-guard by the comment, but he was determined not to show it.

"Just keep that in mind, Gardner; you won't have to worry about anything," he said.

Once again, Téa wondered if there was a double meaning in the words. Was he saying that she didn't have to worry simply out of annoyance, or was it out of concern, too?

"I need to contact Mokuba and see to this Vulsor nonsense," Seto went on. "Keep your eyes open, but don't make it obvious."

"See you in Sydney, then," she said. He glanced back at her after she said this, but he didn't say a word. After a moment's silence, they took their leave of each other.

Téa didn't like to think that one of her new friends might be out to get her into very deep trouble. And after overhearing what the Rare Hunters had planned for her, she couldn't help but be afraid. And yet, there was a part of her that wasn't afraid; just the knowledge that Seto Kaiba would be there, keeping an eye on things, seemed to ignite a spark of hope in the girl's heart.