Tea left the stairs and ran into Mr. Muto, who was so startled by her reappearance that he dropped the box he was carrying.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Mr. Muto, let me help you." Tea said quickly and bent down to pick up the box.
"Oh, it's fine, perfectly fine. You just sent me for a loop is all. How did the studying go? Yugi's trying to make the highest GPA in his grade so I really must thank you for helping him." Mr. Muto smiled as he took the box from Tea.
"I tried." She sighed, he still didn't remember though.
"Well, must say thanks my dear, now I have to get this box upstairs so I'll see you later then." He said cheerfully and went up the stairs and out of her sight. Tea turned toward the entrance and started walking, passing a picture of them from a few years ago. Tea remembered it, she had an exact copy at home, but hers wasn't missing the essential thing that made a huge part of Yugi's life: The Puzzle. The Muto's copy didn't have Yugi wearing an almost finished millennium puzzle, while her's did. Noah even changed the pictures. Tea thought grimly as she exited the store.
"So sad, to bad. It looks like I win this round." Noah's voice taunted, and Tea turned to find Noah exited the game shop.
"You're cruel." Was her simple reply.
"Oh, poor little Tea, you didn't get what you wanted, to bad. Live with it. I am the ruler here, and I will get what I want, is that understood dear little Tea?" He demanded, and Tea just squared her jaw and glared him.
"You can't control memories, I can unlock them and free everyone." She told him stubbornly.
"Oh can you? Then why does that little Yugi not remember? And not remembering Joey or Tristan, such a shame."
"This can't be Yugi's perfect world, it can't! His perfect world would have all his friends, and this one doesn't!" Tea declared stubbornly.
"I never said his perfect world would have all his friends, did I?" Noah asked calmly, picking a flower from the ground and smelling it lazily.
"No, I guess not." Tea said slowly.
"This world," He proclaimed gesturing to everything around them. "was created for Yugi to be himself, a world where Yugi would be accepted as Yugi, no one would ever think of both him and that Pharaoh in the same sentence. Because of that, my dear child, caused a rift in everything else. Without the Pharaoh and attempting the completion of the puzzle Yugi would never have become friends with either Joey or Tristan, and the subsequent friendship that followed. Tea, everything is connected here. And back on your world too. One things causes the next, or doing nothing may cause the next action. Yugi's Grandpa goes to Egypt, Grandpa finds puzzle pieces, Grandpa brings the pieces back, Yugi attempts to complete the puzzle, meets both Tristan and Joey, becomes friends with them, and saves the world. Yugi did not want The Pharaoh here, so none of the things on your world happened, this time, Grandpa went to the Bahamas, brought back a T-shirt." He smiled charmingly. "Thereby stopping everything that lead to The Pharaoh and Yugi becoming intertwined." Tea looked at him shocked, could that have really happened? That could explain why Yugi was having such a hard time remembering, it had never happened here. "And now, will you forsake little Yugi in attempt to save the next?"
"I-I guess so." Tea nodded. "But not forever, I reminded him of the truth, but only he can accept them."
"Wonderful! And now to the next:
Wars and Gangs hold these next two kings,
join the backstreets and find the leaders of both North and South,
once best friends, now not so much,
find or else the roads will bleed.
One will stand, the border's edge, or else fall into ruin."
"At least you're getting better." Tea sighed.
"Good luck." He sing songed and walked away.
"Okay, I need to get to the backstreets." Tea thought aloud. The backstreets of Domino were the poor sections, the places with the gangs and turf wars, so she needed to hit the outskirts of Domino, and enter another 'perfect' world. But which of her friends would be Gang Kings? Deciding she'd find out when she got there, Tea started for the back streets, almost afraid what would happen if 'the roads will bleed'. That better be a metaphor Noah! She thought as she headed along a side road that led to the edges of the city. Soon, bright cheery shops turned to dark ominous ones and Tea started getting a little unnerved. Shouts and cat calls started coming her way, and Tea picked up her pace.
"What are you doing here, little lady?" a voice asked and Tea turned to find a guy twice her size with piercings and tattoos covering his face and body.
"Um, just looking for someone." Tea hedged trying to draw away from him.
"Well, you found me so why don't we just go somewhere a little more private?" He asked, and tried to pull her toward a shady looking building.
"Uh, no thanks." Tea said, trying to get away. "I said no!" She snapped as she stomped on his foot. He cursed and Tea knew she had just found herself in a heap of trouble.
"Why you ungrateful little-"
"Don't you dare." Tea warned, she never liked curses, they were just so uck.
"Why? Does the little baby girl not like the big people words. Just shut it and come with me." He warned, and grabbing Tea in an iron grasp he started dragging her toward the building.
"No, stop! Let me go! Help me! Somebody! Yugi! Joey! Tristan! Help!" She screamed, but remembered that in this world she hadn't met either Joey or Tristan. Oh, just great.
"Let. The girl. Go." Someone ground out, and she was immediately flinged aside.
"Course, boss, whatever you say. First pick is always yours I get it." The thug stammered and started slinking away as fast as he could.
"Why that little creep." Tea's savior said. "And who are you?" He demanded. Stepping into the light Tea could tell her rescuer had dirty blonde hair, a duel disk on his arm, and a glare in his eyes.
"Joey? Joey!" She cried, and ran to hug him. He immediately stiffened.
"Do I know you?" He repeated. Tea drew back slowly. She had forgotten, he didn't know her, they weren't friends in his perfect world. Tea wondered how Noah had twisted each person into such selfish creatures. Yugi wanted to be accepted as he was, and so The Pharaoh was cast aside thereby blocking interaction between Joey or Tristan, or any other duelist and cutting out what made Yugi powerful. In this world, whatever made Joey's little world perfect ordered the cast out of Yugi, and consequently her too. All these little truths, cast out and away from one selfish wish. Good things came from something previously unwanted, if it wasn't for The Pharaoh Yugi would never have saved the world, and if it wasn't for Yugi Joey and Tristan never would have become key players for the side of good, they would have continued down the dark side never to see the light. Tea sighed and stepped away from him.
"Technically, no, but in reality yes." Tea told him, looking around them for a clue to breaking this new reality.
"I don't like riddles." Joey snapped, and crossed his arms waiting for a better explanation.
"We've met, just not in this world. Here, this is all fake, it's a trap set by Noah. In my world, we're best friends."
"You're crazy lady." Joey replied. "I don't got time listening to you lunatics. I got a war to win."
"War? What war?" Tea asked eagerly. Maybe that was part of his perfect world.
"This dude on the North side started raising an army against us in the South. Now I've got a wannabe King ruling my turf and I have to show him whose boss."
"Who?" Tea asked.
"This dude named Tristan."
"You're at war with Tristan?" Tea shouted shocked. "He's your best friend! You used to beat people up together! What do you mean you're at war with Tristan?"
"My best friend? You gotta be joking lady. He's my worst nightmare right now. I'm trying to acquire a nice piece of land and he's standing in my way so he's going down, down, down, down."
"WHAT?" Tea shouted. How could this be a perfect world for Joey? Tristan was his best friend, almost more important than Yugi but still up there. A world where they were at odds? That was going to be a tough one to crack, trying to get someone as thick headed as Joey to remember he was best friends with his sworn enemy. "Oh just great, just great."
"Jeez lady, have you lived under a rock for the past five years? I am the King of the Backstreets, and now there's a rookie trying to throw me out. I don't take kindly to idiots thinking they can beat me. And ever since Duel Monsters kept coming to life, my throne's been secure. But it seems this idiot over in the North has monsters coming alive for him too and I am none to pleased. I am going to destroy him, and make everyone come to fear my name. And since you think you know so much, you're coming with me."
"Excuse me?" Tea demanded, and Joey grabbed her arm and started pulling her. "Hey! Stop it!" She shouted, trying to pull away.
"No one tells me no, got that?" Joey warned, something entering his eyes that Tea was instantly afraid off.
"I'm telling you no, and I have been telling you no for the past five years. I don't care if you're the 'King of the Backstreets', you're still an amateur duelist in my book. You're Joey Wheeler, Duke won a bet and put you in a puppy dog suit. You do not scare me, Joey, and I don't care what you tell me but this world isn't real, and in my world Tristan is your best friend and you went to Duelist Kingdom and came in second. Here, you're nothing but a thug." She told him coldly, covering her fear with rising anger.
"Yo, King of the Backstreets." A voice yelled, and the duo turned to find Tristan standing against them with a mob behind him. Tea stomped over to Tristan. "He is your best friend. You have always been friends, and no about of war here in the Backstreets will change that."
"What is she talking about?" Tristan demanded, his plans for Backstreet domination taking a backseat after hearing the wacko say he was best friends with Joey Wheeler. "Did she hit her head or something?" He asked, sudden memories popping into his head of him and the evil Joey Wheeler eating fries and laughing together. He shook them off.
"I don't get it either, but if you cross that line you're entering my turf, and I will not let you leave with a gift basket." Joey warned, and Tea marched to the nonexistent border between the two turfs.
"You two are not fightingeach other." Tea proclaimed. "Let me try to prove what I'm saying. If I can't, if you don't remember or believe, then you can always remember me as that crazy girl." Tea negotiated.
"I've got time before I crush the little pest." Joey nodded, and marched to the edge of his side of the line.
"I'm not going to be shown up by him." Tristan glared, and came to the edge of his side of the line. Tea wondered briefly if it was fate that she'd found herself at the exact edge of the Backstreets, but she had some diplomacy to work on between the two 'Kings'.
"Joey, say hello to Tristan. Tristan, say hey to Joey." She began.
"What?" They both demanded.
"Well excuse me, it's customary between two kings. You are kings right?" She asked sociably.
"Course!" They shouted together, then glared in each other's direction.
"Great, then say hello." She prompted, and glaring at each other they both muttered and ground out 'Hello'. "See, was that so hard? Now, I want you both to think back. Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, Noah!"
"So?" Joey asked confused. If he remembered correctly, Pegasus had won his own tournament, and Marik had almost destroyed the world when he won Battle City, and who was Noah?
"You were in Duelist Kingdom, Joey! And Tristan and I came along too, remember Tristan?"
"Nope." Tristan shook his head, wondering where he could get her committed. Things started flashing through his mind, there was a big castle, and some guy with weird blond, purple, and black hair. He thought he knew the dude, but he couldn't be sure.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Tea wanted to scream. How could she remind them of their friendship? How? "Joey, at Duelist Kingdom you beat a weasel of a kid named Rex. You won a card off him, it was a rare card. What was it?" Tea prompted gently. She saw something flash through the blond's eyes, but then it faded and Joey shook his head.
"Never battled anyone named Rex."
Tea wanted to pull out her hair. She knew this would be hard, but the fact that they kept focusing on the enemy across from them wasn't helping her in her quest to save the day. Of course, with no one remembering she was possibly thinking she was going to fail. How did Yugi do it all the time? She wondered getting angry. It was just something someone had or didn't have, and apparently she didn't have whatever it was. All she had was friendship. Wait a second, Friendship. She suddenly knew a way to prove they had once all been together, that they had stood on the same side once and had been a group of friends, not two different Backstreet Kings intent on killing each other.
"Hold out your hands." She ordered, and the two looked at her like she was crazy. "Hold out your hands." She ordered again, and had to forcibly grab the two arms to draw the hands together. "Once we were all at Duelist Kingdom, and while there I drew a symbol on all our hands. It won't be complete since Yugi isn't here, but we're together, and this better work." She said, and drew upon what mystical magical energy she had picked up over the years working with millennium items, duel monsters coming to life, and just creepy Egyptian things that didn't naturally happen. She had made the symbols appear before, and she was hoping it would again. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
"Whatcha doin, lady?" Joey demanded, and tried to pull his hand away. He found he couldn't.
"What kinda witch thing is this?" Tristan demanded trying to pull away too, but found he was stuck touching Joey Wheeler. Tea's hair flew back from her face, and she felt something pulse inside her. Joey and Tristan watched shocked as a symbol began to appear on their hands. The crazy girl's word echoed in their heads, and they started remembering. I drew something on our hands at Duelist Kingdom, I drew it to remind everyone we were friends, a group of friends who would stand beside each other forever. No matter where we end up, we would always be connected. It symbolized that no matter how different we were, we were still connected. I drew it- Tea thought, but was interrupted by another voice in her head.
"To connect us. To remind each other that they were never alone." Joey and Tristan's voices mingled in her head, and she found them staring at her as their hands glowed with the symbol that had vanished long ago, but the meaning was eternal. The two seemed to be remembering everything, and slowly Tea's hair fell back against her head with a soft thud, and the glow intensified.
"We're friends, forever." She told them. They smiled, and the world dissolved around them.