Masika's Past (Part 3)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

///Yugi: Atem?///

///Atem: Yugi? Oh thank goodness.///

///Yugi: I lost contact with you, I got worried. How were things while I was gone?///

///Atem: Bad. Masika believes I killed more than her cat.///

///Yugi: Oh no. Who else?///

///Atem: Her and her child, Heba.

///Yugi: You would never do that.///

///Atem: She swears it happened with her being a summoner. I told her that I had others who had millennium items to help summon monsters, but she believes it. I tried to play some Connect Four. She isn't what we believed Yugi. She isn't a shy subject, and Bakura came to see her.///

///Yugi: Is Ryou Bakura in control?///

///Atem: No, he wasn't. He wanted to bother me, but he was mainly here to take Masika away. He was her friend, Yugi, and I don't mean lightly. He saved her life at least three times, and he helped her out of dangerous situations multiple times.///

///Yugi: The Bandit King?///

///Atem: Yes./// Yugi was quiet. Atem knew what he feared, so he spoke again. ///Atem: She won't leave the Game Shop, even with everything she believes. She is loyal to Téa, however, she is fond of the idea of her ending with the Light Bakura.///

///Yugi: Ryou?! She wants to hook Téa up with Ryou Bakura?!///

///Atem: I know, Yugi./// They had a long way to go with everything.

"Whatever it takes, we really need to prove it wasn't you." Yugi looked toward Téa. "Oh, are we back?"

Téa smiled. "Yes!" She looked toward the windows and then checked her watch. "2:56 PM to 8:56 PM. We couldn't communicate for three hours between that."

Yeah, Yugi noticed that too. "Six hours, no body. Three of those six, no communication."

"From 3:00 to 9:00, I can't control myself." Téa looked at herself. "Thank you for not . . . not hurting my body. That's not right, sorry, Masika. Thank you for taking care of it."

Oh, she was talking to Masika.

"Really?" Téa looked delighted. "Masika says she'll do her best to really learn dancing too while she's learning the shop so I can still move on with my life. She already gets how important it is, and she already said she's a very good actress. Even Atem complimented her on it."

"Oh." Yeah. "That sounds great." ///Yugi: Be happy, Yugi, don't be a bad friend.///

///Atem: I am sorry, Yugi. I am trying with Masika.///

Yugi watched the expression on her face though. She started to wipe her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just? Sorry." She got up and got some tissues. "Sorry. Masika was just telling me a little about her past." She shook her head. "Don't ask about it, Yugi."

Okay. "I won't."

"Tell Atem not to bother her either. She says he even asked how she died?" She just stared at Yugi. "What?"

"I'm sure Atem didn't kill her," Yugi said, cutting her off. "She's got to be mistaken. We know it took millennium items, he'd have no reason to use her."

"Yeah." Still, Téa didn't sound well. "She said he didn't even look at his subjects, so he didn't know. Were there things going on that maybe he didn't know about?" She looked at her necklace.

Yugi didn't know what to say to that. Maybe she could get more details with the necklace?

"Sorry. I have one spirit in one ear, but I have experience with another, and . . ." She shook her head. "Sorry. I'll talk with you later, Yugi. I'd like to find my room and talk things out with Masika for a little while?"

"Yeah. Sure, no problem," Yugi assured her. "Take your time." Maybe she'd see something different if she looked into the past moment to clear things up?

Téa's Room

Téa touched the necklace after asking Masika if she could try to see the moment. She just couldn't believe it was Atem. He never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. Maybe others around him did, in the name of him, but not him.

<<<During the vision, she could see Masika holding a young child that was . . . "That looks like Mokuba." Only much younger and longer hair. Strange.

"That is Heba." The modern day Masika said from her side.

Masika came over with the younger looking Mokuba in the vision. She looked nervous. There were other people in front of her as well. An old man. A young woman. They all looked terrified.

"Those are the sacrifices before me."

Téa watched as the young woman went up and started chanting. A card rose in front of her. She didn't know the card, but it started to fight. "Where is Atem?" She looked around. "Atem isn't here, Masika."

The woman's card was withdrawn and she backed away quickly, heading away. The older man came up now and started chanting.

Téa moved around to try and see Atem. "There's no one here in charge at all. Who is battling cards with you?"

"I don't know, we were just told to be followers for Pharaoh."

"Well, he isn't here. Someone lied to you." She tried to see anyone on the other side that was also controlling cards. "This doesn't feel right." She watched the battle of the older man chanting and the card he summoned. The card won and the older man moved away.

Téa watched as Masika nervously approached with Heba.

"You will be the chosen for Pharaoh," someone that she didn't recognize said to Masika.

"Chosen for Pharaoh? Chosen isn't follower to Pharaoh, Masika."

"Isn't it the same thing, Téa?"

Maybe Egyptian to English translation? "Follower is someone who needs to follow someone's lead. Chosen is when you are . . . okay, that's a terrible definition. Let me try again. A follower would follow the actual Pharaoh's wishes. Being chosen for the Pharaoh, doesn't mean that you are following his wishes. It just means you'll be like . . . beside him? Maybe?"

"Okay? So being the chosen wasn't something the Pharaoh selected himself?"

Yeah, pretty close. Téa watched as Masika summoned the Dark Magician. "Someone made you play this game, and Pharaoh isn't even around and-"

////

That was it? Téa touched the necklace. "Masika, it never showed your death. It never even showed the Dark Magician losing."

///Masika: I . . . saw that. I remember what happened, but the necklace kicked us out. Why was I told 'chosen' instead of 'follower'?///

"I don't know, but Atem wasn't anywhere near there." That was worrying. "I couldn't see anything but the cards and you from the distance."

///Masika: The game was so great in size, each summoner just watched in front of them. That's all that mattered.///

"I don't think so." Téa took a deep breath, knowing Masika wouldn't like what she wanted to do. "Can we . . . show Yugi and Atem?"

///Masika: What?! No, it's my death, it's private! It's not for gazing for a past fucking Pharaoh's sadistic pleasure!///

"I don't think it's your death. Having more people look at the scene could really help. They're really good at puzzles," Téa tried to convince her. "I don't think that's how you died."

///Masika: Then how did I die, and why can't I remember a thing after the Dark Magician summoning?///

///Téa "Please?"///

///Masika: No! It's bad enough you are making us stay near the Pharaoh and his vessel!///

Oooh. "Bakura was your friend, right? I'm sure this is super important," Téa said. "I'll tell Yugi and Atem to let Bakura come spend time with you at the Game Shop, and eventually . . . you can, you know, spend more time with him away from here."

///Masika: You should be very weary of your words. My life was not your life of today.///

"I get it," Téa said softly. "Look? I have a feeling we are going to be stuck like this for a long time, unless someone figures out something. This moment. It could be something that leads us to a truth." She groaned. "As long as it's not a time that I am present with you. When I'm in that chamber place, I can't tell what's going on."

///Masika: The Greatest Pharaoh and your precious Yugi Muto will be very angry. I do not think you understand the rage you could create if you give such permission to me.///

"It's my life," Téa told her. "Not theirs, and it's halved. Someone else is taking care of me for the other half. I'm not in any kind of relationship right now with anyone anyhow, Masika. It wouldn't be like cheating."

///Masika: You know, Ryou Bakura, that Light Bakura side, seems to be a sweet darling. He was bashful when I showed up naked, he fetched clothes immediately, and helped me to New York. If you get lonely, perhaps he would be good for you?///

///Téa: Bakura? I don't know. I mean, I guess it would be really convenient if we both had the same body for a boyfriend?/// Téa laughed. "I can't believe I just said that. I don't really know Bakura that well. And, well? I mean, I don't know if I want anything right now."

///Masika: So, you'll let me do whatever I like with my friend Bakura, if I let you show Yugi and Pharaoh Atem the scene? Is that the deal you are trying to impress upon me?///

///Téa: It would be fair of you, Masika. Present or not, this is still my body. I'm trusting you with it, especially when you do leave the Game Shop. Don't get yourself killed.///

///Masika: Bakura would never hurt me.///

"We aren't starting with you leaving though, I want him to come over several times before you two attempt anything," Téa said clearly. "Is that fair?"

///I don't believe there is a real choice, but I am not choosing this right now. We are just starting this strange phase. Maybe something will come up in a few days to turn it around. That happened quite often with you in the past.///

"Fine, we'll wait, and see what happens." Eventually though, Téa would be ready to make that deal.