The Flame Swordsman (Part 2)

DIMENSION: ANIME (Pays to Save the Day)

Kame Game Shop

Téa walked in, still a little stunned. What could she say or explain about why she was late?

"Oh? Hello, Téa." Yugi's grandpa said as he noticed her. "A little later than usual. I thought you were on the way over?"

"I was." Téa went toward Yugi's grandfather.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You don't seem like yourself."

"Hi, Téa," Yugi said as he came down. It was easy to hear voices below and he'd probably been waiting. "Do you want to try a duel game now?"

Téa scratched behind her ear. "I don't know. I got this card." She gave it to Yugi.

Yugi of course looked surprised. "You have a Time Wizard card like Joey? That's incredible, Téa, where did you get it? Did you buy it from grandpa?"

"No." /// Téa: I should tell him. I found it in my deck. But, I don't understand why it was there.///

"Téa, here is the card I wanted to give you."

Téa turned her attention to Yugi's grandpa.

"Seeing as you now have the Time Wizard though, take this instead." He put away a card with a green monster and gave her a small dragon. "You've seen Joey use the tactic. The dragon has power itself, but it's not much. However, if you are in a bind, time roulette can be worth the risk. It speeds up or slows down time, so you should have something that can survive it out on the field."

///Téa: Joey loves time roulette. This feels like a Joey card. This doesn't feel like it belongs in my deck. What is it doing in my deck?/// "Thanks, Mister Moto." She took the baby dragon.

"Téa?" Yugi asked again. "You still didn't say. Where'd you get such a rare card?"

"Yugi." ///Téa: I need to retrace my steps. I need to figure this out./// "I'll tell you later. Tonight, I'll come visit tonight. Okay?"

"Okay." Yugi smiled. "I'll be sure to let Joey know he's not the only one with a time roulette card. Having two cards in opposing decks could make a battle interesting with him. If you battle him. Again."

Oh, Yugi. "I'll get creamed some other time by you, Yugi, I promise. I'm not feeling right today, that's all. I'll see you later. If I don't, I'll call. Okay?"

"Is everything okay, Téa?" Yugi asked.

///Téa: I don't really know./// "I have to get home. I'll explain later. Thanks again, Mister Moto."

"No problem, Téa," he said as she left the game shop.

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Téa didn't want to retrace her steps. What if those same thugs came out again? She went home, highly alert down a different way. She stayed inside, staring at her new cards. Her two new cards. One from Yugi's grandpa and the mysterious one now in her deck. "Maybe Joey gave it to me? Maybe it got messed up into my deck somehow when we played?" She went ahead and called Joey, asking him to check his Time Wizard card. When he said he had his right in his hand, she knew it wasn't Joey's.

Joey originally had the Red Eyes Black Dragon that qualified him for the Battle City tournament. When he gave it to Yugi, he still had another rare card. The Time Wizard. If it's not Joey's, then where did it come from?

When it started to get later, she thought about the promise she made to Yugi. To come back later for a duel. He's been kind of waiting. Ever since she got serious in her dueling with the collection and research, he'd almost been itching to have a match with her. It made sense, he loved playing Joey. He loved teaching cards. She felt like she was good enough to at least understand the lessons.

But it was raining, the sun was going down soon, and she didn't want to leave the house anymore. She almost made the call to him as she heard the news over the radio she was listening to. In the same vicinity. Around the same hour she'd been walking.

Two people dead. Three were sent to the hospital with serious burns. No witnesses came forward.

Téa picked up the phone. ///Téa: I can't do this anymore!/// She called up Yugi.

"Hello, Téa. Are you still coming over? It's getting later."

"Yugi, I can't. I? Can you come over here?"

"Wha-um? Your place? You want to duel at your place?"

"Maybe," she said. "Maybe talk."

"You want to talk at night, with me?"

"It's important," Téa added. "I need to ask you something."

"Ask me something, really?! Um. Okay. Sure, yes, okay. I will head right over, Téa. No problem."

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YUGI

///Yugi: That would be good. Maybe that would be better. That could be better./// Yugi looked through his closet.

///Atem: I doubt Téa minds what you wear, Yugi. It's also slightly raining.///

///Yugi: Grandpa's dropping me off. It's fine. I just want to look respectable. Somehow. Ooh, I don't see anything in here that's that good.///

///Atem: From the sound of her voice, I believe just getting to her is more important.///

///Yugi: Right. Right, right, you are right./// Yugi closed his closet door. "Okay, as is. She's working up the nerve to say something, and I have to be ready for it."

His grandfather dropped him off at her house.

"I'll be back very soon to pick you up, Yugi," his grandfather warned him. "Unless you want me to wait here?"

"No. I'll call you when I'm ready." Yugi closed the door and went to her front door. ///Yugi: Okay. Private conversation. No big deal./// He knocked on the door. She'd been waiting for him. She looked so nervous. "Hi, Téa, I'm here."

"Great. Follow me," she insisted as she took his hand and brought her to her room. She closed the door behind her and gulped. "Yugi. I have something I need to tell you, and I don't quite know how to." She turned back around and looked at him. "Have you ever had feelings deep inside that you needed to say, but they scared you so much, that you didn't know how to say them?"

Yugi froze. "Uh huh. Does this have to do with your nice hair?" ///Yugi: Is she trying to attract someone? Is she trying to attract . . ./// "You can tell me anything, Téa."

"I know I can, Yugi." Téa moved from the door and hugged him. "I can't keep this to myself."

"Oh?" ///Yugi: It's always so nice in her arms. Oh please don't let me be blushing. Am I blushing? I cannot be blushing!/// Yugi hugged her back. "What is it, Téa?"

"Earlier, when you asked me where I got the Time Wizard card? I couldn't answer, Yugi," she admitted. "I don't know where it came from. I never found it, exchanged for it, or bought it. It was just there in my deck."

Hm "That's strange." At least the unsettled feelings could now settle. "Someone put a rare card in your deck?" There was more than that though, she still looked terrible. Scared. "What?"

"I was sorting through my deck when I left the house," Téa admitted. "I was grabbed by a lot of guys and taken into an alley."

"What?!"

"I thought I did, but then I blanked out," she said softly. "I just found myself upfront at a sno cone stand, a mile away from your house." She touched her head. "I didn't understand because I was in the middle of being attacked and then I was so far away. I thought maybe it was a weird dream, but sleep walking that far out? Then, looking through my deck. I did that because I dropped it when I was grabbed. I dropped all but a couple when I was taken."

Oh, thank goodness. "It had to be a dream," Yugi said, trying to make her feel better. "Maybe some of the scary experiences you've had triggered a terrible dream. As for your deck, I don't know how the card got in there. Maybe someone thought you should have it."

Téa looked off in the distance. "I want to believe all of that. It only made sense. That area though? It made the news today, Yugi. The same exact area, around the same time I would have been walking down it."

Made the news. Wait! "You mean the nearby fire?"

"The description. It was the same guys."

"I remember hearing that on the radio," Yugi said. Two dead, and five with terrible burns. "It could have been a similar gang. Anyhow, it was all by fire, Téa."

" . . . I guess so. It just freaked me out," Téa admitted. "I didn't really want to go walking that late." She tried to smile. "Are you ready? Taking my mind off this weird day would be good."

"You bet, and I wouldn't worry." She looked like she was doing better, just needed to get it off her chest. She must have dreamed it all up. Even the leaving of the house. "You should get some better rest after this, Téa. It sounds like your dreams are affecting your waking hours."

"Yeah." Téa took a seat on her bed. "I'd better make sure I get plenty of sleep every night."

"If you don't feel like walking alone too, you can always call me. Day or night." Yugi smiled.

Playing with Téa felt different. She built her deck differently. Before she had more magic and defense cards, with less vicious monsters. She had a great defense deck still, but she had a lot of attack power now too. She had a base of fire elementals. She used the Flame Swordsman wisely like Joey. She was even using hidden abilities of her cards she hadn't ever used before. She really did get serious in dueling.

///Atem: Her deck has improved vastly, Yugi. How much time did your grandfather help her with it?///

///Yugi: It couldn't have been that long./// A couple of times she had stayed behind on the weekends to learn from his grandpa, but not enough to do or learn this. "You've come a long way, Téa."

"It just feels natural," Téa said. "If I'm going to hang around my duelist friends, then I should have some basics down."

Maybe saving her own body influenced her. That was some time ago though. If it had a profound effect, she wouldn't have had started getting serious about dealing only a few weeks ago. ///Yugi: I don't want to think about this, I just want to enjoy the card game with her./// He really wanted to. "You've gotten very good. Have you considered joining a small tournament? I could recommend one for beginners."

"No," she said. "I don't want to go up against anyone for fun. I just want to work on winning to survive." She sighed. "If anything happens. Is that okay?"

Yeah, the digital world. The seal of Orichalcos. It all finally got to her. "Sure." ///Yugi: Survival. Téa felt like she needed to learn the game to survive. Shoot!///

///Atem: What's wrong, Yugi?///

///Yugi: I really wanted her to like Duel Monsters. Not just learn it to survive if someone challenges her. As much time as she spent with it, I was really hoping that maybe she'd like it more than . . .///

///Atem: What, Yugi?///

///Yugi: Dancing./// "Cards can be fun too, Téa. Besides survival. It's supposed to be a fun game, that's why it's so popular."

"I don't think I'll do this for much longer anyhow," Téa said. "That dream. I was nabbed because I was staring at cards. Obsessed with them. Maybe it was a warning." Téa touched her hair, still slightly curled. "Maybe I shouldn't be trying to change myself so much."

" . . . If you say so, Téa." First and last card game he'd ever play with her.

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MASIKA'S SOUL ROOM

Even this was too much. Her actions had scared the young vessel holding her soul. ///Masika: I should not have taken the card, it only led to her being scared./// She would stay even deeper, only coming out when she sensed absolute trouble. Some of herself had rubbed on Téa. ///Masika: No more. I will stay so far back, only her crying will stir me.///

Until she knew why she was there, and out of respect for the Pharaoh, she would not tamper or let Téa become too close. Téa accompanied the Pharaoh many times, so involving herself with Téa may infringe upon the Pharaoh's own destiny. A sin greater than any she could imagine.

She would remain quiet and still, within Téa. No one would ever know of her presence, unless she was truly needed.