Author’s note: Though it may be obvious to some, I have
taken the character of Teana from the Yu-gi-oh: Forbidden Memories
video game. I will call Anzu “Tea”, her dubbed name, in
this fic as well since the two names are so similar to each other. I
will also continue to switch from Yami’s perspective to Teana’s
throughout this story but I will separate these two points of view with a
few spaces to avoid confusion.
Also, I don't know what the "rules" are about this “memory
world” of Yami's. My guess is that major events are occurring
as they should, but I still doubt that every word that Yami said, or that
the words that were said to him, are exactly the same as they were the first
time. Especially since he doesn't even remember how any of this happened
previously! That much was proven in the real manga when Yami called
Simon “grandpa” which obviously confused Simon. This was
also true when Simon tried to interpret Yami’s strange behavior when
he first returned to the past. So I'm going to go with that idea; that
the characters can interact with him and play off his behavior and what not,
regardless of whatever happened before.
Chapter 2
“Yami… No….” Teana breathed, still powerless to move
forward.
She couldn’t
think….All that coursed through her mind was the sound of pounding inside
of her and the labored wheezing that escaped her lips. And yet….the
room was so quiet….and he was so still…. He had been hurt!
She could see the evidence of severe wounds across his body. And
the blood….there was so much of it, a pool forming beneath him.
She could feel herself growing dizzy, her stomach churning. She felt
sick…..but before her legs could give out, before she could allow herself
to collapse on the floor, she suddenly felt as if she had been snapped awake,
regaining her senses. “YAMI!” she exclaimed as she rushed
towards him.
She kneeled
before him unsure of what to do. She was torn between her paralyzing
dread and rational thought that told her to try to bind his wounds. But
seeing the red strains growing larger against his white tunic only made her
even more fearful! She could barely stand to look! Her hands shaking,
they shifted slightly from side to side as if she were afraid to touch him.
What if she caused him more pain? Or if she did touch him would he still
be….. “Yami, are you there? Yami answer me, please!”
Facing her terror, she had quickly clutched his hand as she had begun
calling to him. *Thank goodness…. It’s still warm….*she
thought, bringing it towards her cheek. There was a part of her that
wanted to let out a sigh of relief at that notion, and yet, that did not necessarily
mean that he was….”Alive….”she whispered, concluding
what her mind had begun. “You’ve got to be alive! Can
you hear me?! Yami please…..please speak to me!” Still
there was no response. He hadn’t uttered a syllable, moved a muscle.
Only the silence endured….. “Yami…”she said,
quietly trying again. She allowed her fingers to intertwine with his.
Teana could now feel the lump in her throat and she could no longer suppress
the tears that were beginning to fall steadily from her eyes. “Why….why
won’t you answer me….? Yami…..I need you…I need you
here…..don’t you understand?! Please stay with me…..I’m
begging you…..please…..” Even now…there was
no reaction….. nothing…. Her heart grew heavy…. completely
overcome with grief. She felt as if she too had taken a fatal blow.
She didn’t know what else she could do! Everything inside
of her was beginning to numb….. She just wanted to give in to
it…those feelings…She was so tired, exhausted mentally, physically,
and emotionally. Gently she laid her head against his heart, not caring
anymore….It didn’t matter to her whether she lived or died.
She thought of nothing else but staying there with him, to be at rest….and
yet even through it all she couldn’t stop herself from crying….
.
*What is that….that sound….?* Yami asked himself internally.
He had
nearly been consumed by the darkness that had been seeking to claim him when
he heard something, someone calling him back again. *It’s barely
audible…. but…I can hear someone…. crying….But why?
What’s happening?* He struggled to regain the use of his senses.
He felt… that someone was there with him! But who.....?
Yami could
feel the pain rush back to him first and a small hiss escaped his escaped
his lips, unheard by the stranger present. He also felt the light pressure
of a head against his chest, but he was still unable to open his eyes…..
As he breathed, he was greeted by the scent of a light but powerful fragrance,
the scent of an exotic flower, a perfume of some sort that seemed recognizable
to him somehow…. *This scent… this hair. I know
them….but from where? Just what is going on? I don’t
understand any of this!* Yami pondered, summoning the last remaining strength
within him.
As he inhaled
again, it caught the attention of the stranger lying with him and he could
hear her own astonished intake of breath. Her… there was a woman
there. His eyelids began to flutter and he struggled to focus on the
figure before him. “Yami!” he heard her say, emotion present
within her voice. Yes, even her voice sounded familiar, so very familiar….His
eyes were fully open now, and his vision was beginning to clear. He
saw the woman’s short dark hair…. her light blue eyes….
and then, her flustered yet delicate face….*TEA?!* He cried from within.
His eyes widened. *Why is she here?!* Yami asked himself, confusion
overtaking his mind. *What does this mean?!*
“Oh Yami….You’ve come back to me….”
Teana choked, tears still streaming down her face.
She smiled.
His hand still within hers, she brought it to her lips and kissed it gently.
She then placed it near her heart with a grateful sigh. “For a
moment I thought…. no…I was sure that I had lost you forever,
that I would never see you again!” she cried. “But you did
come back…..you came back…..” Lowering the hand she
held, she lovingly began to stroke his face, moving his blond hair from his
eyes, only to be puzzled by his unreadable expression. “Yami….What
is it? What’s wrong?!” she asked him in concern. His eyes
continued to stare back at her, but the only emotion that she was able to
comprehend from them was a strange, disturbing bewilderment….
“Don’t…don’t you recognize me? Yami, it’s
me, Teana!” she pleaded.
“Teana….” Yami whispered in response.
*Teana….?* Yami thought again.
He felt
his mind beginning to race, attempting to smash the barriers that protected
any portion of his memory that could possibly be accessible to him!
This girl…Teana…..gazing at her face, he only thought of Tea!
The resemblance was uncanny, with the exception of deeper skin tones, much
like his own. And yet…. as Yami continued to study her, he now
noticed a few other subtle differences too. She was of course dressed
in the attire of that day in age, a short white linen dress, proving to Yami
that she wasn’t simply an illusion or the product of some bizarre dream!
She also wore an array of colorful jewelry of various shapes and designs:
a beaded necklace, bracelets, anklets, a jeweled belt hanging loosely around
her waist, and a pair of hoop earrings. In addition, she had placed
singular beads in her hair as well. This was topped with a vibrant headband
that was tied behind her head and a single braid on the left side of her face,
further distinguishing her from the future Tea. However… perhaps
the key difference was her more…. mature appearance. Much like
Yami himself appeared to be older than Yugi, similarly this Teana seemed to
be a few years Tea’s senior.
Still,
all of this aside, this girl’s existence here presented him with even
more riddles. Like Kaiba, was Tea also originally a resident of the
past, reborn in the present? For what purpose had he met her in this
manner? Especially now, of all times, when he could still feel himself
being pulled from this world. He ceased his questioning when he witnessed
the sadness in her eyes, a sorrowful expression that stirred him from within.
He felt a strange sense of guilt that had begun to overtake him as he
realized that he was the cause of her pain. Though he had not meant
to reveal himself, it was clear that she had sensed something from his behavior
towards her. Her gaze fixed deeply onto his own, as if she were searching
for something. Those sad eyes! What was it about them? The memory
was just beyond his grasp! Tea….Teana…… Tea….Teana…...those
names just continued to circulate as past and present collided in his head!
And suddenly there was a vision; faint, but still one in which he could connect
with….