Returning for the Second Round of the YGO fanfiction contest, this time our pairing was Tieshipping (Miho x Honda).

This one's a little... skewed but I still like it.

Pairings: Tieshipping, obviously, but there's some other stuff too. It's a (not-so-) secret.

Continuity: I'm always really bad at picking one. There's a mix of the Manga and English Anime here (sorries!). Either way, this is post-canon.

Warnings: Not any, really. There's tarot reading involved (if you couldn't tell by the title), and if you're anti-tarot/religious in a Christian-ly way that might bother you. It's the only warning I can think of.

Enjoy~

When Miho saw the tuft of white hair poking out from around the corner, she screamed, and every head in the hallway turned to stare at her. She was just a little too excited to find the person she was looking for, it seemed. But then Bakura's friends, Yuugi and the others, quickly peeled around that corner, and suddenly their positions were reversed.

They were glassy-eyed, looking concerned, and Miho frowned. It was only a scream. She wasn't in any real danger.

"Sorry," she said, to break the ice. "Just me."

The lot of them had been acting strangely since their return to school; Miho couldn't quite put her finger on what had happened to them. They had all been close before, hanging together during classes and after school, but things were different somehow. Rather than close, they were tightly-knit: she had never seen any of them alone, and when they passed her and greeted her, it was chorused and not as cheerful as she remembered.

Especially Yuugi, who had always been the brightest of them all.

The new kid that had transferred, the pretty boy Otogi, was also with them. Summer vacation had made them all friends, she guessed, because if she hadn't known better she could have sworn they'd known each other for years. The six of them stayed huddled together in classrooms and in hallways, whispering and glancing around nervously. Sometimes they disappeared completely, and even teachers had difficulty locating the group. More than once, a loud noise in class had set them off, looking around like madmen. In World History, Miho had seen Yuugi visibly start in his seat when a classmate's binder had fallen from one of the desks.

It was not the only change, however, and there was something that she needed to have confirmed for herself.

"I was looking for Bakura," she told them.

He shuffled his way to the front of the gathering. Jounouchi Katsuya, famous for his knack for fighting, made a show of circling around them like a guard dog. Yuugi flashed her a small smile and waved, but his wide-eyes, scared by her earlier scream, made it difficult for Miho to return it.

Bakura seemed surprised that anyone could be looking for him, eyebrows raised as he questioned, "Me?"

Standing there in front of them all was awkward; she felt as though she had to pass some sort of trial in order to get him to break away. She didn't need the rest of them. "Ah, yes."

"Come on guys," said familiar, friendly tones. "Let's give them some space."

Miho squeezed her eyes shut as soon as she recognized the voice. Honda was the last person she expected to hear such a suggestion from.

I wouldn't blame him for wanting to get away, she reasoned. As the group departed, she avoided eye contact with him.

"I…" she began, trying to move onto business. "I know that everyone talks about you being into the occult, and stuff…" Hopefully that wasn't an offensive to him. After all, everyone talked about it, even when he had been a new student. It was something that Miho thought made him interesting and, at one point, attractive.

...was she making a mistake by asking him to do this? There was no one else who could.

Bakura straightened up at the mention of the occult, body rigid in a way that she had never seen before. He had always been gentle and kind. Now he stood in front of her, arms crossed, soft smile fading.

Did I make him angry? she wondered.

"I am," he said. "But I don't…"

Miho didn't want to give him the chance to say no. Bowing as deeply as her school uniform would allow comfortably, she spoke over him. "Will you please give me a tarot reading!?" There were so many reasons to say no. Things may have been awkward between the two of them, too - although from what Miho recalled, Bakura didn't know a single thing about her once-crush on him. Unless his friends told him. And there was Honda…

But she didn't want to be refused, so she didn't look up. She didn't think she could handle seeing the look on his face, not with her heart pounding against her chest. Her face was on fire and she didn't want him to see that, either.

Above her head, she heard a sigh, and she held her breath. This was a stupid idea. Why would he help her when they were already going through something terrible, by the looks of it?

"Well, if it's only a reading… I should be able to do that. Are you free now? It should only take a few minutes."

She did her best to look him in the eye as she thanked him for his time, no matter what her face looked like.

Bakura seemed to know his way around the school fairly well, winding his way around corners like a stray cat in familiar alleyways. Miho tried to memorize their path: around a few corners, down some old, dusty stairs and into the basement... it was dark, and she began to feel uncomfortable. She didn't want to believe that Bakura would hurt her, but when she couldn't recognize where they were, all that she could think of was that he could really, really do something bad and no one would know. No one would find her. The fact that he wasn't speaking to her wasn't comforting, either.

"We're heading back upstairs, up to the top floor." It was as though he had read her mind. "This place is… unpleasant, but we're almost there."

When they reached a dead end, he led her through a large set of double doors into near pitch darkness, and she squealed. Where was he trying to do?

Pausing just inside of the door, the dim light from the hallway made his silhouette visible, he waited for her to step inside behind him. ."This used to be a gym," he told her. His voice was soft the way she had always liked, and it comforted her, perhaps a bit more than she wanted to admit. He pointed towards a corner where a small shine seemed to snake through a crack in the wall. "That's a door we propped open. When we make it through there, stairs to some of the unused room are on the other side."

He offered her his hand, but she shook her head.

"I… I'm fine. I can make it. It's the only light other than the one we're standing in, right?" Holding Ryou Bakura's hand would be too much. She had enough problems with her feelings.

For all of her fear, they crossed the gym without any problems. Bakura had told the truth - there were stairs on the other side. They ascended up, up, up… several flights of stairs, and Miho found herself on an uninhabited floor of Domino High. Everything was silent, even though it was the end of the day, and she realized:

This was where they fled when they didn't want anyone to find them.

Miho took her time to glance around as she trailed behind Bakura. "Is everyone else coming to meet us?"

"No. It seemed like you wanted you reading to be private, didn't it?" He stopped walking, biting his lip, and she thought it looked adorable. "...perhaps I should have asked. We can go back, if you'd like to be around more people. I understand if you don't feel safe here." Bakura muttered underneath his breath and shook his head, but she didn't catch the words.

As much was Miho wasn't fond of being completely alone with anyone, Bakura was kind enough to her, and had been in the past as well. She had no reason to suspect him of wrongdoing. These halls looked exactly like the ones they used for class, and she felt much more comfortable than she had in the basement.

"This is fine."

He sighed while she answered. "...pick a room, then. I'd understand if you wanted a classroom with a window. We're on the fourth floor."

That much, she had guessed.

A room with a window sounded like a wonderful idea. She pushed two desks together so that there would be enough room for them both to sit comfortable. Miho had no idea how long something like this would take, but she hoped for the best. The classroom, with its slightly dusty furniture and papery smell, reminded her of a library and helped her feel at ease. Away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears, the silence ringing in her ears made her feel as though something magical might happen.

She suddenly felt like a foolish little girl.

"...you think this stuff really works, right?" Her voice shook a little as she watched Bakura rummage through his backpack.

His expression was difficult to decipher. "What I think isn't important. It's what you think. At the risk of sounding like some sort of strange salesman, the cards will only show you what you're willing to see."

That wasn't very reassuring, and Miho frowned. "That sounds like… like I can pretend it works, and believe whatever I want."

"Not quite. The idea is that you pour your energy into the cards, and they force you to take a deeper look at signs you've decided to ignore." He smiled gently. "Whatever your question is, you already know the answer - but some people like being in touch with their instincts directly, having them confirmed. They need the extra confidence, you see. You still have to deal with the problem yourself, once you know for sure what it is."

It only took Bakura a few seconds to set up his cards. They were long and rectangular, and Miho studied their backs as he shuffled them. They were decorated with graveyard scenery, a bright moon shining down from the top center. The art style was messy, like paint, and in the hollowed-out curves of the trees were shiny, beady eyes. Miho felt as though they wouldn't do anything other than predict her death

"I thought these cards were supposed to tell the future?" What Bakura had said sounded more believable; it was easier to think that they were supposed to show you what you already know, to confirm it.

Miho frowned. She didn't want her suspicions confirmed.

"They give you a sense of your goal and how that compares to what you want. I love tarot… because it makes you accept the truth of likelihood." He handled his cards gently and with care, shuffling slowly and softly. "Many people ask for tarot not because they want the truth confirmed, but because they want to change what's coming in the future. But that's not what tarot is for."

Feeling a pang of guilt, Miho remained silent. She had convinced him to come all this way - it wouldn't make sense to leave just because she couldn't get what she wanted.

"What have you and Yuugi and everyone else been up to? I haven't heard about your summer vacation yet." Perhaps she didn't need the cards. There was another way to get her answer, after all; she just hadn't been brave enough to take it.

Rather than answer her, Bakura placed the deck of cards on the table and glanced away. "I need you to focus on the question you want insight on, and then cut this deck in whatever way you desire. Think very hard. The more concentration, the more the cards can get from you. You must be ready to acknowledge the answer." He sounded deathly serious.

Miho regretted asking for this. She wasn't ready at all; she already knew the answer to her question. Forcing herself to reach towards the cards, she tried to think of Yuugi and his friends, of what she had already seen.

She thought of the kindness in Honda's eyes that very afternoon, of Bakura offering her his hand in the darkness of the gym, and Miho wanted to cry.

Then it was over. The deck, halved unevenly, sat between them on Bakura's desk. His smile resumed. "You did a good job," he told her, as he combined the cards and began to deal them. "There's some strong intent here."

Nothing felt different. "Really?"

Bakura laid the first two out like a cross, and placed four other cards around it. Then, in a vertical line next to that formation he put down four other ones. Each card had frightening depictions on each surface, swirling faces with knife-like teeth and cleaving claws. They looked like creatures from children's nightmares.

He frowned at the spread. "Reveal your question." His voice was serious. "...if you want, of course. You've got The Lovers and The Tower, so I'd say it's fairly obvious."

Frustrated her apparent transparency, Miho crossed her arms. "How so?"

The smile returned, a bit more smug this time. "One of them's inverted, though. You're attempting to start a romance with someone, and you want to know if it would be successful?" Bakura blushed as he spoke and didn't meet her eyes. "Or at least, deepen a friendship to something closer."

Maybe this stuff does work. Bakura did believe in it, after all.

"I...yes. The first one." There was nothing else to hide behind. Since the cards were already on the table, it would make sense to see it through to the end. "How did you know?"

"The center cards," Bakura explained happily, his face still flushed. "The Lovers are, as implied, a card that is related to romance or become closer to someone. The Tower represents change, and working up the courage to confess to someone is tumultuous at least - and can lead to a pretty big change, not matter what the answer to the confession, yes?"

Miho nodded quietly.

"Do you want to know the rest?"

She nodded again.

"The cards say that you gave up on the possibility of this happening in the past. You either didn't agree to it for selfish reasons or you were unaware of the feelings involved."

And there it was. Taking a deep breath, Miho swallowed and tried to steady her pulse. It was scary, how accurate Bakura seemed to be. How did he know? Did the cards really tell him what was happening? She tried to wrack her brain to recall the details of it herself - he hadn't been there when everything with Ms. Chono had happened, had he?

"Maybe you lost interest, too." He paused, brown eyes settling on her face. "Is this correct?"

Feeling drained, she decided that keeping up pretenses was too taxing. "...I didn't have any."

Bakura pointed to the card above the cross, and one to the right of it. "I see. So now you've changed your mind. You've realized your feelings - that's The Sun up there - and you hope that there's still a chance with this person. The Nine of Cups, is a card that deals with satisfaction or wish fulfilment." Leaning back, he crossed his arms. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The gesture seemed friendly enough, and Bakura had always been so nice to her. But this was a case where the Miho had been completely wrong about a lot of things. From the looks of things, she couldn't correct her mistake. Somehow, she didn't need the other four cards to tell her that. In her mind's eye, could visualize the answer. The reason why she had come to see Bakura. About a week ago, she had seen them all, together, walking to the Game Shop; and with them...

"We don't have to keep going, if you don't want to know."

Hugging herself, she staved back tears of resentment. "Can I just ask you?"

Bakura frowned, and Miho felt guilty. She had never seen so many frowns on his face until this day. "Ask what?"

She couldn't hold them back, and Miho sniffled as she brushed the tears away. She shook her head. "No, I'll… I'll finish it. What do the rest of the cards say?" It wasn't Bakura's fault that things wouldn't work out.

I had my chance, and I said 'no'.

"...I'm not sure if I should. Let's just-"

This was her own fault. "No, no. Tell me."

Bakura looked away. "...I… well… I suppose. If you're sure." Miho didn't object, and after a few moments of silence, he continued. "You've come become more in touch with your feelings over time, realized your folly and have been trying to figure out what you want via reflection, yes? To seek out what is most important."

All true, so Miho nodded. She'd already found it.

"And now you want more answers. There's something else you don't know." Bakura's voice fell nearly to a whisper. "...the last card is inverted."

She assumed that was significant in some way.

Which would be worse - to have the card tell her, or to ask Bakura directly? He and Honda were friends, after all. The last few weeks at school had made that perfectly clear.

"Bakura… I…"

"Well… the last card will just tell you how things look at the moment. It won't change anything."

"That girl…" The tears were gone now, but the sadness remained.

White eyebrows pinched in confusion. "What girl…?"

Miho shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "The one with the red hair - you all came into Burger World last week."

I thought I had time. I took him for granted.

"Ah-! You mean Shizuka? Jounouchi's sis...ter." His hesitation, the way he pursed his lips afterwards as he gathered the cards from the table - neither one helped console her. "Oh." Bakura's voice was suddenly small, almost non-existent. "Your question… it was about Honda."

Unwilling to embarrass herself further, she nodded.

"...and you wanted to ask if they were dating?" The cards were already bundled together, gathered and on their way back to where they had come from.

This time, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in the middle ...you were right, Bakura. I don't need to ask. I'm pretty sure I know." She offered the biggest smile that she could muster, but it didn't amount to much. "That's how life goes, right? Fateful encounters and all that."

Miho stood, and in silence the two of them moved the desks back to their proper places before exiting. She could no longer remember which why they had come from, and resigned to following Bakura back. Perhaps, if she needed a moment of quiet, one day she would disappear from class and see this place again.

After a deep breath, and a sigh, Bakura said, "The doors are locked coming up, not going down, so we'll be not too far from where we were before. School's over, so we just have to be careful when we head outside since neither of us have Cleaning Duty." Miho nodded her agreement.

A few turned corners later, they were are the stairway heading down.

"...and I'm sorry, Miho, that I couldn't bring you better news."

The truth still hurt, but at least she had her suspicions confirmed. It's like a movie, she told herself. Honda's only one guy - there was no guarantee that it would work out, anyway.

Descending a few flights of stairs was much easier than the trek they'd made earlier, and as she took each step, she tried to think more positively. Miho knew for sure, now. She didn't have tiptoe around him. There wouldn't be any need to apologize for her foolishness.

I hope they're happy together. Jounouchi was such a good person, his sister had to be, too.

Yuugi and the rest of them were waiting outside, and Miho put on a good smile, one better than her best. This time, when she met them, they were all smiles, too. Honda eyes twinkled, and Anzu looked as though she wanted to make a joke about her and Bakura having been alone.

"Ryou! We're heading back to my Game Shop," Otogi declared. "Would you like to come with us now that you're done with your secret meeting?"

Miho giggled in the way that she was expected to. "Oh, I just wanted to ask Bakura about tarot cards."

"That freaky stuff, yeah?" Jounouchi chimed in. "Well, he is the person for that, you know. Thinkin' about tellin' the future and stuff, too?"

"I don't have the talent for it. But anyway, thanks for letting me borrow him for a few moments. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Yuugi waved happily. "Have a good day, Miho!"

"Yeah," Honda told her. "You should come and hang out with us sometime."

Deep breaths. You can do this. "Sure, Honda. That sounds nice."

"Ah, Miho." Ryou's soft voice caught her attention more than anyone else's. "...if you want to know what that last card was… please tell me. I won't forget."

Just the reference to her fortune caused her to choke up a little, and she turned away as quickly as possible. "Until tomorrow," she told them, and headed quickly in the direction opposite them.

Hey, folks! I tried a different angle for this - the YGO group post DM, back in school. I tried to show how, for lack of a better term, our heroes suffer from a kind of PTSD, finding it difficult to settle down after having to watch their back throughout the duration of saving the world and all that. I hope it worked.

I also tried to capture the ebb and flow of being in high school, of discovering your potential for sexuality. Miho knows who she wants to direct her feelings towards, but that doesn't make other people unattractive - and sometimes that makes things awkward.

For those of you Tarot-heads, I'll give you Miho's card reading logistics. I realize that there are multiple readings for cards, so I apologize if you felt I didn't go in depth enough/Ryou didn't. Honestly, I don't think he'd be very detailed with something like Miho's romantic woes.

The card spread was the King's Cross spread, with the vertical card laid down first in the center and the second horizontal. The third card is below, and is rest continued in a clockwise manner (fourth on the left, fifth at the top, sixth on the right). The "staff" portion was done vertically from bottom to top (seventh card at the bottom, tenth at the top).

The cards were, in this order:

The Lovers (Inverted), The Tower, Five of Cups, Four of Cups, The Sun, Nine of Cups, Ace of Cups, Two of Swords, Eight of Cups, Seven of Wands (Inverted).

Thanks for reading!