Chao- Decided to write another one shot based on a single incident found in the anime run of Duelist Kingdom. Like with the one shots "Comfort Objects" and "Words from a Teammate's Heart," this one will have the first few lines in the summary for a theme. Let's see what wonders lie ahead!
Disclaimer: DarkChao1663 does not Yu-Gi-Oh!
Summary: Spinoff to "Words from a Teammate's Heart".Mistakes are human errors enacted from poor judgments, carelessness, or ignorance. Some instances are deemed embarrassing by society or by the one who ratified the blunders. These are common. But such unconcerned acts should not be held over anyone. After all, everyone makes mistakes. One shot.
Warnings: None
Pairings: None
"Talking."
"Thinking."
Mistakes
Mistakes are human errors enacted from poor judgments, carelessness, or ignorance. Some instances are deemed embarrassing by society or by the one who ratified the blunders. These are common. But such unconcerned acts should not be held over anyone. After all, everyone makes mistakes.
Yugi and Tea sat together on a sunny afternoon in a coffee shop at a round table. The two wore their school uniform—dark blue jackets and slacks for the boys, and pink tops and blue skirts for the girls. As always, Yugi proudly wore his Puzzle, which sparkled from the incoming sunlight. In front of them were their individual drinks, Yugi with coffee and Tea with a smoothie. The boy stirred his beverage nervously; the girl had relocated the chair from directly across the table to next to him. Their cards rested in front of them.
"And so," Yugi extended his suggestion to his female companion. "If you're looking to adding new cards to your deck, I think Grandpa could also make a few suggestions. I'm sure there are more cards for you that are Light and Spellcaster-themed cards."
"I see," Tea replied. "Thanks again for helping me with my deck. It's hard to imagine that I actually went against Mai Valentine at Duelist Kingdom."
"Yeah, but you did great against her," the adolescent with tri-color hair extolled honestly. "You managed to combine Shinning Friendship with Silver Bow and Arrow and Elf's Light while also activating De-Spell to Mai's Cyber Shield on her Harpy Lady. Do you think you'll go up against her for a rematch?"
"Only if she's being obnoxious again and if our path's cross," the brunette smirked. "I'd like to wipe that smug smile off her overly make-up face."
Yugi smiled humorously as his hand proceeded to stir his coffee. His eyes landed on Shinning Friendship. "I'm glad me and Tea kept this friendship between us. We've known each other since we were kids, and I'm glad she was there to support me while we were at Duelist Kingdom. I know I couldn't have made it as far without any of my friends."
He was honestly blissful Tea sustained her interests in Duel Monsters. The game involving strategy and monsters was his favorite, and he wanted to include his friends in his most passionate of hobbies. Yet after everyone returned safely from Duelist Kingdom, he had noticed that while Tea smiled when the game had been brought up, she acted passively. Yugi inferred a culprit existed.
The small teen had (shyly) asked his female cohort to accompany him to the café after school for a secret investigation. His friend who lived in the Puzzle encouraged the undertaking and mandated that the petite adolescent speak with her; he had threatened to take control and inquire about his lighter half's childhood for embarrassing stories. Not keen to comply with that result, Yugi aversely agreed to the task. He felt the connection between Yami and him shut off like a valve; he didn't initiate the act, so he presumed his spiritual companion was respecting his privacy. For now.
"Here it goes…"
Yugi placed on a smile. "So, um, thanks again for coming with me."
The girl nodded. She removed her clear straw and watched her beverage drip off into the plastic cup.
"Um, your smoothie isn't too thick or too watery, is it?" Yugi asked.
"No, it's fine." Tea replied. She then joked, "But if you're not careful with your stirrer in your coffee, you may end up causing a vortex in your own drink."
"Oh, um, right." Yugi laughed nervously as he removed his hand from the stirrer and scratched the back of his head. He needed a method to bring up the reason he brought her out to talk. But he couldn't form the correct words. Even with facing duelist who battled for his title, he still bore trouble speaking from his heart. He instead offered, "Uh, you want me to get you some water?"
Before the brunette could reply, Yugi at once vacated their table and headed towards a complimentary water gallon case. Miniature paper cups in small, neatly stacks rested to the side with their bottoms facing up. He reached for one and detached two. He pulled them apart and rested the unused one back onto the pile. He gently pulled down on the black tab. As the water filled up, he pondered what to say next.
Tea watched silently as he exited. She shifted her eyes to the round table ornamented with trading cards. Her eyes fell on particularly Dark Magician and Magician of Faith. She never expected an innocent game could morph into a monstrous-sized event. She squeezed her napkin while her hands rested over her lap and under the table. After taking in a large glimpse and interacting with the newly changed Yugi and the enigmatic spirit of his Puzzle, she pondered if multiple dangerous activities would take place in the future.
"Tea, is everything all right?" Yugi asked, breaking into Tea's thoughts as he placed down the new cup.
"Yeah," the dancer replied in a soft voice. "I was just thinking about Duelist Kingdom."
Yugi paused for a moment after sitting down. "Duelist Kingdom?"
The background clatter of the café hushed as the topic engulfed the Domino High students.
The petite duelist regarded his adventure on an island where he faced the eccentric creator of Duel Monsters as his first real adventure. Prior to that event, he was happy spending time with his newly formed group where they would talk together at break, see movies on weekends, and play videogames after completing homework. He was glad to have had such a crew encourage him as he faced many professional duelists as he fought for the liberation of his grandpa.
"A lot sure happened there," Yugi smiled as he gazed at the table.
"Yeah, a lot did." Tea agreed.
"I was fighting for Grandpa, Joey for Serenity… We even had to go against each other in the finals."
"We also learned a little about the Millennium Items. Pegasus had one. With his Eye and all. And so did Ryou."
"It was good Ryou had the Ring. He was able to guide us out of that cave, even if it ended up with me and Joey dueling the Paradox Brothers."
"Maybe, but there was also that duel between his spirit of the Ring and Yami. It may have been tough, but at least Ryou's spirit isn't as cool Yami."
Yugi shortly turned mute. He stealthily pulled his lips together and stared down in the Spellcaster wearing the purple armor. He had grasped his momentary blackouts resulted in Yami governing his body at times. Though Yami primarily directed the body during dangerous times, Yugi understood his friends had seen him on occasion. He had always pondered how they viewed him, and he received an answer.
Tea picked up the lull in their conversation. Concerned for the male teen's lack of participation, she immediately looked at her buddy, spotting his wounded eyes that stared down at the table. "Yugi?"
"I… I guess," Yugi responded quietly.
Tea realized her offhand remark. She quickly tried to patch up her error. "I mean Yami's cool and all cuz he was able to help us and you get your grandpa back in the end! But you and Joey have your own individual likeness! You—"
"No," Yugi corrected, a pain-filled smile forming across his young face. "You have a point."
Embarrassed, Tea quieted herself to hear out her buddy.
"Yami was able to get us through a lot, like whenever someone was in trouble." Yugi explained earnestly and dolefully, his words falling evenly into each narrative. "He helped me get Grandpa back. He kept us both safe after PaniK shot fire at us. And during that match between Yami and that spirit of the Ring, Yami fought to free us. Meanwhile, I did some stupid mistakes. I'm sorry for those."
"What? Yugi, you have nothing to be sorry for." Tea insisted.
"Of course I do!" Yugi shouted, dismissing his inside voice.
"No you don't! It's not like you could have predicted anything that had happened at Duelist Kingdom. You did the best you could."
"Yes, I do!"
The friends sealed their mouths in a stalemate. While children, Yugi withstood trouble seeing positive qualities about himself, which bullying didn't help. Tea would argue, often ordering him to see a better side to himself. But this time, Yugi refused to submit easily.
The young adult with tri-color hair scrunched his eyes as his shoulders rose slightly in guilt and in rage. "I went out and attacked Electric Lizard without thinking. I tried to act cool, but I was more like an idiot. It was reckless, and you saw me. Maybe you are right; maybe I'm getting as bad as Joey for some of these things."
Tea's heart dropped, and her mouth couldn't form any comforting words. She had been quiet over times when Duel Monsters was brought up because her mind crossed between the game and between the two spirits of the Items. Though the group of friends came out with victory, one incident caught her attention.
Guilt and remorse soon supplanted Yugi's anger. He lowered his tone from wrath to submission. "I'm sorry… if I worried you."
Tea's eyes widened. She hated how habitually their classmates picked on Yugi just because he was different—while boys raced around on the field and participated in a little roughhouse, he kept to himself at his desk with his puzzles and games. She enjoyed their moments together because she experienced genuine fun with him, so she fought off bullies.
Yugi couldn't face his female companion; he felt far too chagrined. He may have given himself a second chance from his mistake, but since others had seen his precarious action, he remained embarrassed. He grew shocked feeling a pair of arms wrap themselves around his shoulders. He blinked confused, trying to process what took place. Returning to reality, he realized Tea was hugging him. His expression grew shocked as his body froze. His cheeks grew pink.
"I was worried," Tea admitted, maintaining her hold. "I didn't know what effect Electric Lizard had. I knew that some monsters could instantly destroy another one or make a player move a card back into the deck. So, to see that effect in action, and to see you like that…"
She was vexed. She understood the spirited heckling boys perform on one another, but she remained concerned for him falling into a pit of peer pressure and his disdain for rejection. She felt proud he had defeated the monster, but a foul aftermath took placed.
Yugi recognized his blunder. He had troubled all his friends because of his senseless deed. His other half tried to warn him while his friends could only watch as his ability to attack next turn was robbed. He wrapped his arms around the girl. He whispered tenderly, "I'm sorry."
The two preserved their position. Their bond began in elementary school, spending time through breaks and projects, so they became acquainted as their conversations developed. He was glad someone was there for him, and she was glad to have someone she could truly be comfortable with.
After their moment of peace, Tea pulled herself away and announced softly, "There's no need to be so hard on yourself."
Yugi merely gazed at his friend and spotted her amused smile but also her sincere eyes.
"I know how you're fighting to be different, Yugi. You told me that you don't want to be the same person you were before the Puzzle. You want to change."
The small teen couldn't help but blush a bit in response. He had publicized his undisclosed desire for change to his childhood companion because of their bond. He viewed she would fathom his aspiration best.
"I think that's great." Tea admitted sincerely. "I think it is best to learn from mistakes, but don't let them get you down. I know I've made plenty."
"You, Tea? I can't believe that."
"Well of course I have, silly! I've done small ones, like lying to you about working at Burger World. But there is one big one: For a while, I couldn't tell the differences between you two. One moment we were facing someone menacing, and the next we would see what we thought was you. It seemed bizarre, but then we got to meet Yami throughout the duels. I'm sorry that I mistook Yami for you."
"You don't need to worry about that. I didn't know what was going on for a while either. During those duels, I'd hear a strong voice. I didn't know what to make of it for having Yami, really."
"But even so, you two trusted each other, which came really handy in your game against Pegasus. And before that, towards the beginning of the tournament, I tried hard to get you to coach Joey while he went up against Rex. I acted loutish because I didn't want Joey to lose his chance for saving his sister's eyes. That was my mistake."
She turned quiet. Duel Monsters was intended to be a fun game where players take the seat of wizards and summon great monsters while strategically placing in magic and traps. The idea may have spawn from Egypt, and many opponents may have twisted it into a deadly match, but such actions didn't stop the group of high school students from playing.
Yugi began to apprehend his companion's viewpoint. He didn't want to belittle her or berate her for her caring actions. He needed her proud and cheerful spirit in his duels and his everyday aspects of life. He smiled as he stacked her cards together.
"It's all right." he insisted, sliding her deck with Shinning Friendship on top. "You were only trying to do what your heart was telling you. I like that."
Tea laughed, "And I like how Joey and Tristan are helping you change, but I don't want them to take your eager personality away from you."
"Then I don't suppose I'm getting as bad as the guys, am I?" he joked.
"Let's just say it wasn't a mistake for you to be friends with them." Tea winked. "And it looks like you were also destined to be friends with Yami, too."
Yugi smiled. He was glad Tea was getting along with everyone else he had met. Their acquaintance may have been a coarse start, especially with their ideas of how to help Yugi mature from his introversion, but their relationship morphed into harmony.
The clamorous background of the café returned to play. Though the group made plenty of mistakes, they had vowed to learn from them for the better.
The End
Chao- It's interesting how all these characters see this one event.
YChao- Only because you put it there.
Chao- Just thought it would be a fun. For some reason, this one was tough, which is weird because Chao is pretty good at writing Yugi and Tea fan fics. Guess one reason was because while the theme of this fan fics was mistakes, it seemed like others themes could be role models or apologies or self-image or maybe even trust. But after a lot of revisions, it got easier. Thanks for reading! Please review!