Get Me Off This Crazy Roller Coaster of Love

Note: A Yu-Gi-Oh fan fiction like no other. Joey likes Mai, and Tea likes Joey. Tristan likes Tea as well. Yugi likes a girl named Kana, who loves nothing but dueling. Mokuba's love for his brother remains platonic. Merrick also loves Mai but in a master/servant way. And what of Pegasus ? His love—a voice actress who won't answer his emails. Kaiba could care less about love. So put these all together and you have a very interesting and complex fan fiction.

Chapter 1—Every Which Way But Sane

Yugi and his friends had been involved in dueling ever since he unlocked the Millennium Puzzle, but now matters had begun to get a little peculiar. Pegasus seemed to be on Yugi's side, but it was difficult to know who his real enemies were. He knew he could always count on Joey, Tristan, Tea and Mai. However, being a teenager was difficult. Every day was another confrontation with raging emotions and the onset of puberty. Yugi had begun to feel the effects of being in love with a brilliant duelist named Kana, but she wouldn't even give him the time of day. Sure, there were plenty of other girls at school who would adore dating him but he had no interest in them. Unlike some of the girls who were genuinely interested in Yugi, Kana's only love was dueling. She wanted to be the Queen of Dueling and she had even beaten Yugi on a number of occasions. She didn't fight dirty like Merrick, Kaiba or Pegasus. She actually dealt a fair game and when she lost she accepted it graciously. It didn't matter to her whether she won or lost. She absolutely adored the game and her life practically revolved around it. The only thing Yugi wished she could see was the fact that he was completely in love with her, but she could see no further than the dueling deck in her hands.

Mai had always treated Joey like a younger brother, but she was beginning to see exactly how attractive he was. He wasn't exactly the sharpest tack in the box, but he always defended the women he loved. Tea, who also liked Joey, knew about this relationship and didn't want it to go any further. If she wanted Joey to take any notice of her feelings, she would have to be extremely specific and do something out of the ordinary for her beloved "Godfather of Games".

There would definitely be a confrontation involved unless she could find a way to hold his attention. As for her secret admirer, Tristan, he wanted Tea all to himself but had the same problem that Yugi did when it came to getting the attention of a girl he had a crush on. Valentine's Day was coming up soon and he had to do something drastic or Tea would never know how he felt. One thing was for certain, this upcoming Valentine's Day would be one none of them would ever forget…especially when bullies were involved.

Chapter 2—War on Valentine's Day

Dueling activities usually occurred during the weekends but if a student had a dispute with another student, it was a constructive, strategic way to settle problems and arguments. But with mercurial personalities like Kaiba's, or the gothic types that attended the school. Nothing was ever typical here.

Cards, sweets and roses were being passed out between friends and lovers during lunch and the cafeteria had become chaotic. Other girls who were fawning over Yugi were graciously and tactfully put down while Tristan and Joey had a fist fight over Tea. Tea was surprised that Tristan was even interested in her. All this time, she thought he already had a girlfriend but such was not the case. Mai had already gotten a date for the day. She had graduated from school altogether a long time ago so she didn't have to worry about Joey's heart being broken. She felt no remorse going out with another young man who was a little younger than herself. Sooner or later, Joey would have to learn a relationship with Mai was impossible but at the moment Tea was his main concern.

By the end of the day, Tristan and Joey had reached an agreement. It would be hard for Tristan to accept the fact that he would be single for Valentine's Day. However, when it came right down to it, the whole matter really didn't mean that much. After all, he had his friends and that was all that really mattered. Now if only Yugi was smart enough to realize that.

Chapter 3—Dark Lover

In an outdoor café, Merrick watched Mai eating happily with her boyfriend, a bad boy biker type named Earl. Merrick wanted to capture her and force her to see a movie with him but wondered if his plans would be thwarted by Yugi and his friends. Even if that happened to be the case, he didn't care what the consequences would be. He adored Mai and wanted her all to himself. Using his dark magic, he swept her away and Earl was powerless to stop him. Although he wanted to stop the mysterious figure that had whisked his beloved Mai away, he had found that the man of mystery had already disappeared. He called others to help but most of the people he had contacted thought he was insane. Then he knew what he had to do. He had to get help from those who would take him seriously.

Earl found Yugi and his friends walking to the library.

"Guys ! I need your help !", Earl pleaded, catching his breath.

"Woah, where's the fire ?", Joey questioned.

"Mai's gone missing. Someone's kidnapped her.", Earl responded, able to breathe more fully now. Everyone already knew who had taken her.

"Do you know where he went ?", Tristan questioned.

"No. Before I could do anything, he had disappeared. No one else would listen to me so that's why I told you.", Earl said.

"Everyone, the library will have to wait until later. We have to rescue Mai.", Yugi said, leading the group to where his instinct led him. Earl went along with them and Joey realized he was Mai's boyfriend. He didn't have to wonder about that relationship anymore, but he wondered if Tea would be accepting to his invitation to the upcoming spring formal.

Meanwhile…

Pegasus continued sending emails to a woman named Ai. Ai was a J-pop idol and a famous voice actress. She was still single and Pegasus had done everything in his power to make her notice him. Unfortunately, she never answered his emails even though Pegasus had good intentions. He didn't want any other woman in the world, except for Ai. One thing was for certain, he would never give up.

Kaiba's younger brother, Mokuba had joined Yugi and his friends on the search for Mai.

"Didn't I tell you not to follow me, Mokuba ?", Kaiba said, slightly frustrated.

"Big brother, I wanted to go with you. When I heard Mai was in trouble I thought we should go rescue her. We're doing a good deed for Earl.", Mokuba said. Kaiba didn't understand love, let alone Mokuba's love for him. As far as he was concerned, love was pointless. But, Mokuba was right. They were doing their Samaritan duty and helping someone in need all in the name of romance.

Merrick had been able to threaten Mai with possible torture if she didn't comply with his rules. Although he was a dark magician, he was still a gentleman. He wouldn't take advantage of her even though she was completely vulnerable and unable to fight back. Just as he had feared, Yugi and his friends had burst into his "secret lair" and were demanding to get Mai back.

"I shall, but only on one condition.", Merrick said.

"Why can't you just hand her over ? Why can't it be simple ?", Yugi questioned.

"You of all people should know the answer to that question. I'm a complex immortal. My wager is to have a duel between myself and Earl. Whoever wins, gets the girl.", Merrick responded, smirking sardonically.

" No tricks though, right ?", Earl asked, arms crossed.

"Of course. Let's get started.", Merrick said. With a snap of his fingers, a dueling arena had appeared and they began their game. Earl knew who he was dueling against, but he hoped and prayed that luck would be on his side and he could get Mai back. All the while, he continued to fight and do the best he can to make Merrick realize romance wasn't about force but agreement.

Chapter 4—At the End of the Duel

Merrick could hardly believe his eyes. A typical mortal had beaten him, even when it seemed that he had the upper hand. Mai threw her arms around her bad boy knight and kissed him adoringly. Merrick had admitted defeat and decided to chase another woman who might be interested in his strange ways. Mai was more than glad to be out of that situation and Merrick disappeared from the scene once more.

Joey didn't give one flying fig that Mai had a boyfriend. After all, he had Tea and she didn't even have to dress up in a bunny outfit just to get Joey's attention. Joey had known for some time that Tea had been interested in him but until this very moment, he didn't realize just how crazy Tea was for him. Oddly enough, Tristan couldn't have been happier with Joey's newfound discovery of love. Even if he was going to spend Valentine's Day alone, it didn't matter. He had experienced an adventure that would long-since be remembered.

The friends spent the rest of their day in the library and after studying, went their separate ways. Kaiba was the first to separate from the group, wanting to return home as soon as he possibly could. All the way, Mokuba was rambling on and on about how cool he thought his bigger brother was. Outwardly, Kaiba kept his stoic expression and his unenthusiastic demeanor while in all actuality, he was relishing every moment of praise from Mokuba.

After hours at Pegasus' mansion…

At long last, Ai finally answered each and every one of Pegasus's emails. That night, she had planned to visit him at his place and enjoy his company. Ai didn't really mind the press that she would be getting because of this engagement, but she was glad to meet the poetic soul that was so in love with her. She wasn't certain what to make of his outward displays of affection but she was more than pleased to be treated so civilly by a man for once. She could discern that Pegasus was a real gentleman who wasn't interested in money or lust. She decided to start a friendship with him and allow the relationship to grow. Pegasus was willing to be patient with her because he vowed he could wait for her no matter how long it took. Even if she didn't fall in love with him, he was glad simply to be spending time with her and enjoying the experience of dining al fresco under the stars.

Epilogue

Yugi still found himself the "man of the hour" around ladies during the spring formal but he was still only interested in Kana. Kana finally decided to dance with him when he asked, and he had a feeling that perhaps he was making progress, but he wasn't going to remain grounded in reality. As far as he knew, Kana still only had one true passion, and that was the passion for the duel. As for Tristan, it didn't matter to him that he didn't have a date for the formal. He had gone stag with Kaiba, but he was unexpectedly taken out onto the dance floor by a pretty gothic girl named Dawn who had an incredibly infectious laugh. Oddly enough, the two had a lot in common and became fast friends. Kaiba was more of the wallflower type, but he was having a great time at the formal. Besides, there was plenty of free food and the desserts were exceptional. True, love was still a roller-coaster and it might be insane from time to time but through heartaches and heartbreaks the friends would always have each other.

The End

August 27, 2005