"God damn it, where are my pink tennis shoes?"
The frantic brunette – clad in light-grey athletic shorts, a periwinkle blue camisole and a trainer's bra with a light lavender one-piece swimsuit underneath – raced around her disheveled room minutes before she was due to leave. About 20 minutes had gone by, and Tea's favorite running shoes were no closer to being found. She mentally cursed herself for being so anxious and aloof and forgetting where she put her things. She rechecked her closet, bathroom, under her desk and bed – nothing.
'Oh that's right…' she thought, 'I took them outside yesterday to clean them.' If only she had remembered… that would have saved her those precious 20 minutes of tearing her room apart, and spared her an extra hour to clean it back up later. She raced to her front porch and quickly pulled them on, hurriedly fiddled with the laces until she managed to tie them in coherent knots. She couldn't keep Yami waiting. It was still dark out, with the sun's rays barely peeking over the hills.
-Flashback-
"Man, am I out of shape!" Tea jokily exclaimed to her spiky-haired best friend over a lunch at Burger World.
Yami just laughed at her. "You certainly don't look it. You always look great."
Tea's face tinted red at the compliment, but the pharaoh didn't seem to notice. She silently thanked Ra for that. "Thanks, Yami, really. But I haven't exercised for like a month now, and I'm starting to feel out of it."
He rolled his violet eyes playfully. "You girls are so self-conscious. I just don't get it."
She growled in reply, but he knew she wasn't serious. She knew it was true. Girls are self-conscious.
Yami smirked at her reaction as they cleared the table and exited the small restaurant. "Well then, if you're so worried about being out of shape – would you do me the honor of joining me at the beach tomorrow? We can go running and swimming."
Tea's heart fluttered at the offer. There was nothing she wanted to do more than spend that kind of quality time with him. "Sure, I'd love to!" she excitedly answered.
Yami seemed pleased. "Excellent… let's meet tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn. We'll run until we can't run anymore."
"Ooh, hardcore are we?"
Once again, the famous smirk spread across the pharaoh's face. "What, you don't think you can do it?"
This time, however, it was Tea's turn to smirk. "Is that a challenge?"
"Depends... are you game?"
"Ha… the Game King asking me if I'm game? See you at sunrise." They simultaneously extended their arms to hug the other goodbye.
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye Tea." The teens flashed each other an eager smile before going their separate ways. Unbeknownst to the pharaoh, as soon as she turned the corner, she skipped home with a light heart and a grin on her face that refused to disappear.
-End Flashback-
By the time Tea had arrived at the Domino beach, a chunk of sunlight was visible through the clouds, introducing a hint of orange to the dark sky. Yami was found near Tower 4, as was arranged the night before, doing various arms and leg stretches. He was dressed in gym shorts and a black t-shirt with Yugi's old sneakers. He stood straight and grinned when he saw her.
"Somebody slept in," he teased. "What took you so long?"
"I… couldn't find my shoes," she answered sheepishly, tying back her hair into a short ponytail.
"Good, because for second I thought you had wimped out."
Tea punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Yeah, we'll see who the wimpy one is. You ready?"
"Let's do this."
The two teenagers took off in a short sprint at first, before gradually slowing to a jog along the coastline. Finally, a little over five miles from where they had started, both had slowed to a complete stop, sweating and panting heavily. Tea's muscles, especially her leg muscles, were throbbing. But the burn felt fantastic. She had forgotten how gratifying exercising was. The sun was slowly rising above the water, coalescing with the orange and pink clouds to create the most magnificent scenery.
She glanced at her jogging partner to her right, bent over with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. Even after running five miles, he still looked handsome to her. He may have had a small stature, but he was still very fit. She noticed something she didn't see often – his strong biceps from under his short t-shirt sleeves. A subtle aide-mémoire of how he had bravely rescued her many times before. Her heart gave a slight lurch at the reminiscence.
"I… am probably… going… to be… SO sore tomorrow," Tea said in-between breaths. "My legs are killing me."
Yami looked up, pausing from his recovery. "Aww… c'est dommage." (1)
Tea rolled her eyes. "Oh shut it. I'm out of shape, remember?" Secretly, she marveled at how fluid and smooth the eloquent French rolled off his tongue, as sarcastic as was his intention. His deep and mature voice seemed to enhance the language itself.
"Would you like to go swimming now?"
Suddenly, the ocean looked much more inviting than ever. She nodded, and began to undress, while Yami proceeded to peel off his t-shirt to reveal a tan, well-toned chest and torso. Tea fought herself to keep from staring. Everything about this man seemed attractive to her – even his jubilant hair.
But what intrigued her most was his personality. To anyone that didn't know him well, he seemed like the stoic character: the stiff. Emotionless. Cold. Ruthless. But what people had failed to realized was that he had to act that way; he constantly had to save the world from an unprompted evil out to kill him and everyone he cared for. Including her. But ever since the world's safety was ensured and he was granted an opportunity to live his own life with his friends in the present era, his whole being opened up like a book. He seemed much more carefree and fun to be around, while still retaining his polite and chivalrous behavior. And most important of all, he made her feel extremely comfortable around him.
Anything and everything she wanted in a man.
She had kept her romantic feelings at a distance, from him and herself; she didn't want to complicate his new life with relationships. As much as she sorely desired to be with him, it wasn't meant to be. Their lives were just too busy and difficult.
A splash of cool water snapped her out of her reverie. She jumped at the sudden contact, but immediately knew where and who it came from. With a quick toss of her hair tie and sweaty athletic garments to the sand below, she chased him further in the water, splashing him back like a little child. The water was cool and refreshing to her tired body. The splash fight ceased, and the two worn teenagers settled in the shallow area of the water, relaxing as the slight ebb and flow gently swayed them. Tea watched Yami as he closed his eyes and dipped his head back, his bare broad shoulders peaking through the surface. His face was calm and tranquil, complementary to the peacefulness of the ocean. She found herself captured by his exquisiteness every time she saw him, especially now.
"I'm really glad you came today," he finally said, reopening his gorgeous amethyst eyes to look at her. "It was fun, I really enjoyed it." The sincerity in his voice warmed her heart to the core.
"Me too. I think we should do this more often."
"Agreed. Can I tell you something?"
Tea furrowed her brow in confusion. "Sure, what is it Yami?"
"Come here."
She reluctantly obeyed and half-swam half-crawled next to him. The flux of the water made their bodies touch briefly, sending chills down her spine from the softness of his skin. She looked away, blushing.
"Is something wrong?"
'Curse my hormones,' she thought bitterly to herself. "No, sorry, nothing's wrong. What's up?"
He took a silent breath before speaking. "I am really, really enjoying my life here in Domino with you. I want to thank you for being there for me. You really are a true friend and I am blessed to have you as one."
"No problem, Yami. That's what friends are for, right?"
"Yes…" He freed a hand from the water below and cupped her chin delicately. "There's something else…"
Tea didn't get a chance to think before she found his lips on hers, kissing her gently. Her heart rate sped up at enormous speeds, and continued to accelerate as he parted.
"I… I love you," he whispered. He gazed in her bright blue eyes, searching for any hint of requiting his feelings. His face seemed to fall when he noticed that she was frozen on the spot. He turned away, a troubled expression tainting his handsome features. "I'm sorry, Tea… I shouldn't have…"
"No! It's not that, Yami, I…" she began, flustered. "I love you too! I've liked you for such a long time… it just came as a surprise that you feel the same way. That's all."
His violet eyes lit up like a fireworks show. Before he could move, Tea immediately closed the gap in an enchanting kiss. The sun continued to rise, smiling down upon them as a new day began.
THE END
(1) "C'est dommage", for people who don't know, here means "aww, what a pity" or "how sad". Obviously, in this context it is used with sarcasm.