Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Kazuki Takahashi owns this brilliant manga/show!

A/N(1): Well, hey there, remember that I promised another chapter today? Well here it is, like promised!

A/N(2): Again this chapter might (must) have spelling mistakes, since I'm the author and my usual Beta isn't at home at the moment. She's at school while I'm stuck at home with a sore throat and stuffed nose!

A/N(3): Yes, last chapter was all about Tea and Mai's conversation! Sorry, I could have made it longer but you know how I like it, going slowly! Don't tell me what that sounds like! And that was only half!LoL

A/N(4): Sorry if anybody feels offended by the goth bit in this chapter. It is not intended to hurt or offend anybody. I swear!

Title: Love's Not What It Seems

Chapter Three: The Tale of letting Everything Go.

Mai rubbed circles on Tea's back as Tea cried her eyes out. Mai didn't interrupt to ask why all this, she knew to wait a while for Tea to calm down and tell her at her own pace. Mai had been afraid that Tea wouldn't take up the offer of having Mai help her find her way out of this mess. But Mai knew it wouldn't be simple, as did Tea, since Tea barely got worked up over much. Now was different and Mai was head strong about helping her best friend out. She'd do anything to see Tea smile again.

Just like she used to...before this horrible thing happened to her.

"I'm so...sorry! I'm crying...all over...you." Tea sobbed out in between each sob.

"It's okay hun. I just want you to be fine." Mai soothed her again.

"You're...being so...nice!"

"Well, yeah, I'm one of your best friends, hun!"

"Yeah, but I barely answered your phone calls, and never called you back! I'm not the greatest of friends!"

"Maybe at the moment you're not because I can see that you're in pain and that you don't know if you should tell someone or if anyone will care if you do tell!"

"Then I'm like an open-book!"

"No it's just sometimes you try too hard to hide it from me." Mai smiled at Tea and pushed her back her her seat, abling Tea to sit comfortably. Mai looked through her bag and found a packet of tissues and held them out for Tea.

Tea smiled her thanks and took them. She reached out for the mirror she had saw on the head board and looked at herself. Her eye liner was slightly smudged and she definitely looked like a goth.

"Eesh, hun, like that you look like a goth in the face!"

"Well, it wasn't intended to look like that, you know."

Mai let out a soft laugh," Well, you better finish your breakfast. We'll talk while you eat and after this whole thing is cleared up I'll take you to school and write a note about you being late."

"Thanks but I was thinking of getting a detention so I won't have to catch up with anybody after school. I don't feel like talking to any of the guys." Especially not Yami.Tea thought, dryly.

"Okay, okay. But come on. Tell me already. All from the start!"

"Okay..."

Flashback:

Tea smiled widely while washing the dishes, having told her mother to take a rest. Today Tea was going to do what she thought was the impossible for her! She was going to tell Yami about her deep crush on him.

She had no idea what she was going to do if he didn't return her feelings. She hoped that wouldn't happen. Or if it did happen that he'd turn her down slowly and gently. Tea knew that Yami was excited about living by the side of everyone, not just being a mere darker half of Yugi anymore. He was practically free!

Tea's smiled widened even more, if it was possible. She remembered all the gangs adventures when Yami and Yugi were halves, Dark and Light, they shared. So many! And now that they were in separate bodies she had the feeling that more adventures were to come.

She put away the last dish after drying them all and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Her bedroom seemed so bright and full of life! It was as if it was picking up on Tea's mood. Tea knew that when the actual moment came she'd become nervous and fidget around but she promised herself that she would tell him by the end of tonight.

She rushed around getting into a pair of baby blue shorts, keeping on her yellow tank top which had a small bow on one of the thick straps and a design of Tweety on the front of it. She quickly looked under the bed for her favourite light brown boots, which she liked without the heels. She put them on and rushed to her dresser to brush her hair out.

She smiled at her reflection in her big mirror. She had put on a bit of shimmery lipgloss. Her stomach was full of butterflies just from the thought of Yami.

Okay, Tea, cool off before you start to look out!She thought.

The door bell rang as she was going down the stairs and she felt her blush rise to her cheeks. She opened the door to see that the whole gang was there. She smiled openly at them all; Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Mai, Serenity, Duke, and most importantly, Yami.

They all set off once she closed the front door. They were planning to go to the arcade where they usually hung out. Tea knew that in the arcade the only quiet place was by the rest rooms. She never planned to tell her crush that she liked him by a rest room since it wasn't the best of all the places she could name. But it was quiet and so it would have to do, is what she told herself.

Soon they were playing games and messing around. Yami was laughing, watching someone try to beat Tea at Dance Dance Revolution, unsuccessfully of course. As soon as Tea beat the guy at the game she quickly got off, ignoring requests for another competition from others, the little stage and beckoned Yami over to the rest rooms.

Her nerves did take over the excitement and she had to take a deep breath to clear her system of any negative options like running away.

Tea turned around to look at Yami and smiled, making him smile and look excited. He looks excited! What if he does feel the same way?! Tea caught on thought running through her mind.

"Yami, I have to tell you something. I--"

:End of flashback

Mai looked shocked. She had always suspected that Tea had feeling for Yami and that Tea had guts, but not enough to tell Yami that she liked him!

"Oh my God! Tea, I'm so sorry!"

Tea smiled. She knew that she was slightly obvious on the part of hiding her crush on Yami.

"Mai, it's not your faut! It's no one's fault." Tea never liked when one said 'Sorry' for something that wasn't their fault when what they really meant was ' I feel your grief' or something along those lines.

"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but you've got to get to school."

"Okay," was all Tea said as she finished her fries. She had finished eating her burger by the end of her story. Putting her seatbelt back on she gave Mai the signal to step on the gas.

*

"Okay, hun, here you go. I'll pick you up after school, okay?"

Tea rolled her eyes," You're like a second mum." Mai laughed at that while turning on the radio in her convertible. Let It Rock (Dirty) came on, making Mai bop her head lightly to the beat.

"Well, promise to let me help you get through this, 'kay, hun?"

"Sure, sure, but I really need to go now. Bye!" With that Tea got out of Mai's flashy car and slammed the door, watching her trully best friend drive away. Tea knew that now she had to put on her cold glamour on again in order not to break down.

Only, she didn't know that now there wasn't any old Tea Gardner to go back to. Just stay as the new Tea 'bad-ass' Gardner.