A/N: Sorry about the delay. As I was prepping the next chapter for last week, I realized it didn't flow very well and left a lot of gaps. So over the past week I've been revamping it and writing two new chapters in between. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter Seven: A Chance Encounter
Téa slowly drifted up the stairs, the evening she'd spent with Mokuba still vivid in her mind. A myriad of details floated through her memory: the playful glint in his blue-grey eyes as they bantered, the spicy smell of his aftershave washing over her as he leaned over to let her try a bite of his chicken parmesan, the gentle touch of his hand on hers as he walked her to the door. She smiled through her sleepiness and relished the thought that he would be at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow, and then at the wedding. They could sit together, she thought, as neither of them were in the wedding party. Téa allowed herself to wonder if maybe Mokuba wouldn't want to come see the show sometime. "I'll have to ask him next time," she told herself. She stifled a yawn.
"Late night?" Téa looked up to see Yugi standing at the top of the stairs.
"Yugi! Wow, I haven't seen you in forever!" Téa scoured him with hungry eyes as she scrambled over the last few steps. He was so tall! Well, actually, compared to Joey or Tristan he was still rather short. But compared to the shrimp he'd been when Téa'd last seen him, he was gigantic! Looked like he'd finally gotten his growth spurt. Well, better late than never. His height wasn't the only change in his appearance, Téa noticed, although it was certainly the most obvious one. He'd lost his baby fat and with it some of the childish look his face had always had. His eyes seemed more angular and his mouth had a rather determined set to it. In fact, Téa realized unsettlingly, he looked rather like the Pharaoh.
A soft smile played over Yugi's lips as he watched the wide blue eyes drift over his form. "Hello, Téa," he said.
…..
Mai paced the length of the cream-colored carpet. At the end, she turned and retraced her steps over it again. "Where is that girl?" she muttered fiercely. "It's late; she ought to be back by now."
Serenity, lounging on her bed, looked up from her book to watch the blonde with amusement. "It's only quarter 'til eleven," she pointed out, "and it's not like Téa has a curfew after all."
"I know that!" Mai scowled. "But…"
Serenity narrowed her hazel eyes. "Mai…have you been scheming again? Did you set something up?"
"Oh, I wouldn't really call it a scheme, Serenity. More just a little stratagem," Mai purred.
"Mai, what did you do?" Serenity demanded flatly.
"Nothing, really. Let's just say I arranged for a certain someone to be waiting for our blue-eyed darling when she gets back from her excursion with Mokuba." Mai frowned. "Though all of that's going to go down the toilet if Téa doesn't get her butt back here before the sun rises."
Serenity sighed. "We've been over this, Mai. It's not really our business…" She was cut off by Mai holding up her hand for silence.
"Shhh! I think I hear something!" The two girls strained their ears. A cat-like grin lit up Mai's face. "It's Téa," she whispered, "and Yugi."
…..
Yugi smiled at the expression in Téa's eyes as they flickered up to meet his. "Yugi," she breathed.
"I know," he nodded, "I've gotten sooo big." He mimicked an old granny and Téa smiled appreciatively.
"Yeah, you have. You can't blame a girl for being surprised. Now I have to look up at you."
"Well, imagine how I feel; I have to look down at you."
"I haven't shrunk!" Téa protested. "You're the one who's shot up all the sudden."
Yugi nodded compliantly, his violet eyes still twinkling. It was true, Téa hadn't shrunk, or grown either. But that didn't mean she hadn't changed. She carried herself with a dancer's poise, and her long graceful limbs now bore a muscular tone. Her face was thinner and more angular as well, making her high cheekbones prominent. It was almost as if the soft and vulnerable about Téa had been melted away in a refiner's fire, leaving this sophisticated woman where the straightforward girl he had known had been. His voice was softer as he spoke again, "You're different too, Téa."
She nodded guardedly. "I suppose I am."
"How is life on Broadway?"
Téa pulled a face. "Dramatic. I don't know if I've ever seen so many divas in the same place before. It's a wonder the stage doesn't collapse under the weight of all those egos."
Yugi chuckled, eliciting a grin from Téa. She took a seat on the stairs and Yugi did the same. "Do you enjoy it?" he asked.
Her nod was immediate. "Yeah, I do. I really do. When those curtains go up and it's just you and the lights and music, and it's right, y'know, you get this feeling…it's just incredible." Her eyes shone. "I love it, Yugi. It's like for that one moment, when I'm dancing, I don't have to worry about anything. Nothing's wrong, nothing's broken, there's no problems. Everything's right. It's like magic."
"Well, you are the Dark Magician Girl," Yugi grinned.
"You heard about that?" A soft blush swept over her cheeks.
"Y-yeah. Why?" Yugi wondered why she seemed so embarrassed.
Téa shrugged the question off. "No reason." Her voice grew hesitant, wistful even. "Did you know I had a dream about it once?"
"A dream?"'
"Yeah, a dream about starring in The Dark Magician Girl in the Moonlight. It was back when I was in high school." Her voice was very soft, almost inaudible. "You were in it."
Yugi looked at her in surprise. "I was?"
She nodded. "Do you remember when we were all trapped in Noah's virtual world?"
"I remember. We were all separated and the Big Five was after us, trying to win our bodies."
"Uh-huh. Well, while I was on my own, I had this dream. We were at school, and you gave me the Dark Magician Girl card. And then you started talking about when we went to go see The Dark Magician Girl in the Moonlight."
Yugi gave her a puzzled frown. "But we didn't ever go see that."
"Yeah, I know. It was a dream; it doesn't have to make sense. The point is, in the dream we went, and the Dark Magician Girl called me onstage, and then I was the Dark Magician Girl, and I was dancing. It was just the lights, the music and me, and…it was just a dream…but there was that feeling, that everything was right." Yugi smiled. Téa took a breath and went on, "And I looked down and there were you guys."
"Me and the gang?"
"No," Téa shook her head, "you and…"
Swiftly, Yugi understood. "Me and Atem," he whispered.
She nodded, and a fresh wave of pink suffused her cheeks. "Anyway, it was just a dream," she said, getting to her feet. "It was nice talking to you, Yugi."
"Yes, it was nice," Yugi agreed, standing up. "It's been too long, Téa."
She nodded slowly. There was something almost sad in her eyes as she looked at him. "Yes, she agreed softly. "I think it has been too long."
She lifted her hand in a sort of half-hearted farewell, then turned and walked away. Yugi watched the blue-eyed girl disappear down the hall. He almost started after her, but checked himself. Téa Gardner could go where she liked, with or without consulting him.
……
Serenity leaned against the wall, arms crossed and face even crosser. "I can't believe you, Mai. You're actually listening at keyholes? What is this, a Jane Austen novel?"
"A what?"
"Jane Austen. Y'know, the famous romance novelist. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Ringing any bells?"
"Sorry, hon." The blonde glanced back at Serenity. "Mind piping down a bit? I don't want that high pitched voice of yours to tip them off."
"Oh for crying out loud!—Téa!" Serenity blanched as the door swung open and the brunette walked in, nearly smacking into Mai, who scrambled to her feet.
"Oh, you guys didn't have to wait up for me. That was sweet, though," Téa smiled, oblivious to her friends' momentary panic.
"That's all right," Serenity said, not about to tell her that it had more to do with Mai's schemes than Téa's convenience. "So, how did it go?"
"Very nicely," she grinned. "I had a lovely time. It was great to talk to Mokuba."
"Did he kiss you?" Mai pried.
"Whaa? No!" Téa's cheeks turned red.
"Did you not want him to kiss you?"
"Mai!" Téa pressed her hand to her face. "It wasn't like that! It wasn't…it wasn't a date, okay."
"It wasn't?" Serenity asked curiously.
"No," Téa shook her head. "It was just a…outing, that's all."
"Oh." Serenity sounded like she wasn't sure what exactly to say to that.
"Hmmm." Mai eyed her shrewdly. "So, did anything else happen?"
Téa gave her a puzzled look. "Anything like what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Did you run into anyone else, perchance? Have any interesting conversations?"
Téa's expression slowly hardened as comprehension filled the blue eyes she raised to meet Mai's violet ones. "I had several very interesting conversations with Mokuba," she replied curtly, "and I enjoyed a delicious dinner, and had a wonderful evening out."
"And Yugi? Did you see him?" Mai said.
"As a matter of fact, I passed him on the stairs. Were you looking for him?"
Mai made a "tcch" sound, before shaking her head and saying, "No."
"Neither am I."
