Yu-Gi-Oh! Return of the Pharaoh
Chapter 9: Meet the Millers Part II
The sun beat down intensely upon the six teenagers frolicking in the sparkling blue water. Laughter rose above the waves that delicately nipped at the sparkling white beach. Yugi, Téa, Joey, Mana, and Tristan splashed about in the water, playing fun water games that had all of them soaked through and through. Atem and Desani, after initially playing with the festive foursome, decided to recline on the beach chairs to sunbathe. The beach furniture consisted of six blue and white leaning chairs that were neatly arranged into a semi-circle and two blue and white hammocks. Small circular tables were placed in between each two-chair interval, and a fire pit was in the center of the semi-circle, in case of the need of a fire. All of this was situated on the left side of the beach, a little ways off from the boys dressing rooms. The hammocks swung from the leafy trees that stood over the sitting area. In fact, the beach was actually very private and exclusive because of the green vegetation that surrounded the beach on all three sides, only breaking for the widening trail that led to it. The green vegetation contrasted beautifully with the white beach and blue water, making it truly seem like paradise.
Watching their friends, Atem finally turned and looked over to Desani, who was sitting in the chair next to him. They were both in the two middle chairs, with tables and two more chairs on either side of them. Refreshments were set out on all of the tables, just in case any of them were to get hungry. Atem was surprised to see her eyes closed, soaking in the sun's radiant rays. He watched in awe as he saw her copper-tone slowly turn into a rich gold, making her seem even more exotic. Finally catching how hard he was staring, he cleared his throat, hoping that the blush he was feeling hadn't appeared on his face. Hearing the slight interruption, Desani opened her eyes and looked at Atem curiously.
"Yes, Atem? Is anything the matter?"
"Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to bother you. And no, nothing's the matter. It's just…" Atem cut off, not sure why he added that. Was he trying to tell her something?
"Yes…? It's just what?" Desani questioned, her interest beginning to peak.
"Well…" Atem drawled out, trying to buy some time.
'Why did I even open my mouth and say something? Now she's expecting me to say something I wasn't even planning on saying. What do I do? Get a hold of yourself! And enough stalling. Desani is waiting for an answer and you're just staring at her like a huge buffoon!'
"I just…" Atem, still unable to think of anything to say, blurted out the first thing that went through his mind, "I just think that you're a very beautiful and brave woman."
"Oh!" Desani exclaimed, seemingly surprised at Atem's random admission. "Well, thank you. I'm glad you think so highly of me." She looked directly at him and sent her one of her dazzling smiles.
"You're… you're quite welcome," Atem replied, slightly dazed at her amazing smile.
"Well, is that all?" Desani questioned once again.
"I beg your pardon?" Atem asked, caught off guard by the unexpected question.
"Was that all you wanted to tell me? It seemed as if you had more to say," Desani answered.
"Well…" Atem drawled out again. In all honesty, he really did have something else he wanted to tell her, but seeing as he's only known her for a few hours, he didn't think it was appropriate for him to say it. He was actually very scared that she would take it the wrong way. He didn't want to mess up his friendship with her when it was just starting to grow, but apparently Desani knew what he was going to say, so it was best if he didn't disappoint her. He sighed and sat up in the chair, swinging his long legs off the chairs long body to the white sand beneath him. Desani mimicked him, understanding that what he was about to say was to serious to be revealed in a casual position.
"I don't exactly know how to tell you this, Desani, but in the time I've known you, I've seen to grow… quite attached to you in such a short period of time. When I saw you… just laying there crumbled up in that alley, I almost lost it. You're a good person, and I was unsure as to why someone would want to hurt you in such a way. That's why when you came to, I was the one who was holding you in my arms. Not Yugi or one of the others, but me, and I guess it's because I feel… protective of you, I guess. There's this part of me that just doesn't want to see you hurt. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Atem asked, bowing his head slightly out of embarrassment, but surprisingly eager to hear what she had to say. After a few moments past without him receiving an answer, Atem looked at Desani and was confused to see the look on her face. It was one of almost certain skepticism.
"You- you feel protective of me?" Desani finally asked him.
"I know it's strange, but I can't deny it. I'm like that with all of my friends, because I don't want to see any of them getting hurt, but it's only weird with you because I haven't known you for a day and already the feeling of protection has developed within me."
"Atem…" Desani breathed out. To his surprise, Atem felt Desani reach out for him, taking hold of his hand. She squeezed it lightly, wanting him to look directly into her eyes. He did, and yet again he became mesmerized by what he saw there. Not the colors this time, but the emotions. It wasn't too clear as to how she was feeling at that particular moment, but it was exciting for Atem to know that she was feeling something. Her holding his hand only heightened his excitement. For several moments they stayed like that, she looking into his eyes, he looking into her eyes, she holding his hand. Their faces were considerably close to each other, but Atem didn't notice. Subconsciously, Atem leaned his head in slightly closer, but Desani instantly recognized the motion. She pulled back and stood up, but still holding his hand. Confused, Atem looked up at her. Smiling, she tugged lightly on his arm.
"Hey, I have a game we can play with the others before it gets too dark out. Would you like to try it out?" Desani inquired.
Atem, slightly relieved at the distraction, nodded. "Of course," he said. Looking around, he realized how low the sun had actually gotten. Now the blazing glory was settling comfortably above the horizon, looking more than ready to dip into the dark golden setting light, marking the end of the evening and the beginning of night. "If we are going to play this game, I suggest we hurry," Atem said, directing it to Desani.
Nodding, Desani pulled Atem behind her to their friends, still holding onto his hand as they ran. Finally at the edge of the shore, Desani dropped Atem's hand to wave at their friends, motioning that she wanted to talk with them. After catching sight of Atem and Desani, the four reluctantly walked to them, not really wanting to leave the warm water.
"Yea, what's up guys?" Joey asked.
"Yea. And why did you guys get out so early? You guys missed out on a lot of fun," Tristan pointed out.
"Well, we were just getting to know each other better, that's all," Desani replied. "Are any of you interested in a little challenge?"
"Yea!" Joey and Tristan exclaimed simultaneously, not even waiting to hear what it was.
"Sure. What type of challenge is it?" Téa asked.
"An endurance challenge." Moving to the edge of the water, Desani extended her arm and pointed to a buoy bobbing up and down in the waves far off in the distance. "That buoy over there is exactly one mile out to sea. I normally race my brother and sister to see who can get there the fastest. How about we all do that? Let's see who can swim all the way to the buoy in the shortest time. And if you're worried about drowning, don't worry. My brother and sister are always on the lookout, and I am a certified lifeguard. So if I see you're in trouble, I can quickly come to your aide. Anyone up for the challenge?"
"Yeah!" Joey and Tristan simultaneously exclaimed, pumping their fists in the air with excitement.
"I'm up for it," Mana replied.
"Sounds like an interesting challenge, just as long as nobody's life is put in danger," Atem added, agreeing with caution.
"Of course," Desani said. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to none of you. I am used to doing this, and I am a very skilled swimmer, but since none of you have done this before… how about this. How about we all swim in pairs? That way, if anything happens, somebody will be close to shout for help? I will be over in a flash. Is everyone cool with that?"
"Yes," Joey, Tristan, Mana, and Atem all replied.
"Um… I think I'm going to sit out on this one. Is that ok with everyone?" Téa asked.
Everyone turned to look at her, surprise and concern etched on their faces.
"You're not scared, are you Téa?" Joey asked. "It's not like we haven't been through worse-OUCH!" Joey howled as Tristan roughly jabbed him in the side with his elbow.
"Hey, man, what was that-" Joey cut off as he caught sight of Tristan's meaningful glare. "Oh, right. My bad," Joey quietly murmured, remembering Desani's presence.
Téa smiled weakly at Joey. "No, Joey, I'm not scared. I just don't feel very well, and after all that playing in the water, I just wanna go and lay on those chairs."
Unbeknownst to Téa, Desani was watching her expressions from where she stood, knowledge illuminating throughout her. She pinned her eyes on her until Yugi suddenly spoke.
"Are you sure?" Yugi asked, voice filled with concern. She nodded at him, a smile on her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey guys… I think I'm going to sit out on this one. I'm gonna chill with Téa."
"Yugi! That makes the numbers uneven, leaving one of us without a partner!" Mana complained, her face dropping with sadness.
"How bout you swim with Joey and me?" Tristan asked.
Mana immediately brightened at the idea. "OK. You, Joey, and I against Atem and Desani. Is that cool?"
"I have no objections" was Desani's quiet response.
"Neither do I," added Atem.
"Then let's go!" Joey said, determination already writing itself within the contours of his sharp face.
"Alright, then." Walking up to the edge of the shore, Desani motioned for the others to do the same. "Let's all line up parallel to the water's edge, so that everyone has an equal starting point." They all quickly obliged to Desani's orders. "Whenever everyone's ready, I will do the start." Looking over to Téa and Yugi, she suddenly asked, "Are you two certain you do not wish to partake in this challenge?"
Desani's response was a head bob from Téa, and after seeing Téa's reply, Yugi nodded his head as well. For a split second Desani stared at them, and an eyebrow raised questioningly at them. Then, she immediately broke into a small smile, almost as if she knew something they had yet to find out.
"OK. Ready, everyone?" Desani directed at the other four. All nodded yes. "On your mark…set…GO!"
They all charged into the water, running at first, but going horizontal once the water was deep enough. Legs kicked and arms pumped as they all raced to the finish mark a mile away from them.
Who knew what awaited two certain individuals at that mark…
~*~*~
Miraculously, none of the swimmers were met with the threat of drowning. It was as if they had all swam their best that day. But even their best couldn't help them beat the overly skilled Desani Miller.
If they could have seen her from above, they all would have had no problem calling her 'The Human Torpedo'. Her body tore through the water, her arms and legs moving in a rhythmic pace as she swam gracefully and swiftly through the water's currents.
When Atem finally reached the buoy after about a half an hour, he was surprised to see Desani already resting on top of the buoy.
"Wow. You must be an incredibly talented swimmer," he remarked as he removed himself from the water and hoisted himself on top of the buoy next to her.
"Maybe," Desani modestly replied. "It's actually just apart of my daily workout."
Atem stared at her through wide, unbelieving eyes. "So you actually swim a mile a day?"
"Yes" was her simple reply.
"I see," Atem said. Grinning, he decided to tease her. "No fair, Desani. If you do this on a daily basis, then that basically gave you an unfair advantage."
"Oh, my apologies," Desani said. Feeling guilty, Atem was about to explain that he was only joking, but she stopped him. "I know that you were only joking, but it's also quite true. I actually wasn't competing with all of you. I just wanted to see how all of you would do in an activity that is outside of your norms. So technically, you are the winner, Atem."
"Oh…umm…thank you," Atem replied, not sure if he was happy with letting her forfeit her win over to him. She won fair and square, whether she was merely observing them or truly competing.
"I know it's difficult for you to take a forfeited win," Desani added, catching on to what Atem was thinking, "but it's really not a problem. You are a very talent swimmer yourself. You finished much sooner than I had anticipated."
"I did?" Atem sheepishly asked, surprised that he was able to impress Desani.
"Why of course," Desani replied, smiling softly. "I wouldn't ever lie to you."
The look she was giving him made Atem's heart flutter, causing him to look down and slightly blush.
'Why is it that every time I'm alone with her, I start feeling like this? What type of effect does she have on me? Could this mean something?' As he thought this, he suddenly realized he placed himself right next to Desani; the sides of their bodies lightly rubbed against one another.
"Atem?" Desani suddenly said, lightly placing her hand over his. "Are you alright? You've been sitting here just looking at me, and I'm worried about what has you so distracted."
"Oh, Desani I'm sorry," Atem replied, trying to ignore the electric pulses that were running through him- all because of one, innocent touch. "I am fine. I didn't mean to drift off like that. I was just thinking."
"Is there a problem? If there is, then I would love to help you with it," she offered, turning her body to give him her full attention.
"Oh, there's no problem," Atem assured, his face growing red at his embarrassment. "I apologize if I made you think there was."
"I graciously accept," she replied in her all to regal manner. "But from the expression on your face you were clearly deep in thought. Do you mind sharing with me?" Desani inquired with light curiosity.
Atem looked down, away from her lovely, worry-filled eyes. He immediately realized that because of Desani's shift, her left leg was lightly pressing against his right leg, and as it finally registered in his mind, his whole body began to tremble from the electric pulses that surged and raced throughout his frenzied nerves. Not to mention, Desani still had her hand over his, Atem swore he was about to lose it.
'Stay calm… stay calm… stay calm…'
"Atem, is everything ok?" Desani asked, her voice suddenly filled with a tone of urgency.
"Actually…no," Atem finally confessed. "Desani, I know I'm acting weird, but it's just… well…"
"Well what?" Desani pressed, a worried expression still on her lovely face.
"It's just that… well, I can understand if you don't believe me, but after only knowing you for just one day, I seem to have…" Atem stalled, not sure how to finish his sentence. "I seem to have become smitten with you."
Atem turned his head away from her after saying this, trying to hide the bright blush that lit up his beautifully tanned skin. But what he said was very true. He didn't know how it happened- maybe it was when he first spoke to her…maybe it was when he held her after finding her in that dark alley- but it just happened. He had caught feelings for her in a very short period at time. However, he had no idea how she was feeling about his confession on him. Keeping his head turned, he waited for an answer from her that would stop the thumping deep within his chest. Moments passed… Desani hadn't uttered a word. Curious, Atem turned to look at her, and was puzzled at what he saw.
Desani was frozen still, looking straight in front of her. She wasn't smiling, frowning, smirking… nothing. Atem studied her profile and realized that although her face was frozen, her magnificent eyes weren't. Her eyes were pinned on a location in front of her, but what he read in her eyes made his heart stop. What he saw made him immediately want to take his words back.
Desani's eyes seemed to say, "What just happened? What have I done?"
~*~*~
Yugi watched as his friends plunged into the water, all determined to get to the buoy in the distance. He watched in pure amazement as Desani immediately took the lead, the water gracefully surrounding her as she broke into the fastest freestyle stroke he was ever able to witness. Once the sounds of his friends were drowned out by the currents of the water, Yugi turned and walked over to Téa, who was already reclining in one of the available chairs. Interesting enough, she was sitting in the same chair that Desani had occupied just a few moments earlier. Finally reaching Téa, Yugi sighed as he softly dropped himself into the chair next to her- the same one Atem was reclining in not too long ago. Yugi sighed again, clearly being told by Téa she didn't want to talk. Her arm was draped over her face, concealing her eyes and dangling lazily on the other side of her head. But despite her obvious sign, Yugi ignored it.
"Téa, I think we need to talk."
"Not now," Téa weakly replied.
Detecting her soft response, Yugi immediately became worried. "Téa, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. I wanna go home," Téa replied.
"How are you feeling overwhelmed?" Yugi asked, probing for answers to her strange behavior.
"That's none of your business," Téa suddenly snapped. "I just don't want to be here anymore."
Yugi looked with shock at her. For as long as he's known her, he couldn't remember the last time she snapped at him. In fact, he couldn't recall her ever doing it at all. With sad eyes and a heavy face, Yugi continued to stare at his best friend.
"What is wrong with you? You've never used that tone with me for as long as I've known you," Yugi said.
Téa sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"Well you can make it up to me by telling me what's wrong," Yugi replied, already showing that he wasn't going to let her shut him down again.
"Can we just leave it alone?" Téa wearily pleaded.
"No."
With surprise, Téa stared at Yugi. 'Wow… when did Yugi find his voice? Normally he would just give in to my requests, but for some reason he's not doing that tonight. Why… I know why. It's her. It's always her. Ever since we've met her, she has just changed everything. And then Atem came back, which just makes matters even more confusing. And now both she and Atem are out there, most likely bonding, and getting even more acquainted, and… and…' Téa immediately stopped her pondering, not wanting to continue. Tears began to drip from her sapphire eyes, momentarily forgetting that Yugi was watching her like a hawk.
"Téa, why are you crying?" Yugi asked, hurt because his best friend wouldn't even talk to him.
"Oh, I don't even know," she replied, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "All I know is that ever since Desani came around, I just haven't been me."
'Finally, she's talking to me. I should've known it was about Desani, but what is her problem with her now? I thought she had gotten over those feelings toward Desani.'
"Why do you say that? Why can't you be you around Desani?"
"Because… because… because I just can't!! Desani is PERFECT! P-E-R-F-E-C-T! Everything I seem to do in comparison to her just doesn't seem to measure up. Sure, I don't have a problem with people being better than me at certain things, but she's better than me at EVERYTHING! And just look at the way you, Joey, and Tristan act around her. Yea, you guys are her friends, but I see the looks that you guys give to her. Even Atem, he's just met her and already he's acting head over heels." Téa began to break down after she said this. "I mean, it's not like I want you guys to fawn over me like how you guys do her, but it's like… like I'm not even a girl when she's around. She takes all of the spotlight. She's the very essence of womanhood, and I just feel like I can't compete, even when I shouldn't want to compete since she's my friend. And I'm sorry Yugi, but as long as I feel like this, I just don't see how a friendship is going to develop between me and her. I will feel jealous, inferior, and irrelevant. It just won't work." After getting out her last words, Téa was overwhelmed. Her whole body shook from the sobs that ran rampant throughout her body. She began to curl into an upward fetal position on her chair, rocking back and forth, tears appearing to be nonstop.
'Téa… I didn't even know it was this bad for her. I honestly don't know what to tell her. I can't something that could cheer her up that would also be insulting on Desani's part. They're both my friends, and I don't want Téa feeling like she has to compete with her. She and Desani are beautiful and amazing in their own special ways, but right now, I don't think Téa wants to hear all of that.'
Seconds passed as Yugi sadly looked at Téa in her pathetic and hopeless state, not knowing what to do. Yugi got up and sat with Téa on her chair, and wrapping his arms around her, he forced her to get out of her fetal position and lie back with him. He held her in his arms as she cradled her head into the crook of his arm, sobbing softly into his shoulder. Despite this seemingly romantic position, Yugi could only worry about Téa's wellbeing. He had never seen her in such a vulnerable position, because when it was just her and the guys, she was stronger and more confident. But it seemed with the introduction of Desani, even Mana, Téa was becoming a former shell of herself. She was less confident, more self-conscious, and not as open as she used to be. It seemed that with the introduction of females in her 'territory', Téa had become threatened, and according to her, Desani was the one who had taken her place in her friends' life.
Yugi continued to hold Téa, whispering encouraging words into her ear, but it seemed that with every word, it went in one ear and out the other.
This was how they were found upon their friends' return…
~*~*~
Atem continued to stare at Desani, unsure of how to assess the look in her eyes.
"D- Desani?" Atem called out, his voice slightly wavering.
Desani finally looked towards him, but her eyes were void of what Atem had seen only seconds ago.
"Oh, Atem," she said. Then Desani did something that Atem was totally not expecting. Reaching over, she pulled Atem into a tight hug. Atem's breath caught in his throat as he wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her in closer. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her soft bosom against his hard chest. He breathed in her scent. Surprisingly, although she was just in sea water, her body was absent of the salty smell. In place of it was that of fresh spring water. He breathed in deeply, feeling himself falling even deeper for her. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes, still caught off guard by her amazing pupils, however this time, they were much closer. He watched in amazement as the green streaks in her yellow eyes sparkled brightly from the rays of the evening sun reflecting off of them. The glint in her eyes made her pupils glow that much more, and it may have been the most dazzling sight Atem had ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes upon.
"I'm…confused," Atem remarked as Desani withdrew her arms from around him.
"Concerning…?" Desani asked.
"Well, because you took so long to do…anything, I was worried that maybe you had a problem with me saying that. I felt like you were hoping I wouldn't say anything like that to you."
Desani softly sighed, looking straight into Atem's eyes. "It's not that. When I heard you say this, I was surprised that you fell for me so deeply, especially since we've only known each other since this morning. It was just something that I had to process, but then after analyzing it, I realized how sweet and how hard it was for you to tell me this. It's not that I don't like you, Atem," Desani went on, keeping her voice steady and light, "it's just that… well I've never had a boyfriend. And it's not just because I never stayed in one place long enough for me to get into a romantic relationship. Boys tell me all the time that they think I'm beautiful and they would do anything to become my boyfriend. But with them… it seemed they liked me for the wrong reasons. So I never accepted any of their offers. And I'm not saying you're like that," Desani quickly added, making sure Atem understood that. "It's just that I just want to see how it goes between us before we allow ourselves to develop these feelings for each other. And for right now, I would like for us to be just friends and grow on that bond. If we ever make it something more, we will be ready and we will be less likely to end up in a failed relationship. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Atem looked at her, a pleased look on his face. Despite his admitting his feelings, he felt the same way. If they were just friends, then it would be easier for them to progress to a romantic relationship because they knew each other and understood how the other person worked. And seeing as he just met her, he didn't want to ruin the friendship that they had just started to develop.
"Yes I do, Desani," he replied, finally answering her question. "I'm perfectly fine with your suggestion. I was actually thinking the same thing. I really would love to be your friend." Atem looked straight into her eyes as he said this, letting her know that he meant every single word.
A dazzling smile and another hug was Atem's response. Pulling back and looking out at the water, Desani put a slight smirk on her face.
"I'm glad all of you finally decided to join us," she remarked, looking down at the three gasping below them in the water.
"It was… hard… and I… couldn't keep up," Mana gasped out, trying to pull herself up onto the buoy to sit next to Atem.
"More like couldn't keep ya head above water," Joey said with a slight smirk. "Tristan and I had to keep recovering her. She's a good swimmer, though. She just gonna need some practice," he added, directing it towards Atem and Desani.
"And by some, we mean a lot," Tristan jokingly interjected.
"You guys are mean," Mana whined, folding her arms and putting on a false pout. Everyone laughed at how innocent and adorable she looked.
"Oh dang!" Tristan exclaimed. Everyone looked at him in confusion because of his sudden outburst.
"I just realized… how are we going to get back? If we have to swim again, then I'm staying on this buoy all night, cause I ain't swimming back."
"Oh, yeah… I didn't even think about that," Joey said, his brow furrowing in thought.
They all looked at Desani, wondering if she had anything to say about the situation. But before she opened her mouth, a faint humming could be heard behind them. Getting louder, everyone turned to see a small white yacht quickly approaching them. Finally pulling up, everyone besides Desani was surprised to see who the drivers were.
"Hey, dear friends," Jeremih called out. "Looks like Desani tricked all of you into an endurance challenge," Jeremih jokingly added.
"I did not trick them. I explained to them what it was and asked if anyone was interested," Desani said in her defense.
"That may be so, but whose ever said no to you, my dear sister," Bel tauntingly rebuked.
Bel received no reply. She looked at Jeremih and he looked at her, and they erupted into the most euphonious laughs. Finally recovering, Bel returned her attention to the group.
"Well, now that you've all enjoyed your little swim," Bel started, putting much emphasis on the word 'little', "how about you all climb into our boat so that we can take you back to the shore. You guys can even go soak in the Jacuzzi up on the patio."
"Sounds like a plan," Joey agreed as he jumped off the buoy to climb into the comfortable looking yacht.
"Yeah. That should definitely warm us up," Tristan added as he and Mana followed suit.
Desani glanced over to Atem. "Ready?"
Atem glanced back and smiled. "Ready."
Simultaneously jumping in, they swam the short distance to the yacht and climbed in.
"Well now that we're all comfortable again, let's go get Téa and Yugi," Joey stated, already envisioning himself soaking in the hot, bubbly water.
"Aye aye, captain," Bel replied before starting the boat up and heading back to shore, giggling all the way.
~*~*~
Yugi woke with a start at the rev of an engine. Opening his eyes, he realized that he fell asleep with Téa still in his arms. Looking down, he saw her in a fitful sleep, her expression still slightly tensed on her tear stricken face. Sensing that, for the most part, she was alright, Yugi redirected his attention to the boat that recently pulled up onto the beach's shore.
"Atem? Desani? Is that all of you?" Yugi inquired, unable to make out their faces from where he was standing because of the setting sun.
"Yes, it's us, Yugi," Atem simply stated.
"Yugi, you really should've came with us," Mana exclaimed. "I mean it was hard and everything, but the rush of wanting to get to that buoy was just… so exhilarating! You and Téa really should've… hey, what's wrong with Téa?" Mana questioned, finally seeing how Yugi was holding her.
"Oh, nothing," Yugi lied. "She just got tired and I offered to be her human pillow," he sheepishly added.
"Oh ok… well, we're all going back up to the patio to get into the Jacuzzi. Wanna come?" Mana implored, her puppy dog look placed into action.
"Oh, um… sure," Yugi replied, gently removing himself out from under Téa. Standing over her, he shook Téa until she finally stirred. Speaking softly, Yugi asked, "Téa? Wanna go up to the patio to warm up in the hot tub?"
Slightly disoriented, Téa looked around her and realized that everyone was standing around her.
"Um… sure," she wearily replied. Getting up, she recollected herself, slightly embarrassed to be caught sleeping by so many people.
After making sure that Téa was ok and wasn't showing any signs of the emotions she expressed to him earlier, Yugi took a glance over at Desani. He was surprised at the expression on her face. Desani had an eyebrow arched, and her eyes showed that she saw and maybe even understood why he was holding Téa the way he was. With Téa trying to clean her tear stricken face, Yugi knew that in no time Desani would be able to figure it all out. She was just too intelligent not to.
"Well, while all of you get your stuff together and get ready, we'll be up at the house preparing the hot tub," Jeremih remarked as he started to stalk off with Bel.
"OK. We'll see you up there," Desani replied. Nodding at her, Jeremih and Bel made their way up the trail.
Once everyone's things were gathered and they cleared up the beach, they all started up the trail as well. The sun was finally setting, and the surrounding vegetation began to cast long shadows as they made their way up their path. They got into their normal formation, except for a few, slight changes. Mana and Téa were up front, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were all in the middle, and Atem and Desani made up the rear. They all joked within the group, all enjoying each other's company.
If only they all knew of the events waiting to happen, as well as the private conversations within each of the three groups…
A/N: Well, there's the next chapter. Too tired to edit, so if you see any mistakes, please point them out and i will correct them. I just wanted to put this chapter up ASAP, but i will come back and edit tomorrow- i promise. Thanks for the help. Lots of stuff i got going on in here, but unfortunately, i actually had to cut this chapter short. There's a lot of stuff that was supposed to happen, but it looks like it's going to have to happen in the next chapter. That's kind of the reason for that cliffy at the end. Anyways, next chapter, the gang is still going to be at Desani's house, yet idk yet if it's going to be for the whole chapter. Just like a few chaps ago, Resurgence to be exact, im going to have a problem with the organization of my next chapter, but ima do my best and try to have it up soon. But please believe me- do NOT miss this chapter. more hints at pairings in my next chapter. Two have already been set in this chapter, but i still have a lot of pairings to get through. Wish me luck! Also, in the next few chapters, i will be bringing back even more characters because the tone of my story will be changing soon, so be ready for that. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. Was it worth the wait? I certainly do... but that decision is yours. Review if you wish. Love you all :)