FORwarD
Book 2 Chapter 5
Pockey and the Queen
Few days later
Yuu's Driveway
Yuu and Jane
Narrator's P.O.V
"Why don't you just tell me?" Yuu asked Jane, who was refusing to tell him the names of her new roommates.
"Trust me. You wont believe me till you see them." She replied. Yuu is in for a big surprise. He would never guess that her roommates were fictional characters... well...fictional to him.
"Will I get to meet them, then?" Yuu asked with a kind smile. Times like these makes Jane feel the most guilty...and for no reason, really. She wasn't doing anything wrong or being unfaithful. It was her feelings for the Pharaoh that was triggering her guilt. No matter how much she tried to ignore those feelings, they are there. They always were.
"Of course...eventually." She said, implying that she wasn't ready for that, yet. They were just outside his house, leaning against her car and having their last conversation for the day.
"You know.. I got back from a very long trip and well... I'm kind of mad at you." Yuu said quietly and Jane looked confused. Then, Jacob grabbed her waist and pulled her in. "I was gone 2 months and with that kind of top...I thought you were going to welcome my return more intimately."
Jane avoided his gaze... mentioning the shirt didn't turn her on at all. It reminded her of the Pharaoh and resurfaced more guilt. She laughed sarcastically and tried to play along.
"Haha, sorry Yuu. Maybe next time. I have to go." She smiled and Yuu noticed something strange.
"I'm really surprised that you insisted to drive here. I used to pick you up all the time." He said and Jane wanted to hit herself on the head with the Mega Guilt hammer. She didn't want to be picked up because she didn't want Yami to know about him. And why shouldn't he know? Telling him would make the guilt go away and yet, Jane still doesn't want to tell him.
"I got used to it. I mean, 2 months without my guy.. I had to pick up the slack all by myself!" She winked and opened the car door. "I'll see you soon, Yuu."
Yuu closed the door for her and when she lowered the window, he leaned in and kissed her goodbye. "Love you, silly girl." He said and with that, she reversed and left.
Following Afternoon
Jane just returned from her new job with plenty of stories to tell! She absolutely loved it. What a huge difference that it is from her last shitty occupation. She parked in the drive way and grabbed a plastic bag from the back seat that carried pet toys and nick knacks. Because of work, she wasn't able to be there when the others surprised Junior with his new pet pig, so she picked up some toys for him at the pet store. When she came in the door, she found herself entering a messy situation.
"Wait, Gumball! They didn't mean to scratch you!" Junior yelled, chasing his pig across the main square in front of Jane, followed by Joey, Diana and Link.
"Hey!" Jane yelled, "What's going on!?"
Mai came in and greeted Jane, taking her stuff and putting it down for her. "Junior's new Gumball had a tough encounter with your cats."
"Oh no..." Jane worried and began calling for her girlies. "Luuuu...Kitty?"
While Jane and Mai looked for the cats, Link, as swiftly as his skills are used to, was able to snatch the pig and calm it down.
"Nice one, Link." Joey complimented as he caught up, checking the scratch on the little guy.
"We should clean up... the Pharaoh will be back from work soon." Link said, giving the now calm pig back to his little brother. "Take him upstairs to our room." He told Junior.
"You can sleep in my bed..." Junior told the pig in his sweet innocent voice as he took him upstairs.
Joey looked at Diana and they both nodded once at each other in regards to the Pharaoh coming home.
"Sorry Link. We have other plans." Diana said and she and Joey were quickly out of sight, leaving Link blinking twice in confusion.
On Yami's Balcony
"Water balloons?"
"Check."
"Camera?"
"Check."
"Junior? Don't forget to capture the evidence." Joey told Junior, who was hiding behind the plant, small enough to be the look out and holding his digital camera that was already recording.
"I wont!" He said with a conniving grin. When the three pranksters saw the Pharaoh's car pull in, they started screeching and shushing each other, crouching and preparing for their attack. When Yami exited his vehicle, he shuffled through his keys in search for the one to his home and stopped.
He was certain he heard someone... and that someone was in his room. His third eye sensed three anxious little weasels coming from the balcony and he looked up from the corner of his eye... He had to admit, he wasn't happy to know that they entered his room in his absence. He held out his hand in the direction of the deck and unleashed a small portion of his power, exploding the water balloons in their faces and receiving a satisfying amount of angry and disappointed moans in return.
"My camera!" Junior whined.
"My jacket!" Joey complained.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaa!" Diana cried.
And with that, the Pharaoh grinned and entered the house.
"Well... he didn't pop this one.." Joey said, rolling the last water balloon over to Diana. Junior was feeling better to find that his camera was still working.
"Doesn't matter..he's already gone." She said, grabbing the balloon and throwing it off the balcony.
Pshhhh* They heard it explode. Junior started laughing and Diana and Joey both looked at him confused.
"You got him!." He said laughing, looking at his camera that had been recording. "You got my big brother!"
Diana gasped and held her hands to her face when she saw Link's head and shoulders completely soaked.
"I'm so sorry!" She yelled over the bars and Link gave her an annoyed look through his wet bangs.
"You say sorry a lot because you mess up a lot!" He said and Diana tucked her head back like a turtle in shyness.
"I know I-I'm sorry?" She said and Link laughed. When Joey, Diana and Junior looked at him suspiciously, he waved.
"That's alright..." He began and he grabbed the hose, quickly pulled back the handle and sprayed the balcony.
"Ahhh!" They scattered, running out of the room until they were stopped by the Pharaoh at the door, kicking a wheely mop bucket in their direction.
"Get to work." He said.
"Urgh!" They complained. Their prank did not go as planned as usual.
About an hour later
Diana was growing impatient now. She really needed to think of the perfect prank that will really get the Pharaoh to give...Hmph, the way he sits on the couch while watching the news... the news... Hm...where was Joey when she needed him?
She walked upstairs toward the guest room in search of that knuckle head and opened the door. She was really surprised to find Joey against the wall, hovering over Mai in a dominant way, pulling back from the kiss that Diana interrupted. Diana never noticed before how attractive Joey was until now.
Normally in a situation like this, he would melt in embarrassment...but it was just Dee.
"Wow, Joey. I didn't know you had it in you." She said and he flinched...taking it as an insult when Mai started to giggle.
"Cut it out, Dee! You're just jealous that in your case, you're too chicken to make a move!" Joey said, trying to get the attention away from him. When Diana realized that he was referring to her and Link, she flailed her arms, yelled wefwkaschkv and left.
"Oh come on, Joseph," Mai teased, usually doing so when referring to him by his full name, "You took a while to make a move too...too long, I might add."
Joey scratched the back of his head, "Yeh yeh..." He said, just eager to kiss his beautiful blonde again until she stopped him.
"Who were you referring to when you said she was too chicken? It was Link, right?" She asked, making her guess based on previous events.
"Duh." He said in a voice of obviously. "Everyone knows Diana has a crush on Link except for Link. The guy's so oblivious, he wouldn't know a girl wanted him, even if she stripped naked for him."
Mai chuckled. "That's your favourite, isn't it?" She referred to a memory and he smiled.
"That's right..." He said deviously and leaned in to kiss Mai again and she accepted until she broke it half way again.
"Maybe we can help them spark the fire." She said and Joey rolled his eyes.
"How?" He asked, annoyed that she interrupted again and blaming Dee for starting the dreaded pattern. Mai winked and squeezed out from between him and the wall, jogging to the girls room and rummaging through her stuff. She knew this bothered Joey, but he can get action from her any time. She never had an excuse to do this before, and now that she does, she's not going to pass out on it.
"What the heck are you doing?" Joey asked her when she piled up a Twister board game underneath Clue, Jinga, a deck of cards, a bag of candy, a craftily decorated bottle, and a loose scarf.
"I need some sort of prizes..." She thought to herself.
"No seriously, what are you doing?" Joey asked, "I didn't even know you had this stuff!"
Mai loved to play games, especially games that make people leave their comfort zone. She was always good at them because she was never the type to be afraid of anything. She knew that bringing Diana or Link out of their comfort zones would help them move along quicker. Besides, she was doing this to help a fellow girlfriend in need.
"We're just going to play some games, Joey." She smiled, "Can you think of a good reason to get the others to play?"
Joey didn't know what his girl was up to, but he never went against anything she said. "You can get Yugi and the Pharaoh to play if you award the winner with duel monsters cards..."
Mai nodded and pulled out a box with all of the cards she won from tournaments and rally's. "I don't think Yugi will want to play. He can coach or something..." She said.
Joey blinked twice. What in the heck was she planning?
Downstairs
30 minutes later
"Okay!" Mai said, dropping all of her things on the coffee table in the large living room and moving it over out of the way. "It's Friday night, everyone is bored...so we're going to have a little fun!" She spoke in her usual flirtatious Mai Valentine voice. Everyone was curled up and comfortable on the couch with no intention of moving and remained quiet.
"What are you up to, Mai?" The Pharaoh asked with a sweat-drop. He was very familiar with Mai's crazy ideas. Mai crossed her arms and looked at everyone once before replying.
"I thought that instead of wasting away this evening watching TV, we could play some games. And too make things interesting... I have a few prizes for the winner and a few consequences for the loser. " She winked. Jane loved this kind of thing, so she leaned forward from her spot on the couch with wide eyes. Link noticed and wanted to zip her mouth closed before encouraging it.
"What are the prizes?" She asked, excitedly. Too late for Link. Mai patted her hand on of the smaller boxes on the table.
"This box. Inside there is an envelope with $50, a few rare duel monsters cards that I have won through out the years, a free pass to duel the King of Games if he'll agree to it..."
The Pharaoh closed his eyes and smiled. Diana groaned. She's not even a duelist.
"And the consequences?" Yugi asked without letting Mai finish. She chuckled.
"The consequences are also prizes for the winner. The loser has to treat the winner to lunch and the winner gets to decide how to humiliate the loser in front of the rest of the players." She explained. The others blinked in surprise.
Diana thought that the consequence made it worth it. If she wins, she can humiliate Yami.
Jane thought that with a few new rare cards, she could have a chance to beat the Pharaoh.
Joey thought that if he wins, he would get a free lunch...plus fifty bucks.
Link thought the lunch was nice...and he didn't want to back out and ruin it for everyone else.
The Pharaoh was interested to see what cards Mai has won in the past.
Yugi was curious to know what kind of games they would be playing.
Duke thought that humiliating someone would be very fun, especially if the loser was one of the girls.
And Mai thought that she would make it so that Link and Dee get very close during all of this.
"Sounds like fun. This reminds me of the time I put Joey in a dog suit..." Duke grinned and Joey instantly positioned himself into battle mode.
"Hey! We agreed to never mention that, Devlin!" He yelled.
"So everyone's in, then?" Mai asked happily and everyone agreed. "Okay, just one thing...I want Yugi to stay aside and keep score and...Junior can't be here during game play."
Yugi tilted his head. "You don't want me to play, Mai?" He asked sadly. Mai rushed to Yugi and whispered something in his ear and handed him a score sheet and Yugi instantly understood.
"Okay, I'll go put Junior to bed." He said and picked up a sleeping Junior and Gumball from the couch and headed upstairs. No one else bothered to ask questions about it. If Yugi approves, than they all do.
"So, what are we playing first?" Diana asked as everyone took a seat on the carpeted floor.
"Well Dee, I was thinking that you would get first pick!" Mai said. Diana looked on the table and saw multiple games that she didn't recognize and figured that she would pick the least harmless.
"How about those blocks?" She pointed.
20 minutes later
It was an intense moment. Everyone was sweating and at the edge of their nerves as Joey reached for one of the blocks.
"Be careful!" Duke said in nervousness and Joey yelled.
"Don't distract me!" He said and the mood was silent again. He reached for it.. pulled it slowly...and...
Clinkclinkclinkc~"Awwwww!" Everyone moaned when Joey knocked over Jinga.
"Joey's the loser!" Jane sang, rubbing it in and laughing.
"Dammit!" He whined pushing his forehead back with both hands, "I was so close!"
Yugi laughed and marked a -1 in Joey's column on the score sheet.
"With all the suspense, you almost forget that it's just a game." Link smiled.
"Okay, loser chooses the next game." Mai said as everyone threw the blocks into its respective box.
Joey whined like a little kid, "Let's play whatever involves the candy. Sniff* I need a snack right now..." Mai grabbed the bag of candy and pulled out a red box of Pockey.
"This is one of my favourites." She winked. "This game involves partners. I'll team up with Joey."
"I get Link." Duke said and Mai laughed.
"Trust me," She started, "You're going to want a girl for a partner."
"In that case," Link began as he rested his cheek on his fist, smiling at his friend, "I'll team up with Diana."
Mai secretly cheered in her head and Duke gestured toward Jane. "I'll get Jane, then?"
"No way," She said, leaning against the Pharaoh, "I want the King of Games on my team."
"But its an odd number!" Duke complained. "Who do I partner with?" He crossed his arms. Being picked last is never fun and Yugi knew how horrible it felt back in school... so he pitched in.
"I'll partner with you for this game, Duke." He smiled.
"Thanks, Yugi." Duke said. What a great kid.
"Suit yourself..." Mai said, holding back a laugh. "Okay so. For this game, one person has to hold a Pockey in their mouth like this, while the other person has to eat the chocolate and get the Pockey as short as they can without touching lips. Shortest Pockey wins, longest Pockey loses."
Everyone was in shock.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Diana thought.
I have to do that with Yugi? You're joking! Duke thought.
Oh, fuck me...the guilt is acting up again... Jane thought.
I have to...what? Link thought, blushing.
That's not the worst thing. This is not bad considering that Mai is running this... Yugi thought.
This should be interesting... Yami thought.
"AHAHAH! You guys are finished!" Joey said, standing monumentally, pointing at the others and laughing too hard. Being partnered with his girlfriend grants him an easy win.
"Let's begin." Mai said, putting the Pockey in Joey's mouth and chewing her way to his lips. When she reached the root of the chocolate, she cracked as much off as she could, dropping a small piece and pecking Joey once on the lips.
"Aw!" Jane said. Joey blushed as Mai picked up the piece from the ground and put it in front of them.
"Okay, beat that." She said, looking at Duke.
"Fine!" He said, determined. "Come here, Yugi!"
The others couldn't stop laughing while Duke chewed the chocolate.. Even the Pharaoh chuckled and sure enough, their piece wasn't nearly as short as Mai and Joey's.
"Sorry Duke." Yugi said, scratching the back of his head and wishing that Rebecca was there.
"Great, now all I can do is hope that Dee and Link do worse than me." He said. Why Dee and Link? Why not the Pharaoh and Jane? Well, Diana already knew the answer to that and then...her heart jumped. No! Was it her turn? She didn't think she could do this. Jane read her like an open book and saw that she wasn't prepared for this and thought that if she showed some bravery, maybe Diana would too.
"Okay! We're next!" Jane said, faking a fearless approach at it and grabbing a Pockey from the box. She put the stem in her mouth quickly and faced the Pharaoh. She thought that if she was the receiver instead of the chewer, her guilt would be less alive.
The Pharaoh's poker face was opposite to Dee's. Jane didn't know what he was thinking. In reality, it didn't matter to the Pharaoh who was the chewer, what mattered to him was figuring out why he was excited to do this.
He sat on the ground with his forearm resting on his knee and his other leg bent and folded under it. He re-positioned himself just enough so that he wouldn't have to move too much but still allow Jane enough room to come in front of him. When she was near him, she was too high for his reach so he grabbed her right arm and pulled her down to match his level so that he was able to start at the chocolate.
Diana was blushing. The Pharaoh looks extra sexy doing that!
Jane shut her eyes when the Pharaoh was getting closer and all she could hear was Duke's voice.
"It looks like they're kissing." Duke said from behind her and she blushed, opening one of her eyes to see the Pharaohs beautifully shaped closed eyes in front of her. Damn, both their eyes were closed? How would he know when to stop?
"I can't see!" Duke said from behind her, leaning forward to get a better view and accidentally pressing her back to super his weight, and knocking Jane into the Pharaoh.
There lips just touched, but it wasn't a kiss. Jane lifted herself off the Pharaoh, blinking while watching him, trying to catch any sign of what he was thinking.
Diana was holding back serious flailing.
"Duke, be careful! You could have broken their teeth..." Yugi warned.
The Pharaoh pulled the tiny stick from his mouth – that was pushed there from Duke's fail- and looked at it once before placing it down in front of him and comparing it to Mai's. It was so tiny in comparison, there was no way someone could beat it.
"Well, looks like I win again." He said with a grin and Diana arched her eye brows. How dare he! He thinks he's so cool? Duke totally got that win for them! Plus, his lips just touched another woman's and he has the audacity to claim victorious when she didn't even have her turn?
"Oh, hell no!" Diana said, grabbing a pockey and shoving it into Link's mouth. Link grunted in surprise when she did but then he started to laugh lightly without chewing the cracker. He's not afraid, he's comfortable with her. "Are you watching, Mr. Pharaoh?" She said before she started chewing. Link sat with his legs crossed in front of Diana who was on her knees, determined. She chewed quickly like a speeding train until she got too close to Link and stopped. What was she thinking?
"Come one, Dee," Link said through his teeth when she froze. "It's not short enough. We have to at least beat Duke." He encouraged.
Mai was loving this. Just image: without the candy, they're basically about to kiss. "You can switch roles with him if you're too nervous, Dee." Mai explained but Diana refused. She didn't want to chicken out and make Link think less of her. She paused for a moment, chewed what was left in her mouth and looked at Jane who was winking at her.
She took a deep breath and went at it again.. getting closer slowly. Too slow in fact, that Link impatiently grabbed her shoulder and pressured her to speed up. When he did this, Diana gasped and pulled back.
Link laughed and guessed she was going to apologize for it and said sorry out loud at the same time as she did and and she blushed over it, remembering that Link always tells her that she says sorry a lot.
Link turned his attention at the Pockey to check the results. They didn't lose, but they didn't win either.
"Woo!" Jane said, nudging the Pharaoh with the side of her arm and he smiled, hiding what was going on in his head.
"That's not fair," Duke said, "My Pockey would disappear if I was paired with a pretty girl."
"Sorry Duke. They were able to deal with the pressure better than you and that's why you lost." Mai said, looking at the score board that Yugi wrote on. "But at least you get to choose the next game."
That Night...
Link closed his bedroom door behind him and took in the events of that evening. The Pockey was awkward enough but did Duke really have to choose Twister? It was funny at times when Joey's face was forced up against Duke's pelvis though...lucky for everyone that they started watching a scary movie because...after the Pharaoh destroyed everyone in Clue, the only game left was spin the bottle. Link wasn't sure he was ready for that.
Turns out that the Pharaoh won the entirety of the match and shared his prizes with everyone. He didn't humiliate Joey either, being a very close loss with Duke. Link believes that they are all blessed that the King of Games is noble...he was afraid to see what would happen, had the winner been someone like Duke.
Link removed his hat and his shirt, dropping them on the dresser and being too lazy to put them away. He removed his tights and replaced all his garments with a long loose green t-shirt: his favourite colour. Just as he was going to tuck himself into bed, he heard a giggle coming from the top bunk. He grabbed the bar and pulled himself over so that he peaked his head and saw Junior laughing to himself while scrolling through pictures on his digital camera.
"Junior?" Link said, climbing over the bars so that he was on the top bunk with him. "You're suppose to be asleep!"
Junior continued to laugh as he slid over to make room for Link. "I''m just looking through these one more time."
Link laid down next to his little brother and began to watch with him. "What are you taking pictures of, little bugger?"
Junior didn't respond. Instead, he let Link look for himself. As he scrolled through, Link saw pictures of: Gumball, Diana and Joey with water balloons, the Pharaoh holding his hand out, himself pointing the hose at the camera, the others on the couch watching TV, Joey going for a Jinga block... Wait a minute. Wasn't Junior asleep during Jinga? From the angle of the picture, it looks like it was taken from behind a chair. As Junior kept scrolling he saw a picture of the Pharaoh and Jane playing the Pockey game, getting incredibly close. Then he saw himself and Diana doing the same and he blushed. Is that really how it looked from the outside? They looked like they were about to...
"Junior, what the hell? You weren't suppose to be there during all of this!" Link said in irritation, trying to take the camera from him.
"So? You guys want to make out and you chase away the little guy? I was bored." Junior complained in a cute tone, tucking his camera under his arm so that Link couldn't get to it. Link grunted.
"You know too much for your own good, Junior." Link said and Junior laughed when he saw in Link's eyes that he couldn't stay mad at him.
"I almost got caught because Gumball wouldn't stop oinking." Junior said and Link couldn't help but hug him over how adorable he was. This little guy never gets in the way of anything. He just wants his camera and his pig...but still. Thinking about that picture made him feel a little more than flustered...
Yami and Yugi's Room
Yugi's P.O.V
The Pharaoh and I got bored and decided to come up to bed early. They were all watching a scary movie on the big screen downstairs and it was reaching the climax now. While we were leaving, we heard Jane and Diana in their screams and saw that Link was also getting bored and went up to bed.
"Diana and Jane don't handle horror films well," I started as I removed my socks. "But yet, they continue to watch them. Why is that?"
"Woman are like that, Yugi." The Pharaoh paused. "Their logic is...unique."
We heard Duke and Joey laughing in the hall as they went into the guest room and a few moments after, we heard Diana and Mai talking about the film as they went to the girls room. We didn't hear Jane with them at first, but when we did, the Pharaoh pulled his belt off of his pants faster than necessary, forcing it into the drawer. I felt a vibe coming from him...the same vibe as before. Both times this happened, Jane was involved some how. Was it a coincidence? I guess it couldn't hurt to find out.
"So..." I started, rolling up my own belt while thinking of what to say, "Jane is really happy with her new job..."
Jane hadn't mentioned it much since there is always crazy things happening in this house...but no one liked seeing her go to her old job with such a sad expression. In fact, the Pharaoh often complained about it and told her to quit several times and she didn't. Seeing her happy now with her new job has made us all feel relieved. When I mentioned her new job, the Pharaoh sat on the bed with his back turned to me, almost as though he was hiding his face.
"Yes she is." He said. I wasn't going to miss any clues so I crawled onto his side of the bed so I can see his expression better. He seemed okay so far... I decided to push it further.
"Yeah...and she was happy that other day too...she even came home late." I said. That should trigger something if Jane is the cause of these new vibes. Nothing. I sighed. "You know Pharaoh, we used to share a mind...I know when you're feeling down."
The Pharaoh smiled. "Nothing gets past you, Yugi. I was just thinking that this is the longest we've ever gone with peace...without some sort of threat that dared to take over the world that relied on us to save..."
He was right about that. I smiled. Was that all? Maybe I was over thinking things. "Yeah, peace is nice. But we'll always be ready for any threat that may come. We're a team! Come what may." I said and the Pharaoh gave me a shocked and serious expression. So serious, that it almost scared me. Was it something I said?
"What?" I said and he turned away. I elevated on my knees and huffed. "That does it. Pharaoh! What's going on? Last time I was this frustrated with you is when you summoned the Seal of Orichalcos."
The Pharaoh sighed and stood up. "Yugi... I can't tell you what ails me because I don't even know myself." Is that true? Or is he in denial?...Is it a mix of both?
"Well...what do you know for sure...?" For someone to be confused, there has to be something to be confused about. The Pharaoh didn't reply and I think it was because he didn't want to say it out loud. I didn't need to share a mind with him to know that...and I didn't need to share a mind with him to know what it was. I thought I would help him with a push.
"Is it...Jane?" I asked him slowly and his fist clenched. I think I got it right. But what could it be? Was he mad at her? Or was he...
"That's enough talk, Yugi." He said and he dug himself under the covers. Wow, something was definitely troubling him. I remembered something that my grandpa used to tell me and thought it would be good to share with him.
"You know what my grandpa used to say? Don't let any suspicion go unnoticed. If your gut is telling you something, you should do what you can to find out what it's trying to say. The gut doesn't cry for nothing." I said and when I got no reply, I plopped back down on the bag and flew the covers over me. I didn't wait for a response because I knew the Pharaoh would just leave it at that...but even though he doesn't always react to what people say to him...doesn't mean he's not listening. He always listens.
3:15 am
Yami's P.O.V
"Yami...?"
I was on the bridge of a deep dormancy and consciousness when I heard a whisper. You're never sure what things are when you're asleep, so my body ignored it.
"...Hey...you awake..?" The whisper asked me and I had woken up. When I opened my eyes, my vision was slowly focusing...turning the figure next to me into...Jane? ...that shock...
"Jane? It's so late... Is everything alright?" I asked her. She was kneeling by my bed with her arms crossed on my mattress and when I spoke, she lifted herself off so that she was standing straight over me. Luckily it was dark, or I would have a very hard time keeping my attention away from her heavy garb and binding underwear...
"Uhm.." Her voice stayed at a whisper, "I'm having trouble sleeping..."
Of course she is. She can't watch horror films and sleep through the night if the fate of the world depended on it. Endearing... However, I still wanted to help her. I lifted myself slightly so that my right arm supported the weight of my upper body.
"Why don't you turn on the television in your room? It may appear less lonely that way." I told her.
"I don't wanna wake Dee..." She said, sitting on my bed.
"...If Diana is there, then why are you frightened?" I asked her.
"I hardly feel any safer with Dee." Jane said. I blinked twice before nodding and understanding.
"I understand. Is there someone you do feel safe with?" I asked. She gestured to the covers and lifted one leg over onto the bed and I watched with peculiar eyes as she lifted over the other one. She held them both to her chest and spoke without looking in my direction.
"Can I crash here tonight?"
That is an absolute no. It is highly inappropriate for a woman to sleep in a bed with a man unless they are permanently bonded... Sigh...with that look, however, she's not giving me much of a choice, is she? I moved over backwards, closer to Yugi so that I lay in the center of the bed to make room for her. Without a change in expression, or even looking grateful, she slid under the covers next to me.
Hm...perhaps I should have told her to put on another layer first?
"Thank you.." She said, only her head sticking out from underneath.
"You don't look happy..." And it was beginning to make me feel down as well.
"I'm just...scared still...heh heh.." She said, attempting to hide her embarrassment. I couldn't believe that something as false as a horror film could effect this girl so much. I smiled slightly.
"Come here..." I said, gesturing a hug to calm her down. She smiled in return and as she positioned herself, the aura appeared in my stomach again...why was I becoming nervous to comfort one of my friends?
Suddenly, I felt something near my legs...It didn't feel like a part of Jane...
"Sleep over!" Diana yelled, suddenly forcing herself in between us with a piece of the candy from the games in her mouth. She actually surprised me this time that my breath was caught in my throat...perhaps because she interrupted something before it had the opportunity to begin?
"Diana!?" I said at the same time that Jane said, "Dee!?"
"...huh?" Excellent. This imbecilic woman has woken Yugi.
"What are you doing here?" Jane asked.
"I woke up and there was no Jane, so when I went looking for you, I saw that Yami's bedroom door was open." She explained and turned to us with watering eyes. "Why didn't you invite me to your sleepover?"
"We don't want you here." I told her, partly joking and partly not. For some reason, I was upset that she had shown up when she did.
"Gasp!" Diana looked at me, shocked with my response. "Psh. Whatever . Everyone knows you love me."
"Leave the room Diana. There are no master swords for you here." I told her. As long as she calls me , I will never let her forget what I caught her doing.
"YAMMII!" She hysterically waved her arms in my direction and I wordlessly looked the opposite way.
"What's going on. What are Jane and Diana doing here?!" Yugi asked. He was also wearing very little and likely feeling shy around the girls.
"Nothing...come on, Dee." Jane said, grabbing Diana, pulling her off of the bed and dropping her on the ground. As they began to walk out, Jane looked back once in my direction with sadness in her eyes, both of us knowing that she wasn't going to get a good nights sleep...and knowing this...neither will I.
Following Morning
Link's P.O.V
"All right, I'm heading out." I told the others. I was jogging my way to the front door until I stopped half way to hear Dee and Duke laughing together.. I walked backwards two paces so that I could see them better through the hall and they were hovering over the kitchen counter; chuckling too loud over something that Dee was drawing.
"Haha, Yeah. Oh, and add this..." Duke said, taking the pencil from Dee. No way... since when was Duke an artist? After he drew what he drew, he held the sheet up to Dee and she laughed. It was a wacky drawing of Joey Wheeler.
"That's pretty good!" She said. And dammit, it was. I don't know what it is about Duke Devlin, but ever since our conversation back in Battle City, he's been getting more on my nerves.
"Not as good as you, Dee. You're an artist..." Duke said in a flirtatious voice. Is he serious right now? Dee would never fall for his type... Woah, wait a second, is she blushing?
"No, that's Jane. Not me." She said.
My eyebrows arched and I hid behind the wall as I removed my shirt and put on my workers vest. I don't normally put it on until I get to work, but I know for a fact that Duke looks like a girl in comparison to my fitness.
I entered the kitchen, pretending not to notice them and poured myself some milk. I felt Dee's eyes on me, but I could feel Duke's even harder.
"Going to work?" He asked. Without looking at him, I offered Diana a glass and she accepted...I decided to leave Duke hanging for a few seconds for answering. I sighed in satisfaction after I gulped my entire glass at once and put the empty carton back in the fridge.
"Yup." I said, being overly cocky.
"Bye, Link. Have fun." Dee said to me. I smiled at her and then winked Duke good bye...He's a man. He knows what that wink meant.
Just as I was about to leave, Dee came to say good bye again. I assume it was too awkward in the kitchen.
"Is it a long shift today?" She asked me. As I finished tying the laces on my second boot, I looked up and laughed when I saw her milk mustache.
"No, I'll be back soon." I said, holding her face and wiping the liquid off of her upper lip. When she blushed, I immediately grunted and froze. What was I thinking? She just witnessed me acting like an obnoxious elf and... urgh, what came off of me to act like that?
I pulled away from her and stuttered my words like a fool.
"Uh, S-see ya!" I said and I left before she could see me flustered.
2:00 am
Narrator's P.O.V
Yami and Link were on their way up to bed when they noticed that the girls were still in the living room. They were spread out on the ground with pillows and blankets and junk food, wasting away their night off by plugging in the computer to the big screen and watching the same drama all day.
"Hey, guys? Aren't you getting tired?" Link asked and was instantly silenced by a loud shush.
"SHH! Fin is going to confess!" Jane said, stuffing her face with a Reese cup. The Pharaoh's eye brows dropped heavy over his eyes.
"Girls, it's late." He said, insistent to get them upstairs and Diana threw her pillow at him without taking her eyes of the screen...missing...and hitting Link.
"She said. SHH."
The boys leaned on each side of the doorway of the lounge, watching them for another few seconds...amused how their eyes were captivated on the screen and then suddenly...
"AHHHHHHHHHH FDGUOAEBGFOVUYEGCFOULDFJGH!" They flailed.
Link covered his sensitive ears and the Pharaoh started his way out before having to deal with them. It was no wonder Jane added grape juice to their dinner instead of wine...they were beyond distracted.
"THAT WAS SO CUTEE!" Jane and Diana went on and Link began to follow Yami up the stairs.
"Why do they get like this?" Link asked him and the Pharaoh did not reply right away. He was trying to find an easy way to explain to Link that girls love nothing more than the unrealistic love story drama in their lives...he could never see himself caught in the middle of one of those in a million years...
"I suppose they like to watch complicated premises on television..." Was all he could come up with.
"Do girls really like that stuff? I mean...the forbidden love, and flowers for no reason, thing? I mean, do people really do that?" Link asked and the Pharaoh smiled. Looks like he didn't need to explain...Link already knew. However, answering his question about weather people really do those things was beyond him...he's never felt that way about a person to want to perform those behaviors himself.
"Well..." He started, "I've seen it happen, yes, however I can't relate as to why."
Link laughed very lightly as he removed his hat in front of his room. "Yeah, me neither."
"Good night, Link." The Pharaoh nodded in his direction and Link returned the gesture.
"Night, Pharaoh."
Mean while
"You what?" Diana asked and she was shushed by Mai, who had an absolutely absurd idea!
"Shh! I came down here while everyone was a sleep for a reason." She said, kneeling down on the blankets at Jane and Diana's level.
"Are you planning on doing another round of your games? I am not up for that..." Diana said, flushing red from her memory of Pockey.
"I just thought that it would be fun! Imagine, in a house this big...it would be wild! There would be duels going on, music and dancing... food!" Mai persuaded. Jane and Diana's eye's lit up at food but then they snapped out of it.
"I don't do well in house parties!" Diana said.
"Are you out of your mind? The Pharaoh would never agree to something like this!" Jane started, "it's too many people. The house would be flipped upside down."
"Didn't Atem host all kinds of celebrations in Egypt?" Mai tried to argue but Jane was one step ahead of her.
"Yes but Yami doesn't have 100's of servants to clean up after us." Jane said, emphasizing his name to explain that the modern Pharaoh lives under different circumstances.
"But Rebecca wants to come." Mai tried again.
"Rebecca?" Diana was confused.
"Mhm. This was partially her idea. She wants to visit Yugi. Plus this is sort of a little celebration...since she graduated a few days ago.."
"Becker graduated?" Jane asked, shocked. "Already?"
"Smart kid, huh?" Mai winked.
"Well...I'm not totally against it, but I am not totally for it either." Diana said. "But it sounds fun."
"I don't know.. how many people do you want to invite?" Jane asked.
"Everyone! Rebecca is a regional champ! We can invite Serenity, Tristan..." Mai started.
"Maybe some of Link's friends?" Diana suggested.
"Sure! We can also invite hers and Yugi's grand fathers, and Leon..." Mai snapped her fingers, "Maybe even Ishizu, Odion and Marik!"
"So many people...?" Jane asked.
"Of course, It's her graduation!" Mai said winking, obviously using the graduation as an excuse to host a kick ass party.
"There are alternate methods to celebrate, Mai." A familiar deep voice said. The girls sweat-dropped when they saw that the Pharaoh had been standing behind them and listening in on their plans.
"I was against it the whole time!" Jane said quickly and Diana snorted.
"You kiss ass!"
"Come on, Yami, one little party..?" Mai asked.
"No. Not in this house." He said and he proceeded into the kitchen; his main reason for returning to the main floor.
Mai winked at the girls. "Don't worry. I bet if Rebecca is involved...Yugi will help us convince him."
"Okay, well I have to go to bed..." Diana started and Jane stopped her.
"But Dee, we're not done the whole drama, yet!" She complained.
"Yeah, but I want to go to the gym in the morning..."
"Oh?" Mai started, "Is the gym becoming a routine?"
Diana nodded. "Yeah, I really want to do something about myself for once."
"I wont stop you but...urgh.." Jane said, wanting desperately to stay up and watch the rest.
Morning
Jane was just returning to her room in Pjs from her bathroom, nudging Link a good morning on her way, who was heading out for work. Being a Monday morning, everyone was getting ready to go to work, including the King of games.
When everyone was having breakfast downstairs, he stopped by the girls room when he noticed the door was open and Jane was still getting ready for work. She hummed the same tunes from the time the Pharaoh heard her in the shower and he looked at her as she sat on her bed and braided her hair without help from a mirror.
He never paid mind to it before... but the Pharaoh found himself making note of her features, especially how her dark hair was coming in from beneath her golden strands...just like his. Remembering his conversation with the men in battle city, he noticed that Jane had a pretty face...and she was a duelist.
Did he ever have a queen back in his other past? He's asked himself this before but, now he was really interested in knowing. Because if he did have a queen, he had an image of what he believed that she would be like. She would be petite and kind...she would be a skilled duelist, she would have a second nature for motherhood since he could see himself with children...she would be attractive, out going, mature, positive, talented...
"Hm..." He thought before starting his way down the stairs. Describing his queen reminds him of someone he thinks he knows in this life time but...who?
A/N: Bam, this chapter is pretty freakin' long, am I write? It's mostly all fun and games, literally, but that's what I was feeling when I wrote this chapter. I was also trying to hint more on the romance side of things between the couples...and even showing the relationship between Jane and Yuu and how guilty she's feeling for being around Yami so much. And yet despite that guilt, she visits him in his room at 3 in the morning in underwear? The girl doesn't know what she wants, does she? I think we'll get a better understanding of it all soon. What about you guys? How do you feel about them? And don't forget Link and Diana. Do you agree with Mai in thinking they would make a cute couple? Or is Dee too introverted for someone like the Hero of Time?