Chapter 25

A New Journey

Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything YuGiOh. I just own my characters and Dark Mage of the Sea owns hers.

Just letting everyone know, this will be a short arc as what is important to the story will happen behind the scenes instead of the duels.

When a sentence is **like this**, it's sign language. When a sentence is ~like this~, it's phoenix speech.

Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, my coauthor and best friend.

Come morning, Tiki, Tea, and Rebecca woke up first. Tea and Rebecca started to make breakfast but Tiki noticed Yugi was gone. She started to leave and was seen by Tea. "Where you going?"

Tiki smiled. "For a little walk."

Tea nodded and went back to work. Tiki left, smiling at the sunshine in the forest. Taking a deep breath, she sighed happily. "Ah…smells so nice."

She heard a giggle and looked up. Tarra was flying around above her. ~Good morning, Tiki.~

Tiki smiled and reached out her hand, giving Tarra a perch. "Good morning, Tarra. Have you seen my brother?"

Instead of answering, Tarra flew off. Tiki followed, looking at the surrounding nature as she went. Finally, she saw Yugi standing by the side of the lake, stretching his arms. "Feels great."

Tarra landed on Yugi's shoulder. Getting an idea, Tiki quietly snuck up and suddenly hugged him from behind, making him yelp. Tiki grinned, "Guess who!"

Yugi laughed. "I knew it, Tiki!"

Tarra chirped a laughter-like chirp. Tiki giggled and joined her brother's side. Yami and Tima came out and Yugi smiled. "With how peaceful it feels, it almost seems like we just went through a bad dream."

Tiki nodded. "One we're glad to be out of."

Tima agreed but Yami stared at the lake. Yugi asked, "Something on your mind?"

Yami sighed. "I can't forget our battle and everyone who was affected by it…nor the Duel Monster world." His eyes lowered. "You four have suffered a lot because of me."

Tima took his hand with a soft smile. Tarra and Tiki said nothing. Remembering, Yugi changed the subject. "When we get back to Japan, we'll be able to unseal both your memories, right?" He pulled out the God Cards. "True, neither Tiki nor I know what will happen then. But, no matter what, Tiki and I will never forget all the happy and painful memories we shared with you two."

Tiki agreed. "They're all memories that are precious to us. Over the years, we've all grown so close." Her eyes lowered down to their hands. "Though, it appears…not as close as you two."

Tima smiled wider and hugged Yami's arm, prompting him to smile and kiss her head. "True…"

Tiki squealed with delight. "You two are so cute together! Ugh, I can't stand it!"

Tarra chirped in agreement. Yugi shook his head in amusement at his sister. Looking at Tima, he noticed she did not have any scars left. "How did you figure out how to get rid of your scars?"

Tima gave a coy smile. Oh…I had… she peeked up at Yami, a little help.

Yugi and Tiki looked at Yami. Remembering their passion the night before, Yami blushed and disappeared with Tima. At that moment, Tea, Merina, Torru, and Rebecca found them. Tea smiled. "So here's where you two have been hiding."

Rebecca ran up to Yugi and tackled-hugged him to the ground. Tarra was almost knocked down as well but stabled herself in the air. Tea twitched with jealousy while Tiki and Merina laughed. Rebecca playfully whined. "You disappeared again! Don't do that!"

Embarrassed, Yugi stuttered, "S-Sorry! I was just walking…"

Tarra's eyes sparkled in a teasing way. ~It must be nice to have a devoted girlfriend, Yugi!~

Yugi turned bright red, making Tiki and Merina laugh louder. Teeth gritting, Tea said in a strained voice, "Breakfast…is ready. Let's go eat."

Rebecca helped Yugi up and the group started to head back. Rebecca kept hugging Yugi's arm, making Yugi even more embarrassed. Tea kept jealously twitching, making Merina annoyed. Not noticing, Tiki giggled. "Once again, I see another cute couple."

Rebecca smiled and Yugi glared, making Tiki giggle again. Tarra got an idea and teased, ~If you two get married, let me know and I'll put on a special display.~

Blushing so red his face was steaming, Yugi broke away to chase Tarra. Rebecca gave chase to Yugi, making Tea shake her head. Tiki looked back to talk to Merina and saw she was lagging, rolling her eyes. Slowing down to match her speed, she asked her American friend, "Hey…can I talk to you for a moment?"

Merina blinked. "Sure. What's up?"

Seeing Tea was ahead enough to not hear, Tiki quietly asked, "I don't mean to bother but did something happen while…" she paused, "…Yugi, Tima, and I were away? It's just…ever since yesterday, it seems like you've been annoyed with Tea."

Torru teased, ~You mean more than usual?~

Merina gave Torru a playful glare but still answered. "Did something happen? Oh yeah…I can still remember it."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she explained to Tiki (and a listening Tima) Tea's flirtatious attempts at cheering Yami up on the train. Tima tensed up and Tiki's eyes widened. "Really?"

Merina nodded. "Yeah. So I'd tell Tima to watch out."

Remembering Tima and Yami's display of affection, Tiki shook her head. "I don't think we have to worry. It's pretty clear Yami and Tima are in a relationship now."

Merina smiled. "Good. They must be so cute together."

Tiki giggled. "They really are!"

Tima smiled but still peeked at Tea. While she still considered the teenager a friend, she decided to keep an eye on her from now on.

As everyone ate their breakfast, Arthur asked, "So what's everyone going to do now?"

Yugi answered, "Go back to Japan as soon as possible."

Rebecca whined, "No! Don't rush off! Stay a while!"

Duke agreed. "Yeah, aren't you guys still on vacation? It's not like you have to rush back for school. Hell, I'll even be your tour guide."

Giving the phoenixes a large bowl of fruit, Merina added, "You mean WE can be your tour guides. I mean, it's been a long time since I've been in America but I am your best translator."

Tristan grinned. "Hell yeah! When's the next chance we'll get to come out to America?"

Joey added, "And we still haven't eaten any American food! Like steak or even some lobster!"

Merina sat down with her food. "You know the portion size in America is extremely large, right?"

Earthzina started to eat a piece of fruit. ~This is Joey we're talking about.~

Merina paused for a moment and murmured, "Touché."

Tea teased, "Is food really all you care about?"

Joey snapped back, "Well, excuse me for wanting to try some culture! And besides, you got a better reason to stay?" As Arthur left for a phone call, Joey looked at Yugi. "Come on, Yuge! It'll be a waste if we go back so soon."

Yugi lowered his eyes. "I know…but…"

Tea figured it out. "You want to hurry back to help Yami and Tima."

Yugi nodded. Everyone went quiet in defeated agreement. Yami smiled. "Aibou, we have the God Cards so we don't need to rush back. We should all be able to enjoy ourselves, don't you think?"

Tima nodded in agreement, making Yugi smile. "Joey's got a point. We came all this way: let's enjoy ourselves!"

Everyone cheered and moved to the lake. Joey and Tristan took the lounge chairs, Duke set up a hammock, Tea sat at the table, Merina and Tiki sat under a tree, and Yugi and Rebecca watched the phoenixes play in the water. Rebecca kept snuggling Yugi's arm, making him blush. Rebecca suggested, "We could go a local theme park."

Joey said, "As long as I get steak, I don't care!"

Merina teased, "There's more to California than just steak."

Joey said, "You're right! There's lobster!"

Merina rolled her eyes as Tristan said, "We need to see some American movies! Merina, you can recommend something, like a western movie!"

Merina gave him a look. "Those aren't playing in theaters, genius! They're ancient by movie standards!"

Joey said, "Steak first!"

Tiki giggled. "Joey, we get it! You want steak!"

Looking up from his book, Duke asked, "So how long are you guys staying? You'll need to book your flight as soon as possible."

Everyone froze. Joey asked, "Damn…how ARE we getting home?"

Tristan sat up. "Yeah, we came here on Pegasus' dime!"

Joey started to panic. "We never even though about how to get home!"

Yugi paled. "Now what?"

Tiki and Merina came over. Tiki asked, "Any idea how much a ticket costs?"

Everyone admitted they did no money. Merina said, "Tickets are very expensive. Even if I asked my Dad to wire me some money, it won't be enough for everyone!"

Trying to cheer him up, Rebecca said to Yugi, "Well then, you can just live here for the rest of your life, Darling!"

Yugi blushed, making Tiki and Merina laugh. They knew it was a joke; Tea, however, was still jealous. "Uh uh! We still have school!"

Suddenly a KaibaCorp helicopter came into view. The phoenixes joined their Guardians as the helicopter landed. Tiki hoped it was Kaiba but it was Mokuba and Roland. As disappointed as she was, Tiki said, "I'm glad you're here, Mokuba. We're stuck and can't get back to Japan."

Mokuba said, "Really? Well, I can get you guys home no problem. We'll just use one of our private jets!" His smile turned to a smirk. "But…I won't do it for free. I'll get you home…if you enter KaibaCorp's new tournament, the KC Grand Prix!"

Everyone did not expect to hear that.

At the breakfast table, Tea poured everyone coffee as Joey asked, "So what's with this tournament?"

Mokuba explained, "Well, Kaiba Land's about to open here in America."

Rebecca perked up. "Oh yeah, I saw that. The news said you guys are almost complete."

Mokuba nodded. "In place of an opening ceremony, we're holding a Duel Monsters tournament."

He remembered the small meeting they had.

Roland bowed. "My sincerest apologies, Master Seto. We've done our best but…"

Kaiba was looking out his window. "I'm sick and tired of hearing the same answer! I want results!"

Roland nervously nodded. Sitting back at his desk, Kaiba started to look through some files when Mokuba, who was feeding Itami some dragon fruit, asked, "Nii-sama, have we gotten all our stock back from Doma?"

Kaiba nodded. "But after what happened, our reputation has suffered and, with it, the price of our stock has dropped. Damn it, I hate this."

Itami looked up from the fruit. ~The new tournament should help, right?~

Mokuba smiled. "Yeah. Once the tournament starts, the public and media will be focusing on that! That'll get rid of the bad rumors!"

Kaiba agreed and looked at Roland. "How's the network registration going?"

Roland looked at his notes. "Underway." He then thought of something. "Sir…will you be inviting them?"

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Of course. They owe me."

Itami privately teased, ~And you'll get to see your lady friend.~

Kaiba's eyebrow twitched as Roland stood up tall. "I will handle inviting them, sir."

Mokuba raised his hand that had the dragon fruit. "I'll go too, Roland!"

Itami made a whine-like chirp. ~Give me back my fruit!~

Mokuba laughed and set the fruit down. "Sorry, Itami." Jumping off the desk, the child proudly declared, "Leave it to me. I won't stop until they accept the invitation!"

Kaiba smirked proudly and nodded his thanks.

Mokuba smiled. "So that's why I'm here."

He then peeked at Tiki. He neglected to say what happened just before he left.

Kaiba gave Mokuba three envelopes. The child was about to leave when he noticed another envelope on the desk. "Another invitation?"

Kaiba shook his head and went back to work. "No. nothing like that."

Curious, Mokuba turned it over. It has Tiki's name written in fancy calligraphy. Suspecting Kaiba and Tiki were a couple, Mokuba smirked and took the envelope. "I'll give this to her too."

He ran off before Kaiba could stop him. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair and looked at Itami. "Why didn't you stop him? You know I wanted to give her that letter in person."

Itami looked up from the fruit and teased, ~Did something happen?~

Kaiba rolled his eyes and went back to work.

Mokuba broke out of his thoughts when Joey asked, "Hold the phone! How can you guys just decide this on your own? After everything we've been through, Kaiba should be on his knees, begging us to join!"

Tristan said, "Joey's got a point. I mean, KaibaCorp's all about propaganda."

Duke added, "And if Yugi and Joey, Battle City Finalists, take part, the news will be all over that."

Tiki bit the inside of her cheek, annoyed they were saying such things about her boyfriend. She was about tell them off when Mokuba spoke first. "Guys, Nii-sama's really busy right now! Because he's organizing the tournament, he's not even going to participate!"

Merina's eyes widened. "You're kidding me. He's not joining?"

Yugi almost winced. "Things must be bad if he's in that situation."

Joey, however, became smug. "So he's not showing his face because he's too scared of losing to me and Yugi! I mean, if he loses again, KaibaCorp's reputation will be in the toilet!" He then yelped. "Merina, why'd you kick me?!"

Tiki snapped, "She didn't…"

Mokuba slammed his fist onto the table. "My brother would not lose! You don't understand: right now, his job as CEO is more important than being a Duelist!" His eyes lowered. "He just…wants to fulfill our dream…of spreading Kaiba Land through the world."

Tea said, "Joey, that was low."

Joey did feel guilty. "Damn…I didn't think he had it that hard."

Mokuba looked at Yugi. "The future of Kaiba Land is riding on this tournament being a success! Our goal is to have great duels with the strongest duelists around the world. That's why I'm asking the Duel King to participate!"

Seeing Yami nod, Yugi smiled. "Sounds like fun!"

Mokuba brightened up. "Thank you so much, Yugi!"

Joey smiled. "If Yuge's in, then I'm in!"

Rebecca giggled. "Me too! I am the US Champion, after all!" She smiled at Yugi. "Let's sign up together, Darling!"

Mokuba pulled out the three envelopes. "Don't worry, I planned on asking all three of you, anyway. Here are your invitations."

Excited, everyone got up to pack. Tiki was about to leave when she felt something tap her knee. She reached underneath and felt an envelope. She looked up and saw Mokuba wink at her before leaving for the helicopter with Roland. Curious, Tiki wondered, 'What is this…?'

Now alone, she pulled out the envelope and saw her name written in nice calligraphy. Curious, she opened the envelope and started to read the letter.

Tiki,

It has been brought to my attention that couples tend to exchange love letters from time to time. Normally, I would not partake in such an event. But you have changed the path I was going on. You have no idea how grateful I am to you. Even though being in a relationship is a new and strange idea to me, this does feel right.

I do wish for us to spend time alone together when you arrive at Kaiba Land. I cannot make any promises, though: I am extremely busy. But I will do everything I can to have you by my side.

Seto

Tiki's eyes shined as she pressed the letter to her heart. 'A professional-sounding love letter…Seto, you never cease to amaze me.'

Tima appeared next to her. You might want to get packing. You don't want to be left behind…and I don't think you want Joey finding that letter.

Agreeing, Tiki put it back in the envelope and went to pack. Tima then asked, By the way, when are you going to tell everyone about you and Kaiba?

Tiki answered, 'After the tournament. They don't need any distractions and I don't want Joey to go hunting after Seto once he knows.'

Tima understood.

A couple hours later, everyone was over Kaiba Land in the helicopter. It looked like a typical amusement park with rides, games, and other attractions. Mokuba grinned with pride. "There's no other amusement park in the world that matches us in size and attractions!"

Merina smiled. "Looks like so much fun!"

Rebecca giggled and hugged Yugi's arm. "Let's go on a date after the opening ceremony, Darling!"

Merina and Tiki giggled, ignoring Tea's jealous look. When the helicopter landed, Mokuba led the group. Joey marveled at the sight. "Damn, money talks!"

Mokuba first led them through the main gate with the gift shops. Looking around, Joey suddenly yelped: he almost ran into a Blue Eyes White Dragon statue. "Of course it's here!"

Earthzina laughed. ~What do you expect? It's Kaiba!~

Catching up with Mokuba, Joey asked, "Hey, um…you said you invited the best Duelists in the world, right? Does that mean…Mai…did you invite Mai?"

Mokuba sadly said, "She was on the list but we can't find her."

Merina asked, "You going to be okay?"

Joey smiled. "Yeah. Knowing her, she's being a strong, healthy Duelist right now."

When they got to the main part of the park, they saw children. Some were being given balloons by characters and some were on the rides. One thing that stood out was that everything was Duel Monster related. Tea asked, "Why are there people here?"

Mokuba explained, "Admission is free today because it's the opening. You guys can join in the fun later."

Joey and Tristan were especially excited to hear that. But Mokuba first led them to the Kaiba Dome, which looked like a giant Blue Eyes head. "This is the stadium for the tournament!"

Everyone stared the dome. Joey asked, "Normal people would call this going too far."

Tiki giggled. As they started to head inside, she got an idea. "You guys go ahead."

Yugi looked back. "Aren't you coming, Tiki?"

Tiki smiled. "Someone has to be responsible and tell Mom and Grandpa we're going to be a few more days."

Yugi blushed. "…Good point."

Tiki smiled and pulled out her cell phone. She managed to make contact with their mother and explain the situation when everyone went inside. She then pulled out the envelope because Kaiba also wrote down his cell phone. Dialing it, she heard his voice on the other end after two rings. "Hello, Tiki."

Tiki giggled. "Hi. I loved the letter."

Kaiba said, "Thank you. If you're not busy, I would like to spend a few minutes with you."

Tiki looked around. "Are you in Kaiba Land?"

"No, I'm at KaibaCorp headquarters a couple miles away. There's a few landing platforms in Kaiba Land. Where are you?"

"Kaiba Dome."

"There's one right behind it. Go there and I'll send a helicopter for you."

Tiki smiled but felt a little overwhelmed by the idea of getting a helicopter ride.

Minutes later, she found herself landing on KaibaCorp's helicopter pad. Roland was waiting for her. "Welcome, Mutou Tiki! I am to take you to Master Seto."

Tiki nodded and followed him inside. Tima smiled and teased, Such posh treatment.

Tiki blushed. 'Shush. I know Seto's rich but I didn't expect something like that.'

Tima chuckled. Knowing Kaiba, I think you'll have to get used to that.

Before Tiki could answer, Roland stopped in front of a door. "Master Seto is just beyond this door."

Tiki nodded. Not wanting to be rude, she bowed. "Thank you."

Roland nodded as Tiki opened the door and walked in. As she closed the door, she heard Kaiba say, "I'm glad you got here safe."

Tiki blushed and looked at Kaiba. "Yes. It was surprising…having a private helicopter ride."

Kaiba smirked. They then went quiet. Being in a relationship was new to both of them so neither knew what to say. But another voice spoke up. ~Hello, Tiki. It's a pleasure to meet the sister of Tarra's Guardian.~

Kaiba's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Tiki perked up, seeing Itami on her perch. She went up to her. "You must be Seto's phoenix! It was so surprising to find out he's a guardian too."

Kaiba muttered, "To an annoyance."

Itami gave Kaiba a look before moving to Tiki's shoulder. ~The feeling is mutual. But we'll get used to each other. I have before.~ Before Kaiba could retort, the phoenix looked at Tiki. ~My name's Itami, by the way.~

Tiki giggled and stroked Itami's head. "Nice to meet you, Itami."

Itami cooed, making Kaiba jealous. 'Why the hell should my phoenix get more attention from my star than me?'

He cleared his throat, getting their attention. Tiki almost giggled, seeing how jealous Kaiba was. The CEO said, "Do you mind…?"

Itami's eyes sparkled before going back to her perch and tending to her feathers. Tiki looked at Kaiba and teased, "Are you jealous?"

Kaiba almost blushed but said, "I don't get jealous."

Tiki giggled. "You are so cute."

Kaiba wanted to deny it but saw no point. Instead, he stood up and went to her. "Did you like the letter?"

Tiki nodded. "I did. It was really sweet…" she took his hand once he was close enough, "…just like you."

Kaiba looked at Tiki, making her smile sweetly. Seeing the smile, he pulled her into his arms. She squeaked in surprise. "Seto…"

Kaiba said in an almost velvet-like voice, "Time for me to get what I wanted last night…"

Tiki blushed deeply as he started to lean in. But she did close her eyes and waited. However, just before their lips touched, the computer's alarm started to go off. Tiki whined and Kaiba growled. He went back to his desk and hissed, "If that damn bonkotsu did something, I'm going to rip his head off."

However, his tone changed: an outside source had taken over Kaiba Dome. "What the hell?! Mokuba!"

Concerned, Tiki and Itami joined him in time for the screen to show Yami, Mokuba, and everyone trapped in the dome. Tiki paled. "What's going on? What's my brother doing?"

Kaiba started to type in some code. "Someone locked the dome and the Duel Machine is acting up."

Itami's eyes narrowed. ~I don't like this, Seto. We should head over before things get worse.~

Kaiba glared at Itami. 'While she has a point, why did this have to happen when I'm having a moment with my girl?'

He looked at Tiki, ready to apologize, but she smiled, concerned. "It's okay; I understand, Seto. Besides, I'm worried about my brother."

She could also sense Tima being concerned for Yami. Kaiba agreed and took her and Itami to the roof where the helicopter was waiting. The entire ride, Kaiba worked on his PDA, trying to get control back. Tiki asked, "How could someone take control like that?"

Kaiba shook his head. "I don't know."

Just before they arrived, Kaiba got an alert that control was taken back. Itami chirped happily. ~You did it!~

Kaiba shook his head. "It wasn't me."

Tiki looked at the PDA and saw it was Yami defeating the duel computer. She smiled. "That's my brother!"

Kaiba shook his head. "Your brother never loses, does he?"

Tiki giggled and hugged Kaiba's arm. "Don't be jealous. You're just as powerful as he is."

Itami ruffled her feathers. ~Careful. Don't want to bruise his ego by saying he's on the same level as someone.~

Kaiba smirked as the helicopter started to lower to the ground in front of the dome. "I'm sorry we couldn't have more time together."

Tiki reached over and squeezed his hands. "It's all right. I'll come visit you more times during the tournament."

Kaiba nodded. When the helicopter landed, he reached over and kissed Tiki's cheek, turning her bright red. "I'm getting what I want next time."

Tiki smiled and left through one door. Kaiba opened the other. "Mokuba!"

Mokuba smiled and ran up to his brother. Itami perched on Mokuba's shoulder. ~We got an alert in the office. We're so glad you're okay!~

Kaiba agreed as Joey and the gang ran up. Joey yelled, "A little late to save the day, Kaiba! Fix that damn computer; it put us through hell!"

Kaiba glared. "Shut up, bonkotsu."

His friends had a giggle at that (Yami used Heart of the Bonkotsu to win the duel). Just then, Tiki hugged Yugi from behind. She managed to go around and through the crowd to get to him. "Yugi! I was so worried! I was locked out and couldn't see what was happening."

Startled, Yugi looked at Tiki. "I'm sorry, Tiki. It all happened so fast!"

Tiki pulled back and playfully teased, "Now see here, mister! I leave you alone for one second and you go and get yourself into trouble again!"

Yugi blushed and their friends laughed at Tiki's playful scolding. Itami teased, ~One day, Tiki will scold you like that.~

Kaiba's eyes looked amused. Taking a breath, Merina then realized, 'Wait…why didn't she come to us as soon as the doors open?'

Torru looked at Kaiba. ~And is it me or does he look amused?~

Merina noticed but wanted to know something else. "Kaiba, your dueling computer went haywire. What happened?"

Kaiba explained, "It wasn't me. An outsider hacked our system." Seeing Mokuba concerned, the elder kept talking. "Don't worry, Mokuba. I have someone looking into it. More than likely, it was someone trying to stop the opening of KC Grand Prix, using boring tricks to stop KaibaCorp's revival."

Itami interrupted, ~But! That was a bad move on their part!~

Kaiba glared at her but smirked. "Anyone who dares to challenge me always comes to regret it!" He told Roland, "Just to be safe, run a completely thorough test on Kaiba Land. The safety of our guests is our top priority. If someone dares to make another disturbance, they will be sorry." He ended with a declaration to everyone: "The KC Grand Prix must be and WILL BE a success!"

Roland nodded and went off. Tiki almost melted. 'So impressive…how Seto takes charge even after what happened.'

Kaiba told everyone, "Feel free to do as you please. Mokuba, I leave everything to you."

With that, he and Itami left, ignoring Joey's yells, "You damn prideful bastard! Your tournament wouldn't even be worth watching if it weren't for us!"

That night, everyone was in Hotel Kaiba's ballroom. Yugi asked, "Who are all these people?"

Mokuba explained, "Come on, we're talking about a highly anticipated KaibaCorp Duel Tournament! To make sure we had successful advertising, we invited media from around the world!"

Hearing that, Joey, Tristan, and Duke went to a camera and tried to get their fifteen minutes of fame. Tiki shook her head. Seeing a food table against the wall, she told her friends, "I'm going to get something to eat."

Yugi nodded and followed his friends to another food table. Getting a plate, Tiki started to get some shrimp when she heard, "I still don't get how you can be friends with them."

Tiki giggled and looked at Kaiba. "It's all about what's on the inside." Getting an idea, she teased, "After all, a lot of people would not understand why I love you."

Itami chirped a laugh. ~She got you there!~

Kaiba smirked with a scoff. "Touché."

Tiki smiled and went up to him, leaving her plate behind. Kaiba zeroed in on her lips and started to take her to the door. 'I will get what I want this time.'

But Tiki stopped when she heard a loud squeal. "What was that?"

Kaiba growled. 'Damn it, not again!'

Tiki looked around and her eyes widened. Itami looked and said, ~Seto, you gotta see this!~

Kaiba looked and saw a Chinese woman giving Yugi a big hug. She was even nuzzling his bright red face. Rebecca and Tea were shocked, Merina looked annoyed, Earthzina and Torru were laughing, Tarra looked very annoyed (she was knocked off Yugi's shoulder in the hug), and the three boys looked jealous. Tiki, however, could not really see. "What is going on?"

Kaiba smirked. "Entertainment."

But then the woman spotted him and squealed. "Chairman Kaiba! So cool!"

Itami's eyes widened as she started to run for him. ~Seto, RUN!~

Kaiba did manage to make a swift getaway without Tiki, much to her disappointment. As she headed back to get her plate, she glared at the Chinese woman. "Stay away from him."

The woman snorted at Tiki and walked away. Tiki sighed and went back to get her plate. "Man…I keep getting interrupted. Why can't I have a moment with Seto?"

Not knowing someone heard her, Tima smiled. Don't worry. You'll have your special moment with him.

Getting her plate, Tiki nodded. "I hope so. I would love to kiss him without interruption next time."

She reached for a shrimp and her hand accidentally collided with another. "Oh! I'm sorry."

A male voice with a German accent spoke. "Do not worry about it, my dear."

Tiki looked up at the owner of the voice, a German man around her age and Kaiba's height. He had really long pink hair wearing a purple suit, a shirt with ruffles, and a pink jabot with a purple brooch. Tima "whispered," Who's this guy?

Tiki mentally shrugged. The German stared at her and then seemed to catch himself. "Forgive me for staring but I have never seen such a beautiful woman such as yourself. You remind me of a porcelain doll.'

Feeling weird, Tiki gave a small bow and left with her food. The German smirked and pulled out a white rose. 'My dear…taking you from Kaiba shall be fun.'

Tiki rejoined her friends and looked at Yugi, who was talking to Leon, one of the children who got stuck with them. Tiki cleared her throat, getting their attention, and blurted out, "Yugi, were you being crushed by that woman's chest a few minutes ago?"

Yugi turned as red as the carpet as everyone but Rebecca and Tea (who did spit-takes) laughed at her blunt question. As Leon backed away, the two girls yelled, "What kind of question is that?!"

Yugi shook his head frantically. "Tiki! It wasn't like that and…no, never!"

Tiki sighed in relief and smiled. "Good. That makes me feel better. I just wanted to make sure you weren't a pervert like Joey and Tristan."

Joey and Tristan tried to protest their innocence but Tiki childishly put her fingers in her ears, making Merina and the phoenixes roar with laughter. Yugi and Rebecca sighed as Tea wondered, 'Was Tiki really joking…?'

Kaiba went to Roland to. "Have all the duelists arrived?"

Roland said, "One has not."

Kaiba growled in annoyance. "Fine, disqualify him!"

Roland looked up. "Sir…"

A German voice rang out behind them. "Excuse me."

Roland and Kaiba looked to see the man who flirted with Tiki. "I am Sieg Lloyd. I do apologize for keeping you waiting. But I could not pass up the opportunity to thank you for inviting me, Herr Kaiba."

Kaiba tensed up: he saw the flirts. Itami looked at Kaiba. ~Don't do anything stupid.~

Kaiba tensely said, "Now we have all the tournament's duelists."

Sieg smiled as Roland went to the stage. With the spotlight on him, he started. "Thank you for your patience. KaibaCorp's more prestigious event, the KC Grand Prix, is about to begin!"

The duelists went to the stage and Roland introduce them. There was Leon Wilson, Fortune Salim, Shane Jordan, Sergei Ivanov, Paul McGregor, Abe the Monkey Man, Dr. Richard Goat, Berry Ginger, Totani Ialos, Ethan Shark, Jafar Hashin, Vivian Wong (the woman who crushed Yugi in a hug), Rebecca, Joey (Roland introduced him as a bonkotsu under Kaiba's orders, making Earthzina laugh), and Mask the Rock. Yugi, Yami, Tiki, and Tima immediately knew who Mask was. The final duelist to be introduced was Sieg. When his name was called, he grandly threw his white rose at Tiki, making a lot of women squeal. Kaiba glared but felt better when an annoyed Tiki tossed the rose to the girls and stuck her nose up at Sieg. 'That's my girl.'

When Roland introduced Yami, he announced, "The Duel King will be dueling the winner of the tournament, putting his title of Duel King on the line!"

No one expected to hear that. Tima appeared in spirit form, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why am I not surprised?

Roland continued by saying the duels would be selected at random by the main computer. Yami had a flashback to the Battle City semi-finals. "So you won't know your opponent until just before the duel."

Joey was still excited. "Whatever. I'll beat whoever I get!"

As the media took pictures, Sieg kept stealing glances at Tiki. 'To reject my rose…she might be harder than I thought.' He smirked to himself. 'No matter…I'll soon win her over.'

Tiki suddenly shuddered, catching Tima's attention. Tiki…?

Tiki waved it off. 'Just got a weird feeling, that's all.'

Is that bad?

'No…just a weird feeling.'

Tima nodded and got an idea. If it is bad, just go to your man and he'll straighten it out.

Tiki giggled with a small blush.