With the Shadow Realm swallowed up back into its holding place, the midday sky was bright and blue and blatantly happy. Naturally Téa had to ruin it.
"Team Death and Team Kiddy! You are up for battle NOW!"
Melvin turned with a scowl to face the female as she stomped into the room. "The other teams just finished their duel. We aren't dueling until tomorrow."
"I don't see a badge on your chest that says 'Rule Czar.' You are on my boat, and I make the rules!" Téa screeched. Jealousy seethed from every pore of her body. Yugi physically shrank back from her even though he was on the opposite side of the room. The Pharaoh snaked his arm around his counterpart's back and pulled him against his side securely.
"Listen, Téa," Yami began, "If you have a problem with our relationship, come to us about it. Don't take it out on everyone else. Even the villains don't deserve this much of your crap."
Marik rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go."
Téa's shoulders tensed to a degree that shouldn't have been physically possible. She turned rigidly toward her accuser, and the flames in her eyes could be felt from leagues away. "Why does everything have to be about you? Did I address you at all in that speech? Were my words unclear in even the slightest manner? What! – did I bumble through them without noticing?!" Her arms flew into the air erratically. "You are treading a very fine line, Pharaoh, and I suggest you hop down and make yourself scarce before you fall and break your neck." The barbed fury twisted through her words, its power enough even to make the ancient Egyptian deity-figure quake in the knees, if only slightly. He had risen to his feet as the raving lunatic of a woman began to approach him, but even his height advantage seemed nil in comparison to her rage.
Mokuba stood uncomfortably, his lunch half-eaten on the table before him. "Maybe we should just do our duel quickly and get it out of the way. It shouldn't take long." But Téa paid him no attention. Her target was engaged, and that was all she could hear.
Ryou was so enraptured in the freak-out unfolding before him that he did not notice his sister pull out a device under the table and mess with it. He was sitting across from Melvin, meaning he was safe should the situation escalate further, but he wasn't thinking about that right now. He just wanted to know how this would play out. The drama was very juicy.
Téa continued. "Ever since I met you, you were charming and charismatic and chauvinistic – all qualities I like in a man."
"Chauvinistic?" Rebecca remarked to Mokuba. "Does she even know what that word means?"
"Sure, you were handsome. Sure, you had amazing hair and a killer fashion sense and just the right body type for all of your more feminine qualities to be acceptable. But there was one thing you had that I needed more than anything."
"Tact?" Rebecca said, to which Mokuba giggled.
"Undivided attention. Unconditional companionship. You stole all of that from me when you entered Yugi's life. Sure, he was still my friend. But he spent so much time with you and so little with me that I felt a void in my life that I hadn't since the four of us became friends." She indicated Joey, Tristan and Yugi. "But then you swooped in, and you were so much cooler and exotic than I was. All of my friends surrounded you, worshipped you like you were a god. And do you know where that left me, Pharaoh?" She spat his name with such derision that he flinched. Even from this angle, Ryou could tell she was barely holding back tears.
Téa held the Pharaoh's gaze for a solid minute before Yugi stepped out of his grasp. "Téa," he said softly as if he might break her with anything louder, "I didn't know. I didn't realize…"
"No, you wouldn't," Téa said, her cold edge crumbling at the invasion of her pain. She turned her head, her eyes focusing on the window overlooking the rest of the cruise ship. She inhaled raggedly, her breath snagging several times.
Silence enveloped the world, so thick all movement seemed impossible.
Unobstructed by this taboo, Yugi rounded the end of the table and went to Téa's side. He wrapped his arms around her back and tried to keep his face out of her shirt. He was only half a foot shorter than her now, but it was still a noticeable amount. In response, she embraced him and buried her face in his massive hair. It stifled her sobbing, but not enough to relieve the rest of the onlookers from their mutual feeling of intrusion. Slowly, they left the room in a stream of silent onlookers until only the two hugging friends remained.
"I'm sorry, Yugi," Téa whispered, her words broken by occasional gasps, "I've been so irrational and crazy. I just wanted my friend back, and I didn't know how to do it without driving him away."
"It's okay, Téa," Yugi said, stroking her back comfortingly. "I am the one to blame. I didn't realize you were intentionally trying to creep the Pharaoh out."
Téa laughed fragilely. "Do you honestly think I'm so desperate? My gosh, Yugi – I made cherry jokes! Cherry! When have I ever thrown that much cleavage at a clearly gay man?"
"The Pharaoh isn't gay, Téa."
She blinked at him, not comprehending his words. "But, but you're together."
Yugi grinned guiltily, shaking his head. "We are not. He was just so disturbed by your behavior, and I was so sure I'd never have a chance with you, that I agreed to pretend to be his boyfriend until you left him alone."
"But all the making out –"
"Acting. The Pharaoh taught me a few things. I mean, we had to make it look legitimate."
Téa blushed and giggled. "I was so sure; I mean, Kaiba made all those jokes. I guess I started to believe them. Not about you! Of course not. But I didn't know the Pharaoh well enough to contradict him."
Yugi chuckled. "He likes women, I assure you. And so do I."
"I know."
On deck, the displaced duelists milled around aimlessly, trying to pass the time while they waited for resolution between the two upstairs. Yami seemed the most perturbed, his brow creased more severely than his friends could recall it ever had been. This being the case, Kaiba wasted no time in goading him over the situation once he showed up, Joey in tow.
"I hear your three-way has become a two-way and you aren't in it anymore. How does it feel to be –" He was cut off my a swift fist to the mouth. Kaiba staggered backward, but managed to catch himself before falling on his rump and making an even bigger fool of himself.
Yami shook his hand and stalked back toward the stairwell, hesitating at the bottom as if the weight of his concern anchored him to the boards below his feet.
Kaiba wiped at his lip, smearing blood, too shocked to react at the moment. Kisara floated to his side, not wanting to look so concerned for his well-being but also unable to keep her distance. "I've always been the man of action," he told her softly, his eyes still glued to the Pharaoh. "I never knew he had it in him."
"Big brother!" Mokuba said, running to his side with large, shimmering eyes. "Are you okay?"
Kaiba looked down at the raven-haired boy. Although he was still a child in Seto's eyes, Mokuba was mentally in his teens and was maturing quickly. That Rebecca girl he always toted around was sure to become his girlfriend soon, if she wasn't already. Hmm, he thought to himself, I should probably pay better attention to his life now that he's not in constant danger.
"I'm fine, Mokuba," he grumbled. Pulling Mokuba against his side, he gave him a brief hug before letting him go. His partner came and retrieved him, allegedly to work on their strategy for their duel tomorrow. Or later today. Who really knew?
"That was uncharacteristic of you," Kisara said.
Seto shrugged. "Maybe it shouldn't be." He turned and walked toward the elevator, indicating for Kisara to follow. When they were out of earshot of everyone else, he said, "I was thinking, what if we go home after all this is over. Whichever of our brothers wins – probably yours – we should stick around just long enough for him to lose to the Yugis and then go our own way. Just you and me, unless Mokuba wants to tag along. But I suspect his blonde chicklet will want to claim him for a while."
Kisara raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his proposal. "Onto another tournament, you mean?"
Seto shook his head, taking her chin in his gentle grasp. "I need a vacation from that. Would you like to accompany me?"
Kisara smiled despite herself. "I think," she tucked her arm behind his neck, "that would be agreeable." Seto smiled and closed the distance between their lips.
Above deck, the duelists dispersed to the food vendors. Melvin took Ryou and their twins on a double-date in front of the snow cone shack.
"It feels like forever since we did this," Marik said, slurping up his Tiger's Blood. A ring of red around his mouth indicated how sloppy he was and how little he cared.
"Yes. Like it has been two months lack of three years, as a random, nonspecific number," Bakura said deadpan. He glanced over at his fiancé and smirked. "Marik, you're making my job of helping you look presentable hard."
"Don't act like you haven't done worse," he replied, licking some flavored ice from his chin.
Bakura grinned. "To those lips, I have."
Ryou stuck out his tongue in distaste. "I can't wait until you guys are married and out of my hair."
"What do you mean, Mini Kitty?" Marik asked, halting in his gorge-fest for the moment. "Aren't you going to continue living with us when we return home?"
"Oh. I hadn't thought about that."
"Ryou isn't used to having his own body yet," Melvin said, running his fingers through the boy's long white hair. "He doesn't know what to do with himself. You can stay with us, Starry Hikari."
"Wait a minute. No one said anything about you staying with us," Marik replied to his brother.
"Oh, come on, Binky—I mean, Marik. I've changed. You know this. Why am I not allowed back into the house?"
"Perhaps because the last time you were there, you tore up our apartment," Bakura said.
"I was looking for him!" Melvin indicates Ryou.
"You upturned the couch," Marik said.
"I wouldn't fit under their couch, Melvin," Ryou said quietly, non-accusingly.
"I was upset! My soul mate had left me in the night, and I had no idea where he'd gone or why."
Ryou blushed, remembering that moment and the emotional turmoil he'd felt as he rushed out the door and through the streets. He had forgotten that stress along the trip, especially after he and Melvin had made amends. But then, they really hadn't talked about it. Ryou had assumed they were on good terms. They were dating now, had been intimate on a physical level. Was that enough? He looked at Melvin, his tower of strength. Although his irritation at present was directed toward the other couple, would he at some point turn his anger on Ryou?
Bakura and Marik looked at each other, shared some nonverbal conversation, and returned their attention to Melvin. "Okay. But you're paying rent."
"I'll split it with you, but I'm not paying all of it."
"Deal." Bakura and Melvin knocked cones across the table.
"So am I resigned to the couch?" Ryou asked.
"You can have the spare bedroom," Marik said. "Melvin will sleep on the couch."
"Melvin will sleep on the foot of your bed," Melvin retorted, blowing a raspberry at his brother.
"At last," Bakura grinned wickedly, "The audience we always deserved."
"On second thought, I'll return to Britain," Ryou said, and grinned when all his friends laughed.
Melvin threw his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "We will sound-proof the dividing wall. And I'll sleep on the foot of your bed to keep your toes warm."
"I'd think you were kidding, but it wouldn't be the first time." Ryou took a bite of his blue snow cone and allowed the others to hammer out the details. Meanwhile, he plotted for tonight's events.
Back at the stairwell, the Pharaoh had had enough. He grabbed onto the handrail and began his ascent.
"What are ya doin', Pharaoh?" Joey asked. "Don't be a hero! It's suicide!"
The Pharaoh ignored him and continued up to the balcony door. He peered in through the window and smiled. Yugi and Téa were locked in an embrace so sweet, he had to turn away before he vomited cheese. "About freaking time."