Heart of the Blue-Eyes

by Azure Eyes Silver Dragon

When tragedy strikes at KaibaCorp, Téa and the gang rush to the aid of an old acquaintance. Set approximately three to four years after the events of Dark Side of Dimensions.

5. Breaking All The Rules

Téa awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the crackling of the campfire. She unzipped her sleeping bag a bit, folding the top half over and crawling out of it. It was still a bit dark outside, and Serenity and Mai were still sleeping. Téa quietly slipped on a pair of jeans over her bathing suit, knowing they would be swimming at some point today, and tip-toed out of the tent. When she looked up from the tent-flap, she only saw a single person at the fire. It was Kaiba. He was hanging a kettle over the fire pit and had what looked to be a thermos held between his knees as he ripped open a small packet of coffee grounds and poured it into a steel mesh steeper ball. Kaiba glanced up at her before quickly turning his attention back to his work, and Téa knew she couldn't avoid him by going back into the tent now. Instead, she took a deep breath and boldly walked over and sat next to him on the log, watching as Kaiba poured the water into his thermos and dropped in the steeper ball. "Good morning." she said to him pleasantly, breaking the silence between them.

Kaiba rumbled a throaty acknowledgement, tilting the thermos back and forth slowly to steep the coffee. It dripped a bit as he flipped it on its head, and Téa noticed that the thermos was rather worn. "I didn't figure you for a coffee kinda guy." she said.

"I am when I had nine shots of gin the night before." said Kaiba.

"You do that often?" asked Téa, noting the thermos' apparent heavy use.

Kaiba stared at her. "Of course not. I try to avoid alcohol like the plague." he said. "It has a tendency to impede important cognitive processes, which I need often."

"I was just saying your thermos looks like you use it a lot for someone who's not a coffee guy." said Téa quickly, nodding at the dented container.

Kaiba seemed to relax, sounding less defensive as he said, "I've had it for a long time."

"It looks like it could use replacing." said Téa with a smile as she watched it continue to drip when it was turned on its head. Kaiba must have lost at least half a cup of coffee by now.

She saw Kaiba's jaw flex before he said, "It not going to be."

"Oh?" asked Téa. "How come? You like it that much?"

"Something like that." said Kaiba, and Téa stared at him, but Kaiba said nothing further. He finally unscrewed the cap and poured the black liquid into it. Kaiba paused with the steaming cup halfway to his lips, offering it to Téa first, but she waved it away with a shake of her head. No way she could take it without cream and sugar, but she watched Kaiba do so with nary a disgusted expression.

"The guys aren't awake yet, either?" Téa asked suddenly, trying to break the silence again.

"Not that I've seen." said Kaiba. "Or heard, in Wheeler's case."

Téa giggled, listening to the roaring of Joey's snores from the guys' tent. "Be glad he's just snoring now." she said. "There's occasions where he talks in his sleep and sometimes you really don't want to hear what comes out of his mouth while he's in the throes of dreamland."

Kaiba flashed his amused grimace before taking another long pull of coffee. Téa yawned and stretched her arms over her head, her spine crackling a little. "By the way, you lied in the game last night." said Téa suddenly, and Kaiba looked over at her. "I remember Mokuba telling us while you guys were in the virtual world the first go around that you were in cuffs while the Witty Phantom held you hostage. I think I'm the only one who remembered that at the time, but that should have been a Liar's Penalty on you."

Kaiba grunted. "Well, keep that between us and this will be my Liar's Penalty." he said as he took another sip of coffee. "Besides, I said handcuffs, like the police kind. Those are different from being hung by your wrists from a stone slab."

"They're really not that much different." said Téa. "It's still you being restrained at the wrists."

"And is a fake kiss the same as a real one?" retorted Kaiba as he raised his cup to his lips again, glancing pointedly over at Téa.

Téa felt her cheeks grow hot, and she ducked her head and allowed her hair to curtain her face as she fumbled with her brunette locks. "Uh...well no, but..." she started.

"What's the penalty for that?" asked Kaiba, his amused smirk slowly creeping back at the sight of her squirming, the cup still hovering in front of his lips.

Téa balled her fist in her lap to stop them from trembling and fumbling with her hair, her face burning as she answered, "They'd make us do it again, but this time with someone right next to our faces to make sure we were doing it correctly."

"Ah." said Kaiba, finally sipping his coffee. He lowered the cup again and swallowed, adding, "Well, I suppose I can spare us that awkwardness. I don't need Wheeler or anyone else critiquing my performance in such close proximity, not to mention I'd much prefer the lack of an audience for such an intimate moment, especially the primary instance."

Téa felt her heart leap strangely in her chest. "So my notion was right, then?" she asked him carefully. "You've never actually kissed anyone?"

Kaiba glanced over at her, his blue eyes searching hers, and Téa distracted herself from his scrutinizing gaze by combing her hair with her fingers. "No, I haven't." he finally said.

Téa was silently relieved at the response, saying, "That's why I faked the one during Spin the Bottle. I figured if it was your first, that's not how you would have wanted it to happen."

Kaiba was quiet for a moment, deliberating. "I appreciate the sentiment..." he said sincerely. "...because you were correct. If I ever wanted to kiss anyone, it wouldn't be an accident. Or by chance of a gin bottle, in this particular case."

"That's a good standard to go by." said Téa softly.

"You say that like you speak from opposite experience." said Kaiba, watching her carefully as he recalled her answer to that particular game question.

Téa blushed, saying, "In case you forgot, mine was to you. And no, it wasn't an accident!"

Kaiba stared at her wordlessly, the thermos cup pausing at his lips for a split second before he caught himself. "I see." was all he said before finally taking a sip. He finally broke their gaze as he turned his attention to his thermos, refilling his cup before setting the container aside as he drank again. Kaiba sat there for a moment, drumming his fingers against his cup as he looked up at the sunrise, which was starting to peek over the water's horizon and paint the sky with pinks, purples, and oranges. It gave Téa the perfect excuse to break the sudden stillness between them.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Téa, admiring it herself, and Kaiba hummed his agreement.

"It's like I'm seeing it for the first time." said Kaiba, his eyes never leaving the rising sun.

Téa gave him a baffled look. "You've never watched a sunrise?" she asked him.

"I never had time to." replied Kaiba.

"I thought CEOs make their own schedule?" asked Téa, blinking over at him.

"To some extent, sure." said Kaiba, turning his attention back to the fire pit. "But you don't run a successful business by taking time off all the time. You micromanage your time and do as much as you can in a sixteen hour day."

"Geez Kaiba, you know you're supposed to eat, sleep, bathe and relax somewhere in there, too, right?" said Téa, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"That's what the other eight hours are for." said Kaiba simply.

"That's how long you're supposed to sleep!" cried Téa. "You'll send yourself to an early grave on anything much shorter than that!"

"I've been doing it for almost a decade and I'm still alive." retorted Kaiba.

"Sure, because you're still young now." Téa shot back. "Wait until you're twice your age."

"You sound like Roland." muttered Kaiba, taking a sip of coffee.

"He would know best, I imagine. You should listen to your advisor more often." quipped Téa.

"You know, I don't usually allow people to nag me like this." Kaiba pointed out.

"Oh, so you think I need your permission, do you?" teased Téa, nudging sideways against him. "Well, I hope you don't expect me to bow low and beg your forgiveness. You'll be waiting there until you die of old age."

Kaiba couldn't help but smirk. Téa's bold assertiveness was strangely attractive to him. He stared down into his thermos cup for a moment before taking another slow sip of coffee. They were quiet for a moment, then Téa suddenly asked, "Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?" asked Kaiba, looking over at her.

"Becoming a CEO..." said Téa softly, playing with her hair as she added, "...and not having time to do anything...not being able to enjoy life like a normal teenager."

Kaiba felt his insides squirming at her question. She was starting to hit way too close to home for his comfort. "It was necessary to secure a good life for Mokuba and I." he replied neutrally.

"Just because something was necessary doesn't mean you can't regret it." insisted Téa.

Kaiba was quiet as he kept his eyes down, staring at his coffee, and at first Téa thought he was going to drop the subject. But to her surprise, Kaiba suddenly said, "There's a lot of things I regret in my life. Not the least of which was not spending enough time with my brother. And all the other necessary things I had to do to secure my position and keep the company afloat. My choices weren't always easy and a lot of them weren't what I would have preferred if I had it completely my way. Like I told Mokuba, I'm not proud of everything I did, but I did it to give us a better life. All of my executive decisions were done with that in mind."

Téa looked over at him, shocked at Kaiba's honest confession. She inched closer to him and leaned forward, propping up her chin with her fists, her elbows leaning on her knees. Kaiba glanced over at her as she appeared to peer into his face, saying, "You really did put your little brother before yourself, didn't you?"

Kaiba avoided her eyes. "I certainly tried to." he said. "The one time I didn't..." Kaiba stopped himself before he spilled anything further, distracting himself by taking another sip of coffee.

Téa watched as Kaiba's eyes took on a far-away look. She inched closer to him, asking, "What?"

"Nothing." said Kaiba, a little too quickly.

"Kaiba, what's wrong? You look sad now." persisted Téa.

"I'm not." insisted Kaiba, getting annoyed at her prying.

"Liar." responded Téa. "Something's bothering you. Tell me. Maybe I can help."

"If I wanted a therapist, I'd pay for a licensed professional." said Kaiba, avoiding Téa's crystal blue gaze. "I'm fine."

"That's what people who aren't fine say." persisted Téa. "...and I bet real money that you think therapists are quacks, anyway."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and turned his attention to his coffee again, saying nothing.

"I knew it! You never roll your eyes!" said Téa, and Kaiba's jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth, wanted to hit himself for such a major slip-up. That was something Gozaburo had beaten out of him during his etiquette classes, and Kaiba really should have known that Téa would pick up on such a none-too-subtle gesture like that. "You're still not gonna tell me?" asked Téa after a bit, now sounding disappointed.

"What do you think?" was Kaiba's snarky response, despite the fact that he had a strange pang in his chest as he heard the sad tone in Téa's voice.

Téa sighed, saying, "I think you're a stubborn pain in the butt."

"Pot calling the kettle black." retorted Kaiba, and a vein ticked in Téa's forehead.

"I am not!" said Téa, crossing her arms.

"Do you hear yourself?" asked Kaiba, becoming amused at her sudden irritation.

"Okay fine, maybe I'm being a little unyielding." admitted Téa.

"Just a little?" quipped Kaiba, his half-smirk flashing as Téa scoffed and punched him in the shoulder.

"At least I admit it!" huffed Téa.

"I never denied it." Kaiba pointed out.

"Ugh, you're impossible!" snapped Téa. "Would it kill you to have a bit of humility sometimes?"

Kaiba's smirk slowly but surely disappeared from his face, but surprisingly, he didn't lose his temper. Instead Téa watched as that far-off look in Kaiba's deep-set, dark blue eyes appeared again. A wave of guilt washed over Téa, and she quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-..."

"It's fine." said Kaiba quickly, turning his gaze away.

"No it's not!" said Téa, scooting closer to him. "That was cruel of me."

"You didn't say anything that wasn't the truth." said Kaiba, distracting himself with his coffee.

"Kaiba..." said Téa, her guilt turning to shame.

"Don't apologize for being honest, Téa." said Kaiba. "It was beaten out of me to not wear my heart on my sleeve like you do in order for me to run KaibaCorp, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate when others extend that courtesy to me."

Téa blinked in surprise before her expression softened to a warm smile. She nudged Kaiba's leg again, her teasing tone returning as she said, "I knew there was a reason you liked our group."

Kaiba let out an amused huff of air through his nose, and Téa capitalized on it. "Admit it!" she said. "Maybe you didn't want to be friends with us, but you found our honesty refreshing."

"Maybe." echoed Kaiba, his mouth threatening to raise on one side.

"Not gonna admit when I'm right either, huh?" teased Téa as she leaned into Kaiba's shoulder with hers this time.

"Oh, so you're always right and I'm always wrong? Who's the humble one now?" retorted Kaiba, his eyes flitting to the new gesture before holding Téa's gaze.

"I wouldn't say I'm always right..." said Téa with a mischievous smile. "...maybe eighty percent me and twenty percent you."

"That's not how Pareto's Principle works." said Kaiba flatly.

Téa sighed at the semantics, but smiled as she quipped, "You know, for someone who used to call us dorks, dweebs, and geeks, among other things, you're the one who's a nerd."

"I'd rather be a nerd than a dork." retorted Kaiba.

"Okay, nerd." Téa quipped back, and this time both sides of Kaiba's mouth upturned into his rare smile as he watched her giggle. Kaiba looked down at his thermos cup before glancing over at the sunrise again. Now the sun was completely over the horizon, bathing the ocean's surface in a blinding glitter and turning the sky its normal blue color. "The others will probably be awake soon." said Téa, breaking the silence. "None of them are early risers. Or as Joey puts it..." She put on a Brooklyn accent in imitation of Joey, saying, "If da sun ain't up, den nei'da am I!"

Kaiba shook his head, trying to suppress a smirk, saying, "That sounds like Wheeler, alright. It's a very unfitting drawl for you."

"You know where he's from is actually the smarter of the regions..." Téa pointed out.

"Yikes." said Kaiba flatly.

"It's just that he's...louder." said Téa, grasping for the right words.

"You mean louder about how stupid he is." said Kaiba.

Téa gave him a look. "At least he's honest!" she said. "You must respect him for that, at least!"

"Sure, I'll give him that." said Kaiba, taking another sip of coffee.

"...and if I'm being honest, he is the most genuine person out of the whole group." continued Téa. "You'll never have a friend with a bigger heart than Joey."

"Spare me the sappy friendship speech." said Kaiba flatly. "Just because I needed a break from life enough to join this little escapade, performed a mild hazing ritual, and spilled a few surface confessions during that silly drinking game last night, doesn't mean I'll start wearing matching bracelets with everyone."

"I'm just saying Joey has a lot more in common with you than you think." said Téa.

Kaiba gave Téa a look like she had just sprouted five heads. "I take it back, I prefer the sappy friendship speech." he said.

Téa had to stop herself from laughing so Kaiba would actually take her seriously. "I mean it!" she insisted. "He may not be anywhere near as smart as you and maybe not as successful in Dueling just yet, but his younger sibling is the most important person to him, too. He battled his way to the top in Duelist Kingdom so he could use the prize money to pay for Serenity's eye operation so she could see again, you know."

"I know, but that's only one thing..." muttered Kaiba. He wanted to say at least Wheeler still had his sibling, but Kaiba didn't want to steer himself down that path right now. It was bad enough that he had to watch the two of them interact together and question whether he had been that good of a brother to Mokuba. And of course he had known about the reason behind Wheeler's determination. He had seen Serenity with her bandages and had witnessed her taking them off in the same instance, but Kaiba's attention had been focused elsewhere that day...

"You both also have a bad temper..." Téa pointed out.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "As most people do..." he retorted.

"...and you both come from broken families."

Kaiba stared at Téa, shocked into silence at her words.

"I mean, they're not orphans like you and Mokuba were, but Joey and Serenity's parents split up when they were really young." said Téa quickly. "To this day Joey has a strained relationship with his mother, and his father isn't the most stellar role model, either. I might even argue that he was worse than Gozaburo."

Kaiba's jaw flexed slightly, but he said nothing. What Téa did know about how Gozaburo treated him barely scratched the surface of everything his step-father did, but then again Kaiba knew nothing about Wheeler's father either, so he had little room to talk. And quite frankly, Kaiba didn't care enough to ask. So Wheeler had a few things in common with him...so what?

"I'm just saying the rest of us didn't have as perfect a life as you may think we did." said Téa, noting the ever so subtle movement in Kaiba's jaw.

Kaiba stiffened, throwing up his defenses, his tone dangerous as he said, "You think I did?"

"I think you had more opportunities in life that put you on a path towards a more privileged one than the rest of us." said Téa coolly.

Kaiba stared her down, but as usual, Téa's gaze was equally as intense. He wanted so badly to say that he wouldn't call beating a business tycoon in a game of chess while he was a twelve year old orphan an opportunity, but Kaiba knew all too well that it was. Gozaburo could have gone to any other orphanage for his publicity stunt, but he chose the one where he and Mokuba had been dropped at by their neglectful extended family. Kaiba had indeed been in the right place at the right time. He was also born with that gifted intellect that permeated his paternal line, nurtured by parents who recognized his talents and helped him grow into them, and that had been what had helped him defeat the undefeated chess champion. His genius was further tutored into rigorous perfection by Gozaburo himself along with the mentors he hired, and that now-perfect intellect out-smarted his step-father so that Kaiba could take the throne of the empire that was KaibaCorp out from under Gozaburo's nose. From there it was pretty much smooth sailing for Kaiba and his little brother, for whom he had fought so hard for that perfect life...

...and what did Kaiba have to fight for now?

Kaiba felt the emptiness creeping into his chest, threatening to consume him in darkness again. He pushed it violently away as he kept his focus on Téa's crystal-blue eyes, shimmering with light. Kaiba clung to those beautiful blue eyes like they were indeed the light at the end of his dark tunnel, and he felt the warmth returning to his chest, willing his heart to keep beating. He didn't want to push that light away from him, and especially not over a misunderstanding. Téa couldn't be blamed for not knowing his entire back-story.

Téa watched as Kaiba's eyes changed during their staring contest. They went from a hard glare to an unfocused waver, following by a soft gaze as his dark blue orbs refocused on her crystalline ones. Serenity had said she could read Kaiba's emotions simply by watching his eyes, and that's what Téa did, but still she wondered what was going through Kaiba's mind. He must be thinking about what she said to him, pondering whether her words were true or not.

Finally after that long and agonizing pause, Kaiba averted his gaze from Téa's. "Maybe I did have more opportunities than the rest of you..." he admitted. "...but trust me, if my life had gone the perfect way I wanted it to, my entire family would still be alive and I would have never had to step foot in the orphanage, never mind KaibaCorp. But as you said, life is not perfect, and that's not how mine happened for me. So I just had to roll with the punches."

Téa inclined her head, her eyes somber. She slipped her fingers into Kaiba's hand, pulling it gently away from his thermos, her other hand sliding up the back of Kaiba's so both of her hands held his one. Kaiba stared at the gesture before his eyes lifted to Téa's as she said, "Well, for whatever it's worth, you took the punches well."

Kaiba held Téa's blue gaze with his own for a moment before glancing down at their hands again, but he didn't pull away. He didn't feel any of the nervousness that had made his hands damp at the arcade when she had merely linked a single finger with his. If anything, Kaiba found Téa's gentle touch comforting this time. Her delicate fingers tickled the back of his hand as she traced his very prominent veins, and Kaiba couldn't help but stare. Even while they were dancing at the ball, Kaiba hadn't realized how much smaller Téa's hands were compared to his. Without really thinking, Kaiba slowly curled his fingers, almost completely engulfing the entirety of Téa's small hand within his large one. It was such a small gesture, but it was the first time he had allowed himself to touch anyone in such an intimate manner outside of social formalities like handshakes between business associates and dancing.

"I'm sorry for almost throwing one at you." said Kaiba suddenly, his dark blue gaze still locked onto their clasped hands.

Téa's surprise was evident as she blinked and looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat a bit. Had Seto Kaiba ever apologized to anyone in his life? She suddenly recalled her earlier comment about humility, and Téa's expression softened into a warm smile. She scooted up against Kaiba's side and leaned her head onto his shoulder, squeezing his arm in a sort of half-hug, saying, "I knew you weren't really gonna do it."

"The fact that I even threatened it is bad enough." said Kaiba, who didn't appear to be fazed by Téa's gesture this time as his gaze turned to the fire pit. "I swore I would never be anything like my step-father was. He'd take his temper out on anyone and everyone that got in his way, even women..." His hand balled into a fist as he added, "...and I almost stooped to his level."

"You weren't in your right mind at the time." Téa assured him as she caressed Kaiba's hand, which relaxed under her touch. "And even when you weren't, you still had the willpower to stop yourself. I doubt Gozaburo ever had the kind of self-control that you did in that moment."

Kaiba's amused half-smile flashed weakly. "His whims were a thing of legends." he agreed.

"See? You're nothing like your step-father was." said Téa reassuringly. "I only had to see him once and hear what came out of his mouth on that single occasion to know that for myself."

Kaiba let out an amused rumble, saying, "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right." Téa said affirmatively, squeezing Kaiba's hand as she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. "Mokuba always said you were the best big brother he could have ever asked for, and I know he would never have said that if you were anything like Gozaburo."

Kaiba looked over at Téa, who met his blue eyes with hers to let him know she meant every word. Such a small sentence, but it meant everything to Kaiba. "Thank you." he said sincerely.

Téa nodded, her eyes still on his. Kaiba seemed to suddenly realize how close they were. He turned his gaze away abruptly and appeared to shift uncomfortably. Téa noticed his movements and took her head off his shoulder, scooting back a bit as she said, "Sorry for crowding you."

"You're not crowding me." replied Kaiba.

"Oh." said Téa. "Well, um...you appeared uncomfortable."

"I wasn't." said Kaiba simply, and Téa blinked. Kaiba realized his words may have been taken out of context and quickly added, "It's just, I was taught to keep my distance from people."

Téa appeared to catch on, her eyes becoming solemn. "Kaiba..." she said softly, laying a hand on his arm, and Kaiba stared at the gesture before raising his eyes to meet her blue gaze. "...if you meant what you said about not wanting to be anything like your step-father, then I want you to do something for me. And not just try to, actually do it."

Kaiba stared over at her, amazed at her boldness, and asked, "What's that?"

"I want you to forget everything he ever told you." said Téa affirmatively, and Kaiba blinked. "Maybe not about legit business models and etiquette and all the proper things, but if he told you never to have any friends outside of business associates, if he told you not to be anything but cruel and closed-off, if he told you never to trust anyone but yourself...just forget all of that."

Kaiba watched as Téa's hand slid from his arm down to his hand, and she squeezed it gently, adding, "...and if he ever told you never to show any emotion...not to cry, not to laugh, not to love...not to feel like a normal human being, then I want you to forget that, too. He's gone now, Kaiba, and even when he was alive, he never controlled you. You know that." Kaiba's blue eyes raised to meet hers, and Téa continued. "You said you never want to be anything like Gozaburo, so don't continue doing what he always did himself. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Kaiba felt the swelling sensation in his chest again, only this time it threatened to burst out of him. Without taking his eyes off hers, he closed his hand around Téa's, saying, "Yes. I will."

Téa gave him a warm smile, pleased with his response. They held each others' gaze until they heard the sound of a tent flap being thrown aside followed by a giant yawn. Both of them looked over their shoulders at the same time to see Tristan stretching his arms over his head before putting his hands on his lower spine to crack it, saying, "Oh man, what a night! That's the last time I sleep on thirteen shots of gin! I'm getting too old for this crap." He blinked sleepily and rubbed an eye, looking around until he caught sight of Kaiba and Téa. Tristan's hazel eyes suddenly popped open wide as he made an inquisitive grunt.

Téa blinked owlishly for a moment before she realized where Tristan's gaze was riveted, and her own blue eyes popped open in realization. Kaiba glanced at Téa before following her slowly downwards turning gaze, and he seemed to stiffen as he noticed it as well: they were still holding hands. They quickly pulled away at the same time, Kaiba pretending to be interested in his empty thermos cup as Téa hid her blush with her hair.

Tristan laughed nervously, a bead of sweat on his forehead, and he waved cheerfully as he sidled away towards the woods, saying, "Don't mind me! Just answering the call of nature! I didn't see anything! Nope! Nothing at all! Not a single thing! I was never even here!" He disappeared into the woods, still rambling, and Kaiba stared after him.

Téa shifted and attempted to break the silence. "At least he's not awkward about it." she joked weakly. Kaiba's eyes moved from the forest to Téa again, and she cleared her throat and started playing nervously with her hair, mumbling a soft apology.

"You think he'll say anything to the others?" she heard Kaiba ask suddenly.

"Oh no, not at all! It's Tristan." Téa said quickly. "You could resurrect him from the grave and threaten to kill him again, and he still wouldn't spill a secret."

Kaiba chuckled, saying, "I knew there was a reason I liked him."

Téa let out a surprised giggle, amazed at Serenity's accuracy. At that moment, Duke also walked out of his tent, sniffing the air. "Oh man, is that coffee I smell? I could really use some of that after last night." he said.

Kaiba made a noise of amusement and handed the thermos up to Duke, saying, "Here, you'll probably need the entire container."

"You're probably right." said Duke, and he chugged the coffee straight from the thermos. Téa made a face. How could some people stand black coffee?

Mai also walked out of the girls' tent, followed by Serenity, who was massaging her temples.

"Ugh...how do people become alcoholics?" she asked woefully. "My head is killing me!"

"You'll feel better after you have food in your system." assured Mai, seating herself next to Téa with a pointed look at her and Kaiba's touching legs. Téa saw the look and shifted her legs, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Yugi and Bakura also joined them at the fire, and the two of them started to make breakfast for everyone. At that moment, Tristan came back out of the woods, and Duke asked, "Isn't Joey going to get up soon?"

"He will once he smells the food." said Yugi as he flipped the potato slices and eggs he was cooking in a frying pan, turning over slices of bacon on the grill plate. Bakura reached into the cooler and pulled out pre-made pancake batter and fresh berries, and he set to work making pancakes, flipping them expertly in the frying pan with a roll and flick of his wrist.

Almost immediately after the first serving hit a plate, Joey stumbled out of the tent, wiping drool from his mouth as he sniffed the air, mumbling, "Foooood."

"See? Just like a ritual summon: provide the offering and poof! Here he is!" said Yugi, and the others laughed, including Kaiba. Yugi pointed to him and said, "Oh look! I got my first point!"

Joey gave him a look, but still took the plate. He shoveled the eggs, potatoes and bacon onto the pancake, folding it up like a taco before taking a huge bite out of it. They had passed around a plate of food for everyone by the time Joey held his out for seconds, and everyone enjoyed the breakfast that Yugi and Bakura made for them.

"Alright, so what's the plan for today?" asked Duke, who was fully functional again after coffee and breakfast.

"Dats da beauty o' this trip, Duke! Dere's no plan! Only us havin' fun!" said Joey. "Today we play games until da sun goes down!" A slow grin spread across Joey's face as he added, "An' I know da perfect one to start out wit'!"

"Oh no! Run!" said Yugi knowingly, and everyone suddenly jumped up and ran in opposite directions, Mai and Serenity looking confused as Téa pulled them along. Duke and Kaiba sat there staring around at everyone before Joey slapped Kaiba on the back of the shoulder and yelled, "TAG, YOU'RE IT!" before sprinting away, cackling like an idiot.

"Ow, Wheeler! I'll get you back for that!" yelled Kaiba, rubbing his shoulder. Duke let out an amused laugh, and Kaiba glared at him, saying, "What're you laughing at!?" before shoving Duke off the log and running away.

"Hey!" cried Duke, and he jumped to his feet and took off running after Kaiba, who ran into the trees to try and shake Duke. "You're just mad cuz I beat you at pool, huh?!"

Duke jumped over a fallen tree, and he heard a shriek and giggles. He turned to see the girls, who had been hiding behind the fallen trunk in a group, get up and run in three different directions, and Duke chased after Serenity. She was surprisingly agile, swinging off tree limbs to propel herself forward, and Duke stumbled through the brush, trying to catch up with her.

"I'll get you, Serenity!" huffed Duke, pushing branches aside and spitting leaves out of his mouth. He turned a corner and ran smack into Tristan, and they fell backwards onto the ground, rubbing their faces. "Ow!" said Duke, then blinked and looked up at Tristan. "Oh wait! Tag, you're it!" he said before scrambling to his feet and running away.

"Wha-...? Aw man!" said Tristan, jumping up and looking around. He saw a flash of blonde hair in the woods, and Tristan charged after it. "I'm coming for you, Mai!"

"Oh no you're not!" said Mai, jumping up on the fallen tree and running along it, ducking under the branches of overhanging trees.

"Dang, when did she become a ninja!?" muttered Tristan, running after her on the trunk and slipping a few times before catching himself. Mai jumped off the end of the tree, which jutted out onto the beach, and took off across the sand. Tristan leapt off the tree and followed her. Mai was quite the runner. Did she do track in high school or something? Suddenly Joey turned the corner of the rock overhang, and he yelped as he skidded in the sand and fell on his side before scrambling to his feet. Tristan jumped at that lapse in his run and tackled Joey instead. "Tag, you're it!" said Tristan, and laughed as he kicked off the ground and sprinted away from Joey, who growled after him.

"Alright Mai, it's you an' me now!" said Joey, running after the other blonde.

"Ugh, no fair! I was running from Tristan!" huffed Mai, her stride slowing from fatigue, and Joey easily caught up with her, grabbing her up in a hug and spinning her around, laughing like a nut. "Put me down, you big doofus!" said Mai, kicking her feet since her arms were pinned on her sides.

"Hahah! Sure, but...tag, you're it!" said Joey, dropping her into the sand before running off.

Mai made an indignant huff before standing again, calling after him, "I'll get you back for that!"

"Heheh! Get in line!" Joey called over his shoulder as he ran towards the woods. At that moment, Kaiba ran out of the forest, and Joey yelped and danced out of the way, narrowly avoiding running right into Kaiba. "Wrong way!" Joey shouted over his shoulder.

Kaiba made an inquisitive hum, and Mai sneaked up behind him and shoved him towards Joey. "You're it, big guy! Go get him for both of us!" huffed Mai, plopping down in the sand to catch her breath. "I need a rest!"

"You got it." said Kaiba, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he took off after Joey, who's eyes widened as he picked up the pace.

"Aw crap! No fair, Mai! His legs are longer dan mine!" said Joey, pumping his arms into the air and stretching out his legs as far as he could. Kaiba sprinted after him, and he ran right by Joey, but not before he swung his hand wide and smacked Joey square between the shoulder blades, shoving him over face-first into the sand.

"That's from me and Miss Valentine, Wheeler!" said Kaiba, laughing maniacally as he took off down the beach. Joey put his hands on either side of him and pushed himself up from the ground, spitting sand out of his mouth and growling after Kaiba.

"Hey big brother!" called Serenity, waving and jogging towards him. "Who's it?"

Joey snickered as his prey approached him. "Heheheh! Guess who!" he said, and took off from the sand towards his sister, who screamed and giggled as she back-tracked into the forest again. She tried to duck behind a rock, but Joey went around the other side of it, catching his sister as she ran into him. "Tag, you're it!" he said, and ran off into the forest.

"Aaaw!" said Serenity, and she ran another way into the forest, back towards the campsite. She slid down the embankment and saw Bakura, who was hiding behind a bush and looking around. She snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, and he hummed inquisitively and looked around to see her running away from him, calling, "Tag, you're it!" over her shoulder.

"Oh drat!" said Bakura. "That's what I get for staying in one place." He ran out from his hiding spot and looked around, seeking out a target. A head of spiky hair caught his attention, and Bakura ran after Yugi, who jumped and tried to run around the rocks. Bakura ran up the embankment and dropped down on the other side in front of Yugi, who skidded to a halt and tried to turn and run, but Bakura got him by the arm. "Tag, you're it!" he said, sprinting away.

"Aw man." said Yugi, leaning against the cliff to catch his breath. "It stinks to be so short in games like these..." He sighed and stood straight again, regaining his breath, and started to walk towards the forest. He hadn't taken but a single step before Kaiba came running around the rock, and he yelped as he tripped right over Yugi, who ducked and covered his head as Kaiba somersaulted over him and into the sand. "Oh wow! Who would've thought I would get the tallest person!" said Yugi with a grin. "Sorry Kaiba, but tag, you're it!"

Kaiba rubbed his head and sat up on his knees as Yugi ran into the forest. "That wasn't a tag, that was a trip!" grumbled Kaiba, but stood and ran down the beach anyway. He was starting to wonder where everyone had gone when Téa stuck her head over the overhang. Kaiba sprung up and grabbed the ledge near Téa, saying, "Well, hello there!" But she ducked backwards away from his swiping hand and jumped to her feet, taking off along the escarpment. Kaiba heaved himself over the ledge and ran after her.

Téa jumped off the ledge halfway down the embankment and backtracked the other way across the grassy area, and Kaiba also jumped down, a little farther up since his long legs could take the fall, giving him a slight gain. Téa was smart, keeping to the hard ground and staying away from the soft sand of the beach that made them slip and sink. He'd have to trick her into going that direction, as she was surprisingly fast on her feet.

Téa came to the river that emptied into the beach and hopped gracefully across the stones that were scattered along the river. She paused on the other side of the bank to catch her breath, assuming Kaiba would have to hop the stones as well. But Kaiba still had momentum from the hill, and to Téa's shock, he sprinted straight towards it and jumped, sailing right over the river. Téa shrieked and took off along the bank. Kaiba slipped on the muddy embankment, losing ground for bit before regaining his footing and taking off after her again. He didn't even care that his pants were slathered with mud from his knees down.

They came upon the beach, and Téa stayed in the shallow water, the wet ground mixed with rocks from the river more compact than the loose sand. She sloshed through the shallows, running along the beach, and Kaiba sprinted after Téa, slowly gaining on her. He saw her target up ahead: the rocky plain that spilled over the beach from the high tide sweeping away at the overhang. Kaiba was running out of breath, and knew he'd lose Téa if she made it there. He surged forward with a final burst of energy, his arm outstretched, and grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back slightly. It was enough to spin Téa around halfway, and Kaiba plowed right into her. He grabbed her by the waist, trying to stop his momentum, but tripped and stumbled. Kaiba rolled to take the hit as they both fell over with a shriek from Téa and a loud splash into the shallows.

Téa coughed and sputtered lake water as she pushed herself up, her hands on Kaiba's upper arms as she stared down at him. Kaiba stared back up at her, his hair waving underwater from the ripples and his chest heaving from the run.

"Tag..." he panted. "...you're...it..."

Téa let out a weak giggle, distracted by the heaving of Kaiba's chest and the hardness of his rounded biceps under her hands. She didn't have long to linger on either one before she heard Joey's voice cut through the cloudiness in her mind.

"Uuuuuh, guys?" he said, sounding moderately uncomfortable. "Not fer nuthin' but...if ya wanted ta swim, all ya hadta do was say so."

Téa blinked out of her trance and looked up, finally noticing that the others were gathered on the beach and staring at her and Kaiba. They had probably all come running to investigate her scream from earlier. She noticed Mai and Serenity stifling giggles behind their hands, and Téa immediately rolled off of Kaiba, her face glowing pink. Kaiba sat up slowly, his back muscles stretching under the wet fabric of his shirt, his thick brown hair dripping as he ran his hands through it to smooth it out of his face. Téa couldn't help but stare as Kaiba's forehead scar was revealed in full before his heavy bangs that framed his eyes fell back into place.

"You know, that's not a bad idea, actually." said Mai. "I for one am sick of running, and it was quite the workout. Let's go for a dip!" She pulled her tube top over her head, revealing a strapless bikini top. The guys stared, Joey drooling a little, and Mai glared at them, saying, "What? You've never seen a girl in her bathing suit?"

"Gah...sorry!" said Joey, wiping his mouth and trying not to stare as Mai kicked off her shorts and shoes. Serenity also removed her shorts, sneakers and socks, revealing her dark-blue one-piece bathing suit in full.

"Alright! Beach time!" said Tristan as he tore off his shirt and tossed it aside, revealing his hulking frame further strengthened over the years from working in his dad's factory. "Last one to the water has to give up their dessert!"

"Aw heck no!" said Joey, tearing off his shirt, his gangly frame covered in various scars, and sprinting after him. Duke followed suit, and the three of them ran and dove head-first into the waves on either side of Kaiba, who threw up an arm to block the splash.

"Are you gonna swim, Kaiba?" asked Yugi as he and Bakura walked into the shallows.

"Well, I'm already soaked, so I might as well." he replied, peeling off his wet pants and exposing black boxer briefs that almost reached his knees. He wrung them out before throwing them on a nearby rock to dry in the hot sun. He kept his shirt on, but even so, the wet fabric clung to him like a second skin, emphasizing every finest detail. Téa turned her attention to her own clothes, trying desperately not to stare at the long groove in Kaiba's chest, the rounded upper arms, the shoulder to torso ratio, and the abs that looked like they were chiseled by the Egyptian Gods themselves, among other things. Téa felt her face grow hot as she slipped out of her jeans and laid them out on a rock to dry, suddenly feeling very self-conscious in her teal mid-riff tankini. She chanced a glance over at Kaiba just in time to see him turn his gaze away, and she blinked. Had he been staring at her?

"Hey guys! Let's play Siege Towers!" said Joey suddenly after everyone had waded a little further into the water. "I claim Mai as my buddy!"

"Hold on, what's Siege Towers?" asked Mai. "I've never heard of it."

"You sit on someone's shoulders and try to knock the other players off their buddy's shoulders." explained Yugi. "You can play with pool noodles as your weapon or just try to shove them off with your bare hands. It's a lot of fun!"

"Yeah, but you better make sure the person who's the Tower is sturdy on their feet, cuz you can knock them over, too!" added Tristan. "So who wants to be my buddy?"

"I will!" said Serenity. "I've never been able to knock over my brother!"

"Then let's do it!" said Tristan, crouching down and helping Serenity up onto his shoulders.

Téa swam up behind Kaiba and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "Come on, Kaiba! I have a feeling you're the sturdiest Tower out of all of them."

Kaiba startled a bit, his hand reflexively going to Téa's arm around his neck before he relaxed and looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm just going to watch." he said, trying to control his suddenly pounding heart as Téa leaned against his back.

"Oh come on!" she said, and put her mouth close to the side of his head. Kaiba felt the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up as she whispered in his ear, "I know you wouldn't pass up a chance to knock the stuffing out of Yugi and Joey."

Kaiba swallowed. She was appealing to his proclivity to never back down from a challenge and his deep-seated ire towards the aforementioned rivals. And it was working. Though normally the thought of allowing Téa to sit on his shoulders like some sort of donkey was demeaning to Kaiba, and yet he found their sudden close contact strangely welcoming at the same time. His mind was a whirlwind of conflictions. Kaiba surprised himself when he finally replied, "Fine, but let me watch first. I've never seen this before, either."

"Yes!" said Téa excitedly, looking up from his shoulder to watch with him, but remaining on his back. Kaiba allowed her to hang there as he lowered further into the water, Téa's hair tickling his neck as it swayed underwater.

"How about it, Mai? You wanna do dis or ya need a demonstration?" asked Joey.

"Let me see what this is all about first." said Mai.

"Alrighty! Let's go, Yuge! Show her how it's done!" said Joey, crouching.

"You got it!" said Yugi, climbing onto Joey's back.

"An' don't even think about goin' easy on my sista now, y'hear?" said Joey as he stood again, holding Yugi's legs in place.

"Okay." said Yugi, grinning sheepishly at Serenity.

"Everyone ready?" called Bakura.

"Ready!" said Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Serenity.

"Three...two...one...FIGHT!" said Bakura.

Joey and Tristan let out their battle cries and charged forward, and Yugi and Serenity locked hands, leaning into each other with all their strength. Serenity balked a bit under Yugi, who had grown surprisingly strong over the years, but Tristan held tight to her legs and planted his feet apart, leaning them forward. He also had a slight height advantage on Joey, though Yugi was head to head with Serenity now.

"Come on, Yuge! You got dis!" said Joey, straining as Serenity and Tristan pushed forward. "Tickle her stomach! Dat's her weak spot!"

"Joey, hush!" said Serenity, but Yugi broke a hand away from Serenity's and dug his fingers into the side of Serenity's ribcage, and she burst into a fit of giggles, trying to push his hand away. Her legs kicked out reflexively, and Tristan's grip fumbled on her legs.

"Oh no, Serenity! Look out!" said Tristan, but Yugi leaned all his weight into the hand that still grasped Serenity's, assisted by the weight of Joey, and Serenity shrieked as she slipped off Tristan's shoulders and into the water. She came up for air in a fit of giggles.

"YEAH! Dats how it's done, Yuge!" said Joey, holding out his hand for a high five, and Yugi smacked his open palm down towards it, grinning broadly.

"Aw, we almost had them." said Tristan, looking sullen.

"I'm sorry, Tristan, I tried!" giggled Serenity, rubbing her stomach. "We'll get it next time!"

"So wait, the tickling thing wasn't cheating?" asked Duke.

"The Trebuchet...the person on the shoulders, I mean...can knock over the other Trebuchet by any means necessary." explained Bakura. "That includes punching, kicking, shoving, pinching, poking, tickling...anything's game, really, we just try to be careful not to hurt each other. It's the Tower that can't do anything except use their forward momentum to assist the Trebuchet. All they can do is support the Trebuchet and make sure neither of them gets knocked over."

"Alright, that seems simple enough." said Mai. "I'm ready to go if you're still up for it, Joey."

"Of course!" said Joey, crouching and letting Yugi slide off and Mai climb on. "Who wants a piece o' dis killer team, eh?"

"How about it, Kaiba? Ready to make Joey and Mai drink the lake?" asked Téa, and Kaiba's amused smile flashed.

"Oohoo! Is dat a challenge I hear?!" asked Joey, locking eyes with Kaiba.

"You're on, Téa!" said Mai, holding up her fists. "Let's rumble!"

Téa climbed the rest of the way up Kaiba's back, and Kaiba stood up to full height again. Téa towered over Joey and Mai, her feet not even touching the water anymore.

"Whoa now! Too much height advantage!" said Joey. "Tone it down dere, big guy!"

"Yeesh, how's the breeze up there, Téa?" asked Mai as Kaiba crouched back down a bit.

"It's strong and filling our sail so this vessel can ram you full speed ahead!" retorted Téa, and Kaiba smirked.

"Hah! We'll see about that! Ready, Joey?" asked Mai.

"Ready!" he replied.

"You and Kaiba ready, Téa?" asked Bakura.

"We're ready!" said Téa, and Kaiba flashed a thumbs up.

"Three...two...one...FIGHT!" called Bakura.

Joey charged forward with another battle cry, and Kaiba practically sprinted in the water, holding tight to Téa's calves. Téa collided with Mai, grabbing her fists and shoving the blonde with all her might. Mai screamed and wobbled, grabbing Joey's head for support.

"Hey! If yer gonna pull my hair, at least take me out ta dinner first!" yelped Joey as Mai's long nails raked his scalp.

"Not funny, Joseph!" said Mai, straightening and grabbing Téa's arm as she came at Mai again. She tried to pull Téa sideways, but Kaiba held tight to Téa's legs, his feet planted firmly into the sand. Crouching actually gave the taller Kaiba a better center of gravity and a stronger stance. Wheeler would know that if he had even a rudimentary understanding of physics or wrestling.

"C'mon, Mai! We can't lose to da likes o' dese two!" said Joey, wobbling a bit as Téa and Kaiba leaned their weight against them.

"Don't look at me!" said Mai, trying to grab Téa by a shoulder and shove her. "Téa's the one who picked a stone battlement as her Tower!"

"I think she got the whole castle, actually." murmured Tristan to Yugi.

"Mmhm!" agreed Yugi as they watched Kaiba stand strong and unwavering. He pushed forward suddenly, his bent knees springing him forward, and Téa lowered her shoulder and put all her weight into Mai's stomach. Mai tightened her leg hold on Joey, trying to stay on, but Joey also fell under the combined weight of Téa and Kaiba, and the two of them fell backwards with a splash into the water.

"Yeah!" cried Téa, pumping her fists into the air. "Brunettes, one; blondies, zip!"

Kaiba smirked at her comment as the two aforementioned blondes popped their heads out of the water, Joey gasping for air as Mai coughed and sputtered. "Ugh, looks like the beginner's luck went to the Tower, not the Trebuchet." said Mai after she had regained her breath.

"We almost had 'em!" said Joey. "I was just tired from da last Siege, dat's all!"

"If your little sister can fatigue you, Wheeler, then you have no chance against anyone else." said Kaiba with a smirk, and Joey growled at him.

"Watch it, wise guy!" he said. "I'd like to see you try an' knock over Tristan afta our scramble!"

"Is that a challenge?" asked Kaiba, locking eyes with Tristan, who grinned at him. "Because I never back down from a challenge."

"You got it, bud! Let's do this!" said Tristan. "Who's my Trebuchet?"

"Let me try." said Bakura, wading forward. "Duke, you be the umpire."

"Will do." said Duke as Bakura climbed onto Tristan's shoulders.

"Aw yeah! You two are in trouble!" said Joey gleefully. "Bakura's the best Trebuchet!"

"Yeah? Well, we have the best Tower." said Téa, and Kaiba smirked. "I'd like to see you try and knock us over, Bakura!"

"You're on, Téa!" said Bakura, readying his hands.

"Everyone ready?" called Duke.

"Ready!" said the four of them.

"Three...two...one...FIGHT!" said Duke.

Tristan and Kaiba ran at each other, and Téa balked a bit as Bakura feinted and shoved her just below her collarbone. Kaiba held tight to Téa as she came back, his eyes wide as Téa ducked Bakura's swinging hand; he really was merciless, even to a girl. Téa grabbed his wrist and smacked him in the stomach with the palm of her free hand, trying to wind him. Bakura set his stomach and grabbed her hand with his free one, his other one twisting around in Téa's grip until he held her wrist instead. Bakura yanked her towards him, trying to make her fall forward instead of backwards so she couldn't lock her legs to keep herself on Kaiba's shoulders. A simultaneous "Oh!" cried forth from the others as they watched Téa almost fall off, but Kaiba threw out his arm and caught her before she fell, his neck aching from the sudden forward pull, but he ignored it.

"Good one, Bakura!" cried Yugi, but Téa grabbed Bakura's legs and pushed herself upright again, at the same time trying to slide his legs off of Tristan, but Bakura's leg hold was strong. He shoved Téa's shoulders as she righted herself again, and Téa almost fell off backwards this time. Kaiba took his hand off one of Téa's legs again and reached behind him this time, catching her in the lower back and pushing her back on to his shoulders. Bakura took that moment to grab Téa's unguarded leg and pull it off of Kaiba's shoulder, and Kaiba held Téa in place as she strained her leg against Bakura's hand.

"Yeah! You got dis, Bakura! Knock her off!" cheered Joey.

"You can do it, Bakura!" cried Mai as Bakura struggled to push Téa's leg and shove her off of Kaiba. "You got them right where you want them!"

"Come on, Almighty Trebuchet, you almost got it!" said Tristan as he held Bakura in place.

Bakura tried using his free hand to break Kaiba's grip on Téa's other leg, but Kaiba dug his fingers into Téa's leg, and Bakura couldn't break his hold. His other hand still strained against Téa's leg while Kaiba's other hand kept her from falling off backwards.

"Hey...Bakura..." said Téa through gritted teeth as she pushed her leg against Bakura's hand. "I think you forgot...one very important thing...about me."

"What's...that?" asked Bakura, also through gritted teeth as he leaned his weight into her leg.

"I'm a dancer." said Téa, bending her knee. "...and my legs...are my strongest body part!"

Bakura let out a yelp as Téa's leg suddenly sprung forth, kicking him square in the shoulder and making him fall backwards. Bakura's handhold broke on her leg, and did Tristan's hold on Bakura's legs as he tried reaching behind him to stop Bakura from falling over. Kaiba pushed Téa all the way back onto his shoulders and ran forward quickly, and Téa shoved both hands forward with all her strength and smacked Bakura square in the chest, shoving him backwards the rest of the way before Tristan could save him, and Bakura yelped as he somersaulted backwards off of Tristan's shoulders with a huge splash.

Kaiba smirked triumphantly over at Joey, who growled at him and muttered, "Ya still didn't knock ov'a Tristan."

"Dangit, dangit, dangit! They were so close!" said Mai as Bakura resurfaced again, coughing as he rubbed his chest.

Téa panted and laid her hands on Kaiba's head, resting her head on his, saying, "Yeah, that was close. Thanks for having my back, literally."

Kaiba was also breathing lightly as he crouched down into the water, saying, "Don't mention it." Now that his gesture was hidden from the others, Kaiba rubbed his hand along Téa's leg where he had squeezed to keep Bakura from breaking his hold, asking, "Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all!" said Téa with a smile, smoothing Kaiba's wet hair out of his face with her fingers. "Like I said, my legs are the most durable things on me."

Kaiba resisted the urge to close his eyes as Téa's fingers combed themselves through his hair. Why did it feel so much better when she did it?

"Who's next?" asked Yugi, glancing at Duke. "How about it, Duke? You wanna be my Tower?"

"Sure, I'll give it a shot!" said Duke. "Who wants to take on the two Game Kings?"

"I wanna go again!" said Serenity. "I have to redeem myself against Yugi!"

"Alright, den I'll be yer Tower, sis!" said Joey.

"No way! You helped knock her over last time!" said Mai. "Let me be the Tower!"

"Huh? You sure?" asked Joey, staring at Mai's relatively small frame.

"I need to redeem myself, too!" said Mai. "So I'll be Serenity's Tower! We'll both redeem ourselves at the same time, right Serenity? "

"Right!" said Serenity. "Let's show them our girl power!"

"Aw man, we can't lose to two girls, Yugi. We'll never hear the end of it!" said Duke as Mai hoisted Serenity onto her shoulders. "We gotta win this one!"

"You got it!" said Yugi, readying himself as Duke lifted him onto his shoulders.

"Everyone ready?!" called Bakura. "Three...two...one...FIGHT!"

The game went on for a few more rounds, everyone taking a turn with a different partner. Kaiba even went again with Téa, knocking Yugi and Duke over this time, and no one was able to dominate their unstoppable team. Tristan suggested that Kaiba let Bakura be his Trebuchet at one point, but thankfully everyone agreed that no one would be able to win against the best Tower with the best Trebuchet, so Kaiba was spared from carrying Bakura on his shoulders.

The group played other games, such as Marco Polo, capture the flag (which was Mai's white shorts), and in general splashed and wrestled each other. Joey and Duke had even been bold enough to try and gang up on Kaiba, but his close quarters combat training aided him in beating them both at the same time. Joey waved Mai's shorts as a flag of truce as Kaiba held his head under the water in a choke-hold while gripping Duke's face and holding him at bay. Tristan laughed at them both when Kaiba finally released them, quipping an "I told you so." as he reminded them that they were stupid to try it.

Téa amused herself by having the guys pull her through the water, starting with Joey, then gliding over to Tristan, who pulled her sideways until she floated towards Duke. Kaiba pulled her effortlessly along with one hand before passing her off to Bakura, then Yugi, then repeated the circle again. Serenity had Joey throw her into the air before she landed with a splash in the lake, giggling like a nut as she resurfaced. They repeated this a couple times before Joey got tired, so she swam over to Kaiba and begged him to do so instead. Kaiba glanced cautiously over at Joey, as if asking for permission, and Joey gave his okay with a nod. Kaiba lowered into the water and allowed Serenity to sit on his shoulder, keeping his face turned away as he put his hands under her feet. Téa watched as his muscles bulged further as he shoved Serenity into the air, springing up from his knees, and Serenity squealed with joy as she soared high into the air before dropping back down into the water with a huge splash. Kaiba humored her for a while, and Téa giggled as she watched their antics. She had never seen Seto Kaiba this playful before. Then she remembered that he must have plenty of experience being an older brother, and her heart warmed at the thought of Kaiba humoring Mokuba in a similar manner. She couldn't help but wonder what he would be like with kids of his own, and Téa felt her cheeks warming at the thought. After a while, Kaiba suggested Serenity ask Tristan instead, and both she and Tristan happily obliged. Téa caught Kaiba's eye and gave him a warm smile.

They stayed in the water until the sun started to set, and everyone sloshed out of the lake and grabbed their clothes, racing each other back to camp. Joey made a game out of keeping Mai's shorts from her, invoking her rage as she chased him along the beach, trying to snatch her clothes back, and everyone laughed at their antics before Joey finally returned her shorts to her at the campsite so she could change out of her wet bathing suit in the tent with Téa. Serenity opted to dry herself at the fire along with the guys, and Téa brought her a long-sleeved shirt and some pajama pants to wear from the tent to ward off the mosquitoes. She and Mai were also in long-sleeve ragdoll tops and yoga pants, and Téa saw Kaiba glance at the eye-catching, studded faux crystals in her shirt before he turned his gaze away, refusing to be caught staring as usual. They glittered in the light of the fire as everyone ate, and it was hard for Kaiba to keep his gaze away as they twinkled like the stars overhead.

"Wow, Tristan, I had no idea you could cook so well!" said Serenity between bites of the stew he had cooked in the kettle.

"Aw shucks, Serenity!" grinned Tristan, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, what about me? I cooked, too!" said Duke, looking indignant.

"You cooked the garlic bread!" shot Tristan.

"...and it's good garlic bread, isn't it?!" retorted Duke.

"Sure it is, Duke." said Yugi cheerfully, receiving a grateful grin from Duke.

Joey muffled out something through a mouthful of his bread, pointing at Duke and giving him a thumbs up and a wink, and Mai sighed, sounding annoyed as she asked, "Does anyone speak Joey-with-his-mouth-full?"

"He said, 'yeah, no complaints out of this stomach. A-plus bread baking, Dice Boy.'" said Serenity with a giggle.

"Dang, she's fluent in it!" said Duke, blinking.

"Well, she is his sister. It's probably her second language." said Tristan, receiving a giggle and a nod from Serenity.

Bakura took a sip of his soda, swallowing before letting out a soft burp. He clapped a hand to his mouth, saying, "Oh dear! Pardon me!"

"Aw c'mon, dat was pathetic, Bakura. Put yer heart inta it. Like dis!" said Joey, popping open another can and chugging down five large gulps of soda before letting out a roaring belch.

"Ew Joey, that's gross!" said Mai, wrinkling her nose. Téa let out a short burp at that moment, and Mai stared over at her like she had sprouted five heads before Téa burst into giggles.

"Eh, I give it a four." said Yugi before letting out a loud burp of his own.

"Ugh, you guys are so mature." muttered Mai, rolling her eyes.

"You think that's bad? Watch what Duke can do!" said Bakura. "Show her, Duke!"

Duke upended the rest of his soda, then took a deep breath through his nose before raising a fist in the air and belching out, "Fire in the hole!"

The others erupted into fits of crying laughter as Mai startled and held her hand to her heart, staring wide-eyed and disbelievingly at Duke. Even Kaiba let slip a surprised laugh, earning Duke his first point. Mokuba had been notorious for pulling similar feats.

Tristan let out a long, deep, crescendoing burp, but then said, "Yeah no, I can't top that."

"Hah! I reign supreme!" said Duke, pumping a fist into the air again.

"Unless Kaiba can top that." said Yugi, grinning over at him.

"Yeah, let's hear one from you!" said Tristan to Kaiba. "We've never heard you burp before!"

"That's probably because I don't." said Kaiba flatly.

"I call Liar's Penalty!" said Duke. "You mean to tell us you grew up with a brother and you've never once had a burping contest?"

"I bet he did!" said Joey. "I got a sista an' she did burpin' contests wit' me all da time!"

"No way! Not my sweet Serenity!" cried Mai, giving Joey's sister an incredulous look.

"She sure did! Show 'em, sis!" said Joey.

Serenity took a dainty sip of her soda, her pinky finger held out as if to emphasize her lady-like demeanor, but then proceeded to let out a huge burp, startling the others.

"Serenity!" exclaimed Mai as Tristan and Duke whooped and applauded while Téa giggled.

"Wow...she really is related to Joey." said Bakura, blinking.

"C'mon, rich boy! One burp, dat's it." pestered Joey. "Dere's no tabloids 'round here."

"Yeah, the only judging we do is if it's a ten or a four." grinned Duke.

"Do it in honor of Mokuba!" said Yugi.

"Yeah, he did it all the time at Kaiba Land!" insisted Tristan. "You oughta see how much soda that kid could pack down in one sitting!"

"Dooo it! Dooo it! Dooo it!" chanted Joey, waving his arms up and around at the others, urging them to join in, which they did, Tristan and Duke pumping their fists in circles in the air.

Kaiba's mouth became a thin line. This was exactly the kind of thing that Gozaburo had quite literally beaten out of him. But then again, the old man was gone now, and there was nothing holding Kaiba back from spurning his step-father. And it was something Mokuba had always wanted him to do, but could never convince his older brother to do so. "Alright, fine! If it'll make you guys shut up." Kaiba said at last.

"Aw yeah! He's gonna do it!" said Tristan excitedly, reaching into the cooler and tossing Kaiba a can of soda. "I dare you to chug the whole thing!" added Tristan as Kaiba popped open the can of soda. He smirked before upending the can.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" chanted Joey, Tristan and Duke.

Kaiba lowered his head again, crushing the empty soda can in one hand before tossing it into the fire. He wiped his mouth and took a few deep breaths through his nose as he felt the carbonation bubbling up from his stomach.

"Wait for it!" said Duke slowly, a huge grin spreading across his face.

Kaiba took one final deep breath through his mouth before letting out a loud belch. A few feet off, a squirrel skittered back into the forest while an owl took off from a tree overhead.

"Hah! He startled the wildlife!" howled Tristan before dissolving into laughter along with the others. Kaiba couldn't keep the smirk from appearing on his face. Somewhere in the great beyond, he knew Mokuba probably had that trouble-maker grin plastered across his face, filled with pride over his big brother.

"Alright, Mai, I suppose that leaves you." said Bakura, turning his attention back to her.

"What? No!" cried Mai, giving him a baffled look.

"Aw c'mon! Rich boy did it! Let's hear it." pestered Joey.

"Absolutely not!" cried Mai. "My mother would die if she heard me be so unlady-like!"

"Is your mother here?" asked Tristan.

Mai shifted uncomfortably, saying, "No, but-..."

"Okay, then let 'er rip." said Tristan, grinning broadly.

"Tristan!" cried Mai, her face the picture of disbelief.

"Come on, Kaiba, tell her she needs to do it since you did it." insisted Téa, nudging against him.

Kaiba shrugged, saying, "It's only fair."

"Don't enable them, Kaiba!" said Mai, shooting him a look, and Kaiba smirked.

"Come on, Mai, do it." joined in Yugi.

"I dare you to do it." added Duke.

"No!" repeated Mai furiously.

"Please, Mai?" asked Serenity, her brown eyes pleading. "Just this one time!"

"Oh, that face..." groaned Mai, looking uneasy.

"Don't try to resist it, Mai." said Tristan knowingly. "You'll break her delicate little heart."

"You wouldn't do that to poor, sweet Serenity, would you?" asked Téa teasingly.

Mai flailed her fists in the air before clapping her hands to her face, sounding defeated as she cried, "Oh, alright fine, I'll do it! But just this one time and never again!"

"Aw, yay! Thank you, Mai!" cried Serenity, looking delighted.

Mai sighed, then accepted a can of soda from Téa. "So long, sixteen years of finishing school." she groaned, popping open the can. She took a delicate sip, then set the can in her lap and took a deep breath through her nose. At long last, Mai let out a tiny, almost inaudible burp.

"Dat was pitiful." said Joey, and Mai shot a glare at him.

"Alright, who's ready for the goods?" asked Yugi, reaching into Joey's pack and pulling out the bag of marshmallows.

"Yeeeaaah!" chorused the group together, and Yugi tossed the bag of marshmallows over to Joey, who caught it neatly and ripped it open before promptly stuffing one into his mouth. Mai helped Yugi break the graham crackers and chocolate bars apart, and Mai smacked Joey's hand away as he tried to pilfer some chocolate before everyone else. Tristan and Duke gathered a bunch of long twigs from the edge of the forest to use as roasting sticks, and Téa watched as Kaiba pulled out his knife and started whittling the ends into perfect clean points for everyone. Tristan joined him in doing so, and between the two of them, they quickly got the sticks passed around. Everyone sat around the fire in a ring, roasting their marshmallows. Joey had stuck two marshmallows together on his stick, and Mai stared at them, saying, "Joey, these are already jumbo-sized marshmallows. Why are you doing two at once?"

"Because he eats twice the amount of food regardless of size or quantity." answered Tristan.

"Hey, dere's nuthin' betta dan a double-stuff s'more!" said Joey defensively. "Ya can have chocolate on one end an' a peanut buttah cup on de otha! It's da best, I tell ya!"

"I suppose if you can get your mouth open that big." said Bakura, flipping his marshmallow around to toast the other end.

"This is Joey we're talking about." said Téa flatly, and Kaiba smirked at her comment while the others laughed, Joey giving her a look.

"You'll see!" he said. "Dere's an art an' science ta makin' da perfect s'more, I tell ya!"

"Is part of that art and science lighting your marshmallows on fire?" asked Duke smugly.

Joey made an inquisitive grunt as he looked back at his stick, then let out a surprised "Nyeh!" before yanking his stick out of the fire, huffing and puffing as he tried to blow out the huge fireball stuck to the end of his stick. When that didn't seem to work, he waved it around wildly, trying to put it out with the wind, but that just made the fireball grow bigger.

"Hey, watch it!" cried Mai, leaning sideways to get her long hair far away from Joey while simultaneously balancing her graham cracker and chocolate on her lap.

"Joey, be careful!" cried Serenity as Joey started looking around wildly to find something to put out the fire, his stick moving this way and that. Kaiba finally reached over and yanked the stick out of Joey's hand, standing up and throwing it like a javelin towards the lake, where the flame was finally extinguished.

"Wow! Nice arm, Kaiba!" said Yugi, blinking over at the rings that were made on the surface of the water where Joey's stick landed, almost right out into the middle of the lake.

"Aw man, dat was a good stick." said Joey, looking downcast.

"Then quit whining like a sad puppy and go play fetch." quipped Kaiba, and a huge vein ticked in Joey's forehead as he snarled at Kaiba.

"Yer da one dat threw my stick, rich boy! You go fetch!" snapped Joey.

"I wouldn't have had to throw it if you didn't burn your treats." Kaiba pointed out.

"Yeah?! Well...you...argh!" said Joey, grasping for an argument.

"Just go get a new stick, Joey. It's not that big of a deal." said Téa. "And if you ask Kaiba nicely, maybe he'll even whittle it for you again."

"I don't need dis guy ta carve a stick fer me! I can do it myself!" said Joey, marching off into the woods to find a new stick.

Yugi sighed, saying, "Sorry, Kaiba."

"Yeah, and thanks for making sure the campsite didn't burn down." said Mai, straightening and fluffing out her long hair again.

Kaiba made a rumble of acknowledgement before sitting down again, and Tristan held up the bag of marshmallows, asking, "Have you ever made a s'more before, Kaiba?"

"Of course I have." said Kaiba, picking up a stick and accepting the marshmallow that Tristan handed to him. "Like I said at the arcade, I had a life before KaibaCorp."

"It's hard for us to imagine it." chuckled Bakura as he watched Kaiba press the marshmallow onto his stick before holding it a few inches above the fire. "What was it like?"

Kaiba shrugged, saying, "Like the rest of yours, I would imagine."

"Can you tell us anything about it?" asked Serenity politely, leaning forward in anticipation. "Where did you live? What were your parents like?"

"Serenity, I don't think Kaiba wants to talk about his past life." said Téa gently.

"It's okay, Téa." said Kaiba, and Téa blinked in surprise and looked over at him before he continued, "I was born and raised right here in Domino City. I never lived anywhere else in my life. My mom was a housewife and my dad was a network operator."

"What's a network operator?" asked Yugi.

"Basically an advanced programmer and technician, but instead of computers he worked on the industrial sized servers that ran the entire computer and cellular network." said Kaiba.

"Woo! That sounds like it makes some serious ca-ching!" said Duke with his mouth full of s'more, covering his mouth so the crumbs didn't spray everywhere as he talked.

Kaiba shrugged, saying, "Enough for us to own a small house on the outskirts of the city."

Mai made a noise of surprise from her closed mouth, swallowing her s'more before speaking. "Whoa, so you guys were almost rural! I guess that's why you know so much about camping."

Kaiba inclined his head, saying, "We went camping, fishing and hiking often."

"Aw man, fishing too?" said Tristan, squeezing his marshmallow between his graham crackers and chocolate. "If I had known that, I would have brought my poles."

Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed as he tested the feel of his almost perfect golden-brown marshmallow before putting it back over the fire. Téa watched as Kaiba rolled the stick slowly between his thumb and forefinger, his marshmallow turning like a rotisserie oven.

At that moment, Joey finally walked out of the woods, looking triumphant. "Well, it took some lookin', but I finally found da perfect roastin' stick!" he beamed. "An' I whittled it all by myself!"

"Congrats. Would you like a trophy for your efforts?" asked Duke, and Joey scowled at him.

Téa masked her disappointment as the conversation moved away from Kaiba's past and back into the normal chatter. She was secretly enjoying learning more about him. She watched as Kaiba put together his single s'more and ate it slowly, amazed that he could even make something like eating a messy campfire treat look dignified. Meanwhile she bit into hers and immediately had to wipe the marshmallow goo off the sides of her mouth, sucking if off her fingers and thumb. She paused with her forefinger halfway into her mouth, her heart flying into her throat as Kaiba looked over at her right at that moment, and he quickly glanced away before his eyes lingered too long on her mouth. Téa felt her heart flutter and a strange warmth in the pit of her abdomen.

"Hey, I've got an idea for our game tonight, you guys." said Yugi suddenly, knocking her out of her thoughts. "Tristan and Duke mentioned dares earlier, so let's play Truth or Dare!"

"Aw yeah! My favorite!" exclaimed Joey, stuffing his gigantic s'more into his mouth and gulping it down with several chugs of soda.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" said Serenity excitedly, brushing the crumbs off her lap.

"Ooh-ooh! Can I go first?!" asked Duke, waving his hand wildly in the air.

"Sure, have at it." agreed Yugi.

"Awyeah! Who wants to be the first victim?" asked Duke, looking around. His eyes fell on Tristan, and a mischievous grin spread over his face as he said, "How 'bout it, bud?"

"You're on!" said Tristan, sticking his s'more stick into the fire. "Come at me, bro!"

"Alright. Wasting no time, my man." said Duke. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." said Tristan boldly.

"Yeah! Dat's how ya start off a game, pal!" said Joey, and Duke grinned.

"I dare you to act like a monkey until your next turn." said Duke.

"Fine by me, I've had plenty of experience." said Tristan, and everyone laughed knowingly. "Oops, I mean, hoo-hoo-haa-haa!" Tristan squatted and walked forward on his fists towards Joey's huge bag of food and stuck his face in it, sniffing loudly. He brought out a banana and ripped it open, stuffing it in his mouth.

"Hey! Who said ya could go rummagin' through my bag, eh?!" asked Joey. Tristan screeched at him like an orangutan, beating his fists on his chest. The others burst into fits of crying laughter, including Kaiba, and Tristan pointed at Kaiba and howled triumphantly, hopping into the air and clapping his hands over his head, which only made Kaiba laugh harder.

"Man, Tristan's gonna get all the points at this rate." said Duke when everyone had regained their composure, and Tristan grinned and let out an affirmative, "Hoo-hah!"

"Me next!" said Serenity. "Mai, Truth or Dare?"

"Oh no, I know better than to take a dare from the Wheeler siblings!" said Mai. "Truth!"

"Okay then." said Serenity. "Who would you rather kiss, my brother or Kaiba?"

"Ugh, that's an easy one! Joey!" said Mai, and Joey grinned smugly over at Kaiba.

"Yeah! Y'hear dat, Kaiba? Mai'd rather kiss me dan you! How 'bout dat, eh?" said Joey.

Kaiba shrugged, saying, "So you got something over me for once. Big deal. It's certainly not much of something."

Mai scoffed, and Joey said, "Oh-ho! So it's gonna be like dat, is it? Alright, tough guy, let's see how gutsy you are! Truth or Dare?"

Kaiba's dark blue eyes glinted challenge, and he said, "Dare."

"Hah! Yer gonna regret dat one!" said Joey, a wide grin creeping across his face.

"Oh no!" said Yugi knowingly.

"Joey!" Serenity warned her brother.

Joey rubbed his hands together gleefully, "Alright, Kaiba! You asked fer it! I dare ya to get a clam outta da lake an' eat it!"

"Ew, Joey! That's gross!" said Téa, making a face.

Kaiba shrugged. "Hmph, fine." he said, standing up and walking over to the beach.

"Wait, he's not serious, is he?" asked Mai as Kaiba walked into the shallows, bending over and shifting the sand around as he searched for a clam.

"Aw heck no! It's gotta be a bluff!" said Joey, watching Kaiba in disbelief. Everyone watched as he finally pulled an oblong shell out of the sand, shaking water off of it. To their shock, it was almost as big as his palm, and Kaiba had quite large hands.

"No way, he's actually gonna do it!" said Duke, his eyes huge as Kaiba approached the campfire with the clam in his hand.

"Oh no ya don't!" said Joey, seeing Kaiba's intentions. "No cookin' it first!"

"Joey, come now! Cut the man some slack!" said Bakura, pulling a face, but Kaiba shrugged.

"Whatever." he said, and crushed his hand around the shell, cracking it open single-handedly with a loud creaking snap.

"You're still gonna do it!?" exclaimed Yugi, and Tristan howled like a monkey and shook his head frantically, his arms held in an X.

"Oh no, I can't watch!" said Serenity, turning her face away and hiding her eyes with her hand. "Somebody tell me when it's over!"

"Kaiba, don't-...!" exclaimed Téa as Kaiba lifted the clam shell towards his mouth, smirking triumphantly at Joey, whose horrified face was transfixed in his direction. Everyone watched with similar looks of disgust and shock as Kaiba tilted his head back and dumped the slimy clam into his open mouth, swallowing it whole with a loud gulp.

"Eeeeeuuugh!" the guys cried in unison. Bakura's cheeks bulged as he clapped a hand to his mouth as if he was going to be sick.

"EWEWEW! Kaiba, that's disgusting!" exclaimed Mai, shuddering.

Kaiba tossed the empty shell aside and suppressed a shudder of his own, saying, "Yeah, it was. I don't suppose we have any more of that mint gin?"

"He actually did it?!" cried Serenity, peeking out from behind her hands as Kaiba accepted the unopened bottle of gin from Duke, who pulled it out of the cooler.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick!" moaned Bakura, jumping up quickly and sprinting into the woods. Everyone winced as they heard him up-heave the contents of his stomach, and Yugi gagged for a bit as if he would soon join Bakura.

"So Kaiba, what does shellfish a la mode taste like?" asked Duke as Kaiba popped open the gin and poured it into his mouth, swishing and spitting into the fire.

"Saltier than I'm used to." he answered before pouring more gin into his mouth and tilting his head back to gargle it like mouthwash.

"Dan yer used to?!" said Joey with a horrified look.

Kaiba spit into the fire again and smirked, saying, "Really, Wheeler. It's clearly obvious I'm the only one here who was ever in a position to eat oysters before."

"Aaaw, dangit!" said Joey, running his hands through his hair irritably.

"Hah! Didn't think that one through, did ya?" asked Duke.

Kaiba smirked, saying, "Now let's see if you've got the same kind of guts, Wheeler! Truth or Dare?"

Joey growled, knowing he couldn't back down now, and muttered, "Dare."

Kaiba smirked again, saying, "I dare you to wear one of Mai's corsets for the rest of the game!"

The girls burst into giggles, and Joey cringed, saying, "Aw, come on!"

"What's the matter, Wheeler? That's pretty tame compared to what I did. Or maybe you'd rather try to chug this entire bottle in one go without losing any of it?" said Kaiba, shaking the gin bottle in his hand.

"Aw heck no! Mai, go get yer corset!" said Joey, glaring at Kaiba as he capped the gin and returned it to the cooler. Mai returned from the tent, loosening the strings on her pink corset top with bunching ruffles.

"That's right, Mai, make him wear pink!" said Téa, giggling along with Serenity.

Joey glared at them as he pulled off his shirt and held up his arms, letting Mai hook the corset in front before walking around to the back and working the strings. "Alright, deep breath." said Mai, yanking the corset strings, making Joey gasp in pain as the corset grew snug around him.

"Geez, whose da genius who told da world dat not breathin' was a fashion statement?" said Joey, wincing as Mai pulled it tighter.

"Beauty is pain, Joey. Now hold still!" said Mai, putting her foot on Joey's back and leaning her weight backwards as she tugged on the corset strings, Joey making choking noises as the others laughed. Mai finally finished strapping him in, and Joey winced as he tried to sit back down, everyone in hysterics over his now perfect hourglass shape.

"I can barely move in dis thing! It's crushin' my ribcage!" he whined.

"Sit up straight and don't slouch and it won't hurt as much. You know, good posture...what those things actually teach you to do." said Mai. Joey did as he was told, and everyone laughed as Joey's chest thrust forward, drawing attention to the empty bra cups.

"Wait, wait!" said Téa, running towards Joey's bag and picking out two peaches, then stuffing them into the corset cups.

"Nice peaches, Joe!" said Duke. The others howled with laughter, and Joey scowled at Téa as she high-fived Kaiba, who was bent in half and in a fit of muffled coughing as he tried to hold back his laughter, his hand on his stomach.

"Look everyone! I got Kaiba to laugh again!" said Téa triumphantly. "Point for me!"

"Hey, I'm the one who dropped the punch line!" said Duke. "My point!"

"We'll split it, then. Half a point each?" suggested Téa, helping Kaiba stand straight again.

"Okay, fine. Fair enough." said Duke. "It's your artwork, after all."

"Who's next?" asked Yugi.

"Hoo-hoo-haa-haa!" said Tristan, waving his arms in the air. He pointed to Duke, then made the hand signs for T and D with his hands, saying, "Haa! Hoo-hoo? Haa-haa?"

"Dare." said Duke with a grin.

"Haa!" said Tristan, pointing to the fire pit, then making a juggling motion, then holding up one finger, all while saying, "Hoo-hoo-haa-haa-haa-hoo-hoo!"

"Anybody speak Tristan?" asked Duke, receiving an angry monkey howl from Tristan.

"I think he said he dares you to juggle a hot coal from the fire pit for one minute." said Yugi.

Tristan shot Yugi a thumbs up with an affirmative, "Haa!"

"Alright then." said Duke, seeing an opportunity to impress Serenity, and he walked over and plucked out a hot coal. "Oooh! Aaah! Hot! Ouch!" he said, bouncing the coal from hand to hand and hitting it back into the air with his elbows, knees and feet. Everyone watched his antics for a minute before Yugi called time, and Duke let the coal drop back into the fire pit, rubbing his hands and wincing. "That wasn't so bad." said Duke, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, dat was like a nice carnival show, actually. Great enta-tainment!" said Joey.

"Says the monkey in the pastel get-up." said Kaiba, and Joey shot him a glare. Tristan crossed his arms and blew out of his pressed lips at Kaiba, who blinked and glanced over at him. "Oops, sorry Tristan." he added, trying to suppress a smirk.

"Haa!" replied Tristan indignantly, scratching his armpit.

"Alright, Serenity, Truth or Dare?" asked Téa.

"Truth." said Serenity.

"Okay. Out of all the guys here, which one do you think is the cutest?" asked Téa with a giggle.

"Aw, you guys should already know the answer to that one already!" said Serenity with a sweet smile in Duke's direction, and Duke's grin widened as he snickered to himself. "Tristan!"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Duke, and Tristan howled triumphantly, pumping his arms into the air, then hopped over to Serenity and started combing through her hair.

"Tristan, stop!" she giggled as Tristan pretended to pull a bug out of her hair and eat it.

Duke flopped down on his rock, sighing in disappointment, and Bakura moved on with the game. "Okay Yugi, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." said Yugi, looking nervous.

"Hmm..." said Bakura, thinking for a bit. "Oh, I know! Would you ever relinquish your title as King of Games to Kaiba if he offered you a million dollars?"

"Don't ya think Kaiba woulda jumped right on dat if it were dat easy?" said Joey, and the others laughed nervously as Kaiba scowled at Joey.

"Hahah, yeah. I'd have to pass on that one." said Yugi, winking at Kaiba. "Besides, I know he'd rather earn it and have a real challenge, right Kaiba?"

"You know it." said Kaiba appreciatively.

"Bakura? Truth or dare?" asked Yugi.

"Truth." said Bakura.

Yugi looked back at Bakura, his eyes serious as he asked, "If I had offered to switch Millennium items with you, would you have done it?"

"No way!" said Bakura, shock etched across his face, and the others stared at him in surprise. "I would never wish that upon my worst enemy, let alone you, Yugi! I'd do it a million times over if it meant I could keep the spirit of the Ring from tormenting anyone else! Besides, I could never have had the bond with Atem that you did."

"Wow, Bakura! That's so brave of you!" said Téa, knowing the suffering he had endured at the hands of the Millennium Ring. Kaiba glanced over at her, then back at Yugi and Bakura, saying nothing. He wasn't about to remind everyone that he always thought those ancient artifacts were just a bunch of hocus pocus magic tricks up until the very end.

"Thank you, Téa." Bakura said with a cheerful smile.

"Alright, enough sappy stuff. My turn." said Mai. "Téa, Truth or Dare?"

"Um..." said Téa, thinking.

"Do a dare! Do a dare!" chanted Serenity, slapping her hands on her knees.

"Oh alright..." said Téa meekly. "...dare."

Mai's violet eyes glinted as she looked over at Kaiba, a smile playing at her lips. Kaiba didn't like the look of that at all. "I dare you to give Kaiba a lap dance!" said Mai.

"What?! No!" said Téa, her face flushing red, and Kaiba also felt his face growing hot as the others burst into hysterics once more, Joey and Duke applauding Mai and guffawing stupidly.

"What's wrong? I thought you liked dancing?" said Mai, and Serenity held her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle as the boys snickered like school kids, Yugi and Bakura laughing nervously as Kaiba glared around at them all.

"Not like that!" said Téa, her face burning as she avoided Kaiba's eyes. "Pick something else! That's so inappropriate!"

"Sorry hun, that's my dare." said Mai with a grin. "Take it or leave it."

"I'm leaving it!" said Téa, fuming.

"Alright, but you know what happens when you turn down a dare..." said Mai, her eyes glinting.

"What happens?" asked Kaiba, not liking the sound of that.

"She's gotta take a penalty!" said Joey, grinning from ear to ear. "An' da penalty's always worse dan da dare!"

"Uh-oh." said Serenity as Mai held her finger to her chin and hummed pensively.

"Skin-ny-dip! Skin-ny-dip! " Duke chanted under his breath while punctuating his words by slapping his thighs in imitation of Serenity, and Téa glared at him.

Mai seemed to get an idea from that, saying, "Oh, I won't take it that far, but now that you mention it, I've got the perfect thing." Mai smirked at Téa, saying, "Take off your clothes, hun. You gotta sit in your bra and underwear only for the rest of the game."

The boys started snickering again, and Téa scoffed, saying, "No way!"

"Alright, then let's see that lap dance." said Mai, smirking triumphantly as Kaiba shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Téa turned bright red again.

"Come on, Mai!" whined Téa. "No fair!"

"I don't see why you're so embarrassed. It's just like wearing a bikini." said Mai.

"Yeah, well unlike you, I don't wear bikinis!" said Téa, blushing. "And there's a reason for that!"

"What, do you have surgery scars or something?" asked Serenity sincerely.

"No, but..." started Téa, fumbling for words. "I just...I don't like exposing so much skin."

"Well, I offered for you to keep your clothes on..." said Mai innocently. "...but you don't want to do the booty shuffle while sitting in Kaiba's lap, sooo..."

Téa glared at the guys as they let out a unanimous "pfft!", trying to press their lips together so they didn't burst out laughing. Téa flailed her fists and made a noise of frustration, saying, "Alright fine, I'll do it!"

"Do what?" asked Mai, and Kaiba's eyes widened before he caught himself.

"I'll...I'll take off my clothes." said Téa, her face burning.

"Aw yeah! Way ta take one fer da team, Téa!" said Joey teasingly, and Téa glared at him as she stood and slipped out of her yoga pants, pressing her thighs together. She sighed and lifted her shirt over her head, and Duke wolf-whistled loudly as her white lace bra and matching boyshort underwear was exposed, making Téa flush from her head to her toes. Kaiba's eyes widened, and he looked away quickly before Téa could glance over at him and catch him staring.

"Might as well drink it in while you can, boys, she's gonna be like that for the rest of the game." said Mai with glint in her violet eyes. Kaiba glared at Joey and Duke as they snickered and gaped like the dogs they were, while Yugi and Bakura tried to avoid looking at Téa, their faces colored redder than normal in the fire-light. Tristan let out a solemn "hoo...", circling a finger in the sand as he carefully kept his gaze away from Téa and turned towards Serenity instead. Téa sat back on her rock, hugging herself and pressing her legs together, her head bowed so her hair would hide her blush. She peered over at Kaiba from behind her hair, but he kept his eyes riveted to the fire pit.

"Okay Tristan, you are now free to no longer act like a chimp!" said Duke.

"Yeah, finally!" said Tristan, jumping up from his monkey crouch and standing on two feet again. "Just in time to start off the opposite round!"

"Opposite round?" asked Mai.

"It's something we made up. You do the opposite of what you did last turn." explained Yugi. "So if you picked Truth, now you automatically have to do a Dare, and vice versa."

"Hmph, fine." said Mai, looking disappointed that she didn't get to pick on her favorite target twice in a row, and Téa glared at her knowingly.

"Let's see...who should I pick on...?" asked Tristan aloud, looking around the circle, then grinned broadly at Serenity. "How about it Serenity? Ready for your dare?"

Duke growled at Tristan, as did Joey. "Don't get any funny ideas, Tristan!" said Joey. "Dat's my sista! Don't even think about doin' anything inappropriate wit' her!"

"Cut me some slack, will ya?" asked Tristan, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I'm more of a gentleman than that, aren't I, Serenity?"

"Of course, Tristan." said Serenity with a cheerful smile. "So what's my dare?"

"Let me think..." said Tristan, rubbing his chin pensively. He snapped his fingers, saying, "Aha! I got it! Serenity, I dare you to put your clothes on inside out."

"I said nothin' inappropriate!" said Joey, the vein in his forehead ticking.

"Aw come on! She doesn't have to undress in front of us." said Tristan, and Serenity giggled.

"It's okay, Joey. I'll do it." she said. "I'll be right back." Serenity got up and entered the girls tent. Everyone waited a few minutes before she walked out, wearing her bathing suit over her sweater and pajama pants, all flipped inside out.

"Oh yeah, I forgot she was still wearin' her bathin' suit." said Joey, laughing along with the others. "Sorry, Tristan. Guess ya don't get to see her underwear."

"I knew she was still wearing her bathing suit, dude. Give me a break. Sheesh." said Tristan as Serenity sat back down, giggling.

"Okay Serenity, you get to choose the next victim." said Duke.

"Let's see..." said Serenity, looking around. "I pick...Kaiba!"

Kaiba blinked and looked up, and Joey snickered gleefully, saying, "Good one, sis! Now he gotta tell us da Truth about somethin'. Dis oughta be good."

Serenity leaned forward eagerly, saying, "Kaiba, tell us...what's your actual surname?"

Everyone made a collective noise of surprise, their eyes wide at Serenity's bold question.

"That's right! His last name isn't actually Kaiba!" said Yugi. "That was his step-father's name!"

Kaiba made a noise of frustration, saying, "That's not something I want to share, Serenity."

"Oh, come on, Kaiba! Please?" said Serenity, folding her hands pleadingly in front of her and begging cutely as she had done before when she convinced Kaiba to get medical help for Bakura on the Battle City blimp. "We won't tell anyone, won't we?"

"Dat's right!" said Joey. "It's not just da location dat's a secret...everythin' dat happens here is a secret, too! Nothin' leaves dis shore, right guys?"

"Right!" everyone agreed unanimously.

"How about it, big guy?" asked Mai. "Can we be privy to your greatest secret?"

Kaiba's jaw flexed slightly, but just as before, he didn't entirely cave to Serenity's pleas. This time he wouldn't even meet her halfway. "I really can't say. It's a security precaution." he said.

"Aaw, okay, fair enough." said Serenity, propping her chin into her hand and looking mildly disappointed before her face became pensive again. "Hmm...oh, I know! If you could have only one superpower, what would it be?"

"Oh man, that's a tough one!" said Duke.

"Not for me." said Kaiba. "That's an easy one: time travel."

"Why da heck would'jya pick time trave-...?" started Joey incredulously, then caught himself as Tristan and Téa both gave him a look like he was a complete moron. "Oh...right."

"Alright big guy, now that you've made your confession, it's time for you to make somebody else do one." said Mai quickly before everyone could linger on the previous remarks.

"Actually I was going to make someone do their dare..." said Kaiba, his blue eyes glinting as they locked on to Mai. "...and that someone is you, Miss Valentine."

"Uh-oh! Dat don't sound good." said Joey nervously.

Kaiba's amused smile flashed, and he said, "Mai, I dare you to switch shirts with Téa."

"What?! But she's only wearing a bra!" said Mai, looking at the partially naked Téa.

"Precisely." said Kaiba, and the other guys burst into laughter.

"Hah! Payback!" said Téa, and Mai growled at them both.

"No fair! That negates my penalty to her! That's cheating!" said Mai.

"Actually it's called finding the loopholes." said Kaiba with a smirk. "That's what you get for threatening a business tycoon with a lap dance. Now give Téa your shirt."

"Ugh!" said Mai, but pulled her long-sleeve ragdoll top over her head and threw it at Téa, who quickly covered herself with it, taking off her bra under the shirt before sticking her arms through the sleeves and handing it to Mai. Now that she was completely covered, as Mai's shirt was like a tiny dress on Téa, Kaiba looked directly at her again. Mai's shirt went all the way down to Téa's thighs, and her arms were also longer than Téa's, so her small hands were covered by the sleeves, the tips of her delicate fingers poking out. Téa shifted her legs, and Kaiba realized he was admiring how slender and well-built her legs were. He blinked out of his trance and avoided Téa's eyes, mentally kicking himself for allowing him to be caught staring.

Mai glared around at the guys, saying, "Don't you dare peek!"

"What's wrong, Mai? I thought you said you were okay with bikinis?" teased Téa.

"Yes, bikinis that cover my naked chest, not my actual naked chest!" Mai shot back, and the guys snickered. "Now everyone who doesn't have a voluptuous chest, don't look!"

"In that case, does that count as a loophole?" asked Duke, pointing to Joey's fruit chest situated in Mai's corset, and Kaiba burst into laughter along with the others. "Yes! Got him again!" said Duke, pointing to Kaiba, who cleared his throat and resumed his usual stoic expression.

The guys obliged as Mai turned around and removed her bikini top and snapped on Téa's bra. She turned around again, and the guys burst into laughter again. The cups were too loose on Mai, an inch of space gaping above her chest. "How do you have a bigger chest than me?!" exclaimed Mai, trying to pull up the cups. "I thought dancers were supposed to be flat-chested!"

"Not this dancer!" said Téa with a cheerful grin. "I never bound my chest!"

Thank God. Kaiba shook the intrusive thought out of his head as he realized that his eyes were lingering on Téa's freed bosom. What was wrong with him?! It had to be the gin. Yeah, that was it. Téa caught Kaiba's eye and gave him a grateful nod and a smile, relieved that she didn't have to be almost completely naked for the rest of the game anymore. Kaiba inclined his head and averted his eyes once more.

"Alright Mai, go ahead." said Bakura.

"Hmph! Well if you two are gonna play that way, then let the torment continue!" said Mai, looking over at Téa. "Time for a confession, hun. You said during Never Have I Ever that you kissed someone. Who was it?"

"Oooooh!" jeered Joey, Tristan and Duke softly, and Téa blushed.

"Remember, if we find out you're lying, you gotta take another penalty!" said Mai, her eyes glinting. "...and you're terrible at lying, aren't you?"

Kaiba watched Téa fumble with her hands as they trembled, her eyes not meeting Mai's and her legs and feet fidgeting, and he realized Téa really was awful at concealing the truth. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get out of this one with dignity.

"It was me!"

Kaiba blinked and stared over at Yugi, who had jumped up from his seat with his fists clenched. Everyone stared at Yugi, including Téa.

"Really?! You, Yuge?!" asked Joey, his eyes huge.

Yugi rubbed the back of his head nervously, saying, "I mean, we've been friends since we were kids, and we just got curious one day just wanted to know what it felt like. We swore never to tell anyone! We've been keeping it a secret for years, right Téa?"

Téa blinked, but quickly resumed a believable face as Mai turned her inquiring eyes back to Téa, and she said, "Yeah, of course! You made me pinky promise not to tell the guys."

"Hah! I can see why!" said Tristan, putting Yugi in a loose strangle-hold and giving him a knoogie. "And everyone called Joey the dog!"

"Not funny." said Joey as Kaiba smirked.

"Looks like someone owes us a Liar's Penalty!" said Duke, grinning at Yugi. Kaiba saw Téa give Yugi a fleeting glance and a grateful smile.

"Hmph, fine then. Go ahead, Téa." said Mai, flopping back down on the log and crossing her arms and legs disappointedly.

"Okay." said Téa, looking around. "Hmm...Joey!"

"Uh-oh!" said Joey, bracing himself for the Truth that Téa would make him confess.

"If you had to choose between beating Kaiba at Duel Monsters and Mai kissing you, which one would you choose?" asked Téa, grinning at Mai.

"Wha-...?! Téa!" cried Mai, who flushed red.

"Aw man, dat's not cool, Téa!" said Joey, ruffling his hair in embarrassment.

"Yeah, Téa." said Kaiba. "At least give Wheeler a choice that's realistic."

"Watch it, wise guy!" Joey growled at Kaiba, who smirked at him. "Or did ya forget Mai said she'd kiss me before you, eh?!"

"Yeah, I would have gladly kissed Joey if you had dared me to do that instead!" retorted Mai.

"Yeah, but Téa really needed a shirt." said Kaiba, receiving an outburst of laughter from the others and a giggle and wink from Téa. Mai let out an indignant "Hmph!" and crossed her arms, glaring at them both.

"Well, Joey? Answer the question!" said Yugi, grinning broadly.

"Argh!" cried Joey, ruffling his hair again. "Well, I'd prob'ly only get one shot at beatin' Kaiba, but...nngh...I dunno!"

"I hope you're not saying you've had multiple opportunities to kiss Mai Valentine and you didn't jump right on that..." asked Duke incredulously, and Mai flushed pink again.

"Dat is not what I said!" cried Joey, glaring at Duke. "I'm just conflicted about which one would be more satisfying, dat's all!"

"Beating Kaiba at a card game, or kissing one of the most beautiful champion Duelists of all time. Don't think too hard about it." said Bakura, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head.

"Hey! If you'da heard sum'a da things dis guy's called me over da years, you'd be conflicted about kickin' his sorry keista, too!" said Joey defensively. "Or did'jya forget he called me a monkey on dat blimp o' his?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't much of an insult. Monkeys are cute, right Tristan?" asked Serenity.

"Oh gimme a break!" scowled Duke as Tristan grinned smugly at him.

"No, I didn't forget." said Bakura, re-centering the topic. "...but I have experienced both dueling Kaiba and now, thanks to Spin the Bottle, kissing Mai. If you'd ask me, I'd go with the latter."

"Aw, thanks hun!" said Mai with a broad wink, and Bakura grinned sheepishly.

"Are you going to answer my question or not, Joey?" asked Téa, growing impatient. "Cuz you know your only other option is taking a nolo penalty."

"Argh...alright, fine. Nolo." sighed Joey.

"What's nolo?" asked Mai.

"No contest. It means Joey can't make up his mind, so now he has to take a double dare, this one from Téa and one on his next turn." explained Tristan. "And he can't take a penalty for these dares since nolo is already a penalty in itself, so he has to do the dares no matter what they are. Another thing we made up."

"Sweet! I like these rules!" said Duke, grinning.

Téa's blue eyes twinkled mischievously, and she said, "Joey, I dare you to kiss Mai!"

Joey's mouth dropped open, stunned into silence as Tristan and Duke whooped, and even Yugi and Bakura laughed at Joey's petrified expression, Serenity giggling like a nut.

"Téa!" cried Mai, flushing from her roots to her toes.

"What? I thought you said you wouldn't mind kissing Joey?" asked Téa innocently. "Or maybe I should make it a French kiss?"

"Alright, alright! I'll do it!" cried Joey, whose face was also red. He strode forward boldly, his chest stuck out and emphasizing the peaches stuck in the bra cups. Mai's violet eyes were huge as Joey grabbed her by the elbows and lifted her out of her seat. Everyone watched intently as Joey leaned forward and Mai closed her eyes in anticipation, but to their surprise (and mild disappointment from Serenity), Joey only kissed Mai on the cheek.

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" cried Téa as Mai's eyes flew open and she stared at Joey.

"Heheheh! Ya didn't say ta kiss her on da lips." said Joey, rubbing his nose nervously as a bead of sweat slid down his forehead. "Loopholes, right rich boy?"

"Right." said Kaiba with a smirk. It appeared Wheeler could use his brain once in a while.

"Argh! You still have another dare you can't refuse!" Téa pointed out.

"Yeah, but someone else'll have to get dat one." said Joey, sneaking a wink at Yugi. "How 'bout it, Bakura? Should I go easy on ya?"

"Oh dear, go ahead. I'm ready." said Bakura, bracing for his dare.

"Heheh, I won't be too mean ta ya, buddy! I dare ya ta let da girls braid yer hair!" said Joey.

"Oh, alright." said Bakura, looking relieved that he had been spared from an infamous Wheeler dare. Téa, Mai, and Serenity giggled as they approached Bakura, and Mai immediately set to work with her nails to make an intricate French braid.

"Ooh! Let's put flowers and stuff in his hair!" said Serenity, running off to gather some.

"Oh boy." said Bakura, but sat compliantly as Serenity returned with a handful of dandelions, wild daisies, buttercups, lilac and clovers and allowed her and Téa to tuck them into the braids that Mai expertly twisted into his hair.

"Wait, finishing touch!" said Téa, grabbing a pine cone with its sprig from the ground and securing it into one side of Bakura's head with a bobby pin. "Perfect!"

"Well isn't that just charming." said Tristan, stifling a snicker.

"Yeah Bakura, you look so pretty." said Duke with a feminine lisp and a downwards flick of his hand, and Bakura turned a soft shade of pink, which only added to his new glow.

"Aw man, I wish I'd've allowed cameras. Dat's pretty good, Mai." said Joey, and Mai smiled at the compliments of her handiwork.

"Yeah, but then we'd be able to get your lovely self-portrait, too." said Téa, grinning at the corset. "...and you're the one who insisted on no blackmail."

"Ergh...fair enough..." muttered Joey. "Alright, Bakura, dat's enough torture fer ya. Now ya get ta pick on someone."

"Um..." said Bakura, looking around. "Tristan."

"Hello!" responded Tristan.

"Since you have to tell a Truth this turn..." said Bakura. "...tell us a confession."

"A confession?" asked Tristan, looking confused. "Like what? Elaborate a bit, man."

"Like, something you might be uncomfortable admitting about yourself." said Bakura. "A fault, maybe. Or something you did that you're not proud of."

"Hmm...that's a tough one..." said Tristan, staring at the ground and scratching his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "...what do I need to confess...?" he mused softly to himself.

"That everyone doesn't already know." added Bakura. "Like how you used to be a bully."

"Or how ya stole Yugi an' his grandpa's glory by lyin' ta my sister about teachin' me everythin' dere is ta know about Duel Monstas..." chimed in Joey, receiving a grin from Yugi.

"Or how you enjoyed being a robotic monkey in the virtual world because Serenity carried you around like a doll." giggled Téa.

"You guys are hilarious." muttered Tristan as Serenity giggled at the memories. Tristan paced in front of the fire for a bit, and Kaiba could tell he was putting some real thought into it. Finally Tristan looked up and said, "Oh, I know!"

"About time!" said Duke, leaning forward in anticipation. "Let's hear the juicy Truth!"

"I do have a confession to make, as a matter of fact, and it's one that's been bugging me for a really long time." admitted Tristan. "I said something awful and hurtful to a woman once, and I never apologized for it. And I finally got a chance to make it right again, so here it is."

Everyone watched, shocked, as Tristan turned to face Mai, who blinked up at him in surprise.

"Mai..." said Tristan. "I don't know if you remember this since you were under the influence of the Orichalcos at the time. It was just between you and me, so no one can back me up on this." He squared his shoulders and continued, saying, "...but I remember as clear as you sitting here before me. That was the last time I had seen you before you hit the road again. The last thing I said to you was that it was all your fault Joey was stuck in the duel with Valen that lost him his soul, and when you took off to go make it right, I yelled after you saying that you were the last thing Joey needed."

Everyone let out a gasp, and Joey's eyes were huge.

"Tristan..." said Mai, her hand to her heart and her violet eyes wide and shining. "You...you remember that? That was five years ago!"

"I do..." said Tristan, nodding. "...and by the sounds of it, so do you. It's been eating at me this entire time, Mai. I learned the hard way to be careful about the last thing you ever say to anyone when I lost my mom as a kid..."

Kaiba blinked, his mouth dropping open slightly before he caught himself, and the others nodded knowingly.

"...and I wanted to tell you I'm sorry, Mai..." finished Tristan. "...for waiting five years to admit to you that I have never been more wrong in my entire life."

The campsite was so quiet everyone could hear the leaves rustling in the distance. Finally Mai stood slowly, and everyone could see the tears brimming in her eyes as she said, "Oh, come here, big guy!" She stepped forward and wrapped one arm around Tristan's broad shoulders and the other around his side, rubbing his back, and Tristan returned her embrace, keeping his hands on Mai's shoulder blades as she murmured her thanks to him.

"Alright, stop it! Yer gonna make me lose it, you two!" sniffed Joey, turning his face away and rubbing at his eyes.

"Tristan, that was so sweet of you!" exclaimed Serenity, who also wiped tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, Tristan! I think that was the most humility I've ever seen from you!" cried Téa as Mai finally released Tristan from her hug. "You could have admitted that to Mai in private, but you chose to do so in front of everyone else. I'm so proud of you!"

"Aw thanks, Téa." said Tristan, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "So now that I got that off my chest, who's turn is it and what do I got?"

"Either a Truth for Duke or a Dare for Yugi." said Mai with a warm smile at him.

"Alright, I'll pick on Duke." said Tristan. "Let's hear something from you, man."

"Argh, what can I say that's better than that, dude?" said Duke. "Can I just admit that was the most inspiring thing I've ever seen in my life and you're the better man for it?"

"Alright, I'll take it." grinned Tristan. "Go ahead. Yugi's Dare is all that's left of this round."

"Hmmm..." said Duke with a sly, pointed smirk in Yugi's direction.

"Please don't say skinny-dip." begged Yugi nervously, and the others laughed, Téa sighing and shaking her head with a smile at him as the humor returned to the group.

"You're no fun at all." said Duke with a grin in Téa's direction. "But I'll give credit where it's due. I'm still getting inspiration from Téa and Mai..."

"Looks like Yuge's wearin' a bra an' panties." said Joey with a grin. Yugi's eyes became huge.

"Not quite." said Duke. "Yugi, I dare you put peanut butter on one of the guys..."

"Oh." said Yugi, relaxing a bit. "That's not so bad, I suppose..."

"...and lick it off of them!" finished Duke with a grin.

The girls burst into shrieking giggles while the guys looked mortified.

"...and what's the penalty if I say no?" asked Yugi.

"Skinny-dip." replied Duke simply.

Yugi hung his head and sighed, muttering, "I should've known." before getting the peanut butter and a plastic knife out of the cooler.

"Not it!" cried Joey and Tristan in unison.

"Or me!" said Bakura hurriedly.

Yugi glanced over at Kaiba, who growled, "Don't even think about it."

"Well, I guess that leaves you and me, Duke." said Yugi, sticking the knife in the peanut butter.

"Wait, what?" asked Duke, cringing. "I said one of the guys!"

"We're guys, Duke." said Yugi with a sly grin as he brandished the peanut-butter-covered knife. "Loopholes, buddy. You should've been more specific!"

"Not cool, Yugi!" cried Duke, jumping up and running around the fire as Yugi chased him, reversing the other way and making Duke skid to a halt and kick up sand to run in the opposite direction. The others were in hysterics over their antics, and Duke caved after a few seconds of this and finally exclaimed, "Alright, alright! Just do it to yourself!"

Yugi grinned and slathered himself with the peanut butter before licking it off his arm, looking all the more like a cat cleaning itself. Duke glared over at Kaiba, saying, "I hate you so much right now, business tycoon." Kaiba let out a laugh, and Duke cried, "Aw sweet! Three for me!"

"Alright, back to da normal rounds, Yuge." said Joey, winking at him again as Yugi polished off the rest of the peanut butter from his arm.

"Not before your final irrefutable dare." said Yugi with a grin at Téa and Kaiba. "Joey, I dare you to wear one of Téa's skirts."

"Aw, come on, Yuge!" cried Joey, and everyone burst into laughter, including Kaiba.

"Point for Yugi!" called Bakura, pointing at Kaiba before he regained his composure again.

"Yuge, come on, pal! I thought we had a deal!" whined Joey.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you wanted to French kiss Mai! My mistake." said Yugi with a grin at Téa.

"Nono! Dat's not what I meant!" said Joey quickly as Mai blushed.

"Okay, then Téa's skirt it is." said Yugi as Téa giggled and got up, walking into the tent and returning with a pink layered skirt that matched Mai's corset. Joey sighed and slipped off his jeans, sliding into the skirt, and everyone was in fits of laughter as Joey resembled a ballerina.

"Go on, Joey, do a twirl for us! Just like this!" said Téa, jumping up on a rock and doing a beautiful pirouette on the tips of her toes.

"Ya can only do one dare..." growled Joey.

"I got a hundred that says Kaiba's got dibs on that dare." said Duke, and Kaiba closed his eyes and shook his head, a smirk creeping across his features as he bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud again. "Aw come on, that was funny! Give me a whole point, man!"

"Is there a prize for whoever makes Kaiba laugh the most?" asked Serenity.

"If there is, then I'm winning it so far." said Tristan. "I'll certainly take that hundred."

"Aw heck no! Téa, I'll split another point with you if you tickle Kaiba." said Duke.

"I'm not ticklish." grumbled Kaiba, who flashed a nervous glance at Téa.

"Is that a dare?" Téa asked Duke with a grin.

"Yes! Do it!" said Duke, his eyes lighting up before he announced it officially, "Téa, I dare you to tickle Kaiba!"

"What? No!" said Kaiba, jumping out of the way as Téa launched herself at him.

"What's wrong, Kaiba? I thought you said you weren't ticklish?" giggled Téa as she made a grab for his stomach. Kaiba seized her hand, holding it at arm's length while he moved his other one back and forth to stop Téa from reaching for his neck, and everyone laughed at their antics. Téa feinted and grazed her fingertips up the groove in Kaiba's abdomen, and a smile cracked his facade as his stomach contracted at her touch before Kaiba grabbed her other hand.

"Hah! He's ticklish! Liar's Penalty!" cried Serenity, and the others laughed. Kaiba rolled his eyes and pushed Téa gently away from him, and she giggled as he released her.

"Point and a half, then? We'll be even with Tristan." said Duke.

"He didn't laugh, he just smiled!" said Tristan.

"That's why it's a point and a half. The half for the smile and the whole for his Liar's Penalty." said Téa, who fist-bumped Duke.

"Argh, fine. I'll just have to break the tie again." said Tristan.

"Oh, that'll be easy enough." said Bakura with a smile. "Just make Joey do something foolish so Kaiba laughs at his expense." Kaiba let out a laugh, and Bakura's eyes lit up. "Oh boy, I finally got a point!"

"Hahah, very funny, Bakura." growled Joey as Kaiba regained his composure again.

They continued the game for another two rounds until Serenity started yawning, Yugi and Bakura echoing her sentiment, followed by Mai, and they finally called it a night. Joey took off Mai's corset and sighed in relief before also giving Téa back her skirt, and the group split up and went into their respective tents. Téa zipped up the girl's tent behind them, giving her the privacy to return Mai's shirt to her and allowing Mai to give back Téa's bra, Serenity changing out of her inside-out clothes and bathing suit.

"Today was so much fun!" said Serenity, sliding into her sleeping bag. "It's a shame this is the last night of the trip...I wish it were longer."

"Yeah well, most of us have grown-up obligations during the week now." sighed Téa as she packed her clothes neatly into her bag and set out her last set of clean ones for the morning. "The perks of getting old."

"Who're you calling old? We're still in our prime, hun." said Mai as she settled into her own sleeping bag. "Besides, who are you to speak about grown-up obligations? You're on vacation until the end of summer, and then you get to hop on a plane back to America and dance to your heart's content at college."

"It's not all fun and games, Mai. I have to practice for my senior recital at the end of the year, and if I don't pass it, then I'll have to repeat the year again." said Téa, gulping at the thought. "I'm actually really nervous about it."

"Don't be, Téa. You'll do fantastic! I know you will." said Serenity cheerfully. "You're an amazing dancer; the best I've ever seen."

"Aw, Serenity, you're the sweetest!" said Téa, coloring at the compliments.

"It's true. You rocked at the arcade! I'm sure you're even better when you're doing the professional stuff." said Serenity. "I wish I could go watch you."

"Maybe you can. Just bat your eyelashes at Joey and he'll probably cave to his favorite little sister." said Mai with a wink, and Serenity giggled.

"I'll have to see how many guests I can bring, but if you could come, that would be great! I need all the support I can get." said Téa.

"You know we'll be there for you, hun. Just say when." said Mai.

"As soon as I get the letter in the mail about it." said Téa with a grateful smile.

Serenity yawned again and rubbed her eyes, saying, "Well, I'm beat. Goodnight ladies."

"Sweet dreams, Serenity." said Téa as Serenity rolled over and immediately started breathing evenly, her lips parted slightly as she hugged her squishy cat plush.

"Just look at her: head hits the pillow and she's out like a light. I'm jealous." said Mai softly.

"At least she doesn't snore like her brother." whispered Téa as the roaring of Joey's snores echoed from the guys' tent across the way.

"You got that right." said Mai, rolling her eyes. "His wife is gonna need a cork for his mouth."

"I'm sure you'll find one big enough." teased Téa.

"Oh, aren't you cute." shot Mai.

"What? You looked so expectant for that kiss from him earlier." said Téa with a triumphant giggle as Mai's cheeks burned.

"Don't start with me, hun. You're the one who was crawling all over Kaiba today." said Mai.

"Because Duke dared me to!" retorted Téa.

"More like you suggested it and Dice Boy went along with it for that point and a half." said Mai. "...and he certainly didn't suggest you call dibs on Kaiba for your Tower. You didn't once pick another partner during Siege Towers."

"Neither did Kaiba." said Téa, feeling her face growing hot. "Besides, he was playing with Serenity, too, remember?"

"Yeah, and I remember you looking on jealously, too." said Mai with a sly tilt of her lips.

"I was not!" cried Téa.

"Was to." said Mai, her violet eye glinting mischievously. "You were practically begging him to take you in the shallows before we all went swimming."

"Mai!" hissed Téa, glancing towards the door of the tent. She hoped Kaiba's ears weren't good enough to hear what they were saying through the thin fabric.

"In fact, I have a good feeling Yugi was covering for you during Truth or Dare." added Mai, watching her carefully. "Something you'd like to share with us, hun?"

"There's nothing I want to share with you, Mai." said Téa, and her voice and limbs didn't betray her this time since she spoke truthfully, avoiding the previous remark. "Goodnight."

"Hmph...goodnight then. Pleasant dreams." said Mai, turning over in her sleeping bag.

Téa settled into hers, her face still burning. Mai really had some nerve.

Téa sighed, suddenly thinking on all her interactions with Kaiba. Téa was really the one to initiate everything. Kaiba hadn't once made a move of his own towards her. How could Mai think that Kaiba was interested in her? Or Serenity for that matter? What did they see that Téa didn't? Just because Kaiba's expressions were softer towards her didn't mean anything. He saved your life, though. But of course he did! Kaiba wouldn't just let her die. Even Kaiba himself had admitted that he had protected her from those goons at the arcade and had been worried about her after she flipped the racecar. That was perfectly human behavior. Of course Kaiba wouldn't let her plummet to her death down a cliff.

Besides, Téa knew exactly how Kaiba had thought about friends, and he probably harbored a similar idea towards a relationship. Téa recalled the words of Heather and her entourage in the girls' bathroom at the charity ball. Per the by-laws, Kaiba needed an heir now, and yet he still refused to jump into a relationship that would provide him with one. That only solidified Téa's firm belief that Kaiba wouldn't waste his time or effort on such things, even if it was demanded of him by his company. Seto Kaiba could not be made to do anything he didn't want to do, and Téa was all too aware of that.

She sighed again, a strange ache creeping into her heart. Why was she sad all of a sudden? Sure, she had wanted Kaiba to come with them on the camping trip, but only because he truly needed a break from work and to distract him from the recent loss of his brother. She hadn't meant anything else by it, but now that Téa had seen Kaiba in a different light, something was eating at her on the inside, something that gave her butterflies in her stomach. Téa shook her head, assuring herself that she had only wanted to help Kaiba get better and not that this was something deeper. But as she thought more and more about the trip and Kaiba slowly but steadily opening up, Téa's curiosity only grew within her, and she wanted desperately to know more about him.

The full moon shone brilliantly through the clear sunroof flap overhead, flooding the entire interior of the tent with a spotlight of pearl white glow. How could the girls sleep with it illuminating their space like that? The full moon especially had always made Téa restless. It was as if that giant white orb in the sky was coaxing Téa to go out and dance for the mistress of the night, worshipping her watchful beams. Téa sighed for a third time and threw her sleeping bag off of her. It was pointless for her to try to sleep now. She was still wide awake. Quiet as a mouse, she slipped back into her bathing suit, grabbed her towel, and unzipped the tent, tip-toeing out of it and closing the girls back in. The fire had died down to smoldering charcoal now, and Téa was careful to sneak by Bakura, whose mesh tent door revealed him fast asleep, the braids still in his hair from earlier but relieved of most of the flowers and clovers. Téa crept past the fire and the guys' tent, silent as the night, and made her way towards the water hole.

Kaiba watched the stars from under his lean-to, his hands behind his head, when suddenly his sharp ears heard the sound of rustling sand and a sharp "ah!". He raised his head a bit and looked down from his overhead shelter to see Téa looking over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't woken anyone, rubbing the sole of her foot and tossing away the pine cone she stepped on before taking off at a brisk trot down the beach. She was wearing her bathing suit again and carrying a towel, and Kaiba's brow furrowed. Téa wasn't going swimming by herself at night, was she? Kaiba pushed himself out from under his lean-to and stood, then jumped down from the cliff before following Téa, his long stride shortening the distance between them.

---

Téa slipped down the rocky shelves to the watering hole where she and the girls had showered. The small pool of water had a half-ring of rocks that blocked it off from the lake. Téa knew she could float there without being swept out to open water. She slipped into the pool, running her fingers through her hair as she surfaced. She took a deep breath through her nose and allowed her body to rise to the surface, her hands over her head so she could prevent it from bumping into the rocks. Téa closed her eyes and just floated in the water. It was the most relaxing part of the camping trip, when she could just lay there as the cool night air blew over her, the lake rocking her with gentle waves.

Téa opened her eyes, gazing up at the beautiful night sky with its endless blanket of glittering stars and the full moon bathing her in a soft glow. She smiled, closing her eyes again, and floated for a few more minutes. Finally she let out a sigh, letting her body sink into the water again as she righted herself. She dipped her face under the water and smoothed back her hair. Téa rubbed the water out of her eyes before opening them, and she gasped and almost jumped out of her skin as she spotted a pair of long legs hanging over the rock face. She followed them upwards and met the dark blue gaze of Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiba!" she exclaimed, rubbing her chest. "You scared me! How long have you been there?!"

"About five minutes." replied Kaiba simply, and Téa felt her face color. He had basically been sitting there the entire time and she hadn't even noticed him or heard him approach.

"Oh..." she said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you."

"It's not ignoring me if you didn't know I was here." said Kaiba, and Téa giggled.

"Yeah I guess." she said, swimming towards him. Téa reached the side of the pool and reached up to place her hands over the ledge, pulling herself partially out of the water. Kaiba watched as she folded her hands together and rested her chin on them before looking up at him. He could see tiny droplets of water on her lashes, adding extra sparkle to her already radiant blue eyes. "So what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I could ask the same of you." said Kaiba, his brow hardening. "You shouldn't be out here by yourself. It's not safe to swim at night without someone with you, especially in a lake."

"I do it all the time." said Téa defensively, and Kaiba's expression told her he was displeased with her answer. "I mean, when we go on the trip. It was usually just me and the guys, so I kinda started doing this to have some time to myself."

"Uh-huh." said Kaiba, still sounding annoyed. "Pardon me for intruding."

"Oh no, it's fine!" said Téa quickly. "You weren't bothering me at all!"

"I certainly tried not to." Kaiba said.

Téa glanced down into the pool of water, biting her lip softly before asking, "Do you want to swim with me for a bit?"

"I'll stay up here." replied Kaiba. Téa could still feel his gaze upon her, watching her carefully.

"Are you sure? The water's not too cold at night." she said, cupping her hand into the water before pouring it gently on his ankle. Kaiba didn't move his leg away and didn't seem at all bothered by the gesture.

"I'm sure." he responded.

"Suit yourself." said Téa, lowering herself gently back down into the water to avoid splashing him before curling her legs and kicking off the stone wall. Kaiba watched her do a few back-strokes, then switch to breast-strokes before diving and swimming underwater for a bit, her hair swaying softly behind her. Unbeknownst to him, Téa was also keeping an eye on Kaiba, amazed that his watchful gaze never left her. She surfaced again, smoothing her hair out of her face. She blinked up at him, treading water for a moment to catch her breath. "You don't mind just sitting there and watching?" she asked him.

"Not at all." responded Kaiba, his eyes never leaving her.

"Are you that worried I'm gonna drown?" Téa asked teasingly.

"I don't take chances with Death anymore." said Kaiba. "He and I have locked horns one too many times lately."

Téa glanced up at him, a somber look on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean-..."

"It's fine." said Kaiba quickly. "I just don't want any repeats, especially with you."

Téa's breath caught in her throat. "Why especially with me?" she asked, her curiosity peaking.

Kaiba realized he spoke faster than he should have, and he scrambled his mind for an answer. "Mokuba considered you a friend. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to join him." he said quickly.

"Oh..." said Téa, looking slightly downcast. "...right."

Kaiba watched her for a moment, contemplating his words carefully. "...and I...appreciate you trying to include me even when he's not here." he added. "He would've liked that."

Téa looked back up at Kaiba, her blue eyes meeting his as she said, "We've always wanted to include you, Kaiba. It's you who was always resistant."

Kaiba let out a rumble of amusement, but made no further comment. Somehow he severely doubted that any of them would have actually welcomed him with open arms before now.

Téa swam towards him again. "I hope you enjoyed the trip." she said, hanging on to Kaiba's calf as she floated in place. Even his long legs were stiff with muscle, and she could both see and feel the extremely prominent tendons under his knee.

"It's not over yet." he said simply, gently swaying his leg to and fro and making Téa giggle like a little kid as she hung on. She was weightless in the water, and Kaiba dragged her along with ease. Téa couldn't tell if he was doing it to try and shake her off or if Kaiba was actually being playful. Since he wasn't saying anything, she decided to go with the latter.

"It is the last night, though." said Téa, clinging to his leg like a koala bear as he continued to rock her side to side. "We'll stretch the day out as long as we can, but it'll mostly be packing up and heading back. We used to stay for a whole week, but Tristan works at his dad's factory and Joey and Mai travel for tournaments and Yugi and Duke have their game shops. I think Bakura goes to visit his grandparents soon, and of course Serenity's only staying for the summer until she goes back to school..."

"Grown-up obligations." said Kaiba, and Téa's breath caught in her throat. Did he hear the girls through their tent? "I've had them since I was ten."

"Ten? I thought you took over KaibaCorp at thirteen?" asked Téa, looking up at him.

"Mokuba and I were sent to the orphanage at ten and five years old." said Kaiba. "I took care of him from then on, so he was my responsibility since then. It just became full-time with over-time when my step-father took his leave of KaibaCorp."

"Oh." said Téa, rubbing his leg. "You've had your plate full for a long time."

"You could say that." said Kaiba, halting his leg as it grew fatigued.

Téa was silent for a moment. "Have you...had smaller portions lately?" she asked.

"Not really." he replied. "If anything I've been trying to make my plate hold more."

Téa smiled solemnly, looking up at him and saying, "Well, just be sure you don't overload the plate. We don't want it to break."

Kaiba's amused smile flashed momentarily. "It's been cracked for a while. It's more like kintsugi at this point." he said, and Téa giggled at his new metaphor. It was very fitting.

"Well, in case kintsugi stops being effective, there's always another plate..." she said, leaning against his knee and peering up at him through her lashes. "...to help lighten the load maybe."

Kaiba watched her carefully. "I'll keep that in mind." he said simply after a short pause.

Téa hummed and kicked off the wall again, releasing Kaiba's leg as she swam off into more laps. Kaiba looked up and watched her closely, his eyes following her every move. A strange feeling overcame him, one that probed him towards her insistently, and Kaiba could ignore it no more. "You know what? I think I will swim." he said, making Téa blink in surprise. "If you don't mind, that is." Kaiba added quickly.

"No, of course I don't mind." said Téa, still surprised, but suddenly eager. She watched as Kaiba stood and shrugged out of his black long-coat, tossing it on a nearby rock. He paused with his hand hovering in front of his shirt collar, thinking. Earlier he had kept on his shirt, which was also woven with bulletproof fibers, knowing it was broad daylight and he was out in the open. But now that it was dark and no one had picked him off yet, Kaiba highly doubted that would be an issue, and he really didn't want to get his shirt wet and have to sleep in damp clothes. He finally decided to pull his shirt over his head, revealing his muscled torso in full.

Téa felt her breath catch in her throat, and she averted her eyes so that he wouldn't catch her staring, feeling the warm burn in her cheeks. Kaiba threw his shirt on the rock with his coat, then crouched and put his hand on the ground before jumping into the pool of water to avoid a huge splash. Téa watched him surface and blow the water away from his mouth as he smoothed his hair out of his eyes. His shoulders broke the surface, but his feet actually reached the sandy bottom of the pool, which was a foot too deep for Téa. He leaned backwards a bit and treaded water, and his blue eyes met hers as Kaiba continued to keep a careful watch on her. Perhaps he also realized that the pool was deeper than Téa was tall.

Téa realized she was staring again and looked down into the pool, clearing her throat softly before she broke the silence. "When's the last time you went swimming?" she asked.

"In a lake?" said Kaiba. "Probably when I was seven or eight years old. I have a pool at home. I actually enjoy swimming."

"Me too." agreed Téa, her eyes lighting up. "It's my favorite exercise besides dancing."

Kaiba's half-smirk flashed at the small talk. "I'm more of a kick-boxer." he said simply.

"Really? How come you weren't on the sparring team in high school?" inquired Téa.

Because it's a waste of time. Kaiba thought, but instead gave the more civil response of, "It's rather difficult to make time for after-school activities when you're a CEO."

"Right..." said Téa, rubbing her arm under the water. "I knew that..."

"I thought you'd know the feeling, Miss Underage Part-Timer." said Kaiba, his half-smirk flashing as he added the light-hearted comment.

Téa giggled. "I really don't know how I did it and managed to keep straight A's and perfect attendance." she admitted. "School got out at three and then I'd go straight to the restaurant and work until midnight, and then back at school at eight in the morning. And then I'd work full-time on the weekends. I barely had time to do homework. I tried finishing everything in the school library during study hall, or in homeroom..."

"All while being captain of the cheer squad during Yugi and Wheeler's duels." added Kaiba.

"Exactly." giggled Téa. "I had my plate full, too."

Kaiba let out a deep rumble of amusement. While they were talking, they had been swimming and treading water in a circle, and Téa was just a few feet from Kaiba now. She inhaled quickly before dipping under the water and smoothing her hair back again. Kaiba's eyes remained on her, watching closely. The water took the volume out of her hair and laid it flat to her head, and it actually fell a little ways below her shoulders now. Even with her dampened hair, Téa was still rivetingly beautiful. Her blue eyes sparkled in the light of the full moon, capturing his attention. Téa dipped in the water a bit and had to kick her legs hard to keep herself afloat, gasping for air.

"Getting tired?" asked Kaiba, his fascination quickly replaced with concern.

"A bit." breathed Téa. She watched as Kaiba closed the distance between them in one broad stroke before straightening and holding his arm out to Téa. "You don't mind?" she asked.

"Preventing you from drowning? I don't mind at all." retorted Kaiba, and Téa giggled and accepted his arm, pulling herself towards him. She hesitated for a moment, afraid of intruding on his space, then remembered that he had allowed her to sit on his shoulders during Siege Towers. Téa put her hand on his shoulder and floated closer to Kaiba until she was right up against his side, and she felt him wrap his arm securely around her back. She felt the bare skin of her arms and shoulders warming as they made contact with his.

"Thanks." she murmured shyly.

Kaiba gave her a deep rumble of acknowledgement, and Téa felt her heart flutter at the sound. Off in the distance, there was a rustling sound, as if an animal was skittering through the grass. Kaiba took his eyes away from Téa for a moment and picked his head up, scanning the area. Téa took the opportunity to drink in Kaiba's features. She could see the faintest shadow of stubble littering his angular jaw and was surprised to see that some of it was actually red, and her eyes followed the path of the tendons in his neck to his prominent Adam's apple. Téa peered closely. She could see the faintest remnant of another scar going horizontally across his neck.

From the top corner of her vision, she saw Kaiba's eyes rove sideways, and she quickly turned her gaze away before he could catch her staring. Instead she looked up at the night sky, studying the stars and admiring the full moon. She was looking for a constellation when she caught sight of Kaiba in her peripheral vision, and she noticed that his blue eyes were riveted on hers. She turned and met his gaze evenly, but he didn't look away. Téa blinked owlishly, but still Kaiba maintained eye contact. "What?" she asked softly after a moment. Kaiba gave an inquisitive hum, his gaze never faltering, so Téa asked directly, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Is it bothering you?" asked Kaiba.

Téa blinked. That certainly wasn't the response she was expecting. "Um, well...not really." she said nervously. "I was just wondering if there was seaweed or something stuck in my hair."

"No." said Kaiba simply.

Téa waited, but there was no further response. "What is it then?" she asked.

Kaiba kept his gaze fixed on her, but said, "Nothing."

"Liar." said Téa bluntly. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Kaiba stayed obstinately silent.

Téa pressed her lips together, choosing her words carefully. "I would feel more comfortable if you just said what's on your mind." she said.

"That's unlikely." said Kaiba, and Téa blinked at him. So he was thinking something.

"Well, unless you're silently plotting how you're going to murder me..." said Téa, and Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed before he shook his head. "Then tell me!" she whined.

"A good business tycoon never reveals his secrets, Miss Gardner." said Kaiba simply.

Téa blinked, both at the formality and because she noticed the sly twinkle in Kaiba's blue eyes. Was he actually teasing her? She fought against the smile playing at her lips and met his eyes evenly, silently accepting the challenge. "Oh, it's business proprietary now, is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to make me sign an NDA?"

Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed before he replied, "I think I will. You'll have to give me a few days for my legal team to draw it up."

"I'm afraid this is a matter of urgency that can't be delayed." responded Téa.

"Oh well. I can't expedite the process." said Kaiba nonchalantly.

"Fine. I can just find the loophole." teased Téa, running her finger along his shoulder and across the length of his collarbone. Kaiba didn't make a move to stop her.

"I make a point of never giving the competition any openings." said Kaiba, his eyes following her finger carefully. "Especially with my business secrets."

"Well then, perhaps we can negotiate?" asked Téa, smiling sweetly up at him.

"I'm not open to negotiation at this time." replied Kaiba.

"You're a very difficult client, Mr. Kaiba." Téa quipped, splashing his chest lightly.

"Oh, turning to sabotage now, are we?" said Kaiba, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Two can play at that game."

Téa giggled as Kaiba brought his hands together and squeezed water out of them, squirting her lightly in the face, and she splashed him back, harder this time. She squealed and buried her face in his shoulder as he pushed his entire arm through the water, sending a huge wave crashing over her head. Apparently buried deep beneath that serious demeanor was a playful Seto Kaiba, and Téa liked it much better than the former. Téa pushed down on Kaiba's shoulder, trying to dunk him into the water. He let out a deep rumble of amusement and stood tall and unmoving.

"I think you forgot I'm the best Tower of them all, my little Trebuchet." said Kaiba, and Téa felt her heart flutter at his words. He smirked as she wrapped her arms around to his other shoulder and tried putting her feet against the rock wall of the water hole to leverage her entire weight against him, but he didn't budge an inch.

Téa huffed and gave up trying to knock him over. She kept hold of Kaiba's shoulders as she leaned her head backwards into the water, getting her hair out of her face before she picked her head back up and looked him in the eyes, saying, "Tell me."

"Tell you what?" asked Kaiba innocently, his blue eyes twinkling again.

"You know what!" said Téa, curling a finger into the hair at his nape and tugging it playfully.

"Nope. Sorry. Slipped my mind." said Kaiba, reclining back in the water.

"Kaiba, come on! Tell me!" giggled Téa, hanging on his shoulder and pulling down on it.

"Make me." teased Kaiba, keeping his shoulders straight. She was even more weightless to him in the water.

"I would, but it appears I'm powerless against you." Téa pointed out.

"I do have that affect on people." said Kaiba, gazing pointedly at her. Téa felt the healthy glow in her face, the look in his eyes sending shivers through her.

Well, two can play at that game.

Téa entwined her fingers together and put her hands on Kaiba's shoulder, leaning her chin on them and peering up at him through her eyes lashes. "Pretty please?" she asked in her sweetest voice, pursing her lips in the faintest of pouts.

"Really? You're trying that look on me?" Kaiba asked incredulously, recognizing it once again.

"What look?" asked Téa innocently, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Nice try, but my little brother did that every time he wanted something." said Kaiba. He wasn't going to cave that easily this time around.

"Was your little brother as pretty as me?" asked Téa, giving him a coy smile instead. Her crystalline blue eyes sparkled in the light of the full moon, twinkling like the stars above them. Kaiba couldn't tear his gaze away. No one had ever been able to enrapture Seto Kaiba with just a look, and it both moved him and terrified him at the same time. He was powerless against her. Apparently Kaiba had paused for a moment too long, because Téa suddenly smiled triumphantly and said, "That's it, isn't it? You think I'm pretty."

She was way too good at reading him. Kaiba was quiet for a moment, deliberating. After another pause, he finally said, "Yes."

Téa's mouth parted as she drew in a breath, her eyes wide. She had been half-joking when she said it, and now Kaiba realized it as he watched her surprised reaction. Oh well. he thought. No point in hiding it from her now.

Téa watched as Kaiba inhaled through his nose and squared his shoulders, bracing for his bold confession to be ridiculed, before saying, "In case you didn't notice, I have a thing for blue eyes. And yours in particular have a tendency to catch the light. They're very...distracting."

Téa felt her heart flutter in her chest. She knew enough Kaiba-speak to know what he actually meant when he said distracting. "You mean it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes." he said, not hesitating this time.

Téa felt herself coloring as she lowered her eyes and touched the side of her face, and she excused the motion by brushing back her hair. "Thank you." she said softly.

Kaiba's brow furrowed for a moment, still braced. "You're not laughing?" he asked.

"Why would I laugh?" asked Téa, surprised. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Kaiba finally broke his gaze and looked off to the side, shrugging wordlessly. Téa blinked owlishly at him. Had Kaiba tried approaching girls in the past and gotten rejected? Was that why he was always so closed off? No, that couldn't be it. It would've had to have been before he was at KaibaCorp, and he was just a kid then. She remembered how all the girls at the ball had practically thrown themselves at him. Who would reject Seto Kaiba? Only someone who actually knew what he was really like behind that stoic facade, she thought.

Then Téa realized that was probably why Kaiba expected the laughter from her.

She smiled, still hanging on his shoulder, and said, "I have a secret to share with you, too."

"Oh yeah?" said Kaiba, looking back at her inquisitively. "What's that?"

Téa wrapped her arms around his opposite shoulder, pulling him closer and whispering next to his ear, "I like playful and amiable Seto Kaiba better than the uptight and abrasive one."

Kaiba let out a rumble of amusement, his half-smile flashing, and said, "I guess I decided I was expending too much time and energy being a heartless jerk."

Téa giggled, remembering that he had overheard her and Mai talking at the ball. She smoothed a stray lock of his hair behind his ear, saying, "You are much more respectable like this."

His amused smile lingered as looked over at her, meeting her gaze. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah." she agreed with a cheerful smile. She held his gaze for a moment before she realized how close they were, and Téa felt her face warming before she quickly lowered her eyes to his collarbone. She excused the movement by cupping her free hand into the water and poured it onto his neck, watching it spill out of the hollows. She repeated the action, pressing her lips together as a smile threatened to break across her face.

She heard Kaiba's deep rumble of amusement again. "Easily entertained, are we?" he asked.

"A bit." admitted Téa, raising her hand and pouring the water on top of Kaiba's head instead, giggling as his thick bangs flattened to his forehead. Kaiba closed his eyes against the rivulet that ran down the front of his face, turning his head and blowing the water gently into Téa's face. She squealed in surprise and reflexively splashed him, dousing the rest of his hair, and Kaiba let out a chuckle. Her playful antics emboldened him, and Kaiba wrapped his arms around Téa, who took a deep breath and grabbed Kaiba's arm just before he dunked her into the water and quickly brought her back up again. Kaiba noticed her pressed lips and quickly turned his face away before Téa spit water at him, and he let out a noise like he was shot dead and keeled over backwards into the water, taking her with him.

Téa opened her eyes underwater and saw that Kaiba was pretending to be dead, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly agape as he let his arms float up and away from her. She put her thumb over his lips and her mouth on her thumb, just as she had during Spin the Bottle, blowing bubbles against Kaiba's mouth and pretending to give him CPR. She pulled away again and saw him staring at her for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat before Kaiba suddenly blew bubbles up into her face. She smiled and pulled her hands down from the surface, pushing her own wall of bubbles into his face before surfacing for air. Téa gasped as she felt strong arms go around her legs and lift her into the air as Kaiba surfaced, and she quickly grabbed his arms before he could execute his retaliation.

"No, please!" she said breathily, fearing the others would hear the splash and come running to investigate the noise. "Please don't throw me."

Kaiba's blue eyes twinkled mischievously, his soft smile lingering on his face as he held Téa suspended in the air for a moment before slowly lowering her back into the water before him. "I accept your surrender." he said.

"I didn't surrender." huffed Téa, still panting slightly from their exertion. "I'm just too fatigued to continue the battle. I call a truce, and it would be indecorous of you to refuse a lady."

"Touché." replied Kaiba, his amused half-smirk flashing. His arms were around her middle now, his fingers laced together holding her in place. Téa suddenly felt a movement beneath her, and she realized Kaiba had raised his thigh upwards to give her a seat to rest on. A small noise escaped her open mouth as his knee grazed her inner thigh, and she felt herself become warm at the junction of her legs, her mind becoming cloudy. Kaiba's blue eyes locked with Téa's, his intense gaze sending her heartbeat racing and making her stomach flutter strangely. Téa lowered her eyes, watching as the water lapped at his bare skin. Her hands slid from his rounded upper arms up to his broad shoulders, then down to his chest, her fingers dipping into the hollows of his collarbone as her eyes lingered on the deep groove in Kaiba's chest. She watched as it heaved slightly beneath her hands, expanding and contracting with every breath, with the life in him. She could feel the strong pulse in his sternum, proof of the heart she had foolishly thought he was devoid of for the longest time. Téa peered up through her lashes, raising her head slowly, and her blue eyes met Kaiba's again. At that moment, Téa saw what Serenity had been talking about earlier: the steel glint that was usually in Kaiba's eyes was gone, replaced with a soft shimmer as he held her gaze evenly. She had never seen those blue eyes so gentle.

Téa maintained eye contact with him as she moved her hands back up and wrapped her arms around Kaiba's neck. He didn't seem to mind, so she leaned forward and rested her head on his broad shoulder. She felt him tense for only a split second before relaxing. Téa lowered her mouth to Kaiba's shoulder, muffling her softly panting breath. She softly traced the indentations in his back as she watched the hair on the nape of his neck sway in the water.

He had never allowed anyone to be this close to him. In this simple yet intimate moment, Kaiba was doing exactly as he had told Téa he would; he was breaking all of the rules Gozaburo had beat into him as well as his own. And Kaiba couldn't care less. It felt strangely natural, too right for him to think it could be wrong. He felt Téa's lips touch his bare skin, and Kaiba felt his blood rush through his body, warming him and making his heart beat faster. It was the same sensation he had felt when she had kissed him at the charity ball. No one had ever evoked such a strange and conflicting emotion from him before. Never had anyone made him so relaxed and so tense at the same time. For once in his life, Kaiba wanted so badly to drop all his defenses and make himself completely vulnerable to Téa, his mind insisting that she could be trusted with such power over him. It baffled him, frightened him even, and yet he found himself reveling in the thought, taking pleasure from it, wanting more...wanting to be closer to her.

Téa closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his breathing. It sent warm tremors through her, igniting a fire in her soul. She realized that Kaiba was spinning them slowly in a circle, as if they were dancing. Téa smiled softly to herself and started rocking gently side to side, adding a small swing to their step. Though there was no music, they danced for the length of an entire song, neither one speaking. After a long moment, Téa finally heard Kaiba whisper, "You're shivering."

Téa realized that she was indeed cold above the water. She bit her lip, not wanting to separate from Kaiba, to lose the connection she had with him. "You're keeping me warm." she admitted.

"I can keep you warm on dry land, too." murmured Kaiba, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Téa felt a strange warmth in the pit of her abdomen at his words. "Okay." she replied softly.

Kaiba lowered into the water, his arms going under her thighs, and a small gasp escaped Téa's lips as he easily lifted her right out of the water and set her on the rock ledge above. He put his hands on the ledge and hauled himself out of the pool, hanging there for a moment to let the water drain off his body. His arms and torso bunched under the strain of his body weight, and Téa averted her eyes to keep herself from admiring the view, wringing out her hair to hide her blush before doing so to her tankini. Kaiba finally twisted around and sat on the ledge next to her, running his hands through his hair and along his skin to push the water off of him. Téa grabbed her towel and dried her hair before wrapping it around her body, then proceeded to comb her fingers through her hair to fix her part line. Kaiba watched her. The light of the full moon really did wonders for her skin, bathing it in a soft, pearl-white glow. He saw her shivering again and grabbed his shirt from the nearby rock, putting it on again. He grabbed his black long-coat and shifted backwards until he sat against the rock wall. "Come over here." he said to Téa.

Téa finished combing her hair and looked behind her, seeing Kaiba sitting against the wall. She stood carefully, clutching her towel about her, and walked over to sit by him. He shook out his coat and wrapped it around her bare shoulders, covering her legs with the trench like a blanket. It was surprisingly heavy, settling over her as if it were an actual weighted blanket, and Téa remembered that Kaiba's coat was made of bulletproof material. She felt her face warming along with the rest of her as she nestled back against Kaiba's torso. For someone she had thought for the longest time was a cold person, Kaiba gave off a warmth akin to a heated blanket, and Téa felt as secure as if she were wrapped in one as he kept his arm around her, resting his fist on her hip. She murmured a soft thanks to him, and he hummed in acknowledgement.

They were quiet for a moment before Téa turned her attention up to the night sky. "It's so beautiful out here." she said, and Kaiba watched her soft blue eyes glimmering like the stars above. "You can see the stars so much better without all the lights in the city."

Kaiba hummed agreement and tore his gaze away from Téa's eyes and looked up at the sky before he could be caught staring again. She pointed up towards the stars, saying, "Look, there's Orion! And just above it, the Big Dipper."

"Ursa Major." said Kaiba, and Téa looked up at him.

"You know some constellations, too?" she asked him.

"I know all of them." he said, and Téa's eyes became wide.

"Really?!" she asked. "Show me!"

Kaiba pointed out Ursa Minor as well, what Téa called the Little Dipper. Then he pointed out Cassiopeia, and Téa watched him trace the M-shaped constellation for her. "...and that's Andromeda, that box with the two V's, one long and one short..." he said as he traced it for her. "...and right next to it is Pegasus..."

"Did Gozaburo have you learn all this?" asked Téa suddenly.

"Hah! Of course not. I learned them on my own." said Kaiba. "If it wasn't anything that he thought could turn him a profit or help expand his empire, he didn't bother with it. The joke's on him; space mining is how I funded and built my satellites and the space station."

Téa giggled, and Kaiba continued to point out constellations as if the break in the conversation never happened. Perhaps Kaiba had put the memory of his step-father behind him at last, or at least had gotten better about not letting it bother him. Téa recognized the names of a few horoscope signs that Kaiba pointed out to her, so she asked, "Which one's Leo? That's my sign."

Kaiba's amused half-smirk flashed, but he humored her. "See that cross with the perpendicular hook on the end?" he said, tracing his finger towards the spot in the sky.

"Yeah!" said Téa, gazing at it fondly. "Which one's yours?"

"Scorpio." said Kaiba, pointing out another T-shaped constellation with a hook on the end.

"I knew it!" said Téa triumphantly, and Kaiba let out a rumble of amusement. "Show me more!"

"The ones I pointed out are pretty much all we can see from here, but you can see some of the planets, too." Kaiba said as he lifted his arm again and pointed one out, saying, "There's Saturn."

"What? Where?" asked Téa, looking around in the general direction of his pointing finger.

"Right above the hook of Scorpio." he said, tracing a line from the hook to the planet. Téa peered at the sky, but still couldn't see what he was pointing to. Kaiba leaned down near Téa's head so her vision was lined up with his. "That little yellow speck. See it?"

"Oh yeah, I see it now!" said Téa, her eyes lighting up as she caught sight of the tiny golden sparkle. "I wish we had a telescope so we could see the rings!"

"I can do one better: I'll take you up to the space station sometime if you'd like." said Kaiba before he realized what had come out of his mouth.

"Really?!" asked Téa, turning her head to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat, Kaiba stiffening as their noses grazed each other. They both pulled away quickly, Téa feeling herself color as she murmured, "Sorry."

"It's okay." said Kaiba quickly, fighting to control his suddenly pounding heartbeat. He was still amazed and shocked at himself for his bold offer.

Téa brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, quickly re-centering the topic. "You mean it, though? You can take me up there?" she asked.

"If you're okay with it just being the two of us." said Kaiba. "I only built two seats in the space elevator, mine and Mokuba's. I'm sure he won't mind sharing his spot with you."

Téa felt her heart swell in her chest at the thought of Kaiba allowing her to sit in his brother's seat, and she took hold of his hand, still wrapped around her, saying, "Thank you. I'd like that."

Kaiba hummed acknowledgement, and Téa was quiet for a moment before she asked, "So he really considered me a friend?"

"He had a lot of respect for you in particular for getting him away from the Rare Hunters during Battle City." said Kaiba. "Normally he would have never left a girl defenseless at the hands of a group of men, but Mokuba said you insisted on letting him escape first. I suppose you knew he could find me so we could track everyone down."

"Yeah." said Téa, her eyes distant as she recalled what little she could about the experience. Marik had controlled her mind for most of it, after all.

Kaiba watched her expression, then asked. "You really don't remember anything at all after that and up until we were all at the pier?"

"Not a thing." said Téa, looking ashamed. "...and I hate it. I feel like if Joey was able to shake off the power of the Millennium Rod then I should have been able to as well. I've been friends with Yugi even longer than he has."

Kaiba was silent for a moment, then said, "The pharaoh was the one trying to shake you from your trance, not Yugi. He only switched during the duel with Joey."

Téa looked up at him, surprised. "So you did know there were two of them." said Téa.

"The pharaoh told me during the helicopter ride to the pier..." started Kaiba.

"Atem." said Téa, cutting across him. "He had a name, Kaiba. The pharaoh's name is Atem."

Kaiba gazed down at her, and Téa had a feeling he was carefully hiding his expression at her tenacity. Whether it was surprise or irritation, though, she had no idea. He was masterful at the poker face. "Atem..." he said. "...told Mokuba and I that they both occupied Yugi's mind. At first I thought he was feeding us a bunch of nonsense, even though I had thought something was different about Yugi during Duelist Kingdom and our duel before. I really could see and hear the difference, but my rational mind didn't want to believe it. It was only when I witnessed the split during their ceremonial Duel that I actually saw the two distinct selves and stopped denying it."

Téa smiled, saying, "It took you long enough to stop saying it was just an illusion."

"I design virtual reality holographic imaging machines for a living, Téa...of course I thought it was all just an illusion." said Kaiba defensively. "If you had spent a good portion of your life around such technology and people who tried to use it against you, you probably would have thought someone was playing tricks on your mind, too."

"Maybe." said Téa with a shrug. She was quiet for a moment, then asked, "So you thought Pegasus' Millennium Eye was bogus, too?"

There was a pause, and at first she thought Kaiba wasn't going to answer until he finally said, "I honestly don't remember anything after my Duel with Pegasus, just like you don't remember the Millennium Rod being used on you or anytime after. I woke up in the cell I was thrown in and got myself out of the dungeon, and that's when I found the rest of you."

"What about Mokuba?" asked Téa.

Another pause, longer this time. Téa looked up at him, and she could see the far-off look in Kaiba's blue eyes and the pain in them as he recalled the memory. "I was standing right there when Pegasus used that Eye of his to steal Mokuba's soul from his body. All I saw was a blinding flash of light, and I heard Mokuba's scream, and then the next thing I know his image is plastered across a card that was previously blank. I didn't want to believe the nonsense that Pegasus was spouting to me, but..." Téa watched as Kaiba closed his eyes and inhaled slowly through his nose, as if the memory was too painful to remember, before saying, "...but when they brought him out before my Duel with Pegasus, and I saw that vacant look in his eyes, the way my own brother looked at me as if I were a stranger he had never seen before in his life..."

Téa's heart ached for him. She laid a gentle hand on his arm and leaned her head back against his shoulder, saying, "I can't imagine how that made you feel..."

Kaiba allowed himself to release a sigh through his nose, saying, "...it was worse than actually having my soul sucked out of my body. At least I was blissfully unaware of everything that was happening and didn't have to feel anything."

Téa hummed in understanding. "Did you feel anything with Atem's Mind Crush after your first duel with him?" asked Téa, hoping to distract him from any negative inner thoughts.

Kaiba was quiet for a moment, thinking. "That one is hard to describe." he said. "I just felt this strange mental release, like there was a wall blocking me off from my real self, and Yugi...Atem, I mean...somehow shattered it completely. Then I was having a weird out-of-body experience for a while afterwards. It was like I had some jarring epiphany and I couldn't shake the guilt of being the person I had become before the Mind Crush."

Téa looked up at him, shocked at his confession. "So you admit there was a change?" she asked.

Kaiba nodded wordlessly, his gaze somewhere far away. "I had let Gozaburo's negative influence overtake me and the decisions I made before then. I didn't care about who I hurt or how much misery and suffering I inflicted as long as I got what I wanted in the end. I told myself it was to make sure Mokuba and I maintained the better life we had acquired, but there were other ways I could have gone about it. I chose the ruthless path and there was no excuse for it. That's all on me and I have to live with the consequences of my actions."

Téa smiled solemnly at his words, stroking his hand and saying, "The fact that you're able to admit all of that proves that you've become a better person, Kaiba."

Kaiba inhaled deeply through his nose and allowed himself to let out a sigh, and Téa watched as he leaned his head backwards, resting it on a ledge above as he gazed up at the night sky. "I'd like to think so." he finally responded.

"Well, I know so." said Téa affirmatively, leaning her head against his shoulder and rubbing his arm. "You've come a long way from the bully who ripped up the fourth Blue-Eyes card. You're a lot more respectable now."

Kaiba's amused half-smirk appeared again, saying, "Now that I'm not a heartless jerk anymore?"

Téa giggled at their shared joke again, saying, "Exactly." She was quiet for a moment. "This trip really helped, too." she said, tracing the lines in his hand. "I learned more about you than you or Mokuba ever told anyone."

"Evidently I'm more talkative with alcohol in my system. Lowered inhibitions and all." said Kaiba, receiving another giggle from Téa. "Probably why I avoid it on business expenditures."

"You're talking to me now and you didn't drink any alcohol." Téa pointed out, recalling that he had merely swished and gargled it like mouthwash after eating the clam.

Kaiba shrugged, saying, "It's easier with you."

"Because I'm more distracting than the others?" asked Téa, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Kaiba chuckled, saying, "Maybe."

Téa let out an amused hum and peered up at Kaiba through her lashes. He was gazing up at the night sky with that soft, lingering smile on his face as he absent-mindedly stroked Téa's opposite arm with his free hand. Kaiba suddenly looked down at her and caught her staring at him this time. "What?" he asked, watching Téa's expression.

Téa watched him a moment longer, then said, "You look different."

Kaiba blinked normally, careful to hide his reaction. "How so?" he asked.

"I don't know." said Téa, reaching her hand up and playing with her hair absent-mindedly. "You look relaxed. Happy even."

Both corners of Kaiba's mouth lifted slightly, and Téa's heart fluttered at the expression. She liked that much better than his snarky half-smirk. "It happens on the rare occasion." he joked, receiving a giggle from Téa.

"Well, I'm glad I got to share in that rare occasion." she said, and Kaiba's smile flashed again as he looked back up at the night sky. Téa was quiet for a moment. "...and...I'm glad you're in better spirits...or at least you make it look that way." she added, stroking his hand softly.

Kaiba's eyes lowered to Téa again, watching her play with his hand for a moment. "I am." he assured her after a while. "Mokuba asked me to be, so I'm trying my best for him."

Téa's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. How did he ask you to be? I thought he passed suddenly in the middle of the night?" she asked.

"He did." replied Kaiba. "I used the Plana Cube to-..."

Kaiba stopped abruptly, his throat suddenly becoming dry as he realized his major slip-up with a jolt. Téa's eyes suddenly shot wide open. "The Plana Cube?!" she exclaimed. "You mean Aigami's cube? You've had it all this time?!"

Kaiba internally swore at himself for becoming so lax.

"Kaiba, please tell me you're joking!" said Téa, sitting up and twisting around to look at him. "The power that thing has-..."

"I know." said Kaiba quickly, putting a fist to his forehead as if he were actually going to punch himself for being so stupid and careless. "Téa, please don't tell the others. Don't tell anyone. No one was supposed to know it still exists."

"I won't." assured Téa. "I know how dangerous it is. But Kaiba, what on earth were you doing with the Plana Cube? That thing had the power to send Bakura and Joey to another dimension, and you-..." She stopped suddenly, realization dawning on her. "...said your brother asked you to be..." Téa looked up at Kaiba, her gaze suddenly somber. "Oh Kaiba, you didn't...did you try to bring Mokuba back?" she asked quietly.

Kaiba sighed. "Of course I tried. He's my brother." he admitted. "But he said he didn't belong in our world anymore, and he didn't want to be stuck like Noah was. I had to respect his wishes."

"So you saw him?!" said Téa, scooting closer as Kaiba nodded. "What else did he say?" she asked eagerly, watching Kaiba carefully.

"He said he wanted me to keep doing all that he wanted us to do with KaibaCorp, that I have to finish what we started." replied Kaiba. "He..."

Kaiba glanced away, and Téa knew he was trying to decide if he wanted to open up like this. He expelled air quietly through his nose before continuing, "...he said I didn't get to enjoy life the way I should have ever since I had to take care of him, that I deserved to experience everything I missed out on growing up. I thought all of that was past me and I didn't need any of it, but..."

Téa cocked her head at Kaiba as he stayed silent. "...but?" she asked him.

Kaiba looked over at her. "...but I was wrong." he said at last.

Téa smiled warmly at him. She was becoming more and more pleased with Kaiba's humility. Perhaps he was taking her earlier words to heart. Then again, she did recall when Kaiba had admitted that Yugi was the true King of Games, so perhaps it had started way back then. Téa lowered herself back against Kaiba, this time facing him, and rested her hand on his chest, saying, "I guess this camping trip really did help."

"It did." agreed Kaiba, his arm settling around her shoulders again. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad I went along. It helped me realize some things about myself."

"I'm glad you came with us, too." said Téa, smiling at him. She was quiet for a moment before she suddenly started giggling.

Kaiba stared down at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Sorry, I just never thought you of all people would finally believe in the power of a magic item like the Plana." said Téa through her fit of giggles.

Kaiba's amused smile flashed. "I guess I finally got sick of the hocus pocus controlling my life, so I decided to control it instead." he said.

Téa made a noise of mock frustration, a smile on her face as she rolled her eyes. "You haven't changed a bit." she said, shoving him lightly. Kaiba chuckled and rubbed the spot on his chest.

"Not a bit, huh?" he asked.

Téa twirled her hair in her fingers. "Well, maybe a little." she said, peering at his torso through her lashes and smiling as she added, "You've...matured."

The corners of Kaiba's mouth upturned slightly at her subtle compliment. To Téa's shock, he reached over and pulled her hand gently away from her hair. Her heart skipped a beat as Kaiba's blue eyes met hers with that soft gaze of his before he said, "So did you."

Téa's breath caught in her throat, her heart suddenly fluttering in her chest. Her gaze dropped to their hands, and Kaiba's followed. He up-turned his palm, allowing Téa to slide her hand into the same position they used while dancing at the charity ball. Téa held her hand there for a moment before sliding her fingers along Kaiba's, the same way they had separated after their dance. Her hand became cold after she separated from his, and Téa quickly brought her hand back against Kaiba's; his fingers were easily two inches longer than hers, his knuckles way more pronounced. Téa bit her lip and chanced a glance up at him, and Kaiba turned his gaze away from their hands, meeting her eyes evenly with those intense and unwavering dark blue eyes of his as their fingers intertwined. She could feel the bases of Kaiba's fingers pulsing as they interlocked with hers, betraying his nervous heartbeat.

A flash of light caught their attention, and they both looked up at the night sky just in time to see a comet streak across the heavens, leaving a trail of blue in its wake before it disappeared. Téa sat up and closed her eyes, and Kaiba glanced over at her, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Making a wish." she whispered, keeping her eyes closed. "You should make one, too."

Kaiba's amused half-smile flashed, but he humored her, looking up to the sky and closing his eyes as well. Téa opened her eyes and looked up at him, saying, "There, I made a wish for you."

Kaiba opened his eyes and stared down at her. "For me?" he asked. "What did you wish for?"

"For you to be happy." said Téa, stroking his hand that she still had clasped in her other one.

Kaiba's eyes twinkled as his smile reached his eyes this time. "Well, that was very selfless of you, Miss Gardner." he said. "You make me feel guilty."

"Aw no, don't be." giggled Téa. "What did you wish for?"

"Hmm...now that I think about it, I might have wished for the same thing." said Kaiba, glancing up at the sky again. "Certainly something fairly similar."

"What was it?" asked Téa eagerly. "Tell me!"

Kaiba met her blue eyes with his. "I wished for more nights like this one." he said.

Téa's heart fluttered in her chest, and she gave him a warm smile before leaning her head back against his shoulder, raising their clasped hands to his chest. Kaiba hummed contently, and he suddenly didn't feel so foolish for asking her to accompany him to the space station. He turned his gaze back up to the heavens, his free hand absent-mindedly stroking her shoulder with his knuckles. They stayed that way, watching the stars together in comfortable silence, until Téa felt her eyelids getting heavy. She yawned before tucking her head under Kaiba's chin and drifting off against the lull of his slowly rising and falling chest. Her hand slipped out of his and down his chest before dropping into his lap, and Kaiba looked down at Téa, realizing she had fallen asleep against him. Her long lashes twitched ever so slightly in her sleep as her chest rose and fell slowly, her lips parted slightly as she breathed evenly. She looked absolutely angelic.

Kaiba suddenly became aware of how late into the night it must be, so he gently pulled Téa's legs against him and lifted her into his arms as he stood. Her head lolled onto his shoulder, and Téa hummed in her sleep, her hand going to his heart. Kaiba felt it skip a beat at Téa's touch, and he looked down at her to see if she had woken, but her warm breath was even on his neck as she continued to slumber. Kaiba smiled softly at her and started walking slower than he normally would back to the campsite, being extra careful not to wake Téa.

---

Note from the author:

Fun fact, that part during Tristan's confession is 100% true! It happened during Season 4, Episode 25, Fighting For A Friend Part 1. The interaction happens between the 7:20 and 8:00 minute marks. If you watch all the episodes from then on, you will find that was indeed the last thing Tristan ever said to Mai in the whole series. It was one of the major loose ends I wanted to tie up with my story, and I'm so glad I got to do it!