I'm back!!!!! I told you I'd have it done by the end of this week!





The cold night air made Yugi shiver and cough gently…the scene appeared very similar. He was standing outside the Turtle Game Shop again, waiting for a certain brunette to arrive. His mind wandered to the last time he was in this situation, and remembered daydreaming about his sweet angel in her sleek evening gown…and then quickly shook his head.

"I can't think like that…gotta get it out of my head," he groaned hoarsely, "Joey's out there on his own, and I can't afford to let him down again."

Clasping his casual blue jacket closer to him, he shuddered briefly as a cold wind blew in. His chest was still heaving from chasing Joey earlier.

"Maybe I should go back in and put something warmer on…" he thought, turning his head to the shop door, and then back towards the road. His eyes glanced over the moonlit street, smiling innocently at the reflections in the windows of the houses.

"Come on out Joey, we need to talk"

THUD

"No Yugi, I need to deal with this on my own"

Yugi's eyes closed tightly as he remembered the previous night, shivering even more against the shrill night air encircling him. Even though he'd tried to break down the door, Joey really wasn't phased at all…did he even realise how much he cared? Even Tristan wasn't that headstrong…he must have known by now.

"Hey! Yugi!"

Yugi spun around instinctively to see Téa hovering over him, eyeing him curiously, "What ya doin'?"

She was dressed in a familiar outfit: A pair of red Lycra shorts hugging tightly to her waist, and a yellow crop-top with the word 'Spirit' plastered over it. Even though it was hardly the dress she had worn earlier, it had always been Yugi's favourite. The bold letters symbolised everything she meant to him…she was his very soul, almost his reason for living.

"Oh nothing," he answered, raising his eyes to hers. She didn't seem to be entirely convinced by this, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a comforting manner. She almost relented when she felt his ice-cold skin, but only hugged him tighter because of it.

Yugi mumbled something silently as his face brushed against Téa's strapping curves. His mind quickly returned to the events in the shop and began giggling mindlessly to himself. Her warm touch was so inviting. Gazing wondrously into her deep brown eyes, he wondered if they would ever get the chance to 'do it' properly…but now wasn't the time.

"Well we'd better get going," he sighed gently. Téa looked back at him and nodded, almost a tinge of disappointment in her eyes.

"OK Yugi, Let's go," she replied softly, ruffling his hair playfully. He laughed childishly, frantically lunging at her hands above him. Eventually, she pulled away from him and clutched his hands in hers.

Yugi put on a sneery-pompous style voice, linking their arms together.

"Where to, ma'am"

Téa burst out laughing, slapping her thighs with her free hand, before returning the pompous attitude.

"To Master Joey's, Jeeves,"

The two began to stagger down the street, arm in arm and laughing hysterically at one another, towards Joey's house…innocent to the event to come.





"MAI! OPEN UP MAI! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Joey was pounding angrily on Mai's door, where he'd spent the last 20 minutes waiting for a reply to the doorbell. Where was she? She didn't say she was going out anywhere lately, and there was nowhere else he thought she could be. She was always there for him when he needed her…

He gasped, quickly remembering the letter he had found in the porch of his house:

'If you were even slightly concerned about me you'd always be there…'

Joey's head began to whirl. His mood began to change from furious to calm. He collapsed against the door, deep in thought…so THIS was why she hadn't forgiven him. Maybe she'd only seen the relationship as one-way…she was always there for him, a partner in love and friendship…but he was always off with Tristan, Yugi, Téa or even Bakura! When they had first met she was a wandering spirit…a lost soul in need of another to share her feelings…but that incident a few days ago must have been the last straw. Maybe it had hurt her to see him out with everyone else, and leaving her alone so often.

"Why didn't I pay more attention to ya?" he wept, staring longingly at the rising moon. "Maybe Yugi's more of a man than I'll ever be…but I can't just let this slip away from me…"

Suddenly he heard the handle turn. He spun around to see the sight of a very dishevelled and tired-looking Mai looking straight at him, wearing nothing but a bathrobe. His entire body seized up, feeling rigid all over…

"Look…Mai…I…"

"Joey…you shouldn't be here…" she said boldly, pursing her lips tightly together.

"But I need to see you," he replied desperately, "I've been driving myself crazy over this whole thing…I can't live without you Mai…I mean it"

He cupped her hands in his, staring remorsefully into her blue eyes, reflecting the pale light above them. She looked down at his hands, a faint smile appearing on her face…before abruptly turning it away again.

"Joey…I know you mean it, but that night…you just broke me," she answered briefly, refusing to look back at him.

"Whaddaya mean Mai?" Joey asked, "I'm sorry…but what do you mean"

"I'm a proud woman Joey…I'm not just some object you can leave and come back to every 5 minutes," she relied coldly, removing her hands from his grasp.

"But it ain't like that, I swear!" he pleaded, "Please Mai, just give me anudda chance" Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes…how could this be? She didn't love him anymore…no! She had to!

"Joey…I want to…but it's not that easy anymore…" Her voice was serious now…her features were now set in a solemn and meaningful expression. This scared Joey, even though he was used to her usual threatening demeanour.

"What are ya trying ta say Mai? We ain't good togeva no more?" he cried, "I thought we were stronger than that…you know we're good togetha, we make a great team…" He raised his hand again to brush her face delicately, though slightly smudging the heavy make-up she wore. She appeared to soften slightly, but quickly returned to her normal state after a few seconds.

"Joey what I'm trying to say is that I can't handle this anymore…" Her hand began to slide down into the pocket of her gown. Joey thought he noticed her hand balling into a fist, or some kind of grip…

"Mai what are you…"

"Shut up" she yelled, whipping her hand from the gown, revealing what she was holding…

"No, Mai please, you can't do this to me….I'll do anything, you just can't do this to me…" Joey pleaded, backing away from the doorway. Mai began to follow him out into the street, leaning over him menacingly, yet still obviously upset.

"I CAN'T DO THIS TO YOU?!" she yelled, edging ever closer to him, waving the barrel of the gun in front of his face. "WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME? JOEY YOU BROKE MY HEART…DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THAT FEELS? NO I WOULDN'T EXPECT YOU DO, BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST SO PERFECT AND…"

"YES I DO!!!" he yelled back at her, just as loudly. Her eyes began to lose their looming threat, as she slowly started to back down, clearly shocked. "I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL!"

"But…HOW?" she hollered back at him, attempting to sound just as infuriated as before, although she obviously wasn't. But she was still mad at him for all he'd done…

"I DO…BUT IT'S EVEN WORSE WHEN IT'S AMONGST THE PEOPLE YOU'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS!" he screamed, wiping away the tears streaming down his face. Mai could see where this was going, and every passing moment she was getting more and more outraged

"Joey…not her," she responded, clenching her fists.

"YES…I KNOW IT NOW…I'VE BEEN AFRAID TO ACCEPT IT FOR A LONG TIME…BUT I'M IN LOVE WITH Téa…AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY OR DO TO MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND!" he screeched, knowing that he'd landed the final nail in the coffin. His whole body began to quake in fear, admitting his feelings was a jolt to even himself. He'd wondered about her throughout his school life, but her recent adorations towards Yugi had confined him to countless sleepless nights...and all this time he'd thought they were over Mai…

But Téa seemed to calm him down like no one else…he'd pined for her since the day they met, along with Yugi. When he met Mai it was more a case of lust…not true feelings. Maybe he really had meant all the stuff he had said to her in the diner…and he had been kidding himself the whole time…

Mai was irate. She'd suspected this from the very beginning…and now her worst fears were realised. She thought Joey was different…but he was scum, like every other man on the planet…

She flung himself at him, punching at him wildly as they struggled on the pavement. Joey desperately attempted to grab the gun from her hands, but she continued to swing at him wildly, clawing for an opening to shoot him where she felt hurt the most…the heart. They were both clutching the gun and fighting each other viciously in an attempt to swipe it from the other, when they heard a shriek of terror and a loud shout:

"JOEY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" It was Yugi; Joey could know that voice from a mile away. He spun his head to see Yugi staring down at him from just a few yards away, and Téa shivering beside him. Sweet Téa…completely innocent to the world of pain and heartbreak surrounding her. Joey's clouded eyes rested on her beautiful figure, admiring her through his tears of confession…a Confession of Love. But she was more concerned with the gun seemingly bouncing between the couple's hands.

Mai noticed Joey's sudden lapse of concentration, and seized the opportunity to kick him hard in the crotch. He squirmed under the pain, and curled into a ball beneath her. She quickly rose to her feet and stood aggravatedly above him, pointing the barrel towards his chest, clutching the trigger.

"It would be so easy to just kill you now…" she muttered cruelly, before glancing over at Yugi…and then Téa, "But I can think of a far worse way of hurting you…"

Joey noticed her gaze turning towards Téa, before yelling desperately.

"No Mai, you can't!"

"Joey what is she talking about?" Yugi asked, standing perplexed to the side of the incident. Joey groaned restlessly, while Mai grinned evilly.

"You mean you didn't tell them Joey?" she laughed maliciously. Yugi's face looked completely void of understanding…until it finally clicked.

"Joey…no…" he whimpered dejectedly, "Why does it have to be this way?"

Joey simply turned his head away from him; he didn't want Yugi to see him crying to himself.

"So I guess you just can't handle it," Mai smirked, pointing her gun straight at Téa, and grasping the trigger "Now at least you know how I feel…"

Téa was rooted to the spot. Her entire body was too scared to move, even though her mind was telling her to run. She only stared up at Mai, her eyes beginning to water. She watched as Mai prepared to take aim at her.

"Téa…" Joey whispered, his body strewn out across the pavement.

"Téa NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

BANG

Heh heh…sorry if the final part wasn't what you expected it to be…this story will cover another two chapters I think…I'm writing this at 11.45 pm my time, so I hope you appreciate my time!

R&R…and this time I want to hear if you people like the songs I put in the fics, or if they'd be better without them!

~Yugi Muuto~