NOTES: It has come to my attention that I should reveal why I like to put Seto and Tea in cute scenes together if I'm not trying to pair them up ^_~ The truth is very simple: I want Tea to see what a great guy Kaiba really is! ^^ Also, tho, since I don't like Self-Insertion fics, I kinda imagine myself in Tea's place, ya know? Lucky gal!! ^^
"An earthquake?!" Tea cried in horror, clinging tightly to Seto so she wouldn't fall over.
"Oh man! This is the wrong time to be lookin' for flyin' saucers and aliens!" Joey gasped, hugging the tree he'd just fallen out of.
Seto looked around grimly. "We should drop to the ground," he said, just as everything stopped shaking.
"Is it over?" Tea asked slowly, opening her eyes.
Seto nodded slowly. "It is."
"But there could still be some aftershocks," Mokuba spoke up, looking worried.
"Man, I hope Yug and the others are okay," Joey declared.
Tea, suddenly realizing she was embracing Seto Kaiba, blushed and pulled away. "We'd better go find them!" she exclaimed, turning to disappear into the assembly of trees.
"Hey, Tea, wait up!" Joey yelled, picking himself up off the ground and running after her, followed closely by the Kaiba brothers.
****
It so happened that Yugi and his group were near the top of another steep incline when the earthquake hit.
"What's happening?!" Mai gasped as she pitched forward and had to rush to grab a nearby tree.
"Oh man, this is all we need," Tristan muttered.
Bakura let out a scream as he nearly fell down the embankment, but then Yami Bakura emerged from the Ring and grabbed him just in time, muttering something about dolts and foolish mortals.
Yugi looked grim. "It's an earthquake," he informed the others.
"Earthquake?!" Mai exclaimed.
The ground abruptly stopped convulsing.
Yugi looked around, concerned, making certain that everyone was alright and accounted for. "That was most unexpected," he said grimly. "We should try to find the others and make certain that they're safe."
Before anyone could move, a police officer stepped out of the shadows and stared at them. "What are you kids doing here?!" he demanded.
"We heard about the UFO that was sighted a few hours ago," Yugi told him.
"Yes, that's right," Bakura agreed. "We're amateur detectives, and we just came here to look for clues."
"Well, it's not safe," the officer grumped.
"Man, you can say that again," Tristan declared. "What caused that earthquake?!"
"That was no ordinary earthquake, son," the officer replied grimly. "That was a UFO taking flight."
The four teens gasped, looking startled.
"You've gotta be kidding," Tristan muttered.
"Now I must ask you kids to clear out," the policeman said stiffly. "There's no telling what other shenanigans might be going on up here."
Yugi nodded. "We will leave," he said calmly, "but first we must find our friends."
The officer groaned. "There's more of you?" he sighed.
"Four more," Mai spoke up.
"Any idea what part of the canyon they might be going through?" the officer asked.
"Oh dear. I'm all turned around," Bakura said, shaking his head.
"We split up quite a ways back," Yugi said. "It was over by the limousine we came here in."
"That thing belongs to one of you?" the officer said with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure does," Tristan nodded. "Someone in the other group owns it."
"Well, I've seen that limo, but there weren't any other kids around anywhere nearby," the officer told them.
"Oh man . . . they could be anywhere," Tristan sighed, shaking his head.
"They might even be hurt," Bakura worried.
Yugi nodded grimly. "We can't waste any time." Before the officer could protest, the four split into two groups and prepared to disappear into the woods.
"Wait!" the officer yelled.
"The others are a group like ours," Tristan said, turning back.
"With three boys and one girl," Bakura added.
"But one of the boys is around ten instead of high school age like the rest," Yugi remarked.
With that, Yugi and Tristan went one way and Bakura and Mai went another, leaving the policeman staring after them in frustration.
****
Meanwhile, the other four were wandering through an area cluttered with rocks and boulders.
"Where are we?" Tea moaned. "It seems like we've been walking for hours!"
Joey scratched his head, looking confused. "Eh, well, we're in the canyons," he said finally.
"We know that much!" Mokuba grumbled.
"Hey, wait a minute!" they heard a familiar voice exclaim from somewhere in the nearby trees. "I hear voices!"
"Hey, wasn't that Bakura?" Tea said, looking around.
"Yeah, Tea, I think you're right!" Joey declared. "Hey, Bakura!" he yelled. "Over here!"
There was a brief silence, then, "Joey? Is that you?"
"Yeah, pal, we're all here!" Joey called, venturing towards the trees.
Before long, Bakura and Mai found their way through the trees and to the others in the clearing. "Thank goodness you're all alright," Bakura smiled. "We were quite worried!"
"Yeah, that earthquake was somethin' else," Joey said, suddenly realizing something. "Hey . . ."
"Where's Yugi and Tristan?!" Tea asked, voicing Joey's thoughts.
"They should be here soon," Mai spoke up, glancing around.
At that moment, a twig snapped at the other end of the clearing and Joey leaped a mile high. "Yaaaaaa!! It's the aliens!!!"
"Actually, Joey, it's just us," Yugi smiled as he and Tristan stepped into the light of the moon.
"A little jumpy today, aren't we?" Mai smirked.
Joey blushed. "Eh, I knew it was Yug and Tristan the whole time. I, uh, just screamed 'cause I backed into a pinecone," he bluffed, holding one up that he'd just now found on the ground.
"I'm sure we all believe that, Wheeler," Seto remarked.
Yugi chuckled. "Well, now that we've all found each other again, we should leave now. I gave my word to that police officer that we'd leave once we found you."
Joey sighed as they started walking. "Yeah, but we haven't found any clues yet!" he complained. At that minute, something caught his eye and he bent to pick it up. He stared at it briefly and then slipped it into his pocket with a grin. Spoke too soon, he thought to himself.
"Did the officer say anything about what caused the earthquake?" Tea asked.
"He said it was a UFO taking flight," Mai replied with a laugh as they climbed into the limo.
"A UFO?" Tea, Mokuba, and Joey repeated.
"You know," Yugi said thoughtfully, "I've been thinking—perhaps we should try learning more about UFOs. That knowledge might help us solve this case."
"And I know just the place where we can learn!" Joey piped up smugly, holding up the thing he'd just found outside. "This is a flier for the 21st annual regional UFO Convention at the Domino City Convention Center tomorrow!"
Everyone turned to stare at him. "Where on earth did you find that, Joey?" Bakura asked.
"It was layin' on the ground outside," Joey told him. "Maybe someone was here who's going to the convention! Maybe even someone who might know how to set up a fake UFO!"
"You mean maybe the UFO everyone's been seeing around town is really man-made?!" Mai exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "Why would someone do that?!"
"Hey, maybe it's all a big publicity stunt for that alien movie that's bein' filmed," Joey suggested.
Yugi nodded. "It's possible," he admitted. "That flier is a great clue, Joey!"
Joey grinned, giving the thumbs-up sign.
"That's going right to his head," Mai sighed.
"But how can we get into the convention?" Tea wondered. "We don't have tickets!"
"I can arrange that," Seto spoke up in his usual, unemotional tone. "My company owns the convention center."
"Eh, shoulda figured that." Joey rolled his eyes. "You probably own half the city."
Seto ignored that. "It's going to be a formal convention," he informed them. "If you want to go, you'll have to wear tuxedos and evening gowns."
"No problem there," Mai smiled.
"Oh man, I havta wear some kinda monkey suit?!" Joey groaned. "No way! Count me out!" He crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Hey, the convention thing was your idea, Joey," Tristan said.
"That's right," Tea nodded. "So you, of all people, should come."
"It's only for one evening, Joey," Yugi smiled.
"Surely you can wear a tux for one evening," Mai said, tossing her hair.
Joey's eyes narrowed. "Fine!" he burst out in frustration. "For one evening! But that's it!"
****
The next day at school, Seto approached Yugi between classes and handed him an envelope. "Here," he said abruptly. "These are the tickets to the convention tonight. There's one for you and one for each of your friends."
Yugi blinked, a bit surprised at Seto's brusqueness. "Um, thanks, Kaiba," he said finally. "Will we see you there?"
"I don't like conventions," Seto replied after a pause. "But you can expect that I will be there." He turned and walked away. He wanted to find out what had happened to him that night in the cornfield, and if someone at the convention might possibly know, then he was willing to try to find out, even if it meant going to the convention himself.
****
Grampa Muto smiled at Yugi as the boy came out of his room in a tuxedo that was a size or two too large on his small frame. "It's nice to see you and your friends off to have a relaxing evening for once," the elderly man commented.
Yugi chuckled. "Well, Grampa, it's not exactly going to be all fun and games. We're trying to find some clues to this weird mystery."
Grampa Muto nodded. "Yes, I know, but as long as you don't have to chase villains all around the convention center or be attacked by vicious aliens, it counts as a relaxing evening in my book!"
Yugi had to laugh.
At that moment, a knock came at the door and Joey and Tristan came in, both wearing tuxedos as well.
"Hey, Yugi," Tristan grinned. "Are you ready to check this convention scene out?"
Yugi smiled and nodded. "I sure am!" he declared.
"Well, then, let's get it over with," Joey pleaded. "I don't wanna wear this thing any longer than I have to!" He tugged uncomfortably at the collar. "This bow tie is killin' me!"
"Actually, I think the tuxedo fits you very well, Joseph," Grampa Muto smiled.
"Yeah, well, it's not my kinda thing," Joey sighed. "Give me some jeans and a T-shirt any day!"
After saying goodbye to Grampa Muto, the three boys left the game shop and headed over to Tea's house, where she and Bakura met them on the sidewalk outside. Bakura was wearing a tuxedo and looked a bit uncomfortable, though not as much so as Joey. Tea was wearing a pretty pink dress that sparkled in the moonlight.
"Hey, you guys!" Tea smiled when she saw Yugi, Joey, and Tristan.
"Hello," Bakura greeted them as well.
The five teens continued walking down the street.
"Tea, you look great tonight!" Yugi smiled.
Tea smiled back. "You do too, Yugi," she said. She smirked at Joey. "Is wearing a tuxedo as bad as you thought it would be?" she asked.
"It's worse," Joey grumbled. "Man, I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this!"
"It's just for one evening," Tea said, shaking her head. She looked around. "Are Kaiba and Mai coming?"
"They're going to meet us there," Tristan replied.
Before long, they came in sight of the convention center. Yugi stared at it, then turned to his friends. "Well, here we go," he said. "Let's try to crack this case!"
Everyone nodded resolutely and followed him up the walkway and into the building.
"An earthquake?!" Tea cried in horror, clinging tightly to Seto so she wouldn't fall over.
"Oh man! This is the wrong time to be lookin' for flyin' saucers and aliens!" Joey gasped, hugging the tree he'd just fallen out of.
Seto looked around grimly. "We should drop to the ground," he said, just as everything stopped shaking.
"Is it over?" Tea asked slowly, opening her eyes.
Seto nodded slowly. "It is."
"But there could still be some aftershocks," Mokuba spoke up, looking worried.
"Man, I hope Yug and the others are okay," Joey declared.
Tea, suddenly realizing she was embracing Seto Kaiba, blushed and pulled away. "We'd better go find them!" she exclaimed, turning to disappear into the assembly of trees.
"Hey, Tea, wait up!" Joey yelled, picking himself up off the ground and running after her, followed closely by the Kaiba brothers.
****
It so happened that Yugi and his group were near the top of another steep incline when the earthquake hit.
"What's happening?!" Mai gasped as she pitched forward and had to rush to grab a nearby tree.
"Oh man, this is all we need," Tristan muttered.
Bakura let out a scream as he nearly fell down the embankment, but then Yami Bakura emerged from the Ring and grabbed him just in time, muttering something about dolts and foolish mortals.
Yugi looked grim. "It's an earthquake," he informed the others.
"Earthquake?!" Mai exclaimed.
The ground abruptly stopped convulsing.
Yugi looked around, concerned, making certain that everyone was alright and accounted for. "That was most unexpected," he said grimly. "We should try to find the others and make certain that they're safe."
Before anyone could move, a police officer stepped out of the shadows and stared at them. "What are you kids doing here?!" he demanded.
"We heard about the UFO that was sighted a few hours ago," Yugi told him.
"Yes, that's right," Bakura agreed. "We're amateur detectives, and we just came here to look for clues."
"Well, it's not safe," the officer grumped.
"Man, you can say that again," Tristan declared. "What caused that earthquake?!"
"That was no ordinary earthquake, son," the officer replied grimly. "That was a UFO taking flight."
The four teens gasped, looking startled.
"You've gotta be kidding," Tristan muttered.
"Now I must ask you kids to clear out," the policeman said stiffly. "There's no telling what other shenanigans might be going on up here."
Yugi nodded. "We will leave," he said calmly, "but first we must find our friends."
The officer groaned. "There's more of you?" he sighed.
"Four more," Mai spoke up.
"Any idea what part of the canyon they might be going through?" the officer asked.
"Oh dear. I'm all turned around," Bakura said, shaking his head.
"We split up quite a ways back," Yugi said. "It was over by the limousine we came here in."
"That thing belongs to one of you?" the officer said with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure does," Tristan nodded. "Someone in the other group owns it."
"Well, I've seen that limo, but there weren't any other kids around anywhere nearby," the officer told them.
"Oh man . . . they could be anywhere," Tristan sighed, shaking his head.
"They might even be hurt," Bakura worried.
Yugi nodded grimly. "We can't waste any time." Before the officer could protest, the four split into two groups and prepared to disappear into the woods.
"Wait!" the officer yelled.
"The others are a group like ours," Tristan said, turning back.
"With three boys and one girl," Bakura added.
"But one of the boys is around ten instead of high school age like the rest," Yugi remarked.
With that, Yugi and Tristan went one way and Bakura and Mai went another, leaving the policeman staring after them in frustration.
****
Meanwhile, the other four were wandering through an area cluttered with rocks and boulders.
"Where are we?" Tea moaned. "It seems like we've been walking for hours!"
Joey scratched his head, looking confused. "Eh, well, we're in the canyons," he said finally.
"We know that much!" Mokuba grumbled.
"Hey, wait a minute!" they heard a familiar voice exclaim from somewhere in the nearby trees. "I hear voices!"
"Hey, wasn't that Bakura?" Tea said, looking around.
"Yeah, Tea, I think you're right!" Joey declared. "Hey, Bakura!" he yelled. "Over here!"
There was a brief silence, then, "Joey? Is that you?"
"Yeah, pal, we're all here!" Joey called, venturing towards the trees.
Before long, Bakura and Mai found their way through the trees and to the others in the clearing. "Thank goodness you're all alright," Bakura smiled. "We were quite worried!"
"Yeah, that earthquake was somethin' else," Joey said, suddenly realizing something. "Hey . . ."
"Where's Yugi and Tristan?!" Tea asked, voicing Joey's thoughts.
"They should be here soon," Mai spoke up, glancing around.
At that moment, a twig snapped at the other end of the clearing and Joey leaped a mile high. "Yaaaaaa!! It's the aliens!!!"
"Actually, Joey, it's just us," Yugi smiled as he and Tristan stepped into the light of the moon.
"A little jumpy today, aren't we?" Mai smirked.
Joey blushed. "Eh, I knew it was Yug and Tristan the whole time. I, uh, just screamed 'cause I backed into a pinecone," he bluffed, holding one up that he'd just now found on the ground.
"I'm sure we all believe that, Wheeler," Seto remarked.
Yugi chuckled. "Well, now that we've all found each other again, we should leave now. I gave my word to that police officer that we'd leave once we found you."
Joey sighed as they started walking. "Yeah, but we haven't found any clues yet!" he complained. At that minute, something caught his eye and he bent to pick it up. He stared at it briefly and then slipped it into his pocket with a grin. Spoke too soon, he thought to himself.
"Did the officer say anything about what caused the earthquake?" Tea asked.
"He said it was a UFO taking flight," Mai replied with a laugh as they climbed into the limo.
"A UFO?" Tea, Mokuba, and Joey repeated.
"You know," Yugi said thoughtfully, "I've been thinking—perhaps we should try learning more about UFOs. That knowledge might help us solve this case."
"And I know just the place where we can learn!" Joey piped up smugly, holding up the thing he'd just found outside. "This is a flier for the 21st annual regional UFO Convention at the Domino City Convention Center tomorrow!"
Everyone turned to stare at him. "Where on earth did you find that, Joey?" Bakura asked.
"It was layin' on the ground outside," Joey told him. "Maybe someone was here who's going to the convention! Maybe even someone who might know how to set up a fake UFO!"
"You mean maybe the UFO everyone's been seeing around town is really man-made?!" Mai exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "Why would someone do that?!"
"Hey, maybe it's all a big publicity stunt for that alien movie that's bein' filmed," Joey suggested.
Yugi nodded. "It's possible," he admitted. "That flier is a great clue, Joey!"
Joey grinned, giving the thumbs-up sign.
"That's going right to his head," Mai sighed.
"But how can we get into the convention?" Tea wondered. "We don't have tickets!"
"I can arrange that," Seto spoke up in his usual, unemotional tone. "My company owns the convention center."
"Eh, shoulda figured that." Joey rolled his eyes. "You probably own half the city."
Seto ignored that. "It's going to be a formal convention," he informed them. "If you want to go, you'll have to wear tuxedos and evening gowns."
"No problem there," Mai smiled.
"Oh man, I havta wear some kinda monkey suit?!" Joey groaned. "No way! Count me out!" He crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Hey, the convention thing was your idea, Joey," Tristan said.
"That's right," Tea nodded. "So you, of all people, should come."
"It's only for one evening, Joey," Yugi smiled.
"Surely you can wear a tux for one evening," Mai said, tossing her hair.
Joey's eyes narrowed. "Fine!" he burst out in frustration. "For one evening! But that's it!"
****
The next day at school, Seto approached Yugi between classes and handed him an envelope. "Here," he said abruptly. "These are the tickets to the convention tonight. There's one for you and one for each of your friends."
Yugi blinked, a bit surprised at Seto's brusqueness. "Um, thanks, Kaiba," he said finally. "Will we see you there?"
"I don't like conventions," Seto replied after a pause. "But you can expect that I will be there." He turned and walked away. He wanted to find out what had happened to him that night in the cornfield, and if someone at the convention might possibly know, then he was willing to try to find out, even if it meant going to the convention himself.
****
Grampa Muto smiled at Yugi as the boy came out of his room in a tuxedo that was a size or two too large on his small frame. "It's nice to see you and your friends off to have a relaxing evening for once," the elderly man commented.
Yugi chuckled. "Well, Grampa, it's not exactly going to be all fun and games. We're trying to find some clues to this weird mystery."
Grampa Muto nodded. "Yes, I know, but as long as you don't have to chase villains all around the convention center or be attacked by vicious aliens, it counts as a relaxing evening in my book!"
Yugi had to laugh.
At that moment, a knock came at the door and Joey and Tristan came in, both wearing tuxedos as well.
"Hey, Yugi," Tristan grinned. "Are you ready to check this convention scene out?"
Yugi smiled and nodded. "I sure am!" he declared.
"Well, then, let's get it over with," Joey pleaded. "I don't wanna wear this thing any longer than I have to!" He tugged uncomfortably at the collar. "This bow tie is killin' me!"
"Actually, I think the tuxedo fits you very well, Joseph," Grampa Muto smiled.
"Yeah, well, it's not my kinda thing," Joey sighed. "Give me some jeans and a T-shirt any day!"
After saying goodbye to Grampa Muto, the three boys left the game shop and headed over to Tea's house, where she and Bakura met them on the sidewalk outside. Bakura was wearing a tuxedo and looked a bit uncomfortable, though not as much so as Joey. Tea was wearing a pretty pink dress that sparkled in the moonlight.
"Hey, you guys!" Tea smiled when she saw Yugi, Joey, and Tristan.
"Hello," Bakura greeted them as well.
The five teens continued walking down the street.
"Tea, you look great tonight!" Yugi smiled.
Tea smiled back. "You do too, Yugi," she said. She smirked at Joey. "Is wearing a tuxedo as bad as you thought it would be?" she asked.
"It's worse," Joey grumbled. "Man, I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this!"
"It's just for one evening," Tea said, shaking her head. She looked around. "Are Kaiba and Mai coming?"
"They're going to meet us there," Tristan replied.
Before long, they came in sight of the convention center. Yugi stared at it, then turned to his friends. "Well, here we go," he said. "Let's try to crack this case!"
Everyone nodded resolutely and followed him up the walkway and into the building.