QoH: 'Lo all! Oh, don't worry. I've forgiven Yami *glances at him warningly* as long as he behaves himself, that is.
Yami: ......
Yugi: *says nothing too, probably because he's trying very hard not to laugh*
QoH: *nods, satisified* Good. Now, back to the story.
Chapter 5: Angel's Flight
At last, they arrived at the airport's entrance, where Tea leaped out and started hopping again. The tall young cabby glanced at her strangely as he took her luggage out. "Is she...all right?" he asked Yugi somewhat uncertainly, tapping his temple in that universal sign for "daft" as he closed the trunk, his dark blue gaze following Tea's twirlings a tad warily.
He laughed as he watched her dance around, "She's fine, sir. Tea's just excited about getting accepted at a dance school in New York City." Lucky New York, he thought wistfully.
The cabby didn't miss the tone in his voice, or how he looked at the girl doing pirouettes a few feet away, "I see."
Yugi looked up at him, surprised, "It's really that obvious, huh?"
"Yes and no," the cabby replied quietly, smiling, "When you drive a taxi for a living, you see a lot of things. You get to know human nature pretty well. You hide it admirably, and yet I don't think I'm the only one who knows," he glanced at the others, "Your friends do, as well, if I'm not mistaken."
Yugi's eyes widened in amazement, "How do you do that? Are you psychic, or something?"
He laughed and shook his head, which sent some of his thick red hair into his eyes. Pushing it out of the way, he grinned, "You have no idea how many times I've been asked that, but no, I'm not. It's just an instinct one develops over time in this job. A very good one to have around, especially when you run into that occasional troublemaker."
"That makes sense." Yugi nodded, understanding now.
The radio crackled and the cabby went around to the driver's side, leaning in to answer it. When he came back, he said, "I have another call, so I have to go. I'll leave you with a piece of advice I once saw on a poster. 'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was.' Well," he shrugged as he got back in, "I'm sure you've heard it before, but I thought I'd say it anyway. I suppose it's my way of saying it's not forever. It's something to hope for, at least."
Yugi suddenly remembered they hadn't paid him yet and pulled out his wallet, "Oh, I'm sorry! How much is the fare?"
The cabby chuckled again, shaking his head as he turned the key, "It's no problem. It's on me. I've got a few regulars coming up, and they always tip high, namely because they're usually extremely drunk. They tell me 'the pink elephant' is their best friend and that they repeatedly fall up. I keep wondering how they can possibly have any brain cells left," he smiled wryly, "I can come back in about forty-five minutes or so, if you'd like a ride back. It'll be nice to take you guys home after them. Just as long as they don't lose the contents of their stomachs again, like they did the last time," he grimaced a little at the memory.
"I think we'll do that. We'll be waiting here by then, if Tea's flight isn't late." Yugi laughed and smiled gratefully, "Thanks, for everything. What's your name, anyway?"
"Gary," he grinned good-naturedly, "and like I said, it's not a problem. I'll see you later." With that, he waved and drove off. The announcer overhead called out a flight that was boarding at 8:00. Reminded of the urgency, they all picked up a suitcase or two and walked as fast as they could, counting gates as they went, searching for #56.
Finding it after about frustrating twenty minutes later, they all plopped down with the rest of the waiting passengers. Tea, still full of nervous energy, jumped back up and volunteered to get snacks from the stand a few feet away. Suddenly, he remembered he hadn't had anything for breakfast, unless you counted the cookie at Tea's. Evidently, the others agreed as they all made their requests, giving her enough money to pay for everything. As she came back, a plane roared overhead, causing her to stumble. Yugi immediately started to get to his feet to help her, but Joey, who sat facing the other direction, seemed to know exactly what was going on without even turning around. His hand reached behind him caught the back of his jacket, effectively yanking him back into his seat. Yugi looked back at him curiously, and Joey shifted halfway and shook his head slightly, his gaze switching to somewhere over Yugi's shoulder. He followed his line of sight and saw Tea, her balance recovered, coming toward them. I see what you mean, Joey. If I'd done what my instincts told me to, I might have given myself away, not to mention possibly embarrassing her, maybe making her think I believe she's fragile or something like that. He met his friend's eyes, silently thanking him, and Joey smiled his acknowledgment. Tea returned, taking her seat next to him after she'd handed out the munchies to their respective owners.
~And I saw you walk across
the room,
for maybe the last time, I don't know.
Feeling humble,
heard a rumble
in the air.~
Ten minutes crawled by, and with each passing one, Tea became more and more antsy. When it got to the point that she was twitching at the slightest noise, Yugi laid his hand on her arm soothingly and murmured, "It's all right, Tea. It'll be here soon."
Tea turned to him, shaking her head, "That's half the problem, Yugi. I'm afraid."
So am I. Yugi put his arms around her comfortingly, "Of what? The plane? Going to a new place?"
She leaned her head against his shoulder and sniffled, "No, that's not it, really. I'm scared I won't be good enough..."
Yugi hugged her tighter for a moment, then tilted her chin up to look into her eyes, "What, the best dancer in the world is afraid she's not good enough?" he teased gently, smiling, "You'll do great, no question."
Tea smiled shakily, "You really think so?"
"Count on it," he grinned, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly, "We're all rooting for you, just like you always do for us. With all us behind you, and with your amazing talent, how could you do anything less than be greatest there ever was?"
"I hope so," she laughed nervously, "What if everyone else doesn't see it that way, though?"
"If they don't, well," Yugi stood up and put his hands on her shoulders seriously, "then, they're utter fools with no appreciation of what art and beauty truly are."
"You mean that?" Tea asked, her eyes wide.
He shook his head and smiled wryly, "Trust me, I've never been more serious in my entire life."
*Yugi!* Yami's sudden appearance in his thoughts nearly caused him to shout.
*What's wrong?!* Yugi asked, startled.
*Oh, just that you're on the verge of doing exactly what you promised yourself you wouldn't!* Yami's quasi-sarcasm jolted Yugi back to his senses. He blinked a couple times and straightened up, noticing that Joey, Bakura and Tristan were all shaking their heads wildly behind Tea's back. Luckily for him, the announcer came over the loudspeaker just then, distracting everyone with the boarding call for Flight #489, the one they'd been waiting for.
As the passengers collected their carry-on things and got in line, Tea turned back and gave each of her friends a hug. They all wished her luck, then she turned to walk over to the now-dwindling line. Yugi watched sadly as his unwitting angel showed the man her ticket, and held himself firmly in check as she looked back at them before disappearing down the terminal to the plane.
~And when I hear the whistle
blow,
I'll walk away and you won't know
that I'll be crying.~
QoH: Don't you just hate me? lol
Yugi: *mutters* Yes... you're so evil...
QoH: Oh, it's not over yet! ^_~
Yugi: *sacarcastic* What, more agony in store?
QoH: *grins cryptically* You'll see... teehee
Yami: *scowls* Get to it sometime soon, would you?
QoH: *thinks to herself: Well, if I didn't know better, I might be tempted to say Yami's actually interested in this...* ^_^
Yugi: *impatient* Well? Are you going to write, or not?!
QoH: *calmly* Nope. I'm gonna go watch Harry Potter now, I think.
Yami: *holds Yugi back* And why are you going to do that when you have a story to finish?
QoH: *wiggles her fingers, releasin some of the tension* Cuz my hands hurt from all this typin. Besides.....
Yami: *sighs and raises his eyes to the ceiling* Besides what?
QoH: *calmly* I have writer's block.
Yami & Yugi: *veins pop* WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!