Chapter 3: Realization

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That night, Tea thought a lot about Kaiba and Allison. She was questioning herself so much; her head was about to explode!

How come an ever-emotionless proud Kaiba would even pay a stranger like Allison any attention?

Are they like secret admirers?

Where DOES Allison sleep?

What is Allison's last name? She never told them. Oh well, that isn't important.

Why does Tea keep on thinking about Kaiba and his problems. She shouldn't care that much, after all he did do a lot of unforgivable things during the past.

He ripped Solomon's Blue Eyes just so no one could use it against him.

He used Yugi's kindness, and snatched away a victory Yugi could've won.

He never thanks anyone after they save their life, and keeps on being cold.

He frowns and glares too much, like everyone owes him something. (But that expression is what makes him so damn cute!)

Tea smiled to herself thinking of all the Seto flashbacks, but suddenly she just came to a realization.

"I'm falling in love with Seto Kaiba!" She said out loud just for herself to hear. "What I'm I going to do? What am I going to do? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO???!!!!! Kaiba won't love me back. He's a jerk who doesn't know the definition of love or friendship. All he cares about is his precious duel monsters, Mokuba and his virtual computer games; how am I going to enter his heart, and have him love me back?"

Yet, even though Kaiba is like everything she just said, he was the only one who could make Tea's heart melt. She finally figured out she only like Yugi as a friend. One side of her even wished she could love Yugi instead. At least Yugi isn't totally unreasonable.

Tea groaned as she finally fell asleep. She thought 'Damn him, why does he have to show up in my dreams too?'

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In school:

"Hey everyone!" Yugi came in with an enthusiastic smile.

"Yugi, you're back." Tea went up to him and hugged him, giving him a friendly welcome back.

Seto sat on the other side of the classroom, giving them a jealous glare. Luckily for them, no one noticed, because he glares too often. Wait, let me rephrase that, no one noticed but Allison.

She gave him a mocking smirk. "I told you she was only after your money. Do you feel cold and abandoned now? Do you? Do you? Don't worry, you could always snuggle in MY arms."

Seto sighed. "And I was telling Mokuba what a great sister he has. His sister is so mighty she'll finds the absolute perfect times to annoy him when she knows he won't be in a mood to annoy her back. Can he get a BETTER sister than this? God bless him. " Seto said with sarcasm.

'He needs more help than I thought.' Allison thought to herself seeing how hurt her brother really is.

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The next few days were awful. Mai is giving Joey the silent treatment. Joey is ignoring Mai. Yugi soon acted like her forgot Serenity, and forgot the emptiness deep down. Tea and Seto both think the other doesn't like them back, so they never had any more chats like the one in the park.

Allison, being the observant person she is, decided to move out of the city, and give these losers some time to themselves.

When she told Kaiba the news, he didn't even bother to persuade her to stay. As a matter of fact, he started making her read brochures to go to the farthest place away from him possible. Afterwards, he sent her off on the first plane out of Domino City.

Mokuba on the other hand, wanted so much to get to know his long lost sister better. Allison knew that with Mokuba gone, there's a better chance of Seto hooking up with Tea, so she took him along.

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Mai ran up to her locker to pack up for home after a whole day of pretending the guy she loves doesn't exist. It's not as easy as it sounds.

Inside her locker, she found a piece of notebook paper on top of the books. It read:

Dear Mai,

I'm sorry about the sandstorm incident. But it was YOUR fault for following me! If that's why angry and the reason you've been ignoring me these days, then GOD SAVE YOU! What should you be angry about? I saved your life, woman! You would've died like a blind snake slithering through the storm! I remind you, YOU FOLLOWED ME! So it's not all my fault!

Truly,

Joey

P.S. Don't think I'm going to start being nice to you, because I'm still very very angry! (A/N: As you can see from the way he wrote the letter.)

P.P.S. Meet me at the school at 7:00 pm.

Mai read it over and over even though the only pleasant words on there was the first sentence and the last sentence.

She snorted. "I'm going to meet him in my personal precious time after this!? He wish." She ripped the note up and went home.

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Mai ended up going anyway. But give her a little credit, if she 'could've' controlled herself to stay at home, she sure would've. She tried her best not to show up. She did everything from trying to get her mind off of him by reading a good book to tying herself down to her bed like a crazy alcoholic trying to stop doing drugs.

"So you decided to show up after all." Joey smiled.

She turned away. "Only because I'd like to criticize on how poorly your note was written. If you really want to apologize, you should've just sent a present, like flowers or something."

Joey nodded. "Then you would say I'm not original with apologizing ideas. Almost everyone use them to send an apology, that's why those freakin flower shops came in business. Besides, what good would flowers do? The longest they could live up to is a month. I want you to remember my apology forever."

Mai rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do? Dress up in a dog costume, and beg for my forgiveness on your knees?"

Joey said nothing, but leaned forward and gave Mai a kiss. If she can't even control herself to not come, do you think she could resist from kissing back?

Joey broke apart. "That. Is going to last much longer than flowers in your memory." He grinned in victory licking his lips.

Mai's head is still in daze. She hated the way Joey affected her like this. "I still say flowers are better. You call this an apology? You stole that kiss from me! You creep! Ugh! I'm going home to rinse my mouth!" She ran off before saying something stupid and pathetic like begging him to kiss her again.

Joey stared up at the amethyst sky. The crescent moon laughed at him in pity. What did he just do? He knew Mai never liked him. Did he have to kiss her just then? Great. Just splendid. Now she'll hate him even more.

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"Hi Yugi." Serenity greeted.

"Hi Serenity."

"Did Joey tell you he kissed Mai yesterday?" Serenity loves to gossip.

"What? He did?"

"Yeah, but Mai ran off. I guess I won't be getting a sister in law very soon." Serenity sighed, but then grinned evilly.

Yugi, being the smart good boy he is, realized what was Serenity trying to do. "No Serenity. I don't want to get in other people's businesses. Besides, Mai would hate me more than she hates Joey if I helped you get them together."

"But Yugi, they are the perfect pair. Besides, Mai doesn't hate Joey. Come on please help me. He's your best friend! You gotta grant him the wish of happiness." Serenity persuaded.

"I'm not a magical genie; I don't grant wishes." 'If I was, I could've handled my own problem instead of hiding in Egypt.' "I have faith in Joey. He'll take care of himself."

Serenity huffed and puffed. Why wouldn't Yugi just help her out? "Fine, I'll go ask Tristan."

"Don't! He'll only ruin things by making fun of Joey falling for Mai, and Joey will get in a great big fight with him again. I'll help you. I'll help you!"

"I knew you'd see it my way. Okay, here's the plan, you have to............." Serenity whispered how to get them together.

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"Yuge, where you takin me?" Joey asked as Yugi pulled him to go see Mai.

'Joey, just be grateful it isn't Tristan dragging you right now. I sacrificed myself to do this even if I don't want to just because of your love life isn't running smoothly. But, I guess I do owe you one for coming to Egypt to get me.'

Yugi led him all the way to a carnival in town. Of course, Serenity was there already with Mai.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to see you two here." Serenity lied. It was all her idea.

Mai suspects that Yugi and Serenity planned this date, but didn't accuse. Joey thought it really was a coincidence, so he said nothing either until.......

"Hey! Cotton Candy!"

Serenity's plan didn't exactly work very well. She made Joey and Mai go on some of the scariest rides ever together, and expected them to be so frightened they would hug each other and eventually get all mushy and everything, but little did she know, Mai was braver than she thought, and all that Haunted House baloney and roller coasters didn't even make her blink. Joey on the other hand will only be scared if the place ran out of food.

Yugi couldn't help but laugh at Serenity's miserable expression when the plan didn't work.

That did it. Serenity was sick of them taking so long getting together. Time for plan B. She pushed them both on a seat on the Ferris wheel, and made the person in charge of the big machine stop it just when their seat got on the top.

"Now TALK!" She ordered.

"Let us down, sis!"

"No way!"

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1 Hour Later:

Everyone else surrounding them was complaining to get on or get off the Ferris wheel, but Joey and Mai still haven't spoken to each other yet.

Serenity finally gave up, and allowed them to get off. Yugi cracked up so hard tears fell down his cheeks. People thought he was crying because of sadness, and a pretty girl even offered to buy him a Popsicle to cheer him up.

"Yugi, do you have a Plan C?" Serenity came up to his face taking away his popsicle.

"Oh, finally you want my suggestions? When we discussed the plan, you didn't even let me talk, that I never told you that your ideas all SUCK!" Yugi went back to cracking up.

"Then, what's your brilliant plan?" Serenity asked impatiently.

"Beg me to tell you."

"You know, I liked you so much better when you were a goody- good, and did just as you were told."

Yugi decided to give her a break. He pointed to a sign. The sign read: Lagoon of Love, a boat ride for couples.

Serenity lightened up, as she forced the reluctant lovers on the boat. "Yugi, why didn't you tell me about the boat ride sooner?"

"Because you covered my mouth every time I tried to talk. The only thing I could do is laugh."

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Soft music filled the air. The boat floated into a tunnel. Joey shut his eyes trying not to pay attention to the couples around them all making out. Mai swore she wants to throw up.

"Alright, I get the point. You like me, so you made your little sister drag me here, and......."

"I didn't. Yugi dragged me here. I had no idea they wanted to set up a date for us. Yugi's not the type to do that." Joey interrupted not wanting to admit he 'does' like her.

"It's obvious he still has feelings for Serenity, and it was your sister's plan to do this in the first place." Mai heard a moan coming from behind them.

Yugi and Serenity are sitting on a boat making out like the rest of the people in that tunnel.

"Who. What. When. Where. Why. HOW?!?"

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Lanturn: I'm sorry for the awfully lame chapter. The only thing I could think of is making the couples kiss. Hopefully, next week I'll think of something better.

Read and Review.