Jaid: Hey guys! My computer's working! YIPEE!!!!
Jad: Is she dancing again?
Naga: What do you think?
Jaid: Come on guys, can't you just be a little happy for me?
Jad: I'm happy! ^___________^
Naga: I'm not.
Jaid: You're mean.
Naga: Gee, it took you this long to figure it out?
Jaid: -__-
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Reviewer response at the bottom. (Hope you guys like this chappy; its extra long!)
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"And then he walked her home from school, isn't that sweet?" Tara was talking non-stop to Tea, who in reality wasn't really paying attention, Wednesday morning on the way to school.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah." She smiled a little unsurely.
"Ryou and Rei, don't you think it sounds cute?"
Tea glanced at her friend. "How many cups?"
"Huh?"
"How many cups of coffee did you have this morning?"
"Oh, only four."
Tea sighed. "Three too many." She murmured.
"So, anyways, I think they may be going to the dance. Who are you going with?" Tara asked the dreaded question.
"I don't know." Tea admitted her cheeks pink.
"Hey, Tara!" a short girl with curly black hair and gray eyes ran up. "You'll never guess what happened! Tristan's taking me to the dance!"
"I thought you were doing photographs." Tara said.
The girl shook her head, sending the curls flying wildly in all directions. "Only a few. Not all. Besides, I've got a date!"
"That's great Katya." Tara and the other girl began talking. Tea decided to fall behind and let them talk by themselves as the girls entered the schoolyard.
"Tea!"
She turned. Seto strode up.
"Kaiba?" Tea blinked.
"Does Wheeler have a sister?" was not the question Tea had been expecting to hear and for a moment, she simply stared blankly at the young millionaire.
"What?" she finally got out. Seto seemed to get impatient.
"Does Wheeler have a sister named Serenity, slender, fair, with long red hair and a bright smile?" Seto said, well, more like demanded.
"Yes." Tea answered slowly, still confused. "Why?"
But he had already walked away.
"That was weird." Tea said, shaking her head and walking to the school.
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Yugi sat at his desk fidgeting, then glanced at the clock. School seemed to take forever today. He was going to ask Tea this afternoon about the dance, and he both dreaded and looked forward to it. Sighing, he placed his chin in his hands.
Seto was only half-listening to the teacher lecture. He was thinking about Serenity. They had talked more than he had read. She was a very different girl. Yesterday she had asked him about Duel Monster cards and they had spent almost an hour as he explained the game and several different types of cards. Seto didn't know what to make of her really. She was very frank and trusting…a lot like Mokuba he reflected. A wry smile came across his face. Wouldn't the dog blow his top if he knew that Seto and Serenity had become fast friends?
Joey, meanwhile was thinking about Saturday with Mai…and that's all that really needs to be said.
Joey was not the only one anxious for Saturday to arrive. Tristan was as well. He couldn't wait to see Katya's face when he gave her the necklace. Grinning somewhat goofily, he missed the rest of the lecture.
Duke was also ready for Saturday to come. Partly because he looked forward to spending some time alone with Tara, but also because he would be ready when the matchmaking season ended. As fun as it was for Tara, Duke did think it a little silly.
Ryou was fidgeting as well. He liked Rei; she was the first girl who had talked to him so easily. He liked her dry humor and the way the sun brought up golden flecks in her brown eyes…Ryou blinked. When had he noticed that? His cheeks warmed. Perhaps asking her to the dance would be kind of fun. Then the cold metal of his ring brought him back and he froze. What if his yami came out during the date? He never remembered what happened when his yami took over and to be truthful, Ryou didn't trust him with another person. His shoulders slumped a little.
Tea tapped her pencil on the paper in front of her, blue eyes on the clock. It was almost time for the day to end and she couldn't wait. Glancing over at Yugi, she noticed the tri-colored haired boy couldn't sit still. She frowned. That wasn't like him at all.
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Shadi was walking the streets by himself. Isis was at the museum. She hadn't said much that morning. The man sighed. He hadn't meant to hold her so close like that. In fact, the whole episode was rather unexpected. But he had lost himself in the moment, he supposed.
For a moment, he felt again the light pressure of her body against his and saw her dark blue eyes up close. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he looked around. A boy with white hair was walking past. Suddenly the boy stopped and paused.
"Do I know you?" he asked, in an accented voice.
"Your yami does." Shadi answered seriously.
"Oh." The boy looked down. "I see."
//Something's bothering him.// Ankh said.
\\ Besides having the tomb robber for a yami?\\ Scales asked sarcastically.
//Yes!// Ankh said, totally missing Scales tone. //He's worried about someone I think. Ask him Shadi, please?//
\\ Why waste our time. Oh wait, I forgot! We're already wasting it!\\
/\Scales./\ Shadi said sternly.
"Is something bothering you?" he asked softly.
The boy turned slightly pink. "Not really. I mean, it isn't important. I just…" he trailed off. "Never mind. Good-bye." With that, the boy turned abruptly and left, walking quickly.
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'Just ask, just ask.' Yugi thought to himself as he and Tea walked home. Tristan had taken his girl for a ride on his motorbike and Joey said he was heading to the hospital to see Serenity.
"Tea?" he finally asked.
"Yeah." She looked at him. Yugi reddened.
"Uh, you don't have a date yet do you?"
"No."
"Oh."
There was a silence. Suddenly a thought occurred to Tea.
"You don't have one, do you?" she asked.
"No!" Yugi answered, louder than he meant too. "No, I mean maybe. If she says yes."
"Oh." Tea felt like her heart would break in a minute. 'So he is asking someone else…'
"Who is she?" Tea said, not looking at him.
"Um…" Yugi bit his lip. /Yami, what do I say?/
\You could just repeat after me.\ Yami suggested, a slight undertone of mischief in his voice. Yugi noticed it.
/Uh, I don't think so./
\You're trust in me is invaluable.\ Yami said sarcastically, then sighed. \Try this.\
"Yugi, do I know her?" Tea asked, fearing the answer.
"Um, yes, very well, actually." Yugi said, trying to listen to his Yami and answer Tea at the same time (not a very successful endeavor). "She's very nice. And smart and pretty. Well, I think she's more than pretty."
"Oh." Tea swallowed, her thoughts racing. 'Don't blow up. Stay calm. As long as Yugi's happy right? Oh, damn that. I want him with me. Okay Tea, calm down. You are not going to kill this girl, you're going to stay calm…'
"What's her name?" Tea asked in a controlled voice. Yugi stared timidly at her. She looked calm. Scary calm.
"You know her name, because well, she's you." Yugi swallowed. "Will you go with me to the dance on Saturday?" he asked in a rush.
Tea stopped walking and stared at him. "What?"
'Oh no.' Yugi thought, repeating his question.
'It's me, he wants to go with me.' Tea's heart sang. Yugi was babbling something about how he'd understand if she couldn't, since it was short notice and everything. Tea cut him off with a laugh and threw her arms around him.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "What took you so long to ask?"
Yugi sweatdropped.
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"Hello?" Rei answered the door. Ryou stood there, a blush gracing his cheeks.
"Uh, hello." He said. Rei smiled.
"Hi. You want to come in?"
"Sure." Ryou agreed, stepping in.
"So what's up?" Rei said walking to the kitchen. "You want a drink?"
"No thanks."
Rei shrugged, pulling out a bottle of carbonated water and opening it. Ryou looked around.
"Your home alone?"
"Yeah, my grandparents are both out. They usually are." Rei answered.
"What about your parents?"
"I moved out a year ago." Rei admitted with a smile.
"Oh." Ryou said. He looked at the floor.
"You want to know why." Rei said. It wasn't a question. Ryou looked up quickly.
"Oh, no! I mean…I wouldn't want to pry-"
Rei cut him off with a laugh. "It's okay Ryou. It's not like they kicked me out cause I did something horrible or I ran away because they were treating me mean. I just…moved out." She laughed again. Ryou smiled.
'Why?' he thought. 'Why is it, that every time she laughs, the world seems lighter somehow?'
"So what are you doing over here?" Rei asked.
"Oh! I think I left something over here when I was here yesterday." Ryou got out, mentally kicking himself for the way he stumbled over his words.
"That's what I found. It's in my room. Come on." Rei said. "You don't have to go home right away, do you?"
"No, I suppose not."
"Maybe you could stay for dinner." They were in Rei's room now. Ryou looked around. The wooden floors were swept clean, but stained with old age. A small oriental rug was between the large bed and a dark blue easy chair. Behind the chair was an old desk right in front of the window. A Victorian lamp stood on an old lace dolly near one edge and the rest of it had a collection of papers, school books and some other trifles scattered across. In the corner next to the desk was a built in book shelf. All the shelves were stuffed with books, except for the top which had trophies, mostly for track. Next to that was the closet door, with a full length mirror on the front, the door leading to the hall and along the next wall was a normal straight back chair with a folded towel on it. Next to that was a clothes hamper, currently full, and a wide, white drawer set with porcelain handles. On top was a collection of magna, a folder with lots of papers, an alarm clock and several library books. The wall next to that had some old photos and a window in the middle.
It was a clean room, but looked barely lived in. It seemed old, pale and spartan, almost lonely. There was barely anything that looked like Rei's personality in it; even the books on the shelves had little to do with anything a teenaged girl would want to read.
"Ah ha!" Rei said loudly and Ryou jumped. She handed him a disk.
"I think you might have mine." She said.
"Oh, yes." Ryou pulled it out of his back-pack. "Here you are."
Rie took it and nodded, placing it on the desk. "So, are you going to stay? My grandma will be back any minute."
"I wouldn't want to cause any trouble-"
"No trouble. My grandma likes having my friends over. She thinks I don't spend enough time socializing." Rie rolled her brown eyes.
Ryou smiled. "All right."
"Great. So, you wanna call your parents-"
"No need."
Rei looked at him questioningly.
"My father is out of town and he's the only family I really have." Ryou said. Rei nodded.
"Okay. Hey, I have a racing game. How are you with Play Station?"
"Horrid." Ryou said as they left. Rei threw him a grin over her shoulder.
"Great! Then I get an easy victory." They both laughed.
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Joey whistled as he made his way to his sister's hospital room. The sound of voices came from it and he frowned as one seemed out of place. Shrugging, he opened the door.
Only to find Seto Kaiba sitting next to his sister, with one of her hands on top of his. Seto looked up as he entered and except for a slight narrowing of his blue eyes, he remained unchanged. Serenity's head went up as well.
"Seto, who's here?" she asked.
"Your brother." He answered in somewhat cool tone. Serenity smiled.
"Joey!" she held out her arms for a hug that was expected. Joey came and gave it to her, but he was confused and more than a little upset to find Kaiba here.
"So, Kaiba," he said evenly when he and Serenity had pulled apart. "What are you doing here?"
"Kaiba?" Serenity asked, sounding confused. Seto, who was now standing glanced at her.
"That's my last name." He explained.
"Oh." Serenity said, smiled, then the smile faded. "Oh." She said in a tone of realization.
"So I repeat my question." Joey said in a hard voice. "What are you doing here, Kaiba?"
"If you want to know, I have been coming to read to Serenity everyday for the past few days." Seto answered.
"Reading, huh?" Joey asked sarcastically. "What I saw didn't look like reading."
"I was just asking him to pause Joey!" Serenity spoke up. "I wanted to know more about a part of the book and…" she trailed off. There was a tension filled silence.
"Since your brother's here," Seto finally said, picking up the book and his coat. "I'll be leaving."
"Oh…" Serenity trailed off. She didn't want Seto to go, but maybe it was better. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He promised quietly, gave a level stare at Joey and then left the room.
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"She's coming up the outside stairs! Have you finished-" Ankh said, bursting into Shadi's room. The man looked up from something he was reading.
"Thank you Ankh."
The healer sat on the floor. "Are you really going to give her that card and stuff?"
Shadi was silent for a long while. "I suppose so." He said.
"Do you like her in that way?"
Shadi took a deep breath. "That's a hard question to answer. But I believe I may…"
There was a knock on the door and Isis stuck her head in. "I'm back. What do you guys feel like for dinner?"
"Anything's fine." Ankh smiled. (A/N: He's such a sweetie!)
"I'll help you." Shadi said, getting up.
"No, that's…well, okay." Isis stood aside and followed Shadi to the kitchen. There, they worked in silence, Isis only speaking to direct Shadi. The kitchen was small though, and both kept bumping into each other.
Shadi was cutting up an onion and had his back to Isis. She glanced at him for a moment, then put her eyes pack on to the stove. She knew she felt something for Shadi, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.
As for himself, Shadi was also a little confused. He had never really felt for a woman the way he felt now about her. Glancing at her, he sighed mentally.
These little looks were not lost on Ankh (who was setting the table) and he was trying to figure out how to get Scales out of the way Saturday, to give Shadi and Isis a chance. Scales was punching random buttons on the TV and didn't care what was happening in the kitchen.
"Here." Shadi said, handing Isis the cutting board with the onions.
"Just put them in here." She directed standing aside so he could have access to the pan.
Shadi poured them in, and Isis quickly stirred everything up. "That should be done soon."
Shadi nodded, but didn't move away. He wasn't sure why. Isis didn't seem to mind, so they both stood there, side by side in front of the stove. Ankh grinned and tiptoed to the living room, were Scales was currently pushing random buttons on the VCR.
"The stove is hot. You might want to stand somewhere else." Isis said, stepping away abruptly, hoping Shadi wouldn't notice her blushes.
"Is there anything else you want me to do?" he asked.
"No." Isis said, busying herself with cutting some bread. "It's almost done. Thanks for your help."
Shadi nodded, wondering why she wouldn't look at him. He stepped over.
"Are you upset about something?" he asked.
"What? No, why?"
"You just seem…different." Shadi said. Isis didn't answer; she was too busy looking into his ice blue eyes.
It happened again. They were close, both just staring at each other and everything around them seemed to fade. Slowly, Shadi bent his head down and Isis didn't move. She seemed frozen. And just when their lips were about to touch –
"Is something burning?" Ankh appeared in the doorway. Isis jumped and cried out, springing for the stove and quickly shutting their dinner off. Ankh blinked for a moment, realized what had been about to happen and then walked away quickly, a little irritated with himself.
Isis switched off the pan and turned on the stove fan to prevent the smoke from getting to the alarms. When she turned, Shadi was gone.
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"That was sad." Rei said.
"I thought you were good at this!" Ryou exclaimed.
"No, I can't keep control." Rei tossed the control on the ground. "What I can't believe is that you beat me."
"It makes a nice change."
Rei smiled again. "I'm better at shooting games." She laid down on her back. "You bored of this?"
"I'm fine."
"You always say that. That's all I've heard every time I ask you how you are. 'I'm fine', 'I'm great', sometimes I wonder if you're telling the truth."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ryou asked.
"Sometimes people don't want to bother others with things." Rei sat back up and faced him. "Sometimes they're just private people. Others are just unselfish and figure that others don't need their problems."
"Why are you saying this?" Ryou asked. Rei blinked.
"I have no idea." She admitted. There was a silence, then Rei reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know why I'm going to say this either, but…if you want to tell me something…I'll listen, okay?"
Ryou only nodded. "Thanks."
"Welcome." Rei said, then stood. "Okay, enough of that. Have you ever seen Rush Hour 2?"
"What's that?"
"A Jackie Chan movie." Rei said as she put the Play Station away.
"Who?"
"No way." Rei turned to him. Ryou grinned broadly.
"Got you."
Rei rolled her eyes again. "Ha, ha. Have you or not?"
"No, but if you want too-"
"Do you want to watch this movie, Ryou?" Rei said. "I don't care personally. I like it, but we don't have to watch it. It's up too you, okay?"
"Uh…sure." Ryou said blushing again. Rei smiled and popped the video into the VCR, then came back to sit next to him again. Ryou stole a glance at her.
'She's so different; I don't quite know what to expect from her. She seems so strong…' he looked away. 'I wish I knew why she is becoming so important to me…'
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"What was he doin' here?" Joey demanded.
"Reading to me like he said. He's been doing that lately." Serenity answered. "What is wrong?"
"What's wrong? What do you think is wrong? Him being here with you is what's wrong!" Joey paced around the room, so upset that he couldn't think.
"He was nice to me." Serenity protested, somewhat feebly. "He wasn't like what you told me."
"What, so you think I was lying?" Joey turned towards her.
"No! But, I mean," Serenity fumbled. "I like him."
"Oh God." Joey muttered.
"Joey-"
"No."
"Just listen!"
"No!" Joey walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you understand? I can't trust him right now, okay? I just can't. Especially not with you. I don't want him comin' here no more."
Serenity's cheeks were flushed. "I'm sorry Joey, but if he comes, I'm not going to tell him to leave."
Joey's lips pressed into a tight line. "Fine." He stood. "I'll just leave now." He stormed out.
"No, Joey wait! Please!" Serenity cried out. There was no answer. She felt horrible now. Lying down, Serenity curled into a ball and cried softly.
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Shadi was outside on the tiny balcony on Isis apartment. He was pacing back and forth as much as it would allow him, trying to regain control of himself. He'd almost kissed her in there. How he'd wanted to though! Every time she'd passed him, he could feel it, could hear the whisper of her clothes. Every time she'd touched him, even if just to show him where to put something, a jolt had passed through him.
Shadi blew out a breath and sat on a chair. Every emotion inside of him seemed to be spinning out of control. An odd and rather frightening thing for the usually passive guardian. Placing his head in his hands, he wondered what he was going to do. He had bought Isis a small gift and meant to give it to her and the card almost on a whim, more for Ankh's persistence than anything else. Maybe sub-consciously, he had meant for something deeper.
Shadi felt like kicking something or at least swearing. He'd fallen in love, plain and simple. But he didn't have a damn idea what to do about it.
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"Thanks for dinner." Ryou said. Rei smiled.
"Anytime. It was fun."
Ryou nodded. "Rei?"
"Yeah?"
"I…" Ryou trailed off. "Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay." Rei said. "Bye."
"Bye." Ryou answered in a half whisper. Rei shot him a quiet, friendly smile as she closed the front door. He stood there for a few minutes, then began to walk away quickly.
'I don't understand; how could I fall for someone so quickly?' he thought. Then he remembered how she had seemed to care about what his opinion was, how she insisted that he tell her what he wanted or thought. Nobody had ever done that before. She was blunt and a little forceful with it, but it seemed to be part of her character.
Ryou felt confused. He didn't know what to do with her and even though she pushed him out of his comfort zone, he liked being around her.
'I wonder if this is what love is like.' He thought absentmindedly as he walked through the lightly falling snow. 'I have so many emotions around her and when I think of her that I don't know how to handle it. I want to be with her but I dread it as well because I don't know what she feels.' He stopped and closed his eyes to think. 'I wish I knew what to do. I suppose I can only take it one day at a time.'
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Okay, I just have to say, I am amazed at the response to this fic. I think this is the most reviews I have ever gotten for three chapters. Thank you all!!!
Also, do you think I'm keeping these people mainly in character? I can't tell…though I have a suspicion that Seto and Ryou are OOC. *sigh….*
Amberliz – Katya is in here; hope she is good and she is going to get a slightly bigger role, I promise. (E-MAIL ME!!!! PLZ!!!! Gosh I sound desperate…)
DDW – You don't mind if I use your initials, do you? Anywayz, thanx for your comments. Um…yes, Ankh and Scale are both guys and I didn't have any intentions for them being a couple; I don't write yaoi or shonen-ai (sp?). I guess its how you look at it. If you want to see them as a couple; go ahead. *shrugs*
Person who didn't sign their name – I'm trying, I'm trying! Seto/Serenity is hard to do.
Indigo – I'm so glad you like this story; makes me feel like I'm doin' it right. ^__^ lol, Ankh is soo cute, but I still have a crush on Scales. I'm sending him a huge hug; if he dodges me like last time, I'll just chase him down till I get it!!!
BBHH/Helen Hsu – I'm flattered; thank you! Lol, I thought it would be funny for Shadi and Isis to be in that situation; neither of them have much of a chance to just have fun. Lol, oh yes, I'm sure Ankh can drive Scales crazy, whether he means to or not.
Iris – Hello! Glad you like it; I had lots of fun with Tara. ^__^ TTYL!!!
SilverShadow – Ahh, I'm sorry. That was mean of her. Oh, really? *blushes* Thanx, I'm glad you like it so much.
TK Macintosh – Updates should be quicker now that I've written almost all of it.
Jellybob15 – Yah, I know what you mean and they are a pretty obvious couple (for anime). I just love the two of them together, but they are harder to write than I first thought.
Yami Nikki – lol, your reviews make me laugh. Ryou is getting a steadily bigger role (I know, he's just so kwaii! Too many guys in YGO are tho…)
Neko Moon Goddess – Thanx for your reviews! I'm so glad you like them!
Anime*Angel*Fox – I'm really glad you like it! I like the pairings too; especially Shadi/Isis, although I like Isis/Seto almost as much. ^__^
Wazzy-Sup – I'm trying, really! But it's hard. I think I have Seto OOC…
Queen of Games – Ooh, you like Ash/Misty Pokemon fics? I like some, but I'm more of a Jessie/James person. ^__^ Glad you like my story!!!
