Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from "Yu-Gi-Oh" and the song "On Top Of The World" belongs to Mandy Moore.
On Top Of The World
Tea anxiously tapped the tips of her fidgeted fingers on the dash board, as the car made a sharp right turn. "Are you sure these pants are alright Mai? Maybe, I should have gone with a skirt?"
"Tea relax!" Mai replied, hitting her foot on the brake to stop at the red light. "You look fine. I did help you pick out your clothes, remember? Of course, I've been saying that for the past twenty minutes."
Tea blushed. "Sorry. I'm just really nervous about the dance audition. I want to make sure I'll give a good impression."
Mai flipped back some of her hair as the light turned green. "I still don't see what's making you so jittery. You've been to dance auditions before."
"This audition is being held by Peter Dawson. He's a really famous producer for musicals. If he thinks I'm good enough and hires me for the new show he's working on, it could really give a boost to my career."
Mai scoffed slightly, adjusting her rearview mirror. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. I've seen a lot of those so called 'Big Shots' and they're nothing more than men in ugly suits full of hot air."
"Maybe...." Tea slumped in her seat, leaning her hand on the side door. She watched the various vehicles on the road go by to keep her mind occupied with something else for at least the car ride. She wished that Yugi and the others were with her to give her support, but Joey and Tristan had to baby-sit Tristan's 8 year old twin cousins. A clearly two man job. In someways, that job would be more nerve racking than the audition itself.
Yugi had promised his grandfather he'd spring clean the game shop, it was way past due for it, so he was busy as well. But the boys had each shown their encouragement for her and offered comforting words to make up for not being there in person.
Perhaps Mai was right and she was making a mountain out of a mole hill. This was a great opportunity, however, to give her dancing career a jump start! The girl breathed deeply. She had to calm down. Shaking in her shoes with butterflies fluttering in her stomach was NOT the way to arrive at the audition.
"We're here." Mai announced as she drove into the parking lot.
Breaking her train of thought, Tea gulped and looked at the sliding doors to the entrance of the building. "Here goes...." she thought, unbuckling her seat belt the same time Mai did hers.
Mai glanced at the girl and saw the dread she was feeling. "You'll be fine." she reassured her. "You'll knock' em dead."
Tea smiled. She very much needed to hear that. "Thanks Mai and thanks again for driving me here."
"No problem. Just take me on a shopping spree when you're rich and famous and we'll call it even."
Tea giggled, feeling more confident. "Deal!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For a time, I thought my faith, it must be hiding
Searching through the sky, hoping to find a way
A way, to get me through the day
Wonder where I belong, is there where I should stay?
As Tea began her dance in front of Mr. Dawson, she found it easier to concentrate on the rhythm of the music, than watching the man himself. She counted the beats and performed each step with perfect accuracy. She had almost forgotten where she was and lost herself in the music. That had always been one of the best parts of dancing. With each twirl and jump, she leaped into another world made solely of beats and rhythm and nothing else. To the dancer, this was pure heaven! Something she could put her whole heart into! Eventually, the music faded, coming to a close as all songs do. Tea finished her performance with a small bow.
She glanced up at Mr. Dawson, to catch any flicker of a reaction. Unfortunately, all there was on the man's face was a emotionless expression. The same poker face he had when Tea had first entered. Tea began to wonder if the man was human at all! She had more reactions from dolls.
"So.....how did I do?" Tea finally asked.
The man folded his hands in his lap. "You are an exceptional dancer Ms. Gardner, but....I'm afraid it's not what is required for this production."
Tea stared back at him dumbfounded. Not required? How could it be not required?! She memorized the dance by heart and had been practising it for two weeks everyday!. " I don't quite understand."
The man sighed like he was attempting to explain a complicated situation to a small child. "What I mean is, I'm looking for dancers with more....shall we say experience."
Tea's arms dropped to her side like a rag doll. "You....mean older?"
"Yes."
Tea swallowed to make the lump in her throat disappear. It took all of her will power to not let her hot tears flow. No! She refused to cry! Not now!
"Thank you for your time." was the only thing Tea could say, grabbing her purse.
She walked out and into the hall denying the urge to look back at Mr. Dawson, in fear of revealing her tears. Mai greeted her with a friendly grin.
"How did it go?"
The dams broke. Tea could no longer hold back and the tears came.
You lift me up, when I am falling
You're my friend when I was calling
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
Yeah, you've always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"That jackass!!" Mai shouted, making a sharp turn and pressing the gas pedal with full force. It was a miracle she didn't crash into anything. "Experience my ass! He wouldn't know a decent dancer if it kicked him in the butt! Which is what I would very much like to do!" Mai found herself distracted from her rant as she glanced at Tea wiping her eyes.
With one free hand, Mai dug into her purse and brought forth a tissue. "Here use this."
Tea gladly accepted, and wiped her tears. "Look at me. I'm a grown girl and her I am crying my eyes out like a little kid."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with crying, especially for the right reasons."
"I guess you're right." Tea admitted.
"Course I am." Mai exclaimed. "Aren't I always." She made the last turn and drove into Tea's driveway. She rested her hand on the wheel and stared back at Tea.
The girl barely made the effort to move and continued to look down at her feet.
"Boy, is she ever upset." Mai thought. Tea was in desperate need of cheering up.
It was kind of odd to see Tea like this. Mai and the others were so used to her optimistic attitude. That was one of the things Mai would constantly tease her about, but it was still just for fun.
She had to resist laughing at the irony. To think that when the girls first met they didn't have much in common, but now she considered Tea to be a real girlfriend. Something she hadn't had for quite a while.
"Hey, how's this for an idea?" Mai replied, hoping to boost Tea's self esteem. "Why don't we hit the mall. Just the girls and go shop till we drop."
Tea cracked a smile. "Thanks, but I'll have to take a rain check....I'd rather be alone for a bit if you don't mind."
"Sure Tea." Mai replied, watching Tea get out of the car and walking to her front door.
Mai sighed. She really had to do something for the girl. A thought struck her and Mai turned the car key. "I know just the person for the job."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Yugi wiped the dust off his hands, after successfully finishing the sweeping.
/Well Yami, it took me a while, but I'm done cleaning./
//Good. I am absolutely exhausted.//
/Why? I'm the one who did all the work./
//Yes, but I had to watch you do it. Believe me, it is just as tiring.//
Yugi smirked. /In that case, I'll make sure you have some hands on experience so it won't be so tiring next time./
//Oh no need for that.// mocked Yami. //I am perfectly content to being an observer.//
Yugi chuckled and sat behind the cash register. The question on his mind? What should he do now? He glanced at the nearby clock that was nailed to the far wall.
"Joey and Tristan are still baby-sitting and won't be done for another 3 hours." Yugi tapped his fingers mindlessly on the counter top. With the knowledge that Joey and Tristan were still busy, his thoughts dwelled on his other close friend and secret, crush Tea.
/I wonder how her audition went./
// I'm sure she did fine Yugi.// Yami replied sincerely. // Tea does have a great talent. They would be fools to let her pass by.//
/I hope you're right./
//I'm always right. You should have grasped that detail by now.//
Yugi grinned. /Alright Mr. Know-it-all, what do you think we should do to celebrate if Tea does get hired?/
Yugi could sense the game king sitting in a more thoughtful position. //Well, we could call up Joey and Tristan later and grab some burgers.// Yami smiled wickedly, knowing he was going to cause some trouble with his "other" option. //Or you could ask Tea to go on a date with you.//
Yugi toppled from his seat, blushing a deep crimson red. /Y...Yami I don't think I should do that./
//Why not? You love her right?// Yami answered in a much more sober firm tone. The boy moaned. So Yami was going to bring up that argument again was he?
/I can't just blurt it out like you're implying/
//And why not?//
/BECAUSE a lot of things could happen that I for one don't want. What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she gets mad at me for saying it? What if we stop being friends altogether? What if..../
// What if Tea DOES say she loves you too and wished you said it sooner?//
/*sigh* Yami can we drop this and change the subject?/
The game king shook his head solemnly. This was how their little argument would usually end; with Yugi wishing to discuss something entirely different or become suddenly more interested with something else he was currently doing.
"He's just so afraid of rejection, that he doesn't want to declare anything to Tea." Yami thought grimly. Perhaps Yugi will find the courage to tell the truth to Tea when he felt it was the right moment. Time could only tell.
//Fine.// Yami replied. //How about we go upstairs and watch some t.v.//
/Sure we'll..../ Yugi snapped back to the real world as the shop's bell rang, meaning he had a customer. Yugi was a bit taken aback at seeing the customer was Mai.
"Hi Yugi." she greeted.
"Uh...hey Mai. What brings you here? I thought you were with Tea?"
"I was." Mai answered, strolling to the counter. "I dropped her off at her house a few minutes ago."
"How did the audition go?" Yugi asked eagerly.
Mai's smile immediately dropped to a frown. Not certain on how to respond, the woman stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
"Mai?" Yugi asked again, this time more concerned. Judging by the woman's reaction, things did not go as planned.
Mai glanced up. "She......didn't get in Yugi."
The boy's jaw dropped, along with Yami's. "What?! No Way!"
Mai nodded sadly. "It's true."
"Why? Did she dance off beat?"
"No. She danced fine. Even better, but apparently 'Mr. Dawson' finds her too young for the job."
"Age shouldn't be an excuse!" Yugi exclaimed, steam blowing from his ears. "Tea's a wonderful dancer! How could he not see that?!"
//I like to give him a piece of my mind.// Yami muttered darkly.
Yugi gripped the edge of the counter tightly, till his knuckles turned white. For a split second, Mai actually thought that the young teen was going to break the wood. Fortunately, the boy was able to control his temper and cool down to be more rational.
"How's Tea taking it?"
"Pretty hard. She's home now, but she did look a bit depressed."
"That bad huh?" That was unmistakably what Yugi did not want to hear.
"Poor Tea." he murmured, concern written across his face. "I wish I could do something for her."
"Actually, that's why I'm here." Mai stated. "I was thinking you could cheer her up."
"Me?"
"Why not? From what Joey tells me, you're the one Tea has known the longest."
"Yeah, but what would I do?"
Mai leaned across the counter. "Nothing, Just talking should help."
//She's right Aibou.//
Yugi sighed. "Alright Mai." He then reached beneath the cash register and brought the store's set of keys to lock up. "I'll close the shop a bit earlier today than planned. I'm sure Grandpa won't mind."
"Do you want me to give you a lift in my car?"
"No thanks, I can walk there." Yugi replied, clutching his coat. "Plus I'm going to need the time to figure out what to say to her." he thought.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There's a strength in me, it seems, I have forgotten
Now I, realized today, I'm starting to dream again
Again, was a matter of when
I guess we all lose our way now and then
In her living room, Tea curled up and nestled into a tight ball in her chair. Her parents were not presently home. This suited Tea fine. She wasn't in the mood to tell them of the recent events.
Instead, Tea was doing what all teenage girls would do feeling sad or depressed. Watch sad old love stories on t.v. and eat all junk food- or at least food with high calorie ratings- that she was able to find in her kitchen. Tea wasn't really paying attention to the movie, but she was eating her fifth bowl of chocolate chip ice cream.
She lifted her spoon to shovel more ice cream in her mouth. She paused, however, and had made the decision to put the spoon in the bowl and placed it on the side table.
"If I keep eating like this, I'm going to weigh 500 lbs and look like a giant basketball." she thought bitterly. There was no point or great need to have more things to be upset about.
Tea hugged a throw pillow and layed her head on the top of her knees. " I wonder what Yugi is up to?"
*Ding-dong!*
Tea cursed. "Great! There's a person at the door!" The pillow fell to the carpet and Tea forced herself to get our of her comfortable seat. She aimlessly wandered to the door, but she was so not in the mood to entertain a guest.
You lift me up, when I am falling
You're my friend when I was calling
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
Yeah, you've always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
You lift me up, when I was falling
You lift me up, when I was falling
"I swear, if it's a salesman......" Tea muttered. She turned the knob, but on the front porch was not the salesman she had imagined. It was Yugi.
"Hi Tea." he greeted kindly.
"Yugi...." Tea said surprised, kicking herself for not assuming it was him.
"Err....can I come in?" Yugi inquired.
"Oh sure." Tea quickly said and shut the door as soon the teen had entered.
"So what brings you here?" Tea inquired cheerfully, attempting to act like her normal self. No point in worrying her friends.
Yugi pressed his lips together into a firm line. "Mai.....told me what happened."
The girl's sunny smile faded. "Oh.....she did."
Yugi nodded. "Yeah. I came by to see how you were doing."
"Oh, I'm ok." Tea said with a forced small smile, leading the way to the living room. They sat next together on the couch. "It was only a audition."
Yugi stared at her. That fake smile wasn't fooling him. He could see it in her eyes. "Are you sure? Because you don't look alright to me."
You lift me up, when I am falling
You're my friend , when I was calling
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
Yeah, you've always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
Tea stared into Yugi's eyes. She should have known better than to try to hide her sadness from him. Tea dropped the smile. "No, I'm not." she finally admitted. "Oh Yugi! I was really hoping to get that job."
Yugi gently patted her hand to comfort her and she continued. "I thought it would be......I don't know....my big break."
"I know you did."
Tea used her free hand to brush away the hair that had fallen on her face. "Maybe this is the world's strange way of telling me to give up being a dancer."
"Don't say that!" Yugi instantly exclaimed, disturbed at what she said. "You're a great dancer and I'm not saying it because I am your friend. You really are!"
Yeah, you've always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
"Yugi....."
"So you didn't get this job, so what? There are lots of famous performers who have gotten rejections. If becoming successful was simple, then everybody would be doing it! You can't give up your dream because of this!"
Tea blinked. A smile played at her lips. Not a fake one, but a real genuine one. She could always count on Yugi to send her doubts away. She almost leaped onto Yugi and wrapped her long slender arms around his neck.
Needless to say, Yugi was blushing redder than a house on fire. "Thank you Yugi. You're right, I shouldn't give up because of the comments of a silly picky man. I was being foolish." Tea parted the embrace, but the teens were still very close to each other. Close enough for Yugi to smell Tea's perfume. A very sweet perfume at that! "I won't quit! Thanks again Yugi, I really needed to hear that."
Always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world
The boy nodded, but didn't exactly hear her, for he was fixed on Tea's beautiful face. How he wished he could kiss her. To hold her tight. To gently brush the hair away from her face. Should he really confess?
Yugi gulped. He felt his nervousness sink in like a rock. But perhaps he should tell her. To be totally honest with her once and for all! To say everything he felt deep within his heart.
"Tea...." he said slowly. " I want to tell you something..."
The girl stared at him curious at the unexpected change in tone. "What is it Yugi? You can tell me anything."
Yugi felt on edge as he looked at his sweaty palms. But despite this, the boy continued. "You're very important to me.. You've always been....but not just as a friend... You're more than that to me....The fact is Tea.......I love you..."
Tea blinked back stunned at the confession. "R...really Yugi?" she said in almost a whisper.
Yugi was blushing more then he ever had in his entire life. "......Yes." His anxious eyes glanced at Tea's expression. He couldn't tell if she was happy or shocked.
He began to panic. Why wasn't she saying anything!? Could it be, that Tea only thought of them as friends and was trying to think of how to tell hm that? Without hurting his feeling in the process?! Yugi cursed at himself. Why did he open his big mouth?! He should had ignored his hormones! But NO! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!
"Uh....I'm sorry Tea!" the boy replied with such great haste he barely pronounced his words correctly. "I shouldn't have said anything! Just forget what I said and......"
Yugi found himself cut short as Tea swooped in, wrapped her arms around him and greeted Yugi with a kiss directly on his lips. Was he dreaming? If he was, the teen didn't want to wake up!
Tea broke the kiss, but remained close to Yugi's shell shocked face. She giggled and smiled warmly at him; happier than she had been all day.
"I love you too Yugi. What took you so long to say so?"
Yugi came out of his shocked state and smirked playfully. "I was........ waiting for the right time."
"Well, guess what this is." She leaned in to kiss him again and this time Yugi was well ready for it.
He kissed back, savouring every beautiful minute of it, while blocking out Yami's victory cheer the game king was now shouting in his soul room.
Top of the whole wide world
Yeah, you've always been believing
Gave my life a whole new meaning
Now, I'm on top of the world
Top of the whole wide world.....
Author's note: Ok, this may be a bit cheesy, but this idea was bugging me till I wrote it. Plus I've been wanting to write a short Tea/Yugi fic. I also got an idea for a Joey/Mai one, but don't even ask when I'll get that up, cause I have no idea myself! I'm working on 3 stories as it is! Also, sorry if anyone was out of character. Please review.