all general disclaimers apply
Author's notes: I'm unsure why so many YGO readers are Tea haters. I personally am following the subtle hints in the anime and manga. I can also write yaoi, which I've seen a good portion of in the YGO sections of fanfiction.net and what many of you readers seem to be interested in, but for now, I'm continuing on the arc that the anime and manga are suggesting to keep relatively true to the series and its characters.
"So, uh, where to now?" Joey asked as he scanned the multitude of options before them.
"Well, we could go mideval, roman, parisian, italian, american...any of you have any preference?" Tea mentioned.
Yami took in the various buildings and their themes. "Anything but Roman." Yami muttered quietly. Romans weren't exactly on the favorite list of any ancient Egyptian, especially New Kingdom pharaohs.
"Hmm, how about we take in a little fun then." Tea suggested as she pointed towards Treasure Island. But Tristan and Joey had already disappeared thus leaving Tea and Yami alone. "Uhh, okay, well, I guess it's just you and me." Tea continued as she scanned the area for their two easily amused friends.
Yami nodded as he gazed the horizons as well. Joey and Tristan had indeed ditched them. "So it seems."
Tea suddenly caught sight of a large, loud crowd obviously marching somewhere. "Hmm..." she muttered quietly as she decided to find out what the fuss was all about. Siding up to a nearby marcher, she asked him what was up.
"Mardi Gras at the Rio! Party time!" the marcher replied loudly. Tea cringed. Loud obnoxious parties were not really her style and she could guess not Yami's either.
Yami had heard the response as well, but he was very familiar with the term 'party.' It was not something that suited his style. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted the colored pointed tops of a seemingly very large white castle. Not quite as ancient as his own origin, yet still somewhat comforting in its older theme.
"Tea, how about we go there?" he asked as he gently grabbed her by the elbow and turned her towards where he was pointing.
"The Excalibur? Sure, it's not far from the Luxor anyway. It'll be an easy walk." Tea mentioned as she thought about princes and princesses and the potential romantic setting that could be unveiled to them.
Tea and Yami reached the Excalibur within a short time. There they entered and were greeted by the succulent smell of roasting meat. They had entered close to feasting time.
"Would you like dinner Tea?" Yami asked as his own stomach was tempted by the smells of fresh meat.
"Uh, sure."
Yami asked directions from the nearest hotel employee. It turned out that it would be dinner and a show. They were directed to a large enclosure, a stadium like arena.
"This should be interesting." Yami commented as he realized that mideval entertainment complimented the dinner. They were shown to seats that were lined in front with long feasting tables.
Elsewhere...
"Uh Joey?"
"Mmph, what man, can't I finish my hot dog without you interferring!?"
"Aren't we missing a couple of friends?"
"Huh?"
"Like Tea and Yami, you idiot!"
"Heheh, naw man, we ditched them on purpose."
"Come again?"
"Can't you see how Tea's all mushy over him. Let 'em go on some romantic walk or somethin'."
"But Joey--"
"But nuthin' Tris. They'll thank us. I doubt an ancient pharaoh would go for this pirate stuff anyway. We'll stay here at Treasure Island then hit Ceasar's Palace for some hot babes of our own. How's that for a plan!?"
Tristan sighed. There was no turning Joey once he had fully mastermind some so-called 'plan.'
Back at the Excalibur Tea and Yami were enjoying a festive meal of flame kissed chicken and pork, heaping portions of potato, corn, and beans, and many other foods. Unable to eat such large portions, Yami had no problem helping Tea finish her meal. Though Tea found it rather amazing that such a slim young man could pack away such portions himself, she figured perhaps he was eating for himself AND Yugi.
The festivities consisted of a tournament consisting of jousting and hand-to-hand combat of fully armored knights. To Tea, Yami seemed extremely intrigued with the whole spectacle. But then again, most pharaohs had some degree of military combat training. Suddenly the announcer asked for volunteers. A volunteer who could win at joust by unseating all four of the hotel's knights the volunteer could win up to four thousand dollars--a thousand for each knight unseated. Yami glanced at Tea as if asking her permission then stood proudly and volunteered. Tea was too surprised to deny him the opportunity.
Yami strolled down the stadium stairs and onto the arena floor as if he were indeed a king. His confident stride and fixed serious gaze made onlookers wonder at the somewhat exotic, but perhaps foolish young man. Once in the arena, Yami was briefed by the knights about the rules of a joust, how to use the weaponry and shield, and how to handle a fully armored war horse. Once Yami understood all this they suited him up in full armor and helped onto one mean looking steed. They allowed Yami a couple of practice romps around the arena to get used to the horse, armor, and weaponry.
Yami handled the horse with ease though he found the armor a hindrance and the large jousting lance rather difficult to balance. To top it off, he had to place his shield just right in the other hand while still maintaining hold of the reigns. The master of a game such as this had to equalize all aspects of horse, rider, and physics. It was a challenge he couldn't wait to try. But first, he had something else to do.
Yami nudged the horse close to the area of the stadium where Tea still sat. He then lowered his jousting lance towards her and asked her if she'd lend him her favor for 'luck'. With a blush, she wrapped the silk scarf she had purchased earlier onto his jousting pole. He nodded with a wink and slight grin before raising his jousting lance, rearing his horse, and returning to the combat zone. Once there, an attendant removed the scarf and wrapped it about Yami's right arm. It was a tradition Tea hadn't expected Yami to know about.
"Knight errant, are you ready?" the announcer asked as he pointed to Yami.
Yami snapped the visor on his helmet down and lowerd his lance. He was ready.
"Blue Baron, are you ready?"
Yami's opponent's motions mimiced those of what Yami just completed. With both combatants on opposite ends of the arena, they merely awaited the attendant in the middle to wave the flag.
When the flag dropped, both combatants kicked their horses into full runs. They met in the middle with a resounding smack. Yami's lance broke in two, but he remained atop his horse, barely as he had not quite anticipated the full strength of the impact. The other knight however, was introduced to the soft brown dirt of the arena.
Yami was offered another lance as he returned to his side of the field and prepared for his next opponent. He shook his head of any cobwebs from the impact of the first joust as he realigned himself on the jousting field. He couldn't recollect any such game or sport in ancient Egypt similar to this one, but he wished there was. It was a true test of guts and strength...and perhaps stupidity.
His next opponent was known as the Dueling Devil. Yami put him away rather quickly. He learned games at an extremely fast rate and Yami soon realized that jousting was merely a serious test of physics and mathematics. The proper angle placement of the lance combined with the speed and intensity of the attack determined the outcome of the joust.
Yami's third opponent was a big burly guy who simply went by the name, Crusher. Yami knew he'd have trouble with this one. The mere weight of his opponent was at least twice his own. And his wide girth would allow him to stay on horse a little easier. This one would take some thought. Angle of the lance was vital. It was Yami's only chance of surviving this run. But his opponent also saw his style in the past two runs. He likely learned Yami's timing and attack style. With this in mind, Yami altered his technique and hoped it was the right choice.
As he charged down the field, Yami held his lance high. The other knight couldn't figure out why his opponent was doing such a dumb thing, but he called his bluff and continued his charge. At the last moment, Yami lowered his lance, but suddenly something went wrong. In an instant, Yami found himself eating dirt. His horse had fallen due to the impact. But, he was still in the saddle! Urging his horse upward, he remained seated. According to the rules, he had not been unseated so the joust continued! He flipped up his visor and looked about for his opponent. He soon found that he had also met the arena floor, but he did not recover atop his horse. In actuality, Yami's lance had missed its target and struck low, but it did its job, it had released the saddle girth on the horse thus causing the saddle to slide off. Yami had to chuckle at his good fortune, but then caught a glimpse of Tea's scarf on his arm. Maybe there was something to luck and a lady's favor. With a jaunty salute to Tea, he returned to his side of the jousting field once again to face his final opponent.
While waiting for the announcer to go through his spiel and announce the final opponent, Yami thought about Duel Monsters and wondered if this was what Gaia the Fierce Knight was like. He smirked. It was rather strange to actually feel like a Duel Monster rather than direct one. He was soon snapped back to reality as the crowd roared. The final opponent had pranced onto the field. It was the castle's champion who was known as Fury. Yami studied his opponent intently. The horse was a typical war horse, though white and garbed in royal blue with gold trim. The knight was of slender build with relatively light armor encased in gold. Yami's more biological senses wondered about this one. Was it just his eyes or did the armor reveal succulent curves and bulges that would indicate the knight to be of the female persuasion? Fury entered the arena with visor already down, an obvious scare tactic. It didn't fool Yami. Scare tactics never fooled the King of Games. With a devillish smirk, Yami lowerd his visor and prepared to charge. The announcer mentioned that the joust would not end in an unseating this time. If a knight fell, the that knight must fight on foot with the sword strapped upon the right side of the body armor.
The two met in the center with a massive onslaught of power. Yami placed his lance where he anticipated leverage to unseat the rider, but his lance met shield. His blow was deflected and useless! The other rider's lance however slid under his own shield and thrust upward towards his face. He instinctively reacted and leaned as backwards as he could go, but the lance followed. The armor wasn't flexible, Yami could bend no farther. The lance turned sidewards towards his shoulder and added pressure. Yami couldn't counter since he was still fighting to rebalance himself. He was slammed sidewards off his horse and met the ground with a clattering thud. The impact was hard and Yami could feel his bones vibrate. But, he also knew that his opponent was circling around to finish him off. He fought to release the visor, but the impact had dented it, leaving it locked down in place. He only had a mere slit to look through and no peripheral vision--not a good thing for a man on the ground fighting an opponent who was above on horseback. Fumbling along his right side, he found the release to the sword and unsheathed it. He could hear the thundering hooves approaching at a gallop. The sword required two hands, it was too heavy for him to wield let alone swing. He was a card duelist, not some buff warrior and he knew it would be difficult to compensate.
In the stands, Tea found it difficult to watch. "Oh Yami, what have you gotten yourself into this time!?" she muttered to herself. Yami looked outmatched this time around.
Peeling around to face the approaching oppenent, Yami pulled the sword foward in a defense position. Again, the flash of Duel Monsters appeared in his mind. This time he could see the Flame Swordsman or Buster Blader. But again, these were buff dudes! Yami's physique wasn't even close. Then an idea formed within his complex mind. As the horse approached, the seated knight lowered her lance into attack position. At the last moment, Yami dropped his sword and grabbled the lance, using the weight of his armor to shift equilibrium. The female knight, typically weak in upperbody could not compensate for the high amount of weight so far forward and the horse disliked an armored body so close to his face. The horse slammed to a halt. Yami slammed the ground on his back, but didn't let go of the lance. The seated knight with lance careened overhead and crashed onto the ground ahead of both horse and Yami. Now, the battle was a little more even. But Yami wasn't quite ready for his opponent to recover so quickly. Before he could figure out how to get up off his back with the large weight of armor, his opponent had flung herself atop him, pinning him to the arena floor. A dagger was at his throat. Yami couldn't help but chuckle. This was certainly a new experience for the King of Games.
Tea suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. She too had figured out that the knight in blue and gold was female. How dare she sit atop the once pharaoh like that! Or was the ancient king liking it? Perhaps she didn't want to know.
On the arena ground, Yami realized that the knight was sitting in just the right area, his center of gravity. There was no way he could get up even without all the armor let alone with it.
"Knight, do you yield?!" the female knight asked sternly.
Yami pondered it for a moment, but had no option for defense. "I yield. You win." Yami growled softly. He hated losing, no matter what the game or event was, but this one showed no promise of victory for him, even if it was just for show. He didn't lose completely however. He did win three of four, thus claiming three thousand dollars he didn't have initially. With the little game complete, the announcer ranted on and assistants helped Yami disarm. He was then handed a voucher to take to the hotel's casino to cash in for his prize money. With all said and done, he returned to his seat beside Tea in the stadium.
"You were great Yami!"
"Perhaps. At least now I don't have to spend Grandpa's money. I have some of my own."
"So that was the reason for your foolish volunteering? I thought is was to impress me."
Yami locked eyes with her. His intense gaze flickering of passion before being consciously doused.
"Here's your scarf. I did bring me luck against other males. I guess it may not work against females. Wait a moment, did you call my action foolish?" Yami teased.
"Indeed. From a female's eyes, it was a decision made from between the legs by a male to impress a female with his physical courage, skill, and prowess. In simpler terms...showing off."
Yami smirked. In some degree, she was probably right. "I did it for the prize money Tea."
"You didn't know about the prize money until AFTER you volunteered Yami."
Yami couldn't believe, he, the King of Games, was torched by one firey teenage girl. He couldn't defend against her verbal reasoning. "You win Tea. I'm not going to push the issue further. At least I'm not that foolish."
"Truth be told though, you did look good on that horse with that shining armor. If you weren't an ancient pharaoh, you could've been one heck of a mideval king, with a great tan of course."
Both laughed as they decided to leave the Excalibur. As they reached the front of Ceasar's Palace, they heard a familiar voice. Naturally even Joey's loud mouth could resound over the busy hustle and bustle of the Vegas Strip. Joey and Tristan were busy gawking and whooping over a group of females with a bunch of other guys.
"Those two will never learn." Tea muttered in disgust.
Yami said nothing. He knew that his perspective as a male was likely the same as Tristan's and Joey's. Man never understood woman and woman never understood man. It was a concept that spanned the ages and would likely continue to do so.
"Tea, why don't we enter this hotel here?" Yami suggested as he pointed to The Mirage. It was a very brief walk from where they stood.
"Sure. Just let me let the two hounds over there know that if they want to join us, we'll be there."
Yami nodded as Tea snagged the two by the earlobes and gave them the message. She then returned to Yami as they walked towards the front portion of the Mirage. They were greeted by a lovely water fountain which was fed by a little stream. Suddenly a loud thunder roared from it. Yami stepped back, startled by the fountain becoming upset. The water turned to fire and the stream to a red lava like substance.
"What magic is this!?" Yami said as he just watched a romantic peaceful water fountain become a raging firey volcano right before his eyes.
"Not magic. Just a little techno entertainment. Kinda neat eh?"
Yami nodded and followed Tea into the hotel-casino, eyeing the volcano fountain all the way there. He didn't trust it and would not allow it to startle him with its antics again.
Once inside, they approached the casino area. Tea's maturity and mannerisms actually allowed her in. They didn't card her. "Are you coming Yami?"
Yami nodded as he followed her into the clattering cha-ching of slot machines, coins, and other various gambling mechanisms. He knew they would likely be manipulated. He never trusted machines. But the card tables, now that was another story. He figured he'd try blackjack first. He could watch the dealer's hands and how cards are manipulated. He laid a couple of money chips on the table, took a seat, and awaited the dealer. When the dealer approached, he hadn't expected her to be well, so familiar.
"Mai!?"
"Yugi, err, not Yugi...uh, pharaoh?! And Tea? What are you two doing here?"
"Working again eh Mai?" Tea teased.
"Can't really make a living with the sparse tournaments of Duel Monsters and the fact that Yugi and this bum here win 'em all. So, I work here on the side."
"Well, this should be interesting. Let's see if I can best you on a different game and level Mai." Yami replied as he urged her to continue with the dealing of cards.
"Very well, but you're in my court now king. How about we up the stakes eh pharaoh?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Mai, go easy. He's already been clobbered in a jousting tourney at The Excalibur. Yugi and his grandfather will kill him if he trashes Yugi's body."
"Showing off for the lady. Well, well. Who would've thought that a mighty pharaoh would have to go to such lengths." Mai teased with a wink.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Yami shot back teasingly.
"Okay, if you win three hands from me, you not only get your cash winnings, but I'll treat you all to a free dinner and a show tomorrow. If I win, Mr. Pharaoh here has to kiss Joey on the lips, deeply in front of us and call Kaiba and tell him how much he wants him." (lil' touch of yaoi here :P)
"I have to WHAT!? And why bring Joey into this? How did you know he was here?"
"He's already been here. I called him and found out you were all here. I bring Joey into this because I owe him one. So you game?"
"Only because I KNOW I'll win Mai."
"Fine, let's begin then."
The deck was shuffled, the cards were drawn, and this story to be continued in the next chapter...
