Disclaimer: Not this again! Alright, I do not own YGO or any related products.

A/N: Was the last chapter too rushed? Hope not. Anyway, I was going to make this story longer, but due to the lack of interest in this story...I decided to end it early. I will also do this in "Had Enough," if anyone has read that story. Well, thanks again for being such a wonderful audience and sorry for my hasty departure.

*Special thanks to TeaNiquee88, who was always cheering me on with this story. I don't know what happened to her, but I want her to know that she is one of my favorite writers and I hope she posts "Spend Another Night" back up because that story was splendid and very amusing. Thank you so much for giving me the privilege of meeting you and reading your wonderful story! ^_^

Chapter 8: Fate

How could she be so stupid? How could she have forgotten that he had a girlfriend. Had she been so preoccupied about telling Yugi how she felt, that she simply forgot? Or did she block it out of her mind purposely? It didn't matter which one it was, his girlfriend would always come first.

"Are you saying your farewells to the island, Tea?"

Tea looked up to match the cold voice with the cold-hearted owner. Seto Kaiba. She smiled and walked past him, knowing not to start a fight with a rich boy. As she walked toward the others, she overheard Kairi, Yugi's girlfriend, talk about how much she missed him and that she would call the coastguards night and day to search for the missing people aboard the St. James Cruise Line. Tea could throw up at the sight of her.

"Tea!" She looked over to see Tristan signaling her over to the helicopter.

"What is it?" She asked as he pointed to an electronic map.

He pointed to Domino City and then there location. "We were that close to Domino City."

"Are you kidding me?" Tea said, unconscious that she had snatched the gadget out of his hands. "Why didn't anyone see us? I mean, surely fishermen and tourists go out that far."

"Beats m-" Tristan looked over to Kaiba.

"There was another high-mercury level scare near the oceans of Japan." Kaiba sighed quietly. "Fishermen were scared to catch fish, and tourists were usually barred from the dangerous waters."

"High-mercury level scare?" Tristan asked quizzically.

"Don't you read the paper?" Kaiba spat out. "When a lot of mercury is present in the water, it usually contaminates the fish. When humans eat the fish they usually get mercury poison, or in most cases, die."

{Wow, I actually remember something from Earth Science!!! *_*}

"Hmm...that explains the lack of people...." Tristan said as Kaiba glared at him.

"Or it could have been that when you were swimming, they mistook your hair for a shark and decided to inform the local authorities." Kaiba said as he let out a laugh. (A/N: *_*)

Tea shot Tristan an "ignore him" glance and decided to sit inside the helicopter. Tristan followed, cursing up a storm under his breath. As they waited patiently for everyone to slowly board the helicopter, Tea couldn't help but notice that Yugi and Kairi were holding hands. She swallowed hard and looked away from them.

Finally. They were taking off. Back to reality.

Tea sank in her chair and stared out of the window to see the island grow farther and farther away. As she watched it become a distant memory, Tea couldn't help but miss it. Even more than she thought.

As Tea watched the sea rock back and forth against some edgy rocks, she knew that they were almost home. But, what if this was all another dream? Were Joey and Tristan going to wake her up again? She hoped not. She needed a bath. A nice hot bath to melt away all the discomforts of life. Like Yugi.

She bolted straight up when she said that, even Tristan, who was next to her, seemed to notice. After signaling to him that she was alright, she sunk in her chair once more and thought about what she just said. Was Yugi really a burden to her? She glanced over to Yugi to see Kairi giggling over everything he said. Tramp.

As she looked out the window again, she could now see....Domino City. She didn't even recognize it because it had been so long. As they passed the school and the First National Bank, Tea could see there departure point. It was the highest building in the city, maybe even in all of Japan. It was Kaiba Corps.

As they landed gently on the "H" spot, the doors automatically opened to let there passengers out. Tristan was the first one out, followed by Tea and the rest of the gang. As Tea stepped out the helicopter, she started to smell the not-so-clean air of the city and its filthiness. She didn't care. She had lived here too long to care.

"Wooo! Hello Domino City!" Joey yelled as he started to jump around.

Tristan followed his actions, while Tea just stood there watching him. As they continued their little dance, a huge swarm of reporters and camera crews barged in to take pictures and question them with interviews.

"This is going to be big," one reporter said.

"The title of our paper, Daily Gossip, will have in bold, 'THE LOST,' " another reporter remarked.

Tea looked at all of them. "This is crazy."

Yugi looked at her and nodded. She glanced at him, acknowledging the fact that that was the first time he noticed her since the helicopter arrived to pick them up. She ignored him.

"Excuse me, but what par say made you evacuate the St. James?"

Tea looked at the reporter, mumbling something under her breath.

"Miss?"

Tea stared at the reporter and said, "it was ME!"

With that, Tea walked toward the fire exit ladder and started to climb down, away from those stupid reporters. As she crawled down, she could hear Kaiba say to someone, "I'm starting to like her." She resisted a smile that tried to envelop her lips, and continued to walk down the countless stairs until she made it onto the ground.

"Tea! Wait!"

Tea turned around to notice that Yugi was following her down the escape route. She folded her arms and waited for him to reach the ground. He jogged over to her and looked at her. His worried eyes made her feel guilty. NO!

"What is it?"

He sighed. "Are you okay?"

She laughed at the question in her mind. Of course she wasn't okay! I mean, what kind of Tea would yell at a reporter like that? She was just so tired of everything from Kairi to the deserted island. She needed to get away. Far away from everyone so she could think and become the old Tea that everyone knew and loved.

"Great Yugi, I mean we are back home....I can take a bath....and you are with your girlfriend....what could be better than that?" She grimaced at the last part of her question, not to sure how it got out.

"Tea, is this about Kairi?" Yugi said, reading her mind.

Tea was stunned.

"What if it did have something to do with her?" She asked as she turned away from him.

Was she jealous? Or just a sad puppy marking her territory? Probably jealous. Kairi was tall, pretty, and had the nicest blonde hair that she had ever seen. All qualities Tea did not.

"Listen it doesn't matter anyway," she continued, "it's nothing important."

Yugi put a hand on her arm and said, "it must be important....to make you this upset..."

Was she sending off the wrong signals? She wasn't upset. Just tired, happy, jealous, moody, dirty, hungry, cranky, sleepy, resentful, and irritable. Yup. Just all of the above.

"It's nothing," Tea said as she started to walk off, "I'll see you around."

"I'm not leaving." Tea turned around. "Not until I find out what is wrong."

In other words, resistance was futile.

"I'm sorry Yugi...I think I just need to rest." Tea said sadly.

"Let me take you home at least." Yugi reasoned as they started to walk off.

Tea shook her head. "No, I'm sure the reporters would like to interview you. Especially since you are already famous for winning the tournament. Don't worry about me."

"The reporters are the least of my problems, Tea." He looked into her eyes. "They aren't the ones that cheer me on when I lose confidence in myself, stand up for me when I can't, and even help me through a difficult situation."

Tea was on the verge of tears when she said, "You...really...think that of....me?"

"No. I was thinking too little of you. Tea, you make me feel so secure and certain about everything I go up against. When I was fighting Pegasus, I felt your bond grow stronger with me when I collapsed. That's because you never gave up on me. You knew that I could pull through anything if I believed in the heart of the cards."

Tea swallowed hard. "Why are you saying all this to me?"

"Because..." It was his turn to swallow hard. "I wanted you to know how special you are to me."

Tea started crying. She couldn't take all the emotions that were building up inside of her. She fell on a bench, that was beside the street corner, and put her face in her hands. Yugi came over quietly and sat down next to her. She looked up and tried to wipe her tears away, but there were too many. He helped her.

"Oh Yugi...." She cried as she put her head in his chest.

He brushed a hand through her hair and rocked her back and forth, not too sure why she was crying the way she was. Everything he said to her was the truth. Did she think that he hated her during the tournament? No. He loved her even more during the tournament. Especially when she fought Mai for his star chips. He smiled at the thought and continued to stroke his brown-haired beauty. Her sobs echoed throughout the empty street.

"Come on, Tea, it's okay." He said as she sniffled loudly.

"No..Yugi...I need....to...tell...you...." She choked on her tears. "....something.."

"Shh..." He said as he continued to stroke her hair.

She shook her head and broke away from him. "No...."

He looked at her, not knowing what she wanted to tell him. He sat there silently until she calmed down. She wiped the excess tears away and breathed a sigh of courage.

"Yugi..."

She couldn't get it out now. She thought that she was vulnerable enough to say it, but now her lips did not want to move. She cleared her throat and brushed a hand through her hair.

"I-"

"You-"

"We-"

She didn't know how to start. This was too difficult.

"Yugi..." She sighed. "I'm sorry."

With that, she stood up and started to walk away. Why? She thought that it would be the best solution. I mean, what if she did tell Yugi how she felt? He would still be with Kairi anyway. Nothing would change except the relaxed feeling between them. If she told him, she probably wouldn't be able to look at him everyday and strike up a conversation like she usually did.

"Tea!"

She couldn't turn back now. It would be too hard to resist his sweet, innocent face again. As she continued to walk at a quick pace, she made sure that nothing could stop her. Except for four words.

"Tea, I love you!"

She held her breath because she was too overwhelmed with what she just heard. I mean, her secret crush, since childhood, had just stepped forward and broke the boundaries of friendship between them. She clutched her chest and breathed in some fresh air before turning around to look at Yugi, who was walking toward her.

"Yugi.....I-"

He put his finger to her lips and leaned forward to kiss her. She looked at him and pushed away from him gently. She couldn't kiss him, it just wasn't right. He stared at her with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry, Yugi.." She licked her lips. "You already have someone...."

She looked at his sad expression. It almost broke her heart. She WANTED to kiss him so bad. Even if he just brushed his lips against hers. Just feeling his smooth touch against her made her tremble. She wanted him so bad, but she didn't want to come between his relationship with his girlfriend. She had seen too many "Jerry Springer" shows for that. ^_^' As she grasped his hand as a sign of "still friends," Yugi only stood there, baffled by the whole turn of events. He finally tried to speak his mind and his heart to Tea.

"Kairi and I broke up before the tournament." Yugi said softly. "I broke up with her because she only wanted me for....Yami." He paused and looked at her. "Yami wasn't too thrilled with the idea of Kairi using me to get to him, so I decided to end the relationship. I don't know why she has been so happy to see me, but I'm thinking that it is because she knows I am....well....a celebrity around Domino City now."

Tea was speechless.

"Tea....you see me for who I really am. Even Yami agrees that we are a perfect match." He smiled. "Please Tea, believe me when I say that 'I love you'. It's the most sincerest thing I can say..."

Tea started crying like if she was at a wedding. It actually felt like she was, due to the fact that Yugi's speech sounded like a wedding vow that she would keep until the day she died next to him in a mausoleum.

"Yugi...." She said as she burst into tears.

Nobody has said anything close to what Yugi just said. It was like opening a fortune cookie and feeling all special about what the message said inside. As she wiped her tears away and looked at Yugi, she felt that she owed it to Yugi to speak her mind about him. But, the words wouldn't form in her head. She figured that her love for Yugi was a difficult thing to explain. She had to show him.

And show him she would

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way," Yugi forced out. "I'm sure...."

Yugi stopped when he felt Tea touch his chin gently. He looked up to see Tea kneel down next to him and look him in the eyes. As he rode on the tears escaping from her eyelids, he didn't notice her move closer toward him. Finally, he noticed the gap between them grow smaller as Tea put her hand behind his neck and moved his head toward hers. He looked from her eyes to her lips, as if to make sure he was thinking what she was.

"Tea...." Yugi whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Shhhhh...just kiss me."

Yugi didn't need to be told twice. He moved forward and gently pressed his lips to hers.

When they kissed, Tea felt a sudden charge of emotion run through her body. It felt like she already knew the taste and feel of him once their lips touched. As he put his hands around her waist (unknowingly) while they kissed, Tea pulled him closer to her as if she was saying, "hold me close, I never want to be lonely again." Finally, Yugi drew apart and leaned back from her, breathing hard. As he caught his breath, Yugi looked over to see Tea with her eyes closed again.

"Tea?" He asked as she opened her eyes.

She smiled at the sight of him. "Sorry, Yugi, that was just...."

Yugi leaned forward and kissed her again. "....amazing..."

She nodded and took hold of his hand gently. He looked at her and brushed a couple of strands of hair that had stuck to her cheek from the dry tears. She smiled and rubbed her thumb along his hand.

"Yugi, I love you too."

At the sound of those words, Yugi's smile enlarged. She smiled and leaned forward to give him a gentle hug. He answered by tightening his hold around her waist. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest.

As he kissed her forehead and breathed the warm smell of her, he knew that it could not last forever. He sighed sadly and moved away from her. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

It was her turn to sigh. "Yes, home."

As they made their way toward her house, Tea noticed Yugi hold out his hand for her to grasp it. She looked at his hand for a moment and then slowly reached down to take it. When they touched, Tea felt another charge of emotion run through her. She smiled. There was never a time before where she felt so...

Whole.

Yugi looked up and smiled. She smiled back and gave his hand a gentle squeeze as they crossed an intersection. Finally, she could see her blue house come into view. Her nerves started to get jumpy.

Mom. Dad. Bathroom.

They stopped in front of her house. Tea cleared her throat and looked at him.

"Well, here we are." She put her hands lightly on his shoulders. "Thank you."

He smiled, not breathing a word.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked.

He declined. "No. I would not want to intrude on anything..."

"It's not like they even know we are here, Yugi."

Yugi smiled. "Yeah, but once they see you..."

She knelt down and kissed his lips gently.

"I understand."

Yugi chuckled. "I'm gonna get going, Grandpa's probably wondering where I have been."

She nodded.

"I'll talk to you, honey."

He froze at her statement.

"Just kidding, Yugi," she grinned, "snuggles sounds much better anyway."

He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. "I love you."

She smiled. "Me too."

He turned around and started to walk away. She sighed and walked up the steps to her door. As she touched the knob of the door, it turned by itself and opened to reveal her Dad with some mail in his hand. He dropped the mail and looked at her.

"TEA!"

She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Oh my...."

She turned to her side to see her Mom.

"It's great to see you guys..." Tea said as she walked in.

Meanwhile, Yugi could hear their whole conversation from the outside. He shook his head playfully and walked toward Kaiba Corps. As he passed the intersection again, his thoughts started to drift upon his new girlfriend. He couldn't believe that Tea actually felt the same way.

He sighed again.

'It took us awhile to get together, but in the long haul....it was worth the wait. Now we will be closer than ever before. I just hope we can live our lives simply and without a care.'

That's when he saw his Grandpa stand up from the bench he was sitting in. Yugi smiled.

'I can't wait to tell him what happened!'

~END~

Hope you enjoyed the ending to "A Sinking Feeling!" I'm sorry if it wasn't as realistic and well-written as it should have been. Anyway, thanks for being a great audience!!! BTW, this is my last Yugi/Tea fic.