Not as angsty as the rest; I loved writing this chapter. But the remnants of the last, the beginning of this, were hard to pick back up again.

Oh yeah, and life sucks right now. Hope your lives are better than mine, and I especially hope you enjoy my writing, as limited as it is.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She was still nauseated and slightly dizzy, but glad that no one was milling around the hallways to see her in such an embarrassing state. Her eyes unfocused again, causing her to swing with a pronounced *~CLANG~* into a nearby locker and she groaned in self-sympathy.

Tea's stomach gave another unpleasant lurch and she shut her slightly tearing eyes; sticky and contorted.

After a moment, her sight settled and she opened her eyes in a squint, only to find them still blurry and unfocused. She closed them again.

It was a good thing that her father was on a business trip and left earlier that day, because she had no idea what time it was and that could easily resolve into some unwanted questions. The smell saturated into her clothes was sickly-sweet and suspicious, complimenting her messy hair and disheveled presence. Of course, she had yet to look over herself, but that was what she assumed she looked like--what she ~felt~ like--

Benson was keeled over, but breathing when she somehow made her way across the courtyard, somehow, in her wobbly crutches. Or if it was wobbly world, she couldn't tell.

Her ears pounded and she constantly heard an almost mechanical buzzing deep within her ears, which didn't help her nausea whatsoever. Tasting bile, she crouched into the harsh grip of the locker, feeling somehow that she was a little ball, completely oblivious to the outside world, and was grounded enough not to know the difference.

Predictably, this wasn't a successful venture.

"Um, Tea? What are you doing here?" asked a small voice--somewhere.

She looked up. Even in her haze of sickening helplessness, she could recognize that hairstyle anywhere, bobbing under her initiative and framed painfully with florescent lights (one of the only sets still on). Tea had slid down the locker so that her legs were propped up in right angles, and her wrists hung lazily across her knees. She squinted, not even bothering to compose herself in front of this--nuisance.

"What are ~you~ doing here?" she returned bitingly and averted her eyes to a glare down the spinning hallway as they went lidded, broodingly.

Yugi gave a nervous laugh.

"Um, well, there was a 'game club' meeting today after school, so that's why I'm here so late. And--ah--you're leaning on my locker."

Tea gave a startled jolt, and returned her gaze to the smaller boy, but wasn't really seeing. She grabbed her crutches and heaved herself over a few feet, and slumped back down.

But Yugi wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

"You never answered my question."

"Did you think I had any intention of doing so?"

Struck by the bitterness in her tone, he opened his locker to block her from his view, and so she couldn't see his momentary expression of hurt. He was great at reading others through their faces, but not very skilled at hiding the view of himself through his own. Drawing out an umbrella, a coat, his backpack, and his puzzle, he closed the door firmly, only to realize that the girl sitting beside him hadn't moved in the slightest.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. D'ya want to come out with me?"

"No."

Yugi laughed, but it was breathy and shallow "Alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school!"

After his back was turned, she watched him leave. His step was cheerful and bouncy down the hallway, as he walked through slightly light shapes coming down from the high, rectangular windows. She noticed that the hall looked kind of blue for some reason, and the scene seemed almost surreal as if it was painted directly by a famous expressionist.

After a while, even as he turned to the next hallway, she heard a door bounce close.

Still, she stared after him, for a little while longer. The hallway steadied, and she felt strangely at peace with herself; just not with her stomach.

Tea sat for a little while longer, contemplating dully about what she would do if a janitor saw her there after school hours. It probably wouldn't be an enjoyable experience, to say the least, and as she became more and more conscious of that thought, she made a decision to vacate the premises.

But she sat for a little while longer, wondering if she could get up again. That was when she noticed the winking of gold out of the corner of her eyes.

It was a small trinket, but somewhat bulky for a necklace, as the chain around it was obviously for, and was so bright Tea wondered if the thing was solid gold. The edges were slightly uneven, like a 3D puzzle's, but the strange eye insignia on the face of the pyramid stood out boldly, almost vainly.

Yugi must have left it. Wondering why she was feeling generous to the rather nosy kid, she slowly picked it up, only to drop it with a hiss as it fell with a clank.

What the hell? That thing ~burned~ her!

She shook herself mutely, immediately dismissing the notion just as it was conceived. Yugi handled the thing just fine, so what was up with this?! Probably just imagining things, and even though Tea wasn't the kindest person in the world, she was determined not to let a stupid necklace keep her from whatever she wanted to do. She had enough stifled experiences in her life.

"Look, I'm going to take you back, you bloody piece of jewelry!" she told the trinket coldly, barely wondering why in the world she was talking to an inanimate object.

Tea shook herself, angry enough to forget her nausea momentarily and violently took up the necklace in a bony, claw-like hand, finding it as pleasantly cool as it appeared. Swiftly, she got back up and took her crutches, feeling the chain grind into the bones of her right hand as she hobbled out the entrance of the school.

She didn't even know where Yugi lived, but she walked purposefully to the right, and down the street.

A gigantic roll of thunder drummed deeply in the distance.

~*~*~*~

She cursed. Cursed the most vile things she could come up with. Cursed them twice over in every language she knew.

Tea slipped on the smooth sidewalk; not so smooth when she hit it. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to ignore the absolute downpour for a moment and right herself up again, gripping the slick crutches and just trying her hardest not to slip again.

It was cold, wet and dark from the stormy clouds that brought night early that evening. She knew it was very close to hail from rain, and instinct was yelling at her for not seeking shelter, but practicality dully reflected that it wouldn't matter anyway.

Before, she had taken refuge under a dingy sort of gazebo just as the rains had begun, assured with a scowl that it would pass soon enough. But it just got worse as time went on, and she had no intention of camping out in a public park.

No cars passed by anymore, and she knew it was long past rush hour, still trying to ignore the idea of people drinking warm milk beside the fire, and stroking a cat without a care in the world. It would have normally made her gag, but even something as ridiculously tender as that seemed more appealing than being stuck out in the rain, wondering why the hell she was bothering for all this just to take back a stupid necklace that a kid had left behind.

It took an agonizingly long time just to walk one short block away, but she felt a sense of reprieve as a neon sign contrasted brightly from the storm. It read "Turtle Game Shop", and sat above a quaint little store on the corner of the next block.

Somehow, she knew Yugi would be there. She tightened the grip on the chain, and continued the journey to the meaningless effort.

~*~*~*~

He was feeling oddly blank and--incomplete without the puzzle's comforting weight around his neck as he brought his knees up to his delicate neck. Flinching violently as another flash of lightning fled through the wide sky- light in his room, Yugi shut his eyes before fleeing downstairs.

At school, he was worried his normal style of clothing might violate the dress-code, but wearing black was always helpful for his nearly indestructible self-esteem. At that moment, he wore a simple black tank-top with matching baggy pants that jingled merrily with all of the buckles, zippers and silver fasteners you could imagine. The tune they danced in was oddly merry, and with a giggle, the tune of 'jingle bells' came flooding back into his mind.

"Yugi, was it in your room?" came the gentle voice of his grandfather. Yugi turned just in time to see his head bob above the sculpture of moving boxes.

"No . . . I remember taking it out of my locker." He responded, looking sad. "I just don't like the thunder." He laughed sheepishly.

His grandpa stepped carefully over the boxes to look at his grandchild, who was trying vainly to hide his appropriate fear.

"Well, I'm sure it will turn up sometime in school tomorrow." Solomon said firmly.

"I guess . . . "

Both of them jumped as the unfamiliar doorbell rang through their home, immediately followed by another clap of thunder. Looking quizzically at each other, they raced down to the shop, wondering who was outside at a time like this.

The windows hid the figure on the other side with shadow and their own reflection, but Yugi opened the door all the same, feeling the remnants of rain slowed by the slight cover outside the door.

A sodden hand held out a mischievously familiar object to him, and he looked up to see clear blue eyes, still burning brightly through the storm.

"Here," she said "you forgot this at school."

"Tea?"

~*~*~*~

After much fuss on the two males' part, Tea found herself shivering in large, fluffy towels that smelled like roses, and nursing a hot cup of green tea that was actually warming her chilled hands. They had told her to sit on the couch, which she was only too willing to do, watching a "Speed Racer" marathon while she warmed up.

Yugi and who she supposed was his grandfather returned with more tea and some still-steaming tempura that made her mouth water, despite her still- sodden appearance.

"Tea," Yugi's voice was quiet with concern "why did you go all the way here in the rain?"

A distant rumble of thunder seemed to emphasize his question, and another flash of lightning fully illuminated his face.

She averted her eyes, feeling very stupid about herself for forcing them to charity.

"You left your necklace," she deadpanned "and it's not like I had anything better to do."

"Thank you."

"Whatever."

"Do you like tempura?" he asked with renewed cheer.

Tea watched him oddly.

"I don't think I need to cause you any more trouble, Moto." She made a move for the door, just as Yugi gently grabbed the sleeve of her shirt, forcing her to look into those strange violet eyes again.

"No!"

"You can't expect us to let you go out in ~that~." His grandfather spoke up sternly "It's dangerous!"

/Can't say it's ever stopped me before./ Tea thought to herself.

"Listen, Tea." She flinched at the sound of her name "It's no trouble at all, really!"

"Should you call your parents?" the old man said "It won't be long before even our reserve power's out."

"My dad's out on a business trip." She shrugged.

"Then you can stay here for the night."

Tea made the mistake of looking into those eyes again, and she knew she couldn't protest any longer, on any subject that opposed them.

~*~*~*~

They gave her a large pair of flannel pajamas after she guiltily stuffed herself silly, much to the strange delight of Yugi's grandfather. Solomon pulled some blankets out of a cupboard in the hallway that held the stairs, setting them up without request on a comfy looking couch in front of the television set.

She felt uncomfortable in their generous presence, still not entirely sure ~what~ they were doing this for. Maybe that pyramid ~was~ solid gold or something.

Tea brushed her teeth with the spare toothbrush in her backpack, even if she didn't use it much despite her braces.

After being satisfied with her physical comfort, Yugi's grandfather bid them both good night and journeyed upstairs to retire in his own bed.

A few minutes later, Yugi (clad in ~black~ pajamas?) appeared as she was staring idly to the ceiling with another pillow and a flannel sleeping-bag. He dropped his burdens on the floor, and turned, only to smile at her.

Unable to think of anything to say that didn't sound offensive, she settled for what she was thinking:

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head in a somewhat--cute--manner, "I can't sleep in my room during lightning storms. You can see the flashes through my sky-light, and . . . I'm kind of afraid of lightning."

He flinched at the thunder for unexpected effect.

When it became apparent that she wasn't going to patronize him any longer on that subject, he fluffed up his sleeping bag in front of the couch, and slipped in while straightening his pillow. The power suddenly went out, plunging the entire scene into darkness.

They could hear the pounding of the rain from upstairs; hardly a comforting sound to fall asleep under. She burrowed into the old blankets, smelling of 'spring fresh' scent, and the same rose one that the towels smelled like as well. It was intoxicating, but insomnia was roused, and there was nothing she could do about it.

But it was Yugi who began conversation again.

"You must be happy to have a dad." Came his voice, through the darkness "To not have a broken family."

Tea snorted. "He's all I have. I think you have a better idea of an unbroken family than I do."

" . . . but at least you remember him. My mother died when I was six, but I can still remember her swinging me around . . . and laughing . . . "

She thought of her own mother, who was too weak to even pick her up, and couldn't laugh without coughing. Yugi's memories seemed far from what previous reality she knew.

"Sounds like a perfect relationship. The stuff that only happens in bad movies."

For a while he didn't say anything. Then "It was better."

Tea shifted her position, and found herself staring to the area of pitch- black darkness where Yugi lay.

"My dad doesn't like me."

"What?!"

"I think he can barely put up with me, ever since mom died."

"Why do you say that?"

"I think I remind him too much of her."

"That's strange."

"Not for me."

"I guess . . . " Yugi considered for a second "I think he still loves you."

"You obviously haven't seen my father."

"No--but if I were in his place, I think . . . that he just hasn't been able to let out his sadness and stuff."

"What?"

"Oh, well, everyone needs someone to talk to, especially when someone you love dies. I had grandpa. But I don't think your dad had anyone."

"There were enough people at the funeral to dump all his sorrows on." She said bitterly, closing her eyes.

"Yeah, but you were the only one who really understood."

She opened them again, suddenly struck by his words, and their thoughtful sincerity. Now that he pressed beyond her shell of doubts, the notion seemed oddly appropriate. /Oh god,/ she realized /how could he have felt?/

Tea swallowed a lump in her throat, born of shame.

"Maybe." She turned back into the back of the couch.

"What was she like?" he asked suddenly.

"Who?"

"Your mom."

She let out a breath. Slowly.

"She was . . . weak." Tea admitted "I guess that I never really understood what that could mean until she got sick. Well, she was always sick, but, I only figured it out when she was in the hospital."

She could still see the white-washed walls, and her, in the depths of white sheets and her face as pale as her surroundings.

"I don't remember much about what she looked like besides the obvious things; that she had brown hair and brown eyes. She was a dancer once, the best dancer I had ever seen, and I wanted to be just like her . . . even if I only saw her dances recorded on videos."

"What kind of dance?"

"Ballet and some modern."

"I bet you're really good at dancing, too."

"I--" she felt the splint on her leg clearly, brought about from foolishness.

"Never mind." Yugi said hastily "What else do you remember?"

"Hospital walls."

"Is that it?"

"No." she delved deeper into the long-since abandoned passageways through her mind, trying to remember everything "She was so pretty," her old way of speaking escaped with the old realizations "she played a flute, and I used to watch her and--"

It became too much to bear.

"What about you?" she said at last "What was your mom like?"

"She was the strong type of person, I guess. Always doing her fair share of work and more, not depending on anybody for things she knew she had the possibility of doing. We lived with grandpa, and the three of us used to go out on--picnics."

"How did she die?"

"Struck by lightning."

Tea mentally berated herself for her untimely comment "I-I'm sorry," she said awkwardly "I didn't have any right to--"

"No, it's okay." Yugi assured, but a little shakiness crept into his voice all the same. He sighed. "I'm not going to get any sleep tonight anyway."

"I can't talk to people very well." Tea commented abruptly.

"Well, you can't expect to without opening up to people as a friend." He said, sounding amused.

"Why do you trust me?"

"I don't see a reason not to."

"That's an odd contrast to what's happened in the past."

"Well, this is the present. You might as well get used to it." His voice still sounded generous in all it's curtness.

Tea sighed into her borrowed pillow.

"It's harder to forget what's happened before than you think."

"There's no reason to forget." He said softly "you can never learn from your past if you just destroy it. No, I've found that all you need to do is hide it away for a while, until you need it when it catches back up."

Tea looked over to more blackness in surprise. It was one thing to realize that this nerd could not look at her condescendingly from her grades and delinquent record, but another to realize that this kid, despite his childish appearance and too-sunny smile, was as wise as he was. For the first time in ages, she began thinking closely about things that she had simply brushed away before, unable to accept . . .

. . . That there was something beyond the surface.

"Tea?"

"What?" she whispered.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight--Yugi."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Authoress' Notes:

All things considered, that was a long chapter by my usual standards, which only took me about a day to complete. It was a relief to write about something a little happier, and I hope it's a nice contrast to all of the angst in the last chapter.

However, the next chappie will probably the most angst-ridden thing I will ever write. That's it, though. After that, it's all good-in this story, anyway.

I can understand if most of you stayed clear of the last chapter, but the lack of response shook me up quite badly. It was very difficult for me to write, however, I sincerely hope you like this one better.

I tried to make you hate the last chapter. I just hope you haven't given up on it altogether.

This ficlet will have a happy ending, I promise you.

Sayonara, minna-san

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