Gomen nasai! I had THE WORST case of writer's block!! This is terrible! I'm not too proud of this part, so If I let anyone down, I do apologize! *bows* I did a thorough spell check, btw! I'm so looking forward to getting this one finished though... I have a story in my head that's been driving me nuts for weeks, but I refuse to start it until I finish this one! Ak!
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"What's going on?!" Sam wriggled from the grip, "Tristan?! What are they doing here?!" Tristan slumped on the bench, a horribly guilty look in his eyes. Tea was next to him, face in hands quietly sobbing. Mai stepped back and fell to her knees. Sam couldn't take it. These kids didn't need this, especially Mai who just kept mumbling her innocents about not knowing. Sam kept Tristan nailed to the bench with his stare while at the same time trying to calm Mai down.
"Mai, I believe you. I know Joey, he cares too much to bring anyone into this, especially you."
"If it helps, I believe you too..." Tea offered.
"I don't..." Tristan snapped only to find his arm being introduced to a sharp fist. "Ow! Tea! What was..."
"So there are rumors going around, big deal! That's all they are are just rumors! You know Joey..."
"That's just it, I know Joey! He has this beautiful girl..."
"Beau... ti... fu..." Mai blushed and hid her face in 'Yugi's' chest.
"As I was saying, when have you ever known Joey to..."
"That's enough, Tristan Taylor!" Mai screeched, ignoring the angry glares from the doctors and nurses. "The farthest Joey and I have ever gone, you all have seen! He's never tried anything with me beyond that! You obviously don't know him as well as you say! He's good to me! Better than anyone else who were only after..." Tea grabbed her friend and hugged her tight.
"It's ok, Mai. Really, it's ok." she comforted. Between the glare from 'Yugi' and the one Tea was giving him now, Tristan could literally feel the nails holding him to the bench.
Sam was about to burst a vessel. He was never going to leap if he couldn't get away to find out why Yami had stuck around. As much as he grew to like everyone, it was time to go. He marched over, grabbed Tristan by the ear and dragged him around the corner. It must have been a sight; even at a time like this, the girls couldn't help a slight giggle. Even Yami seemed amused.
"Yug! What was that...?"
"What are they doing here?!" Sam demanded. From the look on Tristan's face, it obviously wasn't very 'Yugi-like'.
"Why not? They're his friends too!"
"You wanted a shot at Mai, didn't you?"
"What?! No! Not really... it's just, we're bad liars! We get to school, and Joey, having never missed a day since starting high school is out, they ask why and we tell them what?" Sam hated to admit it, Tristan had a point, but it didn't excuse how he was treating Mai.
"So they would be a little worried. We tell them he's sick..."
"We'd crack and you know it."
"Fine, you have a point. But what makes you think Mai would have kept this... wait a minute! Before we left, you ran back for his coat..."
"Soooo..." Tristan started to squirm.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew he would be looking for it and why. You also thought since he and Mai are so "close" she should know and it would take the heat off..."
"Yea, ok, I knew! His mom asks about him all the time! I-I couldn't..." He threw his hands up in the air as if to surrender. "I couldn't tell, she and Serenity were always so proud of..."
"Proud of what you lied to them about."
"I didn't lie about everything and he made me promise, I mean big time promise..."
"His father could have killed him you know..."
"You know Yug, so long as we're on this, I met his dad once, sort of anyway. He seemed all right. I always thought, well, you know Joey, he tends to exaggerate. When I met him, he seemed pretty calm about things, Joey didn't though..."
"About what?"
"Man, Joey was ghost white and shaking. I was no better off, but I was more worried about how long I was ganna be grounded for, I had no idea Joey..." Tristan stopped to take a breath. The vision of his frightened friend ran through him. It gave him the chills.
"What happened?" Sam asked softly. A little more 'Yugi-like' this time.
"Well, not too long before we met you, we got caught shop-lifting and hauld in by the cops. They called our parents and everything. Joey was a wreck. He couldn't talk or anything, he just kept shaking and crying. He wouldn't, or couldn't, tell me why."
"What happened when his dad got there?"
"Nothing, really. Well, he was a little scary, but then so was my dad. I mean, they were angry what else could we have expected?"
"Right..." Sam was having a hard time with this. How to convince Tristan to come clean and apologize to Mai was going to have him stuck there for months, he could feel it. Unfortunately, so could Yami. The spirit was beginning to believe he would never see his other-self again. "I'm sorry Tristan, but you're going to have to tell Mrs. Wheeler..."
"I know. I feel horrible, Yugi! She's ganna hate me, I'll never see Serenity again...oh man!! Serenity will never..."
"Calm down, you said he made you promise, right?"
"You think that's going to make it ok with them?"
"It might. A promise is a promise..." Sam knew better than this. This kind of promise wasn't going to fly, but then neither was he if he couldn't get away to find out what Al was going on about. "It's like you said, you met his dad, you thought Joey was just exaggerating. Just be as calm and honest as possible with Mrs. Wheeler and remember, she doesn't want Serenity to know. Oh, damn! She wants you to call her..."
"Oh, no... what do I say to her?"
"Well, unfortunately, you can't be honest, you have to come up with something..."
"An accident on the bike..." Al offered, "It would be believable enough for me!"
"You had a small crash on the bike. Joey took most of the brunt..."
"All right, Yug. I'm sorry, I hope you know that. And I hope you can forgive me..."
"He made you promise not to say anything and you thought he was exaggerating anyway, so really, I can't blame you for anything."
"Think Mrs. Wheeler will go for that?"
"I think so." Sam started to walk away as Tristan began to call Serenity with the news, Al directing him to a deserted bathroom with a working lock.
"Ok, Al, make this good!"
He knows for sure this time why I am here?
So he says!, "Well, Al! The suspense is killing us..."
"Ok! The moment you have been waiting for..." He started to push a button on Ziggy, then stopped, "But first, you, Sam!"
"Me?! What?!"
"You have been snippish..."
"Snippish?! Al?! What's this..."
"You know you have a tendency to absorb personalities? Remember?"
"Well, uh, no! Of course not!"
"Right, of course not! Uh, let's see... Jimmy! You told me to never let you forget Jimmy!"
What is he talking about, Sam? Why is he...
I don't know, but he thinks he has a point and when he has a captive audience he just keeps going...
So we have no choice then?
Nope., "Jimmy was the... the uh... mentally challenged kid! Right!"
"Bingo! Man we thought we were goners there! Oh! And the kid who was so in love with his bride to be..."
"I thought I was in love with her! I do remember! So what does this have to do with... oh, boy!"
"I think we have a winner! Your snapping at Joey, you know, he wasn't kidding when he asked if you were going..."
"Bakura because I was! I absorbed..."
"I can tell ya it's not Yugi's! Tina and Verbeena are eating the kid up! He could rot your teeth! You my friend absorbed Yami's! When Joey was about to hit you, you could have taken him on! Know why you didn't?"
"Yami wouldn't. I snapped at him because Yami was getting impatient... oh, boy Al! That explains...", If that doctor hadn't come in when he did, you would have had me kill Mr. Wheeler!, "That's what that strange feeling was!"
I might have, Sam. He could have killed my friend...
"What strange feeling?"
"When we met Joey's dad, I got this odd chill and I... or Yami was ready to kill him!"
"Consider this, he's five thousand years old, his sense of justice is a little out dated for the twentieth century."
"Right, so what, he stuck around so we can curb his sense of justice?"
"Well, no. Actually Sam, he didn't stick around because he needed help..."
"Who then?" Sam wondered. Al went silent. Sam hated when he did this. Al stepped back and waved his cigar.
"Come on out, Yami!" Al called.
"Come out?! What are you..." Sam could feel a slight weight lift from his body and a slim foreboding figure standing next to Al. It was the first time Sam himself was able to actually see this other Yugi. He didn't know how to before. To him everything was just darkness. No wonder Al was so intimidated! His eyes had a piercing, stern stare. "Wow." Sam felt a bit childish with this reaction, but it was all he could get out.
"So how did you know I could do this?" Yami asked.
"Well, I'll admit, I'm a coward. Every time Yugi asked about Joey, I changed the subject. So, would you like to know why I asked you both here?"
"Wow." was still all Sam could say.
"I'll take that as a 'Sure, Al! Of course!'"
"From out here, you look just like Yugi." Yami seemed to be softening up.
"So, in there, Sam looks like Sam? This is pretty cool!" Al noticed Sam shaking himself to his senses, usually meaning he was going to get upset with him for dragging things out, so he got right to the point, "Ok, Sam. Yami is here for you!"
"I am?! How?"
"Yea, Al, what is he... can he send me..."
"Home, Sam. He can send you home."
"I'm going home?! But, that does mean Tristan confesses and Mrs. Wheeler forgives him and Joey, well, we know Joey is ok..."
"You're babbling Sam!" Al laughed, "Yea, everything is fine! You can come home!"
"I-I don't know what to say! I... do you know how, Yami? I mean..."
"Are you ready?" The spirit readied himself as if to start casting a spell, Sam stopped him. "Something wrong?"
"I guess, I just... at first I was terrified this would stick with me, but now I hope it's one of the few leaps that does. You're all good kids, I mean despite why I was here, this was... I just hope I don't forget you."
"If you don't, you'll have to look us up. I would love for Yugi to meet you."
"Al, think you can remember that if I don't?"
"Sure sure! Now enough with the sap! Let's get you home before someone comes looking for Yugi!"
"Right! Yami, I'm ready to go home!" Sam braced himself for whatever Yami was going to have to do. The last thing he heard was a quick 'Goodbye...' and then nothing.
tbc...
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Next chapter, the epologe! Yay! It will NOT be as long as the other chapters I promise! That and I hope I didn't let anyone down! *bows*
