Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...*walks around like a zombie*

Out of the blue

Chapter IX – Shattered

-by Alena S. Anigor

The streetlamps flashed, illuminating already the dark streets of the Domino City. The moon could be seen from the clear sky, shades of dark blue and black mingled on the horizon. The particular spot in front of the school entrance was empty, except for the two figures, standing across each other, none of them uttering a single word.

Tea was puzzled slightly by this strange behavior from the smaller boy in front of her. He seemed in deep thoughts, and she had seen him in that kind of state, only when he was very concerned about someone or something. His demeanor started to worry her also, although she knew the reason for his worried state. She sighed inwardly, still not coming up with a good explanation for dating Yami Bakura. Surely, it sounded completely insane – to date a former tomb robber, a collector of ancient Millennium Items, and a person who tried to hurt them so many times. But he has changed somehow, and he didn't seem so mean and evil anymore. Of course, he was still a bit mean to Ryou, but...she was sure she could change that, too.

Yuugi, on the other hand, had his mind full of words and questions, but somehow, they didn't want to articulate themselves. He was staring helplessly at his feet, holding the straps of his backpack steadily, desperately trying to say something that would sound reasonable, but not harsh. He sighed suddenly, catching the attention of the girl across him, and she looked at him, hoping he'd say what he wanted to say quickly, because it was getting pretty cold.

"Tea...", he started, raising his head, and violet orbs met cerulean. Tea felt something twist in her chest when she saw how pained his eyes seemed. He looked so lost, like he'd break every second and crumble down to the ground.

"I...well...", he took a deep breath and decided to end this dilemma of his, once and for all, "I'd like to know if you...do you...do you really like Yami Bakura?" He ended his words, almost choking on them, barely gathering the strength to say them out loud. He looked at the girl who was standing in front of him, one hand holding her chest, and looking at him, something similar to fear shining in her eyes.

He waited for her answer, hoping she'd say no, but the girl lowered her head, brownish bangs covering her bright eyes and nodded slightly, almost regretfully.

Tea knew there was no point in lying anymore; they already knew, he already knew, and lying to him would only make things even worse. She didn't, however understand why was he looking so crestfallen, his face now pale, his eyes almost dead... She swallowed, hard, a sudden feeling of guilt and pain rushing trough her, and she felt something wet falling down her cheek again. She was crying, she figured.

Everything inside Yuugi seemed to break, fall apart and shatter in thousands of pieces. Just like the puzzle he was wearing around his neck that could fall apart, that was the way his heart felt at the moment. His eyes were directed forward, staring at some imaginary thing, visible only to him, as the painful truth ran trough his mind, registering her answer to his question, and then whispering silently to him that it was over. That it was finally over.

Tea couldn't stare at her feet anymore; she had to raise her head to see if the boy in front of her was still alive. She almost let out a gasp, when she saw just how much sorrow and darkness his eyes held. She wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him how sorry she was, but she was truly afraid that he'd break apart, and disappear in the cloud of dust. So, instead, she dared to take a step forward, wanting to know why her answer had such an effect on him. It hurt her, too, to see him like that; one of her best friends, who saved her so many times already.

"Yuugi?" She asked him, almost in a whisper, but he made no attempt to move or reply her. She took a deep breath, and lowering her body to his level, she stared at his violet orbs, so lost and empty now, that it made her shudder.

"Yuugi, please, tell me...why...why are you so..." She uttered, feeling horrible just by looking at him like that. He shook his head slightly, some color returning back to his features, his senses also coming back. He shook his head again, still looking at his feet.

"Doesn't matter anymore." He whispered, barely audible for her to hear. She was crying freely now, tears running down her cheeks, eyes full of concern and worry. She sniffled and that seemed to bring him back from his primary shock, and he looked at her, eyes wide in confusion.

"Tea, don't cry!" He exclaimed suddenly, spreading his hands to try and stop her from shedding her tears. He looked like his old self; a little boy, looking at her with concerned eyes, trying to help her as much as he could. That brought her only more sorrow, and she smiled, in spite her tears. He managed to smile back a bit, and she hugged him, second time today, holding him tightly, sobbing on his shoulder, and making his shirt wet. He patted her on the back, trying not to cry himself.

"Why?" Tea asked after a while, still leaned on his shoulder, and he released her, turning to look her in confusion. That same painful gleam in his eyes remained, but he tried to hide it with all his might.

"Why what, Tea?" He asked, now really curious and confused. She ruffled his hear slightly, and smiled sadly.

"Why...did I hurt you so much?" She asked hesitantly, and he opened his mouth to speak, words stuck in his throat. After some thinking, he only smiled, shaking his head defiantly, and putting his hands on her shoulder, he asked her his final question, his only concern related to her and Yami Bakura.

"Are you happy, Tea?" He asked, surprising her with his sudden change in behavior, and she blinked, not comprehending for a while why was he asking her that. Then she realized that he meant her and Bakura, and she smiled a bit, nodding her head yes, and although she could see a faint flicker of hurt in his eyes, he smiled, and nodded back.

"Then, I'm happy for you, too." He replied sternly, sighing inwardly, and she hugged him again so suddenly that they almost fell down to the ground.

"Yuugi!" She cried out, hugging him so firmly, happiness and relief flowing trough her heart, and he hugged her back, smiling softly, glad that she was happy. When he thought about it, it didn't matter she wasn't with him, as much as he wanted that...She was happy, and that mattered to him the most. And as long as she was happy, he would be happy for her, too.

He didn't want to deny his feelings anymore – he knew that it still hurt him, that she would never see him as anything more than a good friend, but as long as she was still with him, helping him and laughing with him, he was satisfied. He only hoped Bakura managed to realize what he had, he thought bitterly, and secretly swore to himself that he won't let him hurt her. And if he was about to hurt her...then he would be there to offer her his support and his friendship.

'Yes', he said to himself, hugging the girl firmly in his arms, 'we are friends, no matter what.'

After what seemed like hours to him, she finally released him, and wiping the tears from her eyes, she smiled at him warmly, crystal blue eyes full of happiness and relief. He smiled back, and she stood up, dusting herself off, and straightened her clothes, putting a few strands of loose hair back to its place.

She sighed, reaching for her school bag, and turned around to look at him; her best friend in the whole world. And although she had a nagging feeling she was forgetting something about him, that he still had something to tell her, she put it aside, forgetting all about her tears and pain. He seemed relaxed and his usual self, too, and she was glad she managed to sort things out with him. The only problem, were Tristan and Joey now, and she still had no idea how Yami would react to the whole thing.

They started walking home, silent for a while, until Tea wanted to know where the spirit of the ancient Pharaoh was.

"Uhm, Yuugi, where's Yami?" She asked, and his face grimaced a bit, when she mentioned his yami, who probably won't be very happy when he'd hear about this.

"He's at home." He replied, uneasiness starting to get to him, now. Tea let out a silent 'oh', and then fell silent again, wondering how could she explain her relationship with Bakura to him.

Yuugi was also rambling his own theories in his head, trying to come up with a good explanation for letting Tea date Bakura without telling her how he really felt. There was no doubt Yami wouldn't like that. They were walking trough the park now, when they noticed someone approaching them. Yuugi stopped walking, eyes widening slightly in faint fear, and Tea smiled a bit, noticing the ancient tomb robber coming their way.

He had his mask on, which meant – he was frowning, and looking ready to kill any second. Yuugi gulped, wondering if he should turn and leave the other way, or do something else that he'd might regret later. Bakura stopped walking, too. He was getting slightly worried, when Ryou came home from school, and he saw those clowns named Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor walking home, too. He couldn't see Tea anywhere, and since there was also no sign of Yuugi or Yami, he became slightly irritated. He didn't like the thought of those two interacting too much, and he went out, determined to find that girl. She was, after all, his now, and if anyone dares to touch her, he could look forward to landing in the other dimension.

Walking down the street that lead trough the park, he noticed her, walking home. He was about to say something, when he noticed someone else walking beside her, and that someone happened to be Yuugi Mutou. That pale version of that damn Pharaoh was smiling at her, and he could already feel his blood boiling inside him. He frowned, menacing gleam crossing his eyes, and then stopped, waiting for them to notice him.

Yuugi was the first to acknowledge his presence, and Bakura smirked mentally when he saw just how the little boy reacted – his eyes widened in fear. Then it was Tea's turn to notice him, and she smiled softly, on which he almost smiled back...almost.

He eyed the boy suspiciously, already forming all sorts of questions in his head to ask him, what exactly was he doing with his woman.

Tea turned to look at her smaller friend, and almost chuckled when she saw how frightened he was of him. She took him by the hand, and started to drag him towards Bakura, who only frowned some more. Yuugi started mumbling something about going the other way and leaving them alone, but Tea was persistent, and she didn't let him go. Almost putting him like a stuffed teddy bear in front of Bakura, he smiled nervously, daring to look in a pair of dark orbs, looking at him threateningly.

Yuugi gulped audibly, wondering why was he looking at him like that; he did nothing wrong...did he?

Tea was silent, watching the boys looking at each other; the smaller version of Pharaoh backing away slightly, and the ancient tomb robber glaring at him from above. She giggled silently, wondering if she could ever make those two stand each other. Well, she knew Yuugi would like to make friends with Bakura, but it would be very hard to do it the other way around.

Finally, deciding to break the charade, she sighed, and turned to look at Bakura, who crossed his hands, still glaring at Yuugi.

"Well...would you two say something already?" She asked exasperatedly, determined to break the tension and hostility between them.

The corner of Yuugi's mouth twitched slightly, and he smiled nervously again, waving a shaky hand to Bakura.

"H-hi Bakura, uhm...how are you?" He managed to mutter, on which the tomb robber snorted loudly, and leaned down, making the smaller boy back away again.

"Tell that damn yami of yours to stay away from her." He growled deeply, and Tea's face faulted.

"Bakura!" She yelled, expecting something else to hear from him. Yuugi shrank back slightly, wanting nothing more than to go home already.

"What?" He asked her, not even looking at her. She frowned; as much as she liked Bakura, she also liked her friends, and she didn't want to end it this way.

She let out an exasperated sigh, and put her hands on her waist.

"I talked to Yuugi about us tonight, and he is fine with it, you know!" She said, raising her voice a bit. Bakura raised an eyebrow, glaring at Yuugi suspiciously.

"Oh, is he?" He asked the smaller boy, and he nodded slowly, somehow recovered from the previous shock Bakura gave him. Bakura frowned again.

"Maybe that what you say is true", he said, leaning back, not moving his eyes from him, "but what about others?" He added, crossing his hands again. Tea decided to jump in.

"I'll talk to them, and Yuugi will talk to them, they'll understand, I'm sure." She replied, and Bakura snorted. She sighed, approaching him, and taking his hand in hers. Yuugi's mouth opened in astonishment when he noticed the sudden change in the tomb robber in front of him; he looked at her, eyes full of wonder and deep, hidden feelings, Yuugi managed to recognize for a brief moment. He realized Tea was right; he really felt something for her, and he realized that he has no longer the right to try and separate them. Tea was happy, she said it herself, and the look in Bakura's eyes was enough to convince him that he wasn't trying to play a trick on them. He stood up slowly, pushing his anguish and hurt somewhere deep below, and deciding to do anything to help them.

Bakura averted his gaze from the girl in front of him, and at the boy, turning to leave.

"You", he growled, "where are you going?" deep and raspy voice stopping him from walking. He turned to look at them, noticing that same frown on his face, but it seemed to be less menacing.

'I guess she really means a lot to him.' He commented mentally, and then turned around completely, facial expression serious and meaningful.

"I will talk to Yami, and I will talk to others. I see...that you two really belong to each other." He said, smiling softly, trying to smother those feelings of angst welling up in him once again. Tea was left speechless, while Bakura knitted his brows in confusion.

Yuugi then waved his hand goodbye, and headed down the street, steps echoing trough the cold night.

"Oh, Yuugi..." Tea whispered, and caught the attention of her significant other. He looked at her, a flash of jealousy crossing his eyes, but she only shook her head, kissing him on the cheek.

She took his other hand, and raising them a bit, she looked him in the eyes, aware of his jealousy and possessiveness.

"Bakura..." She started, and he directed his eyes from his hands to her eyes, getting lost in them, her eyes warm and soft.

"You have to realize that I'm with you now...not with Yuugi, not with Yami, not with anyone else, except you", she started, enveloping his fingers with her hand, "but you also have to understand that they are my friends, that I know them for a very long time now, and that they're very precious to me." She smiled slightly, feeling awkward for acting like an old granny, sharing her words of wisdom with her grandchild.

He hadn't moved a bit, his eyes still transfixed on hers, and she sighed, hoping he would manage to understand one day what her friends meant to her.

"I know that you don't like Yami, and that you're not quite fond of Yuugi, either, but..." she stopped, choosing her next words carefully, "they are my friends and I can't just neglect them like that. We've been trough a lot, and although I love them very much, you should also never doubt my love for you." She said, closing her eyes, exhaling deeply in relief.

She opened them a second later to look at him staring at her like she was some kind of world wonder. She was waiting patiently for his reply, waiting for him to say something, to say that he understood. After what seemed like an eternity to her, he let out a soft breath, lowering his head to stare at their hands, fingers intertwined.

He couldn't believe what an effect she had on him; with a simple gesture and a few words, she managed to move something inside of him, and he was left wondering what to do now. Her friends were never a concern of his...but then again, she also wasn't much of a concern to him as well, and now...now he felt like he could die or kill for her.

He was thinking, eyes lowered and covered with his bangs, and she waited patiently. It was funny how she was cold just a minute ago, and now she felt so warm and secure.

Bakura hated tough decisions; he acted upon his impulses, and now, he felt like someone put him in the middle of the crossroad, and gave him a task to decide which way to go. And he was dwelling, totally confused for not being able to make the right decision.

To accept her friends...to accept the Pharaoh? The thought seemed so absurd to him that he almost snorted out loud, if there wasn't for her, looking at him with pleading eyes.

'Damn it', he thought, 'I don't even care that much for them...and I certainly wouldn't even bother to care about those filthy mortals and the bastard called Yami.' But then again, here he was, holding the hands of one of those filthy mortals, and wanting nothing more than to have her for himself only...

After a couple of minutes spent in silence, he finally sighed, and gritting his teeth, he raised his hand to look at Tea, who raised her eyebrows in questioning manner.

"I'll...I'll try to be...n-nice to them..." He managed to spat out, and Tea hugged him with a speed of light, almost making him loose his balance, "but if that damn Pharaoh tries anything, I won't hesitate to kill him!" He added quickly, and Tea giggled.

"I'm sure we'll try to keep that away from happening." She commented, and he growled slightly. Then, she remembered something and leaned back to look at him again.

"Uhm, aren't you forgetting someone?" She asked, smiling softly at him, and making him frown in confusion again.

"Like who?" He asked her, already dreading the thought of making more friends. Tea took one of the strands of silvery hair in her hand, twirling it around her finger.

"Someone who has equally beautiful hair like you have." She replied, almost mysteriously, and he growled, when he realized whom she was talking about. Tea kissed his cheek again, making him want more, and he leaned down to kiss her on the lips, but she pulled away slightly, giggling at him teasingly.

"Promise me you'll be nicer to Ryou." She said, an ultimatum spoken. He snorted, commenting something about a spineless wimp. She smiled, but kept her defiant gaze. He growled, and pulling her back to him, kissed her on the lips, stopping her from giggling.

'Just one more thing', she said to herself, her mind creating images of the ancient Pharaoh in her head, the faces of her friends and a little boy named Yuugi Mutou.

And as Bakura was kissing her hungrily, increasing the passion between them, she thought about them all being friends one more time, before putting her hands behind his neck, and letting the sensations envelope her.

AN:

*a very long sigh*

Well, took me a while to finish this chapter, and I just rewrote it again, correcting some mistakes I've made...

Also, I've noticed (according to reviews) that the last chapter confused lots of you people...I hope I managed to clear some things out in this one...

Well, I must say that I'm pretty tired, and sleepy, and that's it's past 11 pm here now, and that I want to go to bed...

So, till next time,

Good night!

A.S.A