Hmm. It says I've gotten another review in the time it took to watch YuGiOh
and Zoids Fusion or Fuzors or whatever. Eh, it's okay. The blue haired
dude, RD I think, is almost as cute as Bit. ^_^¿ Not a word, Jazz! And Jon,
if by some freak accident you happen to be reading this.. . Yeah. But
back to YuGiOh, the episode on tonight was. uuhhhhh... the beginning of
Yugi VS Ghost Kaiba or whatever he's called. I like Seto's computer. She's
cool. I want a computer like her. ^_^ Well, to the story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tea woke on Christmas morning excited. Last night she had taken over Isis and her stuff to Yugi's. Yami had spent a half an hour just staring at the kitten. Tea made a mental note never to engage a cat in a staring contest.
She quickly jumped in the shower, then went to her closet. She went through her clothes, looking for something to wear. She finally chose a pair of loose black pants and an emerald sweater. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and put on just a bit of makeup. She took the huge tote bag that held all of her gifts and then took her purse and a coat.
A blanket of snow buried the world, muffling every sound. Tea breathed in the crisp air and nearly skipped to Yugi's.
When she arrived it was barely 9 o'clock. She always came really early, because her parents didn't care much for Christmas, and ate a big breakfast with Yugi and Grandpa. She smiled. She knew Grandpa would like the gift she got for him. She had seen it earlier that year and bought it with him in mind.
She knocked on the back door and Tristan let her in.
"Morning!" He said cheerfully. He was in a pair of blue sleeping shorts and a grey t-shirt, having slept over along with Joey. Speaking of...
"HEY GRAMPS! WHENS BREAKFAST! IM HUNGRY!"
"When Tea gets here!" Tea giggles at the reply.
"Am I the last one?" Tea asked as she stepped into the livingroom. She was met with 14 sets of eyes and 14 variations of "Hi Tea, Merry Christmas!".
"Good morning! Merry Christmas, everyone!"
"We can eat now!" Joey cried, jumping up. Mai grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him down.
"Relax kid. Let her put the gifts under the tree first. We have all day." She said coolly. Joey groaned.
"Aww man!"
"It's okay. GO ahead and get everything on the table, I'll be there momentarily."
Everyone made a dash for the diningroom. Or at least, most of the boys did. Seto, Ishizu, Mai, Serenity and Rishid followed at a slower pace. Only Ryou waited up for her.
"Here, let me help. We've sort of sorted things already. Here, this is Yugi's pile, here's Seto's, and.." Ryou helped Tea sort out her gifts and place them in the appropriate piles. Tea swore the gifts piled up covered half the tree. Ryou pointed to an almost hidden corner.
"Isis is there. After we pass out all the gifts and such, then we'll give her to him. Yugi, Yami and Grandpa all know, and I'm sure Ishizu does too, but that's all."
Tea nodded and then went to the diningroom. She was met with a surprisingly ordered scene. No mashed potatoes were on the ceiling, no gravy dripping from the light fixtures, not meatloaf stuck to the walls, but then again, this wasn't Thanksgiving.
She and Ryou sat down in the two remaining seats. The table was a bit cramped, but they managed. Once everyone was settled everyone began passing food around, talking, laughing and generally having a good time. Pancakes, waffles, bacon, ham, country steak and gravy, biscuits, toast, jam, eggs, juices and milk, all breakfast foods of all kinds were devoured within the hour and everyone sat back, full.
"Nope, no lunch for me today. This'll hold me straight through dinner!" Joey exclaimed. Mai made a mock gasp of surprise.
"No! Really? This has NEVER happened! Malik! I think you messed his mind up permanently!" She said sarcastically. Malik laughed.
"Doubt it. I didn't damage his brain, not that it would make much difference..." Malik smirked.
"Ha ha. I'm laughing hysterically, can't you tell?" Joey said in a monotone.
"Now, now CHILDREN." Ishizu said, although she was smiling slightly. Rishid just shook his head.
After breakfast everyone made their way back to the livingroom, scrambling to find a seat.
"Since Tea made us wait to eat, she should have to pass out all the gifts!" Tristan joked.
"Good idea Tristan!" Grandpa grinned. Tea rolled her eyes but stood anyway.
"Now, don't even start to open your gifts until I've passed them all out. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, Mokuba, these are yours.."
A hectic fifteen minutes later, everyone had a pile of gifts.
"You know what.." Ryou spoke up before everyone began opening their packages. "In my family it used to be a tradition that we all take turns opening gifts one at a time."
"That's a good idea Ryou." Ishizu said. She smiled.
"I'll go first. Here, top of my pile..." Grandpa picked up a small box. He glanced at the tag. "From Ishizu Ishtar." He tore off the paper to reveal a pair of reading glasses. Everyone laughed, Grandpa especially. "Joey, why don't you open your gift from Ishizu?" Joey dug around in his pile for the package.
"Let's see.. Oh!" Joey was torn between cheering and turning red. Ishizu had gotten him a pair of Flame Swordsman boxers. This caused more laughter. Joey punched Tristan.
"Your turn Bro!" He said.
"Fine. I got.... eh? What's this?" Tristan held up the bottle.
"It's a special polish designed for motorcycles." Ishizu explained.
"Wow! Awesome! Thanks!"
The opening continued in much the same fashion until everyone only had Ryou and Tea's gifts to open.
"Ryou's gifts first!" Grandpa said, laughing. He opened the octagonal package and was greeted by a box of chocolates.
It seemed that he had much the same idea as Tea for gifts, because Tristan and Joey both got plastic food. Yami got 'Multiple Personality Disorders for Dummies' and Yugi received 'How to deal with Schizophrenia,' both of which were heartily laughed at. Ishizu got a package of Tarot cards, Rishid a bottle of Rogaine, and Malik a book titled 'So you want to take over the World...', which earned him a glare and then a grin. For Seto, he had gotten a pair of fuzzy dice to 'dress up that boring old limo' and Mokuba had gotten a book 'Winning the Girl of Your Dreams' with a cryptic note about teddy bears being good gifts, too. Everyone had laughed at that except Mokuba, who was throughly confused. Mai got a play mirror that lit up and spoke when you pushed one of the plastic jewels, and Duke got a deck of playing cards with instructions to 'learn new tricks'.
Finally Tea got to her gift from him. She opened the small box. She gasped, because inside lay a pretty silver cartouche necklace.
"Wow! This is beautiful!"
"It's a cartouche. That side has your name in English, and the other side-" He reached over and turned the pendant over-" has your name in Egyptian Hieroglyphic symbols." Ryou explained. He helped Tea put it on. Tea smiled.
Finally Tea's gifts. She was trying her hardest to suppress a grin. First, Duke opened his gift, the 'Serenity" doll. He looked stunned for a moment, then started waving it in Tristan's face, taunting him. Tea laughed.
"Okay, Duke! Relax. Tristan, go ahead an open yours." Tea said. Tristan did so and was rewarded with the same thing. He stuck out his tongue at Duke and grinned.
"You next, Yami." Tea said, trying hard not to laugh.
"A top? Wh-Tea! You promised not to mention it!" Yami was half horrified, half greatly amused.
"I said nothing. I just got you a new game to play!" Tea said innocently, while winking at Ryou. He smiled back. Next was Seto. He opened the small box and almost smiled. He lifted out the 'Dragon Summoning Pendant'.
"What is it?" Mokuba asked, curious.
"Apparently it's a dragon summoner." Seto said, actually smiling now. "See what you got now!"
"Well, apparently...." Mokuba laughed. "Apparently Tea want's to relive Easter! She got me a chocolate bunny!" Everyone who was present the previous Easter laughed, while Seto recounted the incident to the others. (See my story YuGiOh Easter) After everyone got control of themselves, Joey opened his.
"Hungry Hungry Hippos? Hey, you think she's trying to tell me something??" Joey asked, laughing. He tagged Yugi.
"Your turn!"
Yugi, catching on to all the gag gifts, opened his warily. He peeled off the wrapping paper to reveal the stilts. He began laughing. He simply couldn't stop laughing long enough to finish unwrapping it. Finally, Yami took it from him and ripped off the last of the paper and showed everyone the gift. There was quite a bit of laughter before Yugi finally tagged Grandpa.
"I think you are the only one who I gave a sane gift." Tea remarked.
"Well, we'll see." Grandpa said, peeling the paper off carefully. It revealed a holographic Blue Eyes White Dragon plaque. He smiled.
"Thank you Tea." He said, immediately getting up to hang it on the wall. He set it on the fireplace mantle.
"How about you Mai?"
"Okay." She opened the package and saw the lipstick. She smiled.
"You know what I like, don't you Tea?" She teased. "I think I got the most useful gift." Tea just smiled.
"How aobut you, Ishizu?"
"Alright." Ishizu opened her with a knowing smile. "You know, I do belive Ryou and Tea are trying to tell me something.." She held up the crystal ball for the others to see, and they laughed.
"You next, Rishid."
He nodded. He opened the box and looked at the wig.
"I do believe that Ryou and Tea are trying to inform me of something as well." He said, jokingly placing the wing on his head. It looked very weird, so he took it off. Everyone, Rishid included, was laughing.
"You next, Malik."
"I'm almost scared." Malik said, opening the tiny box.
"A Hypnotist Pendant? I don't believe I'll need it!" Malik joked. "But thanks for thinking of my world conquest plans, Tea! Ryou, you next!"
"I have a feeling this will have something to do with something embarrassing that has happened to me..." Ryou sweatdropped as he was about the open the large box.
He finally got it open and the inflatable boulder(un-inflated, of course), and the skeleton stared up at him. Ryou just started laughing. He, much like Yugi, couldn't stop laughing. Bakura peeked into the box and started laughing, too.
"What is it?" Malik asked.
Tristan got the joke, of course, he was there. He pulled the skeleton out and draped it over Ryou's back. Ryou was too busy laughing to notice. When he finally calmed down enough to notice he jumped, and then made to attack Tristan.
Now that the gifts all were open, Tea looked at Bakura.
"I got a special gift for you, Bakura. Ryou?"
Ryou nodded and pulled the carrier out from the little corner and set it in Bakura's lap.
Everyone watched apprehensively as Bakura opened it and peered inside. There was a mew and what sounded like some scratching as Bakura lifted her out. He held her up and looked at her name tag, then began laughing. Not an evil laugh, but one of genuine happiness. Many of the room's inhabitants were shocked, namely Mai, Joey, Tristan, Yugi, Grandpa, and Duke. The ones who were not familiar with the ancient custom of worshipping cats.
"She's beautiful Tea. Thank you." He half-whispered, holding the content kitten close and stroking her fur. Tea smiled.
"You're welcome, Bakura.
"Now that all the gifts are given, it's dinnertime!" Grandpa announced. He had been in and out all day, preparing a little here and there. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was nearly 5. Everyone trooped to the dining room again for dinner. Isis sat happily in Bakura's lap the entire time. Throughout dinner, the conversation consisted mostly of repeated thanks for gifts, laughs over gifts, and plans for what to do with their gifts, etc. Mokuba was looking particualrly sneaky, glancing about.
Halfway through the meal there came a knock at the door. Grandpa went to answer it, and moments later returned, followed by a petite brunette teenager.
"Serenity!" Joey jumped up and hugged his little sister. "I thought you were staying with mom for Christmas?"
"Hi big brother! Hi everyone! I can't stay long, Mom is waiting out in the car. I just wanted to come by and thank you all for your gifts personally."
"You're welcome, Serenity." Cane several replies.
"Hey, Serenity... I'm glad you were able to drop by. I miss you little sister." Joey hugged her again. He walked her to the door and bid farewell. He nodded to his mom, who gave a slight smile in return before they left. Joey walked back and returned to his plate, all the happier for seeing his sister.
After dinner and desert everyone was in the living room again, sipping on hot chocolate or coffee, depending on wether you were over 24 or a CEO of a major gaming company. A fire was now roaring in the fireplace, bathing the room in a warm, flickering glow.
"Humph. Coffee give you wrinkles." Mai said as she sipped her hot coco. Ishizu rolled her eyes.
"Hey, where's Mokuba?" Seto suddenly asked. Everyone glanced around. Mokuba reentered the room, hiding his hands behind his back.
"I'm here. I had to use the bathroom." Mokuba explained. Seto nodded. Mokuba glanced around the room, scanning for a victim.. Or victims... Mai and Joey were sharing a loveseat, Tea and Ryou were sharing another under the window. You could see fat, white flakes falling from the sky again. Bakura was playing with Isis and letting her pounce on various bits of wrapping paper still left on the floor. Rishid and Ishizu were talking to Seto about the Japanese school system. Grandpa, Yugi, Yami, and Tristan were talking about Dungeon Dice Monsters with Duke.
"KISSY KISSY!" Mokuba pounced on the back of the loveseat where Mai and Joey were seated, holding a sprig of mistletoe above their heads. Joey turned red.
"Oh Joey, don't be such a baby. Come here!" Mai pulled him to her and kissed him full on the lips. When she pulled away she grinned.
"I've wanted an excuse to do that for a while." She said. Everyone laughed. Except Joey, he was still in shock. Tea smiled at the two. Their mutual attraction was painfully obvious. She suddenly became aware of the music that Grandpa had put on in the background.
'It must have been the mistletoe, the lazy fire, the falling snow, the magic in the frosty air, that made me love you.'
She jumped slightly, and looked up at Ryou. Their eyes met. Tea blushed slightly and looked away, though she unconsciously shifted closed to him. Mokuba zeroed in on his next victims.
"Tea! Ryou! Kissy Kissy!"
"Mokuba, who on earth gave you sugar??" Seto asked exasperatedly. Mokuba pointed to Grandpa, who whistled innocently. Mokuba was still sitting on the back of Tea and Ryou's loveseat.
"Aww, come on! Please! It's mistletoe!" Mokuba begged, brining out his puppy eyes.
"Alright fine!" Tea and Ryou said good humoredly.
They leaned closed and their lips met in a short but sweet kiss.
"Awwwwww! How cute!" Mokuba grinned, skipping off. Ryou and Tea were both acutely aware of the last few lines of the song.
'The night I fell in love with you, it only took one kiss to know, It must have been the Mistletoe...'
~~
The next morning Tea got up out of her own bed, refreshed and glad to start the day. Ryou and her had made arrangements to meet to discuss what was happening between them, "Not that I'm averse to it!" as Ryou said.
Suddenly the phone rang. Tea picked it up.
"Hello, Gardener residence?"
"TEA GARDENER WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS LIPSTICK YOU GAVE ME!?!??!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And the rest is... Well, to be continued. Should I do New Years too? I'll work on Thanksgiving tomorra. Well, R+R!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tea woke on Christmas morning excited. Last night she had taken over Isis and her stuff to Yugi's. Yami had spent a half an hour just staring at the kitten. Tea made a mental note never to engage a cat in a staring contest.
She quickly jumped in the shower, then went to her closet. She went through her clothes, looking for something to wear. She finally chose a pair of loose black pants and an emerald sweater. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and put on just a bit of makeup. She took the huge tote bag that held all of her gifts and then took her purse and a coat.
A blanket of snow buried the world, muffling every sound. Tea breathed in the crisp air and nearly skipped to Yugi's.
When she arrived it was barely 9 o'clock. She always came really early, because her parents didn't care much for Christmas, and ate a big breakfast with Yugi and Grandpa. She smiled. She knew Grandpa would like the gift she got for him. She had seen it earlier that year and bought it with him in mind.
She knocked on the back door and Tristan let her in.
"Morning!" He said cheerfully. He was in a pair of blue sleeping shorts and a grey t-shirt, having slept over along with Joey. Speaking of...
"HEY GRAMPS! WHENS BREAKFAST! IM HUNGRY!"
"When Tea gets here!" Tea giggles at the reply.
"Am I the last one?" Tea asked as she stepped into the livingroom. She was met with 14 sets of eyes and 14 variations of "Hi Tea, Merry Christmas!".
"Good morning! Merry Christmas, everyone!"
"We can eat now!" Joey cried, jumping up. Mai grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him down.
"Relax kid. Let her put the gifts under the tree first. We have all day." She said coolly. Joey groaned.
"Aww man!"
"It's okay. GO ahead and get everything on the table, I'll be there momentarily."
Everyone made a dash for the diningroom. Or at least, most of the boys did. Seto, Ishizu, Mai, Serenity and Rishid followed at a slower pace. Only Ryou waited up for her.
"Here, let me help. We've sort of sorted things already. Here, this is Yugi's pile, here's Seto's, and.." Ryou helped Tea sort out her gifts and place them in the appropriate piles. Tea swore the gifts piled up covered half the tree. Ryou pointed to an almost hidden corner.
"Isis is there. After we pass out all the gifts and such, then we'll give her to him. Yugi, Yami and Grandpa all know, and I'm sure Ishizu does too, but that's all."
Tea nodded and then went to the diningroom. She was met with a surprisingly ordered scene. No mashed potatoes were on the ceiling, no gravy dripping from the light fixtures, not meatloaf stuck to the walls, but then again, this wasn't Thanksgiving.
She and Ryou sat down in the two remaining seats. The table was a bit cramped, but they managed. Once everyone was settled everyone began passing food around, talking, laughing and generally having a good time. Pancakes, waffles, bacon, ham, country steak and gravy, biscuits, toast, jam, eggs, juices and milk, all breakfast foods of all kinds were devoured within the hour and everyone sat back, full.
"Nope, no lunch for me today. This'll hold me straight through dinner!" Joey exclaimed. Mai made a mock gasp of surprise.
"No! Really? This has NEVER happened! Malik! I think you messed his mind up permanently!" She said sarcastically. Malik laughed.
"Doubt it. I didn't damage his brain, not that it would make much difference..." Malik smirked.
"Ha ha. I'm laughing hysterically, can't you tell?" Joey said in a monotone.
"Now, now CHILDREN." Ishizu said, although she was smiling slightly. Rishid just shook his head.
After breakfast everyone made their way back to the livingroom, scrambling to find a seat.
"Since Tea made us wait to eat, she should have to pass out all the gifts!" Tristan joked.
"Good idea Tristan!" Grandpa grinned. Tea rolled her eyes but stood anyway.
"Now, don't even start to open your gifts until I've passed them all out. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, Mokuba, these are yours.."
A hectic fifteen minutes later, everyone had a pile of gifts.
"You know what.." Ryou spoke up before everyone began opening their packages. "In my family it used to be a tradition that we all take turns opening gifts one at a time."
"That's a good idea Ryou." Ishizu said. She smiled.
"I'll go first. Here, top of my pile..." Grandpa picked up a small box. He glanced at the tag. "From Ishizu Ishtar." He tore off the paper to reveal a pair of reading glasses. Everyone laughed, Grandpa especially. "Joey, why don't you open your gift from Ishizu?" Joey dug around in his pile for the package.
"Let's see.. Oh!" Joey was torn between cheering and turning red. Ishizu had gotten him a pair of Flame Swordsman boxers. This caused more laughter. Joey punched Tristan.
"Your turn Bro!" He said.
"Fine. I got.... eh? What's this?" Tristan held up the bottle.
"It's a special polish designed for motorcycles." Ishizu explained.
"Wow! Awesome! Thanks!"
The opening continued in much the same fashion until everyone only had Ryou and Tea's gifts to open.
"Ryou's gifts first!" Grandpa said, laughing. He opened the octagonal package and was greeted by a box of chocolates.
It seemed that he had much the same idea as Tea for gifts, because Tristan and Joey both got plastic food. Yami got 'Multiple Personality Disorders for Dummies' and Yugi received 'How to deal with Schizophrenia,' both of which were heartily laughed at. Ishizu got a package of Tarot cards, Rishid a bottle of Rogaine, and Malik a book titled 'So you want to take over the World...', which earned him a glare and then a grin. For Seto, he had gotten a pair of fuzzy dice to 'dress up that boring old limo' and Mokuba had gotten a book 'Winning the Girl of Your Dreams' with a cryptic note about teddy bears being good gifts, too. Everyone had laughed at that except Mokuba, who was throughly confused. Mai got a play mirror that lit up and spoke when you pushed one of the plastic jewels, and Duke got a deck of playing cards with instructions to 'learn new tricks'.
Finally Tea got to her gift from him. She opened the small box. She gasped, because inside lay a pretty silver cartouche necklace.
"Wow! This is beautiful!"
"It's a cartouche. That side has your name in English, and the other side-" He reached over and turned the pendant over-" has your name in Egyptian Hieroglyphic symbols." Ryou explained. He helped Tea put it on. Tea smiled.
Finally Tea's gifts. She was trying her hardest to suppress a grin. First, Duke opened his gift, the 'Serenity" doll. He looked stunned for a moment, then started waving it in Tristan's face, taunting him. Tea laughed.
"Okay, Duke! Relax. Tristan, go ahead an open yours." Tea said. Tristan did so and was rewarded with the same thing. He stuck out his tongue at Duke and grinned.
"You next, Yami." Tea said, trying hard not to laugh.
"A top? Wh-Tea! You promised not to mention it!" Yami was half horrified, half greatly amused.
"I said nothing. I just got you a new game to play!" Tea said innocently, while winking at Ryou. He smiled back. Next was Seto. He opened the small box and almost smiled. He lifted out the 'Dragon Summoning Pendant'.
"What is it?" Mokuba asked, curious.
"Apparently it's a dragon summoner." Seto said, actually smiling now. "See what you got now!"
"Well, apparently...." Mokuba laughed. "Apparently Tea want's to relive Easter! She got me a chocolate bunny!" Everyone who was present the previous Easter laughed, while Seto recounted the incident to the others. (See my story YuGiOh Easter) After everyone got control of themselves, Joey opened his.
"Hungry Hungry Hippos? Hey, you think she's trying to tell me something??" Joey asked, laughing. He tagged Yugi.
"Your turn!"
Yugi, catching on to all the gag gifts, opened his warily. He peeled off the wrapping paper to reveal the stilts. He began laughing. He simply couldn't stop laughing long enough to finish unwrapping it. Finally, Yami took it from him and ripped off the last of the paper and showed everyone the gift. There was quite a bit of laughter before Yugi finally tagged Grandpa.
"I think you are the only one who I gave a sane gift." Tea remarked.
"Well, we'll see." Grandpa said, peeling the paper off carefully. It revealed a holographic Blue Eyes White Dragon plaque. He smiled.
"Thank you Tea." He said, immediately getting up to hang it on the wall. He set it on the fireplace mantle.
"How about you Mai?"
"Okay." She opened the package and saw the lipstick. She smiled.
"You know what I like, don't you Tea?" She teased. "I think I got the most useful gift." Tea just smiled.
"How aobut you, Ishizu?"
"Alright." Ishizu opened her with a knowing smile. "You know, I do belive Ryou and Tea are trying to tell me something.." She held up the crystal ball for the others to see, and they laughed.
"You next, Rishid."
He nodded. He opened the box and looked at the wig.
"I do believe that Ryou and Tea are trying to inform me of something as well." He said, jokingly placing the wing on his head. It looked very weird, so he took it off. Everyone, Rishid included, was laughing.
"You next, Malik."
"I'm almost scared." Malik said, opening the tiny box.
"A Hypnotist Pendant? I don't believe I'll need it!" Malik joked. "But thanks for thinking of my world conquest plans, Tea! Ryou, you next!"
"I have a feeling this will have something to do with something embarrassing that has happened to me..." Ryou sweatdropped as he was about the open the large box.
He finally got it open and the inflatable boulder(un-inflated, of course), and the skeleton stared up at him. Ryou just started laughing. He, much like Yugi, couldn't stop laughing. Bakura peeked into the box and started laughing, too.
"What is it?" Malik asked.
Tristan got the joke, of course, he was there. He pulled the skeleton out and draped it over Ryou's back. Ryou was too busy laughing to notice. When he finally calmed down enough to notice he jumped, and then made to attack Tristan.
Now that the gifts all were open, Tea looked at Bakura.
"I got a special gift for you, Bakura. Ryou?"
Ryou nodded and pulled the carrier out from the little corner and set it in Bakura's lap.
Everyone watched apprehensively as Bakura opened it and peered inside. There was a mew and what sounded like some scratching as Bakura lifted her out. He held her up and looked at her name tag, then began laughing. Not an evil laugh, but one of genuine happiness. Many of the room's inhabitants were shocked, namely Mai, Joey, Tristan, Yugi, Grandpa, and Duke. The ones who were not familiar with the ancient custom of worshipping cats.
"She's beautiful Tea. Thank you." He half-whispered, holding the content kitten close and stroking her fur. Tea smiled.
"You're welcome, Bakura.
"Now that all the gifts are given, it's dinnertime!" Grandpa announced. He had been in and out all day, preparing a little here and there. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was nearly 5. Everyone trooped to the dining room again for dinner. Isis sat happily in Bakura's lap the entire time. Throughout dinner, the conversation consisted mostly of repeated thanks for gifts, laughs over gifts, and plans for what to do with their gifts, etc. Mokuba was looking particualrly sneaky, glancing about.
Halfway through the meal there came a knock at the door. Grandpa went to answer it, and moments later returned, followed by a petite brunette teenager.
"Serenity!" Joey jumped up and hugged his little sister. "I thought you were staying with mom for Christmas?"
"Hi big brother! Hi everyone! I can't stay long, Mom is waiting out in the car. I just wanted to come by and thank you all for your gifts personally."
"You're welcome, Serenity." Cane several replies.
"Hey, Serenity... I'm glad you were able to drop by. I miss you little sister." Joey hugged her again. He walked her to the door and bid farewell. He nodded to his mom, who gave a slight smile in return before they left. Joey walked back and returned to his plate, all the happier for seeing his sister.
After dinner and desert everyone was in the living room again, sipping on hot chocolate or coffee, depending on wether you were over 24 or a CEO of a major gaming company. A fire was now roaring in the fireplace, bathing the room in a warm, flickering glow.
"Humph. Coffee give you wrinkles." Mai said as she sipped her hot coco. Ishizu rolled her eyes.
"Hey, where's Mokuba?" Seto suddenly asked. Everyone glanced around. Mokuba reentered the room, hiding his hands behind his back.
"I'm here. I had to use the bathroom." Mokuba explained. Seto nodded. Mokuba glanced around the room, scanning for a victim.. Or victims... Mai and Joey were sharing a loveseat, Tea and Ryou were sharing another under the window. You could see fat, white flakes falling from the sky again. Bakura was playing with Isis and letting her pounce on various bits of wrapping paper still left on the floor. Rishid and Ishizu were talking to Seto about the Japanese school system. Grandpa, Yugi, Yami, and Tristan were talking about Dungeon Dice Monsters with Duke.
"KISSY KISSY!" Mokuba pounced on the back of the loveseat where Mai and Joey were seated, holding a sprig of mistletoe above their heads. Joey turned red.
"Oh Joey, don't be such a baby. Come here!" Mai pulled him to her and kissed him full on the lips. When she pulled away she grinned.
"I've wanted an excuse to do that for a while." She said. Everyone laughed. Except Joey, he was still in shock. Tea smiled at the two. Their mutual attraction was painfully obvious. She suddenly became aware of the music that Grandpa had put on in the background.
'It must have been the mistletoe, the lazy fire, the falling snow, the magic in the frosty air, that made me love you.'
She jumped slightly, and looked up at Ryou. Their eyes met. Tea blushed slightly and looked away, though she unconsciously shifted closed to him. Mokuba zeroed in on his next victims.
"Tea! Ryou! Kissy Kissy!"
"Mokuba, who on earth gave you sugar??" Seto asked exasperatedly. Mokuba pointed to Grandpa, who whistled innocently. Mokuba was still sitting on the back of Tea and Ryou's loveseat.
"Aww, come on! Please! It's mistletoe!" Mokuba begged, brining out his puppy eyes.
"Alright fine!" Tea and Ryou said good humoredly.
They leaned closed and their lips met in a short but sweet kiss.
"Awwwwww! How cute!" Mokuba grinned, skipping off. Ryou and Tea were both acutely aware of the last few lines of the song.
'The night I fell in love with you, it only took one kiss to know, It must have been the Mistletoe...'
~~
The next morning Tea got up out of her own bed, refreshed and glad to start the day. Ryou and her had made arrangements to meet to discuss what was happening between them, "Not that I'm averse to it!" as Ryou said.
Suddenly the phone rang. Tea picked it up.
"Hello, Gardener residence?"
"TEA GARDENER WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS LIPSTICK YOU GAVE ME!?!??!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And the rest is... Well, to be continued. Should I do New Years too? I'll work on Thanksgiving tomorra. Well, R+R!!!