The Ties of Friendship
See previous chapters for important author's notes and disclaimer.
Ryou Bakura is simply called Bakura in this fic, as his yami isn't (directly) in it.
//Hey, hikari, what's up?// = Yami talking to Yugi. And, um, don't worry, he won't really talk like that. ^_^() Me and my weird sense of humor…
/Buzz off, Yami/ = Yugi talking to Yami. See previous sheepish comment.
Giant thanks to Morning Mist for your advice! Please let me know if this chapter works. ^_^
*~*~*
"You've sure grown up," Téa said, smiling. "I remember when we last saw you."
Rebecca flushed and laughed a little. "I still have Mr Teddy," she confessed.
Tristan had recovered from his shock fairly quickly, and now laughed. "I remember that little guy. How is he?" However, Joey still stood still, his jaw hanging slightly open. This was Rebecca? That obnoxious brat? Well, time had sure been friendly to her.
Rebecca reached around and patted her knapsack. "Tired," she said, winking at Tristan. "He did a lot of traveling today."
"Sorry, but I don't believe we've met," Bakura interrupted shyly.
"I don't think so," Rebecca said, stretching out her hand. "I'm Rebecca Hawkins."
Bakura took her hand, his brow crinkling slightly. "I'm Ryou Bakura… I think I've heard your name before."
"Was it from us?" Téa asked the white-haired boy. Bakura shook his head negatively.
"No, it was on the news. My yami was watching TV last night; he said he was looking for good duelists. You just won the Big Apple Tournament, didn't you?" he addressed Rebecca. "In New York City?"
Rebecca, though wondering who his 'yami' was, nodded with a small smile.
"That last match was brilliant!" Bakura said excitedly, and Téa and Tristan exchanged smiles. There was nothing like a good duel to bring Bakura out of his shell. "I'd never even heard of some of your opponent's cards."
"I hadn't either!" Rebecca said, her eyes growing bright. "I almost lost that duel when he activated the final trap card. I hadn't realized that it affected both my monsters."
Joey was watching Yugi out of the corner of his eye. His friend was staring at the Ties of Friendship card, his lips moving soundlessly. Joey wondered what Yugi was saying to himself, but was forced to break his out of his reverie. "You might want to give Rebecca the card back," Joey whispered.
Yugi's head snapped up. "Huh? Oh- right…" his voice trailed away sheepishly as everyone turned to look at him. Slowly, he extended his hand to Rebecca.
Even more slowly, she took the card from him once again. "Thanks," she meant to say, but it got caught somewhere in her throat. Honestly, she couldn't figure out why she was acting this way! Or why all of a sudden Yugi Moto looked so cute…
Yugi's thoughts were along the same lines. Sure, he'd noticed pretty girls before – and so what if Rebecca was the prettiest? And of course he'd been attracted to some good duelists before – and so what if she was one of the top-ten world players? And he'd gotten flustered around some girls before, but he couldn't figure out why he was so nervous now.
//You know, hikari, I believe you've answered your own question//
/What? What's that supposed to mean?/
A quiet laugh. //She's talking to you, Yugi. You'd better pay attention//
Yugi snapped to attention. "Oh, I'm sorry, Rebecca. What did you say?"
"I said thank you," she said, ducking her head as she tucked the Ties of Friendship into her deck belt. "For… everything."
Téa's forehead crinkled a little, but Yugi understood perfectly. "You're welcome. And thank you." With a sigh of relief, Yugi realized he'd stopped blushing.
Her mouth opened to ask "for what?", but Rebecca managed to stop herself in time. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and smiled at Yugi.
"I'm starving," Joey whined, breaking the mood. Téa shot him an irritated look. Boys. Couldn't he see that Yugi and Rebecca were having a 'moment'?
"Didn't you just finish eating?" Tristan asked, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, I did," Joey replied indignantly. "And you know what that means… dessert!"
Téa rubbed her forehead and grinned at Yugi and Rebecca. "The two of them will never change," she said, grinning.
"Some things never do change," Yugi said softly.
//And some things change too much for your liking, right, hikari? Or is the appropriate word 'grow.'//
/Yeah… she's grown too much for my liking. I don't know why, but it makes me feel uncomfortable/
//You know, you need to get out more//
/So says the spirit possessing my jewelry!/
//That was low, Yugi//
Yugi suppressed a grin at the hint of amusement he felt coming from his Yami. "So, ice cream it is!" he chirped. "And that ice cream palace is right down the street."
"Now I know why Joey and Tristan insisted on coming here," Téa teased gently, grinning at the two boys, who were already inching down the road. "Do you want to come with us, Rebecca?"
Yugi felt immediately relieved; he hadn't known how to ask.
"Oh! Um, I'd like to, but I haven't even had lunch," Rebecca confessed, a little surprised. She'd been caught off guard by the request, which was unusual for a duelist like her.
"Lunch, smunch," Joey said, cuffing Tristan in the head when he smirked at Joey's comment. "Ice cream is the way to go!"
"Come with us," Téa urged. "You can't leave me alone with these pigs."
"Not all of us are pigs," Bakura grumbled, and Yugi crossed his arms, mock-scowling.
"I'll come," Rebecca decided, instantly regretting her words. But then again, what else was there for her to do? She needed to kill three hours before returning to the airport.
*~*~*
She took a spoonful of ice cream and pondered the cards in her hand. She and Bakura had decided to play a friendly game of duel monsters as Joey and Tristan competed to finish their giant sundaes. Téa kept score on one of the napkins, and Yugi was sitting between Rebecca and Tristan, trying to avoid both being sprayed by ice cream and pressing too hard against Rebecca's arm.
She had one monster on the field – Giant Soldier of Stone – and two trap cards that wouldn't be helpful yet. Bakura had gotten his Earl of Demise out, and his Headless Knight was also on the field, in defense mode.
In her hand was Shadow Ghoul, and she had eight monsters in the graveyard. She wanted to tribute for it, but wasn't sure if Bakura's one face down card was a trap.
Figuring that she couldn't afford to waste another turn, she went ahead and tributed.
"Hey, I remember that card!" Joey said thickly, though a mouthful of ice cream and fudge.
"How could you forget it?" Téa asked, giggling a little. Yugi simply looked at it in interest.
"Oh, dear," Bakura sighed. "How many monsters are in your graveyard?"
"Eight," Rebecca revealed, glad his card wasn't a trap, or he would have activated it already. "And that makes my attack…"
"Twenty-six hundred," Bakura filled in, sighing a little. "And I lose six hundred life points. How many did I have, Téa?"
"Five hundred," she announced, putting down the pen. "Rebecca wins."
"What was your face-down card?" Rebecca asked immediately. Instead of waiting for Bakura, she reached over the table herself to grab it.
But her hand was stopped mid-air by another. "Hey!" she snapped, forgetting herself for a moment. "What are you-" she stopped suddenly, looking up to see the reproachful eyes of Yugi, though he looked shocked that he had grabbed her wrist as well.
"You shouldn't touch other people's cards without their permission," he cautioned, releasing her wrist quickly.
She flushed, embarrassed and a little annoyed. "You don't have to keep trying to teach me things," she grumbled. "Yeah, very noble of you and all, but honestly."
He remained silent. "Sorry," he finally said, making Rebecca immediately feel ashamed.
"No, I'm sorry, Yugi," she muttered. "You're right, I'm too impatient. I always have been."
Joey snickered. "You have always been," he said while shoveling ice cream into his mouth. "But that's okay. I can be pretty impatient, too."
"That's an understatement," Tristan remarked, stealing a spoon of Joey's ice cream.
"Back off! You have your own!"
"Well, what was your face down card, Bakura?" Yugi asked. With those words, Rebecca felt… something. An air of peace, of neutrality fell over her and Yugi. She smiled inwardly. He'd made peace with her once before, and he was doing it again. What an amazing person…
Bakura flipped over the card to reveal the Change of Heart.
"Oh!" Rebecca said, surprised. "Good thing I beat you this turn, then. Or you probably would have crushed me."
Bakura shrugged, gathering up his cards. "You're a strong duelist," he said modestly. "I think that I got this far was mostly luck."
Rebecca shook her head, swiftly sweeping up her cards. "Do you play professionally at all?"
Bakura shook his head shyly. "No. Actually, I don't play much at all. Usually just with my yami."
Rebecca opened her mouth to ask again who his yami was, but was interrupted by Téa's shriek.
"Joey Wheeler! The ice cream goes into your mouth!"
*~*~*
Two hours later, Rebecca regretfully parted with Yugi. … That is, Yugi and Téa and Joey and Tristan and Bakura. … Right.
"I need to go get my baggage from the airport," she explained. "But maybe I'll see you around town."
Yugi, for the third time that hour, tried to ask her where she was staying, but again the words got stuck in his throat.
/Yami? When I get home, can we have a talk?/
A low laugh. //Sure, hikari.//
"Bye, everyone!" Rebecca said cheerfully.
"Bye," Yugi responded automatically. "I hope I'll see you around, Rebecca."
Rebecca had already turned her back, but she lifted her hand in parting.
"She's sure changed," Tristan remarked once the girl had turned the corner.
"And I think some of us are noticing more than others," Joey teased, draping an arm around Yugi's shoulders and mussing his hair.
"Joey!" Yugi cried.
*~*~*
First off: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Whether you did it on your own or because I begged you, you are all fabulous! ^_^ Now, a couple people brought up similar issues that I'll try and address below-
About the ship: I really don't know why I chose Yugi/Rebecca. ::whacks plot bunny:: But I'm so glad people seem to like it! ^_____^ It's kawaii, I think, but I am glad I twisted their ages around. ::sweatdrop::
About updates: I'll update once a week, either Fridays or Saturdays. And don't worry, I have no intention of giving up this story. ::whispers:: Actually, I have most of it written already. I'll use the week to review chapters and take comments into consideration.
About the 'evil cliffhanger': Whoops! Believe it or not, I didn't realize it was that… cliff-hangy. ^_^() But then again, why would I? I know all. ::laugh that sounds strangely like Yami Bakura::
Please keep on reviewing; you made my day! If you need an incentive, I've got virtual Yugi plushies! (Or Seto plushies… coughMamonocough) ^_^()