The Ties of Friendship
I'm making this up, just so you know: ^_^() When Yugi and Yami separate bodies, they lose the mind link. Yami's body is only in spirit form and he can't stay out of it long. That's all, enjoy the chapter! (I hope…)
Warning: Sappiness to the point of throwing up. ^_^
*~*~*
"I look like a dork," Yugi announced.
"What's a dork?" Yami asked absently. He'd separated from Yugi and was currently playing with the springs in the mattress while his hikari dressed for his grandfather's dinner.
Yugi sighed. "Never mind." He eyed himself with loathing in the mirror; Grandpa had insisted on wearing khakis and a plaid shirt. He supposed some people could pull off the look; but it clashed horribly with his hair. He wanted so much to wear the tight, comforting leather he was accustomed to, but his grandfather answered that with a strict 'no.' He'd said no to jewelry, too, except for the Millennium Puzzle.
"Does it have anything to do with those clothes?" Yami asked helpfully. "Because it's really not a good look for you."
"Thanks," Yugi said, scowling. "I know that. But Grandpa's old friends don't like to see young men wearing leather. So he's making me 'dress up' to give them a good impression."
"Oh. So you said I can stay out of the puzzle tonight?"
Yugi sighed. "Sure, go ahead. But I'll miss talking with you. Things will be boring."
"Thanks, Yugi!" Yami said happily, jumping up on the bed.
"Just don't destroy anything!" Yugi shot over his shoulder.
After the door closed, Yami let himself grin. As if his hikari's room could get any messier anyway.
*~*~*
"Rebecca!" Arthur scolded the girl as she entered the house, face flushed. "We have to go eat dinner with my friend tonight!"
"I'm on time," she protested.
"Barely," he answered her, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I bought you some clothes… will you wear them?"
She raised an eyebrow. As far as dressing went, she was pretty conservative, but then again it was a far shot from the types of clothes her grandmother must have worn. "May…be…" she said slowly.
He grinned, and indicated the chair behind him. She stifled her groan when she saw a frilly pink dress. "Oh, Grandpa…" she began.
"Come on, Rebecca," he said pleadingly, "It's just like the dress your grandmother was wearing when I first met her."
Ha! She knew it. But now he was putting her on the guilt trip… "She looked like an angel," he was saying. "When I first saw her, it was a breezy afternoon in the park. By some trick of the wind, her hair was floating around her head, and I swear that for a moment, as the sun set behind her, I saw white wings spreading from her back…" His eyes misted over and he stared into space dreamily.
Rebecca twisted her lips and eyed the dress. It wasn't all that bad, she supposed… The sleeves were white, with ribbons trailing from them. And the dress wasn't so much frilly as flowing, which was nice. It would cling to her upper body, she could tell, and then stretch out and fall in waves around her legs. It looked comfortable, at least. "I'll wear it," she said, trying to keep the reluctance out of her voice. She took the dress carefully and went to change in the bathroom.
When she looked in the mirror, she let out a gasp. The dress did indeed cling to her… assets, making her very grateful that there would be no teenage boys at dinner than night and that her grandfather chose nice friends. But all these thoughts were second to the realization that she recognized the dress.
It was the same dress the blonde girl was wearing on the Ties of Friendship card.
The realization stunned Rebecca into silence for a few minutes, and she simply nodded when her grandfather complimented her beauty in the dress. It wasn't until they were in the car that she broke out of her reverie and thought to ask who they were having dinner with.
"Is it anyone I've met?" she asked cheerfully, smoothing down her skirt and remembering some of her grandfather's friends' visits from when they were staying in Las Vegas.
"Oh, yes," Arthur responded, equally cheerful. "Solomon Moto, you remember him? My old friend from our archaeology trip in Egypt. I believe you met him last time we were in Domino."
Rebecca paled. Yugi.
"They live close," Arthur remarked, seemingly oblivious. However, he peeked in the mirror at his granddaughter's expression, and the girl was too lost in thought to notice. "Right in that house over there."
Panicked thoughts of running away flashed through Rebecca's mind. She didn't want Yugi to see her! Not in this dress! And not after she broke away, embarrassed and confused, from their little group after Yugi's mysterious… whatever.
When she stepped out of the car, the wind suddenly decided to pick up. Instinctively, she brushed her hair impatiently away from her face. Great. She was going to have to face Yugi Moto in a far-too-revealing dress only a few hours after she ran away from him with no more than a "gotta go, bye," and only a few more hours after she dreamt about those haunting eyes, and she was going to have to do it with wild hair. Perfectly perfect.
*~*~*
"I'll get it," Yugi called as the doorbell rang. His response was some muttering from his grandfather in the kitchen, who was trying to cook… well, Yugi didn't really know what it was. Some fancy Italian dish, or so Solomon claimed.
He smoothed down the front of his dorky shirt and plastered a smile on his face. He yanked open the door, and his jaw dropped.
He didn't see Arthur Hawkins, who had discreetly stepped to the side. His attention was focused wholly on the girl in front of him, standing delicately with her eyes half-closed. She was wearing a gorgeous, flowing pink-and-white dress. The wind swirled around her, making the ribbons on her dress dance elegantly around her body and her blonde hair seem to float in the sky. And for a moment… as the sun set behind the girl and she seemed to shine of golden rays… Yugi could have sworn she had pure white wings.
The lines of reality and fiction seemed blurred. It was the Ties of Friendship card. But as the girl slowly opened her eyes, and shining blue-green orbs focused on him, he recognized the beauty in front of him as the new owner and likeness of the Ties of Friendship. Rebecca, he tried to say, but words wouldn't form.
*~*~*
She sat tensely at the table, listening to Yugi and her grandfather chat easily about the newest duel monster. Well, she was glad that someone could relax.
"Arthur!" Solomon cried from the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm sorry I couldn't come right out and greet you; I was having a bit of trouble with this food."
"Oh, that's perfectly all right," Professor Hawkins beamed, rising and embracing his friend. "Let me help you with the food."
"Oh, it's all set," Solomon beamed back. "I'll carry it in, just give me a second…"
"I'll help you," Arthur insisted, following the shorter man into the kitchen.
Rebecca stared determinedly at her placemat. After a while, she couldn't take it anymore, and quickly glanced up, to find Yugi staring at her, transfixed. Cheeks burning, she looked back down. She waited a few seconds, trying to find something to say, and had just decided to apologize for running off earlier when the kitchen door swung open and the grandfathers came in with large silver platters.
"This is wonderful!" Arthur beamed, setting the plate down in between Rebecca and Yugi. She glanced at the food. Spaghetti… meatballs… and garlic bread.
Yugi suddenly smiled. "I see what you mean, Grandpa," he teased. "A fancy Italian dish. No wonder you were struggling so much with it."
"Ah, this is master spaghetti!" Solomon cried, grinning broadly.
Rebecca gritted her teeth as she passed her plate for Solomon to serve. Sure, it was one of her favorite meals, but not with Yugi around. Spaghetti, so she could make a fool of herself trying to cram it into her mouth. Meatballs dripping with sauce, so she could spill it all over herself. And garlic bread, so she could stink Yugi out. Again, perfectly perfect.
*~*~*
By the way… I did have a reason for putting Rebecca in her grandmother's dress/Ties of Friendship dress. It relates as well to the bed, and the talking about 'dreaming in the bed'. Sorry, but that's one of those obnoxious side stories I know about, for plot purposes, but will never actually tell the readers. ¬¬()
Also: I referred to her eyes as blue-green. Actually, I didn't really know how to describe them. I found a picture, and blew it up. They're really, really pretty. I don't think we get to see enough of them in the show. ^.^() Sort of sea-blue, fading to sea green, with a little bit of gold along the edge. ^^; Of course, I had to enlarge the picture about 10 times to see them well!