Four
# CW: Hey there! Enjoying it so far? Then keep reading, 'cos there's more to come! #
'Good luck, Joey!' Serenity called after her older brother as he closed the door of the apartment behind him.
Joey finally had time to think as he wandered ever closer to his upcoming 'date'. There was a definite problem.
When the time came, would he be able to choose?
Kind, funny Seska, who seemed to have so much in common with him, or feisty, beautiful Mai, who he'd known and missed for eight years?
Mai didn't love him anyway, but did Seska?
Oh, what the hell. Just continue with this mess until something comes out of it.
The streets were buzzing with activity tonight. What with it being Saturday, there were people his age and younger wandering along the road to the clubs, bars and discos, and some going his way- to the movies.
Just ahead of him, Joey noticed a distinctive head of reddish hair bobbing along the sidewalk.
Taking a deep breath, Joey hurried to catch up with her.
'Hey, Seska!' he grinned. 'Fancy meeting you in a place like this.'
'Hi, Joe!' Seska patted him on the shoulder. 'You don't mind if I call you Joe?'
'Pet names already, huh?' laughed Joey. 'That's fine with me.'
They walked together to the movie theatre. All the while, Joey's head was buzzing with thought.
Seska or Mai? Seska or Mai? Oh, come on you lump-head, THINK!
They decided on some cheesy space-age movie that wasn't sold out, and went in to get their tickets.
They sat together in the half-full theatre, and the movie began.
It was so boring that the pair simply talked all the way through, Joey seriously taking the piss out of every character that appeared on the screen.
Towards the end, Joey fell silent when he felt a warm hand slide into his.
'Seska?' he turned to look at his date. Sure enough, she was holding his hand.
She let go quickly.
'Sorry, Joey.' She said, blushing. 'I didn't really know what I was doing. I, er, well, I really like you.'
'Well, ain't that a coincidence?' Joey took her hand again, grinning. 'I really like you too.'
Seska laughed quietly.
Finally, the movie ended.
Joey jumped out of his seat quickly and mumbled something about needing the john.
He hurried out into the lobby and scanned the area for a restroom.
He found one and wandered inside.
'Stupid, stupid, STUPID!' Joey bashed his head against the wall again and again. 'What an asshole! 'Ain't that a coincidence? I really like you too'. What a dumb thing to say! I don't! I can't!'
'Hey, keep it down please.' Complained a man in one of the cubicles. 'Keep your social life to yourself.'
'Ah, whadda you know?' snapped Joey and stormed out of the restroom.
'Hey, Joe!'
'Argh!' Joey jumped a foot in the air. 'Man, Seska! You scared the shit outta me!'
'Sorry.' Seska blushed, and Joey gulped.
She was so cute when she was embarrassed.
'So what about the pizza place, huh?' grinned Seska.
'Uh- sure.' Joey smiled weakly back at her.
'You Ok?' Seska looked at him in concern.
'Yeah. Yeah, let's go.' Said Joey quickly, trying desperately to avoid another second of Seska gazing at him.
Seska took him by the hand and led him out of the building, onto the street.
It was silent by now. This was the only time of day you could ever imagine Domino City becoming a ghost town. Their footsteps echoed along the main street, the odd light from a passing car sending their shadows swooping across the fronts of the shops.
'Hey, Seska?' Joey looked across at her as they wandered. 'I've just thought. Won't the pizza place be shut by now?'
'We're not going to the pizza place.' Replied Seska bluntly.
'Uh- where are we going then?' asked Joey stupidly.
Seska came to a sudden halt outside a building that still had its lights on, and was still bustling with activity inside.
'Why else would I tell you not to get popcorn?' she grinned, gesturing up at the sign above the door.
It read: Claudette's Fine Foods.
'Man! This is that new restaurant, huh?' Joey stared through the window in awe. 'Tell you something, Seska, if you want your pockets threadbare, this is the place to come.'
'We're eating here.' Said Seska simply.
(A/N If, at any point in this story, Joey did an anime fall, it would be now. THUD!)
'Wha'?' Joey stared at her, agog.
'Don't worry, it's on me.' Seska patted her little black shoulder-bag, smiling.
'Oh yeah. I forget the modelling already.' Shrugged Joey. 'You're a regular Ms Moneybags, huh?'
'You could put it that way.' Seska grinned up at him.
'After you, ma'am.' Joey pushed open the door and did a cheesy bow, letting Seska in before him. He didn't want to hurry her, but the sooner she was out from under those stars, the better.
They had a tendency to reflect in Seska's huge, azure eyes, which made Joey's insides squirm.
'Good evening.' A waiter wearing a crimson uniform and a classy smile approached them. 'Would you like a table?'
'For two, please.' Replied Seska graciously.
'Shall I take your coats?' asked the waiter.
'Thank you.' Seska slipped off her long jacket, and Joey couldn't help noticing how thin she was. Not unhealthily thin, just the perfect shape.
'And you, er, Sir?' the waiter looked a little less than happy about taking Joey's battered old jacket (it was still ripped at the left shoulder and right arm after his little run-in with a rare hunter eight years ago), but he took it all the same and handed both the coats to another man who hurried off to the cloakroom with them.
'If you would be so kind as to follow me, we have a table over here in the corner.' The waiter motioned over to a table, smaller than the rest, with one of those corner seats on two sides of it. Joey gulped. He, for one, knew that his table manners weren't exactly top restaurant standard. In fact, he had been compared with a pot-bellied pig many dinnertimes before.
The last thing he wanted to do was slop bolognese sauce down his shirt in front of Seska.
They sat down, Joey being very cautious not to get the slightest thing wrong.
'I shall return to take your orders in a little while.' Smiled the waiter, placing a glossy, green menu in front of each of them.
'Thank you.' Seska returned his smile.
The waiter nodded his head politely and strode off.
'So, er - how do you know Téa?' Joey asked Seska, attempting to make conversation.
'Oh, we went to dance class together years ago.' She replied. 'After we'd gone our separate ways, we used to write occasionally, or call each other.'
'You know she's a professional dancer now, huh?' Joey asked.
'Good for her.' Grinned Seska. 'I knew she'd make it far. I remember she was the most flexible of us. None of the other students could get their legs behind their head!'
Joey winced.
'You don't like your job, do you?' Seska turned back to Joey suddenly. 'What would you rather be doing?'
'Rather?' Joey looked at Seska. 'Well, there's nothing else I'm good at apart from duelling, and that's a thing of the past.'
'Why don't you work with Yugi in the Game Shop?' suggested Seska. 'Who knows? Between you, you might make enough money to expand and become the Game Mart!'
'Nice idea, Seska.' Nodded Joey. 'But I don't wanna go crawling to Yugi for money. I'm gonna stand on my own two feet.'
'That's fine, but a little help from your friends can never do any harm.' Commented Seska.
'Someone once told me,' began Joey, 'That I was too dependant. 'You can't do it without Yugi there to hold your hand'. 'So, Joseph, you gonna ask Mommy's permission or what?"
'Who would say things like that?' frowned Seska. 'Whoever they are, they need to get a life.'
Joey nodded. Perhaps they did. They'd taken up eight years of his life anyway. Eight years worth of dreams spent on Mai.
Joey could still remember, after all these years, that day on the boat. Almost exactly what had been said.
~
Joey was standing against the cold rails of the boat, looking out over the ocean and feeling the wind caress his young features as he chatted to Yugi about the upcoming tournament.
He was inexperienced and nervous. The only reason he had gotten onto the boat, and into the tournament, in the first place was because Yugi had given him one of his star chips. Joey still felt pretty bad about that.
'Ahem.' Joey heard a young woman's voice from behind him, clearing her throat for attention.
The two boys turned around. It was this small movement that changed Joey's life forever. Maybe if he'd just stayed there, looking out across the waves, he wouldn't be so messed up now.
But he turned, and he saw her.
She was just a little shorter than him, with a cascade of flowing blonde hair right down her back and two hard purple gemstones for eyes. Her skin was smooth, without a single blemish, and she wore a short white corset top that complimented her perfect figure, a matching purple jacket and skirt and tall, long black boots.
Joey stood, awestruck. His mouth was probably hanging open, he didn't know.
'Whoa!'
'So you're Yugi, huh?' she bent down close to Joey's buddy, examining him. 'What I don't understand is how a squirt like you could beat Kaiba.'
'Excuse me, Miss,' Joey blurted out. 'I happen to be a close and personal friend of Yugi's - ' Blah, blah, blah. Joey didn't know what he was saying, and he didn't care. It was just coming out.
'Yugi, cut this guy loose.' The girl didn't look up from Yugi. 'He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games.'
'Pleeeeease crush me!' slurred Joey helplessly, despite the fact that he was already crushed by what she had said.
'I'll crush you all, eventually.' The girl turned and wandered a little way back up the deck. Then she stopped and looked round. 'The name's Mai.' She added, and walked away.
She was out of sight.
Come back! Shrieked Joey's mind. Would he ever see her again?
~
He did see her again, though.
Over the space of about a year, Joey and Mai had saved each other's lives so many times that Joey thought they'd probably set a record.
But that still wasn't enough for Miss Mai Valentine.
He still wasn't right for her.
'Joe? You Ok?' Joey snapped out of his dream world suddenly. Seska was looking at him, concerned.
He felt his face heat up.
'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.' He replied.
'You look like you're gonna cry.' Said Seska, sliding around to his side of the table and putting a comforting arm around him.
'Nah, I was just thinking about a whole lot of stuff.' Shrugged Joey. 'Maybe I've got something in my eye.'
'Maybe.' Nodded Seska, half convinced.
'Hey, here's the waiter.' Joey looked up.
'Are you ready to order?' the waiter asked, the same smile as ever on his face.
'You first.' Joey nudged Seska.
'I'll have the steak, please.' Said Seska. 'Not too rare, thank you.'
'Ok, well I'll have the crab.' Said Joey. 'Thanks, buddy.'
The waiter sniffed in faint disapproval at Joey's informal use of language, but he took the menus and strode off to the kitchens.
'Are you sure you're Ok?' repeated Seska nervously.
Joey took a deep breath.
'Seska, do you know the woman who was on the front of Domino Dame's this week?'
# CW: Woo-hoo! We're getting' into the nitty-gritty here, huh? #
# CW: Hey there! Enjoying it so far? Then keep reading, 'cos there's more to come! #
'Good luck, Joey!' Serenity called after her older brother as he closed the door of the apartment behind him.
Joey finally had time to think as he wandered ever closer to his upcoming 'date'. There was a definite problem.
When the time came, would he be able to choose?
Kind, funny Seska, who seemed to have so much in common with him, or feisty, beautiful Mai, who he'd known and missed for eight years?
Mai didn't love him anyway, but did Seska?
Oh, what the hell. Just continue with this mess until something comes out of it.
The streets were buzzing with activity tonight. What with it being Saturday, there were people his age and younger wandering along the road to the clubs, bars and discos, and some going his way- to the movies.
Just ahead of him, Joey noticed a distinctive head of reddish hair bobbing along the sidewalk.
Taking a deep breath, Joey hurried to catch up with her.
'Hey, Seska!' he grinned. 'Fancy meeting you in a place like this.'
'Hi, Joe!' Seska patted him on the shoulder. 'You don't mind if I call you Joe?'
'Pet names already, huh?' laughed Joey. 'That's fine with me.'
They walked together to the movie theatre. All the while, Joey's head was buzzing with thought.
Seska or Mai? Seska or Mai? Oh, come on you lump-head, THINK!
They decided on some cheesy space-age movie that wasn't sold out, and went in to get their tickets.
They sat together in the half-full theatre, and the movie began.
It was so boring that the pair simply talked all the way through, Joey seriously taking the piss out of every character that appeared on the screen.
Towards the end, Joey fell silent when he felt a warm hand slide into his.
'Seska?' he turned to look at his date. Sure enough, she was holding his hand.
She let go quickly.
'Sorry, Joey.' She said, blushing. 'I didn't really know what I was doing. I, er, well, I really like you.'
'Well, ain't that a coincidence?' Joey took her hand again, grinning. 'I really like you too.'
Seska laughed quietly.
Finally, the movie ended.
Joey jumped out of his seat quickly and mumbled something about needing the john.
He hurried out into the lobby and scanned the area for a restroom.
He found one and wandered inside.
'Stupid, stupid, STUPID!' Joey bashed his head against the wall again and again. 'What an asshole! 'Ain't that a coincidence? I really like you too'. What a dumb thing to say! I don't! I can't!'
'Hey, keep it down please.' Complained a man in one of the cubicles. 'Keep your social life to yourself.'
'Ah, whadda you know?' snapped Joey and stormed out of the restroom.
'Hey, Joe!'
'Argh!' Joey jumped a foot in the air. 'Man, Seska! You scared the shit outta me!'
'Sorry.' Seska blushed, and Joey gulped.
She was so cute when she was embarrassed.
'So what about the pizza place, huh?' grinned Seska.
'Uh- sure.' Joey smiled weakly back at her.
'You Ok?' Seska looked at him in concern.
'Yeah. Yeah, let's go.' Said Joey quickly, trying desperately to avoid another second of Seska gazing at him.
Seska took him by the hand and led him out of the building, onto the street.
It was silent by now. This was the only time of day you could ever imagine Domino City becoming a ghost town. Their footsteps echoed along the main street, the odd light from a passing car sending their shadows swooping across the fronts of the shops.
'Hey, Seska?' Joey looked across at her as they wandered. 'I've just thought. Won't the pizza place be shut by now?'
'We're not going to the pizza place.' Replied Seska bluntly.
'Uh- where are we going then?' asked Joey stupidly.
Seska came to a sudden halt outside a building that still had its lights on, and was still bustling with activity inside.
'Why else would I tell you not to get popcorn?' she grinned, gesturing up at the sign above the door.
It read: Claudette's Fine Foods.
'Man! This is that new restaurant, huh?' Joey stared through the window in awe. 'Tell you something, Seska, if you want your pockets threadbare, this is the place to come.'
'We're eating here.' Said Seska simply.
(A/N If, at any point in this story, Joey did an anime fall, it would be now. THUD!)
'Wha'?' Joey stared at her, agog.
'Don't worry, it's on me.' Seska patted her little black shoulder-bag, smiling.
'Oh yeah. I forget the modelling already.' Shrugged Joey. 'You're a regular Ms Moneybags, huh?'
'You could put it that way.' Seska grinned up at him.
'After you, ma'am.' Joey pushed open the door and did a cheesy bow, letting Seska in before him. He didn't want to hurry her, but the sooner she was out from under those stars, the better.
They had a tendency to reflect in Seska's huge, azure eyes, which made Joey's insides squirm.
'Good evening.' A waiter wearing a crimson uniform and a classy smile approached them. 'Would you like a table?'
'For two, please.' Replied Seska graciously.
'Shall I take your coats?' asked the waiter.
'Thank you.' Seska slipped off her long jacket, and Joey couldn't help noticing how thin she was. Not unhealthily thin, just the perfect shape.
'And you, er, Sir?' the waiter looked a little less than happy about taking Joey's battered old jacket (it was still ripped at the left shoulder and right arm after his little run-in with a rare hunter eight years ago), but he took it all the same and handed both the coats to another man who hurried off to the cloakroom with them.
'If you would be so kind as to follow me, we have a table over here in the corner.' The waiter motioned over to a table, smaller than the rest, with one of those corner seats on two sides of it. Joey gulped. He, for one, knew that his table manners weren't exactly top restaurant standard. In fact, he had been compared with a pot-bellied pig many dinnertimes before.
The last thing he wanted to do was slop bolognese sauce down his shirt in front of Seska.
They sat down, Joey being very cautious not to get the slightest thing wrong.
'I shall return to take your orders in a little while.' Smiled the waiter, placing a glossy, green menu in front of each of them.
'Thank you.' Seska returned his smile.
The waiter nodded his head politely and strode off.
'So, er - how do you know Téa?' Joey asked Seska, attempting to make conversation.
'Oh, we went to dance class together years ago.' She replied. 'After we'd gone our separate ways, we used to write occasionally, or call each other.'
'You know she's a professional dancer now, huh?' Joey asked.
'Good for her.' Grinned Seska. 'I knew she'd make it far. I remember she was the most flexible of us. None of the other students could get their legs behind their head!'
Joey winced.
'You don't like your job, do you?' Seska turned back to Joey suddenly. 'What would you rather be doing?'
'Rather?' Joey looked at Seska. 'Well, there's nothing else I'm good at apart from duelling, and that's a thing of the past.'
'Why don't you work with Yugi in the Game Shop?' suggested Seska. 'Who knows? Between you, you might make enough money to expand and become the Game Mart!'
'Nice idea, Seska.' Nodded Joey. 'But I don't wanna go crawling to Yugi for money. I'm gonna stand on my own two feet.'
'That's fine, but a little help from your friends can never do any harm.' Commented Seska.
'Someone once told me,' began Joey, 'That I was too dependant. 'You can't do it without Yugi there to hold your hand'. 'So, Joseph, you gonna ask Mommy's permission or what?"
'Who would say things like that?' frowned Seska. 'Whoever they are, they need to get a life.'
Joey nodded. Perhaps they did. They'd taken up eight years of his life anyway. Eight years worth of dreams spent on Mai.
Joey could still remember, after all these years, that day on the boat. Almost exactly what had been said.
~
Joey was standing against the cold rails of the boat, looking out over the ocean and feeling the wind caress his young features as he chatted to Yugi about the upcoming tournament.
He was inexperienced and nervous. The only reason he had gotten onto the boat, and into the tournament, in the first place was because Yugi had given him one of his star chips. Joey still felt pretty bad about that.
'Ahem.' Joey heard a young woman's voice from behind him, clearing her throat for attention.
The two boys turned around. It was this small movement that changed Joey's life forever. Maybe if he'd just stayed there, looking out across the waves, he wouldn't be so messed up now.
But he turned, and he saw her.
She was just a little shorter than him, with a cascade of flowing blonde hair right down her back and two hard purple gemstones for eyes. Her skin was smooth, without a single blemish, and she wore a short white corset top that complimented her perfect figure, a matching purple jacket and skirt and tall, long black boots.
Joey stood, awestruck. His mouth was probably hanging open, he didn't know.
'Whoa!'
'So you're Yugi, huh?' she bent down close to Joey's buddy, examining him. 'What I don't understand is how a squirt like you could beat Kaiba.'
'Excuse me, Miss,' Joey blurted out. 'I happen to be a close and personal friend of Yugi's - ' Blah, blah, blah. Joey didn't know what he was saying, and he didn't care. It was just coming out.
'Yugi, cut this guy loose.' The girl didn't look up from Yugi. 'He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games.'
'Pleeeeease crush me!' slurred Joey helplessly, despite the fact that he was already crushed by what she had said.
'I'll crush you all, eventually.' The girl turned and wandered a little way back up the deck. Then she stopped and looked round. 'The name's Mai.' She added, and walked away.
She was out of sight.
Come back! Shrieked Joey's mind. Would he ever see her again?
~
He did see her again, though.
Over the space of about a year, Joey and Mai had saved each other's lives so many times that Joey thought they'd probably set a record.
But that still wasn't enough for Miss Mai Valentine.
He still wasn't right for her.
'Joe? You Ok?' Joey snapped out of his dream world suddenly. Seska was looking at him, concerned.
He felt his face heat up.
'Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.' He replied.
'You look like you're gonna cry.' Said Seska, sliding around to his side of the table and putting a comforting arm around him.
'Nah, I was just thinking about a whole lot of stuff.' Shrugged Joey. 'Maybe I've got something in my eye.'
'Maybe.' Nodded Seska, half convinced.
'Hey, here's the waiter.' Joey looked up.
'Are you ready to order?' the waiter asked, the same smile as ever on his face.
'You first.' Joey nudged Seska.
'I'll have the steak, please.' Said Seska. 'Not too rare, thank you.'
'Ok, well I'll have the crab.' Said Joey. 'Thanks, buddy.'
The waiter sniffed in faint disapproval at Joey's informal use of language, but he took the menus and strode off to the kitchens.
'Are you sure you're Ok?' repeated Seska nervously.
Joey took a deep breath.
'Seska, do you know the woman who was on the front of Domino Dame's this week?'
# CW: Woo-hoo! We're getting' into the nitty-gritty here, huh? #
