~*Chapter 8: Jealousy Takes Its Turn*~
"Hey, there you are Tea."
Joey, Tristan, Yugi, and Tea gathered around by the movie theater on that same afternoon.
"There's just one more person we've gotta wait for." Joey took out his money, counting how much he had.
"Who's that?" Tristan looked up at his best friend.
"Just my sister Serenity." Joey replied, not looking up at Tristan.
"All right, Serenity." Tristan jumped up and down. "Good god Joey. You definitely know how much I love her."
"Well…uh…" Joey started to say.
"Hey you guys." Serenity jogged up to the gang.
"Hey Serenity." Everyone except Tristan called back. Tristan was too busy gazing at her, slowly approaching her.
"Oh Serenity," Tristan was obviously turned on by Serenity, taking her hands in his. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are before the sun sets?"
"Uh…hey Tristan." Serenity smiled.
"I know that you only consider me as a friend but I just wanted to ask if you want to go out with me sometime? Please say you'll say yes."
"Well Tristan," she blushed as Tristan took her hand, kissing it softly. "I'm very flattered but the truth is…"
"Hey Serenity." A tall elder male ran after her from behind. "Boy, you run pretty fast. You should join the track team next year."
"Hey Li." Serenity smiled to the guy, waving at him before turning to Tristan. "Tristan, meet my boyfriend Li Kwong. Or Kwong Li as they call him back at home. Li, this is my friend Tristan. And that's Joey, Yugi, and Tea. Guys, this is Li."
"Hi!" everyone smiled, waving at Li. Everyone except for Tristan that is, who just stood there, frozen and heartbroken.
"Sorry Tristan." Joey nudged his friend. "I was trying to tell you but you wouldn't listen man."
"So what movie are we watching?" Yugi looked up at the movies that are now playing.
"How about 'The Sorcerer's Seduction'?" Joey looked at one of the movie posters on the wall. "I heard it's romance and comedy in one."
"Oh c'mon Joey." Tea rolled her eyes back. All of us know you pretty well enough to know that you hate romance movies."
"Well, there's always 'A Night of a Thousand Deaths'." Joey grinned.
"Shoots then." Tea took out a few dollar bills. "Let's go."
"Yeah." Everyone else agreed. Suddenly, Tea's cell phone rang. Looking to her friends, smiling. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up in a bit."
"Ok Tea." Joey smiled before pulling Tristan with him. "C'mon you lovesick dude. We gotta buy our tickets before the show starts.
Serenity and her boyfriend Li followed from behind. Yugi, however, decided to tag along as well but stopped, watching Tea as she answered her phone.
"Hello?" Tea answered her phone.
"My love Tea." A soft voice, a bit raspy, whispered from the other line. "I know you're out there at the movie theatre."
"Who are you?" Tea's voice shook with fear, gripping onto her phone, not noticing her friend Yugi looking on at her.
"Leave Yami, Tea." The raspy voice spoke. "Because staying with the pharaoh freak will not only destroy you but Yugi as well."
"What do you want?" Tea whispered.
"I want you to meet me somewhere tonight." The caller replied. "Somewhere where we can be alone."
"I can't tonight. I have a movie to watch."
"And if you don't show up, you'll be one of the thousand people who will die on this night."
"You…knew I was gonna watch 'A Night of a Thousand Deaths'?"
"Mmhmmm." The caller replied. "You're gonna be a good girl and cooperate, won't you Tea?"
"All right, I'll meet you wherever, whoever you are?"
"Good. Abandoned warehouse at 8:00 sharp. Go alone." The line then went dead. Tea stood there, fear already taking over her.
"Tea, what happened? Who was that?"
Tea looked down seeing Yugi. "Yugi?" she whispered, her voice shook with fear. "Why didn't you go with the guys?"
"I saw you freaking out and I got a bit worried." Yugi took Tea's hand, gazing at her.
"Yugi.." Tea looked down at Yugi before glancing at her watch. 7:30.
"What's wrong Tea?" Yugi looked up at his friend, worried.
Tea looked at Yugi before answering. "Tell everyone that I have to cancel my plans with them. Something came up."
"Wait a minute…" Yugi tried to stop Tea but it was no use. "Let me go with you."
"I'm sorry Yugi." Tea then ran off into the night.
"What's up with Tea?" Yami's shadow appeared next to Yugi.
"Well, ever since she got off the phone with someone, she started freaking out, like a ghost got her."
"Hmmm…" Yami was in deep thought remembering what happened earlier that morning when someone called Tea's phone.
8:00 had finally arrived as Tea made her way towards the warehouse. Walking in, she looked around in the darkness, no one in sight so far.
"Where the hell is that bastard? It's already passed eight." Tea muttered under her breath. Suddenly, from the entrance, a figure appeared. Twirling her head around, she was unable to see who it was.
"Show yourself you bastard." She yelled.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa Tea." A familiar voice called out as the figure approached her. "Calm down. It's just me."
"Bakura?" Tea was finally able to see him. "What are you doing here?
"I usually go through the warehouse just to go home. What are you doing here?"
"I don't know. Someone called my cell earlier. Whoever it was told me that if I didn't show, I'd be one of the thousand people dead in one night. Just like that movie 'A Night of a Thousand Deaths'."
Bakura's eyes widened with surprise. "That's awful. Who would do such a thing?"
"I don't know."
"Hey wait a minute? Aren't you guys s'posed to watch that tonight?"
"Yeah." She stopped as if she had realized something. "Wait a sec, how did you know what movie we were watching? You said you couldn't come because you were sick." She looked up at him.
Bakura's lips curled into a twisted smirk, the same raspy voice escaping from his lips. "Is that so?"
Tea's eyes widened with shock, fear, and surprise all mixed in one. "It was you?!?"
His hand reached out to grip onto Tea's arm. She looked into the eyes of Bakura noticing the lifeless look in his eyes. She remembered the same look he had given her a few days ago. "That's why the pharaoh freak isn't worth it. He has no time to love anyone."
"You're that yami that lives within Bakura huh?
Yami Bakura held up his millennium ring, his grip on Tea's arm still firm. "Don't you get it Tea? Remember when Bakura told you that Yami wasn't worth it?"
"You were the one that forced him to say that huh?" Tea glared at him. "Let go of me you freak!"
"Is that so?" Yami Bakura smiled. "Perhaps you should ask Bakura yourself." The millennium ring shone as the Yami within Bakura disappeared.
"Bakura…" Tea looked up at him. "Is it true on what that yami said?"
"Look Tea." Bakura gazed at her for a long time. "Can't you see that I like you?"
"I know you like me Bakura." Tea looked up at him. "You're one of my best friends since elementary."
"No!" his face twitched, shaking her. "It's more than that. I don't only like you. I love you."
"You do?" Tea just stood there shocked. "But Bakura, you know I already like yami."
"If you stay with the pharaoh, you'll only destroy yourself. You like Yugi as a friend but you like Yami as a lover."
"What about you?" Tea turned her gaze to him. "Don't you have a shadow hidden within your millennium ring?"
"Keep my shadow out of this Tea." He glared at her. "I'm doing this because I don't wanna see you live in confusion on choosing between Yugi and Yami."
"Bakura." Tea tried to push him away. "It's fine. Me and Yami think it would work out."
"But has Yugi found out, Tea?" he then wrapped one arm around her waist covering her mouth with one hand. He started placing kisses on her hair, her cheek, licking her earlobe and neck lightly. "Remember Tea," his voice was like the one when he had called her. "You don't cooperate, well…you'll see."
"What's happened to you Bakura?" Tea's voice came out muffled.
"Me and my shadow are one. Our souls are one, entwined within a twisted, dark world." He then dragged her along as he made his way out of the warehouse through the back. "Come with me, my love Tea. I shall take you to your new home."
~*To Be Continued*~