Isa: Ok people sorry it's taken me awhile to write this chapter. Writer's block is sinking it's doom upon me once again. --"
Tea: HA! You talk about DOOM like you KNOW it or something! I'm the one BURNING over here!!!!!!!!
Sephy: waves torch in the air. MMMWWWHHAAA!
Isa: Still waiting for those reviews to save Tea people! I have ten so far I only need 5 more! Is it worth it to save Tea????????
Yugi: OF COURSE IT IS!!! REVIEW PEOPLE! REEEEEVVVIIEEEEWWWWWWW!
Isa: You herd the man! (or boy......)
Yugi: (whimpers)
Areis: Maybe they'd review if you gave them a chapter to read!
Isa: Oh...right.....well here ya guys go! Chapter Eight! Please R&R!
Chapter Eight: Spoiled Evidence
The next morning Yami awoke. As it was a good thing to do in the mornings. He had awakened in the study on the couch seated by the computer desk. A bag of chips lay sprawled out on the floor leaking it's salty contents into a river of carnage. Yugi had fallen asleep on the key bored of the computer and his head rested on his elbows. After their espionage at the Kaiba Mansion, Yugi instantaneously booted up the computer and logged onto Tea's IM screenname. The document of all her save conversations flashed on the screen and the printer rolled out the paper that would assist them as evidence. Yami ripped the paper out of the printer when the beep squealed in the small room and his crescent violet eyes moved back and forth as he scrolled down the document.
Galatikgrl26: Hey Kaiba! It's me, have you been suspected yet?
KC45: WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!!!!??? HOW DID YOU GET MY SCREEN NAME!!!!!!!
Galatikgrl26: It was on your Kaiba Corp. website. I just had to know if you had been suspected yet.
KC45: No I haven't! But I WILL if you talk to me like this! I don't want to have anything to do with you Gardner!
Galatikgrl26: I mean Yugi and I have spoken about it but Yami was shocked when he saw his RC.
Galatikgrl26: You should have seen his face!
Galatikgrl26: So funny.
KC45: WHAT!? You went on my website!?
Galatikgrl26: You would have liked it.
KC45: I actually don't care. I didn't want Yami getting The Wing Dragon of Re was all.
Galatikgrl26: Right.
KC45: I don't want to talk to you. BYE!
Galatikgrl26: Hey Kaiba-
KC45: NO!!!!!!! NO MORE!!!!!!!!
Galatikgrl26 was blocked at 12:45 PM
KC45 signed off at 12:46 PM
The Pharaoh of Egypt blinked in apallment and shock.. This was the proof he had been looking for, and it could get him off the hook with his grandfather but he never wanted to believe it. He had thought Tea was his friend but if she truly was she would not have went behind his back and done this. The paper crinkled a little in Yami's fist. He would get even for this, no matter what the price demanded. Yami glanced over at Yugi who still drooled over the keyboard. He shook his hikari gently.
"Yugi......Yugi....wake up......"
Yugi moaned and buried his face in the space between his arms. back tomorrow the Kame's closed..........."
Yami narrowed his eyes and grabbed Yugi by the shoulders and waved him back and forth. "YUGI!!!"
"WHAT!?" The hikari's eyes snapped open and his hand swung up and smacked Yami in the nose. The Pharaoh stumbled back a little and wiped the blood on his sleeve. Yugi sat up, wide eyed and air came out of his mouth as he stumbled for words.
"I.....I......."
Yami waved the matter off. "Don't worry. I am fine."
Yugi's head and neck sunk in his shoulders. "Still sorry Yami......I was startled...."
"It's fine, but Yugi take a look at this."
Yami handed him the print out and Yugi quickly scanned the writing. Subsequently his eyebrows climbed to the top of his forehead and he stared at his Yami blankly.
"So she DID do it! What did I tell you Yami!"
Yami gave a quick nod. "Yes.....I believe you Yugi. But why would Kaiba agree to help her?"
Yugi shrugged. "Says here that he didn't want you to get the Wing Dragon of Re card. Though why that plays a part in anything eludes me."
"Well.....if we show it to grandfather do you think he will call back his grounding?"
"Maybe," Yugi answered and look at the print out again. "I mean this is really good evidence. Once he sees this he HAS to let you go."
"Good, because we're running out of time. The dance is tomorrow night, and Ishiuzu expects me to pick her up."
"I know I know. And you will don't worry."
Yugi glanced at the digital clock that was placed atop the computer monitor. "Whoa! We should be leaving for school right now! We're gonna be late!"
The Moutos were late, but only because they we're delayed by showing Solomon the IM conversation they had stumbled upon. The old man still refused to liberate Yami from his sentence, claiming that the evidence was counterfeit and closed the case. Leaving a very FUMING Yami to storm into Domino High School.
"Don't be mad Yami," Yugi placated, "I'll talk to Grandpa and maybe-"
"There isn't enough time Yugi. Don't bother." Yami grumbled.
Joey leaned over in his seat to get within earshot of the pharaoh. "You're still grounded? Man that sucks!"
Yami slid down the back of his chair until his chin could sit on his chest. "I know."
"Well the dance is tomorrow. What are ya gonna do?" Tristain put in.
"Absolutely nothing!"
All heads turned to the sound of the British accent. Bakura slinked his way into the empty seat next to Yami when the teacher's back was turned.
"Yep! You'll sit at home all night thinking how pathetic and stuuuuuupid you are for missing such an important social event and the rest of us won't even miss you! At least I won't, because I'll be too busy with my dates."
"Was that last word plural Bakura?" Tristain asked and Bakura glared at him.
"Yes it was Senior Idoita.. I'm that popular don't ya know?"
Tristain instituted some reply but it was tuned out as Yami caught sight of Tea striding into the room as if she was some gift to the world. The pharaoh could sense a raging fire burning in his chest and he needed just one small reason to unleash it. He watched for that reason closely.
The cheerleader took her normal seat behind Yami and beamed at the group. "How's it going you guys? Ready for the dance?"
"Kinda......." Joey sighed, "just missin' one thing........a date."
"What about Mai?" Tea asked and Joey's cheeks filled up with blood to make them as red as molten lava. A dry and unfeeling expression suddenly overcame Bakura's face.
"For the record, that last line was the author's LAME attempt at a simile."
But it got her point across just the same!
"Are you crazy!" Joey exploded, "if I asked Mai to the dance she laugh at me! And then I would cry......."
Tea blinked. "Whatever......what about you Yami? Going with anyone?"
Yami could have punched that sly smirk off her face if he had not been in public. "As a matter of fact I am...Tea...."
Yugi and Tea's jaw dropped in unison.
"Oh.....really?" Tea mused suspiciously.
"Yes. And I am going with Ishiuzu Ishtar."
"How.....nice."
"It is."
A silence passed between them as they stared at each other with scorn and a touch of malice. They remained this way until the bell rang and the students began to gather their things for the next class. Tea stood up and slung her backpack and purse over her shoulder.
"Well then I guess I'll see you there Yami. Better leave for your next block....you don't want to be late twice in one day."
Yami forced a teethfilled grin. "Of course not Tea."
Tea flicked her hair out of her face and swayed on her hips all the way out the door. Yami threw a glare of daggers after her. And started to chuck a book as well before Yugi lowered his arm.
"Cool down Yami.......how are you planning on going when Grandpa told you, you couldn't?"
"I'll escape after he falls asleep." Was Yami's quick solution.
"Yami you can't do that!" Yugi protested, "that's......that's......"
"I don't care what it is. Ishiuzu is counting on me to take her and I'm not going to stand her up."
"You could just call her and explain Yah-mah!!!" Yugi cried in frustration but Yami shook his head slowly with a small smile on his lips.
"That is something I cannot do, but fear not. I have it all worked out and nothing will go wrong."
"I sure hope you're right Yami. I don't want you to get into any more trouble."
"Oh I won't. Now go ahead and get to your class Yugi."
The hikari nodded and stood up, scooping his folders and binders in his arms. "Be careful."
Yami walked out calmly to the school courtyard when the lunch bell granted it's permission for them to do so. The social groups immediately gathered together cohesively and claimed their respected tables and corners of the permitted areas. Yami scanned the scene for someone. He couldn't imagine where he would be at this time, or if he even had this lunch period but he had to try. He spotted the others belonging to his posy congregating by their table and beginning to sit down and eat. Yami quietly slipped into a throng of students to circumvent their gaze.
He did not want any interrogation as to what he was doing. He took a path which cut straight across the courtyard and lead to the back alleyways of the school. A flight of stairs was positioned to his right and he climbed them respectively. The top floor bloomed into a maze of hallways and lockers and one of them was wide open, spilling notebooks and paper onto the cement floor. Yami slid his hand along the blue painted railing of the mini balconies and turned the first corner of his journey. A satisfactory smile flashed across his features as he caught site of the tip of a white trench coat vanish behind another row of lockers.
He sped down that way and glared as the full image of Seto Kaiba filled his view.
"KAIBA!!!!!!" he screamed and the CEO turned around. His electric blue eyes flickered with annoyance and hatred.
"What do you want Mouto?"
"Just a chat," Yami walked up to Kaiba enough to where they were in sensible ear shot but not a hair closer.
"I want to know what you do with your spare time after school........when it's all locked up and closed."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow and his cold metallic voice echoed off the stone walls. "That's a little disturbing Mouto......why, are you bored and need some ideas?"
The Pharaoh ignored that comment. "I only wondered if that included breaking into the school and hacking into it's virtual records."
Kaiba's fingers wrapped around the handle of his briefcase and his eyes thinned out to slits.
"No, it doesn't."
Yami crossed his arms. "Are you certain? So if I went to the Computer Lab right now I would find everything in it in tact? Including the front door?"
"What are you getting at?" the stretch of balcony dripped with Kaiba's venomous tones, "are you saying I would break into the school computers? Why would I waste my time with something so ridiculous?"
"That's what I'm wondering." Yami drummed his fingers on his arm once and then lashed a pointed finger at the teenage billionaire.
"I know you and Tea hacked into the school databases and changed my grades! Why you would choose to do something so trivial is beyond me but I demand you come forth with a confession!"
Kaiba chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Now why would I do that? You have no proof Mouto. And you're stuck until you can get some."
"Ah but proof I have!" Yami reached into his pocket and flipped out the IM conversation he had printed out early that morning, "do you know what this is Kaiba? It's the little exchange you had with Tea on the computer the other night, which exposes you as the criminal you are! All I have to do is turn this into the right people and you win a free trip to Juvenile Hall."
Kaiba's lip curled up in rage. "What makes you think anyone is going to believe you?"
"What makes you think they won't?" Yami countered.
A tense stillness passed between the two rivals and suddenly Kaiba's arm lashed out and his briefcase propelled through the air. Yami cried out in pain as it smashed against his skull sending him crashing to the ground unconscious. Kaiba gritted his teeth and knelt down next to his victim. He snatched the folded up paper that was clutched in Yami's limp hand and tore it to pieces.
"Now they won't."
Kaiba's trench coat washed over Yami's lifeless body when he took his leave and his laughs faded in the halls.