Official Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Making no money whatsoever so please put the lawyers away. This fic contains some elements (read: plot elements and etc. Though things are switched in the fic. Also there is a dog in the movie, but the dog I added was because I had just gotten my puppy Max when I got the idea to write this fic.) from a wonderful movie called "Return to Me" which is copyrighted to MGM studios. If I remember correctly. Only the scattered OCs in this fic belong to me. : )
Priestess Kaiba: Hey everyone! Look who finally got around to writing and updating. It was a challenge to get back into the spirit of writing. I had a major block, it was so bad that I thought I wouldn't be able to write, but after poking my muses for endless hours I finally got them to wake up. : P For a while anyway. So now I'm back to torment you again with another chapter of this here story. Aren't ya so happy about that? : P Well many thanks to those of you that have reviewed (and that have been patient with me) Thanks: Jayv, Azurite, Ana, Pngmejia, YumeTakato, Mamono, Mokuba's Official Glomper, Cold-Hearted-Angel! Merci beaucoup! : )
Chapter 3- The Calm before the Storm (Part 1)
The Present…
Téa stood in front of a giant full length mirror which covered the whole side of the room that she had her back to. She pushed a red button on the small grey remote in her hand and the soft, harmonious instrumental music that had moments before filled the spacious room, fell silent.
"Okay, girls, that's enough for today." She said cheerfully as she clapped her hands together a few times. "Girls, you're going to be wonderful tonight!" She added excitedly to the twelve, five year old girls that stood in front of her. She had a huge smile on her face that the girls reciprocated.
"Thank you, Téa!" The girls chorused through their smiles. She heard one of the girls call her, 'Mrs. Motou', and that made her smile widen. She wasn't even married yet, but hearing the name of her fiancé made her heart flutter as she glanced down to her hand where a humble engagement ring rested on her ring finger. She gazed back up to see her students standing still and grinning at her. "Well off you go!" She told them, shooing them off playfully with her hands. "I'll see you tonight at the auditorium for the dance recital! Be there by seven!" She reminded them as they grabbed their belongings and headed toward the door.
"Bye Téa!" They waved back at her as they walked out of the dance studio.
"Bye girls!" She called out after them, waving too. She stopped at the doorway.
"Bye Mrs. Motou!" One of the girls told her. Téa smiled and with laughter in her voice she replied to her, "Bye Ana!"
When Ana had disappeared down the hall, Téa stepped back into the dance studio. She walked to the desk in the corner of the room and began to gather her things. As she stood by the desk gathering her belongings, she caught a glimpse of the afternoon sky. Even though it was no later then two o'clock in the afternoon, the day was dark, foreboding and full of dark rain clouds. Téa frowned as she gazed at the sky; she really hoped it didn't rain today. Though the dance recital would be indoors, she didn't want the rain to put a damper on such a special day for her and her dance students. With a final disapproving look at the sky, Téa grabbed her things and headed out of the dance studio, which she rented in the Domino Community building, closing the door behind her.
Téa had to run a few errands before she could head home, but when she parked in the driveway of her two floor house, a huge smile spread on her lips. After all there is no place like home. She stepped out of the car and as soon as she neared the front door she heard a dog barking. Shifting the bags in her hands she went into another bag and pulled out the keys to the house. As soon as she opened the door, a large black and tan German Shepard bounded toward her. His tail was wagging slightly.
"Hey Mage." She greeted him, patting him fondly on his head as she walked past him. Mage didn't follow her though; he stayed by the front door, looking at it expectantly. Apparently he was still waiting for someone to arrive.
"He's not with me, Mage." Téa told the dog as she headed toward the kitchen. "He'll be home soon though." She added as she set down the bags on the counter. She glanced down and saw the dog's empty food bowl.
"Mage, you hungry?" She called out to him. She grabbed his bowl from the kitchen floor, put some dry dog food in it and walked back out to see Mage still sitting by the door.
Mage turned to look at her, then back to the door, then back to her. He seemed to be torn on what to do.
"Come on Mage. Come on." Téa said enticingly, showing him his bowl of food to tempt him further, but he wouldn't budge. "Ok, have it your way." Téa said with a shrug. "It'll be in the kitchen when you want it." She went back to the kitchen and set the bowl back down on the ground. She put away the groceries and then she headed back out to the foyer. She patted Mage again on his head again as she passed him and headed up the stairs to get ready for her big night. She went into the bathroom and just as she removed the hair tie from her hair to let her long chocolate brown colored strands loose, she heard the front door open and close.
Loud cheerful barks filled the house, mixed with the laughter filled voice of a male. "Hey Mage, I missed you too." She heard him say. Téa stepped out of the bathroom to see her fiancé walking up the stairs with Mage in absolute bliss right beside him.
"Hey handsome." Téa greeted him affectionately.
"Hello." He replied smiling, his cheeks turning bright red.
Téa giggled. She still couldn't believe how bashful he could be. "Yugi, tell Mage to go and eat." Téa added as she remembered that Mage hadn't eaten yet.
"Mage, go and eat." Yugi told the dog, but he never took his eyes off Téa. Without any hesitation, Mage turned and headed back downstairs to the kitchen.
"That dog really does love you." Téa said observantly.
"He loves you too, Téa." Yugi told her reassuringly.
"Yeah, I know, but he's more faithful to you." She told him.
He walked toward her and put his arms around her. "You're not jealous of Mage, are you?" He asked her playfully.
"Of Mage?" She asked incredulously. He nodded. "Hardly." She replied, through a smile.
"Good, because you shouldn't be." He told her in a whisper. His lips inches from hers. Their lips brushed and immediately melded together into a gentle kiss. When they broke the kiss, blue eyes gazed lovingly into amethyst eyes. Being the same height had its advantages. It made eye contact very intimate.
"Besides, Mage can't do that with you." Téa said smirking.
Yugi laughed. "No, he can't," He told her. "Though I doubt he would want too." They both laughed and then Téa stopped abruptly. She noticed his clothes and a questioning look appeared on her face.
"Why are you already dressed in your tux?" She asked him.
Yugi glanced down at his black tux and his shiny black shoes. He straightened his red bow tie and smiled sheepishly. "I went to my business meeting like this." He told her, the blush back in his cheeks.
"What a nice impression. They probably thought you were some teenager who got lost on his way to prom." She told him and she laughed as Yugi's cheeks got redder. It could be true. They were still very young and Yugi did look very youthful due to his innocent face, not to mention the gravity defying hairstyle.
"Well I didn't know how long the meeting was going to be and I didn't want to be late to the recital, so I went dressed in my tux just in case." He told her.
Téa stopped laughing and smiled. He always was very considerate of others. He was a great person and she knew that she was privileged to love him and to be engaged to him. "I'm only teasing you." She told him playfully. "So how did the meeting go?" She added.
"There wasn't one." He told her.
"Why?" She asked him surprised.
"Apparently Mr. Kaiba was indisposed, so there was no meeting." He told her shrugging. "I waited patiently but he couldn't see me."
"How inconsiderate!" Téa said slightly irritated.
"It's not a big deal." Yugi told her flippantly.
"Yes it is." Téa countered. "You've worked hard on your prototype and that rich snob would be a fool not to at least hear you out." She told him harassed. She didn't even know this Kaiba person but she could almost guarantee that what she had said about him was correct. "Isn't his corporation about manufacturing challenging games and toys?" She added.
"Yes." Yugi told her.
"See?" She exclaimed. "Your 3-D puzzle would be perfect. It's very challenging to put together." She told him. "I mean I've never been able to put it together." She added and in her mind she recounted all the times she had tried to put the 3-D pyramid puzzle together. Just remembering made her sigh in frustration.
Yugi hugged her. "Don't worry; there are other companies to meet with." He told her reassuringly.
"I know Yugi, but I just want your dream to come true. I want to help and support you in any way I can. Just like you've supported me." She told him.
"Don't worry, you do support me and I'm very grateful that I have you by my side." He told her and he kissed her on the forehead. "Speaking of dreams coming true, shouldn't you be getting ready?" She nodded. "Don't worry about my problems, tonight is solely your night." He told her.
"Thanks Yugi." She told him gratefully and she kissed him on the cheek. "I can't wait!" She exclaimed suddenly in a burst of overly excited cheerleader type energy, causing Yugi to give her a toothy grin as she walked away to get ready.
The first raindrops of the night landed on the clear glass window, the slightly slanted raindrops, cascading down from the glass to pool slightly on its ledge before they continued downward on their journey to the ground.
Past the window, inside the white sterile room, lay a tall figure in a bed covered with pale navy blue sheets. Surrounding the pale still figure were machines that displayed his vitals. Someone quietly entered the room and took a seat by the bed. The figure in the bed having felt the moment slowly stirred and opened his sapphire blue eyes. He smiled warmly when he saw who was sitting by his bedside.
"Hey big brother." The figure by the bedside greeted him, his voice deeper then it had been five years ago.
"Mokie," Mokuba grinned at his big brother when he heard him call him by his childhood nickname and he grasped his big brother's hand in his. "Did you just get home?" His brother asked.
Mokuba looked slightly perplexed for a second and then he recalled what Dr. Nakano told him, 'Seto is highly medicated. He might be slightly disorientated'. The perplexed look on Mokuba's face vanished and a sympathetic one took its place. "Seto, do you know where you are?" Mokuba asked him.
Seto licked his lips before he spoke. His lips felt dry. "At home?" He replied. There was a tilt in his voice, making his words come out like an unsure question.
"No Seto, we're not at home." Mokuba told him gently. "We're at the hospital."
Seto frowned slightly. "The hospital?" He said gradually, as if he didn't understand the word. Slowly as his mind cleared from the effects of the drugs and from sleep, Seto recalled why they were in the hospital. His breathing quickened and became labored as he gripped his brother's hand tightly. "Mokuba, I want to go home." He said in urgent gasps.
Mokuba's dark blue eyes saddened. "Seto relax." He told him and he didn't continue until his brother's breathing slowed down. "I know you want to go home, but you can't. You have to stay here, so the doctors can monitor you constantly during the course of the day."
"Why?" Seto demanded softly.
"Seto you're gravely ill. You collapsed this morning at home and if it wasn't for Mrs. Akizuki (their non-live in housekeeper) you would have-" He cut himself off. He couldn't bring himself to say the word, especially not in front of his big brother. He was still optimistic that his big brother would be okay, but he did realize that they were running short on time.
"Died." Seto finished for him. His sapphire eyes gazed into his brother's. "It's okay to say that word, Mokuba. We both know I'm going to die, unless I get a new heart and that's not going to happen." Seto told him.
"Don't say that, Seto. There's still hope." Mokuba replied.
Seto scoffed. "Hope is for fools, Mokuba." Seto told him coolly.
Mokuba bore his dark blue eyes into his brother's sapphire ones. "Then I'm the biggest fool on the planet Seto, because I won't give up hope." Mokuba told his brother, tears in his eyes. "I'll never give up on you big brother."
Priestess Kaiba: (cheers) Another chapter complete. I hope you guys enjoyed it. It wasn't that great of a chapter, but it's getting there. Maybe. Hee! Until the next update, everyone have a great weekend and be safe out there. Au revoir! : )