"I've got to run to the store and pick up nails for Carlos. I'd better have supplies for him when he comes to help me with my drawer or he won't be very happy," Kai laughed as she picked up her purse. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
With that said, she left. A little while later, Yami saw his opportunity to look at those papers when Joey knocked over Kai vase and spilled water everywhere. The others were busy helping to clean it up and didn't notice when Yami left the room.
Opening the door to Kai's room, he saw the papers lying on her bed. He closed the door behind him and sat down next to the pile. He stared at the top paper in shock. This was what had looked familiar, but he still couldn't place it. It was a picture of an old woman dressed as a fortune teller. She had a strong jaw and kind eyes. But more than the fact that it was familiar to him, it was the fact that it had been drawn. Yami could see the lines where Kai's pencil had touched the paper. Each one was exactly where it was supposed to be. Every one was perfect.
He lifted that picture off the pile to reveal one of Carlos. It was an exact replica. He even had on his "I own the world" look. She had captured it perfectly. And it was all in pencil. The next one was of Elaine. Again, it was spectacular. He flipped through the papers, looking at people he didn't know. Then he reached someone he did know. Tea. He wondered if Tea knew about this or not. Tristan, Joey and Bakura were there too.
He removed Joey's picture, knowing which one would be next. And he was correct. He found he was looking at one of himself leaning against the wall. The Yami in the picture had a blank expression on his face and was folding his arms. The real Yami stared at it. When had Kai done this? He would have seen her. Unless she didn't do it while he was actually there. She must have memorized these people in the poses and drawn them later. He stared in shock at himself. It was like looking in a mirror. Why hadn't she wanted him to see these?
He was nearing the bottom of the pile and he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the one of himself long enough to remove it. He was staring at the entire group with him leaning against the wall again. Placing it on the pile of ones he already looked at, he found he was looking at Kai herself. It looked exactly like her.
- How did she manage to do one of herself? - Yami thought, staring at it. It was so much like her. He put it aside and turned to the next one. He felt as if his heart had stopped when he looked at what was on the paper.
It was the dance he had shared with Kai. A close up of their faces, the look on Kai's was similar to the one Mai often had when looking at Joey. He himself wasn't even looking at her. He thought back to that moment and realized she had captured it accurately. He remembered avoiding her eyes at that time. Yami went red at the memory. He hadn't seen how Kai was looking at him then, but he couldn't take his eyes off her now. He could feel her arms around his neck and he could hear the soft melody that had played.
No. It was a fluke. The picture was an accident. He had been trying not to fall on his face; he was probably just watching his feet. He couldn't help how Kai interpreted it. If she had fallen for him, that wasn't his fault. But there was no way there could be anything between them. Just no way.
But he folded the picture and put it in his pocket. And the door opened.
"Yugi!"
Yami's head snapped up to see Kai standing in the doorway. He froze like a deer in the headlights. Now what?
"What are you doing?" Kai asked, walking over to the bed. "What's wrong with you? This is my stuff!" She gathered the papers together haphazardly and she saw the one of the fortune teller. Her expression changed dramatically as she sat down on the bed looking at it. "I had forgotten about this one."
"Who is it?" Yami asked, before he could stop himself.
"My grandmother. She used to be a fortune teller. I did this one a long time ago. When I needed a model to draw. I don't know how she sat there so still. But it was all for nothing. It didn't come out as good as I'd hoped," she said, tossing the papers onto her bed behind her. She stood up and went to the window. The last thing she wanted was for Yami to see the tears in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, surprised. He got up and stood beside her.
"It just doesn't look right. I couldn't even tell you what's wrong with it. That's the problem with everything I do. It just never comes out right. I don't know why I still bother to do it," Kai said, staring, trying to make her eyes dry.
"I think it's excellent," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know how you draw like that from memory."
"That's easy. It's getting it to look right. There's only one I truly like," she said, going back to the bed.
"Which one is that?" Yami asked, the hand that had been on her shoulder now on the window sill. Her hesitation told him which one it was.
"The one of Carlos," she lied. "He especially liked it too," she laughed.
He began to truly feel the fact that they were alone there. He reminded himself that at least he wasn't alone. He was never alone. Yugi was always there. Just now he realized that he sort of wished that they were alone. But that could and would never happen. So he should forget about it right then.
"I was impressed with this one," Yami said, searching through the papers. He found the one of himself fairly quickly and Kai went slightly red.
"I did one of all of you," she said.
"Yes, I saw," he replied.
"I tend to do them at night, after everything has happened and it's still fresh in my mind," she said, gathering them again. "Most of the time I don't really know what I'm drawing. My hands just take control. I guess you could say I draw with my heart. I've done a lot more. But I threw most of them out."
"Why?" How could she possibly throw anything this good away?
"Maybe because it scared me," she said, looking at him. "To find out what's really going on in my heart and what I'm really feeling, instead of what I tell myself I'm feeling. You don't understand any of this, do you?" she asked with a small laugh.
"Yes, I do," he replied. - More than you know. And more than you will ever know. -
"Have you ever felt that way, Yugi? Scared because what you think you've been feeling isn't really true?"
Yami looked at her and for a split second he considered telling her everything. "Yes," he answered simply.
"What was it?" she asked. Then she realized just how personal a question that was. "Sorry. I'm a little nosy."
"It's all right." He was glad she interrupted herself. He had absolutely no idea what he would have replied. He sat down on the bed next to her and watched her stare at the picture of her grandmother.
"I miss her," she said. She didn't really know why she was telling him so much. She hadn't intended to. But something about him made her feel like he'd understand anything she said. No matter how crazy. Something she never felt when around Carlos.
Yami wasn't sure what to say, so he just put a hand on her shoulder.
His touch seemed to strengthen her. "But it's in the past now and it's silly of me to dwell on it. It happened over a year ago after all."
"It's not silly. It's normal," Yami said, standing.
"And Carlos says I'm abnormal," Kai said with a grin. "By the way, do you know why the carpet's wet in the living room?"
Yami gave a small laugh. "Ask Joey."
"Okay," Kai said, giving him a puzzled look and leaving the room. Yami heard her ask Joey the same question. He didn't listen to his reply though. He took out the picture of him and Kai from his pocket and looked at it. He knew exactly what Kai was talking about. But he shouldn't. It was better if he didn't realize that what he was telling himself he was feeling wasn't true. It was better for him and for Kai. She didn't know who he was and it should stay that way. There was no reason for her to know the truth. He felt a little sad, but shook himself out of it rather quickly.
Yami put the picture back in his pocket and left the room. He got to the living room and sat down next to Tristan and Joey. Kai had gone into the kitchen to get drinks.
"What were you doing in there?" Joey asked when Yami sat down.
"Kai was showing me some of the things she has drawn," Yami said, moderating the truth. He was very aware of the picture that was still in his pocket.
"Is she a good artist?" Bakura asked. Yami nodded as Kai came back into the room with a tray of glasses.
She set one down in front of each person on the coffee table, then poured them water from the pitcher. She gave Yami a warm smile after she poured his. Joey saw and choked on the sip of water he was drinking in laughter.
Kai went back into the kitchen to put the pitcher away. When she came back, she sat down next to Bakura on the couch.
"Yugi says you're a good artist. Can we see some of it?" Tea asked.
"Um, okay," Kai replied, getting up and going into her bedroom she came out shortly after and handed the picture of Elaine to Tea.
"You drew this? This is amazing!" she exclaimed and Kai beamed. Tea passed it around and every reaction was almost the same.
"How do you do that?" Joey asked.
"I don't know," she replied.
"That's really good," Bakura said.
"Thanks," Kai said with a smile.
"Elaine and Carlos seem to be really close," Tea said.
"Yeah, they are," Kai said, looking at her.
"I'm really close with my little sister too," Joey said.
~ Man, Serenity's cute, ~ Kai heard Tristan say.
She turned to look at him and said, "Are you two going out?"
He looked at her quizzically. "What?"
"You and Serenity."
Suddenly Joey shot up out of his chair. "/What/? You better not be going out with my sister!"
"I'm not! Why would you think that?" Tristan asked Kai.
"Oh, well, you just said you thought she was cute, so I thought..." she started but Joey interrupted.
"You /what/?" he cried, grabbing Tristan's shirt.
The friends' eyes widened and Kai spoke. "Joey! What are you doing?"
Tea got up and managed to pull Joey away from him.
"I never said that!" Tristan said, looking at Kai with a strange expression.
"You better not!" Joey said, threatening a fist at his friend.
Kai got up from the couch and entered the kitchen with a strange expression on her face. She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, staring at it.
"Is something wrong?"
She looked up to see Yami standing there.
"Yeah. If Tristan never said that... then... how did I know Serenity's name?"
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a/n: Hmmm... Got any guesses as to what's going on? Things are gonna' get interesting now! So if you want to keep reading, keep reviewing!
With that said, she left. A little while later, Yami saw his opportunity to look at those papers when Joey knocked over Kai vase and spilled water everywhere. The others were busy helping to clean it up and didn't notice when Yami left the room.
Opening the door to Kai's room, he saw the papers lying on her bed. He closed the door behind him and sat down next to the pile. He stared at the top paper in shock. This was what had looked familiar, but he still couldn't place it. It was a picture of an old woman dressed as a fortune teller. She had a strong jaw and kind eyes. But more than the fact that it was familiar to him, it was the fact that it had been drawn. Yami could see the lines where Kai's pencil had touched the paper. Each one was exactly where it was supposed to be. Every one was perfect.
He lifted that picture off the pile to reveal one of Carlos. It was an exact replica. He even had on his "I own the world" look. She had captured it perfectly. And it was all in pencil. The next one was of Elaine. Again, it was spectacular. He flipped through the papers, looking at people he didn't know. Then he reached someone he did know. Tea. He wondered if Tea knew about this or not. Tristan, Joey and Bakura were there too.
He removed Joey's picture, knowing which one would be next. And he was correct. He found he was looking at one of himself leaning against the wall. The Yami in the picture had a blank expression on his face and was folding his arms. The real Yami stared at it. When had Kai done this? He would have seen her. Unless she didn't do it while he was actually there. She must have memorized these people in the poses and drawn them later. He stared in shock at himself. It was like looking in a mirror. Why hadn't she wanted him to see these?
He was nearing the bottom of the pile and he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the one of himself long enough to remove it. He was staring at the entire group with him leaning against the wall again. Placing it on the pile of ones he already looked at, he found he was looking at Kai herself. It looked exactly like her.
- How did she manage to do one of herself? - Yami thought, staring at it. It was so much like her. He put it aside and turned to the next one. He felt as if his heart had stopped when he looked at what was on the paper.
It was the dance he had shared with Kai. A close up of their faces, the look on Kai's was similar to the one Mai often had when looking at Joey. He himself wasn't even looking at her. He thought back to that moment and realized she had captured it accurately. He remembered avoiding her eyes at that time. Yami went red at the memory. He hadn't seen how Kai was looking at him then, but he couldn't take his eyes off her now. He could feel her arms around his neck and he could hear the soft melody that had played.
No. It was a fluke. The picture was an accident. He had been trying not to fall on his face; he was probably just watching his feet. He couldn't help how Kai interpreted it. If she had fallen for him, that wasn't his fault. But there was no way there could be anything between them. Just no way.
But he folded the picture and put it in his pocket. And the door opened.
"Yugi!"
Yami's head snapped up to see Kai standing in the doorway. He froze like a deer in the headlights. Now what?
"What are you doing?" Kai asked, walking over to the bed. "What's wrong with you? This is my stuff!" She gathered the papers together haphazardly and she saw the one of the fortune teller. Her expression changed dramatically as she sat down on the bed looking at it. "I had forgotten about this one."
"Who is it?" Yami asked, before he could stop himself.
"My grandmother. She used to be a fortune teller. I did this one a long time ago. When I needed a model to draw. I don't know how she sat there so still. But it was all for nothing. It didn't come out as good as I'd hoped," she said, tossing the papers onto her bed behind her. She stood up and went to the window. The last thing she wanted was for Yami to see the tears in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, surprised. He got up and stood beside her.
"It just doesn't look right. I couldn't even tell you what's wrong with it. That's the problem with everything I do. It just never comes out right. I don't know why I still bother to do it," Kai said, staring, trying to make her eyes dry.
"I think it's excellent," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know how you draw like that from memory."
"That's easy. It's getting it to look right. There's only one I truly like," she said, going back to the bed.
"Which one is that?" Yami asked, the hand that had been on her shoulder now on the window sill. Her hesitation told him which one it was.
"The one of Carlos," she lied. "He especially liked it too," she laughed.
He began to truly feel the fact that they were alone there. He reminded himself that at least he wasn't alone. He was never alone. Yugi was always there. Just now he realized that he sort of wished that they were alone. But that could and would never happen. So he should forget about it right then.
"I was impressed with this one," Yami said, searching through the papers. He found the one of himself fairly quickly and Kai went slightly red.
"I did one of all of you," she said.
"Yes, I saw," he replied.
"I tend to do them at night, after everything has happened and it's still fresh in my mind," she said, gathering them again. "Most of the time I don't really know what I'm drawing. My hands just take control. I guess you could say I draw with my heart. I've done a lot more. But I threw most of them out."
"Why?" How could she possibly throw anything this good away?
"Maybe because it scared me," she said, looking at him. "To find out what's really going on in my heart and what I'm really feeling, instead of what I tell myself I'm feeling. You don't understand any of this, do you?" she asked with a small laugh.
"Yes, I do," he replied. - More than you know. And more than you will ever know. -
"Have you ever felt that way, Yugi? Scared because what you think you've been feeling isn't really true?"
Yami looked at her and for a split second he considered telling her everything. "Yes," he answered simply.
"What was it?" she asked. Then she realized just how personal a question that was. "Sorry. I'm a little nosy."
"It's all right." He was glad she interrupted herself. He had absolutely no idea what he would have replied. He sat down on the bed next to her and watched her stare at the picture of her grandmother.
"I miss her," she said. She didn't really know why she was telling him so much. She hadn't intended to. But something about him made her feel like he'd understand anything she said. No matter how crazy. Something she never felt when around Carlos.
Yami wasn't sure what to say, so he just put a hand on her shoulder.
His touch seemed to strengthen her. "But it's in the past now and it's silly of me to dwell on it. It happened over a year ago after all."
"It's not silly. It's normal," Yami said, standing.
"And Carlos says I'm abnormal," Kai said with a grin. "By the way, do you know why the carpet's wet in the living room?"
Yami gave a small laugh. "Ask Joey."
"Okay," Kai said, giving him a puzzled look and leaving the room. Yami heard her ask Joey the same question. He didn't listen to his reply though. He took out the picture of him and Kai from his pocket and looked at it. He knew exactly what Kai was talking about. But he shouldn't. It was better if he didn't realize that what he was telling himself he was feeling wasn't true. It was better for him and for Kai. She didn't know who he was and it should stay that way. There was no reason for her to know the truth. He felt a little sad, but shook himself out of it rather quickly.
Yami put the picture back in his pocket and left the room. He got to the living room and sat down next to Tristan and Joey. Kai had gone into the kitchen to get drinks.
"What were you doing in there?" Joey asked when Yami sat down.
"Kai was showing me some of the things she has drawn," Yami said, moderating the truth. He was very aware of the picture that was still in his pocket.
"Is she a good artist?" Bakura asked. Yami nodded as Kai came back into the room with a tray of glasses.
She set one down in front of each person on the coffee table, then poured them water from the pitcher. She gave Yami a warm smile after she poured his. Joey saw and choked on the sip of water he was drinking in laughter.
Kai went back into the kitchen to put the pitcher away. When she came back, she sat down next to Bakura on the couch.
"Yugi says you're a good artist. Can we see some of it?" Tea asked.
"Um, okay," Kai replied, getting up and going into her bedroom she came out shortly after and handed the picture of Elaine to Tea.
"You drew this? This is amazing!" she exclaimed and Kai beamed. Tea passed it around and every reaction was almost the same.
"How do you do that?" Joey asked.
"I don't know," she replied.
"That's really good," Bakura said.
"Thanks," Kai said with a smile.
"Elaine and Carlos seem to be really close," Tea said.
"Yeah, they are," Kai said, looking at her.
"I'm really close with my little sister too," Joey said.
~ Man, Serenity's cute, ~ Kai heard Tristan say.
She turned to look at him and said, "Are you two going out?"
He looked at her quizzically. "What?"
"You and Serenity."
Suddenly Joey shot up out of his chair. "/What/? You better not be going out with my sister!"
"I'm not! Why would you think that?" Tristan asked Kai.
"Oh, well, you just said you thought she was cute, so I thought..." she started but Joey interrupted.
"You /what/?" he cried, grabbing Tristan's shirt.
The friends' eyes widened and Kai spoke. "Joey! What are you doing?"
Tea got up and managed to pull Joey away from him.
"I never said that!" Tristan said, looking at Kai with a strange expression.
"You better not!" Joey said, threatening a fist at his friend.
Kai got up from the couch and entered the kitchen with a strange expression on her face. She poured herself a glass of water and leaned against the counter, staring at it.
"Is something wrong?"
She looked up to see Yami standing there.
"Yeah. If Tristan never said that... then... how did I know Serenity's name?"
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a/n: Hmmm... Got any guesses as to what's going on? Things are gonna' get interesting now! So if you want to keep reading, keep reviewing!