A/N: I'm tryin' to push this old fic along to get to the Juicy Stuff. I don't think it'll ever end. Thanks to all who wrote! Even the not mentioned! Y o u a l l R O C K! ! ! ! !
Ryouholic: That's too bad, though they will be getting 'screentime', just not now. And this won't be your basic, regular, everyday SxS. (shakes head zillion times) Noooo siree!
Magicman/Smokegirl: Aw, and usually you're a good guesser! Your pretty darn close! Someone IS gonna curse Kaiba, though. And Mokie and Rebecca are gonna do something a lot worse to him than just gluing his laptop together. Sinister approaching, indeed!
Black Charmgirl: My evil laugh starts off as a chuckle, like Mweh heh heh . . . and than ends up like a cackle, like MWA HA HAAA!!! ( eyes rolling back and bulging out, w/ mouth hangs wide open). LOL. I use it often, though only when I'm alone. Least, I try to. I've been seeing my mom looking up asylums. O.o gotta be more careful.
Yugikid3: No, I have something else planned, but your ideas would be funny. Lol.
Funky Egyptian: Yep, you're right! It isn't!
BlackLightning: Yeah, I'm no Tea-hater, but I think she is TOO self-righteous sometimes! Maybe she's bitter? Ah, don't worry, she'll change soon. And no, Seto's gonna find out before Serenity has her baby! Or else that'll be weird. Lol. He'd be like, 'Um, whose's that?' lol. No, he's just stubborn. And in Deny-yal.
Lightning-Dojo: Aw. A Kaiba-hater. What's so wrong with him? Er, never mind (sweatdrop). Anywho, Kaiba gonna suffer, even though he is my fav!
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! ™ is . . . someone's else's except me.
Chapter Nineteen: A Night to Remember Part I: Alcohol and Partying Do Not Mix.
"You'll have to face him sometime," Mai was chiding, as the two walked side by side, her boots clicking down the street-lit sidewalk pavement. Puddles winked from here and there at them from a recent rain. "Heck, if they do get married, he'll be your brother-in-law." She said with a wink, though might as well have been speaking German, for all good it did.
"He betta be afraid ta face me, else he's not gonna have a face," Joey accused with a grumble. It was pretty obvious whom they were talking about. Suddenly, Mai looked up and caught her breath. Speak of the devil.
Joey hadn't seen him yet; he was too busy kicking at the pebbles, shaped anything like Kaiba's face on the ground. Well. Mai thought. Just well. I guess this is my chance to inform him about the baby, like I said I would. NOT something I'm looking forward to!
"Um, honey, why don't just you go ahead? I, um, need to tell that store over there something about the wedding," Mai improvised. She knew how much Joey hated to go shopping with her. He said she took too much time choosing; and for once, she was grateful. Her violet eyes were glued to the traveling trenchcoat to the right off-distance that approached. "So, I'll be right there, ok?"
"You sure?" Joey didn't notice anything. "You're gonna be alright? It's gettin' pretty dark."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "and right there, honey."
"All riiiight," he said dubiously, as they hugged goodbye and he walked off. She made sure he was nothing more than a speck on the horizon before approaching Kaiba, chin tilted up.
Here goes nothing! Sigh.
# At the Kaiba Mansion #
"Oy! Joey!"
At a few feet from the elaborately designed steps, Joey stopped and turned at the sound of his name to see three figures of two men and one woman; two tall and one short.
"Hey!" he grinned, waving, not having seen them for a while, and recognizing them immediately. It was Ishizu, Marik, and Odion Ishtar. Together, the old, fat butler in a tailcoat admitted them inside and took their coats, bowing deeply. "How's life in sunny Egypt?"
Tristan, Tea, and Ryou joined them from behind in the grand foyer. They had just arrived as well. Friends from college and high school were chitchatting amiably amongst themselves to celebrate the engagement. Their voices rose in a crescendo.
Ishizu smiled down towards her family. "Good to see you," Marik said after they shook hands. He had changed out of the three, the most: his voice was a lot deeper, a lot less nasal, and although he was still shorter than the other blond Joey, he was buffer. "Sorry," he said when Joey winced at his crushed fingers.
" 'Sokay . . . I didn't need this hand anyway," Joey joked as the others cheered hello and hi as well. Marik's electric lavender eyes stood out on his very deeply tanned face as he said hello to all of them with a sincere smile.
"So . . . we hear you're getting married, Mr. Wheeler?" Odion, the built bodyguard of Marik and Ishizu, said, looking a bit different as well. He actually had hair! Though it was still in a long whip.
"Eh, we're friends, here, right? Call me Joey . . . Chrome Dome."
"Okay." The giant smiled back. He seemed about eight feet tall and towered over them all. "Joey Chrome Dome." Everyone laughed. ". . . what . . .?" Odion said, obviously puzzled as he looked around.
"Guests of honor," Smithers, the head butler said formally, complete with a bow. "I have a message for you from Master Kaiba."
"Where is Serenity?" Tea inquired of him, looking very festive in a long-sleeved turquoise dress that matched her eyes perfectly. Her long amber hair was loose and she was attracting many a boy's attention at the party.
"Miss Serenity will be right down; she was making preparations. Come this way."
Joey, Tristan and Tea all got chills running up and down their spines to hear this, but the others walked more calmly, traveling under archway after archway, each one more grander than the next. The place was decorated with more-than-the-usual flowers and plants, bushels of them bunched up here and there in pleasing arrangements.
"How many times have I got Goosebumps when I heard those words," Joey muttered, answering himself. "Countless times."
"I know," Tea muttered back, nibbling her lip. Beside her, Yugi walked straight on, seemingly not afraid. His violet eyes shone with determination more likely.
Other servants, all dressed in black and white -- like penguins, Joey thought (his bad mood was returning)-- were holding shiny-silver trays in one hand, with champagne flute-wineglasses on them. "ALL RIGHT BOOZE!" someone, sounding like Duke, from the ever-growing audience yelled. Laughter all around as everybody took a flute. The chitchat stopped to a halt and an expectant pause grew.
Tea saw Joey hold his glass in the air suspiciously, as if checking for poison.
Smithers "Ahem"-ed for attention, and signaled for the lights. The electrical chandeliers were dimmed to a soft glow. In a high, darkened ceilings Kaiba (or rather his face), appeared. It was a hologram.
He smiled sinisterly and started to launch into a speech, and someone elbowed Joey at his side. "Where's Mai?"
"Eh?" Joey looked around with a start, "She should be here by now. Weird."
# Somewhere Just outside Kaiba Corp. #
Walking slowly, the hem of his long coat fluttering just a few inches from the ground, Kaiba was deep in thought and didn't see her . . . until she was only a few feet away. Mai saw his fists clench on his long silver briefcase's handle. His eyes narrowed as if guessing already what she was going to say.
"Oh, it's you," he said with false courteousness, "I'm in a hurry right now.SO sorry." With a slight smirk, he pushed past her.
"Hold it," Mai commanded, using just the right amount of forcefulness to make him stop short, "I need to talk to you, bud.'"
"No thanks." He said crisply, not wanting to hear anything she had to say. They hardly ever talked, and even though she was Serenity's best friend, he thought she was a ditz. Go away.
"It's about Serenity," Mai said bluntly, knowing that would make him stop and turn. It should. And it did. There was a squeak as his shoes turned. "It's important." she said with authority.
"Ok, you've got my attention, so make it snappy. Well?" He said almost cruelly. With his face shadowed, he looked more like the Grim Reaper than Count Dracula did.
Mai shot a look this way and that down the deserted street. "We can't talk here. Too many ears overhearing! "
She's been watching too many spy movies. But whatever. "Fine." He gestured.
They went inside a nearby building he owned. Then again, he owned practically half the block. Half of Domino. Luckily, no one saw them.
"Be quick about it," he commanded, once inside a dramatic-looking room lit only by a single outside window, which he went to stand by. "I'm late for an appointment."
"Oh, drop the snooty act, will you?" Mai's temperament finally get the best of her, "And turn around from that corner; I don't want to talk to a wall." She was nervous, wondering if she should do it. Tell-- no, maybe Serenity should? What was the proper best friend etiquette? Meanwhile, he did turn, only slightly, his eyes narrowing at how much he hated to be talked like that.
"It's like this: Serenity's . . . um," Mai took a deep breath, then just spat it out. " . . . Pregnant-with-your-child . . .! "
Complete blank on his part.
Phew, that was simpler than I thought! Mai felt a lot better, like a weight, weighing two tons, had been lifted. Lifted right off her shoulders . . . what a refreshing feeling. Ah!
Mai felt a lot better, like a weight, weighing two tons, had been lifted. Lifted right off her shoulders . . . what a refreshing feeling.# Kaiba Mansion #
"Um . . . " Serenity looked outside the top floors of the mansion at the inward pouring of students. There must've been at least 200 ALREADY. "Keli, did you invite all of these people??"
"Meh? Oh yeah. They're friends from school," Keli winked as the clear yell of Duke Devlin sounded from below:
"OH YEAH! LET'S PAR TAY!!!"
"Duke?!" Serenity hissed, scandalized. "You invited him?!?!?!?!" Keli shrugged; Serenity mouth dropped open. "Don't tell me . . . "
"Um, see ya!" Keli bounced away discreetly and Serenity was left alone in the upper floors again. Doing some calculations hurriedly, she tried to figure the capacity. Let's see, there are 176 servants currently staffed . . . the night time shifts don't come in until 7 . . . good, they'll be picking up the place . . . More than enough time to do so.
She felt like if she were digging her own grave all the sudden.
# Kaiba Corp #
"Oh, not You Too."
Mai was so busy enjoying the feel of a weight be lifted from her shoulders, she almost missed his next statement. His tired-sounding voice almost made her fall over. What?
"I don't know what sick joke everyone's playing on me, but leave me out of it. It's getting tiresome!"
He started to leave to call and have her escorted out when she exclaimed, "Wait!"
Quickly, Mai came up with some sort of strategy of reason. Let's see, if I say, 'I'm not lying!' he'll just go, 'Yeah, right,' blah blah blah and etc. with the negativity.
So-o-o . . .
"Think about it, Kaiba. Has she been eating anything STRANGE lately? Like, I don't know, pickles?"
He stiffened, in obvious acknowledgement.
"Has she fainted?" Mai rounded up on him, her voice barely above a persistent hiss, "You know that 'flu' she had? Well, it wasn't and it's not a flu, it's-- "
"Okay, enough!" he said, and she thought she finally broke through his thickheaded skull. Then: "Stop lying to me. Serenity wouldn't dare keep a thing like that from me." Besides, I made sure she wasn't. And she wouldn't cheat, wouldn't dare to.
Mai was stumped, for a second. If she said,' Oh yes, she would!' then that would be the same as insulting her young friend. And if she said, 'You're right,' then that would be lying and the point of the conversation was for him to accept the fact.
Mai hesitated, "I . . . don't know why she 'lied' to you," she said the word 'lied' like if it were nothing more than a ridiculous idea, "But so now you know. Think about it, Kaiba!" For your sake.
"Rrrright . . . I'll think about it," he sneered, "Now get out."
"Just one more thing, Kaiba."
# Kaiba mansion #
" . . . And for my wedding present to them, I'm offering to pay for their honeymoon and giving this engagement party," the holographic Kaiba said as cheers rose with clapping and stamping of feet. It sounded more at a football game than an engagement party. "There is a catch. They must be happy somewhere far, FAR, FAR away from Domino forever. Did I mention far away? Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everyone echoed in a roar. Glasses were lifted. More clapping and stamping, as the bottoms of glasses were tipped skywards, looking like a sea of crystal.
Unsurprisingly enough, Joey was the only one who scowled upwards, thinking, You just wish, buddy boy. Joey's hand nearly crushed the delicate crystal almost to the breaking point. Throwin' his riches in m'face. Thinks I can't pay for my own honeymoon, eh?! Well, I don't want his stupid present! And c'n take his offer, stuff it in his rich pipe and smoke it. Without really thinking about it, he gulped down the rest of the champagne with finality. Yuck. Booze.
Seeing Joey making a face, Tea said, "Let me guess: that offer of Kaiba's hasn't thrilled you, Joey?" she said sarcastically, exchanging smiles with Yugi beside her. Yugi then studied his friend with a puzzled expression. Joey looks a bit weird today.
"Humph" was all Joey would say as the music started up full blast. "Hey! Turn dat dow-- " Waitaminnit, wwwwhat am I sayin'! "Never mind; turn it all the way up!"
# Kaiba Corp #
"What is it." Kaiba said impatiently, restlessly shifting his briefcase from one hand to the other. Mai expected his toe to tap any second now.
Despite that fact that there had always been something about him that irked her, she felt sorry for him. If what Serenity said was true-- that he didn't want children yet, he was in for the shock of his lifetime. Mai said haltingly, "If she IS pregnant, you have to promise me that you'll take care of her."
"Fine." Whatever. "Okay, I think we're done here, so if you'll just go ALREADY. I'm expecting company. Invited company."
His pointed remark stung a bit. "I know I'm, like, what, the fifth person to tell you this!"
"It isn't personal," he said in a way that it was, "I just know Serenity's not pregnant. That's all."
"Didn't y'all sleep together?"
The atmosphere became, if possible, even icier. "Well?" Mai persisted after a long freezing, sub-zero silence. She knew she was out of line, but didn't care. He just continued to give her a Yeah-right,-like-I'm-going-to-discuss-my-sex-life-with-the likes of you stare, not answering. The air was still as death. "Then, you know it's a possibility." She said like he'd answered affirmative. "Look," she said in a loud whisper, "I know all about . . . the pill thing . . . "
His look changed from stern shock to the deepest disgust. This girl was SICK.
"But, I can tell you, she told me, that she didn't take it." Mai sighed shakily; this was pretty heavy stuff. "And that's w-- "
She stopped herself just in time. If she had said, 'And that's why she's pregnant,' then that would be admitting this was all Serenity's fault. Even though it is-- no, it's not! It's neither of theirs. And I don't care what Kaiba says, I know she is pregnant. Can we say Cleopatra, King of De- Nile?
Kaiba began to laugh, suddenly. First it started out as a chuckle. Then it turned into a full-blown hilarity. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't imagine anything more ridiculous-- than this conversation. "You're funny." Then suddenly serious again, of a result of a psychotic mood swing. "I don't like funny. Get out!"
Mai sweatdropped. Still a no go. Man. Joey was right. Well, I tried. He'd soon see. "Okay, See ya, Daddy." she smirked, laughing at him over her shoulder. Whatever, he thought, glad to be rid of her at last. Now he could prepare in peace. Ah, blissful peace.
# Kaiba Mansion, little later #
Mai rushed in, breathless from running, after the butler took her coat. "Hey, guys, what did I miss?"
"Ah, so it's you he's marrying." Odion rumbled, recognizing the tall blonde girl. The others smiled too as they remembered Battle City. "The pretty blondie."
"Yep," Joey said proudly, putting his arm around his fiancée in comfort-- she hated being called 'blondie'.
"Man, that is some rock," Tristan observed, looking at the engagement ring on Mai's finger. "We were just toasting you two and-- "
"Oh, really? I want to hear it!" she exclaimed, and then was shocked by Kaiba's message-- to pay for their wedding. Still, she did her best to cover that she had been actually talking to the guy earlier, while the wineglasses were refilled again and lifted.
Joey turned to her after everyone drank and told her-- proudly-- that he'd found a new groomsman, "to fill up da vacancy," as he put it with a smile.
"Oh? Who?" she inquired, finishing her wineglass, where a harried-looking maid started to take it.
Joey pointed towards Marik, beaming. "I asked, and he sez dat he'd be honored ta do it. So, it's all settled, right?" I wonder where she was? Oh well, I'll ask her later.
CRASH! (sound of Mai's glass shattering)
Everyone's smiles faded.
"Mai?" Joey questioned, looking concerned. He thought that maybe this was one of her games that she'd failed to fill him on. "What's wrong?"
She was shivering and hiding behind him. It was totally unlike her. Marik looked equally baffled as anyone else. Ishizu spoke, sighing-- she KNEW what it was. "Come on. We better take our leave . . . now. It appears we are not welcome. I'll walk you home, brother."
"But he's not like that anymore," Joey's voice was trying to explain to her as they shuffled towards the door. If Marik didn't do it, he would have to choose between his two best friends, something that was sure to be a hassle.
"I don't care!" she was hissing, unblinkingly, like wary cat, "He creeps me out, and that's final!" She could never forgive him for showing the worst moments of her life and banishing her to the Shadow Realm, something that still haunted her to this day.
Marik looked very sad to hear this. At the doorway, he turned around and gave a pitiful look over his shoulder, complete with slumped shoulders and slight pout.
"See? How can ya say no to a cute look like dat?" Joey was saying. To her, it just looked creepier.
"Like this: No!" Ishizu and Odion ushered him outside; Ishizu gave a passing, meaningful look to Ryou, who nodded in concession after a bit. They were a very mysterious couple.
Just then, Serenity came down looked very rushed. "Hi, guys! Glad-you-could-make-it, what'd I miss?" Oh, no! The toast?!
Again the glasses were refilled for the third toast-- and it was still afternoon. (Serenity's with apple cider, of course.) Ryou started to sway-- towards Tristan, who happened to be standing beside him.
"Hullo, Tea, what a very nice beard, d'you grow it-- hic, oh excuse me--, yourself?" he said to him, not one to hold his liquor.
As the music started up, to a boom on the huge, desk-size speakers, everyone promptly forgot about anything except partying, and scattered around the twelve wings of the Kaiba Mansion.
Duke, who came dressed in an extravagant faux-fur leopard coat with gold and diamond rings and chains around his neck and fingers, wasn't one to hold his liquor either. He was stinking drunk. He leered at Tea.
SLAP! (the sound of Tea's hand)
"I'm not Tea, dude!" Tristan was saying haughtily at Ryou, insulted.
# Bit Later #
Rebecca Hawkins wove around mashed, dancing people's legs, her small 5'2" height making her barely seen above the bobbing crowd. Whoa . . . Her big sea-green eyes goggled at the sight-- so many people. All laughing and having a good time. The poor mansion! The police were sure to be knocking soon.
Tee-hee! Then she spotted a familiar spiky hairdo. Yugi. With Tea and their friends.
Rebecca instantly seethed at the sight of the two of them--together! How dare he go and ask another girl out from right under her nose! He was supposed to be HER boyfriend! He's a pig! A big oinker! And was dead mistaken if she was just going to turn the other cheek-- oh, ho!
#Meanwhile #
Honoring the newly engaged couple, they were allowed to choose the songs to dance to. It was easier said than done: Joey like rock, alternative types like Creed, 3 Doors Down, while Mai preferred something with more of an edge. But they both liked oldies. So the machine-- which was more of a system-- filled the corridors with the passionate, festive sound of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."
Smiling faces and clapping hands followed Joey, --who always loved being the center of attention-- cheering him on as the beat dom dommed and reverberated through the house. Joey held up a pretend microphone with one hand and opened his mouth.
"I bet you're wondering how I knew"
"Bout your plans to make me blue"
"Between the two of us you knew"
"it took me by surprise" -- here, he leaned back in verve to show his affection-- like a gusto when playing air guitar.. A smile broke on Mai's face and she took his outstretched hand. "I must say when I found yesterday…"
People were really whooping now and causing such a racket, delighted as they danced around the ballroom, him with the "microphone" still in his hand. There was a WOOT! When he dipped her. Delighted, the fired-up, impressed audience started doing the chorus in sync: "How much longer would you be my baby? Yeah yeah yeah . . . Whoo! Go Joey; go Mai!" Soon everyone was dancing alongside them.
As they paused for a breather after a good fifteen minutes, they were rewarded by an onslaught of servants bringing them fresh water and drinks. "Patè?" Everyone continued to scatter about the mansion, while Mai, still-laughing and breathless, told the other about Joey joining the police force.
"A cop? You're going to be a cop?" Tristan said incredulously. He and Duke laughed and laughed uproariously until tears rolled down. "HAHAHA!"
"Why, that's great, big brother!" Serenity was excited for him; she had had a BIG smile on her face as they had danced. A loud crash sounded from somewhere. "Um . . . 'scuse me!" She zipped away to check the damage.
"And what's so funny?" Mai told them. Laughing and talking, the gang all reclined on puffy leather chairs in one of the expansive dens, a fire going in the fireplace, holding drinks and reminiscing. Tristan looked over at her.
"Nothing," he murmured, "except that it's kinda hard to believe."
"Yeah," Duke put in his two cents. "Kaiba better take investments in bullet-proof coats!"
Everyone had a good laugh.
"Yeah . . . hey, yeah," Joey said dreamily, putting one hand to his cheek and picturing it. He hadn't considered it before: him running after the CEO, rookie pistol in hand . . . with perfect aim; or course -- right between the eyes.
"Mebbe I will consider it," he said.
Mai slapped his shoulder lightly at his Whaaat? as Yugi said: "It is a good job."
"The perfect job," Tea said under her breath, also picturing the same thing Joey with just as much relish. She sat on the arm of a beige armchair.
"I dunno," Tristan maintained with a scratch. "Joe a cop? Don't they check your criminal record?"
"Yes, why?"
"Welp. That's the end of that story," he said like he meant it.
"Why?" Mai wanted to know. "What did he do?" She looked from face to face smilingly. "Honey, what?"
"Nothin'. Tris is jest makin' things up," Joey said, not wanting to be disturbed from his dream. Ah, dad, no dead Kaiba . . . Dad dead Kaiba.
Tristan snorted into his drink. Tea rolled her eyes.
"So what did you do bad, honey?" Mai said, intrigued, tossing her long silvery blonde hair back. Usually he was such a goody two shoes, anything rebel-like would be exciting. "C'mon, you can tell me . . . "
Joey shot Tristan a look when he opened his mouth. "Nothin'! Really. Tris is just jokin'." When Mai pressed him, he said finally that one he'd been a bully to Yugi.
Mai's face fell in disappointment; Tristan nearly choked. That was SO not the worst. Then she brightened. "Well, I didn't know that! What'd you do, stuff him in his locker?"
"No."
"Take his lunch money?"
"No."
". . . ah! Give him a 'swirlie'?"
Yugi's eyes got big. He looked a bit shocked.
"No. I jest, uh, threw his stuff around." Joey remembered, it was so long ago. "Remember, guys?"
"How disappointing," Mai said with a sniff. Tea saw Yugi's hand clench. "What happened after that?"
"What happened," Tea cut in, drawing herself up, "is that I booted them both out, the bullies." She gave Joey and Tristan the evil eye for good measure; neither seemed to notice. Joey was still in his fantasy, and Tristan was looking right and left for the missing Duke.
"See ya, later, guys," he said, smelling something fishy. He got up and left.
Mai was laughing to tears of mirth. "Ha ha! I can just picture it!"
Tea told her it wasn't funny. Mai didn't pay any attention. She never knew that. She could very easily picture Tea screaming and yelling.
It was funny.
Yugi didn't think it was. It was easily the worst moment of his life. Tea gave Mai the evil eye on his behalf.
"Where's Ryou?" Tea suddenly asked Yugi, hoping to change the subject.
"Um . . . I think I saw him being carried off by some sorority girls to become their mascot," he answered. "He's a little tipsy."
Tea sighed. That's for sure. "C'mon, we'd better go help him. See you later, guys." She waved and they echoed it and waved back. They left, hearing Mai saying, 'Was it something I said?'
"You look a little tense, Yugi," she said once they were out in the one of the living rooms with the other thriving guests.
He smiled too quickly, "Yeah. I have an appointment . . ." Just then, Rebecca approached. They didn't notice her until it was too late.
SLAP!
She had struck him across the face. It had happened so fast that all that Yugi saw was a blurred hand and an angry little blonde-pigtailed girl's face. "Rebecca!" Tea's sharp gasp drew stares. People, still giddy from the dancing, laughed all around, 'Girl trouble, Yugi?' and chuckled and continued with their partying as uniformed servants rushed around haphazardly, looking very stressed-out.
"I thought you weren't like that! I hate you!" Rebecca was saying. Tears stood out in her bespectacled eyes and every muscle in her small body. She suddenly noticed Tea. "And this isn't over yet, Barbie," she said, lifting a finger a mere millimeter away from Tea's nose. Then she whirled and ran away, dramatically boo-hooing loudly out the door.
"Barbie?" Tea asked aloud to no one in particular. She bent over to Yugi, who had taken a seat against the wall. "Are you okay?"
Shocked, humiliated, and stunned, he turned and seemed to look right through her. "Y-yes." Then, more softly, "I never knew she felt that way."
Tea hid a sweatdrop. Rebecca had practically threw herself all over him, and he didn't know she had feelings for him? Typical obliviousness of being male, I guess. "You're cut."
There was a trickle of blood staining his left cheek; Rebecca must've been wearing a ring and scratched him. "Here," Tea said, getting him a handkerchief. She dabbed at his face lightly, being gentle.
He looked down, to check his watch, and their foreheads bumped. Ouch. It didn't hurt that much, but Tea saw him back off and duck his head as quickly as possible. The dim lights may have been a factor, but she could swear his pale cheeks were flushed. He was embarrassed, she thought.
There was a welt as well as a handprint on his face, but otherwise he was okay. Just embarrassed. And no wonder, she thought. Right in front of all these people, to be slapped like that. Tea felt a rage towards Rebecca. What was her problem?
"No worse than what I've received before," he was saying in a mumble.
"Oh . . . that stupid Joey," Tea muttered, madder than a wet hen on his behalf. Insensitive should be his middle name.
"Yeah . . . well, I've got to go; I'm late." Yugi explained, about to ask her if she would say good-bye for him.
But she said, instantly reading his thoughts, "You mean . . . that duel with Kaiba is tonight?"
Yugi nodded.
Tea sighed. "Sheesh, I wish you would've said something! C'mon, let's go!"
"W-what?" Yugi said, startled. "Um. Tea . . . I really appreciate you coming with me and all, but-- I don't think-- " he hesitated, feeling foolish. He fidgeted, looking at his shoes and scuffed his toe.
He didn't want her to see him lose the match.
"Don't be silly," Tea said passionately, "I'm coming with you: to cheer you on. Now let's go!"
It was funny that even though he was as tall as she was now, she could still make his feet wave and dangle in the air as she dragged him behind her
TO be continued
A/n: Lol. I think that's cute, the way she drags him in the air like that.
Anywho, I KNOW it's getting old, but Kaiba'll know The Truth before this night's over. Hence, the title of the chapter. And he'll-- eh? (gets distracted by Joey running by)
Where was I? Oh yeah. There are so many things that can happen right before a wedding! Meep! I shiver and laugh to think of it. Like I said, this won't be like any other SxS fic. There will be-- eh? (gets distracted again)
Hn? Oh yeah . . . reviews!
Luthien-Anwaman- your review made me smile! 'Piss off Tea!' LOLz. And you're right the lead up will be the best bit!
Jieli- Actually, I am planning to do a fic like that . . . it'll come out, next to never! I'm just SO busy! Sadness. Lol.
GoldenStar- He's not gonna be happy . . . sadness . . .
A/n: Anywho, please review! Don't be a read-and-runner! :P R&R