A/N: Welcome back loyal readers! Lots to get done here, so I'll immediately go to the mailbox:
The Broken Bow: Hope you got over that headache. In any event, thanks for reading and thanks for the compliments. You're right…Yugi out of character like this is a little disturbing.
Anime Ruthless: Thanks for reading, and don't worry, I can say with much assurance that the Navy will be sunk sometime in the coming chapters. And about that Nova game…you're right. No travel was involved, but I guess you get the benefit of the doubt when you're one of the elite of basketball.
Shyly In the Dark: Thanks for your compliment of my little OOC-ness with Yugi; I was worried I would get hate mail from all the Yugi-lovers of the universe. I'm extremely happy that you were able to update, and thanks for reading!
Telecoi: I agree with you a bunch about Yugi being OOC like this is plausible. How plausible, I'm not sure, but still it's possible. Anyways, thanks for reading.
There is something I'm about to write about that has nothing to do with Yu-gi-oh! Or this fic, so scroll down past the second horizontal line to get to the chappy itself. But if you dare, read on.
Dragon's Lair
This is just where I'll ramble on about a couple of topics that have been pressing my brain from now on. Here we go….
I was two-for-two with my Final Four picks over the weekend, and I'm still taking Illinois to take the title. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Tough loss for the LSU Lady Tigers last night…but we'll survive down in Baton Rouge. Two trips to the Final Four in a row, not too many schools can say that. And guess what, they have the talent to get back. Great season girls…
Unless you've been in a coma or hiding under a rock, I'm sure you've heard by now that Pope John Paul II passed away. I'm not Catholic, but I have so much respect for the things that he stood for and what he tried to do with his papacy. No doubt that he'll be missed. Rest in peace….
That's it for my first installment of Dragon's Lair…if you read this babble I'm impressed! Now…ON WITH THE FIC!
As I said last chapter, I'm dedicating this chapter to Anime Ruthless and The Broken Bow…but I've decided to take it a step further. Telecoi, Shyly In the Dark, ML of the SS Merry Go, Rose Goddess 874, Snow Weaver, and everybody else that has read this fic…THANK YOU!
"Playing sports has become very important today since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity. Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love." Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
Chapter 18: A Day in the Life of Yugi Mutou, Part II
"Hello, is Tea Gardener here?"
The secretary blinked at the coach and pointed him to a desk near the back of the room.
"She just finished her shift. Oh, and congratulations on the win tonight."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The secretary smiled warmly, and then went back to her computer to finish her work.
Tristan told me she has know the kid for about five years now…I hope she can help me figure out what's wrong with him…
Meanwhile….
Yugi's apartment…
Yugi had succeeded in basically drinking himself to sleep by this time, and was having a most unnerving dream…
Yugi was running as fast as he could, attempting to escape his chasers.
"Get back here, you little twerp!" One of them called out.
Of course, Yugi would not stop…he kept moving as fast as his little legs would take him.
Until he tripped on an unforeseen obstacle on the pavement, of course. There weren't any streetlights in this area of the city, so the area was especially dark.
The men who were chasing him picked up poor Yugi and slammed him against the wall.
"Go easy Keith, Pegasus gave orders not to harm him."
The smaller of the two hissed back at his counterpart with displeasure. "I don't give a rat's ass what Pegasus "ordered"…anyway... YOU! You go to the police about this little investment going on at the school, and I can promise it won't end well for you, kid. Or your brother…or your grandfather…or even that hot reporter chick I see you hangin' around with. You got that!"
Yugi had unfortunately stumbled in on one of Pegasus's business meetings, and had heard some interesting conversation, conversation by now he wish he had never heard.
Yugi woke up from his short slumber with that image, of one of Pegasus's lackeys holding him up by the collar, on his mind. Deciding to question the reality of his situation later, Yugi grabbed his letter jacket from the closet and groggily made his way out of the apartment.
Meanwhile…Tea's Desk, The Domino News…
Nathan and Tea sat at her workstation, silent for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Nathan told her why he had come.
"Tristan told me that you know more about Yugi than anyone else on this earth besides his twin brother. He's been acting odd lately, and I was wondering if you could help me figure out what the hell is going on with him."
"I'm not sure either. Yugi's been acting strangely with me also…you see…we're dating, and I think he thinks that I've been cheating on him. I've been really busy lately and I just went through that woman's time of the month…"
Nathan raised an eyebrow (A/N: The Coach's Eyebrow! Umm..Nevermind) "PMS?"
Tea blushed slightly. "Yeah…but I still love him! I'm afraid that if-"
Nathan heard his cell phone go off, and he quickly responded to it. "Colby, here…Miss Ishizu, what's wrong? …Are you serious…I'm on my way, right now!"
Nathan jumped out of his chair and grabbed his coat as quickly as he could. "Get up, I'll give you a ride?"
Tea's sapphire eyes revealed nothing but confusion. "What's going on?"
"Yugi's in the hospital. He's in pretty bad shape."
Tea gasped audibly, and grabbed her jacket to follow him.
Yugi…what have you done to yourself?
By the time they arrived, most everyone was there. Duke, Malik, and Bakura sat in a corner quietly playing cards, their usual good-natured ribbing of each other silenced. Joey appeared to be crying, with his girlfriend Mai trying to comfort him. Yami and some of the other players were crowed around a doctor, asking him questions about Yugi's condition.
"Tristan, where's Kaiba?"
"I've tried reaching him on his cell, but I haven't been able to get through, Coach."
"Dammit…how's Yugi?"
Tristan shook his head. "No news yet."
The short silence between the two was pierced by a shrill cry from Yugi's longtime girlfriend. "YUGI! Oh, my God! Please, get up! Please!" Tea ran to the window separating her from her beloved, and began to pound on it.
"Wake up! I'm sorry for all those mean things I said! Please, just get up and be alright!"
Mai and Yami came over to try to console her, but Tea pushed them away and stormed out of the hospital.
"Tristan…you watch everything here. I'm heading out."
"To bring back Tea?"
"No…to find Kaiba. He needs to know what's going on here."
"But you don't have any clue where he could be coach! Looking for him in this city could be like looking for a needle in a swimming pool."
Nathan removed what was left of his baby-blue tie, and threw it into his pocket. "I'll just have to try. And Tristan, it's a needle in a haystack."
The brunette shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, just be careful, OK?"
With a nod, Nathan ran out of the door and back into his car, his search for Kaiba about to begin.
Meanwhile…Downtown Domino City…
Seto Kaiba was a little nervous. Well, most people are on their first date. Serenity, in her spaghetti-strap pink dress, was a little nervous as well, but had carried on most of the conversation.
"…Joey's always been like that, a little overprotective at times."
She's got that right…"Seto…why did you hate my brother so much?"
Kaiba looked up, a little surprised. He had almost spilled his drink on his white dress shirt.
"Well?"
"Remember that state final a few years back…"
2003 New York State Basketball FinalDomino East vs. Domino West
Madison Square Garden
Welcome fans to the 2003 basketball championship of New York. This is the pinnacle of high school basketball in the state, and tonight, two schools less than five miles apart will vie for the championship. This is the moment some of these boys have been dreaming of since they were toddlers, a chance to bring home the title and all of its glory to their families, their neighborhoods, their team, and their school. Leave the training wheels at the door, people! We've got the Cougars and the Paladins; We've got Domino East vs. Domino West, and we've got it next!
What happened in this title game that got Kaiba all riled up with Joey in the first place? And what about poor Yugi? What cruel fate befell the little one, and will he ever recover? How is Tea dealing with all of this? Find out next time.
Thanks for reading peeps. One quick question…the name change. Do you like? Do you hate it? Are you indifferent? Let me know. See you later, gotta go watch the national championship game.