If you're wondering why I am submitting chapters so fast, it's because I wrote these chapters some time ago, and that's why I'm updating so quickly. But the following chapter is not done yet, it's only half-done, so it'll take a bit longer to submit them than half a day. :) Have fun reading!
Chapter 2: Eerie Emergency!
The rest of the day, Tea avoided the boys. Several times, Ryou, Joey, Tristan, Duke and Yugi did failed attempts to try and stop her and convince her to tell them of why she was avoiding them, but this just made her the more determined to stay away from them. Always managing to escape with a rough excuse, Tea stayed away from the boys as far as possible – and most of all, Yami, whom was now strictly followed by the delightful Belinda. She kept clutching his arm tightly, following him around everywhere, giggling, and flirting. Yami felt quite uncomfortable with this; but unable to follow the impossible Tea with a girl clutching his arm so hard he found it impossible to run without tripping over, he could only stay in the corridor and try to ignore Belinda.
When the school bell finally rang, Tea felt relieved. Before anyone could stop her, she had rushed out of the school and towards her bicycle, which she rode home. Since she had missed the school bus that day, she had used her bicycle instead to get to school, and she was quite glad that she had, because then she wouldn't have been able to escape from the boys she considered friends.
The cold wind whistled and wrapped itself around her legs uncomfortably as a scarf, making her shiver in the coldness, but she continued to ride her bicycle towards Domino Coffee. The rain splashed onto her clothes, making them glue themselves to her body, and her hair was wet and a mess; the rain mixed with her tears and felt salty in her mouth, and everything was just dim and blurry before she had reached the almost deserted café that normally was crowded with people – Domino Coffee.
Mai was staring blankly at the rain that fell, and the grey sky that towered above the once peaceful town, before Tea stepped in, wet from head to feet. The bell over the wooden door rang, and Tea smiled weakly as Mai gazed at her in surprise.
"Tea! I didn't expect you so early… oh my gosh, are you wet! Come and sit down…" She gestured at the seat opposite to hers. It was a mahogany chair with a dark red seat, in the middle of the room. This way, the boys wouldn't spot them if they walked past.
"Hello, Mai", Tea greeted her, sitting carefully down. The water dripped onto the floor, and the waitress which cleaned the floor looked irritably at the pool that soon had formed itself under Tea's chair. Mai chuckled at the sour expression the waitress showed, before turned to Tea.
"So… what's up with this Yami dating another girl?"
"Okay, they're not exactly dating… but they're flirting…"
"Flirting? You don't tell me Yami goes around flirting with girls?" Mai raised an eyebrow.
"This doesn't sound like him, y'know. Aren't you sure that girl is flirting with him, and he doesn't just answer because he's just new at this?"
"Well, really, it was – but she asked him to the prom, and he said yes."
"He did?"
"Well, he didn't respond, so now they're going together. And they'll end up as girlfriend and boyfriend sooner or later – who hasn't, if they're attending a ball together? I mean, only girlfriends and boyfriends do, and Belinda has shown no sign that she wants to go there with him a friend."
"Er, are you sure Yami didn't… protest?"
"No, really, he didn't. He just sat there. And he hasn't said a thing to Belinda all day, and she has clutched his arm all day and flirted with him, and he hasn't said a word to her to stop. It looks like he's enjoying it."
"And… you're envious?"
Tea didn't respond at once. She paused to think; it wasn't exactly envy, was it? Her heart had immediately protested that it wasn't, but… to think of it, was it really so? Was it unforgivable envy that had filled her heart? She guessed… not.
"No, I don't think so. As a friend, I'm quite upset, because I know Belinda's a very idiotic girl, who's going to dump him sooner or later for a muscular… man, you know what I mean…"
"Hmm. So, she's that kind of a girl? No wonder you're upset – but why don't you just leave Yami to deal with it, Tea? I mean, I'm his friend, too –"
"But I can't!" Tea burst out, filled with fury; this surprised Mai so much she could only blink in reply. "She's an idiot, I can't just leave Yami heartbroken –"
"I know you care a lot about him, Tea… but, Yami isn't stupid –"
"Oh, yes, he is! He hasn't even realized who likes him and who doesn't!" she shrieked in
impatience.
A tense silence followed, before Mai broke it with another raised eyebrow:
"So that's why you care…"
Tea's cheeks turned bright pink, and her mouth was closed, all the fury wiped away. Waves of embarrassment drenched her, and her heart pounded.
"No, I don't", she mumbled.
"Yes, you do", Mai teased her. "Oh, c'mon, Tea, just admit it. We're all girls – y'know, I've always thought you and Yami suited together."
"But even if I had liked him, there's no chance", Tea said bitterly. "He's taken now, didn't I say it?"
"Didn't you say he didn't respond? If he doesn't respond any time soon, there's no hope for that relationship to succeed."
"I've said that it won't succeed from the start. He's going to be heartbroken, you know… Belinda will enchant him way too much."
"And what're you going to do about it? Realize it, Tea, you'll only have to watch. If you just get all upset, he's just going to be the more heartbroken, because he'll have no idea who he'll choose – a girl he has loved for eternities, or a girl whom he's together with now –"
"Stop that!" Tea said, blushing hotly. "He doesn't love me, c'mon, we're just friends –"
"Oh, really?" Mai chirped.
"How about you and Joey then? Should I say you love him and he loves you?" Tea protested.
Mai's cheeks turned red as well, and she stuttered:
"But – it isn't the same –"
"Oh, yes, it is", Tea teased on, finding the weak point, "You two are always so cute, aren't you – when you were possessed by Orichalcos and he rescued you –"
"Hey! What about that date of yours with Yami during Battle City Tournament?" Mai scowled.
"Oh, that was just a friendly date", Tea muttered, but it really hadn't been; Yugi had actually tried to make Yami more cheerful with a 'real' date with Tea.
"Oh, no, it wasn't", Mai chirped.
"Okay, how about Joey wanting to die together with you when Marik attacked you with The Winged Dragon of Ra?" Tea teased.
"Ah, stop it!"
And the two girls burst into laughter, and without realizing it, Tea had been much more cheerful than for a few minutes ago. Mai and Tea were the only girls in the gang except for Rebecca, and she really didn't count – she hadn't been there from the start. She was just a "side-friend", Tea always said.
"So… let's talk about Yami, now", Mai said after a deep breath. Her eyes looked seriously into Tea's. "Are you really sure you don't… like him?" Putting a special 'weight' on the word 'like', she decided not to speak 'love' out aloud.
"Well, no", Tea said, looking startled to even think about it. "I surely like him as a friend, but I'm… sure that I'm not… liking him."
"If you're only sure, you can't say you don't like him", Mai said, a hopeful twinkle in her right eye. She had known since long that Tea had liked Yami – or, at least had a weak point about him. She was sure Tea didn't realize it herself, seeing how Tea always denied it – but it was quite obvious to everybody that she liked him, except for Yami himself, of course. She had always supported Tea's 'future' relationship with Yami, though Tea has always refused to agree with her.
"Oh, c'mon, Tea, don't be shy – tell me the truth, you like him, right? That's why you're so upset about this Belinda-thing. Realize it, it's reality, alright?"
"Mai… I… don't like him", Tea said hesitantly. "And anyway… it doesn't big matter now… we're just going to depart sooner or later, aren't we? I mean… I failed getting into the New York dance academy thing, but just because I'm staying in Tokyo doesn't mean that we'll still keep in touch."
"Tea!" Mai burst out, upset. "Do you mean we are going to lose contact, too?"
"No, of course not!" Tea quickly replied, blinking in astonishment. "I mean… the boys. We're still of the same gender, aren't we? We'll have girls' meetings and such. Boys… boys are different. And they'll get girlfriends soon, the rest of them, too. You can just see Tristan's and Duke's faces when they see Serenity."
Mai's face turned a deep shade of tomato red as she thought of Joey with another girl. It felt like her nails grew longer, about the size of the Harpie Lady's claws, and she felt for sticking them in the girl's throat…
"Mai? Are you alright?" Tea asked worriedly, seeing Mai's sudden, fierce expression.
"What? Yeah", Mai replied, the reddened face paling a bit and the fire burning before her eyes disappearing. "I just… never mind. Who's Joey going to go with to the Christmas ball, anyway?"
"What?" Tea raised an eyebrow. "Why do you wonder?"
"Oh… nothing, I just wondered… I mean, he's like my little brother, isn't he…", Mai lied, grinning sheepishly.
"Don't lie to me", Tea said, amusedly. "You care. Well, anyway, nobody – who wants to go with that idiot?"
"Err… nobody, I s'pose. I just wondered…"
"Alright…", Tea said, but suspicion was playing amusedly in her voice. "Well, anyway, if he gets a date or not, that won't bother me – I won't be around for Christmas anyway."
"What!" Mai stared at her in disbelief. "But you said –"
"Yeah, but I got a letter from a lottery today. I totally forgot", Tea said, and pulled out a white-yellowish envelope from her pocket. "Can't even remember it, but they said that I've won a free vacation to Taiwan for a month. Isn't that great? I can slip away and don't meet the lovebirds -" (With this, she meant Yami, and she looked bitterly sarcastic) "- and just relax and have fun in Taiwan. In Ken Ding, to be exact – it's wonderful there, I'm going to live in a beach hotel, you know – everything's free, the lottery pays it all, everything from toothpaste to every single pencil I buy there." Her eyes shone in excitement. "And the hotel is just luxurious – ultimately neat – it's called Caesar Park, I think I've never heard of a better hotel in my entire life."
Mai listened to her story, her eyes looking at Tea, still in disbelief.
"But, Tea... what about Belinda and Yami?"
"Isn't that great, then? I can slip away and don't meet them, just as I said – the lovebirds, y'know. I can have lots of fun on my own – who knows, I can even meet a decent boyfriend there…"
"… Tea! Are you insane? You like Yami!" Mai blurted out, staring at her.
"… and then I buy lots of pretty clothes… hey, do you want something from Taiwan, Mai? I can get it from you there, nothing will cost too much, as long as it's under 10,000 yen, right? And…"
"TEA!"
"… and I can buy a pair of dance clothes, and… yeah, Mai?" Mai looked desperately at Tea, whom was looking casually at Mai. She had been ignoring her comments all the time, though her eyes were burning with tears.
Oh my freaking god, how am I going to do this? My plan with fixing Yami and Tea together is going to fail…, Mai thought desperately, biting her lip.
"Tea, I don't want anything, right? Just tell me you're kidding."
"What, I'm not! I'm really going to Taiwan."
"OK, who's going along with you? Yami?"
"No, of course not. I just said I wanted to avoid him. I'm going to go there myself."
"WHAT! What about our Christmas celebrations with the gang, then? What…?"
"Oh, they're going to be ruined anyway, seeing how Yami will bring Belinda there…"
"No, they'll not."
"Oh yes, they will. Anyway, you guys can get on by yourself. And… oh! It's five o'clock. I think I must get to my evening job… see ya around before I go, Mai. I'll go Friday the 13th December, at Tokyo International Airport, OK? See ya there. Bye!"
Tea rushed off, and before Mai could as much as say a word to stop her, she was out of the door, on her bicycle, and riding it furiously in the rain as far away from the café as possible. Mai watched her, helplessly, and heaving a deep sigh, she glared at the waitress and barked:
"You, there! Where's my coffee?"
"Err… Joey? Joey? Are you alright today?" The girl tilted her head, stopping the broom she held in her right hand to look worriedly at the blonde boy. Joey yawned widely, and then looked at the girl.
"No, I'm alright. Just a bit tired… my friends just argued today, y'see."
"Oh… OK. That's not good, what did they argue about?" she asked, hiding her curiosity by looking at the glass ceiling, fluffing up her long, golden curls. She was elegant, with no doubt, with eyes gleaming as emeralds, it was no wonder that a whole herd of boys were after her. But she had no interest in them at all – the only boy she really wanted was the one standing beside her now…
"Oh, nothing special. Hey, Casey, could you…"
Casey smiled brightly.
"… borrow me your mobile phone?"
Casey's smile faded, and she stared at him in astonishment.
"Yeah, sure", she said, handing him her pink mobile phone. "Who're you going to phone?"
"Mai", he grinned widely.
"Who's Mai?" she asked stiffly, and she immediately continued to wipe the dust off the floor
with the old-fashioned broom.
"My very best friend… she's beautiful, intelligent, good at dueling –"
Oh, shut up, Casey thought angrily, as her cleaning sped up.
" – and absolutely the best person you could think of –"
"Joey", she said loudly, "Must you continue go on about your girlfriend or must I take back my phone?"
Joey blinked at her in surprise, as the tear-eyed Casey marched away to wipe away dust from another corner.
"… and then he said: 'Oh, c'mon, you can have this for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon – I mean, it's a God card –' and you guys knew what he showed me? Kuriboh!" Yugi burst into a hearty laughter as Grandpa told him the joke, while his parents merely smiled. Yami, however, did not reply at all. He stared blankly at the pork before him.
"How is it with you today, Yu – er, I mean, Yami?" Grandpa said, looking anxiously at the non-moving, dead-serious and distracted 'twin brother' of Yugi. Yugi didn't eye him; he knew what had happened, and he hoped not to answer.
"What?" Yami said in surprise, looking up. "Oh… nothing, Grandpa, nothing at all. I'm just a bit tired, that's all…"
"Al… right…", Grandpa said disbelievingly and hesitantly, before he continued joking with Yugi. The two parents eyed each other, and then turned to Yami.
"Yami, you're alright, I hope? You're not sick, are you?" the violet-haired woman, whom was not at all related to Yami, really, asked.
"I'm not… mother", Yami smiled, straining himself. He could barely pronounce the word 'mother', seeing how he was not related to the violet-haired woman at all. In fact, he was just her son's past self, whose ancient soul had taken part of his body and then gotten his own body. But if he was not called Yugi's twin brother, they'd have no excuse for his existence. Yugi's mother looked puzzled back at him, because she was not used to be called 'mother', but she was referred to as 'mum'.
"Oh… right", she said, confusedly, before turning back to her own meal of pork. Yugi's father blinked at his 'so-called son' before also challenging his own, spicy pork as well. Yami, however, did not even touch the peas, but he merely sipped on his mouthful of icy lemon water, lost in his own thoughts. Yugi did not meet his eyes, and did not ask about his condition, he knew what was wrong, and he did not bother to use telepathy to even ask or try to explain about it all.
Nighttime. Tea wriggled in her bed like a restless worm, frowning irritably as she turned from side to side. Her pink blanket had already fallen to the floor in the tries to fall asleep, and the pale moonlight shone on her sweat-covered face. A soft night breeze ruffled the little hair that wasn't pressed towards the white pillow. It whispered in her ears softly, and the stars watched her anxiously.
"Oh, my freakin' god, what does one require to have me sleep?" Tea burst out in anger, and jumped up. Her ocean-blue eyes were fiery with rage, and she was wearing a pink nightgown, shimmering as thin silk in the pale light that came from her open window.
"Really, it's a better idea to go and watch TV than just sit here", she muttered for herself, and began silently tiptoeing down the staircase, hoping that she'd not wake her mother up. She'd be dead if she did. Her mother would SO kill her. How normal was it that a normal girl student was up in the middle of the night, without sleeping?
"Hello, it's Mai?" Mai yawned in the receiver, as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand to stir herself awake before she fell asleep while speaking. She was wearing a white silk nightgown, sitting up in her bed. Her white blanket was almost thrown to the floor in the lazy attempt to sit up, and she leaned her blonde head towards the hard, chilly marble wall. She was immediately stirred awake as she heard the unforgettable voice that spoke next.
"Hey, it's… Yami."
"Yami!" Mai burst out in mere surprise. "I… didn't expect you to be up so late, I'm all sleepy, y'know. What's so important?"
"Sorry", Yami apologized in the phone, though he didn't sound sorry at all. In fact, his voice was totally wiped blank. "I didn't mean to have you sit up listening anyway… sleep well –"
"Ah, never you mind, you've waken me up now", Mai interrupted briskly. "Tell me, what's wrong, Yami? C'mon, I'll never be able to fall asleep now anyway if you don't tell me."
A silence followed, and Mai could have sworn Yami looked amused in the other end of the telephone. Though the voice that he used next surprised her so much, she didn't know what to think.
"Y'know, Mai? Could you just be my translator for… girl language?"
"… Er, what?" Mai said, raising an eyebrow in confusion and amusement.
"Yeah. Girls' language, isn't it – you girls have a strange way to communicate with people to show your feelings, don't you?"
"OK, it's that Belinda business, right?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I know it all."
"You… know it?" Yami's voice said, slowly, as though he was testing to pronounce the words.
"Yes, I know", Mai said impatiently, curling a hair with her free hand. "Go on, what d'you want to know? How you can kiss Belinda without Tea getting all mad about it?"
"… What?"
"Yeah, you know, you're a dork, Yami. Don't you KNOW how Tea feels?"
"That's the exact reason why I phoned you. I've thought about it all day, and I can't –"
"Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Tea's going to Taiwan. For a month, you know – she's going to miss the Christmas ball and everything – I bet'cha she'd have stayed, but it's all because of you." Normally, Mai wouldn't have said such a thing to Yami, but she was quite annoyed by Tea's sudden leave for Christmas, seeing how Tea was one of her best friends as well – and she knew how hurt Tea was because of Yami's sudden relationship with Belinda. Her sarcasm showed it quite well.
An awkward silence followed, before Yami finally whispered:
"She's leaving…?"
"Yeah. She's not coming back even for Christmas, she's back for the term start, and she's going to miss the New Year celebrations and everything."
"… She's… going away?"
"Yeah, are you deaf or something?" Mai suddenly yelled in the phone. "Don't you get it? She's leaving, she's leaving, and it's all because of you, you non-feeling, unintelligent, stupid duelist! All our Christmas celebrations, New Year celebrations, everything, is going to be a disaster, thanks to you and that good-for-nothing Belinda, and oh, do tell her from me that she's such a big dork who thinks she can go out with anybody she likes without them caring – and I totally forgot you were a dork as well, so you won't care anyway!"
She slammed the receiver back to its place with such anger that the lamp was almost knocked to the floor as she switched off the light. Everything was a disaster now. The Christmas celebrations she had been looking forward to, the happy sight of all her friends, united to celebrate Christmas peacefully, even being able to catch Joey under the mistletoe (a dream she now, in her anger, did not deny she had dreamed) – everything was destructed now, by the person whom had actually gathered them together, because of his Millenium items and everything, Pegasus, and Duelist Kingdom, and everybody whom was after his Millenium Puzzle – he had actually started everything, but Mai did not care now – she was so angry she could've killed somebody for lesser.
xxxShadow Angelxxx: Thank you:D I'm glad that you like it. I hope you like my other chapters as well ;)