In the Shadow of the Prophecy
Disclaimer - Insert witty disclaimer here>
Chapter fourteen - Shopping Trip
Some people like the summer when its hot,
Some people like the winter cold.
Some people speak dey mind when they wanna,
And some other people ain't so bold.
What ever it is that you do (that you do)
you should do it with your head held high.
So when your doing your thing its cause ya wanna,
And they never can ask you why.
Pink
CCC-
Last time --
" Greetings duelists ," he said with his typical 'I-am-god' smirk as he regarded them, " Welcome to the town of Domino. It seems you've all received your private invites and you were smart enough were smart enough to show up ," the crowd crowed excitedly, " But more importantly, welcome to my tournament ,"...
People dispersed after the announcement, leaving the four friends in the deserted square. Carmen yawned sleepily, " well, I guess its time for me to go ," she said, turning to leave, " see you tomorrow ,".
" Hey kiddo ," said Mai to her retreating back, Carmen paused Kiddo ? > and "hmm"ed in return. " Whadaya say we hang out tomorrow ?" she suggested, the pink-haired girl rose an eyebrow at her, " It'll be worth you while, promise, meet me here okay ?".
" I should be getting home too ," Te'a told the other two.
" I'll walk you home ," said Yami, " See you around Mai ,". Mai waved and hopped into her convertible.
CCC-
" WHAT ?".
"Chill out Joey ," said Tristen.
" Moneybags is 'avin his own Duel Monsta's tournament ," protested the blond with a vein in his forehead popping, " Damn it, I can't believe he brushed me off like dat !".
" This might be a shock to you Joey, but Kaiba doesn't like you ," the over-gelled guy.
" Ha ha ," chimed in Carmen, " Kaiba doesn't like anyone ,". Everyone, but Joey laughed at that.
" That's true ," agreed Yugi.
" Well I gotta go now guys ," said the amber-eyed girl, heading for the stairs, " I promised Mai I'd meet her after school ,".
At the mention of the aloof beauty, Joey jumped to his feet and thumbed himself exuberantly, " I'm comin' too, you might needa guy's opinion " he said valiantly.
That gave Te'a an idea, " Hey, why don't we go too Yugi ?" she suggested to the smaller boy.
" Uh, well I don't think we really have to uh ..." he tried to say, but the brunette picked him up and threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes :
" You can't wear the same outfit everyday !".
" Why not ?".
CCC-
" How's it comin' back there kiddo ?" called Mai.
" Uh, okay I guess ," replied Carmen shyly, the curtain shuffled slightly and she poked her head out. Her tiny fingers clutched the vinyl fabric under her chin.
" Well? Let's see it, c'mon ," she coerced, the petite teen stepped out wearing a very short white dress with spaghetti straps. " Hmm ," she nodded, now that she could see what she was working with, " Nice, but not what we're after ,".
" After ?" Carmen echoed, tugging at the hem of the dress uncomfortably.
" Oh yeah, I've got lots of things in store for you ," said the blonde with a devilish grin, " here, try these on ,".
Elsewhere...
" How about this one Yami ?" said Yugi checking out his ensemble in the dressing room mirror ; it was a red tee-shirt, a silver vest and some jeans.
Back to Mai's makeover...
"Are you done changing ?" asked the blonde, sounding slightly impatiently. She had her own shopping to do.
" Well... its a little... revealing ," she said, a bit reticently as she stepped out. It was a corset like her own, but it was black and trimmed with silver and a pair of black, skin tight jeans that laced up along her legs.
" Nonsense, you look hot ," she assured the girl. Carmen, on the other hand,wasn't sure if 'hot' was the look for her. " I'm gonna go look at accessories, alright kiddo ?" said Mai, " if the top's too low cut for your taste, go find a jacket, or a vest, or something ,".
" Alright ," replied Carmen as her chaperone skipped off, the amber-eyed girl looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the tri-mirror.
CCC-
The blonde walked down past the guys dressing rooms, Te'a was nearby looking at some quaint sundresses. She cut thought the aisle and joined her, " Hey Te'a, how's picking's ?". The brunette tensed, think she was going to get grilled about the night before.
" Hey Mai ," she recovered charmingly.
" You wouldn't happen to know where that oaf Joey got to, wouldja ?" she inquired.
" Oh, he saw a hotdog stand on our way in ," Te'a told her, " He's probably stuffing his face right now ,".
The curtain slid aside and Yugi stepped out with some clothes on his arm, wearing his uniform. His heart overflowed with excitement, Te'a said this little excursion would be her treat. Speaking of Te'a, he didn't see her anywhere when he came out and looked around. " Hey Yugi ," beckoned Mai sugarly from around a rack of clothes, " over here ,".
" Hey Mai ," he greeted.
" Do you think you could do me a favor and hang out at the lady's dressing room. Te'a and I have to track down that numbskull Joey, he's getting a makeover whether he likes it, or not ," she said sternly. The teen scratched the back of his head sweatdropping, but agreed and the three split up.
CCC-
Carmen pressed a sparkling rhinestone jacket black as night, the gems shimmered like stars in the night sky as she held it to her body inspectively. It went well with the clothes Mai picked out for her, she also found another couple of black tee-shirts she liked that she planned to pay for herself. She hated to admit it to herself, but the blonde's sartorial sense was sharp as a knife, the ensemble looked awesome on her.
Yugi navigated his way to the place he was supposed to meet Te'a and Mai, around a rack of mini skirts that gave him some unkosher thoughts. There was a girl there, setting some clothes on a chair, he took her in, she was stunning. Her golden gaze shifted to his position, " Yugi ?" she said innocently. / Carmen / He felt all the air his body rush out of his lungs like he'd been punched the gut. Puzzled by his silence, she cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.
Mai, Te'a and Joey appeared around the corner, their clothes in tow, his best took one look at Carmen flabbergasted and did a double-take, " Wow-witti-wow-wow-wow !" he said in disbelief, " is dat 'chu Carmen ?". The girl's cheeks reddened against her will and she looked away bashfully.
CCC-
" Well, I gotta go, I gotta get registered an' den I'm off to da hospital ," said Joey, " My sista' eye operation is in da mornin' an' I promised I'd be dere ,".
" See ya Joey ," said Yugi, himself, Te'a and Carmen waving goodbye.
CCC-
" I'm home..." the amber-eyed girl called entering the empty little apartment, " oh yeah, I live alone ,".She dropped the shopping bag on the floor of the foyer and shuffled towards her room.
Briiiiinnngg! Brriiiiiiiiinng!
She groaned in frustration, cursing mentally as dragged her feet over to the phone and picked up the receiver, " Moshi-moshi ," she mumbled tiredly.
" Good evening Carmen ," said the eerily cryptic voice on the other end, " did you enjoy you little shopping excursion ?".
Her eyes sharpened with recognition, pinning the voice with a face from her memory world, " Okay, you've really gotta cut that out, its just creepy ," Carmen answered with a smirk, " Ishizu ,".
To Be Continued . . .