Try
Chapter Four
Collide
Pt.1
She knew better than to do this.
And they knew better than to do what they were doing presently…
Unlike his two best friends, namely Joey and Tristan, he didn't wholly believe Téa would put a hold on their plans just because she 'ran out of gingerbread cookies'; they could've baked a new batch, he was sure.
That wouldn't have been a problem, leastways, where he was concerned.
Baking happened to be one of his secret specialties, but it wasn't so much of a secret talent to his tiny circle of close friends— hell, if they wanted a soufflé, he could whip up the perfect one without a snitch!
So, why would she go through all the trouble… especially if she was more than well aware of it?
What was worse was that she was out alone; any number of bad things could happen to a girl venturing out in a city like Domino. Especially at night.
The last sentence seemed to resound hauntingly in his mind, and at that moment he felt like an invisible, cold hand had clamped down on his left shoulder, its unfriendly, cumbersome weight a reminder of what it was he was unwilling to relive again; the times where she felt assailed by fear and doubt, the times he found himself pathetically unable to be her last line of defence, her support.
It was by his hand…this fate…
That's not to say Téa couldn't handle herself, she had a pretty mean right-hook (according to Joey), but if she was outmatched or outnumbered…
He slowly inched away from the window with a heavy feeling of resignation, having re-read her message more times than necessary in a lame attempt to find a hidden secret behind the uncharacteristically large, lopsided letters, and coming up with next to nothing.
She was definitely in a hurry; that much he knew.
Light suddenly leaked out on to the stony steps of her front porch from within, the silhouette of a lankier than normal figure spilling out with it.
Duke stood silently against the doorframe, casually pocketing his hands inside his tight, black trousers in order to keep his hands from freezing feeling a little less than celebratory tonight, even now that finals were over and done with. It was always the wait that killed—and in their situation, that expression could be applied to a variety of different contexts.
Luckily for them, Joey was pretty handy with a hairpin (borrowed from the ever gracious Serenity), and managed to unlock the door with a few measured and synchronized movements, juggling the doorknob with his hands once every few seconds in order to coax it open. To all of their amazement (save Yugi, who was deep in thought at the time) the door gave a low groan of protest before finally swinging inwards to reveal a spick and span corridor, sans hostess.
Which is what the note had amazingly foretold.
He could tell this truth wasn't helping any for the spiky-haired boy's wearing morale and mounting anxiety; and the latter would probably continue to pile up, just like the continually falling snow...
As for the pretty redhead of his dreams, she sat on the bottom step resting her chin on the palm of her hand, seemingly pensive about this also.
What a night! Not at all suited to romantic pursuits...
He sighed heavily, successfully gaining the pair's undivided attention.
"Yugi… I tried Téa's cell again, but I kept getting her voicemail--,"
"And here's why," Joey's voice wafted down the lonely hallway, and in a few quick strides he was already beside Duke, a tiny object stowed carefully in his wool mittens, like some kind of precious memento.
"Tristan found this on the kitchen table."
Upon seeing the disconsolate look burdening his best friend's winsome features at having recognized the not-so-mysterious item he held in his hands, along with the rude, breath-sucking jab in the ribs he received (courtesy of his pony-tailed cohort as a warning), Joey frantically tried his best to remain optimistic.
"Téa's a… a smart chick, I mean, girl…" he amended quickly, spotting the tiny flame dancing in his sister's hazel eyes, "and if anything were to happen, she'd find a way to let us know. Don't ya worry about it Yug'."
"Joey has a point, for once." Duke decided to safely chime in, beaming at Yugi reassuringly.
A pity there's no 'rewind' button for real life when you need one...
Even so, it was still very much her fault.
He sat encased in an embittered silence, noting how passers-by had cast them both a criticizing look before turning away-- a slightly more preferable reaction than the parents who dramatically shielded the eyes of their small children at what they assumed to be an obscene public display; all the while shooting dark glances in their direction as they continued along the narrow street.
As if that would make him repent or feel a modicum of guiltiness for what happened…
The party responsible for this occurrence sat across from him now, sitting on her ankles, her eyes filled with a silent laughter despite the contrite look she had managed to hold together on her face at the last possible second.
He quickly did his best to straighten his appearance, brushing the snow-covered leaves of last fall out of his damp hair and shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that she was doing the same.
Dumb girl.
"You're as much to blame as I am," she began, as if she had peered into his mind and read his thoughts aloud, untying the scarf wrapped about her neck and pocketing it in her jacket, simultaneously taking to her feet, albeit a bit wobbly. "For one thing, you were walking way too fast, and if you cared to notice, you were practically dragging me with you—,"
"And for one thing--it's your own fault if you can't keep up." He added shortly, standing erect, posture straight and perfect. "Thanks to you, I ended up squishing my… umbrella in the fall."
"You'll live, I'm sure."
The accusing look in his eyes was still there, along with some hard to place emotion as he stared at her squarely in the eyes, his mouth its usual solemn line.
She in turn gave him a toothy grin.
He would never admit that her smile might actually hold the key to his undoing…
The cold winter wind picked up and brushed suddenly across his face, almost burning his cheeks as it went—he desperately hoped he wasn't blushing like some kind of idiot, though, if she tried to point that out, he'd be ready with an excuse.
That kind of satisfaction wasn't hers for the taking.
He, Seto Kaiba, was no laughing matter.
Well, unlike his duelling reputation, as far as he was concerned…
They were both stealing time, time she was sure neither of them had but tried to make room for tonight, just so they could bicker back and forth.
Talk about progress…
Vaguely admiring the elegant lines of his profile, she began to wonder if the same scenario was tumbling over and over again in his mind, much the same way she had clumsily staggered into him, until they toppled together—her on top, him on the bottom—another victim of an unseen patch of black ice.
Thankfully, a snowdrift, laden with dead leaves, along with his soft warm body, helped to cushion the fall.
It was enough to get her flustered, but he—the only thing that preoccupied him now was his stupid umbrella, which had been carried by the unfriendly wind clear across to the other side of a busy avenue, miraculously unscathed, except for its one flattened side…
"Are you just gonna stand there all night with that stupid look on your face?"
Not only was he handsome and rich, he was spoiled and especially rude.
"If that's the case, then, this" he gesticulated in a wild circle about him, pointing at her in the process, "this has been a successful waste of my precious time!"
She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Excuse me? If I recall, meeting you at the pier was all your brilliant idea and I have the letter to prove it…"
It was the conviction in her eyes, not so much her words that incited a different kind of quiet chaos to evolve inside of him.
This chaos brought with it the unnamed suspicions and doubts he had filed away the instant he had come across her secret letter, which had, as he remembered it, been placed conveniently amongst his self-assigned pile of important paperwork…
This odd predicament they found themselves mired in wasn't just something random…and he was certain all of the damning evidence was folded neatly, its delicately layered, origami-like folds hiding what would surely promise to be another disgrace— inside that pocket of hers.
He would be a fool to risk another humiliation at her hands again.
"Wh-What are you doing?"
They were close now, much too close for comfort. The paces he took towards her happened so fast he might as well have glided in the air; he didn't even feel the radiating warmth of her hand as he took it tremblingly in his own—at least, not until he heard the shuddering sound of her voice.
To his surprise, he didn't let go right away, which was something they both were probably expecting.
"Coffee. Now."
Those final two words were the only words that he could manage to force out of his mouth upon spotting his salvation from under the messy fringe of his chocolate brown bangs. It was the perfect escape… for now.
He returned his hand by his side, alone, and began to march in the direction of the "Lucky Seven" coffee and teahouse, it's flickering, light pale blue neon sign hard to miss.
The one thing that happened to escape his acute sense of perception was the forlorn look that had shadowed her features at his vanishing touch. Snow crunched underfoot as she tried to keep her step in stride with his; gingerly pressing her feet from time to time into the trailing imprints he left behind.
Why was he acting so…strange?
Even before he had grasped her hand, there was a panicked light, or something very similar to that when she had mentioned the letter he had written her.
Whatever accounted for his behaviour, all she wanted was some answers…a semblance of clarity.
Author's Note: A thousand apologies to keep all of you waiting, perhaps some of you probably thought I died or gave up on this story...which, thankfully, I have not. As far as I know, anyways...XD
As many of you have probably gathered, Chapter 4 will continue in the next installment, I promised a long chapter, and by golly you'll get one! nn; I hope no one is terribly disappointed with the lack of date-aspect in the story, but it'll certainly show up(or at least a variation of it as Seto isn't too fond of the term, LOL) will be in the following installment. ;D
I liked this chapter as it (finally) introduces Yugi and co. and their relation to what's happening to Téa right now. It's a lovely set up, really, for some love triangles...
That's all I'll leave you with for now, and I hope you enjoyed Pt.1 so far.
Thanks for reading, andif you would be so kind toleave me a review before you go...
Millefiore
BTW- Not to worry Starian Princess, I gladly accept your cookies! XD Cookies for everyone! LOL