A/N: Wow, thanks to everyone for all my awesome reviews! I love you all:D Chocolate for all of you! This was an interesting chapter to write because Yugi and Mokuba aren't all that innocent anymore. Everyone has a dark side! Bwahahaha!
I'm going to do something that I do once in a bluemoon and thank everyone individually. I warn you now that I won't always do this. I might do it a lot later, or may never get time like this. So this will have to do for now. I'm sorry! T.T
Monkeyluv4646: Here you go! An update for you:D
Gauri: I cant tell! XD Maybe they do try and hook them up, maybe they don't. Read and find out!
PnutPotter26: Thank you so much! It was really hard for me to write the vent, but I'm glad that you liked it! It makes me happy when I get reviews like yours!
Sai Bakura: Don't abuse yourself! Your definetly one of my most faithful reviewers, and I LOVE YOU! XD Two weeks! I guess it's like one now…but w/e. Yay! Another anniversary celebration! I'll have to make that one really special or something! Trust me, I will NOT quit this story unless all of a sudden I loose all my reviewers because they think it sux. I would die without you, so don't stop reviewing!
Kagome21: Lol, I actually don't know when their going to have sex and get married…maybe I should ask them. Who knows, it may never happen! O.O;; That's hard to believe, lol. Thanks for the review and here's the next installment:D
mischiefmagnet: Thank you for your lovely review! I totally agree that fanfiction is weird that way. Kaiba never want's to work with me, I swear! If I want him to be anything other than arrogant and an ass, he won't agree with me. I hate writing ooc, but sometimes it just has to be done to fit the story.
LuvinAniManga: Thank you sensei! I'm so happy you like it:D Yea, I guess confessions are good once in a while. They're one of those mandatory things in life! I'm glad you like the little Wolfie/Kaiba/Téa things! I have fun finding ideas for them each chapter.
Lily: Ok, I won't stay at Ch.8…here's Ch.9! Hehe, enjoy!
Silver Kitsune6291: Thanks for your comments! I will keep this story up:D I'll see If I can get Kaiba to give you a kiss too.
Wolfie: "Kaiba! Kitsune. Kiss. Now."
Kaiba: Damn. (gives Kitsune kiss)
Wolfie: There you go! Thanks for the review! See…if you review, you get perks!
Chocolatelover1: Thankies! What I meant by the last sentence in A/N was that Kaiba gave me a kiss cuz I threatened him! XD XD
Jenni-chan: Here, I updated, now you can come back! Come back! I thank you for your lovely reviews:D Stay a while and enjoy the next chapter!
KamekazeGirl: Here's the next chapter! Review some more, and I might just put up another one soon!
LITTLE SKY: Thanks, yea I had a hard time deciding on whether they could explain or not. Truthfully, I couldn't really explain, so hey! Don't worry, I won't forget about the assignment! I have something special planned for that, maybe even in the next chapter.
white artemis: Thank you for the cheers! Woot! I'm really glad that you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one as well:D
Disclaimer: I don't own anything important… T.T
Now on with it!
Ch.9 Battlefield: Domino City
Friday afternoon, Yugi and Téa sat in a small ice cream parlor, at a circular table. The parlor was packed to capacity and people were also lined up outside. After school let out it had been a race to get ice cream. It had to be at least 80º outside, because there was no wind today. They had been a couple of the lucky few that got here early enough to get a seat.
Téa licked off a bit of cherry ice cream from her cone as she listened to Yugi apologize for Joey. She had heard it all a number of times when Joey did something stupid. She sighed as she had the urge to repeat it back to Yugi, to get him to shut up. She listened to the entire thing then nodded, "I know Yugi, and as usual, I forgive him." She said than smiled, thankful that the speech was over. "But next time, tell Joey to say it himself."
Yugi smiled, he loved how Téa was easy to forgive people when she was in a good mood. She'd still be mad if she didn't have ice cream that he paid for in her hand. He had used Joey just to start the important things off, now it was time for the really important subject. "So…how is you and Kaiba's project going?"
Téa knew it was coming after a while, there was only so many things you could talk about. He had already asked about her plans for summer, etc, etc. She guessed it was only fair that he could finally bring it up. Even if she was going to lie. "Good."
"What class is it for?"
Téa blanked out for a second, she hadn't thought of this. She would make it something she could remember though. Something easy…like, "Math." Téa mentally hit herself on the head until her brains spilled out. 'Nice you idiot…MATH! There's like 50 types of math!' She thought she should prevent him from asking anything else detailed…or just anything for that matter. "Well, we have to make a graph of sales profits on a company."
"Oh really? What company?" Yugi knew she was lying, he could tell by the nervous expression she wore. He was sick of this game, but he knew he would have to drag it out of her. If that didn't work…unfortunately this would have to work. If it didn't he would have to round up Tristan and Joey, and anything with those two, was not good.
"Kaiba corp. of course!" She let out a small fake laugh, "Tch, as if Seto would let us do anything else."
"Seto?" Yugi was startled at the reference to Kaiba, using his FIRST name. She must have accidentally said it.
Téa kept a normal expression as she licked some more ice cream off. "That is his name."
'Ok, that's it. What the HELL!' Yugi raised both of his eyebrows skeptically. His face suddenly turned completely serious. "Téa, what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"I'm not stupid. What the hell is going on between you and Kaiba?" Téa's last word had made him completely snap. He had controlled himself long enough.
Téa bit her bottom lip in nervousness, Yugi had never talked to her like this. His tone was so clipped and fierce, he almost started to sound like Yami. She wasn't scared of Yami though, she loved Yami to pieces, and Yugi too for that matter. But he was starting to get scary, compared to usual sweet innocent Yugi of course. She built up just enough courage to respond, "Nothing." And what a stupid response it was.
"Téa…you better be telling me the truth."
Téa paused for a moment, "I am." She hated to lie to him, but even the teacher said she couldn't tell, not that she listened to her, but it gave an excuse.
Yugi nodded and almost as quickly as he had turned serious, he was smiling happily at her. "Ok Téa, I believe you!" 'Damn it Téa, why couldn't you have just told me. Now…(sigh)'
They ate the rest of their ice cream rather quickly and silently. On the way out they exchanged small hugs and goodbyes.
"You know Téa, you can tell me anything." Yugi put in before he waved and left.
Téa smiled at his retreating form and whispered. "You have no idea how much I wish I could…."
Yugi sighed and walked over to the side of the ice cream parlor after Téa left. He had walked for a few minutes toward the game shop, then changed directions. He glanced down at the bushes next to the glass windows where Téa and he sat inside. "You guys can come out now."
Joey and Tristan popped out with twigs and leaves in their hair and on their school uniforms. Joey was the first of the two to speak, "Hey Yug."
"Why are you two here? I told you I wanted to talk to her alone." Yugi said shaking his head at the two.
"You did, we just supervised from afar!" Tristan said, brushing himself off.
"Did ya find anythin' out?" Joey asked curiosity at it's peak. His eyebrows were raised and he looked expectantly at Yugi.
Yugi took in a deep breath. "No."
The two other boys twitched and sweat-dropped. Yugi was supposed to be the smart one! They sighed at the fact that they would have to resort to Plan…somewhere around E.
"Well then you know what that means…we have to bring out the big guns." Tristan said with a look of determination. "Aka, Mai and Mokuba."
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease Mai!" Joey and Tristan cooed as they were now on their knees.
They had been at it for 20 minutes straight and Mai was thoroughly annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell ya boys? I refuse to help you spy on Téa." She was sick of them asking and she was sick of telling them 'no.' They wouldn't even tell her why until she agreed to do it.
Joey was having a hard time grasping why she wouldn't help them. For him it was simple, Kaiba's the devil and should stay away from their angel Téa. Yep, simple. "But why not!" He pleaded with giant puppy-dog eyes.
Mai rolled her eyes, she was not going to let them win this one. "Téa is one of my best friends, and I won't risk the trust that we ha-"
"This isn't just about Téa…this is about Kaiba." Yugi said giving Mai a look that told her exactly the magnitude of this situation. If Yugi was worried, it was most likely important.
"Téa and Kaiba?" Mai thought back on when she picked Téa up at the Kaiba mansion. 'Why would Téa choose to stay with Kaiba while her parents were gone? Why not Yugi? Why would Kaiba let her stay there?' Then the most confusing question hit her on the head like a ton of bricks. 'Why the hell would she lie?' Mai scowled then looked at the boys, "I'm in."
Téa walked Solemnly back to the mansion. Kaiba had refused to send a limo to pick her up from the ice cream parlor. She was furious at her teacher for making her keep it all a secret. Maybe if she had told her friends on the first day, she could avoid all the complicating events that would come later.
Hell, this had to be easy for Kaiba. The only person he was close to was Mokuba. They had told Mokuba the truth on the first day because Kaiba would not risk his relationship with his brother. Téa should had said the same thing about her friends, but the truth was…she couldn't. She knew that if they knew, so would the rest of the school thanks to Joey. If Mrs. Tanguren found out she told...they were dead.
Téa sighed and looked up at the clouds in the sky. "Why do the Gods hate me so much?"
At that exact moment, a black thunderbird pulled over to the side next to her. She looked over to find the top down and Kaiba sitting in the driver's seat. He looked at her and pulled down his sunglasses, "I told you, no limousine."
Téa smiled and shook her head as she climbed in the seat next to Kaiba, "You cease to amaze me Seto."
Kaiba smirked and hit the gas pedal, "And don't you ever forget it."
(Ring!)…(Ring!)
"Hello, Kaiba residence." Mokuba said as he picked up the phone. "Oh, hi Yugi!"
"I was wondering if you would like to go to the arcade with the guys and I. I understand if you have plans…"
Mokuba could hardly hold in his excitement. "Awesome! Should I have someone drop me off at the game shop?" He asked, referring to a limo ride.
"Oh no, that's ok. We'll have Tristan pick you up!"
Mokuba jumped around thanking the heavens Seto wasn't there. "Thanks Yugi! I'll see you soon!"
"Anytime Mokuba, anytime."
(Click)
"Where are we going?" Téa asked for about the tenth time, that ride. She was aggravating Kaiba very quickly. Curiosity was at it's peak for Téa, she was anxious knowing that he was taking her somewhere other than the mansion. She was surprised that he was even taking her. She had doubted he even knew how to drive before this.
Kaiba pulled in front of a small shop in downtown Domino. Ignoring Téa's comment, he parked by a parking meter and put the top up on the car.
"Oh! We're going to a chocolate shop?" Téa asked excitedly. Another surprise, Kaiba was going into a place with chocolate hearts. Was the world coming to an end?
"No, it's a dueling arena built to look like a chocolate shop." Kaiba said sarcastically. He was really ready to kill the girl next to him. He got out the car, followed by Téa and strolled into the petite shop, named Tengoku. (Heaven)
It was decked out in red and gold with displays of chocolate boxes with bows. There were little pictures of what chocolate was in the box next to the display. White and black teddy bears were placed around the room holding giant hearts. Even the cashier had an apron with hearts inside of gold chocolate wrappers.
Téa found this place so incredibly cute she internally forgave Kaiba for his sarcasm. She looked over to find Kaiba glancing at different boxes of chocolates. "Who are you buying chocolates for?"
"Not you." Kaiba said picking up a box with a silver bow and green box.
Téa stuck out her tongue then had a thought. "Are you getting them for yourself? Do you even like chocolate?"
Kaiba looked up from the box, "No and yes."
"Wow you're blunt." Téa said frowning then turning away from him. She picked up a big box of assorted chocolate, most with some sort of caramel or fudge inside. The box had a giant red heart on it and was silver with red ribbon. She saw another that was gold and had a hard time choosing between the two.
"Will that be all or would you like something else?" The cashier asked giving Kaiba a wink. Suddenly Téa appeared next to Kaiba holding the silver box. "Well I'll ring you up next." The cashier scowled at Téa as she scanned Kaiba's chocolates.
After they both finished purchasing their chocolates the exited the shop, happy to get away from the cashier.
"She was mean, I didn't like her! Maybe we should have complained or something, then at least she'd loose her job." Téa said evilly, remembering the look she received.
"I thought she was perfectly nice to me. Annoying and grotesque, but perfectly nice." Kaiba said, smirking at Téa's angered expression.
He got into the thunderbird and rolled down the top again. It was dangerous to be driving around like this, especially in a convertible. You know, being famous and all! But it was also something that he liked to do once in a while, usually with Mokuba. This time he had Téa. They weren't the best two to put together in a car, but they definitely weren't the worst anymore.
The car trip back to the mansion was pretty quiet. Not that their small conversations weren't meaningful. Well there was the one about buying a giant blanket, so Kaiba could hide his mansion. Téa distinctly remembered one about getting a meat shooter for Kaiba, so he could shoot lunch up to his office instead of having someone bring it to him. Ya know, stuff like that. Ok, so maybe they weren't that meaningful at all, but who's keeping track?
The black, iron gate opened for them and Kaiba drove through with the Thunderbird. He parked the car in his giant garage and they headed into the house.
Kaiba looked around for his younger brother but didn't see him. Oh how he hated to resort to yelling. "MOKUBA!"
"Calm down, maybe he left a note." Téa said, looking in the kitchen. "Nope, not in here." She moved to Mokuba's video/game room. "Nope, let's check upstairs." She said pulling Kaiba by the arm.
Kaiba groaned as Téa dragged up upstairs to Mokuba's room, then to his, and then to his office. Right there, taped on Kaiba's office door was a blue piece of stationary with Mokuba's handwriting. Kaiba ripped it off and read it then crumpled it up in his hand angrily.
"What's wrong?" Téa asked, worried about what could have happened to Mokuba.
Kaiba cursed as he flung his door open and dented the wall. "He's with that idiot Yugi."
"He's not an idiot."
"That's your opinion."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Can I ask a question?"
"No"
"Who are the chocolates for?"
"Not you."
Téa was getting pissed. "I know that…. Who are they for?"
Kaiba was tempted to say what he just said, again, when he noticed Téa's anger rise. The truth would have to do for now, he didn't feel like an argument. "Mokuba, he likes chocolate."
Téa cooled down immediately then smiled, "See, that wasn't so hard."
"You would know." He drawled sarcastically. He took of his trench coat and draped it over his black chair. He took the green box and went towards the door. "I'm going to drop this off in Mokuba's room. So you-" He said pointing to Téa, "-out!"
Téa blinked and was dragged out the door by an edgy Kaiba. She watched him go into Mokuba's room, then looked back at Kaiba's office door.
"This was a lot of fun guys! Seto never takes me to the arcade. Hey, maybe Téa will!" Mokuba smiled at the idea of playing more games.
Yugi, Tristan and Joey were listening intently, and suddenly an opening appeared. It was a sign, this was their chance to get some dirt on Téa and Kaiba.
"Téa? Have you guys been hangin' out a lot recently?" Tristan asked trying to sound like he didn't know a thing.
Mokuba knew most of what was going on. He knew they wanted answers of why Téa was over at the mansion so much. She of course wasn't allowed to say anything about the punishment. Mokuba was careful not to clue anyone in, but these boys already knew something. But what exactly did they know? "Yea, I invite her over to play video-games a lot. It gets lonely in that huge place all by myself. Big Brother is always working, so I hardly get to see him. I did tell him to be nice to Téa though, I want her to stick around." Mokuba said laying the cake on thick. He even sniffled a couple times for effect.
Tristan and Joey seemed convinced and looked at Yugi and shrugged. The kid had to be telling the truth, it was Mokuba. It sounded extremely believable and probably to some degree was true. It would explain Kaiba's behavior, and perhaps some of Téa's.
Yugi, on the other hand, wasn't that easy to fool. 'Mokuba just said that he invites her over to play yet earlier Téa and Kaiba said it was for a project. Either one of them is lying, or they all are. We better not trust any of them right now.' Yugi looked over at Mokuba with an innocent smile. "So how is Téa and your brother's project going?"
Mokuba was caught off guard by this question. 'This must have been their cover.' Mokuba snapped out of his moment of realization and shrugged. "I'm not sure, you'll have to ask Téa."
Joey and Tristan were slightly confused now, but were content with Mokuba's answer. The question on their minds concerned why Yugi was giving the kid a hard time.
'That reaction was too delayed.' Yugi sighed, "Please Mokuba, you know the truth, you and I both know that. We're concerned about Téa's wellbeing and don't think that getting together with your brother would be good for either of them. So if you have something you would like to share…then we're listening."
Mokuba snapped his fingers, "You figured me out Yugi! Darn. If by getting together, you mean a relationship…then it doesn't sound so bad to me. Seto will finally have someone to love him other than me, and Téa's the perfect candidate. I guess this means I'm your enemy."
Yugi nodded solemly at the boy while Tristan and Joey were in gaping shock. How was it that Mokuba out smarted them! Ok, a peanut could outsmart Joey, but still! (No offence to Joey or Joey fans! .;;)
Yugi hated to make enemies with Mokuba, but for now, that's what he was. This was now a war over Téa. Do the Kaiba's get her? Not in this lifetime, they would make sure of it. "One question."
Mokuba raised an eyebrow and looked at Yugi expectantly.
"Battlefield?"
"Domino City."
Kaiba had just come out of Mokuba's room. He had taken a moment to look around. It had been a while since he was last in there. He never really had time to visit Mokuba in his room. Maybe, he would Tomorrow, or Sunday. He hated neglecting his younger brother, but it was hard to get time off being the head of everything.
Kaiba rubbed his eyes as he opened the door to his office to do some work. His eyes fell upon a large, silver box with a red bow and a heart.
A/N: Whew, another day, another…review! I don't get paid for this in cash, but I do get paid in lovely reviews! So stop by my tip box and give me a shout if you liked it:D Thanks again to everyone for reading, I'm really enjoying writing this story! This was a little bit longer and sooner than my usual, so I hope ppl are happeh! Remember, if you want more than R&R! If you don't…I'll be forced to stay on Ch.9 as long as I don't get reviews!
Wolfie: "I like chocolate…I want some chocolate…Kaiba, buy me chocolate!"
Kaiba: "Get Téa to do it!"
Téa: "She asked YOU!"
Wolfie: "Pweeeeze! XD"
Kaiba: "What's in it for me?"
Wolfie: "Damn it, I already gave you a thunderbird, what else do you need!"
Kaiba: "A lamborghini."
Wolfie: "You drive a hard bargain…ok!"
Kaiba: "Life is sweet."
Wolfie: (eats chocolate) "You said it!"