Chapter 16

Lindsey POV

Lindsey lay on the couch with just her head hanging off the side. She was staring at her phone upside down awaiting a phone call she could not miss. It was 2AM her time, but it was worth the wait. The apartment was silent, except for the ticking of her wall clock.

Summer had gone by much to fast and the new semester was set to start exactly one week from today. Seto and Mokuba had been gone all summer. Lindsey would get a text every now and then confirming Seto was still alive, but other that, she hadn't seen or spoke to him. He and Mokuba were off getting Kaibaland started.

Duke was in California all summer collaborating with other game makers about Dungeon Dice Monsters. He would be flying home on Saturday. Today was Monday. Bakura would be flying home Saturday from Belgium as well.

Serenity and Joey had spent most of their summer together. Serenity would be leaving soon so he wasted no time. Tea was off at a summer dance camp and Tristan took a summer job, occupying most of his time.

Turns out Lindsey and Yami wouldn't be spending all summer together. Three days after they came home, he was whisked away by Grandpa Muto on a surprise summer visit to London.

So, basically Lindsey's summer consisted of spontaneous road trips and eating a lot of food with Mai. She loved every bit of it, but a part of her wanted to be taking those road trips with Yami. Lindsey wanted nothing more than to have Yami to herself for at least one day.

Unfortunately, Yami wasn't coming back until the day before school started back up. It's only six days, but it was driving Lindsey mad. For goodness sake, she's been staring at her cell phone since 1AM. Due to out of country calling, it cost a fortune to talk to him. She only got a phone call once a week, and she was lucky if it lasted more than 5 minutes.

Come on. Ring. RING!...

"Tik…Tok…Tik…Tok…"

Lyris!

"Sorry….."

After a moment of more waiting, the chorus of 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy interrupted the silence, indicating an incoming call. Lindsey grabbed the phone immediately and saw Yami on the caller ID.

FINALLY!

She pressed the talk button and held the phone to her ear. "Yami?"

She melted at the sound of the voice on the other line. "Lindsey. How late is it over there?" So, not the most romantic thing he could say, but at least he's concerned for her.

"Um… around 2AM." She laughed nervously. "I always stay up this late in case you call me. I don't want to miss it."

"Well, you can go to bed now because this is the last call you'll receive. I'll be home late Sunday night." Lindsey groaned.

"So, I wont see you till school on Monday? Great… I'm taking harder courses than Yugi, so we'll see each other only at lunch most likely…. And the junior leadership class."

"Harder courses? Like what? You were in all basic courses last year."

"Seto and I decided last year that we were going to take all the advanced classes together so we can both be the valedictorians. I was on board because if I am valedictorian, I can most likely get into an Ivy League college. Seto just wants to be better than everyone…." Yami chuckled.

"Some things never change." Lindsey laughed. "You know I'm going to have to hang up soon? We've been talking almost six minutes. Grandpa will kill Yugi."

"I know." Her voice became small.

"Six more days Lindsey." His voice was always calm and collected. It soothed her.

"I know."

Six days till he comes home and we've spent the last five minutes talking about school…. Stupid!

"I'm gonna hang up now-"

"NO!" She unexpectedly shrieked out.

"Lindsey?"

"Umm… I love you. Please have a safe trip home." It wasn't her best save, but it worked.

"I Love you too. And I will. I'll see you soon." The line went dead after that. Lindsey took the phone away from her ear and looked at the lock screen, displaying a photo of Yami and Lindsey laughing and looking like a normal teenage couple that went out together, and didn't have to worry about saving the world.

If only that were the case….

Alright Lindsey. No tears. Six more days. Put on your big girl panties and hold it together. Six. More. Days.

What the hell Yami!

A week had gone by and it's finally the first day of the gang's junior year. Only, no word on whether Yami made it back last night or not.

Lindsey was looking in the mirror adjusting her much to short skirt.

I still hate these uniforms…. Either my ass got bigger, or these skirts got smaller!

She looked herself over and huffed. She had given up on the skirt. Lindsey checked the time on her cell phone.

7:47! Shit! School starts in 13 minutes!

She grabbed her backpack, put on her shoes, and ran across the hall to Mai's place. She started pounding on the door.

"Mai! Lets go now! We're gonna be late!" Mai opened the door a moment later.

"Relax Linds. The first day of school is junior orientation. It's when we get our class schedules and other things we don't care about. But I guess you wouldn't know seeing as how you came at the end of the year last year…"

"So we technically don't have class?"

"Nope. We meet in one of the four gyms and the junior staff goes through the handbook, and blah blah blah." Lindsey breathed a sigh of relief. "Good news for you though, you can sit by Yugi all day!" Lindsey blushed. Mai walked inside to grab her keys and backpack, then both made their way to Domino High School.

"This is chaos!" Lindsey was wide eyed as she looked around the Gym. Students were packed wall-to-wall, greeting each other with hugs and sharing stories of summer.

"What do you expect? There's over 1,000 kids in the junior class alone." The juniors were assigned to the South gym. It was the biggest of the four gyms. The walls were a mess of Blue and White decorations and the far wall had a painting of the schools mascot, the Sea wolf.

Lindsey looked around wondering how she was supposed to find her friends in such chaos. Everyone was dressed the same and she was far too short to see over anyone. She and Mai made their way through the gym with their arms locked, looking for at least one of their friends. A lone brunette standing on the wall, looking at his phone, caught Lindsey's attention.

Seto!

Lindsey released Mai's arm and ran over to him. If it hadn't been for the wall, she would have knocked him to the ground as she threw her arms around him. To her surprised, he hugged her back. A few classmates stopped to stare. She pulled back to speak. "Long time no see! How was summer?"

He answered in an uninterested tone. "Long and busy." Lindsey raised a brow.

"What? No details on Kaibaland?" He smirked.

"Not in such a public place. Has your father contacted you at all?" Her mouth set into a frown. She had nearly forgotten that it would be her responsibility to stop Lucian from raising all hell.

"Not that I know of. But now that I think of it, now would be the perfect time to strike. We're back in school, we're distracted, we'll be stressed, it's a good opportunity. Can you see to it that I'm well protected?" He slowly inhaled.

"I'd rather not have another task on my agenda to worry about, but if I don't take precautions now it's just going to be a problem later."

She gave an innocent smile. "So, is this a yes?" He curtly nodded. "See Seki! If you were nice like this all the time, people wouldn't call you an asshole." He bore daggers into her eyes.

"Lindsey!" It was Mai, and following her was Joey, Tristan, Duke, Tea, and Bakura. They all ran up to her and hugged the breath out of her, even Tea.

"Guys! It's so good to see all you again! Duke! You need to tell me all about California, and Bakura, Belgium stories are a must!" They stood in a circle and talked about summer until Tea asked the million-dollar question.

"Hey guys, not to interrupt our conversation, but where's Yugi?" The gang turned to Lindsey, expecting an answer. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Beats the hell out of me!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"HE'S HERE! THE KING OF GAMES!"

"DIBS!"

"I CALLED DIBS FIRST!"

"I think we found him…." Tristan said. Sure enough, there in a mob of screaming fan girls was Yugi. No. Yami. Yugi must have panicked and switched over. The second Lindsey laid eyes on him a huge smile formed. She couldn't remember ever feeling this excited.

He's here!

"Yea. I see that. Just remember, you're at school. You should address him as Yugi."

Good point….

"Yugi!" She called, hoping he'd hear her over the screaming fans. Yami turned at the sound of her voice and made eye contact with her. Next thing they knew, they were both pushing through the crowd until they reached each other. Not a word was said. Yami picked her up, spun her around, then claimed her lips.

The entire crowd gasped as they kissed. Mouths were dropped, and jealous stares came from every direction. Guess the students of Domino High didn't know about their relationship.

They finally broke apart and were saved by the staff announcing the start of the junior class meeting. He took her hand and led her over the bleachers to sit. The gang sat together, and Yami and Lindsey still clasped hands. "I missed you." He whispered into her ear. She tightened her grip on his hand. "I also love you." He nuzzled her ear and she giggled.

This is how normal couples act. This is all I've ever wanted. Lyris, I know we have your issue to deal with, but for now, I'm just gonna enjoy life.

"I am okay with that. We'll worry about Lucian when the time comes."

This is gonna be a good year….

The bold letters were written right in front of her face, white, with blue outlining. The poster they resided on took up a huge portion of the wall. They read "Cheer Tryouts! Friday 3:30 in the North Gym."

It was the first Friday of the school year. Like Lindsey predicted, she had only one class with Yugi and the rest of the gang. She had all seven with Seto. She loved everything about this year, and now, it was time for something new. She had been staring at the tryout poster for a while, contemplating whether to do it or not.

Hmm… the uniforms are cute. And it looks like fun. Lyris? Opinion?

"Not really sure what a cheerleader is, but if you wanna do it, go for it."

Alright. That's convincing enough. I'll do it!

Lindsey checked the time on her phone. 3:15. Better head to the gym.

She arrived at the gym. There were four girls standing in front of the large crowd of potential cheerleaders. These four were the senior captains. The only ones who didn't have to try out again. They were scanning the crowd and whispering. Probably talking shit and making fun of the candidates.

Head up Linds. Don't let them get to you.

She walked in with her head held high. One of the girls in uniform noticed her and gasped.

"Lindsey Walsh!" She ran up to Lindsey. "I'm Skaila. Senior captain. Call me Skai." Lindsey smiled. "Are you here to tryout?" Lindsey nodded. This girl is unusually preppy. "No you're not! You don't need to try out! Meet here Monday, same time, for practice. Welcome to the team!" She quickly hugged Lindsey then ran back to the other captains.

Umm…. Ok then…. I'm a cheerleader.

"She was weirdly preppy. And I'm pretty sure she only did what she did because of my name, or because I'm dating you."

Lindsey was sitting cross-legged on the couch using her Mac to research for her psychology experiment. Yami sat next to her, being there just for the company.

"Maybe so, but what does it matter? You're on the team."

"I guess so. The plus side is you get to see me bare my mid-drift and wear an even shorter skirt every Friday!" She gave a lopsided grin.

"So we should probably prep you for this duel with Lucian. I'm sure Lyris has an idea of what you'll be up against." Lindsey groaned.

"Do we have to do this now? I'm just starting to feel like a normal teenager. Besides, Seto is stopping by later. He's my lab partner for organic chemistry."

"We don't know when he's going to strike. We need to be ready." She exhaled loudly, closed her laptop and set it on the coffee table. She turned to Yami. She was slightly irritated.

"Seto hired people to watch out for my father and any other suspicious behavior. I'll be fine. We're not going to get some surprise attack. Besides, I'm Lindsey Walsh. I don't lose."

"You're foolish to think that." Lindsey's eyes widened in response.

"Excuse me?" Her irritation was maximized.

"You can and will be defeated if you don't practice. When was the last time you played an actual duel Lindsey?"

"When I kicked your ass last April! Anything else you need to say to me?" Yami cleared his throat got up from the couch and walked towards the front door. "Where are you going?" No answer. Yami opened the door and stepped out. "Yami!" He shut the door.

Just fucking great… I guess I shouldn't have been such a bitch. Can't help it when I'm irritated. Also to stupid to admit he's right….

Seto POV

Lindsey needs more security here. I'll have to notify Roland immediately. I refuse to take any chances with Lindsey's father still out there. Plus, with more security, I'll know he's here before Lindsey, then I can take him down for myself. Wait. Is that Yugi?

Seto had exited the elevator and was now walking down the hallway to Lindsey's apartment. He was about to cross paths with a very angry looking Yami. Yami didn't even acknowledge Seto's presence when he walked by. Seto found this odd and put two and two together. He turned to face Yami's back.

"You better hope she's not crying when I get in there Yugi."

Yami barely looked over his shoulder as he got into the elevator, and the doors closed.

I have a feeling this evening is going to annoy me.

Yup. I'm pretty damn annoyed. At least we got our O-Chem done… Surprisingly, Lindsey wasn't crying, but that didn't stop her from venting about what happened with Yami.

"I know he's right Seto. I should be practicing, but I just want to live a normal life. I wish all this ancient Egyptian shit would just go away."

"It will go away if you stop believing in it. It's all bullshit anyway." Lindsey rolled her eyes. "But if you insist that this is real, practice your dueling with Yugi. I'm far to busy with Kaibaland, and he's the next best thing."

"How is somebody I've beaten in a duel the next best thing? I'd rather practice with you." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Her eyes widened and she clamped her hands over her mouth. Seto face was made of stone as he slowly turned his head towards her.

"What?" There was no emotion in his voice. Still wide-eyed and with her hands over her mouth, Lindsey just shook her head. "You've beaten Yugi in a duel?" Lindsey didn't move. She knew what was about to come. This was the calm. The storm was about to erupt. "You didn't tell me." It wasn't a question.

Lindsey replied in a very small voice. "No one was ever supposed to know." It was at that moment Lindsey realized, she should have kept her mouth shut.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? This is the exact kind of thing we could use to take Yugi down!" He was on his feet and yelling quite loudly. No doubt he was angry. "We could be back on top Lindsey! How dare you keep this secret!"

"How dare I?" She shot up to her feet from the couch. She was yelling just as loud. "Why would I want to ruin the reputation of the guy I love, Seto!? It doesn't even matter to me what rank I am anymore. It's just a game! I don't need to be number one for people to know I'm good! When I beat Yugi, it didn't prove anything! I didn't feel satisfied. It meant nothing!"

"It means nothing to you, but it means everything to me!"

"So what!? The world finds out I beat Yugi Muto, and then you challenge me? You beat me and you think you'll be on top again? Is that what you're planning? It's not going to work like that!"

"It will work exactly like that! You beating the king of games makes you the king of games!" Her body stiffened and she clenched her fists. She lowered her voice, no longer yelling.

"I don't want any title. You need to leave." Seto just scoffed. He grabbed his stuff and left.

Lindsey POV

"LETS GO SEAWOLVES" A week had passed since the incident with Seto and Yami. She hadn't said a word to Seto, and the only acknowledgement she got from Yami was a nod. It was the first school pep rally. The pep rally was held in the south gym. Freshman, sophomores, juniors, and Senior were in opposite corners of the gym, all competing against each other in various games. The cheerleaders were kicking off the start of the rally with a school spirit chant. Lindsey was the main flyer. All eyes were on her as she was lifted and thrown the highest.

Lindsey was absolutely in love with her cheer uniform. It was mainly blue and white. It bared her midriff, and the skirt was in cut pleats. They wore giant pink bows in their hair, and their poms were a shimmery silver and blue.

They had finished their chant, but the girls remained in the air, as the ASB president walked out to announce the first rally event.

"Hello Domino High!" The gym erupted with applause. "My name is Ethan Mills, currently serving as your ASB president. You guys ready to start this rally?" Cheers rang through the gym. Ethan was about to say something when a certain brunette walking up and snatching the microphone cut him off.

Oh god Seto. Don't. Please don't.

"I hate to interrupt this rally, but there is something you should all know."

Seto. Stop. Shut the fuck up!" Lindsey was still up in the air. She was starting to shake.

"Your little king of games isn't who he says he is. He's a fraud, and he's the farthest thing from undefeated." The crowd was silent, and people were staring at Yugi. Lindsey noticed Yugi had switched over to Yami. He was staring daggers into Lindsey's eyes when they made eye contact. He knew.

"But why should I tell you the story? I think there's someone here who could tell it a lot better. Right Linds-"

"NO!" Forgetting she was still in the air she lurched forward and next thing she knew, she was falling. The last thing she heard were the gasps from the crowd, as everything went black

AN: I wish my high school was this eventful... -GM