AN: Hey look at that! Two chapters in a week! Told y'all I was gonna finally finish up this story! :)
Chapter 31
Lindsey POV
"I dug a huge hole and now I gotta get myself out of it." Lindsey licked her spoon and proceeded to shovel another scoop of cookie dough ice cream in her mouth. Mai, Serenity and Lyris had come over to Lindsey's hotel room shortly after the pool party for a girl's night.
The girls had an assortment of wine and snacks spread out across the room. Tournament competitors had mini suites so the girls had an entire common area to lounge around in. The hotel had 24 hour room service which the girls were fully taking advantage of.
"At least you finally know what you want. I love you girl but sometimes I just wanted to shake the stupid out of you." Lyris popped a Cheeto Puff in her mouth while Lindsey gave a dead pan stare. Serenity and Mai shoved handfuls of popcorn in their mouths as they watched the two girls bicker.
"You know that statement would usually piss me off but I deserved that." Lindsey chugged wine straight from the bottle.
"Awwww. Look at you Linds! Taking responsibility for your bullshit. You're finally evolving." Lyris had a smug look on her face. Lindsey threw a handful of M&M's at her and the girls laughed in unison.
Lindsey finished her bottle of wine and quickly uncorked another. "Alright who's ready for another round?" She said as she held up the bottle.
"Easy girl. You know how you get when you have too much to drink." Mai looked slightly concerned.
Lindsey gave an uneasy smile. "You're probably right. The last time I drank a bunch of wine I almost slept with Seto."
"Is that really so bad though?" Serenity chimed in. "I mean, he's really mean but you can't deny how pretty he is." She slowly sipped some wine.
"Can't argue with that!" Mai retorted. "Cheers!" The girls clanked their glasses and wine bottles together. "But in all seriousness Lindsey, you just gotta tell Yami when you're ready. Don't let Kaiba pressure you into doing it sooner. You make that choice."
"I just don't know how to say it. Like, I was being 100% honest with Seto when I said I wanted to be with him, but I may have left out the part where I don't want to be with him right now…" Lyris, Serenity and Mai grew quiet. "You guys are quiet… why are you quiet?"
"Pretty boy is going to be so mad." Serenity whispered. Lyris and Mai nodded in agreement.
Lindsey sighed. "I know he is. But I want to enjoy my senior year with all my friends. I don't want anymore fighting and awkwardness and honestly I'm just not ready to jump right back into another relationship. I need to focus on myself for a little bit." She took another sip of wine. "We start applying to colleges soon. And as much as I would love to move back to New York and attend NYU, I've got a real shot at getting into Yale or Harvard. I'm not trying to mess that up."
"Well if Kaiba can't respect that then maybe he's not worth it." Mai opened a bag of Dorito's and shook several chips into her mouth.
"I think he'll respect it. He's not gonna like it but he understands how hard it was for me to be so vulnerable. Honesty's the best policy. Even if it means tearing down those walls we work so hard to build up."
"I made out with Tristan!" Serenity clamped her hands over her mouth and was wide eyed. Mai's jaw dropped to the floor and Lindsey and Lyris let out screams of happiness.
"SERENITY! YASS!" Lyris and Lindsey were beaming with delight but Mai kept a serious expression.
"Joey is going to kill him. Guys, we can't tell anyone. Ever." Mai emphasized the 'ever' part.
Serenity grew nervous. "I shouldn't have said anything. Lindsey was talking about being honest and I just had to tell someone!"
"Tristan and you are big kids who can make their own decisions." Lyris started. "Joey should be appreciative that you wanna be with someone as good as Tristan instead of some random dude he doesn't know."
"As a big brother it's his job to protect his little sister. But he's gotta realize that he can't protect you forever and at some point he's gotta let go. Take me for example, I stopped protecting Lili when she was like eight." Lindsey held her wine bottle up before taking another swig.
"That's different. Your sister is a demon." Mai interjected. "And I agree Serenity and Tristan make their own decisions but Joey won't take it lightly."
"I really like him though." Serenity blushed. "And he treats me really good. I hope Joey will understand. When I finally tell him of course."
"Alright! Proposal time!" Lindsey stood up holding her wine bottle.
"You're gonna propose?" Serenity looked confused.
"My goodness you're tipsy." Lindsey laughed. "I'm proposing a pact. We've all got secrets and we're gonna tell them! I'm gonna tell Yami my feelings, Serenity is going to tell Joey she sucked Tristan's face…"
"Well…" Serenity interrupted. "Would I have to tell him 'sucking' rather than 'sucked'? It's happened a few times… and by a few I mean several times a week since the battle city tournament." She gave an innocent smile. The girls screamed until Mai interrupted.
"Wait! Tristan knew you for like a week before he made a move? Joey knew me for years before he finally did something." Mai crossed her arms and huffed.
"Drink some more wine Honey." Lindsey opened a bottle of wine for Mai. She took it and began to sip. "Which brings us to our next secret. Mai!" Mai's eyes grew wide. "You're gonna tell Joey you love him."
"What! Why? Joey and I are already together. I don't need to tell him that."
"Wait you are? I thought you two just slept together a few times?" Mai's jaw was once again dropped to the floor. "What? I'm his sister and he's a loud mouth. He told me everything." Serenity smirked. "He totally loves you too by the way."
Mai blushed. "Alright fuck it. I'll tell him."
"Great! Now Lyris. What's your secret?" All eyes fell on Lyris.
She looked nervous. "I'd rather not say. Some secrets are meant to be taken to the grave."
"Come on!" Serenity urged. "I told you guys something big. You can trust us Ly!"
Lyris looked into Lindsey's eyes. "Please don't be mad."
Lindsey became confused. "Ly you can tell me anything. We'll get past it." Mai watched the girls closely.
Lyris took a deep breath. "I've been not so honest about the amount of details I remember from my past." The girls were silently staring at Lyris. "Lindsey you were right when you said your feelings for Yami grew when you received the ring." Her eyes widened. "You felt what I felt." Lindsey ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. "Your feelings now are dwindling because we are no longer one. Everything you felt and still feel was entirely real but I was a strong influence. I wanted to tell you but I could sense how happy you were. I didn't want to ruin that."
"So…. You're telling me…" Lindsey took another deep breath. "That you're in love with Yami." Lyris gave a slow nod. "So were his feelings for me real or was that meant for you?"
"No, of course not! He remembers nothing of his past. He was 100% loyal to you and you only."
Lindsey slowly nodded while staring at the ground. "So… You're gonna tell him." Lyris, Mai and Serenity looked confused. "But… You're gonna tell him after I talk to him." Lindsey walked up to Lyris and knelt next to her. She pulled Lyris into a hug and Lyris squeezed her back. Lindsey broke away and stood back up. "He was technically your man first. Go get him." Lindsey smiled.
"Wow Linds. You really meant it when you said you're choosing Kaiba." Mai gave an encouraging smile.
"Okay! Which one of us is going first for this while secret revealing thing?" Serenity asked. The girls stared at each other in silence.
"Nose goes!" Lindsey said and quickly put her finger on the tip of her nose. Lyris and Serenity quickly did the same. The girls laughed and pointed at an irritated Mai.
"Fine! I'll do it tomorrow."
A knock sounded at Lindsey's door. Lindsey looked at the time on her phone. It's past midnight… who could that be so late?"
"Do I answer it?" Lindsey asked. The girls urged Lindsey to answer and stayed silent.
Lindsey walked over to her door and looked through the peep hole. There stood a familiar brunette wearing just a pair of pajama bottoms. Lindsey turned to the girls and waggled her eyebrows. They snickered in response.
Lindsey opened her door. "It's a little late don't you think?"
"There was a noise complaint." Seto responded.
"Oh really? From who?"
"Me. My room is next to yours and you all have been screaming for the past hour." Seto was not amused.
Lindsey looked down the hall in confusion. "Since when is your room next to mine?"
Seto smirked. "Are you really surprised?"
"Fair point. We'll keep it down." Seto nodded and began to walk back to his room. "WAIT!" Lindsey yelled and ran down the hall to meet him. Her hotel room door shut behind her.
"What?" Seto seemed irritated.
"Since you're next to me, what all have you heard?" Lindsey was skeptical.
"I honestly haven't heard anything except the shrill screams of four teenage girls." Lindsey wasn't sure if she believed Seto but he seemed as if he was telling the truth. Lindsey's eyes started to wander and locked on Seto's bare chest. Seto noticed Lindsey dazed and gave a small smile. "But if you want to cut your little party short, the other side of my bed is quite empty." Lindsey's eyes flicked up to meet Seto's.
I want nothing more than to say yes… but I need to be a mature adult and talk to Yami first… not to mention get my own shit together… sigh
"I'm gonna have to take a rain check. We're all about to go to sleep. I do have a duel tomorrow." Lindsey felt proud of her restraint.
"Your duel isn't till 2:30." Seto backfired.
"Yes but I've been drinking so I need to recover as long as possible." She smiled sweetly. Seto leaned in and lightly kissed Lindsey's forehead. Lindsey felt warmth throughout her body and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug. Lindsey pulled away. "Meet me for lunch tomorrow at noon. At the Blue Eyes Café. There's a few things I need to tell you." She bit her lip.
Seto nodded without responding. He returned to his room and Lindsey began to walk back to hers.
I should've made that hug a little longer. It may be my last one for awhile…
It's 12:15… I swear to Ra if he stood me up I'm gonna be pissed…
Lindsey sat at a table on the patio of the Blue Eyes Café. Lindsey had been nervous to speak to Seto and the wait made her grow more nervous.
What if he heard what we were saying last night and he just doesn't want to hear it? But he kissed my forehead last night. Surely he wouldn't have done that if he was mad?
Lindsey gave an irritated sign. She had dressed a little nicer than usual. She wore a strapless black top that was tucked into a pair of dark skinny jeans. She wore black glitter heels and had put on the crystal L necklace Seto gave her for Christmas. Her hair had been straightened and she did a dark smoky eye for her makeup.
Lindsey began to dial Seto's number when she heard the waitress speak. "Right this way sir." Lindsey looked up to see Seto in his usual white tuxedo. It was perfectly tailored and pleasant on the eye. Seto sat across from Lindsey. "Can I get you anything other than water sir?" Seto shook his head and the waitress left.
"You're late." Lindsey said flatly.
"I showed up. Be grateful." His tone was harsh and he looked angry.
"Um… is there a reason for the unappreciated attitude?"
He took a breath and visibly relaxed. "Things have been hectic. Trying to find this hacker is more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm sorry I'm late."
She grabbed his hand from across the table and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay. I'm glad you're here because I'm starving and you're not too terrible to hang out with." He narrowed his eyes while she smiled. Lindsey and Seto both ordered their meals a moment later.
"Okay why are we here?" Seto said shortly.
"You're so impatient. Can't we just enjoy a lunch out together in your theme park that's already brought in several million dollars in profit?" Lindsey teased.
"If you need money then just ask." Seto grabbed his checkbook from inside his jacket. "$10,000 okay?" He began to write on a check.
"What the fuck? I don't need money!" He stopped writing and quickly put his checkbook away. "I just wanted to finish our talk from yesterday…" An awkward silence filled the air as Seto and Lindsey stared at each other. "Anyway… I wasn't done getting a few things off my chest and wanted to continue to be open with you." Seto took a drink of water and motioned for Lindsey to continue speaking.
"I'm really looking forward to senior year and I feel like I'm finally in a good place. I don't want to mess it up. I want to be homecoming queen and go tour a bunch of Ivy League colleges. I want to go to prom finally and just be a normal teenager who doesn't have drama following her around. I just want to be with my very best friends and make memories before we all go our separate ways. I've wasted so much time being a drama queen that I've really missed out and I regret it. I don't want anymore regrets."
Seto looked lost. "What does this have to do with anything we talked about?"
"I don't think it's a good idea for me to jump back into a relationship so quickly." Seto became still. "I know that's what you want and I want that too just…. Not right now." Seto remained still and silent. His eyes were looking down towards the table. "I'm sorry. I know I'm a mess. I wanna fix that so I can be better. For you and for everyone else I care about."
"Well, you are a mess." He smirked. Lindsey threw an ice cube at him. "Lindsey did you by chance ever look at the back of that necklace I gave you?" Lindsey shook her head. "Do it now."
Lindsey took her necklace off and held the L in her palm she turned it over to reveal an engraving at the bottom reading "your Seki." Lindsey fluttered her eyelids to blink back happy tears. While incredibly cheesy, memories of the past always bring her to a happy place. Lindsey put her necklace back on around her neck.
"Why didn't you tell me before? About the engraving?"
"The point was for you to find it on your own. It was a way for me to make you happy even when I'm not around but now I'm using it to make a point." Seto shifted in his chair to lean into the table and lock eyes with Lindsey. "I bought you that so you knew that regardless of whatever's going on, I care about you and I'm always yours." Lindsey began to blink back tears again. "Together or not, I'm going to keep you happy always. But I'm taking you to every school dance this year and any other event that requires a date. It's my job as the best friend." Lindsey began to giggle.
"I expected nothing less." She reached across the table to grab his hand again. "I do love you." The waitress walked up at this time and dropped off their meals. Lindsey had a chicken salad and Seto had a burger. The waitress quickly left after dropping off their meals. Lindsey began to pour dressing on her salad. "Seto, you know what the best part of being friends is?" Seto raised a brow. "Sometimes they have some pretty cool…benefits." She bit her lip and looked him directly in the eye.
"Careful Walsh." He replied calmly. Lindsey didn't break eye contact and Seto's eyes grew hungry. The tension was cut by a familiar Brooklyn accent.
"I'm ready ta kick his kiester! Let me get a piece of dat pink haired freak!" Lindsey and Seto looked over to see Joey and the gang walking past the patio area of the café. Joey looked very determined and was running his mouth as usual. Tristan was trying to get him to calm down.
"Get it together man! Save that energy for your duel and calm down!" Tristan was trying hold Joey back.
"I can't calm down! You saw what happened yesterday. Dat smug chump is about to get knocked down a few pegs!"
"Joey!" Tea started. "What's it gonna take to calm you down?"
"I got this." Mai interrupted. Mai confidently walked up to Joey and grabbed him by the shirt. Joey got a very surprised look on his face just before Mai pulled him down and kissed him. Audible gasps were heard by the gang and a few mouths dropped. Lindsey looked over at Seto who had a twisted scowl on his face.
Mai pulled away from Joey to look him eye. "I love you. Do with that what you will." Mai turned to face Serenity. "Your turn sweetie." She gave a sweet smile then triumphantly walked away. Joey stood there dazed, completely forgetting about his duel with Zigfried.
Lindsey began to giggle uncontrollable. Seto looked over at her. "What exactly did you girls talk about last night?" Lindsey said nothing and just winked.
"I can't believe you just did that. Just out in the open. You're a legend Mai."
Lindsey, Seto, Lyris, Serenity, and Mai waited backstage at the Kaiba Land theatre for Lindsey's next duel of the tournament. Lindsey was up against the detective duelist Paul McGregor. Lindsey had about 15 minutes before her duel and fans were filing in to sit in the theatre seats. The front row had reserved seats for close friends or family. Paul's wife and two kids sat front row with signs cheering on their dad which melted Lindsey's heart.
"I said I'd do it. Now I'm just waiting for Serenity to make her move." Mai winked at her.
"I'm gonna do it. Just after Joey's duel. Tristan is on board but we decided it's best to wait so he's not so riled up. You all know how he gets. That's why I'm not at his duel. I'm trying to prolong it as long as possible." Serenity sighed.
"I've got to get back to work." Seto stated as he turned to leave. Mai rolled her eyes.
"Wait!" Lindsey ran after him. "You're not staying for this duel either?" She looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I'll be watching but I have work to do. I need to make sure this hacker doesn't pull anything more." Lindsey could tell Seto was serious and had his mind made up.
She gave a long sigh. "Okay but when I win, you're going to be watching my next duel in person! It's going to be a hard duel for me. It's either Joey or Zigfried and I'd rather not face either."
"I'd be shocked if Wheeler actually pulled off a win today." Seto smirked.
"That's what scares me. Seto, you saw how Zigfried won yesterday. The more I think about it the more I think I have nothing in my deck to stop that card." Seto could tell Lindsey was getting worked up.
"Enough. We'll talk about it later. Focus on your present duel." Lindsey nodded and Seto began to walk away again.
"Seto!" She could see the irritation on his face as he turned to face her again. "Hugs?" She said in an innocent tone. Without a word he strode towards her and pulled her into a hug. She breathed in his scent as she nuzzled her face into his chest. Seto broke away and left in silence. Lindsey walked back to join her friends.
"Okay girl! We gotta take our seats. Your duel starts in 2 minutes." Lyris gave Lindsey a good luck hug and Mai and Serenity followed suit.
Lindsey noticed an older gentleman in a detective outfit walking towards her. Lindsey recognized this man as Paul McGregor. "Ah miss Walsh! It's pleasure to meet you." He stuck out a hand in greeting. Lindsey shook it.
"You as well sir. The first round was so exciting. I'm hoping this one will be just as good."
"I shall do my best to make it an enjoyable and honorable duel madam." Lindsey smiled at his courtesy.
"I see your family there. In the front row. The signs by your kids are too cute." A sweet smile formed on Paul's face.
"Yes I tried to retire dueling when they were born but they just loved watching me so much I had to keep going." He laughed. "Dueling for fun is one thing, but dueling with a purpose, well that brings on a whole new love for the game."
"A good friend of mine once spoke to me about that. Dueling with purpose." Lindsey was brought back to the time Yugi had told her how to duel for the ones you love. She remembered how different it felt to duel for her sister and to save the world from Lucian's darkness.
"What is your purpose Miss Walsh?" Paul inquired. Lindsey thought for a moment but couldn't find an answer.
"I… I don't really know anymore…" She looked at Paul who had a soft expression.
"Think about it. For when you really feel the pressure you'll need something to ground you. Those who duel for power never have a happy ending." Lindsey nodded in understanding. "Good luck Miss Walsh." He turned to walk to other side of the backstage area as the announcer was about to call their names.
I feel like I just got a secret dad lesson but I've been fatherless for too long to actually realize it. Either way… It was nice to feel like a father figure actually cared… even if we just met…
"Ladies and gentleman are you ready for round two of the KC Grand Prix?" The announcer had begun the match introduction and the theatre roared with excitement. "Stage left we have a modern day Sherlock Holmes, Paul McGregor!" The crowd cheered as Paul came onto stage waving. Paul's family in the first row were jumping with excitement. "And stage right we have our dazzling dark magician girl, Lindsey Walsh!" The crowd erupted into applause once again as Lindsey made her way on stage. Mai, Serenity and Lyris cheered extra loud and Lindsey could see flashes of light coming from cameras.
The theatre went dark and the crowd gasped. A spotlight appeared on both Paul and Lindsey. Lindsey and Paul both booted up their duel disks. The announcer began the countdown and the crowd joined in. "Three…. Two… one…."
"Duel!"
Seto POV
Seto Kaiba was meticulously watching the monitors as all second round duels had begun. Seto had a feeling the hacker would be striking again and needed to be sure nothing more would go wrong with his tournament. Seto's eyes darted over to Lindsey's duel.
Lindsey looked calm and collected. Seto noticed she already had her Dark Magician on the field but Paul had an equally as strong monster plus one more. Both of them had 2,000 life points. Curious to see how she's going to play her way out of this one.
As Seto was watching the duel dozens of pop ups began to appear on the screen. Seto stood up with a gasp and watched as his monitors were crowded with ads and more. The pop-ups had disappeared. Seto watched in horror as his attractions went haywire. Seto looked over to Joey's duel with Zigfried in the volcano and saw the fake Lave shooting up like geysers and the temperature spiking to dangerous heat levels. The Ferris wheel where Rebecca and Abe were dueling had started to spin uncontrollably. He watched as they were thrown around and attempting to hold on. Seto panicked as his eyes went over to Lindsey's duel. The curtain on the stage had gone down and the theatre went completely black. A continuous high pitched screech could be heard over the theatre's sound system. Screams could be heard throughout the theatre.
Seto looked over to the last duel between Leon Wilson and Ethan Shark. They were dueling in the haunted house and the scary props in the attraction began to come to life and grab onto the duelists. Seto began to furiously type on his computer.
This is impossible! "Mr. Kaiba!" Roland burst into Seto's office. "We've got trouble."
"I'm on it." Seto growled in response. Seto's computer started alerting him of a virus. How could this happen? I secured the entire network after the last attack. There's no way someone could break in again! Not even a computer genius. Unless it was that cyber geek Rebecca Hawkins…. No… not even she can pull off something of this magnitude. The only person I know who can accomplish a scheme like this… is me….wait!
A memory played in Seto's head from when he was a young child. Seto's father Gozoboro had been talking with an associate with a strong French accent at a dinner party. He had been talking about his son being a child prodigy. The French mans son had an accent as well and had short pink hair. Seto had remembered the boy wanting to play games and making the lights flicker. He remembers the boy stating he "dabbled in technology."
No. It can't be!
Lindsey POV
Lindsey knelt on the ground clutching her head and ears. The screeching sound in the theatre was too much to handle. Lindsey let out a scream. She couldn't see anything due to the lights being off. The emergency lights hadn't even kicked on. Lindsey could hear the crowds panicked screams over the screech. She herself was beginning to Panic.
Seto what is going on? Is this the work of that hacker? Please make it stop!
As if Seto had heard her thoughts, the noise stopped and the lights came on. The curtain raised and Lindsey viewed the crowd on the floor clutching their ears. Some of the spectators had been crying while other's looked fearful. Lindsey looked at Mai, Serenity and Lyris who all the same confused look on their faces. They were trying to calm down people in the crowd.
"Miss Walsh, are you okay?" Paul had walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah I'm good. You?" He nodded. "Is everyone okay?" Lindsey called out to the crowd. Some of the crowd began to cheer while others blankly clapped. Lindsey turned to look at Paul. "I don't know about you but I say we finish this duel before whatever the hell that was comes back."
Paul laughed. "Agreed."
"I had Roland run another background check on the freak to see if he has any connection to the Von Schroeder family."
Lindsey sat on the couch in Seto's hotel room. She had her head rested in her hands as she was trying to remain calm about her duel tomorrow against Zigfried. Joey had lost his duel earlier today but Lindsey had managed to pull another win. "Can you expedite the check and disqualify him before my duel?" She mumbled in her hands.
Seto scoffed. "Don't tell me you actually think he has a shot at beating you?" Lindsey looked up.
"Yes I do. I was less nervous to duel Yugi."
"Tell you what, you lose tomorrow and I'll crush him as revenge. Deal?" He smirked.
"Oh you're too sweet Seto. Can you crush Yugi next?" She gave a wicked smile as his smirk turned into scowl.
"You'll be fine tomorrow. Now are you done sulking? We do have a dinner to get to." Seto slipped on his tuxedo jacket and buttoned it. Lindsey stood and adjusted her top. She was still in her outfit from earlier today except she had pulled her hair into a high ponytail. Lindsey and Seto exited his hotel room and made their way downstairs to the ballroom.
Seto had arranged a dinner for the tournament competitors and everyone had been in attendance. Lindsey spotted the gang off to the side and walked up to them. "Hey guys! Everyone doing okay?"
"Lindsey! Congrats on the big win today!" Yugi had a huge smile on his face. The gang began talking in unison about Lindsey's duel. Tristan, Duke and Bakura had playfully nudged her. Tea stood off to the side with a sour look.
"Yeah congrats Linds. You deserved dat win." The gang fell silent as Lindsey spotted solemn Joey. Lindsey walked up to Joey and pulled him into a hug. Joey squeezed her back and while hugging her said, "Ya better destroy that creep tomorrow."
Lindsey let out a shaky laugh. "I'll do my best Joey." She pulled away to look at him. "I'd be lying though if I said I wasn't nervous."
"If anyone can beat him it's you and we'll all be dere to cheer you on. Right guys?" Joey looked to the gang but was interrupted by a tiny blonde.
"What do you mean Joey? Now that you lost Yugi gets to cheer me on?" Rebecca Hawkins appeared and grabbed Yugi's arm. Yugi looked nervous.
Lindsey heard a growl behind her and Tea walked up. "If Yugi is watching Rebecca then I'm going too." She stared daggers into Rebecca's eyes.
"Oh goody. Tea can watch my boyfriend cheer me on." Rebecca teased on.
"He's not your boyfriend! Not now, not EVER!" Tea stood there huffing.
"Okay… Calm down…." Joey said nervously.
"Easy there…" Tristan continued. Duke put a hand on Tea's shoulder.
Tea let out an irritated sigh. "You three are coming with us tomorrow. To make sure She behaves." Tea pointed to Rebecca. The boys groaned.
Bakura interjected. "Well since I'm off the hook, I think I'm going to watch Lindsey's duel. I'm assuming you three are as well?" He gestured to Mai, Serenity and Lyris. Mai gave a thumbs up as the girls nodded.
"Guys it's fine." Lindsey interjected. "Half of us will watch me, the other half with watch Rebecca. We all could use some support out there. The matches are only getting harder." The gang looked over to a man clinking a wine glass with a spoon. He had announced that dinner was about to be served. Joey, Tristan and Duke sprinted to their seats as the gang laughed. "I'll see you guys later. I'm gonna take a lucky guess and assume I'm sitting at Seto's table." She waved to the gang and began to walk away.
She was stopped by a strong hand that grabbed her wrist. She turned to be face to face with Yami. "Can we talk for a minute?" Lindsey nodded.
"Yugi! Come sit by me!" Rebecca began to follow Lindsey and Yami. Lindsey held out a hand and stopped the child by pushing her forehead. She looked up and appeared offended.
""Your obsession is only funny if Tea is around. Walk away before I punt you across this room." Lindsey said in a low voice. Rebecca looked slightly scared and backed away slowly before leaving all together. Yami gave her a very judgmental look. "What? If she wants to act like a big girl she's gotta face the fact that big girls are catty."
"Moving on." He began. Lindsey could see Seto off in the distance keeping a close watch on her and Yami. "I haven't seen you in a few days. Are you okay?"
"Yes of course." She answered quickly. "Why wouldn't I be? It's just been crazy with all the duels."
"I noticed you earlier with Kaiba. I take it you two made up again?" Lindsey noticed the slight edge in Yami's voice when he said "again." She nodded. "After he said those things to you the other day and used you?"
"Yeah well I used you too." She snapped back. "And I'm not having this conversation right now. I have a tournament to focus on. We need to talk but not here." Her voice cracked. She quickly left before he had a chance to respond. Lindsey could feel Seto's eyes on her but she didn't care. She exited the ballroom and made her way upstairs.
Yami POV
"Look just give her some space." Mai said in between bites of food. "She's got a lot on her plate and I know she's nervous for tomorrow. She'll talk when she's ready."
Yami sat at the table picking at his food. He didn't reply. "Something tells me you three know more than you're saying." Duke pointed at Serenity, Lyris and Mai.
"And so what if we do?" Lyris fired back. "It's not our place to air her dirty laundry."
"I'm just saying friends don't keep secrets." Tristan added.
Mai and Lyris snorted. "That's rich coming from you."
"Well he's not the one that hid the fact that he's been in love with Joey all this time." Tea jumped in.
"I'm okay with Mai but I draw da line at Tristan." Mai blushed and squeezed Joey's leg under the table.
"Look guys I'm not sure why we're all arguing over assuming there's some big secret Lindsey is hiding." Bakura was nervous.
"He's right guys, Lindsey doesn't have a secret I do." The gang fell silent and all eyes were on Serenity. Tristan began to prepare himself to run. Mai gripped harder on Joey's leg preparing to stop him from lunging at Tristan.
Lyris have a nervous laugh. "Is now really the time and place Serenity?" Lyris looked around the crowded but quiet ballroom.
"Well it's not like Joey can get disqualified." She shrugged.
"What up Serenity? If ya need to talk go ahead."
Serenity sighed. "I like Tristan and he likes me. We've been a secret thing for months." Tristan stuck a foot out to prepare himself to run. The rest of the gang gaped except for the Mai and Lyris who looked nervous. Mai had both hands on Joey. Even Yami had snapped his head up to observe the shit show before him. Joey slowly turned his head to look at Tristan.
"Run."
"Yep." Tristan ran out of the ballroom while Joey got up and started after him. A few dishes had been thrown off the table while Joey was getting up which turned everyone's attention towards them. Mai groaned as she and Lyris got up to go stop Joey. Serenity Duke and Bakura ran after her to help.
Shane Jordan walked up to Yami and Tea laughing. "Y'all know where Lindsey is? I got the whole thing on video and she's gotta see it." They both shook their heads and Shane walked away still laughing.
"Well, it wouldn't be dinner without something crazy happening now would it?" Tea looked over at Yami who had his eyes fixed on something. She turned to see Yami and Kaiba locking eyes, both filled with hate.
Tea fell quiet and continued to uncomfortably eat her dinner.
Lindsey POV
"OMG is he alive?"
"Dunno. But it was funny as hell to watch!" Lindsey and Shane were sitting in her hotel room common area howling at the video of Joey chasing Tristan.
"I'll call Mai later and get all the details." Shane locked his phone and put it away.
"So you doing okay? I saw you leave dinner pretty quickly and you looked upset."
"Yeah I'm fine. Just got a lot on my plate and Yugi doesn't help that sometimes." Shane nodded in understanding. "I'm still figuring out things and deciding when a good time to talk to him is. I just wish he would hate me you know? I've been so terrible yet he continues to like me."
"Hey it'll all work out in the end. You always get through the bullshit you create." Shane teased. Lindsey gave him a dry stare.
"Okay get out. I have a duel to prepare for." She stood up and began dragging him out.
"Fine, but I'm going to patronize you in your duel tomorrow." He opened the hotel room door and ran into a tall brunette. "Aw shit…." Shane's face dropped when he realized it was Seto Kaiba.
"No… Seto he just showed me the video of Joey attacking Tristan. Let him go." Seto rolled eyes and stepped to the side. Shane scurried out of the room and Seto entered. He closed the door.
"I'm assuming you're fine?" Lindsey nodded and sat on the couch. Seto did the same as she launched into the story of why she left dinner. Seto was understanding and didn't seem mad or irritated. "You know the quicker you tell him the quicker this will stop happening."
"I know. I'm gonna do it I just don't know when. Also quit with the logic. I'm trying to be an angsty mess here." They stared at each other and the tension began to build up. Lindsey bit her lip. Seto shifted his body and he seemed to be more inviting to her. As if she was hypnotized by him she jumped onto him and straddled his body. She fisted her hands in his hair as she kissed him, hard. He held her body close as her hand traveled down to his necktie and began to loosen it.
He picked her up and traveled over to the hotel bed and threw her down. She gave a breathy laugh as he unbuttoned his shirt. As much as Lindsey was enjoying the moment she knew this wasn't the time. She put up her hands and said, "wait!"
"Are you serious right now?" She looked at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry but I don't really want our first time together to be while I'm thinking of a way to tell another guy I'm still slightly in love with that it's not gonna work out." She smiled nervously and Seto let out a long sigh.
"The day Yugi Muto is out of my life for good can't come quick enough." He began to button his shirt back up as Lindsey got up from the bed. She walked over to the table in the bedroom and grabbed her deck.
She turned to look at Seto. "Help me prepare?" He stared at her awhile before finally nodding and motioning for her to go to him.
My duel is tomorrow morning. I need to be as prepared as possible…. I just hope what we do is enough to secure me a win.
AN: Is Lindsey going to actually win or will we go back to strictly cannon? Please review, fav and follow!:)