The night ended on a successful note, literally speaking. Téa's performance had won her a standing ovation when she came to take her bows. Even Seto was standing, though that may have been because he didn't want to be the only one sitting down, so she didn't read too much into it.

She retreated to her dressing room, half relieved that it was all finished, but still wistful for the chance to continue performing on the stage. Until then, she would have to go back to regular recitals and teaching the younger students.

But she was distracted upon hearing a small crowd outside the door. A smile rose to he lips.

"Who is it?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Just the official Téa Gardner Fan Squad!" Joey's voice answered.

She let them in, but she was astounded to see that Seto Kaiba was with them. The reason soon became clear; Mokuba had blocked his escape path.

"Thanks for trying," she mentally told the raven-haired boy. She then proceeded to thank her friends for the shower of praises they were bestowing upon her.

"I know it doesn't mean much, coming from us," said Mai. "After all, we may be slightly partial in our opinions…"

"You could always ask my brother for an objective viewpoint," said Mokuba. "Seto, how was she?"

"My expertise isn't in the arts, Mokuba," the CEO replied, who was wanting nothing more than a chance to steal away.

Mokuba blinked.

"He means that he was so floored, he doesn't have any words to describe it!" he translated.

"Kaiba, you could at least say something," said Tristan.

"And is there any need for me to bother?" Seto replied. "How much does my opinion mean to Gardner, anyway?"

"If you only knew…" Téa thought, and then she chided herself for it. After all, Seto Kaiba wasn't going to change; she shouldn't expect it from him. And if she did, she would have tell him exactly how she felt, and what she wished for in a relationship. He couldn't be expected to read her mind.

"So what's next on your list of things to do this summer?" asked Yugi. "You don't have to practice for days on end now…" She could sense the hidden plea; Yugi clearly wanted her to rejoin the group like old times. The truth was that they were beginning to drift away. Atem had left more than a year ago, and, since then, everyone seemed to be heading off in his or her own direction. The fiasco at the theater a few months back had been the first time in a while that they had collaborated on any sort of adventure since seeing Atem off.

"Well I doubt I'll be busy," she said, smiling. "Maybe tomorrow we can all hang out somewhere--" She was cut off by her costar arriving in the room, a bemused expression on his face.

"Téa, there's someone here to see you," he said. "He wants to meet with you alone… I think he's the talent scout that the stagehands were mentioning about…"

"Are you serious!?" she asked, getting to her feet.

As if to answer her inquiry, a young, slightly scruffy-haired man entered the room, giving Téa a very charismatic grin.

"So you're Téa Gardner?" he asked, not even pausing to notice the others. "You're talking to Mactan Kayser, leader of the 'Dancers of the Elements' traveling troupe. I'm sure you've heard of us…"

Téa nodded. They were a famous traveling dance troupe, known for highly stylized costumes and unique forms of interpretive dance.

"Do you think you could spare a moment, in which we could discuss your future as a professional dancer?" the man asked.

"Um… certainly… Wait, do you mean right this moment?" she asked, glancing around at her friends.

"No time like the present, especially you're dealing with the world of the arts," he replied. "One must jump at fruitful opportunities, for their windows are never opened for long."

"Well, I was just…" Téa began, but Yugi was already ushering the others out of the dressing room, trying to hide his disappointment. "Oh, Yugi," she thought. "I'm so sorry…"

Kayser closed the door after everyone had left, but that didn't stop Joey and Tristan from immediately pressing their ears against the door.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" asked Seto, giving them a condescending look.

"Not at all," said Joey. "Now keep it down! I can't hear!"

Seto merely rolled his eyes in reply, but found that he couldn't leave, as Mokuba had joined the others; they had taken a cue from Joey and Tristan and had embarked upon their own eavesdropping attempt.

"You're a very talented performer, Miss Gardner," Kayser was saying. "But do you have any plans now that this production has come to a close?"

"Not really," Téa admitted. "I was going to continue as a general dancer and tutor until the next round of auditions."

"And how far do you think that will take you?" he asked. "Face it, Miss Gardner; this town is holding you back."

"This town has everything I hold dear," Téa replied, icily. "It has my home, my friends…"

"But it doesn't have a way for you to achieve your dreams," he countered. "Do correct me if I'm wrong."

Téa had to admit to herself that he had a point. After all, she had only mentioned a couple hours ago to her costar about how she wanted to go abroad and dance, but she had never even considered that she would have to abandon Domino so soon… not for a couple years, at least.

"So it was most fortunate for you that I happened to discover your talent," Kayser went on. "I'll get straight to the point; you're a natural performer, and that's why I'm offering you this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You have an invitation to join the 'Dancers of the Elements,' and I need your RSVP within the next twenty-four hours; we're beginning rehearsals in three days, you see. We would need you to be there, of course."

"I… I really don't know what to say…" said Téa. "This isn't at all what I expected… I need time to think…"

"Like I said, you have until tomorrow night to decide," he said, handing her a business card and brochure. "I'll even pay for your ticket to our rehearsal site, and from then on, all travel fares to our destinations are paid in full."

"Destinations?" Téa asked.

"Surely you've heard of some of the venues we've performed at," he said, indicating the brochure. "I even pulled some strings for a Broadway performance this time around. We can discuss contract negotiations when you arrive," he added, as Téa's eyes widened as she read.

Kayser opened the door, resulting in Joey and Tristan falling into the room with a crash. The dance troupe leader suppressed a laugh, waved goodbye to Téa (who had been flinching as she glanced at her friends), and left.

"Are you going to join them!?" Joey blurted out, before he even got to his feet.

"Joey, give her time to think," said Yugi. "But congratulations anyway, Téa; it must be a huge honor to be invited to a group as famous as that."

"I know…" Téa said, a faraway look in here eyes. "They're going to be on Broadway, too… and I could be there with them…" And it also solved the problem of how to deal with Seto Kaiba; she wouldn't have to bother with him at all. And that would surely be a relief to him, too.

"Oh, Téa, if you joined them and became famous, that would be so wonderful!" exclaimed Serenity, who had arrived in town specifically to attend the performance that had just ended.

"It's what you've been wishing for your entire life…" Yugi added, softly. He was incapable of hiding his feelings; he wasn't ready to say goodbye to her, but couldn't bring himself to ask her to give up her dreams just to stay back.

And for Téa, the timing was just perfect. She, like the rest of her classmates, was just out of high school, and for someone her age, a chance like this didn't come along that often. In fact, for some people, the chance never came at all. And she might never get another chance like this again.

But while all of her friends were excitedly discussing about how far this chance could take her, Seto Kaiba stood to the side, his arms folded and his eyes narrowed as he glanced at the scene.

"Do you really think that this is the moment to celebrate and make rash decisions?" he asked.

"Who asked you, Kaiba?" Joey yelled over his shoulder.

"I was just saying that she shouldn't act like an idiot and commit to something just because it sounds too good to be true," the CEO replied. "Because if it sounds that way, then it is."

Téa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Seto Kaiba actually saying that he wanted her to stay in Domino?

"So speaks the great pessimist," Duke sneered. "If she came back from her world tour with a gold medal, you'd be the first one to say that it was only gold plated."

"Of course; Duke's right," Téa realized, dismissing her previous thought. "Kaiba thinks like a businessman; he'd never trust anyone. Maybe it is strange that everything's moving so fast… but how can I resist the chance to be on Broadway? But maybe I should think it over…"

And so, for the next day, Téa pondered over her how to make decision. She researched Kayser and the dance troupe online, and they seemed like the real deal. She had a lengthy discussion with her parents, who seemed reluctant to see her go so soon, but promised to back her up one hundred percent, no matter what her decision was.

She also had a lengthy discussion with her friends, who, while stressing the fact that they didn't want to see her leave, either, pointed out that dreams were meant to be followed and fulfilled. After all, where would Serenity have been if Joey hadn't followed his dream to seek the Duelist Kingdom prize money? Atem would've been sealed in the Millennium Puzzle for all eternity if he and Yugi hadn't followed their dream to unlock his memories and save the world. And Mokuba pointed out that he and his brother would have been someplace very different if Seto hadn't followed his dream to open up a chain of amusement parks (a dream that he was still seeking out).

Seto himself hadn't attended this meeting of the minds, however; he had been far too busy with trying to track down the whereabouts of the check that he was due to receive. He also knew that it was useless to try to convince Téa that she may be going in over her head; her heart was too much afire and fixed on the beckoning of Broadway. Why had he even bothered to put in his opinion? It wasn't as though his views meant anything to her. And he was a firm believer that people should learn lessons from their mistakes; he had learned more than his share of lessons himself.

"Let her realize that she went too quickly with this," he thought, as he glanced out the window to see the group chatting amongst themselves. "She'll come back sadder but wiser, and her friends will cheer her up soon enough, anyway. I'll just have to bite back the temptation of saying, 'I told you so.'"

Of course, there was every chance in the world that she would have the time of her life. If that was the case, then, so be it. She would be happy, and he would be concerned with his own work… probably not as happy, but since when was happiness ever a part of his life?

But there was also that issue of her feelings for him. Well, if she did decide to go, that would solve everything, wouldn't it? If anything, he should be relieved that she was going.

So why on earth had he wanted to advise her to stay?

As the day was drawing to a close, Téa took her leave of her friends and went to take a long walk through the town as it was being bathed in the light of the sunset. She knew that she wouldn't be able to see it for a long time, for she had already come to her decision. She just had to confirm that it was the right one.

And that was what brought her to a small psychic's shop; the owner, who went by the name of Madame Mystíca, had proved herself to be a true seer of the future after all of the help she had given them during the mystery this past spring.

Téa was immediately greeted by a friendly capuchin monkey as she entered the shop.

"Hey, Delphi…" she said, giving the little creature a much-welcomed scratch right behind its ear.

"Miss Gardner!" exclaimed the psychic, without even needing to turn around. "I understand that you'll soon be leaving us?"

"I think…" she said. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I just want to know if this is a good idea."

"Well, what can be a good idea in one sense can be a bad idea in another," the psychic replied. "For example… it's a bad idea, for you know that you'll miss your friends."

"But isn't it a good idea because I'll be chasing after my dreams?"

"Are you sure that is a question that I can answer?" Mystíca asked, now turning to face her.

"Of course; I know it's a good idea to chase my dreams," said Téa. "But you can see into the future, right? Do you see my dream coming true?"

"We all have many dreams, Miss Gardner," the psychic replied, in a soft voice. "Some of them come true, and some of them don't. But which ones come true don't depend on the views of psychics; they depend on the path you take. Sometimes, the chase falls short, and you have regrets that you didn't catch the dream that you longed for. But do you mope about it, or do you get right back up and chase another dream that happens to come by?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow you," said Téa.

"Then remember those words, for they will make sense in time," she said. "That, I can predict. And I have confidence in saying that you will miss out on something very precious if you do not go."

"That's all I wanted to hear," said Téa. "Thanks for everything."

"Goodbye," said Mystíca. "And take care. I don't have to tell you how much you'll be missed here. Oh, don't bother," she added, as Téa offered her money in exchange for the reading. "It's on us, as a farewell present for you."

Delphi chattered in agreement.

Téa nodded and left the shop. She headed home, where she proceeded to make a call to Kayser. And she told him that she accepted the invitation.