Disclaimer: (yawn) Come on, guys. My stories can never amount to the greatness that is the YGO manga/show.

A/N(1): Holly911, keeper-of-the-triforce, Little Atemu, Anime-Alee, Racegirl, Amazoness Archer, The Broken Bow, RoseGoddess874, Shining Friendship, Attic Flower, hi, Hysterik-Angel, SeaBreeze-YamiAnzu, ANZUXATEM4EVER, svakee2000, and Ksaturn

A/N (2): Hey everyone! Thanks for the warm "welcome backs" and reviews on the story. I'm glad you all enjoyed it, but this chapter chapter should be a lot better than it's introduction. Plus, things will start heating up. Oh, and if you don't like some of the minor pairings, you can tell me. They're not set in stone. I just didn't feel like putting Duke or Tristan with Serenity.

Title: Just A Night

Chapter Two: Moving Day

Friday, March 18, 2005

It's been three days since the events of Tuesday unraveled. Joey and the rest of the gang knew about Yugi's problem and were all willing to help in whatever way they could. They finally talked Yugi into letting them help him and his grandfather with moving into the Hawkins. Friday, today, was moving day.

"Come on, Joey! Are you a man or a woman?" Tristan yelled, as they hauled a white loveseat couch into the moving van. This was the first piece of furniture they were moving, but to Joey it was the last. They had only gotten out of class a couple of minutes ago to two weeks of Easter Break. Joey was looking forward to sleeping, but instead, he was hauling furniture.

"I'm a woman! I'm a woman! I even look at Bakura's ass for a living!"

Tristan quirked an eyebrow, disgusted. "Dude! Warn me before you put images in my head!"

Carrying the piece of furniture up the ramp, Joey cried painfully like a puppy seeking shelter. 'How do I get myself into these messes?' He asked himself, painfully sitting the piece of furniture down. He then looked over to Yugi. 'For Yug, it's worth it.' Climbing down the ramp into the van, Joey gave a thumbs-up to Yugi."One down!"

"And four more pieces like that to go," Tea added, carrying one of the two antique lamps Yugi's grandpa kept in the Game Shop upstairs.

"Hey, why does she get the easy stuff?" asked Joey, while wiping sweat off his forehead.

Tea stuck her tongue out, but before she could answer, a figure stepped up from behind her and said: "Hun, you don't want her breaking a nail, do you?" The 5'8'' figure had blond hair that went curly all the way to the middle of her back. She had vibrant violet eyes that were surrounded by perfectly curled eyelashes. Her skin was of a light tan color and her body held all the right curves. She was Mai Valentine.

"Mai, I'm glad you got my message!" Tea said, turning around to hug her friend. Ever since they defeated Dartz, Mai had been one of her closest friends. And as a friend, she called her every week and tried to visit her as much as possible.

"H-hey Mai!" Joey said, with a wave. "Nice to see ya!"

Tristan nudged him. "Aren't you gonna give her a hug and a kiss, too?"

"No," he yelled, shoving Tristan away from him. Lucky for Joey, Mai didn't hear anything Tristan said. "So, Mai, what have you been up to?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "The usualworking." She resumed her job of entering virtual reality games and checking out if there were glitches or if the opponents in the game were strong enough. "Madam Butterfly still has a job to do."

"So, you ready to work?"

"Work?" She gave a half-hearted laugh. "I'm supervising!"

Joey fell over. "Supervising what? The couch? Believe me, it aint going anywhere anytime soon!"

Before Mai could answer, Tea broke them up. "Come on, guys! Yugi only has the moving van for another three hours. We have to get moving," she said, walking back into the house. Mai smiled, now following Tea into the house.

Once inside, Mai tapped Tea on the shoulder and asked: "Hey hun, how have you been? I already see that Joey is still the same old Joey."

"I'm fine," Tea said, picking up the other lamp. "I've just been trying to help Yugi out with the move. It's been pretty rough for him, so I've been trying to be there for him."

"I see. Sure there's nothing more going on?"

Tea blushed. "Mai! You know I don't see Yugi as more than a friend!"

"Oh Tea! You're still going after Yami?" Mai asked, rolling her eyes.

"I-"

"Hey girls, you don't get paid for standing there looking beautiful!" declared Tristan, cocking an eyebrow up "seductively"

"We don't get paid at all!" Tea said, while Mai shoved Tristan on the way out to the moving van.

"Hey Mai! Wait up!"

Mai and Tea turned around to see Joey running toward Mai. Tea watched but kept walking as Joey started scratching his head nervously. 'Wow, he really has fallen hard for that Mai. I've never seen him look so nervous with a girl before.' Staring back at them, she didn't notice the figure stop in front of her.

BAM- went Tea and the lamp as she crashed into...Yami. She stared, wide-eyed, hoping she didn't break the lamp. She didn't. "I'm sorry Yami, I should have been looking to where I was going." She said, laughing uneasily.

He smiled. "It's okay. Here, let me bring it to the van." Taking the lamp from her, he carried the lamp to the van. Tea followed, adjacent to him. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked incredible with her hair tyed back into a messy ponytail. Her pink tank top and blue jeans fit her perfectly, too.

Tea didn't seem to notice him looking at her. She was too nervous to even realize his stare. "So," she started. "H-how did you find out about Yugi's little moving day?"

"Actually, Mai told me. I was walking toward my car, and then I spotted her walking toward hers. She asked me if I was going to Yugi's shop, and I told her no, but asked her why. She then told me about what was going on, and I decided to stop by."

'Why doesn't Yugi want to tell Yami anything? That's weird.' Tea nodded her head. "I thought Yugi was going to call you. We all took turns calling people to help out." Tea said. Yami fell silent. Then, putting the lamp down, he said:

"Tea, honestly, I don't know what's going on with me and Yugi. And maybe it's best not to find out either." He then walked ahead of her and into the house, leaving her there bewildered.

"Last piece, Yugi!" shouted Joey, more reluctant than ever to finish the move.

"Alright, one...two...THREE!" Hauling a bedroom mattress above their heads, they headed toward the van. "Gah! I think I pulled a hernia on that pull!" Tristan said, as him, Joey, and Yugi carried the mattress.

"That...ow...wasn't a...hernia, Tristan. Hernias don't smell," Joey replied, squinting his eyes from the smell.

Tristan laughed. "Well, then, pardon me."

Pushing the mattress into the van, Yugi and his friends each exchanged hi-fives and secret friendship handshakes. "We're bad! We know it! We're bad! Oh yeah! Uh-huh!" Dancing around, Joey sang the words to his favorite original Wheeler song.

"Come on, Joey! There's girls looking this way! Save me the embarassment!"

Joey stopped his dance, on account that there were girls looking at him. Tea, Mai, and the newcomers Miho and Serenity. "Hey sis! Watcha doin' here?"

Serenity hugged her brother. Tristan opened her arms to hug her, but she only laughed it off. Joey then smacked him in the back of the head. "Well," she started. "I did come here to help, but I didn't know you would be finished already." She then turned to Miho. "Miho drove me over here." Miho waved sweetly. Miho and Serenity have been best friends ever since Serenity started her freshman year at Domino High School.

"Good to have you here, but-"

"Well then, I guess it's time for me and grandpa to hit the road." Yugi interrupted, a smile carved into his lips. He then looked back at the Game Shop, whispering "it's only temporary" to himself.

"That's right, man. You'll be back here in no time!" Joey encouraged, patting his friend on the back.

Yugi nodded his head. "Thanks for everything, guys. It really means a lot to me."

After getting his grandfather, who was talking to Yami, he climbed into his van and waved to his friends. "Bye! See you in school in two weeks!" They all waved back and laughed with him as the van sped away into town.

Once the van was out of sight, Joey was the first one to speak. "Wow, it's gonna be hard without the Game Shop open for two months."

"Yeah, well, it's only two months." Mai said as she made her way to her car. "I'll see you guys later. Tea, you want to come to my place?" She asked, now stepping into her car.

"Sure!" Looking at the guys, she waved to all of them. "It's been fun!" Then, stepping into Mai's car, she yelled: "Bye! Have a good Easter!"

"Bye Tea! Don't be going on any dates anytime soon! Unless it's to look at Bakura's ass!" screamed Tristan, causing him and Joey to laugh hysterically. Yami, Serenity and Miho stood there confused.

Mai even quirked an eyebrow at Tea from inside the car. "Inside joke, Mai. Just drive and I'll tell you everything." Nodding, she gave a little wink to the guys, mainly Joey, and drove off into the direction of her apartment near Kaiba Corps.

Meanwhile, Joey stood there, mesmerized. "Uhh...Joey...you gonna wake up anytime soon?" asked Miho. He only smiled, too dazed by the moment he was still in.

Tristan then pinched his nose and said: "Joey's not here right now. Please leave your name, your number, and the date and the time you called and I'll call you back only if your name is Mai Valentine."

Joey smacked Tristan. "You're so immature, Tristan!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Tuning the two boys out, Serenity turned to Miho. "Ready to go?" She nodded. Waving at Yami, Serenity and Miho stepped into Miho's car and drove off. Now it was only down to Yami, who was now staring at Tristan and Joey.

"ARE TOO!"

"AM NOT!"

Then, the first time in a couple of days, he laughed. He missed his friends. He missed the good times, the bad times, and even the times where there was no adventure. Just them and a good joke from Tristan or Joey. But now...

He worked at Kaiba Corps. And his friends were now said to be his enemies-or at least that's what Kaiba told him. He growled to himself. Kaiba was trying to control his life, and the worst part of it was...he was letting him.

Walking to his car, he stepped inside and turned the engine on. 'This has to stop...today." Making a three-point turn, he left the two arguing in place for a new argument. A battle that he was going to win.

Tea admired the duplex apartment Mai had rented a few months ago. The living room walls were of a lilac, and the carpet was a beautiful deep purple. Mai also had a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom that were of the same colors. 'Mai really likes her purple," Tea thought, as she took a seat in one of her chairs.

"So Miss Tea, I see you were getting all comfy with Yami one minute...and then the next, you two were separated. What happened?" Mai asked, finding a sit on the chair opposite to her.

Tea sighed. "I don't know. One minute, we were just discussing about Yugi's move, and then the next minute, he's telling me that Yugi and him aren't as close as they used to be. I didn't talk to him since."

"It's been like this for awhile, I'm afraid," Mai whispered. "Sometimes Yami and I would catch up during our lunch hour and he would tell me about Yugi shutting him down every time he tries to talk to him. It's been going on for months. It might of even happened the day they separated."

Tea frowned. "I think so, too. That's why Yami started working for Kaiba."

"Yeah," Mai said, nodding. "But let's talk about things we know more about. How are you getting Yami as a prom date?"

"Mai! I can't take Yami to the prom! There's no way he'd go out with me."

Mai rolled her eyes. "So? Hun, you can still go as friends."

"I know," Tea said, "but I always had this crazy dream to go to prom with the man of my dreams. Stupid, huh?"

"No, no. I think every girl your age dreams of going with someone they love," Mai explained, talking motherly now. "But you better start taking flirting lessons from me if you want him to be crazy over you in two months."

"I don't know...flirting? I'm kind of flirting-challenged."

Mai flicked her wrist. "Psh, don't worry! We'll start...now!"

Yami didn't even bother knocking as he entered Kaiba's office. His anger and his determination had changed his perspective on having curtosy toward Kaiba. 'Kaiba's trying to ruin my life. I won't let him.'

"Good to have you here, Yami. I have another prototype I want you to tes-"

"No, Kaiba. I'm through with prototypes. I'm through with Kaiba Corps. I'm through with you!" Yami bellowed, angrily. Kaiba's head turned to look at him. He wasn't one to be scared by an employee.

"Great speech, really. Next time, save it for my secretary."

Yami shook his head, placing both his palms on Kaiba's desk. "Kaiba, I'm not playing games with you anymore. I'm officially quitting Kaiba Corps-today." Then, slamming the desk with his fist, Yami started walking out when Kaiba said:

"You can't quit, we have a legal agreement."

"Not anymore. Sue me, take all my money! I don't care anymore, Kaiba. I just want to leave this place and forget it even existed." Yami stated, causing Kaiba to stand up. He hadn't moved since Yami walked in.

"Fine. Just fill out these papers," he threw Yami a folder of papers, "and you're officially resigned." He then sat back down and now concentrated his attention on his computer.

Yami just stood there, looking at the papers. 'Why has Kaiba been so nice lately?' But a voice in the back of his head told him that Kaiba's been nice all along, he was just blinded by the past. Now he felt terrible for yelling at him like that. "Kaiba," he started, but couldn't find the words to apologize. Instead, he finished with "thanks" and left his office.

Now finished with the papers, he sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Now what am I going to do?" he whispered to himself. He had enough money to last him another two years, so he didn't have to bother looking for a job anytime soon. "Ra, now I'm just a normal eighteen-year-old. What do they normally do?"

It was then Domino High School flickered into his head. "Go back to school?"

After getting his own body, he was thinking of returning to school, but he knew it would be a waste of time. He was home-schooled for many years back in Egypt, 5,000 years ago. Not that he was saying he couldn't use school now, it was just...nothing really changed with the education system. They just added a couple of fancy numbers and words.

But then he talked to Kaiba after they defeated Dartz...

Though Kaiba only hired individuals with a Master's/Bachelor's degree to back their standing with the company, Kaiba knew of Yami's past and offered him a job at his company. Yami thought Kaiba was kidding, but he wasn't. Yami soon realized that Kaiba offered him a job beause he knew more about the game than half of his employees and he was trustworthy.

School then never was thought about again. But now...

"It's the only thing I got going for me." He finished. Plus, nowadays, one had to finish school to be considered for a job. "Yes, it's not like I can work here anymore. Maybe it's time I start over."

With that, he grabbed some of his belongings and walked out of his office for that last time...

"...and short skirts is always a plus."

Tea frowned. "I don't know, Mai. Yami doesn't seem like the type of guy to"

"Come on, Tea! I know Yami might have been the Pharaoh of Egypt, but now he's an ordinary guy! He'll love to see you in a short skirt," Mai explained.

Tea sighed. Mai's "flirting tips" were really only for people like...well...Mai. She couldn't even picture herself doing half the stuff Mai was telling her to do. Especially in front of Yami! She didn't want to turn down Mai's advice, though. She was only trying to help.

"...but you know it's always works, it's-Hey! You don't believe me, do you?"

Tea coughed nervously. "Yeah, so anyway-"

"Tea! Oh fine, you know what? If you don't believe me, try to prove me wrong."

"What?" Tea asked, confused. "What are you suggesting?"

Mai smirked. "Go to Kaiba Corps in a short skirt. We'll see what Yami thinks." She then went into her bedroom, and came out with a beige, short skirt. Too short.

"Will that cover anything?" Tea asked, as Mai threw it at her. Then, moving toward the door, she waited patiently for Tea. "Mai! This is stupid! I'm not going!"

Mai folded her arms. "Scared?"

Tea nodded, but not enough for Mai to take it as an answer. She didn't want to go to Yami's office looking like a slut. 'But it would be interesting to see his reaction.' She shook her head out of her daze. "Fine. Let me change into this and we can go." She then walked into the bathroom.

Mai smiled, then turned around to bump into...

"Yami?" she whispered. 'This should be good,' she thought, looking toward the bathroom. 'And I get a front row seat to the action.' She let him inside her apartment. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Kaiba Corps."

"KC? Why? Did something happen?"

Yami nodded. "Actually, yes. I-"

"Mai, does this make me look-Yami!' Tea squealed, trying to hide the skirt with her hands. 'Oh my God! Mai tricked me! And now Yami's here...' She looked past him at Mai, glaring. Mai made hand signals for her to remove her hands. "I mean," she took her hands away, revealing the skirt, "hi. I wasn't expecting you here."

"I'll be back. I'm going to go get some drinks," Mai said, leaving the two alone.

'Nooo! Mai!' Tea pleaded with her eyes for Mai to stay, but she brushed past her, giggling. "What's going on? I haven't seen you since...well...this morning." She laughed nervously, but watched his eyes to see if they traveled to the skirt she was wearing. They never did.

He cleared his throat, waking her from her daze. "I just came back from Kaiba Corps and decided to pay Mai a visit." He then looked from her to the kitchen, where Mai was supposedly getting drinks. Tea noticed this.

Her nervousness for the Pharaoh was gone. She now felt jealousy boiling inside her. She knew Mai wasn't into Yami, but for him to come over here just to pay her a visit? She wasn't buying it. 'Tea, don't do this to yourself. He probably just came over just to see an old friend...' She reasoned to herself, but the jealousy still sat. "Oh well, I should get going then. Wouldn't want to intrude." Smiling, she walked into the bathroom to change.

Yami opened his mouth to speak, but she had already closed the door behind her. It was then Mai opened the door with three drinks. "Where did Tea go?" she asked, looking around the room.

"She said she was leaving," Yami said, taking a drink from her.

'Leaving? Why?' It was then she heard the bathroom door creak open. "Tea?"

"Bye guys! See you around sometime!" She said sweetly, not looking at them. She then opened the door and closed it behind her.

Mai wouldn't have been worried about her friend leaving early...if she didn't see the tears in her eyes.

To be continued...

I liked this chapter. Better than last chapter. This chapter was kind of short, though. Sorry about that. I couldn't get started on the next chappie if I didn't end this chapter somewhere. But anyway...Ooooooh, looks like Mai made a boo boo! Do you think Tea will forgive her? What about Yami? Does he really share no deep affection for Tea?