Disclaimer: Oh, no!

A/N: Enjoy! It's a long read! My longest read...ever! WOO!

Title: Just A Night

Chapter 11: Serious

Sunday, May 15th, 2005

"WAKE UP, EVERYONE!"

Yami, who was sleeping on the floor, stirred for a moment, then gradually opened his eyes to see Joey standing over him in his boxers. "AH!" he yelled, while moving away from Joey until his back hit the couch. Between getting a lack of sleep because of playing video games until four, and Joey hovering over him with blue, Scooby-Doo shorts, he wasn't having a good morning.

"What the hell is your problem, Joey?" A groggy voice called from the other side of the couch. It was then a shark-like object slowly moved above the couch's head.

"Mmmmm...monster!" Joey shrieked, running behind the door for cover. "Yami! Hit it with a shoe or...something!"

Yami turned his head to see Tristan arise from behind the couch. "Joey, it's just Tristan."

"Oh," chuckling nervously, he emerged from behind the door, "I...knew that.."

"Moron," Tristan whispered under his breath. Then, scratching his neck, he said: "What's with the wake-up call?"

Joey beamed, happiness showing through the folds of his cheeks. "I'm going on...A DATE!"

"...and what does this have to do with us getting up?" Yami mumbled, while yawning uncontrollably.

"Guys...this isn't just any date! I'm going on a date with Mai Valentine! Mai Valentine!" He zoned out for a minute, then continued his speech: "This isn't just a date...it's a...well...it's a date, but...it's a date with Mai!" Putting his hands on his hips, he nodded as if he had said something intelligent.

"Riiiiiight." Rising to his feet, Tristan stretched out his arms as much as they could go. Then, he collected his clothes and walked toward the door. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going to go get some sleep at my house." He then looked over at Joey. "Oh, and by the way..." He paused for a second to think about what he was going to say. Joey hoped for a "good luck," but he forgot that this was Tristan he was talking to. "...don't trip, buddy."

"Wait--Tristan! I need your help! Please!"

Tristan cocked an eyebrow up, but then burst into laughter and walked out the door.

Once the door closed, Joey turned to Yami with pleading eyes. "Yami, please, I need your help...now that Tristan is gone, you're my only hope." Knees bended, he shuffled toward Yami. "Please! I don't know the first thing about dates!"

"What about that date with Trinity Vega?"

"Lie."

"Nathalie LaRue?"

"Lie."

"Uhh...Edna--"

"ALL LIES!" Joey yelled, tugging at his hair in frustration. He only had told people that he had been on dates to ward off the suspicion that he was gay. "I've NEVER been on a date before, Yami! Please...help me!"

"...uhh...well...I could try..." Yami said, scratching the back of his head.

Joey threw a fist into the air. "Thanks! I owe you big time! How about a 99 cents cheeseburger on me?"

"Umm...no thanks.."

"Come on, I'll throw in some fries..." Joey said, using his persuasive voice.

"Nah," Yami said, but quickly added, "another time. Listen, it's one o'clock...doesn't Mai get out of work at four?"

Joey looked at his watch, then gasped. "You're right! I have to take a shower!"

Once Joey disappeared into the bathroom, Yami smiled and put his head back on the pillow. "...while he's showering, I'll just take a..." he didn't get to finish his sentence because once he closed his eyes, he was out like a light.

"Serenity, this isn't working...all the prom dresses I've tried on are either too big and show my boobs or too tight and guess what? SHOW MY BOOBS!" Tea shouted, not realizing that people were staring at her. It wasn't really her fault, she was getting frustrated. Prom was in a week, and as Serenity and her went through every store in the mall, she couldn't find anything that would suit her tastes.

"Tea, it's fine," Serenity whispered, "look...let's try that store over there!"

Tea stared at the store Serenity was pointing to. It didn't look like much, but at this point, Tea was desperate. 'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' Tea thought as they walked into the store. A bell sounded above them and a lady immediately rushed to their assistance.

"Can I help you?"

Tea was used to this by now and answered with: "We're just looking."

"Oh," she said, "anything in particular?"

"A prom dress," Serenity answered before Tea could chew out the women.

The store clerk nodded. "We have some in the back you can look at, but..." She looked Tea up and down. Then, "I don't think we'll have any in your size. Do you still want to look?"

'They don't have any in my size? What's that supposed to mean? I'M NOT FAT!' She looked at herself quickly, then stopped at her butt. 'I may have an ass like Bakura's, but I AM NOT FAT!' She smiled sweetly at the store clerk, then walked to the back.

"You're alright, Tea?"

"Hmm?" She turned to Serenity. Then, "oh! I'm great! Yup, just randy-dandy!" The answer she gave sounded like she was in a kindgarten class, but she didn't care. She was tired, hungry, and ready to lash out at anyone that looked at her the wrong way. Couldn't they see that she needed a prom dress!

"What about this one?" Serenity asked, touching a long, black dress by its hanger.

Tea gave one quick look, then shook her head. "Too black.."

"Well, it is a black dress..." Serenity mumbled to herself, hoping Tea couldn't hear her. She didn't. With a soft sigh, Serenity continued to scour around for any dress in Tea's size. "This is going to take longer than I thought.."

"Alright," putting on a wrinkled, white t-shirt, Joey sat on the couch across from Yami. "What do I need to know?"

Yami rubbed his eyes, still tired from the night before. While Joey was in the shower, he managed to get fifteen minutes of shut-eye, but the rest of the time was succumbed to Joey's horrible, off-key singing. "Umm...well...what are you going to wear?"

Joey looked down at himself. "...this, why?"

"That? Joey, if you're going on a date with Mai, you have to look groomed..." Practically forcing himself off the couch, Yami walked toward his closet and opened it to find empty hangers and a mound of comics in the middle. "Joey...do you hang your clothes?"

"How do you hang clothes?"

"Nevermind," Yami whispered, now looking through his drawers. As he rummaged through Joey's drawer, he came across a pair of beige pants. "These are good, but now we have to find a top..." Opening another drawer, he looked for a decent-looking shirt. Nothing. "Uhh..." He turned around and looked at Joey. "Where are your shirts?"

"Around..."

Yami sighed. "Let's just stick with the one you--" He looked at the wrinkles in the shirt. Then, "--actually, take it off and we'll have it ironed." Once he said that, Joey stared at him as if he had three heads. "...do you have an iron?"

"An...iron?"

Yami slapped a hand to his face. "Alright...we have to do it the old-fashioned way then. Take off the shirt and sit on it." Although getting a weird look, he obeyed without any protest. "Now then, your hair..."

"WHOA! NO ONE TOUCHES THE HAIR!" yelled Joey, protectively covering his blond locks.

'Now I know why Tristan left..' Yami thought, sitting across from Joey now. Joey was turning out to be more trouble than anything else. He couldn't believe how clueless Joey was when it came to girls. "Now, where are you going to take her?"

"The arcade sounded like a good spot.."

Yami was ready to slap himself. "You never take a girl a place you want to go," the once-Pharaoh countered. That was rule #1 when it came to taking a girl out. 'Heck, I'm a reincarnated Pharaoh and I know this!'

"Well...umm..." Scratching his neck, Joey couldn't find the right words to say. "I don't really know this...Serenity and Tea are the only girls I really hang out with." He lowered his head, a little embarassed.

Yami sighed, but then...an idea came to his head. "Tea! She could help you! She's practically Mai's best friend!" Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number...

"PULL!"

"I'm trying!"

"PULL HARDER!"

Tea had finally found the perfect dress. It was dark blue, strapless, and had intricate silver designs around the bust. She had fallen in love, but the only problem was..."PULL!"...it was a size too small. The dress slipped on perfectly until it reached her chest. That's where the fabric tightened against her skin and the zipper wouldn't zip all the way.

"Girls, do you need any help in there?"

Tea held on to the sides of the fitting room wall. "No, we're...good..." she squealed out, as Serenity tried again and again to pull the zipper all the way. "Just a little more..." Tea breathed, trying her best to push in her chest.

"I...can't...it won't go anymore..." She wiggled the zipper as much as she could, but it wouldn't budge.

Tea sighed (although she couldn't get much of a breath out), then nodded in defeat. "It was worth a try..."

"I'm sorry, Tea," Serenity said, now zippering the dress the opposite way so Tea could take it off. She then added: "I know how much you liked the dress. Maybe we can find something like it."

"Yeah," Tea said, throwing her shirt over her head and pulling up her jeans. Once she had her shoes on, they walked out of the stall together with the dress in hand. "Oh well.." Tea said, putting the dress on the rack. "Let's go check out another store.."

Walking toward the exit, they were stopped by a familiar voice. "Ladies?"

"Yes?" Tea answered, turning around to meet the eyes of the sales clerk.

"We have another order of prom dresses coming in next week. I can reserve the dress you were trying on. Just give me the correct size you need." She pulled out a pen and paper.

Tea beamed, then replied: "Oh wow...that would be great..." For a moment, she was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't believe her luck. It was then she remembered that the woman was waiting for her to answer. Giving the women her name, number, and size, Tea found herself walking out the store with a smile no one could turn around.

"Oh Tea, this is so great!" Serenity said, sharing in her friend's happiness.

"Yeah, we should--" It was then her cell phone went off. "Sorry, hold on..." Opening her bag, she pulled out her cell phone and looked at the number. "I don't recognize the number. Probably some stupid telemarketer..." She threw it back in her bag and said: "So, what do you want to do?"

"Let's go get something to eat," Serenity suggested.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Tea said, as they both laughed and walked to the food court..

"Hmm..Tea's not picking up," Yami said, ending the call, "I guess she's busy..."

"I guess so--oh, no! Yami, it's already 2:15! I have to leave in less than two hours!"

"It's alright."

"It is? I don't even know where to take her!"

Yami nodded, now pacing around the room. "Alright, first, you're going to ask her if she's hungry. If she is, take her out to a diner. Nothing fancy, just any old diner. If she's not, cut straight to something fun...the movies or Domino's theme park is good."

Joey stared at Yami, trying to retain all the advice he could. "Should I...kiss her on the first date?"

Yami stopped, not expecting a question like that. "Uhh...well...to be honest.." He didn't know. He'd been out with girls, but he never considered any of them dates. They were just...friendly outings. "...if you really feel that she thinks of you as a friend, you shouldn't kiss her," was the best advice Yami could give his friend. It was the most practical, too. Wouldn't want to ruin a friendship because of your own dirty desires..

Just like when he wanted to kiss Tea...

"Yami?"

Dazed, Yami turned to his friend and asked: "How's your shirt?"

"Uh..." Lifting his butt, he pulled the shirt from under him. "It's...kinda warm..."

Yami laughed at his friend's first thoughts. Then, "Well, the wrinkles are out. Put it on."

Joey obeyed. "Okay...so...we got the clothes down. I know where to take her. Anything else?" He asked, pulling his black pants over his boxers. He then stood up to put his dog-tag necklace over his neck. "I feel...ready..." He said to his reflection in the mirror. He turned around and smiled. "Thank you, Yami. All I needed was a little help."

"A little help?" Yami joked.

"Ha ha ha," Joey said, sarcasm in his tone. "Anyway...now what to do? It's 2:35 now."

Yami shrugged his shoulders. "Well...I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. Do you mind giving me a ride over to Tea's house?" He asked, getting a wide grin from Joey. He raised an eyebrow, then realized why Joey was so happy. "No, Joey. Nothing's going on."

"I thought I was bad with Mai..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the violet-eyed teen.

Joey shook his head. "Nothing...chicken..." he coughed out the last part.

"I heard that," Yami said, "I'm not a chicken. We're just friends. By the way, who are you calling chicken? You couldn't even ask Mai out on a date! What's up with that?"

"...I...was waiting for the right moment!"

Yami laughed. "Mhm...I bet that's what it is." He then grabbed his towel and headed for the bathroom. "Oh, and since we're on our way to Tea's house, there's a flower shop on the corner. It may sound cliche, but all girls love flowers."

"Flowers...right..."

Yami shook his head playfully and shut the door behind him.

"Wow, I needed that," Tea said, now exiting the food court with her friend.

Serenity nodded. "I know. Guys don't realize that shopping is a fierce sport."

"That's for sure," Tea laughed. It was then her cell phone rang again. "Who is it this time?" Pulling out her cell phone, she looked at the screen. "Oh, it's Mai. Hold on." Pulling up her antenna, she answered the phone.

"Hey hun, what are you doing?"

"Nothing much, just finished some serious shopping. How's work?"

"Actually, I finished early, but I can't leave because Joey's supposed to be picking me up."

"...oh, you're going on a date! That's right!" Tea said, with a giggle. She heard a sigh on the other end.

"Tea, I'm not really looking forward to this. I mean, I want to know if...I like him, but is this the way?"

Tea rolled her eyes, luckily her friend couldn't see. "Listen, just enjoy yourself. Don't think of it as a date. Just think of it as an outing with a friend." She reasoned, although she could hear another sigh from her friend.

"I'll try...thanks..."

"Alright, I'll see you later.." Tea then hung up the phone and looked at Serenity. "She's totally in love with your brother. She's just holding herself back. I don't know why."

"Reminds me of someone I know," Serenity teased.

Tea looked over at her friend. "What?"

"Nothing...come on, let's go home!" Serenity said to her confused friend.

"...okay." Tea said, following her friend out the store.

"Thanks Joey," Yami said, getting out the car. Then, closing the door, he said: "have fun on your date. Remember, don't see it as a date. If you do, you'll get nervous." He winked.

Joey nodded. "Right. What kind of flowers should I get?"

"You're on your own with that."

"Yami!"

"Sorry pal, I can't help you. When you're picking out the flower, just think about her."

"Alright, thanks," Joey said, "see ya!" Putting the car into drive, he drove down the road, leaving Yami with a cloud of dust. Yami let out a sigh and turned around to stare down Tea's house. It was his turn to face his fear.

"Let's do this." Moving his legs forward, he walked up to her door and knocked twice.

Silence. He knocked again. Silence. He tried the bell. Silence.

"Hmm...maybe she's not home..."

"Yeah," a voice said from behind, "I tried already."

Yami turned around to meet Masa's eyes. He forced a smile. "Oh, really? Well, I'll try again later." He tried to walk past Masa, but Masa brought a hand to his chest to stop him. Yami stared down at his hand in disgust.

"Hold on, Yemi, it's time you and I had a talk."

Yami wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled a hand away from his chest. "Let's start with you getting my name right. It's Yami." He said, now glaring at him. This only made Masa's smile grow wider.

"Come now, let's take a walk."

"What gave you the impression that we could be friends?"

"Ah, not friends," Masa chuckled, "let's just call us...men on good terms."

"Riiight...see you around." Something about Masa made the hair on his arm stand up. As he walked down the street, he could feel eyes on him. Was it Masa again? Turning around, it wasn't Masa. It was a tall, dark-haired teenager. "Can...I help you?"

"I heard you're giving my friend a little trouble," the teen replied. He then tilted his head at Masa, who was standing behind him. Yami glared at Masa. He knew something was up.

"That's between Masa and I," Yami answered, "now, if you'll excuse me--"

Masa laughed. "Do you actually think you're walking away from us...unharmed? Come now, Yami. You're trying to take my woman away from me, how could I take kindly to that?" He stepped in front of his friend and pushed Yami. "Well?"

"Your woman? Tea?" Yami saw a glint of anger appear in Masa's eyes. "Listen, Tea is no one's property--"

"You think you can take us?" Masa shoved Yami again. "Well? Come on, show me what you got." He shoved Yami harder, landing him into the wall of some building. "Hit me! HIT ME, YAMI!"

"I will not. You have not done anything to make me hit you."

"Oh yeah? How about this"--He punched Yami in the face--"huh? Do you want more?" He punched Yami again, now drawing blood from his lower lip. "Why won't you fight me? You know you won't win? Huh?" He used his other fist to punch Yami in the gut.

Yami groaned and fell to his knees. "I...will not fight you."

"Damn it," Masa cursed, "Saru, take care of this bastard."

Saru started kicking Yami hard in the stomach. Yami wouldn't block his attacks. He wouldn't fight back. "Boss, this aint working. I got better plans for this suckah." Putting a hand in his pocket, he pulled out a pocket knife.

"Good," Masa said, staring at the weapon. "Just bring him in the alley so no one can see you."

Saru put the knife back into his pocket. "I'm going to enjoy this..."

Yugi pressed his hand against the glass of the Game Shop window. "Soon, we'll have you back..." He whispered as he took his hand away and stared into the empty building. It was depressing to see the shop as desolate as it was, but he knew it was only temporary.

Sighing, he gave one last quick glance and continued to walk down the sidewalk. 'Maybe I'll visit Joey,' he thought. Ever since Yami started going to the school, he spent less and less time with the gang because he thought they liked Yami better than him. It was true. Joey, Tristan, and Yami seemed inseparable. And he was sure Tea thought more about Yami than him.

'You know the fight between you and Yami is more based on jealousy...' His inner conscious whispered. He shook his head. He wasn't jealous...was he? Yami was always better in everything he thought he was best in. Yami had the looks, the height, and even the deep voice to make the ladies swoon over him. He even had the talent to get a job at Kaiba Corps. 'Hmm...and you say you're not jealous..'

"I'm not jealous!" He yelled, not realizing his thoughts blurted out of his mouth. He looked around to see if anyone heard him. No one was in sight. Sundays were always slow in Domino. The place was a ghost town. "Well, except for over there..."

Staring ahead, he saw two guys standing over a man, who was now leaning lifeless against the wall. "Wait...they're hurting him!" Fastening his pace, he took a closer look at the man on the floor. His features looked familiar. Too familiar. A replica of him, almost. "Yami..." He whispered, now stopping in his tracks. Why wasn't he fighting back?

'You have to stop them..'

'No, he deserves it. Walk away.'

"No! No one deserves that treatment!" Running forward, he waved his arms frantically above him. "STOP!" He didn't know if he was being dumb or brave. Maybe it was a mixture of both. He didn't care...he had to help Yami--no matter their current circumstances..

"What the...?" Saru looked at the boy. Was he talking to him? He listened to what the boy was screaming. He was telling him to stop. "Get out of here, kid! This has nothing to do with you!" Saru shouted angrily. The boy didn't stop running. "Masa...what am I going to do with him?"

Masa put a hand over his eyes to see the boy's features. "Crap...that's Yugi Moto."

"Wait...Moto? Aren't these two brothers?" He stared down at Yami, then back up at the boy.

Masa growled. "Yeah...don't worry. Finish your job. I'll take care of him.."

"STOP! STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Yami slowly opened his eyes, but he found it hard to keep them open. "Oh man..." He mumbled, now trying to pick up his head. Everything hurt...what happened? Once he had his head half-way up, he saw two men hovering over Yugi. "No.." he managed to get out. They were going to hurt Yugi like they did him. "Yugi...run..." He said weakly. Yugi didn't hear him. Hell, he couldn't even hear himself.

"DON'T HURT HIM! DON'T--" He heard Yugi yell before he was slammed into the pavement.

"No.." Yami mumbled. He looked at Yugi, who was struggling to get up. "NO!"

Masa and Saru stared down at Yami and smiled. "Oh, so you're up? Good...show him some more!"

Saru grabbed Yugi by the neck and slammed him back down into the pavement. The both of them laughed as they watched Yugi still trying to get up. "He's just as stubborn as you, Yemi." Masa commented, now putting a foot on Yugi's back and pushing him back down. "I could crush him right now, and there's nothing you can do about it..."

Yami's anger started building. "Wrong!" Pushing himself off the floor, he brought himself to his feet. "You just gave me a reason to kick your asses!" He clenched his fist, ready to meet their faces.

"Ha ha...you're weak! There's no way you can take on the both of us!"

Yami started to build his rage into his fists. "You have no idea what I'm capable of!" Running forward, he punched Masa across the face, then used his remaining anger to knee Saru in the stomach. Both lost their balance, but weren't knocked out for the count.

"You'll pay for that!" Masa yelled, wiping his lip with his sleeve. "Saru, get him!"

Saru ran forward and tried to hit Yami, but Yami dodged easily. "You shouldn't even be able to stand now, let alone fight back!" Saru remarked, his voice cracking from utter alarm. He knew those kicks to his stomach should have cracked a couple of ribs, and yet...Yami was still standing. "What the hell are you?"

Masa, who was now standing behind Saru, yelled: "What are you waiting for!"

Nodding, Saru clenched a fist and ran toward Yami...

...Yami, who predicted the attack, held his fist back and angrily flung it forward at Saru's face. Before Yami's fist met Saru's face, a dark haze fell over Saru and Masa and they instantly fell back. Shocked, Yami slowly moved his fist back and opened his hand. "...what?" He felt the millennium powers he once had flow through his hand in that attack. He turned his hand over, "how?" He then looked down at Saru and Masa, who were staring at him in fear.

"I'm outta here!" Saru yelled, picking himself off the ground and running down the block.

Masa only sat there, frozen. "Y...ou...FREAK!" Crawling to his feet, he glanced at him one last time before running past him and down the street. Yami only watched him, in utter amazement himself.

Then, all of a sudden, he felt weak and fell to his knees. "Yami!" A voice called from behind him. It was Yugi. Yami could hear his feet plodding toward him. "Yami, are you alright?"

"I...feel very weak," Yami mumbled, putting his two hands on the ground.

Yugi grabbed his torso and pulled him up. "Come on, Yami, we have to get you help..." Sensing that Yugi was having trouble moving him because of his weight, Yami tried to move his feet as best as possible.

"Tea's house is right there, maybe she could help," Yugi whispered, but his thought was interrupted by Yami:

"She's...not there..."

Yugi groaned, now walking past her house. 'The hospital is about a mile away...I could--' It was then he saw a brunette crossing the street ahead and walking toward him. Even from far away, he could tell it was Tea. 'Thank Ra...'

'I can't believe I finally got my prom dress!' With a smile, she carried herself down the block in deep thought. 'But now I need shoes, a purse, a--IS THAT YAMI?' Her legs froze over, now staring at the sight of Yugi carrying a very bruised Yami down the street.

"Yugi! OH MY GOD!" She yelled, running over to help support Yami. Then, "What happened!"

"He got jumped by M--" Yugi started.

"--a street thug. He wanted my wallet," Yami interrupted, his voice coarse.

Tea gasped, wide-eyed. "Come on, let's take him to my house!"

"...so he beat you up because you tried to walk away from him? That's horrible!" Tea said, her hands moving Yami's head around to see if there was any severe damage on his face. "Did you at least get a good look at him?" Turning away from Yami for a second, she took a cotton ball of peroxide and gently rubbed his cheek, where a small abrasion had formed.

"I...he was hooded," Yami lied, closing his eyes as he felt the coldness of the peroxide against his cheek. "I couldn't get a good look at him at all. If I called the police now, they wouldn't think much of it because I didn't even get a description of the guy."

"Yeah, but you should still call and tell them there's a person this desperate for cash on the streets," she pulled her hand away from Yami. Then, "how did you manage to escape then?"

"Oh...Yugi saved me..."

"Yugi?" She turned around and looked into her best friend's eyes. He nodded. "Wow...how did you do that?" He explained to her that he stepped-in just about as the thug was going to stab him. Tea gasped, "oh Yugi! That was very brave of you!" Yugi blushed.

She then turned her attention back to Yami, "alright, do you want to lay down now?"

"Yes," he nodded, "thank you, Tea...ow.." As he moved, his side started to hurt.

"Yami? Does it hurt there?" She asked, receiving a nod. Then, "let me check it out."

He nodded and pulled his shirt off slowly. Tea's cheeks reddened upon seeing Yami's perfectly-sculpted frame. 'Come on, Tea, snap out of it!' Breaking out of her daze, she reached over and touched his chest to feel if anything was broken. Her cheeks flushed more.

"I...I...don't think you broke anything," she said quickly, "here, let me go get some ice.." Pulling away from him, she scurried off to the kitchen. She was as red as a tomato. "Tea, it's okay, you'll be fine."

'Psh, who could ever recover from seeing a chest such as marvelous as that?'

Tea shook off the other voice in her head. "Stop thinking about his chest!"

'What I wouldn't give to hold my body against that..'

"NO!" Tea yelled, wrapping some ice around a paper towel. "I shouldn't be thinking about him like that! He's injured and he needs the help of me and Yugi to get him well again." She waited for a response, but the other voice in her head said nothing.

Stepping back into the living room, she handed Yami the ice--without looking at his chest--and told him that she was going to go in the other room so he could rest and lie down. "Just get some rest. And you can stay here all night if you want, mom and dad won't be home for the next couple of days." She turned to Yugi. "You can stay as long as you like, too." Yugi beamed at her.

"Thank you, Tea, I really appreciate everything you have done," Yami said.

Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Get some rest." She then walked out the room. 'I can't believe you actually kissed him! Tea Gardner kissed Yami!...on the forehead, but still! It's a kiss!' For a second, she felt like doing Joey's "I'm bad! I know it! I'm bad!" dance, but she resisted the urge.

Meanwhile, Yami, now lying on the couch, was staring at his palms. He still couldn't understand what had happened.

"Maybe the puzzle wasn't the only thing that granted you shadow powers," Yugi said, reading Yami's mind. "You could have awakened the powers you once had as Pharaoh through your anger."

Yami's eyes found a reflection of their own in Yugi's orbs. "Whatever I awakened, it was strong."

"Yeah," Yugi stood up, "well, I'm going to get going."

Yami struggled to sit up. Then, "No, please. Stay. I want to talk to you."

"I don't think it's best that we have this conversation now. A lot of things happened between us."

Yami shook his head. "I know, but it's been so long--please stay."

"Alright," Yugi said, but walked toward the other room. "Get some rest first, though."

"You'll be here when I wake up?" Yugi nodded, then walked out.

Yami put his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. "Thank you.."

To be continued...

Yeah! This chapter is finished pretty quick! What to look for in the next chapter: Joey and Mai's date; Yugi and Yami open up

THANKS TO: (I know there is a petition around to stop these, but has not officially made it illegal! CAN TAKE OUR REVIEWER RESPONSES, BUT THEY CANNOT TAKE OUR FREEDOM!')

cutehelenjames: Masa is VERY evil, I'm sure you can tell by this chapter (lol) Well, glad you like the story! TFR!

Starlet36: I still have to read the other chapters to your story! I'll get to them shortly! Sorry, college is very time-consuming. Anyway, I'm really glad you like the Joey/Mai and Yami/Tea! TFR!

Luthien-Anwaman: Glad you enjoy the Bakura's ass joke still, ahahaha. Oh! You're going to love the next chapter with Joey, his pickup lines, and more ass jokes! Hahaha. Anywayz, TFR!

inuzgirl: Oh wow, I changed your perspective on Serenity and Seto? Cool! Well, I'll try to hit you up on AIM when I get the chance because my email address isn't really working right. Stupid Verizon! Hahaha, anyway, glad you like the story. TFR!

Elfbrat18: Aww...that was such a nice review! I'm really happy you enjoy the story! I'm smiling like crazy right now, lol. Oh, you write stories? What kind of stories do you write? Oh btw, TFR! WOOOOOOO!

xXRoseGoddess874Xx: Yes, Yami and Tea forever! TFR!

dawnmiko: Yeah, this story is like a soap opera...oh well! It's fun! Hahaha! TFR!

Darkhope: Hahaha...yeah...Tristan asking out Mai for Joey was funny! Tee hee! Oh man, I sound as bad as Tea did as a blond. Hahaha. TFR!

Shining Friendship: Hey friend! Hahaha, still don't like the S/S? I can't blame you! I have a hard time writing it sometimes, too. Anyway, yeah! Yami and Tea! I'm glad you're still a big fan of them together! Oh, new episodes Saturday! I'm so excited! TFR

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Hahaha, I used to watch Inuyasha. But, Hojo isn't as bad as Masa! He's pretty close, but at least he doesn't have the mafia behind him. Hahahaahaha! Well, TFR!

Daikaio: Aww...I have to read the rest of your story! BTW, on the topic of your story, I've been saying "OMG! THE SEAGULLS ARE PLANNING AN ATTACK!" a lot. My mom thinks I'm crazy. Hahahaha. Well, glad you like this story so much that you get into a bad mood if you can't read it. LOL, TFR!

xxxShadow Angelxxx: Oh, no! Don't kill him! Actually, wait...he beat up YAMI! KILL HIM! TFR

SilverOtaku: Hahaha...thanks for another great review! Glad you love the story! Hahaha...TFR!

AnimeFantasy Fan: Oh man, I should have used Bandit Keith! Oh well, Saru was pretty evil. Yah! You like the romance! I'm so happy! TFR!

svakee2000: Ah, very cool pairings. They'll be J/M in the next chapter! WOOO! TFR!

sweetmidnight: Oh yeah! Joey's awesome with the humor! And yeah, no one deserves to be killed...except Masa! Ha! TFR!

Cheese: Cheese is good! Mmm...you got me hungry! Hahaha...glad you like the story! TFR!

Sailor Star Universe: Oh wow, you start college already? Wow! I still got two weeks! I'm trying to finish this story before college starts, but I don't think I can. I got at least three more chapters. Anyway, I'm really happy you enjoy reading this story! TFR!

Amazoness Archer: Yeah! Bad intercoms! Hmm...you actually gave me an idea...WEEE! Hahahaa! Have fun with the "Kill Masa and Kyoko club" TFR!

sweet cookie dough: WOW! You wrote two long reviews! (falls) You're awesome! WOW, they were very nice reviews, too! Hahaha, oh, I live in New York. Yeah, pretty far from the Carribbean Islands. Tee hee. Well, thanks again for the awesome reviews. I loved reading them. I'm really glad you see me as an awesome writer. Makes my smile wider! Haha! TFR!

chibineko: Yah! You liked the "almost kiss"! Me too! WOOO! Hahaha! TFR!

Desiree: Yeah! Glad you liked the chapter! YIPEE! Hahaha...TFR!

KibumiWong: I hope you liked the Yami/Tea in this chapter! I'm glad to see a fellow Yami/Tea fan! TFR!

aznengel: Woo! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! TFR!

Von Stupor: I hate you, too! Hahaha...just kidding, BEST FRIEND! Wow, the last chapter almost made you consider...join the club? Wow, I think I feel a tear! I'm so proud! Hahaha...well...hope you still like the story! TFR!