Maybe There Is

Tea listened in silence as her parents screamed at each other at the top of their lungs. She hated being at home when the both of them were around; it was pure torture. Mr. and Mrs. Gardener were coming closer and closer to a divorce. Tea was only 7; she couldn't bear to be raised with only one parent on hand. Huddled in a corner, she curled up tighter as she felt as though the world was closing in on her, until she could no longer make out what her parents were saying. After almost 3 hours of constant shouting and arguments, the little brunette decided she'd had enough. She jumped up, despite the cramps in her legs, and banged open her bedroom door. Her parents paused long enough for Mrs. Gardener to ask, "Tea, what's the matter, dearest?"

"I'm not that stupid, mother!" Tea snapped, to her parents' disbelief. "If you guys are going to fight so much, than be kind enough to do it out of my earshot!" Ripping the ribbon from her hair and stepping into her sneakers, she ran out of the house, her shoulder length hair flailing and her azure eyes glistening with tears. For as long as she could remember, her parents had had little tiffs about this and that, but their discussions had turned to ear-shattering explosions. It wasn't until she'd reached the park that Tea began to calm down. So what if her parents divorced; at least she wouldn't have to listen to their shouting anymore. Tea walked past the playground full of cheerful, bubbly children her age, until she was standing before the pond.

Staring at her reflection, she realized how very lonely she was. Sure, she had friends, but none of them were close enough to her to trust with secrets or personal things. With a sigh, she took a few steps back and sat with her back against a tree. The large, oddly shaped branches blocked most of the sun's rays, but here and there sneaked in small chasms of light. Staring once more at the pond, she decided she might as well skip rocks; she didn't want to just sit there. She reached around her for a slim, smooth rock, and when she spotted and reached for one, a hand placed itself over hers. Tea flinched, drawing her hand away from the stranger's as she looked up into the largest purple eyes she had ever seen. The boy to whom the eyes belonged to jumped back, surprised, before succumbing to a blush. "Um, I'm sorry. I thought I was alone here," the boy apologized, blushing even harder.

The brunette didn't respond right away, decided to study the boy instead. On the whole, he looked ordinary, except for two things. He had crooked blond locks that fell to the sides of his face, but what really caught her attention were the five black magenta fringed hair spikes he sported. The other thing was his eyes; they were the largest, gentlest, most impish eyes Tea had ever looked into. Eventually, she managed to reply, "That's okay. I thought I was by myself, too." The stranger's blush was replaced with a smile, and she noticed how much his eyes sparkled when he did so. "My name's Tea, by the way. Tea Gardener," she added. "I'm Yugi Moto," he responded timidly.

After a brief pause in conversation, the brunette could no longer stand the urge to mess with the boys elaborate hair. "Nice do," Tea commented, running her hand gently through his spikes. Yugi winced a little, seemingly shy, but rewarded her with yet another smile. "So, what brings you here?" he asked when she was through toying with his hair. The girl's face clouded over as she replied, "My mom and dad were shouting at each other, so I left." "Oh. That's too bad. I'm sorry," Yugi told her sincerely. Tea smiled; she liked him already. "Why are you here?" she asked in return. Her heart nearly broke when Yugi's eyes turned anguished. "I was being bullied, and I was too scared to show my mom that I got hurt, so I came here instead." It was then that Tea noticed the bruise above Yugi's left eye and the cut on his chin. She decided not discuss the latter, for now, anyway. Despite their just meeting of each other, they chatted of their likes, dislikes, darkest fears, and even managed to talk of their private lives. Tea was amazed at how easily Yugi could trust her, despite her lack of trust in anyone. After a while, they hit a lull, and Tea could not resist the urge to ask about his being hurt.

"Why were you being bullied?" she asked quietly. Unable to reply calmly, Yugi shook his head miserably, before standing up. Tea was suddenly afraid that he would slip away, but when he held out a hand to her, she took it, and stood up. In a moment, it became clear. Yugi was short, at least 3 inches shorter than she, and therefore appeared quite vulnerable. "It's not easy being so short with incredibly tiny legs," he confided with her. "You're an easy target, and even if you run, you can't get far." Tea had only known Yugi for what seemed barely an hour, but that was the beauty of being a child; things could happen so quickly, like emotions. What was this feeling that had clenched in her heart? Tea was in a trance, beginning at her brain and ending at her heart; Yugi didn't seem to notice, much. He looked as though he would burst into tears any minute, so Tea did something she had never done to a boy.

She hugged him.

The blond didn't say anything for a moment, in shock at Tea's actions, but eventually, he wrapped his arms around her, and held her as tightly as she did him. They both needed the comfort, were both damaged, either physically or emotionally, and the embrace managed to wipe away some of the hurt. They barely knew each others names, but the gesture seemed so comfortable; so right. With the force of a jet train, Yugi was swamped by the same emotions that had invaded Tea's heart, and his own heart pounded hard enough to crack ribs. His purple eyes did not meet her blue ones, since her head was over his shoulder, and Yugi was as glad as Tea was; both their faces were burning with blush.

When they finally pried themselves away from each other, both of their faces were flushed with embarrassment. Neither said anything, but stared out at the pond together, as the sun began to set. Tea's heart beat loudly for a moment before it calmed down, but it was hard with Yugi standing right there. Without one word, she picked up a flat, smooth stone and tossed it to the water. It splashed gently against the water, breaking the calm waters here and there, and with each splash, Yugi's heart skipped a beat. He didn't want the sun to disappear, but, eventually, he broke their comfortable silence. "I better get home now, or my mom and grandpa will alert the police," he said to Tea, before turning to leave. She nodded, disappointed, but her heart soared when Yugi turned to look at her one last time.

He consumed her with those eyes, and it was a full minute before she could dredge up her arm enough to wave. He waved back, and her heart practically burst as Yugi's eyes sparkled with a smile. She stood there, waving, long after he had left, and managed to keep from falling to her knees. So this is what love feels like, she thought to herself. She was aching to wrap her arms around Yugi again, but he was gone, and she had no way to find her again. So, before she went home as well, she tossed another stone across the pond, each skip like a skipped beat of her heart. Her face was suddenly overtaken with a smile, and the yells of her parents as she wandered back to her room were practically mute.

"Maybe," she whispered to herself that night, "there is such a thing as love."

Well, I thought it was cute. Please don't flame me if it was bad. Asta lavista!