A/N: Didn't think the last chapter would receive high reviews. Huh, well thank you. On that note, I want to say thank GOD this one is up. It was more awkward for me than the characters. This one gave me so much grief of inspired writing, then writer's block. Then typing and erasing. Typing. Erasing. You get the point. I see that we're all still HERE (May 21st, judgment day - that's BS). I do send prayers to those hit by tornadoes because, really, what the hell is going on with the weather?

browneyes730: Oh no, I LOVE your questions. It feels as if a friend is reading it and going *hmm... I like this... haha yeah... what?... oh... huh... no...wait...THE HELL?(grabs me) YOU DARE GIVE ME A CLIFFHANGER?* Heehe! The questions help me to keep on track. But, oh yes, major conflict for Tèa and it will get juicy. I will address her issue at some gangs are just the appetizer (they help move the story along before we get to the REAL story). Phoenix will pop up; he's the lifeline. *wink* Hehe.

Finally, a confrontation of Tèa and Rex. Woo! Hopefully you enjoy it better than when I wrote it (which was redone countlessly). A lot of italics and bold in this one too. -_-

ME: Tonberry, disclaimer please!

Tonberry: IBD doesn't own Yu-gi-oh! or its copyrights. She owns only the plotline and OCs.

ME: Right.

Italics: emphasis; thoughts

Bold: loud emphasis

Warning: Mild language. From Rex's mouth, where else?

Chapter Three: Rain is Lady Luck in Disguise

Saturdays.

A day that you can be carefree and relaxed without anyone thinking you're lazy for doing nothing. A day that hardworking people think about to let loose after work. And a day that all teenagers thank God for after a week of school consisting of sweating over tests, bloody essay papers, and tears of joy at the possible absent teacher.

Yep, it was Saturday, and Tèa was using hers as a day of production and preparation.

It was only two in the afternoon and she had already done her chores, gone to the dance studio for some down time, popped in for a quick 'hi' to Yugi, and just finished hitting five stores in the mall. A busy girl, but for a qualified purpose. Dressed in a baby blue polo shirt trimmed in white and black shorts, Tèa exited the store with shopping bags in each hand. Her polka dot rain boots squeaked as she walked down the large corridor ready to vacate the building.

Now that the personal tasks were done, it was time to get the real goal at hand. Today, she was a girl on a mission, or rather, a hunt per say. The problem was of where to begin exactly.

A young man crossed her direction, nearly colliding with her as he left the electronics store.

"Sorry," he apologized and promptly continued on across the pathway.

Exhaling a breath she didn't realize she was holding, Tèa moved on towards the front exit. She sighed deeply. This has become a continuous habit of hers that day. Any stranger she happened to run into, she adamantly observed him hoping to see if it was in fact him. The same person she encountered just yards from her own house in the alley last night.

And speaking of those from the alley that night…

Tèa paused, a few feet away from the food court. There, she identified a small group of four boys horsing around in line. The first three she didn't recognize, but she did know the fourth boy. Her eyes widened a fraction, scanning over his blue hair. Azure. Oh, just lovely, and no certain someone to serve as interference. They only met once and Tèa could tell she didn't like him. Contemplating of walking past and risk being seen, Tèa headed towards the east side of the mall (A/N: because we all know how many exits a mall has).

Vacating, she relished in what little of the sun's warmth provided. Its brightness dimmed, Tèa left her oversized sunglasses remaining tightly on top the crown of her head. She didn't feel the least bothered of being on the other side of the building; instead, she actually took a longer route home. Why hurry when she had so much time on her hands? Besides, it worked for two reasons: it lead her through central Domino and gave her time to think.

Yes. About. Rex. Raptor.

The concept baffled her, but she couldn't get over her intrigue for the dino-duelist. She called herself silly in her mind yet the fact remained that she brooded over this for the past two weeks. She actively hunted for any information to go by in locating him, only to come up empty.

Their little run-in gave Tèa hope that she could still find him, even if by accident and that he didn't vanish without anybody knowing. However, this brought a new playing ground. Rex wasn't the same as she remembered; hell no, he freaking grew. So, literally, that placed him and half of the Domino population in the pool of tall, potential males to search.

Tèa never realized how many tall guys this city had until today.

Not to mention, as Kaiba had told her, that Rex hasn't dueled in a while. So, technically, does that mean he's no longer the dino-duelist? He was proud of that title, and she wondered why exactly did he stop?

Tèa groaned. There were too many questions rambling in her brain only of which he could answer. If he would do that, she hoped.

Coming into the square of town, Tèa took a seat on a bench. The view of a large fountain pumping a tower of water in the air was in her line of vision. Children with small boats sailed their toys in the water, running around the sides to follow them. Much to her surprise, the square was actually populated with people. Shops and cafés overflowed with customers.

Rubbing her face, Tèa leaned back. She dazed off in thought.

Where in the world to start?

Tèa supposed she could visit the museum as there are dinosaur bones to look at. Maybe Rex goes there often? Well, it wouldn't hurt to look and probably the staff may have seen him there as well. Her heart swelled with confidence in that idea. But what after that?

The Spider Arcade could work. Tèa considered this simply because, well, Rex is male and that's what they do. Guys and videogames go hand in hand. Cool, another place to add to the list. She contemplated on asking Azure and his goons, but in honesty she really didn't want to. Not unless she could actually identify Rex in the group.

Now she was stuck. Since she doesn't know Rex personally – aside from the duels between him and Joey – she barely had anything to go by. Tèa sighed aloud. If luck would have it, a family member will bump into her perchance?

Tèa snorted. That would seriously be a huge gamble.

But the dice is in your hand, Tèa. All you have to do is roll them.

Tèa tilted her head slightly in annoyance. If she had a tiny angel and devil on her shoulder, that voice would definitely be the devil. Unfortunately, it had a point. Tèa isn't one to take a risk, but the past adventures that she and the gang went through taught her that sometimes risks need to be taken.

In this case, she had a chance to either gain something or lose in disaster.

Focusing her gaze forward, she watched as two teenage girls approached in the fountain. They talked animatedly, pausing briefly to toss silver coins in the water. Just like making a wish in a wishing fountain.

The universe must be telling her something.

Taking a note from Joey's theory, Tèa decided to take her chance with lady luck. While keeping an eye on her bags, she fished out a quarter from her pocket as she came to the water fixture. Flipping the coin expertly in the air, she made a silent wish as it traveled down and broke through the water's surface with a plop.

She wasn't expecting it to magically come true right then and there, but she did have a sinking feeling in her gut all of a sudden.

Unnerved, she shook it off and returned to the bench to gather her things and leave. Something wet splashed on her nose bringing her attention skyward. Tèa narrowed her eyes at the daunting view of gray clouds, wiping the water off. Stupid meteorologist, they said nothing about rain today.

Carrying on, Tèa walked with a scowl on her face, ignoring the weather all together. If the rain was a person, she would slap it. Hard.

In the distance, she saw a figure heading away in her direction. She blinked. A black jacket. Jeans. And best of all, the person was tall. Okay, that wasn't a lot to go by but that didn't keep her legs from moving after the figure.

Yes, she's chasing after random people. We already discussed this.

Everything was a blur as she raced down the sidewalk – while carrying six shopping bags (A/N: Woo, supergirl!). Thankfully, the spotlight turned green by the time she got there to catch up. The person stood with hands in their pockets, waiting patiently. She skipped up to him.

"Excuse me," she said breathlessly. He turned to her fully. A blonde. It wasn't Rex, go figure.

"Yes?" he asked, roaming his eyes over her greedily.

Tèa shook her apologetically. "Sorry, thought you were someone I knew." She left quickly and with a pang of disappointment. Running after random strangers wasn't going to work. It only made her tired and seems like as a crazy person. "A little help would be nice," she muttered.

As if in answer, the crack of thunder echoed in the sky…

And where there's thunder, it's usually followed by…

Rain.

Tèa yelped as a downpour – no, a freaking waterfall – of rain dropped out of the sky. The water was freezing. It was coming down in sheets and none too kindly. Within in a matter of minutes, Tèa was soaked to the bone dashing for shelter from the rainstorm. Everybody had that same idea as people scrambled for cover by either heading home or closing up shop.

Tèa was too far away from her house and there were no open places around her. Luckily, she found refuge by a garage. The long rectangular roof over the open door shielded her from the rain. Sopping wet, Tèa glanced around inside noticing the empty wooden crates stacked around. The garage looked abandoned but that it didn't that it was.

She opted to sitting on the stray crate just outside the door. In case she needed to escape route; one may never know. Her body trembled from the cold, teeth chattering violently. Her shirt clung to her chest as rivulets of water dropped from her hair. She figured she could change into the clothes she bought, seeing that the items had somehow managed to stay dry.

But you never know who might pop around the corner to see her undress. And this was not the place to do that.

The howling wind swirled around. Tèa wrapped her arms around her body to help bring some warmth. The once gray sky had turned completely black, giving the illusion that it was nighttime in the daytime. The repetitious pitter-patter of droplets was the only thing that kept her company. She flinched when hearing the thunderous crack in the atmosphere.

Rain may be great, but it has the worst timing ever.

She bounced her leg impatiently, waiting for the deluge to let up. For the moment, it didn't look promising. Not that she had a phobia for thunderstorms, it was just they always made her nervous. She flinched again after it clapped and then let out a cry when it delivered a heavy BOOM.

Okay, forget nervous, the girl was on edge.

"Jumpy much?" Tèa screamed, nearly jumping five feet in the air. She whirled around quickly at the source of that voice, liquid flying from her wet stringy hair. Shocked blue eyes met aloof brown ones. There, lo and behold, stood Rex Raptor leaning against the garage doorway.

Where exactly did he come from?

"Where did you come from?" Tèa voiced her thoughts. She was bewildered at his sudden appearance and annoyed at herself for not hearing him in the first place.

"Inside the garage," was his response. Cue mental slap for Tèa.

She huffed. "Yeah, I see that. Nobody was in there when I checked it earlier."

"Then you obviously didn't checked hard enough," he stated simply. His tone was neutral, but the implied sarcasm at her mistake was obvious. She scowled. He paid no attention to it. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're stalking me."

She scoffed, crossing her arms under her chest. "No one is stalking you." She had been searching for him, yes, but he doesn't need to know that. Stalking and looking are two different things, right? Funny how the person in question made her realize that at this moment.

She secretly studied him. As before, his tall frame towered over hers, even while inclined against the doorframe. His body filled out; muscle evident in his lean physique underneath the hooded black shirt he wore with a unbuttoned flannel shirt over it, sleeves pushed up to his elbow. He sported a black cuff bracelet on his right wrist, hands shoved into pockets. Wide, brown eyes held a mischievous glint along with something else Tèa couldn't describe. The most prominent feature was the long, amethyst bangs that had been brushed backwards, giving the appearance of purple streaks on top of his brown hair. In which happened to be….

"Oh my god, your hair!" she gasped. How she failed to see this earlier was beyond her. His infamous long, shaggy hair had been cut short to where it rested along his neck, barely touching his broad shoulders. It was straight yet messy in a casual way like he rolled out of bed that way.

Rex stared in confusion. Slowly, understanding showed on his face. He rolled his eyes. "Yes, my hair is shorter. Surprise," he drawled sardonically.

Tèa ignored that comment. "Why did you cut it?"

His lips curled up into a half-snarl. "It wasn't by choice, I assure you." Rex said tightly. His deep voice possessed a rough edge in that sentence. Tèa groaned inwardly. Her image of past and present Rex conflicted too greatly.

Awkward silence stretched between the brunettes for some time. The echoes of rainwater and thunder reigned throughout. Tèa felt at odds, struggling with her thoughts. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Even if it was, what exactly made her think that Rex wanted to be a part of… whatever she was doing. She shook her head. She'd come so far. Glancing at Rex, Tèa realized she should give it a shot. Persistence is a virtue.

Let's start with something familiar.

"Where's your other half?" she asked boldly. Her tone was teasing, but to Rex's ears, it sounded accusing.

"Where's your entourage?" he retorted. "The way the four of you roll around, you should be sewn together at hip."

Tèa's eye twitched at his remark. Yeah, should've seen that one coming.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"It means that one of you is not too far off from another," he mocked. "It's like you dorks transmit a signal so that you all can keep track of each other if one happens to stray from the group." A smug smirk formed on his lips. "Just. Like. Ducklings."

Her jaw dropped. She didn't appreciate it when Mai called them that at Duelist Kingdom and still doesn't appreciate it now coming from him. Her hands clenched into fists.

"If I recall you and Weevil weren't too far off from each other," she returned spitting mad. "In fact, the two of you plotted together to come after Yugi and Joey!"

Rex seemed unfazed, as if he expected her to say that. "Despite what you think, your friends are not the center of our worlds, Gardner." His weary tone made it sound like he discussed this way too many times. "I'm no longer in the dueling circuit anyway. So you can tell Yugi and Wheeler they have nothing to worry about from me."

"Why not?" she asked apprehensively.

Rex frowned, for once looking uncertain. "Early retirement," he lied.

"What? Rex Raptor the Dino-duelist calls it quits?" Tèa stated incredulously. "You can't be serious!" She gazed in shock as his face crumbled. Brown orbs took on a dull, haunted look. He looked terrified and it frightened the hell out of her. And if she wasn't so close, she would've missed the small hitch in his breathing. "Rex?"

And as quickly as it appeared, his frightened expression turned neutral and composed.

"It's complicated," he responded roughly. "'Sides, no one will miss me."

She winced. He said so subtly it was scary.

"Don't say that," she whispered. Everyone is missed by somebody.

She shivered slightly, not knowing whether it was her semi damp clothes or the effect his words had on her. She rubbed her arms. A crash of boxes inside the garage caught her attention. Tèa turned just in time to see Rex tossing aside one container to look in another.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"What I came to do in the first place," Rex said. "My boss shipped his supplies to another place and he wants to be sure that everything is gone." He carelessly tipped one stack over with the tip of his shoe.

"Shouldn't your boss do that himself?" Tèa asked. Rex shook his head.

"My boss is lazy," he replied. "I think he sent me because he's afraid to come out here himself. This area is known for gang activity." Rex surveyed the space around him, scowling in distaste. The garage, if you could call it that, was barren with nothing but crates and a thick layer of dust. He rolled his eyes.

Yeah, his boss was useless.

Tèa tensed. "Gangs? Does that include yours?" To her surprise, he laughed.

"I don't have nor am I in a gang," Rex clarified. "I just have personal business with a certain leader." Picking up a spray can, he pressed down the nozzle releasing black paint on the wall. Tèa raised a brow. He seemed to be doing this rather professionally.

"Vandalism, Rex?" Tèa inquired. "You do realize that's against the law, right?"

Rex glanced over his shoulder, freezing the can in midair. He grinned wickedly, "You call it vandalism. I call it putting something artistic on a plain, boring wall." He tried the can again, but nothing came out this time. He frowned, shrugging it off. Tossing the can in the back, he said, "The boss won't know the difference. He'll just blame it on delinquents considering the lock is easy to pick."

Tèa stepped back as he ducked under the door to effortlessly pull it down. The metal door hit the ground with a dull thud. "How do you know the lock is easy to pick?" Tèa stated suspiciously. "Unless you picked it before…" He met her gaze.

"Please, Gardner. I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about," Rex remarked slyly. His eyes, full of laughter, told her differently. Tèa vaguely wondered what Rex really does in his spare time. A flash of lightning illuminated them briefly in white light. Tèa winced as Rex glared at the curtain of water flowing over the roof. "God, why is it always raining?"

Tèa smiled grimly. At least that was something they had in common.

"I take it you don't like rain." Rex snorted.

"Hell no, I despise it entirely. I have to work in that on my shift if it keeps up," he grumbled tugging the sleeves of his shirt down. He continued, "And if that's the case, I'm seriously wearing my hoodie. I'll be damned if I get fired and end up getting sick. Here," he held out the shirt to her. Tèa stared in surprise.

"Why are you giving your shirt?" she asked dumbly. Rex huffed at her stupidity.

"Because you're shaking like a leaf and I won't have your death from hypothermia on my conscious," he answered. "I'll raise you from the dead myself if I have to hear Wheeler's mouth about it."

Tèa understood his hidden message in that and graciously took the shirt. It was a bit oversized and hung loosely on her figure, reaching to her thighs. Her black shorts peeked a little underneath giving the illusion that his flannel shirt was the only thing she came out in. She blushed.

"Are you sure you'll be fine it that?" She pointed to his black shirt he was left in.

"It has a hood. I'll live," he said offhandedly. Jamming his hands into his jeans, Rex moved forward several steps and leaned heavily onto the support beam. Tèa returned back to the crates she sat on earlier, exhausted. Chin in her hand, she gazed on the sideways view of him. His constant change of moods made it hard for Tèa to keep up.

One minute he's calm, the next furious, only to be playful right after. Rex was more confusing than Kaiba, and that's saying something.

"You've changed," she whispered. She cringed inwardly when brown eyes slid in her direction. She wasn't expecting him to hear that.

"How so?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "You're just… different from the last time I saw you."

"Heh. Oh yeah? You're different too, cheerleader," he said. Tèa started.

"W-What do you mean?" she stammered. He shrugged.

"Hell if I know. It's not like we hang out with each other beforehand," Rex declared.

"I see."

"Perk up. There's nothing sadder than a depressed cheerleader."

Her temper flared. "I am NOT a depressed cheerleader!" she scolded.

"Ah, so you admit that you ARE a cheerleader," he reprimanded, smirking. She narrowed her eyes, visioning herself slapping him in her mind. The beeping alarm from his back pocket prevented her from speaking. Checking his iPhone, he said, "Time for me to go."

"Go?" All previous anger dissipated quickly. He can't leave just yet.

"A text from home." He added, "Plus, I have to get to work after I leave." Rex reached behind his back and jerked the hood over his head. "Later."

Catch him!

"Wait!" she exclaimed. Rex stopped dead in his tracks, throwing her a 'what now' look. Frantically searching, she uttered the first thing that popped in her head. "What about your shirt?" she said clutching at it. Mentally she slapped herself.

Rex raised a brow in disbelief. "You're kidding right? It's a shirt, dammit. Keep it if it's such an issue," he scoffed.

"But…that's not…" she felt her resolve fading quickly. Nervous butterflies swarmed in her stomach. If she asked what she wanted, his answer may be 'no' and then what would she do?

"Spit it out, already. You never had a problem with that before, Gardner."

She attempted to snarl, but it came out as a frustrated growl. "Don't rush me." She bit her lip, glaring at the ground. Just ask him for god's sake! "I just wanted to know if you want to… hang out," Tèa finished the last words rapidly.

Silence hung in the air.

She waited in anticipation for his answer. Tèa forced her gaze towards him and was surprised - yet secretly pleased – at his unguarded expression. Both seemed stuck in time for a moment. She immediately braced for the worst when his eyelids lowered an inch, redirecting his gaze ahead.

"Hang out; as in with you or with your group?" His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Just me," she answered. Say yes. Say yes.

Rex lifted his chin a notch in consideration. "Maybe."

Tèa didn't want a 'maybe.' Selfish as it is, she wanted a definite answer.

Regaining confidence, she offered, "Tomorrow morning I'll be at Café a la Mode. We can meet there at eleven if you can make it."

His mouth twitched at the corner. "We'll see," was all he said. Then he left.

Tèa blinked, wondering if she should feel happy or disappointed of his answer. She did feel, however, slight amusement at the fact the rain ironically stopped at the end of their conversation

She heaved a sigh.

There's a fifty-fifty chance Rex would either show up or leave her hanging.

Only tomorrow will tell.

A/N: Ah, rain, for once it's productive. But really, Rex has gotten smexy in time (in my opinion anyway). And if anyone wants to dispute his 'change' as not realistic I can seriously back that up. If Yugi can 'transform', why not Rex? Need more? I got more, just ask. Moving on, what's got Rex giving the 'holy crap. I just saw a ghost?' I made that part brief because Rex wouldn't actually show too much emotion in front of Tèa just yet (not from what I have planned). And is it just me or did most of his dialogue sound close to Kaiba? Maybe it's because they both don't like Yugi and the gang. Hmm.

Still, i did say Rex isn't exactly the same. So, will he show up or not? Tèa gave a pretty good bargain of just the TWO of them. And what's the personal business with the black bandana leader? Oooh, so many freaking secrets! You know what...

ME: *pokes head out window* REX! What the hell are you hiding?

Tonberry: You're the author; you already know this.

ME: Duh, I know. I just want to see if... *spots Rex, laughs gleefully, and runs to glomp him* Alright, now for Kaiba... *dragging Rex with me*

Tonberry: *sigh* Read and review. Tell us what you think and stay alert for the next chapter.

TTFN

Tonberry (IBD is still glomped to Rex)