A/N: And here's another Special Edition Gaiden exclusive!

This one covers a couple in New York City.

The following story is chronologically 11th, and was not posted previously.

Enjoy.

xxxxx

Tea

xxxxx

Hi, I'm Tea Gardner. I'm just about to finish up daily rehearsal as a Rockette. Yep, I've already realized my dream and all my hard work at dancing school finally paid off! Since early in the spring, I've become a professional Rockette, performing a talented crew of young women that perform out of the Radio City Music Hall. On top of that, I'm one of five Asian women out of a group of 25 and the only one being Japanese. Long gone are the days of US race segregation and discrimination after reading about it in the history classes. I'm happy to say I'm involved with a talented group of female dancers.

I was lucky to even be selected since every Rockette must be between 5'6 and 5'10 1/2. I never noticed my actual height until I took a physical. I'm actually 5'6 not 5'5 like I thought I was! Thank goodness for last minute growth.

Today was like non other: busy and rigorous. Being a Rockette requires a ton of practice. I do a ton of cardio and light weight training on the side to better myself. I've even taken a few yoga and self defense sessions to help stay in shape. I've even made a close friend since coming in New York and we both became Rockettes. Her name is Leanne Carter, a girl born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. She, too, shared the same dream as I did. Since moving into New York, she and I became room buddies, sharing the same apartment together. On top of going to dance classes together, we helped each other out paying for rent by working while taking classes. It was thanks to her I've become more fluent in English. We've supported one another and now achieved our dreams of performing on stage in front of televised audiences.

"Tea!" I heard a familiar cute country bumpkin call out to me. I faced my friend, Leanne's direction, and saw a red-haired girl wearing two long braids coupled with a sweaty white tank top, black shorts, and dance shoes. "Rehearsal's about finished. I say let's finish up and hit the shower."

I straightened my posture after getting up from the stage. "Sure, I was about to call it quits for today." We headed into the back and hit the showers. After washing ourselves off, we went to our lockers. Wearing a pink towel, which wrapped tightly around my body, I opened my locker to pull out my casual wear. I saw Leanne getting her belongings and sat down next to her. "How long have we been practicing?"

"6 hours."

"That's less than I can say we've been rehearsing, Leanne."

"Yeah, we'll need more hours in if we want to perform our best! Right, gal?"

I smiled while checking my watch. It was 4:30 PM. The museum closes around 7:00. I still have plenty of time for my date.

"Going somewhere tonight?"

"Yeah..."

Leanne playfully nudged my side, giggling. "With Yugi?"

"Yeah," I smiled while my cheeks flushed. "Hehe, c'mon Leanne, you know he and I are an item."

"I know and you two are such a cute item."

That's all the girls have been saying about me and Yugi. I can't them. Yugi's been my closest friend since we were in grade school and it was during the Taiyoukai when I finally confessed my love for him... rather I did have a serious fascination with Atem that I wanted to get to know him better. But, that was Atem, Yugi, on the other hand, is the man I've admitted my love towards.

After putting on my full garb, I checked myself out in front of a mirror. A black Aerosmith shirt, check. A baggy blue jean skirt, check. Cute brown boots, check. Necklace, check. Lipstick, check. And perfume, check. I'm all set. As Leanne and I walked out of the shower and locker rooms, we headed through the back where Yugi might be waiting for me. Before I went forward, Leanne turned toward me and handed me a piece of paper with something written on it. I opened it and smiled, folding it into my pocket.

"Just a little love poem you can sing for him when you're on y'alls date."

After giving me a cute wink, we walked out the backdoor and saw Yugi walking up the stairs just in time to see me. Yugi openly greeted Leanne and approached me, giving me a kiss as I accompanied him down the stairs. Leanne waved out to us and watched us leave.

"Have fun, you two lovebirds!" She quickly called out to us.

Yugi gave me a warm smile as we walked alongside the street, watching New Yorkers passing along by. If there was anything we didn't like about New York, it was the crowded streets, but hey we come from Tokyo of all places. We should already be used to crowded city streets and intersections. I put an arm around Yugi and leaned against him as we headed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian exhibit. I promised I would show him the exhibit while he was staying for the rest of the month and I'm a girl who lives up to her promises. Yugi's going to love this exhibit.

Every time I look at Yugi, he's become just like Atem since the Pharaoh's departure. Not just looking or sounding like him. He became exactly him.

I would consider that a good thing, but this is Yugi and not the Pharaoh.

Sometimes I wonder. Could there have been some girl like me in Atem's time? Could I be this girl's descendant or something like Lyn is Kisara's reincarnation? Who knows, but sometimes I ruminate over things like these. I wonder if Yugi thinks the same, too.

Before we headed off to the museum, we stopped by to get ourselves some New York dogs. Yugi has taken a liking to the New York style of chili dogs and I'm glad. They're really good! Who could blame us? After finishing our dogs, we finally arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Here we are, Yugi! What do you think?"

He stood awestruck at the sight of the renowned art museum. "Amazing! It's even bigger than the pictures convey!"

"Glad you're impressed," I winked and led him up the stairs. "You're not going to be disappointed when we have a look inside."

"I'm looking forward to it, Tea."

First things first, there was the hall exhibits, which weren't Egyptian-related, but I wanted to show him around. This place, colloquially called the Met, houses more than two million works from all over the world. So, yeah, we're definitely going to see an Egyptian exhibit here, which just about constitutes nearly half of the entire collections here. This museum is not only a house filled of ancient and modern art exhibits, but it's a U.S. historical landmark. I also promise I would spare Yugi boring details and just let him absorb everything he sees.

We entered the Great Hall and showed him around. His eyes and mouths gaped, showing deep fascination with everything he's seeing.

"Gee, we're not even in the Egyptian hall and you're still deep in a trance," I playfully teased him and seated myself on a bench. I saw him gazing around the Romanesque pillar and structures that lined up around the hall. I took my camera out and took a quick picture of Yugi looking around, catching by surprise. He stood and let me take a few pictures before we took one together. "Ok, now, let's go check out that Egyptian exhibit!"

He smiled sagely. "Yes, now that's what I've been waiting for."

"Yeah, c'mon, it's this way," I replied while leading him on toward the exhibit I promised to show him. Making it more surprising for him, I covered his eyes with my hands and led him along. "Ok, now no peeking, Yugi."

"C'mon, Tea, is this necessary?"

"Yes. I want you to be surprised!" It's not too often to hear Yugi throw a fit, but he'll deal. As I stopped at the entrance of the Egyptian exhibit, I uncovered Yugi's eyes and watched as his expression became priceless. He fell into a deep trance whilst gazing at the rich and fully decked Egyptian exhibit. "What do you think? Surprised?"

"Indeed I am! This is truly a magnificent sight!"

I watched as Yugi explored the exhibit. I followed him like a mother taking her kid to a candy store, and watching him looking around each piece of Egyptian antiquity piece was a joy to see. Yugi stood right in front of an assortment of 13 wooden models.

"These 13 wooden models are one of 24 collections found together," Yugi said as he analyzed each piece. "Though, to be more precise, these models depict 12 models and 1 offering bearer figure. They also depict Egyptian life during the early Middle Kingdom. Do you see? There's images that foretell the daily lives of these people."

"I asked Lyn and she said the remaining 11 are in Ishizu's care in Cairo."

"In the Egyptian Museum."

I nodded. "Yeah, and these are the remaining 13. Isn't it just fascinating to see rare items here of all museums in the world?"

"Indeed, all of these pieces of antiquity are rare and have been well preserved," he said while taking my hand. "Come. Let's see the rest of this fascinating exhibit."

"Yeah!" I chirped and followed him along. It's official. He really has become Atem. He not only walks and talks like him, but vaguely smiles like him. It's like Atem never left to begin with, but he's still Yugi Muto. That's a truth I can't deny. Not that it makes me feel depressed. I get joy being around Yugi and seeing him being fascinated with this exhibit makes me even happier. I couldn't have picked a better place for our date. We continued to scour through the various sections until we came across the most popular centerpiece of the whole exhibit.

We stood right in front of the Temple of Dendur. According to what I know, this temple was built for a Roman leader of Egypt. I think his name was Petronius. Yeah, that's it! And he dedicated this structure to Isis, Osiris, and two deified sons named Pediese and Pihor. Anyway, this temple was actually dismantled by the Egyptian government. According to Lyn and Ishizu, it was meant to save it from rising waters caused by a dam being built. This temple, made out of sandstone, was given to this museum and has been a popular exhibit here since 1978.

The temple structure was situated in the center of a spacious room surrounded by visitors. We walked around and examined it. Yugi took all the time to study it. There were a wall of windows that illuminated the Temple of Dendur and directly outside was Central Park. I was thinking maybe after this we can go into Central Park for a walk.

"Tea, I really want to thank you. This is the best date I could ask for."

I smiled and nodded. "Anything to make you happy, Yugi. I told you, I know you'd like this place. Come one, let's take a picture in front of the temple."

"Ok," he said while taking my hand as I asked a couple to take a picture for us.

"Smile!" A man with his wife took three pictures with the Temple of Dendur behind us.

I took back my camera and bowed politely to the couple. "Thank you!" I checked through the pictures and they turned out just as I wanted them. These are pictures I'm going to keep and cherish for a long time. I turned to Yugi, who still couldn't take his eyes off the exhibit. "You know just outside this museum is Central Park. I was thinking if you want to a walk out there?"

"Sure, Tea. I'd like that."

"Great and it's about to be nightfall! Let's go!" I called out and directly led him through the rest of the Egyptian exhibit. After that, we went to see a few other unrelated exhibits before heading out to Central Park. Fortunately, it was nice and cool in the evening. It was the perfect time for us to walk out. We passed by other couples, either sitting together on benches or walking about. I pointed to a bridge for us to cross. We leaned over and stared over the water beneath us. "The skies look very pretty, don't they?"

"Indeed. I wonder if the stars were this beautiful back in the day."

"During the ancient Egyptian times? I think so. There was no pollution back then and they could see the stars more often than we can."

"Good observation, Tea."

"Thanks, I try," I replied as we put each other's hands on top the other. "Um, Yugi..."

"Tea...?"

"I'm proud of you. You've finally achieved your dreams and I know you'll captivate audiences with your performances."

"Well, it's a team effort with the other Rockettes, but I know you'll be there to watch one of our performances while you're in town."

Yugi smiled genuinely and leaned forward, kissing my lips. "Yes, and I'll be there front row." He kissed me again, promptly me to pull him toward me as we kissed each other with hot passionate. My lips and his made contact as we conveyed our love for each other. Our bond has been strengthened. Our friendship has evolved into true love.

I've concealed my true love for Yugi after having been conflicted to choose him or Atem. For a while, I was deeply infatuated with Yami and his mysterious past. I know that sounds like me being a typical high school girl, but I didn't know a whole lot about Atem until we got more in-depth with his memories. It was a learning experience I'll never forget. When Yugi and Atem dueled, I didn't know who to cheer for. Should I cheer for the spirit of the ancient Pharaoh, who was likely to return to the Spirit World if he were to lose this duel? Or, profess my love to the man I've known since we were children?

When Atem left to Spirit World, I missed him. I still miss him. But, I'm happy Yugi was able to give Atem freedom. I think this is what Atem wanted. If this is what he wanted, then I can't hold it against the Pharaoh. But, at the same time, I said this before... looking at Yugi now, I feel like the Pharaoh never left us. Atem return in the form of Yugi right now. The way he talks, walks, and conveys himself are all how Atem presented himself. The man I'm intimately kissing right now is Yugi Muto, taking on the physical attributes of Atem. I had the best of both worlds. I'm not about to let Yugi go.

Withdrawing our lips from one another, we made immediate eye contact. For a minute, we spaced out and returned to kissing. I had my arms around Yugi's neck, and being a few inches taller than him even without my boots, and leaned down to let him hold me. He held me in his arms and let me fold my legs around his waist. He had both hands under my backside while letting me run my fingers across his chest. Then, unbeknownst to us, a few couples walked by and chuckled while we were making out right in front of them. We both withdrew from each other's grasps and blushed.

"Say, Yugi, I have an even better idea."

"Do tell."

Later, we used our Spirit Fusion powers and flew out of Central Park, relocating ourselves over to Liberty Island. Hovering around the Statue Of Liberty, we donned our trademark Duel Monster outfits and chased each other around. Me, in my Dark Magician Girl outfit, flew around with Yugi as the Dark Magician. We had people watching us in captivation as we flew atop the Statue of Liberty head. There we kissed each other and I whispered the first line of the poem Leanne wanted me to recite.

"My New York girl,

So sweet and kind,

I cannot keep you

From my mind.'

"Tea?"

"You came to me

Near every night,

And stayed with me

Till morning light.

Through silent words

I heard your voice

And pursed lips

Kissed soft and moist,'

Yugi was mesmerized with my poem recital, realizing it captured the mood of our romantic situation.

"You made me laugh

You made me cry

You made me smile

You made me sigh.

You made me strong

You made me weak

You made me bold

You made me meek.

You made me hope

You made me feel

You made me love

You seemed so real.

But every night

We could not touch

I needed warmth

You craved it too much.'

I kissed him and parted lips from his, grinning from ear to ear.

"So then one night

Line none before

You turned away

And came no more.

The New York dawns

Are cold and grey

And daylight...

Washes dreams away."

He and I withdrew from each other, standing face to face.

"Tea..."

"That was meant for Atem. I know he'll never come back and I've learned to accept it," I openly addressed him. "But, you, Yugi. Our friendship's developed into true love. While Atem's spirit is gone, I feel he's passed over his legacy to you and you've become the Atem I've secretly loved. But, despite being like Atem, you are Yugi Muto and I love you. I want this to be the true beginning of our love relationship."

Yugi gave me a passionate smile as we leaned forward for another kiss. "Thank you for being honest, Tea. I love you, too."

It was like that. Our date gradually became a night of lust. That night we expressed each other's love through our actions in bed back at my apartment. It felt good. No, it felt great. I wanted more and for the rest of the night we conveyed our love beyond kisses and hugs.

Late that night, Leanne walked in and saw us sleeping together with the sheets covering our nude bodies. Giggling, Leanne closed the door in my room and respected our privacy.

By morning, I was already up wearing nothing but a long-sleeved shirt and my underwear. I just finished brushing my teeth as I saw Yugi laying in bed with a coy smile on his face. I casually walked out of the bathroom and sat down next to him, resting my head against his well-defined and sexy-looking chest. He curled up next to my love and let him fold his arm around me, giving me the sense of comfort I've longed for the longest time.

"Tea, thank you. I had the best date in my life."

"Glad I fulfilled your wishes, Yugi," I said, smiling. "Want to catch my rehearsal today?"

"Sure," he smiled as we passionately kissed again, which led to me sitting atop Yugi's lap and running my hands through his pointy hair. I parted my lips from his and felt Yugi getting off the bed, carrying me in his arms. "I love you, my New York girl."

"Same goes to you, my King of Games."

Later, me, Leanne, the girls rehearsed on stage while Yugi was sitting front row, clapping to show his support for me. As I kicked one foot up, I felt the rhythm of the music and Yugi's clapping giving me that drive to keep going. Feeling the sweat drip from my body, I danced with every vigor and breath from my body.

No, thank you, Yugi. You helped me realize where my heart truly lies. As much as I loved Atem, I can't be with him. Rather, I'm left with the next best thing. You make me feel complete, Yugi Muto.

xxxxx

My Commentary: First and foremost, the poem Tea recited is titled My New York Girl ( May 2007) by Charles Wiles. Now, while the poem was written for a departing female, I think the poem still conveys the right message about Atem's departure and how Tea really feels. Leanne just happened to find the poem and thought it'd sound cool. What she didn't know was that it had a deep and strong message

Anyway, I originally intended for Tea to meet Yugi at the airport and take him around New York City. Then, I realized and Lazer reminded me Yugi has already been in New York for a little while during the entire passage of Summer Diaries. He convinced me to go with Yugi picking up Tea from one of her daily rehearsals. Yes, Tea has already finished her dance classes and has joined the the Rockettes, a highly publicized group of young women from a precision dance company out of Radio City Music Hall. Since becoming a Rockette, Tea has dedicated herself to rehearsals and physical training to stay in her best shape. Plus, she wants to look her best for Yugi. ;)

Leanne is an OC character made by LazerWulf and intended to be Tea's New York friend.

Lazer even suggested I use Metropolitan Museum of Art, a perfect platform for Yugi and Tea's date. On top of there being a popular Egyptian exhibit and Yugi's all over it. And the date was all she wrote. Reading through this section, you'll notice Tea ruminated on how much Yugi has become like Atem since the Pharaoh's departure, and not just looking and sounding like him. That was intentional and drives home the fact Tea is getting over Atem (but not forgetting him) and confessing her love for Yugi, which was originally intended for Atem. This chapter fully establishes them as a couple in this series.

Furthermore, if any of you haven followed Yu-Gi-Oh GX, and read the Mokuba chapter, Yugi has already been gone and his grandfather mentions in GX that Yugi had gone overseas. Yeah, that's where Yugi's been. He's been in New York seeing Tea.

So, yeah, Yugi x Tea is a YYGDM canon couple. Have at it. :D

Hope you enjoyed this week's Summer Diaries Special Edition! Send a review and stay gold!