Chapter 7

Passion Colors Everything

It wasn't until around 6:00 that evening that Gavin got the phone call from Yumi. She'd gotten off work early, and wanted to take Gavin out to dinner. She'd said she had some news for him. Upon hearing this, a lump formed in Gavin's throat. He had an idea of what the news could be. It involved one night last summer without a condom, and him most likely having the move out a bit earlier than he planned.

"What kind of news?" Gavin asked.

Yumi giggled. "You'll see tonight. Trust me; you're going to love hearing this."

"Oh I don't know about that." Gavin thought. "Alright. I'll meet up with you in a few."

With that said, Gavin wrote out a note for when Kayla got home from the dance, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door, locking it behind him.

Taking his bike, he rode down to the restaurant that Yumi had planned on meeting him at. To his surprise, even with his head start, Yumi still somehow beat him there. Gavin smiled, shook his head, and took his seat at their table.

"How the hell did you beat me here?" he asked.

"My mad driving skills." Yumi replied, a grin crossing her lips. She leaned over the table and kissed him.

Gavin smiled against her lips, returning the kiss. Then, he remembered her announcement of good news over the phone and pulled away. "What was it you were saying about news by the way?"

"So serious Gavin." Yumi said, sitting back down. "Just want to get right down to business, don't you."

"Well, you sounded excited about this, I just want to get it out of the way." Gavin said. Though, in all honesty, if the news ended up being what he was thinking, he wanted to put it off until the very last minute.

"Fair enough." Yumi said. "I've kept you waiting long enough I guess." She took a sip from a glass of water. Gavin hadn't even remembered a waiter coming by to give it to them. "Alright, so the story behind my news goes back to last summer."

"Oh shit." Gavin thought, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth. "I knew it. Here it comes."

"I was able to talk to some people about it, and…."

"Please don't say you're pregnant. Please, please, please, let me be wrong! I am so not ready for this!"

"You know how you've always wanted something more out of life right?" Yumi asked.

Gavin relaxed a bit at this, and opened his eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…."

"Well, recently, I've become a part of this group, and I think they might have what you're looking for."

Gavin relaxed at that, and released a sigh of relief. "Really? That's all?"

Yumi giggled. "Of course! What did you think I was going to say?"

"Oh nothing." Gavin said quickly. "Nothing at all. I was just wondering, that's all. Was that all you needed to tell me?"

"Not necessarily." Yumi replied. "Gavin, I'd like you to join them."

Gavin nearly laughed. "Could you give me a little more background on them Yumi? I can't exactly blindly join some club."

Yumi laughed at that. "Right, sorry about that." She began to stir her water with a straw. "Well, for one thing, they're into Duel Monsters."

Both of Gavin's eyebrows rose at that. "Yumi, you know I gave that up after Battle City. After….." He shut his eyes again. Memories of that humiliating failure, and being trapped in that never-ending hell for god knew how long, still fresh in his mind.

Yumi put her hand over his, the warmth bringing comfort to the pain. "I know hun. I know. But that's why I thought you'd want this. This group offers second chances! They give you a chance to make something of yourself!" Gavin opened his eyes to see Yumi's, staring directly at him.

"I know how embarrassing that duel was. I know how humiliating it was to have to rely on your seventeen year old baby sister to come save you. I know how heartbreaking it is to hear your sister's name on the lips of all those duelists. All the admiration Kayla gets is rightfully yours. You should've been the one to make it to the finals. You shouldn't have lost your soul.

"If anything, Kayla should've been the one to lose everything in Battle City. You should've been the one that had to save her soul. She doesn't deserve the praise she gets. She doesn't deserve to have your deck! She doesn't have to right to any of the fame. You do. You are the star duelist in your family. Not her."

Yumi's words were like a stab in the heart to Gavin, but they were true. The harsh truth brought tears to his eyes.

But they were exactly what he needed to hear.

He tightened his grip on Yumi's hand. "You're right." He said, choking back on his tears. "I should've won that duel. I didn't deserve any of that."

Yumi's free hand wiped away the tears that had stuck to Gavin's cheek. "I know." She whispered. "I understand. This is why I know you need to be a part of this with me. You need to join us, Gavin." She placed her hand on his cheek. He leaned into it affectionately.

"The Order of the Orichalcos will give you the freedom you need, and the fame you deserve. You'll become a better duelist that even The King of Games himself. You, Gavin Edwards, would become the King of Games! A title you've deserved since the very beginning! Your enemies would cower in fear at the power of your deck. You would be the envy of the dueling world. Kayla's name would be nothing but a memory to them."

The tears stopped, and Gavin opened up his eyes once again. He nearly jumped over that table, knocking over their glasses and menus. He took Yumi's face in his hands, and kissed her. The passion behind it burned.

For so long, Gavin wanted something to have confidence in him. He wanted someone to believe in him, to think he could achieve something greater. Not even his own father thought he could do anything in dueling.

Yumi had become that someone.

Gavin didn't care that people were staring at them. All he cared about was that someone finally believed in him.

He pulled away moments later. Yumi was gasping for breath, her chest heaving. "So I take that as a yes?" She panted.

"Where do I sign up?" Gavin replied before kissing her again.

A/N: Yeah, I'm sure nobody saw that coming *cough cough* super sarcasm powers, go *Couch cough.* I think I've got a cough coming on, better go take care of that…. ;D