Chapter 4

Friendship Break-Up

The next day, Yugi is in the market-place with Ryou. "How did it go, Yugi?" Ryou asked as they went down some stairs after getting cups of mocha at a café.

Yugi sighed at first before answering as he thought about his chance meeting with Atemu. "Well, on my way home, I met the prince."

To hear that his best friend got to meet Prince Atemu, Ryou leaned closer to him so that Yugi could only speak loud enough for him, being cautious of Téa. "While I was walking back home, he was running from a different direction from the mob of crazy fan girls when he bumped into me, then he pulled me to the ground and we hid from those crazy girls. To make up for knocking me down, he offered to walk me home. I took his offer and we just talked.

"While we were just relaxing on a hill, still talking and me giving him a warning about Téa being obsessed with him, that's when she and Serenity appeared." All of a sudden, Yugi started to giggle at Téa's expression when she found him with the prince.

Confused, Ryou asked with a shrug, "What's so funny, Yugi?"

Still keeping it between just the two of them, Yugi answered, "It's just her expression when she saw us and she thought I was flirting with him when the two of us were only talking. I could even sense a hint of jealousy in her tone of voice and I could easily read it on her face."

Even though he is as innocent as Yugi, Ryou has had secret desires to see how upset certain people can be. Also chuckling at the thought, Ryou reply back, "Knowing how mean she is to you, I do wish I was there to see how jealous she was." Then the two best friends giggled amongst themselves before Ryou became serious with a little bit of sadness in his eyes for his friend, "Although I still feel terrible that you have to obey her thanks to that 'gift'."

"Again I just don't get how you're able to figure out that's my case. But don't worry about it, I'm used to doing things that I don't want to do." reply Yugi. As the two continue to talk and walk, they are unaware of a certain short-haired brunette who happens to be there as well with a girl she had to drag with her.

Hanging out by a stand that is selling make-up and other female products, Téa is keeping an eye out for Yugi while Serenity is browsing the different products. "Serenity, don't you think there is something odd about Yugi?"

Getting a terrible feeling from her sister, Serenity simply shrug and tried to stay out of this as much as she could. "He seems just strange whenever anyone gives him an order." Then when she saw Yugi pass by with Ryou, Téa then had an idea. Noticing the look on her sister's face, Serenity kept on feeling that it won't be good for Yugi. "Oh Yugi," Téa called in a terribly sweet tone, making both Yugi and Serenity nervous about what she has in mind, "come here."

Feeling the effects of the spell, Yugi asked Ryou to excuse him and reluctantly walked over to his sisters. "What is it, Téa?" Yugi said through grit teeth of his fake smile.

"I need you to do me a favor." Téa started then she pointed to one of the make-up kits. "Take that." In an instant, Yugi grabbed the kit she pointed to and stuffed it in his bag. Then she had him take a few hand-made soaps and a couple potion bottles. "One more thing. Take those!" then she pointed to a pair of glass slippers that were on a shelf behind her.

As Yugi forcefully walk over to the shelf, he turned to Téa and said, "Téa, don't make me do this."

Then Serenity and Ryou, who rushed over after he heard Téa order him to take the slippers, also begged her to stop. "I will only say enough if I'm satisfied and I won't be until he takes those slippers." said Téa as Yugi tried to stop himself from taking the slippers with no success. When a security guard heard the glass slippers clank together and saw Yugi close to stuffing them in his bag, the teen had no choice but to make a run for it as the guard chase him for stealing.

After being chased around the market place with Téa enjoying the 'show' and Ryou and Serenity feeling terrible of how much trouble she has gotten him into, Yugi was forced to stop at mid-run with the guard yelling "FREEZE" Since Yugi didn't move another muscle, the guard moved in front of him, ordered him to hold his hands out and placed him under arrest for stealing the glass slippers. With Yugi in trouble, a gleam shined in Téa's eyes when she saw her mother enter the market-place to find Yugi arrested.

Hurrying to Vivian with a fake sad look on her face, she said as Téa grasp her mother's arm, "Darling, what happened here?"

"Oh mother, Yugi was about to steal a pair of beautiful glass slippers when a guard caught him."

"Is that so?" Vivian asked, and Téa nodded. Approaching the guard who held Yugi, Vivian held the man's arm flirtatiously and said, "I'll take it from here, officer."

"Are you sure, Lady Vivian?"

"Yes, I'll be sure I give my stepson a punishment he'll never forget."

Looking back and forth between Yugi and Vivian, the officer decided to take up on her word, "Very well, my lady." and handed Yugi over to her and removed the shackles from his wrists. And so, with a tight grip on Yugi's shoulder, Vivian took him home with Téa and Serenity following.

Arriving home, Malik rushed outside the moment he saw Vivian very upset, Yugi and Serenity nervous and Téa smirking rather nastily. Confused, Malik asked, "What happened?"

Instead of answering, Vivian just pulled Yugi inside, mumbling "I can't believe this." In the living room, Vivian finally released Yugi and looked upon him with a look of total disgrace across her face. "I can't believe that I have a thief in my family. How ungrateful!"

Standing next to his friend, Malik said with a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Perhaps he was forced to do it." and glanced over to Téa, who was trying her best to hide the grin that Malik could easily see across her snobbish face.

Since Malik could easily tell, Téa put on her pity act. "Malik is right mother, Yugi was indeed forced to do it. We were there of course." she said as she stood close to Yugi, too close for his comfort. Getting a terrible feeling of what her mother and sister want, Serenity held Yugi's hand behind Téa's back.

"Well then, tell me who forced you." Vivian demanded.

Before Yugi could say it was Téa, she whispered harshly in his ear, "Tell her it was Ryou."

To know what she is doing, Yugi clasp a hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying anything. Turning to her half-brother, Serenity said, "Don't Yugi." then turned to her terrible sister, "No Téa." then Téa secretly smacked her to keep her quiet.

Getting impatient, Vivian demanded again, "Tell me who was it!"

Thanks to the spell, Yugi had no choice but to tell her. But as much as he wanted to say it was Téa, the name that came out was..."Ryou."

"Ryou, I should have known it was that insolent albino."

Then they heard a knock on the door and a voice call out gently, "Yugi, is everything alright?"

As if feeling more disgraced, Vivian exclaim, "How dare that brat show himself around here. Answer the door, Yugi and tell him you don't want to see him ever again."

Feeling the effects, Yugi faced Vivian and a snickering Téa who had whispered, "And tell him you could never be friends with an albino." and begged them not to have him do it with both Malik and Serenity begging them as well. Getting annoyed, Vivian demanded, "Stop bickering and just do it." forcing Yugi to answer the door in tears.

Seeing his best friend answer, Ryou smiled and said with a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I was so worried." Then to see Yugi in tears, at first Ryou appeared confused as he gently hug his best friend and said gently, "Yugi, what's wrong?"

"Ryou," Yugi started with his voice shaking as the tears continued to fall from his eyes, "I never want to see you again."

To hear those words, Ryou felt a terrible stab in his heart. "Yugi, you can't be serious."

With Ryou looking at him after pulling away but still have his hands on his shoulders, Yugi forced himself to finish what he was told to do. "I could never be friends with an albino."

Those words hitting him like a hammer to a nail, Ryou tried to hold back the pain he is feeling in his chest and said as a friend, "Yugi, I know those aren't your words. But I promise, once things settle between you and two of those women, then you, Malik and I can be back as best friends. If my distance from you satisfies them, then I don't mind having to wait to hang out with you again."

Patting him on the shoulder, Ryou gave Yugi one last cheerful smile before turning his back and walking away. Watching his best friend leave, Yugi couldn't help but smile as the tears continue to shed and he thought, "You are a true friend, Ryou."