Dueling Her Heart
'words' = thoughts
"words" = dialog
'What do I do? What should I do?' Téa Gardner was watching the championship duel between Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba – her best friends and her secret boyfriend. She felt nauseous. For her it was like when Yami Yugi dueled against Joey Wheeler in Duelist Kingdom – no matter who wins, someone she loves loses.
"Guys," she said nervously, "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Hurry back," Joey Wheeler said nonchalantly.
She felt a little better after using the bathroom. She reluctantly walked back towards the dueling arena. Instead of reentering the gym, she sat down on a nearby window seat.
15 minutes later, she heard someone say, "This doesn't look like the bathroom." Joey sat down next to her and said comfortingly, "I don't know whom I'd go for if Mai and Yugi dueled."
Téa's mouth dropped. "How -"
He grinned. "You've got his cologne on you." Joey's nose was legendary; it helped him defeat Mai Valentine in Duelist Kingdom.
She joked, "You should be a food tester."
He laughed. "Maybe I'll start a podcast: Joey's Nose Knows." She chuckled.
"How long have you been dating Kaiba?"
"Six months. I didn't want you guys to be upset."
Joey snorted. "It's no secret I'm not pals with Kaiba. But I love and trust you." He winked. "I'll be there when you break up."
She sighed heavily. "After today…"
He patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine."
—-End of Chapter 1—-
—-Chapter 2—-
It was a warm, sunny day. Téa decided to walk home and avoid Kaiba's wrath. On her walk home, she decided to call Yugi.
"Congratulations! Can I talk to you?"
"Thanks Téa. What's up?"
"About your duel today, I couldn't watch."
"Why? What's wrong?"
She swallowed hard. "Because you were dueling my boyfriend." Her throat tightened and her voice shook. "No matter who won, I lost."
"Kaiba?! I knew something was off but I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." He giggled. "Téa, these are charity matches. It's not like when my life was on the line. They're for fun. It's awesome having you in my corner but I'll be ok if you're not."
"Will you still love me if I support Kaiba?"
"I will love you even if you supported Weevil Underwood." He joked. She mentally gagged.
She smiled, reassured. "Thanks Yugi!"
—-
Téa's House"
She called Kaiba later that night. The conversation didn't go so well.
"Why weren't you there?" He inquired. "Are you sick?"
"I'm sorry. I couldn't watch you duel Yugi."
"Losing to Yugi – again – sucks but I can live with it. But you're supposed to be my girlfriend. You have to decide: me or Yugi." He blew out a harsh breath. "My next tournament is in two weeks. Hopefully you'll be there. Otherwise…"
He hung up before she could say anything else. She put down the phone and cried, feeling guilty.
End of Chapter 2
Epilogue
'Of all the dumb luck…'
Seto Kaiba did not believe in luck; he was a realist. But he was beginning to wonder which god or gods he had angered because he had drawn Yugi again, this time in the semifinals.
Though he tried not to think about it, he wondered if she would be there, his one and only.
Five minutes before the duel, he got his answer. Téa walked in with a small blue sign that read, "Go SK! Love, TG".
He couldn't help smiling widely. He mouthed, "Love you" to her. She mouthed, "Love you, too" in return.
He then turned his attention back to the duel. No matter what happened, he had won.
END
A/N: The usual disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
Anime duels mentioned:
Yami Yugi vs Joey Wheeler, Duelist Kingdom (S1, Ep 33-34)
Joey Wheeler vs Mai Valentine (S1, Ep 6)