Disclaimer: (yawn) Come on, guys. My stories can never amount to the greatness that is the YGO manga/show.
A/N(1): I'm back. And wow, it feels really good to be back. I've been having a Yami/Tea withdrawal ever since I left. I'm serious, like everywhere I went, I was like "wow, I should write a story about that-wait! No!" LOL. Maybe it's not my time to leave the fanfiction world.
A/N(2): Since it's prom season, I figured "why not do a prom-oriented fic?" Yah! Well, anyway, here's the story: Tea, persuaded by her friends, decides to attend the prom. The only problem is...she doesn't have a date! OMG! J/K! My blonde persona kicked in for a second. Hahaha. Anywayz, her friends try to set her up with a date, but Tea has only eyes for Yami.
A/N(3): Quick Edit SUCKSTitle: Just A Night
Chapter One: Sinking Pride
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
"Ladies, gentlemen, take your seats! Class meeting is about to start!"
Miho Nosaka scanned the crowd, waiting for everyone to find a seat. Most did. Others, like Seto Kaiba, refused, sending her an impassive, bored glare. She ignored it, after all, this was her meeting to the class. She was the Senior class president.
"Hello Seniors. I'd like to thank you for joining us today," she said. Then, glanced at the Senior class officers-Tea Gardner (Vice President), Ryou Bakura (Recording Secretary), and Yugi Moto (Historian). Her eyes locked on Bakura for a second. 'His eyes are beautiful..'
"Psh, of course we're here! We're missin' class!"
Everyone laughed. She shook from her gaze to see Joey Wheeler smirking at her. "Thanks Joey. Anyway, to get to the point, the topic for this meeting is...prom." Whispers and murmurs filled the room. "I know, it's far away, but we have to start planning where we'll have it, what our theme will be, and our Senior budget. Let's start with where we could have it. Suggestions?"
"Strip club!"
Miho cleared her throat. "Let me rephrase that. Any good suggestions?" She threw Joey a smug look.
"How about Domino Plaza? That place is dreamy!"
Miho sighed, 'I'm the president of idiots.' The Domino Plaza was a classy restaurant that only Seto Kaiba and a select few could afford. "I'm sorry, our Senior budget is very limited. Please think of something reasonable. Remember, if the place is expensive, the prom tickets will be expensive."
All but one hand remained raised. And she couldn't believe her eyes to whom that arm was attached to. "Seto Kaiba? Do you have something to add?" Heads turned toward Kaiba. He ignored them, responding:
"I got a yacht that's only used for special ocassions. Though this prom is not even close to a special ocassion, I'll let you losers use it," he said, pushing himself off the wall. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important business to attend to."
"What's the catch, Kaiba?"
Kaiba locked eyes with Joey. "That's simple. You don't come."
"Why you...!" Joey, knocking over his chair, lunged himself at Kaiba, but missed by several inches due to the weight on his arms. Tristan and Duke were holding him back. "Come on! He thinks he can make a fool out of Joey Wheeler?" The blond protested.
"Joey! He has, he just did, and he will in the near future. Sit down." Tristan whispered, alleviating some of the tension in the air. Joey backed off, watching Kaiba leave the room with a smirk of satisfaction.
"Gentlemen? If we could continue, please?"
Joey folded his arms. "Sure. Knock yourself out, princess."
Miho's eyebrow raised, but before she could unleash the rage boiling within her, Tea Gardner stepped forward. "Let's all continue this meeting, shall we?" Everyone nodded. Smiling, she continued, "does anyone have ideas for the theme?"
"Titanic! We're on a boat, right?"
"It's a yacht, stupid! And what would be our theme? Drowning?"
Tea cleared her throat. "Please be kind to one another. We all have different views about the perfect prom, but we must work together!" Though Tea was giving another one of her famous "peace-keeping" speeches, everyone loved the brunette and thought that she should have been president. She was beautiful, articulate, and listened to everyone's ideas. Most people thought she was perfect.
"How about a garden theme? And the water around us could be a lake!"
Tea nodded. "Anyone else?" She picked on another person who had raised their hand.
"How about the Japan skyline?" The student suggested.
Many nodded. "Any others?" No one else raised their hand. "Alright then. Let's take a count. First is...Titanic. Anyone?" Two, one being the suggestee, raised their hand. Tea scratched that one off. "Alright. Garden?" A dozen students raised their hands. "Finally, the Japan skyline." As soon as she looked up from her paper, the rest of the class had their hands raised. "Well, it looks like majority wins. Japan skyline it is."
Miho clasped her hands together. "Great, now we can discuss ticket"
Before she could finish, the bell rung. She knew she couldn't keep them for two classes. The faculty would be very upset with her. "Okay, we'll pick this up next class meeting. Dismissed." The Seniors bunched around the exit, talking amongst their groups.
Tea, relieved, looked toward her friends standing near the doorway. "Hey guys, what do you all think?"
"Prom?" Tristan asked, causing Tea to nod. "I'm not much into dances, but if there's food there, Joey and I are there!" He pulled Joey under his arm and rammed his fist into his head.
Joey pushed away, fixing his hair. "Come on, man! It's owned by Kaiba." He added.
"But it's our prom!"
Joey was about to protest when Tristan added, "and you can ask Mai!"
The blond immediately flushed. Mai Valentine had been his crush since he had met her in Duelist Kingdom. Though she was much older than him, and had her own life, Joey found her amazing. He would never meet another girl like herthat he was sure of.
"Having second thoughts, buddy?" Patting his friend on the back, he added: "I knew Kaiba wouldn't stand in your way of getting Mai Valentine as a date." They all had a good laugh, except for Joey, who was growling at Tristan for bringing up his one weakness.
Tea brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Whatever the case may be, we'll talk about it during lunch. Yugi and I have to get to class." She said, looking down at her childhood friend. "You ready?" Yugi nodded, grabbing his bookbag. "See you all later!"
As Tea walked out the door with Yugi, she sensed an unknown silence between them. "Yugi, is there something wrong? You were quiet during class meeting." She asked, concerned. She was used to Yugi spilling out ideas and/or voicing his opinion. Today, he looked...distracted.
Yugi looked at her, flashing a smile that told her not to be concerned. "It's just the Game Shop. No big problem."
Before Tea could ask him to clarify his response, Yugi was in their Economics Honors class. It wasn't until later that Tea would finally realize what had made Yugi so uneasy...
"FOOD! Where have you been all my life!" exclaimed a very excited Joey, as he drooled over the cafeteria food. "Ah! It's like I haven't eaten in months!"
"Isn't this your second tray?" Tea asked, slidding her tray from the main course to dessert.
Tristan slid next to her. "Actually, it's his third..." Tea's eyebrow raised, although this was something she was used to. Joey was the human garbage can. She wondered where all the food went. He was as skinny as a twig. She wished she could go on the Joey Wheeler dietthe see-food diet.
Walking back to their table, Tea took a seat next to Yugi, while Joey and Tristan sat across from them. "So, what's new?" Tea asked, trying to start a conversation. She hated the silence. Talking is what made her comfortable.
Joey held up a chicken leg. "You know, this thing cost me three bucks! I swear, this school is running me broke! They even wanted 10 cents for a stupid fork! It's a conspiracy!"
"Against you? Probably. They have to buy food everyday instead of every week for you..."
Joey laughed off Tristan's remark. "Yup, the kitchen staff will have a party when I graduate." They all laughed, except for Yugi. He seemed lost in his thoughts. "Yug, come on! You've been silent all day! What's going on?"
"Nothing. Just been working a lot at the Game Shop." He said. Tea didn't buy it. She knew Yugi since their childhood, and she could tell when he was lying. He would brush it off and play it off with a smile.
"Sure it's not prom?" Tristan responded with a wink. "You know the girls will be after you 24/7! Lucky dog."
Yugi blushed. "Eh...heh..I doubt that..."
"At least you have Rebecca if worse comes to worse," Joey added. This made Yugi turn crimson. Rebecca Hawkins had been after Yugi for years. Although a now ten-year-old Sophomore college student, Rebecca knew that Yugi was the man of her dreams.
"Oh yeah Yugi, she'll probably ask you before you ask her." Tristan said, looking over at Tea. "Say Tea, who do you want to take to the prom? Haven't heard anything from you.."
Tea played with her food. "I don't know. I was thinking about just taking one of my friends. It's not like I'm interested in anyone..." She sighed to herself, knowing she was lying to her friends. She perfectly knew who she wanted to take to the prom. It just wasn't happening.
"Oh really? I seen you checking out Bakura's ass lately..."
Tea turned red, wide-eyed. "WHAT?"
"Hahahahaha! Kiddin'!" Joey said, laughing in between words. Tea kicked him from under the table. "Wha? It was funny! You should have seen your face!" He said, making her stand up. She looked upset. He stopped automatically. "Just Wheelering with you! Come on, Tea!"
"See you later, Yugi and Tristan." She didn't look at Joey. The blond frowned.
"Alright, it was me checking out Bakura's ass, are you happy?" It was then the cafeteria went silent. Some eyes on Joey. Some on Bakura, who was sitting next to Miho Nosaka.
"Yes. I'm very happy now." Tea said, walking back to her seat. "Just don't be barking up Bakura's tree anytime soon.."
A Spanish, Math, and Art class later, Tea was at her locker, collecting her books. She was doing it hastily because she wanted to run down to the Game Shop and see what was happening. She hated seeing Yugi like this, and she had to get to the bottom of it.
Hauling her bookbag over her shoulder, she ran out the doors, and into Domino City. The Game Shop was only three blocks away from the school. And lucky for her, Yugi and the others had to stay after for soccer. It was only her and a nice conversation with Mr. Moto.
Cornering the next block, she saw the Game Shop's sign come into view. "Almost there," Tea said, increasing her walking speed. "Come on, work off that cafeteria food!" She whispered, now a foot away from the door. "Alright, made it." Grasping the firm handle, she pulled it open, and let herself in.
The Game Shop was a small shop, but many customers loved the selection of Duel Monster cards they had in stock. Some rare, some common, some banned. The Game Shop had them all. Though Duel Monster cards were growing unpopular, the Game Shop still had business. At least from what Tea understood.
"Mr. Moto! Can I talk to you for a second?" She waited for a reply. None came.
As she walked down the aisle, she saw brown storage boxes scattered around the shop. 'New shipments?' Tea thought, softly walking toward the register. "Mr. Moto?" she called out again. No answer.
She neared another storage box. This time, she bent over the box to see what was inside. Cards and magazines. She picked one magazine up and examined it. "They had this on the shelves two months ago," she whispered, growing more and more confused by the minute.
"Tea?" a deep voice called from behind her.
Nervously, she dropped the magazine and looked up to a pair of violet eyes. "Y-Yami...hi..." For some strange reason, she had the impression he was standing there watching her look through the box. "I was just-"
"Don't worry about it." He walked past her and picked up the box. Tea noticed that he was wearing black pants, white shirt, and a black tie. Definitely not his style.
With the box in hand, he asked: "You mind opening the door for me?" She nodded, walking toward the door. She then opened it, allowing him to put it in a black 2005 porsche. She admired the design, then looked back at Yami.
'Yami...' A year ago, Isis found a way, using the stone tablets, to separate two beings in the same body. Bakura and Yami were candidates for this process. It worked successfully. Two months after, Yami moved out of the Game Shop to work for Kaiba. He felt that he owed Yugi and his grandfather some privacy after the ordeal. Now Yami was as successful as Kaiba, except for the fact that they were still very competitive. Kaiba still hasn't beaten Yami in a duel 'til this day.
"So, what brings you here? Bidding the Game Shop goodbye?" Yami asked, closing the trunk.
"Well I waswhat? What are you talking about?"
He walked back into the Game Shop, holding the door opened for her. "You don't know?" He questioned, looking over his shoulder at her. She shook her head. "The Game Shop is going out of business. Profits have been going down ever since Xeviou cards hit the shelves. Duel Monsters is officially out."
Xeviou was a new strategy-based card game that combined monsters/attacks based on Duel Monsters and dice moves from Dungeon Dice Monsters. In other words, it was copying Dungeon Dice Monsters, but incorporating more moves from Duel Monsters.
Tea was so shocked about the Game Shop, that she didn't even realize that Yami was still talking. "...and I tried to give him the money to keep the Game Shop afloat, but Yugi and Sugoroku refused. I don't know what else to do."
"Where will they stay?"
Yami sighed. "Yugi told me they're staying with the Hawkins for now."
"REBECCA?" Tea blurted aloud. She then put a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, I'm just surprised. Why wouldn't Yugi take your money? I understand his pride, but he helped you through so much...you owe him."
"Yes, I owe him more than my life. I think it's more Sugoroku than Yugi that's causing a problem. He doesn't want to accept any money from Kaiba Corps." Yami answered sadly. "I hate seeing them in this position, but I can't help them if they don't want my help."
"Fine," Tea said, "it's my turn then."
Yami looked at her, bewildered. "What are you going to do?"
"Whatever it takes. Yugi and his grandpa have worked eight years to keep this shop open! I won't stand by while their work falls in one day!" She turned sharply and headed for the door. Yami was close on her heels.
"Wait! Again, what are you going to do?"
Her eyes met the floor. What was she going to do? Her parents were barely meeting bill payments. Her friends were in the same situation. Maybe if she started a fundraiser of some sort. The last fundraiser they did was for poor families during Christmas. Maybe she could hold one for the Game Shop. But how? There were no events coming up. The only one she could think of was the Senior prom in May.
"That's it!" Her eyes lifted to his again. "The prom!"
Yami gave her a confused look. "The Game Shop is going to sell dresses?"
She rolled her eyes. "No! Kaiba! He's holding the prom on his yacht. If I can talk him into donating the money to the Game Shop, Yugi and his grandpa can stay here!" Her hands trembled with excitement as she explained her plan to Yami.
"But...one way or another, Kaiba's still giving Yugi money."
Tea thought about what he said. Then, confidently, she answered: "Yes, but...the money is coming from the Seniors. Not his pocket. I think this will work. I'm going to head down there now and lay down the facts."
"You're going to go talk to Kaiba?" He said, admiring her courage.
Tea nodded. "That's what friends are for." Then, giving a small wave, she walked out the Game Shop. Yami followed her again. This time catching her wrist. "Don't try to stop me, Yami. I have to do this."
"I'm not. I was going to offer you a ride. I'm on my way there anyway."
"Okay."
She hadn't talked to Yami in months. She didn't know what to say to him. What made it worse was that she was nervous. Though he couldn't see it, her stomach was churning with butterflies. She couldn't help it. He had been her crush since she was fifteen. She was now eighteen, and still infatuated.
"How's Kaiba Corps anyway?" Tea asked, looking out the window of his car.
Yami shrugged, eyes on the road. "Nothing to brag about. I just test Kaiba's new inventions. Then the paperwork for the specific prototype keeps me up all night. It's...an interesting experience."
Tea nodded, now noticing the dark circles under his eyes. 'He has changed..' The look of determination in his eyes was gone. The thrill of not having to duel someone worthy must have killed his spirit for dueling. Now, he only dueled machines and other devices.
"You don't feel like the King of Games anymore, do you?" She blurted, without thinking.
He turned to her quickly, then pulled his eyes back to the road. "Where did that come from?"
"I'm sorry, I was just...nevermind..." She looked back toward the window, embarassed.
He shook his head, pulling the car over to the side. She was shocked. He then turned to her and said: "You're right, Tea. I don't feel like the King of Games anymore. There's no more mystery or adventure in my life anymore. I know now I was Pharaoh, saved the world, and then was reincarnated. That's it. And now, I'm living in this century now, without...a cause. Yugi and I saved the world from Dartz. Now...I'm just an ordinary person living an ordinary life."
"You don't want that?" Tea replied, deeply interested.
"I...don't know what I want anymore." He leaned his head on the steering wheel. Then, he added: "I've just been really confused with my life lately. And now with Yugi shutting me down, I feel so alone in this world."
Tea frowned. "You're never alone in this world," putting a hand on his shoulder shakily, she added: "Yugi is just going through a hard time like you. He doesn't know what he's doing in his life either." She then drew her hand away quickly before she started blushing.
Yami nodded, lifting his head from the steering wheel. "I'm just stressing over this. I'm sorry...we should be going." Putting the car in drive, he moved back into the road. Tea didn't say another word, for she didn't know what else to say.
The car ride was silent from then on...
Slowly moving into a parking spot, Yami turned off the car and sat there. Tea looked at him, a feeling of sadness washing over her. "Thanks for the ride, Yami. I really appreciate it." She opened the door and got out. He was still sitting there. She bent down and looked at him. "Yami?"
He shook out of his daze. "I'm sorry. Don't worry about the ride," he said, opening his door, too. "It's the least I can do." Getting out of the car, he locked it with his keys and strode toward the building with her in silence.
Once inside, Tea was about to walk toward the desk, when Yami directed her toward the elevator. "I'll take you to Kaiba myself. You'll be waiting there for a long time without an appointment." She nodded, walking into the elevator with him. He pressed button number "15" and the doors closed automatically.
A few seconds later, the doors opened again to Floor 15. Tea was slightly uneasy as she walked out of the elevator. Even her thoughts became uneasy. Most of the voices in her head were telling her that this was a bad idea, but she knew that she had to do this. For Yugi. He had done so much for her...
'He didn't rat me out at my position at Burger World. He found me a warehouse where I could practice my dance. He taught me how to play Duel Monsters. He even...got Yamithe love of my lifeto go on a date with me. Wow, I owe him so much...'
"Here it is, Tea. Kaiba's office. Do you want me to go on with you?"
She shook from her daze. "No, I'm...going to do this myself." She gave him a confident smile that told him everything was going to be alrightno matter what Kaiba said to her. Breathing in, she knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again.
The door opened, but nobody appeared on the other side. 'Creepy,' she thought, that is, until she heard a familiar voice call her name. She looked down to see Mokuba at the door. He childish face beamed up at her. "Watcha doing here, Tea?"
"Hello Mokuba. I actually came to see your brother."
Mokuba looked over his shoulder, then looked back at her. "Alright then, but he's in a bad mood today. Don't say I didn't warn you." He opened the door for her to come in.
The room was filled with papers and meshes of computer wires. Tea wondered how such a neat and sophisticated guy worked in an environment such as this. It was then she looked up from the mess to see Kaiba at his desk, looking straight at her.
'Uhh...this is weird..' She put on her best smile and said: "Hello Kaiba, I just wanted to thank you, on behalf of student council, for the yacht. It really put down the cost for prom." He continued to stare at her, intimidating his enemy.
"Gardner, don't lie to me. What do you really want?"
'Damn, he's good.' She cleared her throat. "Well, K-Kaiba...I just came here to ask you for a favor"
"I don't do favors, Gardner." He replied, venemously.
She rubbed her arm. "It's not for me, it's for Yugi."
"Why didn't Yugi come down here then?" He spat back, his stare turning into a glare.
"Yugi doesn't ask anyone for help. He's independent...just like you." She said these words with nervousness. Kaiba was a tough person to converse with. He would either bite your head off right then and there or watch you suffer with his cold words and glare. He had insisted that she indeed suffer. "The Game Shop is going out of business, Kaiba. And I...want..." She stopped, then swallowed the nervousness that shook her words. "To get to the point, Kaiba, I wanted to use the prom tickets toward your yacht as a donation toward the Game Shop."
She then feared asking Kaiba for help. She now feared hearing his response.
"Gardner, you got guts asking me for help." He laced his fingers together and rested his chin upon them. "Fine. We'll use the prom tickets as donations toward the Game Shop. Now, are you finshed?"
She smiled. "Thank you, Kaiba! This will mean so much to"
"Great. Save it for someone who cares." He said, now looking at the computer screen. "Now, show yourself out."
Even though Kaiba's words were as cold as they come, she smiled. She was happy to have found something to help the Game Shop. And she owed a lot of it to Kaiba. She knew he had a heart under his dark exterior, some people just had to look deep enough. Like Mokuba did.
"Why aren't you out of my office yet?" He asked, eyes still on the computer screen.
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking of how lucky Mokuba is to have you," she said, now looking at Mokuba. "See you later, Mokuba!" She patted him on the shoulder and showed herself out, without looking back. If she did, she would have seen the small smile that was planted on Kaiba's face as she left...
Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked out of his office with a smile of satisfaction on her face. She couldn't believe how easy it was. Almost too easy, but she wasn't about to look at the negatives just yet. She only wanted to concentrate on the positives.
"Wow, it went pretty well...huh?"
Tea looked up to see Yami leaning against the wall. She was surprised to see him, but nevertheless, nodded in agreement. "He said I had guts coming into his office," she chuckled at the thought. Then, continued, "he said it was okay. I'm just so happy right now."
"That's great, Tea." He said, smiling. He was impressed by Tea's bravery and love for her friends. It made him see the 5'5'' girl a different way. Though slender, she was built strong from dancing and after-school sports. She had silky, brown hair that came down to her shoulders. It framed her face nicely. Tea Gardner was beautiful in his eyes, but he always thought of her as a friend. He was one of the few guys that liked her only as a friend. Yugi, Tristan, Joey and Kaiba were the other exceptions.
"Thanks Yami. Well, I'm going to get going to tell Yugi the news. I hope he's okay with it." Crossing her fingers, she walked toward the elevator. "Bye Yami." She said, though hoping she would see him again real soon. She missed having him by her side on their many adventures. She missed looking at his face when he wasn't looking. She missed hearing his confident speeches as he faced an opponent. She missed...him.
"Bye Tea. Come by anytime. This is my floor, too." Waving, he watched the elevator doors separate them. For some reason, he wanted to say something else to her. He couldn't figure it out, though. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked back to his office with his hands in his pockets.
Stepping into the Game Shop, Tea was nervous. She was trying to figure out the best way to tell Yugi about what she found out, and what he didn't know. Walking up the aisle, she found Yugi stacking boxes, one on top of the other.
"Hey Yugi!" Tea said, sitting on one of the stools near the register.
He spinned around. "Hey Tea, what brings you here?"
"I stopped by today and saw Yami"
"He told you, didn't he?" Yugi interrupted, dead serious.
Tea cleared her throat. "Yes, he told me about the Game Shop. How did you...?"
"Grandpa was upstairs while you guys were talking downstairs. He heard everything." Yugi replied. Tea, awestruck, remained silent for a few moments. She was taking in everything Yugi was telling her.
'Well, that explains why the door was open when I came in..' Sighing, she looked at her tri-colored hair friend. "Yugi, we've been friends for years, why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Yugi looked toward the ceiling. "Grandpa didn't want me telling anyone. He figured that if we lived someplace else for awhile, we could figure out a way to get the shop back."
"But...what if you couldn't? Yugi, I know you both don't want help from Kaiba, but this store is your life. You grew up in this store and...you even told me your dreams of running it one day. What happened to that?"
"I'm not giving up on the store, Tea. Neither is grandpa. We just built this store on our own, and we will find a way to rebuild it on our own." He said, now turned away from her. He didn't want her to see the tear streaming down his face.
"Yugi, listen. Sometimes we need others to get back on our feet. I asked Kaiba if he could use the prom tickets as donations toward the Game Shop. I know I did it without your permission, but I want you to understand that there will always be people behind you to pick you up." As she spoke, he remained with his back turned to her. More tears were now escaping his eyelids. She then continued, "I'll see you tomorrow in school."
Standing up, she was about to leave when Yugi said: "Thank you, Tea," turning around, he showed her the tears, "you are a wonderful friend, you really are. I'm glad to have you." He walked around the counter and hugged her. She smiled.
"Oh Yugi, you know I'm always glad to help." She said, kneeling down to be at eye-level with him. But, before she could continue her friendship speech, a thought occured to her. "The prom is in May, though. What will you do until then?"
"I can stay with the Hawkins until then. Don't worry, at least I know I have something to come back to after two months." He explained, causing her to force back tears. "We'll be fine, Tea. Thanks to you, we'll be fine."
Tea nodded. "You should definitely go to Yami if you have any more problems, though. All he wants to do is help. He feels bad that he can't do anything more to repay you for your kindness over the years."
Yugi pulled away from her. "I will. I promise."
Unbeknowest to Tea, he was crossing his fingers...
To be continued...
Kinda long, eh? Well, I figured I'd give you guys a good heads-up to what's in store. As you can tell at the moment, the couples are: Yami/Tea, Mai/Joey, Rebecca/Yugi(one-sided, don't worry. Yugi would be a child molester if he liked Rebecca), and Miho/Bakura. Anywayz, what's going on with Yugi and Yami? Will Yami start liking Tea in a boyfriend fashion? What will be the future of the Game Shop?