This is a Yugi/Téa story with a title inspired, in part, by .Hack/sign. I don't own either shows, characters, or songs.
I was originally going to write a poem. Now, I am horrible at poetry so I turned it into a story. For background info, Téa, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke, Kaiba, and Bakura are all sixteen or around that age (different birthdays and all), Mai is nineteen and out of high school, Serenity, Rebecca (Yes, she's here, don't ask), Mokuba, and Noah are fifteen, and OC's might be put in to fill gaps or be used for plot development or whatever. Yugi has grown up and is only a couple inches shorter than everyone else, same with Rebecca. Yami has his own body and has the puzzle now and Yugi doesn't. Yami passes off as being sixteen although he is like five thousand or something. He also lives with Yugi. Bad Bakura is gone so it's just Good Bakura and Good Bakura has the ring. Kaiba still runs Kaiba Corp and lives with Mokuba and Noah. Let's just assume that he had a body hidden somewhere. More details about the story will be in the story. Oh, and I apologize for occasional randomness.
Speech Key:
"Regular Speech"
Thoughts
'Telepathic Communication'
When Two Hearts Echo in Twilight
Sixteen year old Téa Gardner was sitting in the same seat she always had during the past school year, doodling in her diary like she did most mornings. She drew little hearts and stars around Yugi's name, which she had written as neatly as she could in cursive. She had known Yugi for three years now. He had saved her from a kidnapping when she was thirteen and, because of that, she had become infatuated with the boy, just a little. She refused to tell anyone about it because she was afraid it would break up their friendship if he felt differently. Satisfied with her drawings, she smiled to herself and closed the diary and locked it. I'll tell him soon, when I can work up the courage.
She looked around in her homeroom and saw that she was the only one there, which wasn't anything new. She was always the first one there in the morning, simply because she had an impeccable record for punctuality. Yugi, Yami, Tristan, Joey, and Bakura tended to enter just as the first bell rang and were a minute late occasionally. Today was no exception. The bell rang and several students filed into the room, her friends at the back of the pack talking and laughing about something she hadn't heard.
"At least you guys aren't late today," Téa scolded them. They took their seats around her, Yami on the left, Yugi on the right, Joey in the back right, Bakura in the back left, and Tristan behind.
"Ya know that we haven't been late ever since, Yam' has been here," Joey said.
"And you know that Yugi wouldn't be late if he wasn't always waiting for these two," Yami added, indicating Tristan and Joey.
'Yeah, but you're the one that has forced them to be on time for the last few months' Yugi said to Yami through their mental link. Both of them snickered at the comment.
"Yeah…sure," Téa said slowly as she looked between the two identical boys. Not so identical I guess. Yami's eyes are narrower and he has blonde highlights running through his hair. Plus he's quieter than Yugi. Yugi's more carefree and Yami takes things a little too seriously in my opinion. Yugi's so cute and sweet… She blushed a little when she realized she was staring at him and she quickly looked away. She bit at her lower lip as she watched Yugi out of the corner of her eye. I hope he didn't notice that.
'Téa is staring at me, Yami. Is there something on my face or what?' Yugi asked.
'I don't see anything, Yugi. Maybe she's just thinking.' Yami answered.
'Ok, thanks.' Yugi replied. 'Téa is so pretty.'
'What was that last part?' Yami asked curiously.
'Huh? Oh, nothing.' He answered. I have to be more careful with my thoughts.
"Attention, students, for morning announcements," the principal said through the loud speaker. "As you all know, this weekend is the Twilight Festival. Student council will have a dance in honor of the festival on Friday in the Domino High gymnasium. All grade levels are permitted to attend."
A few students in their class cheered and Téa knew they were already thinking of who to ask to go with. I already know who I'm going to ask. I'm going to ask Yugi to go with me. Téa observed Yugi out of the corner of her eye again and smiled to herself.
"Hey, Joey. Can I take your sister?" Tristan asked the blonde after the announcements were through.
"What? No way! You stay away from Serenity!" Joey shouted back at him.
"C'mon, man. If you let me, I'll help get you hooked up with Mai," Tristan teased.
"Wha-What a-a-re you talking about?" Joey asked nervously. He began to blush wildly. "Who told you I liked her?"
"So it's true then?" Yami asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Aw, nuts. Okay, you have a deal Tristan," Joey said as he hung his head. "But don't think I'm gonna like it…"
"Yes! Now for Yugi, Yami, Bakura, and Téa…" Tristan said. He eyed the four of them carefully, thinking of who they could take. Bakura, Yugi, and Yami were looking at him, but Téa was facing straight ahead.
"I'm on student counsel and I have to run the dance," Bakura reminded them in his slight British accent. "I won't have much time to actually participate."
"I…have someone in mind already," Yugi said hesitantly. And that someone is Téa.
"I think I'll sit this one out," Yami said plainly. "You know how I am with girls."
"You could always go with Téa, Yami," Bakura suggested. "That way, we could all go together and we'd already know each other's dates."
"Actually, I'm thinking of someone, too," Téa said quickly. She turned her chair around so she could talk to the others. "Sorry, Yami."
"It's quite alright. Like I said, I'll just sit this one out," he told her. "Don't worry about it."
"So who is it?" Joey prodded.
"It's…um…" she started. Her heart was telling her to say Yugi, but something inside her was preventing her from forming his name on her lips. Suddenly the next bell rang, indicating that it was time for their first class. Téa breathed a mental sigh of relief. Saved by the bell…
The six friends stood up and gathered their books. Joey, Tristan, Bakura, Yami and Yugi rushed out leaving Téa behind to gather her own things slowly. Yugi stopped on the way out and turned back to the girl he secretly admired. Téa was looking down at her books as she stacked them in order by size and didn't notice the boy. Yugi opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. He quickly turned and ran out the door to his class. I'll ask her later.
When Téa looked up she saw that all of her friends had left. This wasn't new either. They had classes on the other side of the building and hers was just down the hall. She barely paid attention in her classes. Her thoughts were on the dance and how and when she was going to ask Yugi to be her date.
On the other side of the school, Yugi was having similar thoughts during his gym class. Yami was in the class with him so he wasn't alone like Téa was.
'How would you ask a girl out?' Yugi asked Yami telepathically.
'I wouldn't. But that's just me.' Yami replied as he hit the volleyball back over the net. 'Why do you ask?'
'I just wanted some advice, that's all.' Yugi answered. He watched Aura, the younger girl next to him, set the ball so he could spike it to the ground on the other side.
'You know I'm not the right person to answer questions like that. Why not ask Téa?' Yami continued.
'Because she's the girl in question.' Yugi said back to him without thinking.
'Oh…well, that would make it more difficult, then.' Yami took his attention off the game for only a second and gave a surprised look to his former vessel. In that time the ball hit him in the face and sent him sprawling to the floor. Several students, including Yugi, helped him back to his feet.
"You okay, Yami?" Yugi asked, this time outside of their link.
"Yeah, I was just…surprised," Yami said, half sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow at his other half. 'Téa is it?'
'We'll talk later, alright?' Yugi replied. I can't believe I told him. Oh well, they all would have known eventually anyway.
Téa looked up suddenly when the bell rang again. She picked up her books once more and left her math class to go to lunch. This was the time that she got to talk with Yugi and the others. They had all of their classes separate from her. Once again, she was the first one to arrive and she took up her spot under the large oak tree. From there, she could see Joey, Tristan, Bakura, and Yami standing in line to get their food. For some reason, though, Yugi wasn't there with the others.
"Hi Téa," Yugi said from the opposite direction in which she was looking.
"Oh, there you are. I didn't see you in line," Téa replied in astonishment.
"Yeah…I wanted to ask you something before everyone else got here," Yugi explained. Téa's heart pounded in her chest until she thought it would burst. This was probably going to be the best day of her life, that is, if Yugi asked the question she thought he was going to ask. Before either of them could say another word, a young blonde rushed over to Yugi.
"Yugi! I finally found you!" she squealed.
"Oh…Rebecca…could you give me a minute? I'm kind of in the middle of something," Yugi pleaded, trying not to be rude.
"Sorry, but this is important. I've been looking for you all morning," she replied. She grabbed Yugi by the arm and pulled him away from the tree.
"Uh…I guess I'll be back in a minute," Yugi called over his shoulder as the girl practically dragged him away.
Téa just watched as the girl pulled the boy of her dreams away from her. I wonder what he wanted to ask me…I can only hope…
Rebecca stopped when they got around the corner of the building. "Why did you drag me back here?" Yugi asked the girl.
"I did it to tell you that you're going to the Twilight Ball with me," she told him. "Isn't that right, Teddy? That's right Rebecca!"
"But, you see, I already had someone I was going to ask," Yugi explained. "So I can't go with you. I'm really sorry."
"You mean that girl you're always hanging around with, right? Well, anyway, I'm not asking you to go with me. That's right! She's ordering you to go!" Rebecca informed him, shoving her teddy bear in his face. "Remember, I'm Rebecca Hawkins and I can get whatever I want!"
"But I don't want-" Yugi started. He was cut off by Rebecca's threat.
"If you don't go with me, I'll make sure that you never go anywhere with Téa…ever!" she said with an almost evil grin.
"Wait…" Yugi said with a look of horror. "I'll go with you…but please don't do anything to Téa…"
"Yay! Did you hear that, Teddy? He said yes!" Rebecca said gleefully to the bear. She then skipped happily away from her "date."
Téa stared off in the direction Yugi had gone. Yami had led everyone to her and they sat around in their usual circle, though Téa hadn't really noticed. What's taking him so long? He's been gone quite awhile. I guess he didn't want to go to the dance with me after all… She fought off the pain in her heart, knowing it was trying to make her cry.
"Yo, Téa! What's wrong?" Joey asked. He was sitting between Tristan and Serenity, who joined them at this time every day ever since she moved in with her brother.
"It's not healthy to not eat, you know," Bakura added. He noticed that she hadn't touched her food at all.
"It's ok. I'm just fine," She told them. Her voice was starting to crack as she said those words. Noticing this, she stood and walked quickly away from her friends, excusing herself as she went.
"What's with her?" Duke asked. They just sat there looking after her as she ran back into the school building.
"Don't know," Joey answered. "But her Jello is mine!"
I have an idea, but I'll keep it to myself for now. Yami gazed over at Yugi, who he noticed was looking in their direction from around the corner.
Téa went on the rest of the day with a heavy heart. She couldn't get rid of the thought that she and Yugi would never be together. She just couldn't understand why they had been separated before they had even been a couple. The final bell rang and she went to her locker and gathered her belongings and hurried out of the building. Normally, she would leave with her friends, but today was different and she left without them. She hadn't gotten more than a block when a familiar voice called out to her.
"Téa! Wait! I need to talk to you!" She turned and saw Yami running toward her. He caught up with her quickly and fell into step beside her.
"Yami…I don't really feel like talking right now. I'm tired and I have a lot of homework to do," she lied. "I should get home."
"I know that's not what's wrong. When I was still inside Yugi's mind, I got to know you just as well as he did," he explained. He noted that she cringed a tiny little bit at the mention of Yugi's name. "You can tell me anything. I'll listen."
"I don't know…" she said hesitantly. Then she looked around to make sure no one else was around. "Alright, but do you promise to keep it a secret?"
"I do," he said with a nod. His answer was simple but effective.
"It's about Yugi," she sighed. "You probably remember this, but when I first moved here he saved my life. I knew we would be friends ever since that moment. At Duelist Kingdom I started to feel something different. I felt a need to be with him. When he threw the match with Kaiba and declared that he wasn't going to continue, I stood up to Mai to win those star chips and I realized that I was truly in love with him. Then when you and him were dueling Pegasus, I was so worried that he wouldn't come back. And after I beat one of the Big Five, Yugi was right there by my side and I hugged him and it just felt right. And then-"
"Not to be insensitive, Téa, but I think I get it," Yami stopped her as politely as he could. "Now, what I want to know is why you haven't told him?"
"I honestly don't know…" she admitted. She stopped when she realized this and thought carefully about it. "I guess I just didn't want us to drift apart…"
"You want to ask him to the dance, right?" Yami asked. She nodded in response. Yami put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. "Then my advice to you is to just do it."
Téa was taken aback by this. It was such an obvious course of action. And she realized she didn't have to say she loved him, that could come later. Yami said nothing more and left Téa to her thoughts. Why didn't I see this before? It was so simple, I must have overlooked it. But what if he doesn't like me in the same way? Will we still be as close as we are? Téa sighed sadly and continued on home.
Yami sat on his bed in the room he shared with Yugi. He was just finishing his math homework when Yugi walked in. He plopped down on his bed on the other side of the room and laid down with his back to Yami. That's strange. He usually says hi at least. Something must be wrong.
"How's it going, Yugi?" Yami asked innocently.
"Just fine," he muttered back.
Yami's eyebrows shot up. He never talks to me like that. This must be a major crisis…Téa. Of course, he must be scared to ask her out. "What about what we were talking about earlier? That thing about Téa?" he suggested.
"Don't worry about that," Yugi replied. "She's going with someone else."
"Really?" Yami asked with a surprised tone. "Who is it?"
"It's…uh…she didn't say," Yugi stuttered. It was obvious that he was making up a story to cover his embarrassment.
"When did you ask her?" Yami questioned further.
"It was…um…at…" Yugi continued to stutter nervously.
"You didn't ask, did you?" Yami asked sternly.
"No…I tried, but there was…a complication," Yugi explained.
"Complication? What do you mean?" Yami asked in shock. If he wasn't interested before he was now. After Téa told him her feelings for Yugi, he wanted to do everything he could to help them along. Yugi replied by telling him the story of what happened at lunch that day. "Wow…I had no idea…"
"Well that's what happened," Yugi finished. "I couldn't face her the rest of the day. She probably hates me now."
Yami watched as he trudged out of the room. She doesn't hate you, Yugi. Quite the opposite. But Rebecca could present some problems. I'll have to see how this plays out for awhile.
The next day, Yami watched his closest friend avoid the girl he loved. He barely said a word to her all day. Yami also noted that Téa was attempting to follow his advice of asking Yugi to the dance. Yugi's avoidance, however, was making it very difficult. Yugi also sat alone during lunch. Téa tried to talk to him then as well, but as soon as he saw her coming, he got up and left.
I have to do something about this. I just can't stand the two of them this miserable. Yami walked down the sidewalk with Tristan and Joey on Wednesday morning. Yugi had left early and was ahead of them a pretty good distance.
"Yami, what's up with you and Yugi this morning?" Tristan asked. "I've never seen you guys fight before."
"It's not between me and Yugi, but it does involve him," Yami replied.
"Okay, now I'm confused," Joey said in his confused voice.
"Here, let me explain," Yami continued. "Yugi loves Téa. Téa loves Yugi. But both of them are too shy to admit it to each other. They both wanted to ask each other to the Twilight Ball, but Yugi got into a predicament with Rebecca and now Yugi thinks Téa hates him for it. I bet you anything Téa feels the same way."
"Wait. Rebecca Hawkins? That creepy girl with the bear?" Tristan asked. "She frightens me."
"I'm sure she does, but we'll worry 'bout that later. Right now we gotta save love!" Joey shouted. "Call me Joey Wheeler, Love Docta!"
"Now Joey scares me," Tristan commented.
"Yep…" Yami agreed. "Though, scary he is, he's right. We need to do something to help them out. We can't just leave them like this."
"Hey, I have an idea. Yami, give me your cell phone for a second," Tristan spoke up.
"Okay, but what do you need it for?" Yami asked as he handed the phone over.
"Just watch," Tristan responded as he dialed a number. He put the phone to his ear and listened for an answer on the other end.
"Hello? Téa speaking," came the girl's voice.
"Hey, Téa. Could you meet us at the pine tree behind school for lunch today?" He asked.
"Uh…yeah…sure. Why are you calling me, Tristan? Why don't you just talk to me in homeroom?" came her reply. Tristan didn't respond and hit the end call button.
"Now for Yugi," he said. Tristan made the call and gave Yugi the same message. He handed the phone back to Yami after his calls.
"And that accomplished what?" Joey asked, returning to his confused voice.
"We've set up some alone time for them," Tristan replied. "All we have to do is make sure they meet."
That morning, Yugi and Téa acted the same as the previous day, Téa observing Yugi sadly and Yugi avoiding Téa at all costs. Yami, Tristan, and Joey talked amongst themselves, staying away from the topic of the Twilight Ball in case Yugi and Téa were listening in.
When lunch came up, Yami, Tristan, Joey, and Bakura hid in the bushes and watched for Yugi and Téa to show up.
"What exactly are we doing in the bushes?" Bakura asked.
"Shush! Just watch," Yami ordered.
Téa was first to arrive and she went over to the tree and sat down. Why did they want to meet me here? Is there something wrong with our old spot? This is really strange… Téa sat under the tree and looked around for a sign of the others. She noticed the large field of multi-colored flowers that was behind the school as well. She stared in that direction, the colors filling her eyes. Did Yugi plan this? Instead of a bouquet of flowers, he gave me an entire field. He's so sweet…
Yugi came around the corner of the building, eager to meet his friends. When the meeting spot came into view, he only saw Téa, the girl he cared about most. He had an urge to run to her and hug her or cry on her shoulder or something, he couldn't really figure out what he wanted to do. What am I thinking? If I go to her, I'll just make her life miserable. With that thought, he turned around and went back the other way.
"Well, that didn't work as well as I hoped," Tristan commented.
"You had no plan at all did ya?" Joey asked. Tristan shook his head.
"Plan? What plan?" Bakura begged.
"Let's go after Yugi," Yami suggested.
"Wait! What's going on?" Bakura shouted at them. He ran after the other three boys as they followed their friend.
Téa sighed as she stared off into the distance. She propped her head up on one hand and continued to wait for her friends, if they were ever going to show up. The view is wonderful, but I'd much rather share it with Yugi.
"There you are, Téa," said a voice from behind her.
"Mokuba? What are you doing here?" Téa asked the black haired boy. He was standing arm in arm with a girl his age, most likely his date for the Twilight Ball.
"Looking for you actually," he replied. She gave him a funny look, wondering why he was looking for her. "Noah and I have dates for the dance, but Seto doesn't. I was hoping that you could go with him."
"I was really hoping someone else was going to ask me, but I don't think he will…" Téa replied. Yugi, I'm sorry for this. "Yes, I'll go with him."
"What? Are you serious?" Yami asked in shock. He was walking with Téa after school that day and she had just broken the news to him. "What about Yugi? When he finds out he'll be crushed."
"But I thought Yugi didn't like me," she protested. "He was the one that came up with the idea to send me out back while the rest of you laughed about it in the front, right?"
"Actually that was me, Tristan, and Joey. We were trying to get you and Yugi alone so you could tell each other how much you cared for one another," Yami explained.
"Yugi…cares for me?" Téa gasped. Oh no, what have I done?
"I really wanted him to tell you himself, but yes he does. He loves you as much as you love him, if not more," came the reply.
"Okay, I'm going to break my date with Kaiba and ask Yugi to the dance," she declared. "I'll do it tonight, too! I'll call you guys later and…"
"That won't work as well as you think," Yami said in dismay.
"Of course it will. Just watch and see!" she replied.
"No, you don't understand," he continued. "Yugi was going to ask you out on Monday, but Rebecca Hawkins came through and forced him to go with her. That's why he's been avoiding you, so that you didn't find out and be sad about it."
"Why that little demon…" Téa stated. "I ought to teach her a thing or two."
"As much as I'd like to see someone actually do that, you really shouldn't," Yami told her. "And don't break this thing with Kaiba either. The last thing Yugi is going to want to see is you alone."
"So, what am I going to do?" Téa begged for an answer. "This isn't fair…"
"I know it's not fair…but I'm sure things will work out," he said in an attempt to comfort the girl. "I've seen you and Yugi do some great things together. This is going to be another one, I can just feel it."
Thursday went by, pretty much the same as Wednesday. Yugi and Téa had headed home, separately, after school, leaving Yami, Tristan, Joey, and Bakura behind.
"You guys never did tell me what we were doing yesterday," Bakura commented.
"Cliff notes version, Yugi and Téa are having relationship issues," Yami told him, tired of retelling the story.
"Oh, I see…They have a relationship?" he replied. The other three boys sighed in desperation.
"Has anyone figured out how we're gonna make this work?" Joey asked.
"Possibly…but we may need to recruit the help of Mai and Serenity to make it work," Yami said.
"What do you have in mind?" Tristan asked. "Maybe abducting Rebecca from the restroom and sending her to the Shadow Realm?"
"No, I was actually thinking they could give us a new perspective, seeing as how they're girls and all," Yami explained. Joey and Tristan agreed, but Bakura was left clueless and decided to just watch things play out.
"Alright, we'll meet at my house then," Joey offered. "Serenity will already be there and I wouldn't mind have Mai over for awhile."
"I'm sure you wouldn't," Tristan teased. "Just make sure you clean your room this time."
"First we'll have to get Mr. Sunshine out of the way," Mai stated. She, Joey, Yami, Tristan, and Serenity were sitting in Joey's bedroom trying to find away to finally get Yugi and Téa together in one day. "If we can pull that off then Téa's only obstacle will be Hawkins."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Tristan commented. "Remember, Kaiba's not too fond of us. If we get lucky, he may do it himself."
"Now, about Rebecca…" Yami hinted.
"I was thinking, we abduct her from the restroom and Yami can send her to the Shadow Realm," Mai suggested. Yami simply gave her annoyed look.
"See! That's what I said! But no, Yami wants to do this without mental injury," Tristan agreed. "If you ask me, she's too injured mentally for it to do any damage anyway."
"That's not nice Tristan," Serenity scolded. He quickly took the comment back to please the girl.
"Well, let's find someone cuter than Yugi then," Mai said.
"But who's cuter than Yug'," Joey asked. Everyone gave him puzzled and slightly disturbed looks. "Hey, now. I'm just saying…"
"Oh, I know!" Serenity jumped in. "There's this guy named Ovan in one of my classes. I believe he thinks Rebecca is cute, which could work in our favor."
"I don't know…I really didn't want to bring everyone and their mother into this," Yami said skeptically.
"We don't actually have to tell him anything about it," she continued. "At the dance, we just have to say something like 'there's Rebecca' and point her out. He'll take care of the rest."
"Okay, let's do it!" Joey proclaimed. "Tomorrow night is go time!"
Friday morning, Domino High was filled with smiling, eager faces, Yugi and Téa excluded. The other members of their group were probably more excited than anyone. To finally see their two best friends get together would be spectacular, aside from miraculous.
Everything has to go according to plan… Yami kept looking at Yugi and Téa all morning.
This is gonna be great! Joey giggled to himself in amusement.
Hey, an echo…Hello! My name is Bakura!
Their classes seemed to pass quickly and soon lunch came again, which is when they were dismissed to go home and prepare for the dance.
"So, are you going to be alright here by yourself?" Yugi asked Yami as he got ready.
"I didn't tell you? I decided to go as well," Yami replied.
"Great…" Yugi said quietly.
"What was that?" Yami asked.
"Great! It'll be fun," Yugi replied quickly.
More fun than you can possibly imagine, Yugi. Yami looked at himself in the mirror and fixed his bangs a little. "Ready to go?" he asked. Yami was wearing navy blue dress pants and a dress shirt of the same color, along with the Millennium Puzzle, while Yugi wore a full tuxedo.
"Ready as I'll ever be…" Yugi sighed. The two of them left their house and walked back to school together, neither of them talking much. On the way, they met up with Tristan, Serenity, Joey, and Mai. Yugi said nothing to them, his excuse being that he was thinking. Thinking, at that time, was his way of saying hoping Téa was going to skip the dance at the last minute. Upon their arrival, they noticed several students already there, the boys dressed in suits and the girls in dresses in shades of blues, purples, and pinks, all colors of twilight. A black limo pulled up and they identified it as Kaiba's. Yugi slipped away from the group quickly and quietly.
The doors of the car opened and out stepped Mokuba and Noah with their dates. Yami identified Mokuba's as Aura, the girl from his gym class, and Serenity knew the other, who went by the name of Pai. The next out was Kaiba himself, wearing his traditional tight black suit and white trench coat. Yami and the others waited for the last person in the limo, Téa, get out. When she did, the were caught breathless.
Her dress was of a baby blue silk and cascaded from her waist to her ankles like a waterfall. It came up from her waist to halfway up her back and wrapped tightly around her chest three inches below her collar bone. Along with the elegant dress, she wore matching gloves that came to her elbows. For jewelry, she wore a string of pearls that met in the middle by a sapphire that matched the color of her eyes and a pair of sapphire stud earrings. Her hair was held away from her face by two blue butterfly barrettes, one on each side.
"Hi. You guys look nice tonight," Téa said calmly with an attempt at a smile.
"Not as nice as you," Mai replied, indicating to her purple colored and Serenity's rose colored dresses. Theirs were supposed to be formal, but in comparison to Téa's garment, they looked like street clothes.
"Come on, let's go inside," Kaiba groaned. "The less time I have to be seen with you nerds, the better."
"Could you at least try to be nice, just this once?" Téa pleaded. I can't believe I chose a jerk like Kaiba over such a sweet guy like Yugi. Suddenly someone's cell phone went off.
"Saved!" Kaiba shouted with joy. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and walked away while talking on it. Mokuba and Noah scowled at their older brother, but Téa just shrugged.
"It's okay, let him go. I'm sure it's important," she told the younger Kaibas as they were about to go after him and most likely drag him back kicking and screaming. Besides, now that he's gone, I have a chance to get closer to Yugi.
"What about a date?" Noah asked curiously.
"I'll just get one at the last minute," she said with a grin. "How 'bout it, Yami?"
"Uh…sure…" he agreed fearfully. She wrapped her arm in his and the couples headed inside where they could already hear music. Téa forced Yami to slow down and hang back a little way. "Once again, what about Yugi?"
"I'm going to tell him, don't worry," she whispered to him. "But for now, you're going to have to be a good actor."
"But…I can't dance," he joked. Both of them laughed at it.
It had been three hours since the dance started and it was now nine. Bakura, using his influence on the dance committee, had reserved a table for Yami, Joey, Tristan, and their dates. They had taken turns all night keeping an eye on Yugi and Rebecca to see if they got ever got separated, which they never did. They noticed Yugi try to get away a couple times only to have Rebecca follow him.
Téa pretended to have a good time while talking to Mai and Serenity, but she had to fight her feelings whenever she caught sight of Yugi with the girl who he was forced to go with. At the moment, Mai was dancing with Joey and Serenity with Tristan while she was left with Yami. She didn't have anything personal against the former spirit, he just wasn't much on conversation. Looking over at him, she noticed he seemed to be in deep thought.
Yami propped his head on his hand and watched Yugi and Rebecca. What can I do? I can't do nothing, but I also can't make it obvious. If that music wasn't so loud…the music. That could work. He stood up and offered his hand to the girl next to him. "Could you come with me for a minute?"
"Yeah…sure," Téa replied and took his hand.
Tristan and Serenity had finished their dance just as Yami and Téa walked up to them. "Hey, Yami. How're things going?" Tristan asked.
"Just fine, Tristan. Now, just wait right here," Yami said. The three of them watched Yami approach the DJ and begin talking to him. Soon Yami returned with a grin.
"What are you so happy about?" Serenity asked.
"I made a request to the DJ," he answered plainly.
"He doesn't take requests though," Tristan commented. After his comment, the music faded.
"If everyone would clear the dance floor, we have a special request for two very lucky students," the DJ announced over the speaker system. Tristan gave Yami a funny look.
"I gave him a twenty," Yami whispered so only Tristan could hear.
"Now, will Yugi Moto and Téa Gardner please take the floor?" the speaker continued. The crowd parted in two places to allow the two of them onto the dance floor.
Yugi happily departed a very angry blonde girl and made his way to the middle of the gym. Téa could feel her face turn red as a tomato as she did the same. The two of them stood there in front of each other blushing wildly. Yugi looked over at Yami, who simply winked at him. Yugi smiled and turned back to the girl he loved. He put his left arm around her waist and took her left hand in his right. She put her right arm around his shoulder in response.
"It's about time you two open your hearts to each other. This song is for you," the DJ finished.
(Open Your Heart-Reprise is played for them. It's on .Hack/sign OST 2 and is track #20)
As they danced, Yugi and Téa saw nothing but each other. They gazed lovingly into each others eyes as they stepped slowly around in circles. Both of them were thinking the exact same thing. I'm so happy.
Yami and the others watched as Rebecca threw her arms up in desperation and stormed out of the room. Kaiba walked in a few minutes later and, upon seeing the two of them dancing, shrugged and walked back out.
"C'mon Joey. Let's go," Mai said, tugging her date out to dance. Tristan and Serenity smiled at each other then followed them and began to dance as well.
Yami smiled at his friends. He soon saw Mokuba and Noah come out with their partners, followed by several other couples. He returned to his seat at the table and closed his eyes, losing his thoughts in the music.
Yami looked at his watch. 10:30. We've already been out for half an hour? It doesn't seem like it was that long…
"You okay, Yami?" Yugi asked happily. He was walking side by side with Téa, holding her hand as they walked. "You haven't said much since we left the dance."
"I'm fine. Couldn't be better actually," he replied.
"I've been wondering, how did the DJ know you guys wanted to get together?" Mai wondered. "I never told him and neither did Joey."
"That…was me…I asked him to do it," Yami spoke up. Yugi and Téa stopped and looked at him, which stopped the others as well. "I've been doing subtle things all week to try to get you two alone. I was just worried that you'd give up on each other."
"But don't get mad at him," Joey added. "Me and Tristan started to help out later."
"Followed by me and Mai last night," Serenity finished. Yugi and Téa stared at their friends, mouths opened slightly.
"And now, I live this way," Tristan said as he walked down the block.
"Won't you walk me home, Joey?" Mai asked, no-so-innocently.
"Yeah…you can come too, sis," he replied. They walked off too, leaving Yami, Yugi, and Téa behind.
"So…you guys aren't mad, are you? I didn't mean to intrude…I just wanted you guys to be happy," Yami apologized.
"Of course not," Téa said. She quickly hugged him and returned to Yugi's side. "Without you, this probably wouldn't have happened."
"Yeah, thanks for helping us along," Yugi added. Yami smiled and turned to leave. "Hey, where are you going? You don't have to leave."
"Well, that's Téa's house," he replied, pointing behind them. "And your date isn't quite over, is it? I'll see you when you get home Yugi."
Yugi and Téa blushed as he left them. Yugi was the first one to break the silence between them. "So…where do we go from here?"
"I can't keep this a secret from you anymore," she replied. She looked deeply into his violet eyes and took a loving sigh. "Yugi, I love you."
"I…don't know…what to say…" he admitted.
"Then don't say anything and let me kiss you…" she told him softly.
They slowly moved closer and closed their eyes just as their lips touched. Téa melted into the kiss and pulled herself closer to him. Yugi put his arms around her waist as he too lost himself in the moment. They slowly broke the kiss and stared into each other's eyes. At that instant, their hearts began to beat in sync and they both said "I love you" at the exact same time.
And from that day, their hearts would forever echo together in the twilight of the night.
I would like to thank all my friends on fanfiction who have encouraged me through reviews of our past stories and for the competition in writing. Also, my friends on the zone, you know who you are. And to Heather, who I have dedicated thisstory to.Thanks you guys!