Well folks, looks like I was able to finally complete this stack of angst pancakes. With buttery confessions and syrupy romance. What else am I gonna do while I'm in jury duty?

Read. And review. Please.

Also anticipate more chapters of the Yu-Gi-Oh Movie Sequel coming your way...I still have four hours to go.

Again,

Yugi's thoughts,

[Yami's thoughts.]

Chapter 4

The chase continued from the classroom, through several hallways lined with lockers, across the schoolyard, and even continued as both teenagers exited the campus altogether. Tea was so engulfed in her misery and adrenaline rush from running out of the classroom, she didn't realize until her name was called that someone was at her heels. She could recognize that voice anywhere – and though the owner of it was indeed one of her dearest friends, she dared not stop or look back.

"Tea, wait!" Yugi called. His voice was laced with exhaustion from his exertion as the result of running after her for so long. "Please stop!"

Why, of all the friends I have, did I have to chase the one who was in track during her entire high school career? Yugi thought, frustrated at his difficulty in keeping up with Tea as she sprinted further and further from sight. One day, he will have his growth spurt...but until then, he'd just have to take more steps.

The tall brunette persisted in her trek through town, not adhering to the desperate calls for her return all the while. She couldn't; surely if she turned around to see Yugi's kind and pleading expression, she would give in, halt in her tracks, and cry her heart's sorrows into his shoulder. But it simply wasn't right; she just couldn't do it. So she kept running, crying freely now because holding back tears would deplete energy and perhaps split her concentration. And there was no way she could allow herself to tire before finding a place to hide...

Tea's unconscious thoughts must have led her home, judging by the way she spotted her house up ahead, while not remembering planning to go there at all. She just wanted to get away from school, from human contact, and especially from the prison-like confinement of the classroom. She definitely did not want to let her mind wander back to the test she had just failed... a test that was considerably important to her overall grade, no less... and certainly, her mother would not be pleased.

Nevertheless, Tea kept running, continuing towards her house, remaining unresponsive to anything to enter her ears. She saw the door was unlocked and open...without much thought or effort, she pushed the door open and raced inside, not even bothering to stop and close the door to keep Yugi from following her. All that she focused on was just getting to her room which, though still strangely felt different in perspective, was nevertheless her safe haven, when dealing with the world seemed too much to handle.

Tea slammed the door shut without hesitation, leaning on it in exasperation. Her heart and head pounded in her ears, the tears on her cheeks were dry and chilled her face. She had just failed a test, walked out of class, and ran away from her best childhood friend... was the break-up really affecting her to this degree? Was Yami truly worth all this suffering? Judging by the sensation in her heart that destiny had been trifled with... misaligned... she confirmed with regret that it was so. She reflected on all the times she was there for her friends – bringing them up when they were down, giving them hope when it was lost, and helping them find the will to fight on when defeat and failure seemed inevitable. If she could do that for her friends, then why was it that she could not for herself? Why was she all of a sudden afraid of the unknown, something she had reminded her friends time and time again to never fear? Why was the puzzling mystery of why her most passionate and loving relationship ended so abruptly haunting her from the inside out? And finally, why was she also afraid of the answer... if she were ever to receive one?

Let's face it, Tea thought. When it comes to my own life, I'm a hot mess.

Eventually she became too mentally exhausted to beat these thoughts to death in her mind. She slowly and tiredly dragged herself to her bed, letting her weight sink into the bed and her face in the pillow. The only thing on her mind was the part of her telling herself to stop thinking, and just cry it out.

Just cry, Tea. Don't think...just cry.

[Yugi please, you mustn't do this,] Yami finally said, feeling as though he had allowed enough come to pass. Seeing Tea so inconsolably hurt through Yugi's eyes violently tore his heart in two, and he wasn't sure if he could bear much more. Ignoring his dark's continuous protests, Yugi continued to follow Tea into her house through her front door, only to nearly collide into her mother, of who was standing near the foot of the stairs and beseeching her daughter to tell her what was going on.

"Sorry, Mrs. Gardner!" Yugi apologized, quickly bowing slightly to the startled woman before resuming his pursuit. He climbed the stairs to her bedroom – the stairs that he remembered playing on with Tea when they were children. Things have definitely changed since then, Yugi thought to himself as he reached the top.

Yugi spotted Tea's bedroom door instantly; besides that he was simply accustomed to its location after entering it so many times, it was heavily decorated in stickers, beads, and other door ornaments that made it stand out from all the other doors on the second floor. Though his heart gave a painful and nervous wrench, he continued onward, ready to knock on her door.

[Yugi, wait.]

What? After ignoring Yami up until this point, Yugi felt as though he owed him the opportunity to voice his objections...before disregarding them again.

[If you're doing what I think you are, I must ask you to refrain.]

No way... you still love her and she still loves you, and since I'm the one that came between you two, I intend to set things straight!

[But –]

Yami, just shut up, okay? Let me do what I'm going to do. You and Tea belong together and I would be selfish to want to stand in the way.

Yami was in shock – Yugi had never talked to him in such a way before. Never had he been so forthright and demanding! It took him by surprise, no doubt, however he felt in no such position to object to his light's wishes at this point. With this decided in his mind, he remained silent, even as Yugi knocked three times on the brightly-adorned bedroom door.

"Go away, Mom!" a voice shouted through the door.

"Tea? It's Yugi," he gently replied. He considered trying the doorknob, but instead decided not to invade unless invited. It was probably locked, anyhow. "Can we talk?"

There was no answer, so Yugi hesitantly uttered the truthful words he had wanted to reveal to her since he learned Yami's true motive. "Tea, I'm sorry that you're upset, I understand. I wanted to let you know that it was because of me that Yami wanted to end it with you." He paused, lost in the deeply uncomfortable moment. "If you just let me explain..."

A good long 10-second silence almost sent Yugi away, making him believe that he may have upset her further, until the doorknob jostled noisily and the door creaked open, to reveal an extremely emotionally worn-out Tea. "I'm sorry, Yugi. Come in."

Both teenagers sat on Tea's queen-sized bed as Yugi elaborated the entire situation – including the conversation he had had with Yami. The more he explained, the more Tea's emotionally-tense expression softened with understanding. At the same time, she seemed to become more saddened still when Yugi admitted to her that he had liked her for quite some time, and that Yami knew about it.

"He felt like he was betraying me by courting you knowing that I could possibly be jealous," Yugi said, with a clearly guilty expression on his face. "And it was true... I was jealous for a while. But then I realized that what overshadowed those feelings of envy was true happiness for Yami. I figured that the only one who deserves to have someone as amazing as you would be him."

In the meantime, the spirit of the Puzzle sat in his soul chamber, touched and moved by Yugi's each word admitted to Tea. He felt an enlightenment that he had not experienced in quite some time, if ever. He felt his feelings for Tea suddenly reemerging from the inner depths of his heart after being suppressed for so long, for Yugi's sake, and his own.

[Yugi, do you really mean everything you said?]

Yup, every word. Your happiness is mine, too Yami. Just remember that.

[You have true heart and courage to go through with this. And for that I thank you, my friend.]

Anytime. Don't forget to tell her that you love her.

Inspired and thankful for Yugi's words, Tea then pulled her friend into a tight hug, feeling him return it right away. He patted her back reassuringly, and at that moment, she felt something begin to change – Yugi's body suddenly took on a new shape in her arms; she recognized this change, only this time she could feel the transformation herself. Thin arms turned into toned, strong arms; a small stature became taller and fit. And as powerful, yet soft, hands gently pushed her shoulders back so they faced each other, Tea found herself staring into the sharply defined violet eyes which belonged to no other but Yami.

"Yami..." before Tea could say another word, Yami had entrapped her mouth in a sensuous kiss that derailed any train of thought she had left.

"Tea, I love you so much," he whispered, after they finally broke apart. Yami could feel Yugi's smirk in the back of his mind. "It was wrong of me to do that to you... I'm sorry."

Tea brought a hand to his face, tenderly caressing his cheek. "It's okay, I understand now why you did. You just didn't want to hurt Yugi... Yami I love you more than anything..."

Their lips locked once again, fiery passion burning brightly in each of their hearts. Tea felt her hands wander to the back of his neck, back, arms, and finally pulling his blue uniform jacket off his shoulders. Reciprocating her desires, Yami let her continue until the jacket was completely off and tossed away, before proceeding to undo the buttons on the front of her school uniform.

How did I know this was going to happen...? Yugi mused playfully, fading back into his soul room to give the reunited lovers their deserved privacy.

-THE END-