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Daze of Paradise	By : Kali Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7152 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Authoress�
Notes: Well, hello everybody! *stretches lazily* It�s so good to be back! I hope too many of our loyal readers haven�t
forgotten about this fic.
(Caitlin: *sniffles &
chibi eyes* How could anyone forget
me?!) -_-; Right� I guess now would
be a good time to say that I�ve now seen the whole Battle City tournament, and
as far as I can tell, I haven�t stepped away too much from the actual plot
accept for Marik being around, Ishizu having a yami of her own (Isis), etc.,
etc. As for the Bakura/Ryou stuff, I
have yet to see a conclusion on that plot thread so I�m not really worried
about it. Anyway, Let�s just move
along, shall we?

Disclaimers:
Caitlin and I don�t own Yu-Gi Oh! We don�t own Paradise Regained, either. That�s John Milton�s.

Warnings: The usual. In this chapter: A little
angst and a plot twist NO ONE was expecting, I�m sure. And from now on, no more Tea bashing! O.o

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Chapter 6 � Paradise Regained
******************************

Joey went
to the door to get the food, Ryou right behind him to help carry it in. The others were out on the deck watching a
spirited game of Duel Monsters between Kaiba and Yugi.
The blonde
duelist threw open the door and the smile he�d had on his face abruptly
vanished when he took in the appearance of the delivery person.
�Oh! Joey�and Ryou! I didn�t know this was your cabin.� Tea said, shifting the food boxes in her arms so she could see
them without looking over the top of the stack. �Are the others here, too?�
�Let me
take those.� Ryou scooped up the boxes
from Tea and headed for the kitchen, leaving Joey to deal with their former
friend.
�Uh�yeah. They�re out on the deck.� Joey sighed at the hopeful expression on Tea�s
face. But that wasn�t what made him stand
aside and usher her inside. Under the
hopefulness was a lost, nervous, and fearful look that made him wonder just
what she was up to. �I want to talk to
you, Tea.�
Tea nodded
and stared at the floor as she kicked off her shoes. �Yes. I figured you
would. I have time. I offered to deliver your food when the
regular delivery kid called in sick and they had no one else to send. I�m off work now until tomorrow afternoon.�
He just
looked at her as she babbled. Yep. There�s definitely something different about
her. Joey led her to the living
room and motioned for Ryou to join them.
The white-haired hikari took the food outside first, and while Joey
waited he watched Tea carefully in silence as she fidgeted and played with the
shoulder strap on her purse anxiously.
When Ryou returned, Malik was with him, and the two hikaris sat next to
Joey on the couch after Ryou had filled his and Joey�s plates and snagged three
sodas for them. He handed over the food
and a soda to Joey.
�Alright,
Tea. Spill it. What�s got you so worked up?� Joey finally demanded.
�I�I just
wanted to say that�I�m sorry. For being
such an annoying, jealous bitch before I left.� She looked at Joey pleadingly.
�I don�t know what was wrong with me!
I never wanted to lose any of you as my friends, Joey.�
Malik
snorted and Ryou elbowed him in the ribs.
�Let her explain herself, Malik.�
Ryou said, looking right at Tea as he spoke. �Even she deserves to be heard before either forgive her
or let our yamis have fun.�
Joey really
had to try to resist point out Yami wouldn�t allow that and snickering at Tea�s
horrified expression before, to their shock, she slumped in her seat and
refused to look at them.
�I deserve
it, Ryou. After being the way I was
with not just Yugi and Yami but with all of you.� She admitted quietly, her voice full of tears. �I don�t blame you guys for hating me.�
�Then why,
Tea? Why couldn�t you just accept that
Yugi didn�t return your feelings and never could?� Joey asked, shaking his head.
�You don�t know how hard it was on Yugi to lose one of his closest
friends, Tea.�
Malik
glared, fiercely protective of the young Light that had saved not only him but
his yami from the Shadows � and themselves.
�If you think you�ll get anywhere near Yugi again, you�re in for
a rude shock, girl. You have to get
past all of us � not to mention Kaiba and Yami.�
Tea looked
up, a little confused. �Seto
Kaiba? What does he care anyway?� She waved that off. �Never mind. I don�t want to get between Yugi and Yami, Malik. I swear it on�I�ll swear it on the
Millennium Items if you want.�
Ryou raised
a white eyebrow and exchanged looks with Malik and Joey. �That�s rather brave of you, Tea, assuming
you know what swearing an oath on them would mean if you were lying or broke
that oath��
�I do know,
Ryou.�
Malik
sighed. �She�s not lying. I spent enough time in her mind to know when
she is or not.�
�Look�I
know I have to earn it, but I hope you all can forgive me someday.� Tea stood, shakily twisting the strap of her
purse in her hands. �Maybe I�d better
just go. This was a mistake.� She turned to go to the door but stopped
cold when she came face to face with Yugi.
�Yugi!�
�Tea.� Yugi acknowledged, studying her so intently
that she fought back the urge to squirm under his penetrating, amethyst
gaze. �Leaving so soon? We didn�t have a chance to talk, you and I.� His smile softened his expression and he
said gently, �There�s a lot we need to catch up on, after all.�
Tea
sniffled, tears sliding down her cheeks.
�Yugi�I�m so sorry! I�ve missed
you so much�missed your friendship so much!�
Yugi,
always willing to forgive and ever able to see the goodness in others where
most could not, opened his arms to his friend and gathered her into a welcoming
hug. He�d grown a bit since the last
time they�d seen each other and Tea wasn�t boosted up by her typical four-inch
platform shoes she usually wore � making them exactly the same height now. She tucked her face into his neck and cried
quietly.
�I missed
you, too, Tea.� He whispered. He glanced up as Yami and the others filed
in and surrounded them. His amethyst
eyes met ruby red orbs.
{My Light�always
so forgiving.} Yami sent, voice wry and
amused.
{I
know. But I do miss her, Yami. And she�s changed. I can tell.}
{Perhaps.}
Yugi sent
him a mental grin. {Besides, you know
that no one and nothing can separate us, my love. The sex it too good.}
Yami
chuckled and shook his head. {That it
is, aibou. I quite agree.} He grinned a bit when his hikari blushed
slightly.
�Here,
Tea. Have a tissue.� Serenity produced a box of them and handed
it to her as the brown haired girl broke away from Yugi and wiped her eyes.
�Thank you,
Serenity.�
Everyone
took a seat, gathering around as Yugi filled Tea in on everything that happened
while she�d been gone. She smiled at the
bonded Pharaoh and his hikari when Yugi lifted his shirtsleeve to show her the
golden armband of the Winged Dragon of Ra.
�It�s
beautiful, Yami. I think that monster
was an excellent choice.�
Yami just
inclined his head briefly in thanks.
�So what
about you, Tea?� Mai inquired, studying
her nails. �How�re those dance classes
going?�
Tea�s face
fell. �Actually, not so good. I tried to get into this school in Los
Angeles, but they said I wasn�t quite good enough.�
�But you�re
a fabulous dancer!� Yugi protested.
�Thanks,
Yugi, but I guess I�m not as good as I thought.� She shrugged. �If that
school wouldn�t take me, then no others in the States will either � especially not
Julliard.� She tried to brighten things
up a little. �Besides! Dancing isn�t all I�d like to do with my
life. I want to travel some more, maybe
go to college for a while.�
Joey gave
her a one-armed hug. �Well, whatever
you decide to do, just make sure it�s what you want. We�ll stick with ya, Tea.�
�Thanks a
lot, Joey!� She hugged him back.
�So what
are you doing here? In Hawaii, I mean?� Everyone looked at Kaiba, who had spoken
after being silent the whole time, a bit stunned.
�Ah�I made
enough money at a waitress job in LA to get a plane ticket here but not enough
for one to Japan. I had to get out of
LA as soon as I could so I figured I�d be able to get a decent job here easier
than LA, since Hawaii gets a lot of Japanese tourists and I speak Japanese as
well as English.� She explained. �But�if it�s strange that I�m here
then it�s down-right weird that you�re here, Kaiba.�
�I�m on
vacation. What�s so weird about that?� He frowned, ice blue eyes fixed solidly on
her as he crossed his arms over his chest almost defensively.
Yami
chuckled. �Because it�s you,
Seto. But I think she means it�s weird
because you�re here with all of us.�
�Oh.� The CEO shrugged. �Kala won the trip and invited me along. And Mokuba was getting on my nerves
complaining that I don�t relax enough.�
�I see.� Tea�s expression said she wasn�t so sure
about that but she let it drop.
�So you�re
working to earn enough money to get a plane ticket home?� Yugi asked her. She nodded.
�Yes. I hope to have enough by the end of the
summer so that I�ll make it back in time to register for classes in the
fall. I figured I would get a student
loan or something.� She smiled
sadly. �With my mom gone, I have to do
something to put myself through school.
I spent what I had getting to the States and living there as long as I
could.�
Mai felt
sorry for the girl, despite how she�d disliked her for the past. �Honey, you�re coming back with us. And you can stay with Joey, Serenity, Kala,
and I until you can afford an apartment of your own.� She offered.
Joey
blinked and looked at his girlfriend. �Mai? You sure?�
�Hmph. I just offered didn�t I?�
Tea�s eyes
got huge and she swallowed thickly. �I�Mai,
I don�t know what to say!�
�Don�t
thank me, kid. I�ll expect you to earn
your room and board while you�re with us, and think of the plane ticket as a
welcome back gift from all of us.�
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a
dazed and happy Tea had left and the three yami/hikari couples had gone to
their cabin to go to bed, Joey had a brief conversation with Mai before turning
in themselves.
�Under that
tough-as-nails exterior you�re really a big softy, aren�t you, Mai?� He leaned back into his pillow.
�You�re
just figuring that out, Joseph?� She
drawled amusedly, crawling into bed with him.
He
shrugged. �I guess we�re just such a
good influence on you, huh?�
�Oh
yeah. I�m sure that�s the
reason.� Mai turned off the light.
There was a
period of companionable silence that was eventually broken by Joey�s sudden
question.
�Hey, Mai?�
�Yes, Joey?�
�Do you
love me?�
Mai opened
her eyes and blinked in surprise. �Of
course I do, Joey.� She rolled onto her
side to face him. �Where�d that
question come from?�
�Just
thinking about the past. You know�Tea
and Yugi.� He folded his hands behind
his head, propping himself up a bit as he thought. �Do you think we�ll ever have the kind of love that Yami and Yugi
have?�
Mai
frowned. �I don�t know that anyone
could. Those two are rather unique,
Joey.�
�Yeah. I suppose you�ve got a point there.� Joey sighed.
�Are you�having
second thoughts about us?� Mai asked
softly after a few moments of tense silence.
Joey sighed
again and turned over onto his side, coming face to face with the woman who�d
been his first girlfriend, his first lover, and a staunch friend for three
years now. �No. Not in the way you mean. I love you, Mai. You know that.�
�I
know. But�� she let him grasp her hand
and bring it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.
�But tell
me the truth, Mai. Do you see us in,
say, five years, getting married?
Having kids?� Joey closed his
eyes for a moment. �I�ve tried�I really
have. But I can�t see myself traipsing
off to Egypt for a dig and leaving my family behind, and I can�t see you
raising our kids all alone while I�m gone.�
Mai,
despite the small ache in her heart, thought about that for a moment. Then she answered truthfully, �No, Joey, I
can�t either.� She felt a tear slide
down her cheek and smiled sadly into Joey�s big, puppy dog golden eyes as he
wiped the tear away with his thumb gently.
�So where
does this leave us?� He asked, sorrow
in his voice.
�I don�t
know. I don�t want to lose you,
Joey. You and Serenity are like family
to me.�
�That will
never change, Mai. I promise you that.� Joey swore, crossing his heart. �Serenity looks up to you as an older
sister. She needs you in her life and
so do I.�
�Well, I
need you both, too.�
�I guess
this means we�re breaking up?�
�Yeah. I guess so.
But we�re still close friends, Joey.
And you and Serenity can still live with me for as long as you want.� Mai said that quite firmly.
�Thanks,
Mai.� Joey leaned over and kissed her
one last time before rolling out of bed and moving to his bag to pack his
stuff. �It�s probably better if I just
move over to the other cabin with Yugi and the others, since this cabin�s all
full.� He pulled on a pair of shorts
and a shirt, though he left it unbuttoned as he packed up.
�You don�t have
to go tonight, Joey.� Mai told him,
though she knew he was right.
He hoisted
his bag over his shoulder. �No. It�s better this way.� He looked like he wanted to say something
else, but it just wouldn�t come out.
Mai got up and went over, wrapping her arms around him tightly and
kissing him goodbye passionately before pushing him to the door.
�Go,
Joseph. I don�t want you to see me cry.� She sniffled.
�I�m sorry,
Mai.�
�Just go. I�ll be okay.�
He nodded
and went for the stairs, not looking back until he heard the �click� of her
bedroom door.
Downstairs
he found Kaiba sitting alone, reading his book again.
�What�re
you doing still up, Kaiba?� Joey asked.
�Couldn�t
sleep. So�� he waved his book at Joey,
and frowned when he noticed Joey�s bag.
�Where are you going?�
�The other
cabin.� Joey looked away, heart heavy
and not wanting to discuss his love life with someone who, at best, despised
him. �I�ll see you in the morning,
Kaiba.� He walked out the patio doors
and tried to ignore the presence of the blue-eyed CEO that got up, laid his
book aside, and followed.
�Wait,
Joey.� Kaiba wasn�t sure why he cared �
this was Joey Wheeler, after all � but he found himself concerned about the
blonde. �What�s wrong? Do you normally run off in the middle of the
night?�
Joe sighed
and set his bag down, fairly sure Kaiba wouldn�t let him leave until he
explained himself and feeling too emotionally weary to fight back against his
adversary. �Not that it�s any of your
business, Money-bags, but Mai and I decided to break things off, and I decided
it would be best if I moved to the other cabin and took the free room since
this cabin�s full.�
Kaiba
absorbed that then said, �I see.�
He had to
frown at himself when he felt a little spark of� Dear Gods! I�m happy
he�s not going out with Mai anymore?!
What the hell?!
Oblivious
to Seto�s sudden elation and extreme confusion about it, Joey picked up his bag
again. �I�m going over there before
anyone gets too settled in. Bye.� He started down the steps to the beach.
Kaiba
mentally shook himself and called out, �Joey!
Hey, I�m sorry. About you and
Mai, I mean.�
Joey looked
up at him, surprised. �I�uh, thanks,
Kaiba.� He replied, uncertain about
this new Seto Kaiba. Then he hurried
over to the other cabin, leaving a confused and vaguely annoyed with himself
blue-eyed duelist behind.
The blonde
knocked on the door of the cabin and waited, knowing that either Yugi or Yami
would hear his knock or sense he was there.
He was
right. He didn�t have to wait long.
A
sleepy-eyed, tousled Yugi appeared at the door, flicking on the kitchen�s light
switch as he rubbed at his eyes and opened the door.
�Joey?� Yugi yawned. �What�s going on?� He
gestured at his bag. �What�s with the
luggage?�
�Sorry I
woke you up, Yug.� Joey
apologized. �Is it alright if I take
the forth room here?�
�Of course,
Joey.� Beginning to wake up some, Yugi
let him in and led him up to the spare room.
�But why? Did you and Mai have a
fight or something?�
Joey shook
his head, smiling sadly. �No. Look, I�ll tell you about it in the morning,
okay? Go back to bed, Yugi.� He paused.
�And thanks.�
�Well, if
you�re sure�� Yugi left him alone and went back to bed and his nice, warm Yami.
Joey closed
(and locked � an extra precaution against certain platinum blonde Egyptians)
the door, then stripped and crawled into bed.
He cried himself
to sleep that night.
************************************
Authoress� Notes:
O.o I told you I had a surprise
for you! I�m being sneaky
again!!!! (Marik, Malik, &
Bakura: LET US HELP!!??) ^-^
Ah�no. I don�t think so. More coming soon! R/R!
- 5
- 6
- 7
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Daze of Paradise