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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Authoress�
Notes: Sorry for the long wait, everyone! (Caitlin:
My yami is lazy�) >_< Anyway, this chapter is a necessary
evil. Why? You�ll see.

Disclaimers:
Caitlin and I don�t own Yu-Gi Oh!

Warnings: The usual. In this chapter: a little bit of angst.

******************************
Chapter 8 � All For One, One For All
******************************

�Veni, vidi, vici.�
(�I came, I saw, I conquered.�)
� Julius Caesar

It was
their last day in Hawaii. The sun was
out in full force, the ocean�s waters sparkled like billions of brilliant
gemstones, and the sand was warm and comfortable under Joey�s back as he lay
there on the beach so relaxed he could almost fall asleep.
He adjusted
his sunglasses and propped his head up with his hands behind it, enjoying his
last few hours of beach time immensely.
�It�s been
a lot of fun, hasn�t it, Yugi?� Joey
mused quietly. His best friend was
stretched out on his stomach nearby flipping through as Duel Monsters magazine. The young light glanced over at him with a
smile.
�Yep! And I sure needed the break from school,
too. I hate to go back and yet there�s
something in me that wants to return to the classes and homework and everything
else.� Yugi admitted. �Maybe I�ve been in the sun too long.�
Joey
laughed. �Nah. I think we�re all a little homesick,
Yug. Besides, now that we�re refreshed
and relaxed, we�ll be able to work harder and think clearer, right?�
�That�s the
most intelligent thing I�ve ever heard you say, pup.� Seto�s shadow fell across both teens as he walked past with a
deck chair folded under one arm.
�Blah,
blah, blah, rich boy. What would you
know about relaxing anyway?� Joey
retorted, ignoring the name-calling even though he felt a curious tingling sensation
whenever the tall, dark-haired CEO used it.
�We � including Mokuba � usually have to knock you unconscious to get you
to relax.�
Kaiba set
up his chair then sat and got comfy, opening his book to read again. �What does it look like I�m doing right now
then?� He inquired evenly, looking for
his place to start reading.
Joey rolled
over onto his stomach and plucked the book right out of Kaiba�s hands, perusing
the cover curiously. �The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas?� He read aloud in surprise. �You actually read this stuff? For fun?�
Annoyed and
feeling slightly defensive, Kaiba growled and snatched it back. �Yes, actually, I do. It�s called a book, Wheeler, though I doubt you
have ever even touched one let alone read one.� He glared at Joey hotly and the blonde teen glared right back,
unfazed.
�I�ll have
you know I�ve read that, Kaiba. And The
Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo.� Joey informed him primly. �I happen to like reading � when I�m not
duelling, or playing video games, or doing homework.� He added.
Yugi
snickered next to him and Joey let out a laugh. �You�re certainly well rounded, Joey!� The Keeper of the Puzzle exclaimed, giggling more.
�Alright. So you�ve read it. Big deal. It�s not War
and Peace, after all. Read that
and I might be impressed.� Kaiba
told him smugly. He had to swallow a
laugh when Joey�s eyes crossed and he made a distressed noise.
�Oh,
ugh. No way! I read the first twenty-five pages of that and I nearly chipped a
tooth on the floor when I dozed off and fell out of my chair.� Joey shuddered dramatically. �I�m sure it�s a great book but it bored me
to tears.�
Kaiba made
a noncommittal sound and focused his attention on his book, definitely not
wanting to show that he was reluctantly impressed (a little) since even
he had only read about fifteen or so pages before he�d had to
stop and go splash cold water on his face to wake himself up again.
�I read The
Lord of the Rings a couple years ago.�
Yugi said. �I really liked that
series.� Joey nodded in agreement.
�Definitely
on my top ten list.�
Yami joined
Yugi then, handing his aibou a can of soda and popping open one for himself as
he sat next to Yugi on the warm sand.
�List of what?� he inquired.
�Books that
we�ve read.� Yugi told him.
�Ah.�
Ryou and
Malik, with their yamis right behind them, came over next, carrying a large,
and heavy cooler filled with ice and beverages between them. They set it on sand behind the group of
teens and gathered around it, joining their friends. The girls went flying past in their bathing suits and rushed into
the water with squeals of delight � Tea, too.
She�d quit her job the day before in order to spend the last day of
their trip with her old � and new � friends.
For a complete
change of pace, while the girls were splashing around and playing in the water,
the guys � all eight of them � lounged about the rapidly warming sandy
beach. Even the often-hyper Malik was
quite happy being lazy, lying contentedly next to Marik on a shared beach towel
and letting the sun work on the wonderful tan he was born with.
Around
noon, someone�s cell phone started ringing insistently from one of the girls�
beach bags.
Joey dug
through it, discovering it was Mai�s phone, and yelled out to his former
girlfriend. �Hey, Mai! Your phone�s demanding attention!�
�So answer
it, Joseph!� She yelled back. �Tell whoever it is to go away! We�re on vacation!�
With a
shrug, Joey answered the phone.
�Hello! This is Mai Valentine�s
cell phone. Can I help you?�
Unable to
resist, Kaiba smirked over his book at Joey and needled him. �You�d make a good secretary, pup. Want a job?�
Scowling
darkly at him, Joey stuck out his tongue while crossing his eyes at Kaiba
before the voice on the other end of the line caused him to return to the
conversation.
�Whoa,
whoa, whoa! Dee? That you?�
There was a pause and suddenly Joey�s face paled and he sat up straight,
his voice going low and concerned. �Aw
man�yeah. All right, I�ll tell her and
she�ll call you back. You�re at
home? Okay, yeah. I�m so sorry, Dee. Yeah. Bye.� Joey pulled the phone from his ear slowly
and pushed the �off� button.
Kaiba
frowned, unwillingly concerned.
Yugi sat up
and laid a hand on Joey�s arm.
�Joey? What�s wrong?�
�That was
Mai�s other cousin � Kala�s older sister.
Bad news from home, Yug.� Joey
watched his friends in the sea, laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves. �Gods.
I hate having to ruin this vacation.
Look at them! They�re so happy��
Joey pushed himself up to his feet and rubbed a hand over his face. �Damn it all�� He started toward the girls.
Yugi
glanced at his darkness quickly then got up and followed the blonde at Yami�s
grave nod.
�Yami?� Ryou asked.
�Do either you or Yugi know what happened?�
�No,
Ryou. We just sense something very bad
has happened to someone in Mai and Kala�s family.� Yami sighed. �Correction
� Yugi sensed that.�
They all
watched as Joey called the girls in from the water back to shore and then spoke
to them quietly for a moment. Mai�s
hand rose to her face to cover her mouth as if to hold back a cry and Kala
began to sway on her feet and would have fallen over if Yugi hadn�t wrapped an
arm around her waist and held her up.
Serenity joined him on her other side and together they led the petite
young woman back to the cabin, Joey and Mai right behind them. Tea looked a little out of place for a
moment before jogging over to the others.
�Oh, you
guys�it�s just awful!� She said in a
tearful voice, dropping down onto her knees in the sand. �Joey said that Kala�s sister, Diana, just
called and told him that their mother was in a bad accident! She didn�t make it to the hospital��
There were
gasps from Ryou and Malik, and Yami made a sad, concerned noise.
�Are Kala and
Mai okay, Tea?� Ryou wanted to
know. �Is there anything we can do?�
She shook
her head. �I don�t think so. Joey�s with Mai and Kala and so are Serenity
and Yugi.� She sniffled and wiped away
a few stray tears. �I feel so bad for
them both. I know how hard it is to
lose someone like that.�
Yami had a
distant look on his face, which meant he was conversing with his light. {Do you require assistance, aibou? Shall I send Ryou and Malik?}
{No, it�s
all right. I can handle this. But thank you, Yami. I�m just going to put her to sleep so Kala
can rest. She�ll need her strength to
deal with everything in the next little while.} Yugi replied.
{Yes. Please pass along all our sympathies and
remind her that her friends are always with her, aibou. If you need us, call.}
{I will.}
Yami
blinked and returned his attention to his surroundings. He looked up at Kaiba. �What time is it, Seto?�
The
blue-eyed CEO looked at his Bulova watch.
�Nearly two o�clock.�
�Hmm�well, I
suggest we all pack everything up and perhaps begin to pack our belongings as
well.� Yami decided, rolling gracefully
to his feet.
�I guess we
will be leaving somewhat sooner than expected, huh?� Malik began rolling up the beach towel, shoving Marik off
unceremoniously. �This sucks on all
counts, guys.�
No one
could argue with that statement.
The rest of
the day passed as a blur of activity.
Numerous phone calls were made as well as arrangements for Kala and Mai
to fly immediately to Seattle, where Kala�s mother had lived and where the
funeral would take place.
Everyone
else was flying home the next morning as had been intended. They all saw the two girls off, piling
condolences, well wishes, and reminders of friendship on them as well as hugs
before letting Mai and Kala get into the cab that would take them to the
airport.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The flight
home was quiet and subdued, since no one was in a particularly happy frame of
mind.
Since they
had two extra tickets, Tea had accepted the one that would have been Kala�s (at
her insistence that Tea take it) and Yami opted to make the trip outside the
Puzzle, taking the ticket that would have been Mai�s. Bakura and Marik returned to their soul rooms for the journey,
much to their hikaris� relief. Ryou
because Bakura plus flying equals disaster and Malik because it kept Marik�s
wandering hands off him for at least a little while.
Back in
Japan, while Seto was on his cell phone calling for a limo to come and pick him
up and to let Mokuba know he was home, the remaining group said their farewells
and made plans to hook up on the first day back to classes.
�Keep in
touch with us, Joey, and let us know how Kala and Mai are doing, alright?� Yugi said as he and Yami got into their
shared cab with Malik and Ryou. �And
welcome home, Tea! Stop by and visit,
okay?�
�I
will! And thanks, Yugi!� She waved at them as the cab pulled away.
Joey
sighed. �Well, I guess we�d better grab
a cab, too, huh? Either of you have any
place you wanna stop before we head home?�
�Not
me.� Tea shook her head. �I�m just jet-lagged.�
�I�m tired,
too, big brother. I just want to go
home.� Serenity agreed. �And I want to phone Tristan to let him know
I�m back.�
Joey
grinned at that. �Sure thing, sis. I bet he�s really missed you while you were
gone, too.� Serenity blushed prettily
and gave her brother a light punch in the arm for his teasing.
�Don�t
waste your money on a cab, Wheeler.�
Kaiba�s voice spoke up from behind the blonde and he jumped slightly,
having nearly forgotten Kaiba was there.
�How else
do you expect us to get home, money bags?
Walk?� Joey retorted
sarcastically.
Kaiba
grunted, ignoring the slight curious hurt feeling that he had at Joey�s
words. He was trying to be nice
here, couldn�t the blonde see that?
�No, moron. I�m offering to give
you a ride. It�s on my way home,
anyway, and it�s not like my limo doesn�t have room.� He hastened to justify his offer at Joey�s (not to mention Tea
and Serenity�s) surprised and dubious look.
Just then a long, shiny black limo pulled up and the driver got out to
open the trunk and load his boss� bags.
A door opened and Mokuba stepped out, glomping his older brother in a
flash.
�Seto! You�re home!�
�Oooh. Yes, Mokuba. Didn�t you believe me when I told you that on the phone?� Kaiba teased, his entire expression
softening � as it always did around his little brother. The younger Kaiba growled and stuck out his
tongue at Seto.
�Hey,
Joey! Hi, Serenity! How was Hawaii, guys? I bet it was real hot and pretty, huh? Did you take lots of pictures?� The kid bounced over to Joey and his sister
and gave them both hugs in greeting, too, as he piled questions on them.
�Not too
bad, kiddo!� Joey grinned, ruffling
that mop of black hair affectionately.
�Hawaii was fabulous and yes, we took lots of pictures.�
�Awesome!�
�If Kaiba
doesn�t mind, Mokuba, once the films� been developed, perhaps you can come over
and look at them.� Serenity invited.
That sent
Mokuba into a happy dance and had Seto rolling his eyes and saying in that
commanding CEO voice of his, �Let�s go, Mokuba.� Mokuba bounced over to the limo and crawled in. Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and
gave Joey a questioning stare. �Are you
coming or not, mutt?�
�Fine. Since you�re being so gracious about it��
Joey shrugged and handed his bag to the driver before climbing in, followed by
his sister and Tea, and finally Kaiba himself.
Tea was
unusually quiet � well, compared to the girl they�d known before. Mokuba, sitting next to his brother across
from Joey and the girls, regarded her with an expression that was reminiscent
of his older brother�s usual glare � cold, distant, silent, and demanding of
answers.
�I see you
picked up some extra baggage, too.� The
younger Kaiba said. Tea looked down at
her lap, twisting her purse strings in her hands. Joey sighed.
�She�s not
the same as she was when she left, Mokuba.
We all had a long talk and we�ve forgiven her.� The blonde told him. �She needed some help getting home so we
lent a hand � just like friends do.�
�But she
really hurt Yugi! And Yami!�
�I know
Mokuba. I�I really am sorry,
though. I didn�t realize what I was
doing and I couldn�t see what was right under my nose.� Tea spoke up, her voice quiet.
Mokuba
thought about that, then looked up at Kaiba.
�Did Yugi and Yami really forgive her, Seto?�
Kaiba,
who�d pretty much been ignoring the conversation, looked down at his younger
sibling then over at Tea. He still
didn�t like her � though it probably had more to do with all the times she�d
told him off then anything else �but he nodded to Mokuba anyway.
�Well,
okay. If Yami and Yugi can forgive you,
Tea, then I can, too.�
�Yep!� Joey grinned. �We all deserve second chances, after all. And it�s just like my best buddy to be
willing to offer one to anybody.� He
gave Kaiba a meaningful look. �Isn�t
that right, money bags?�
�Whatever.�
The limo
pulled to a stop outside Mai�s hose and the driver retrieved their bags while
Joey and the girls climbed out one by one.
�Thank you
for the ride, Kaiba.� Serenity thanked
him softly as she slid out and he nodded.
�Yes, thank
you, Kaiba.� Tea paused as she made to
get out, holding his icy gaze unwaveringly.
�We haven�t always seen eye to eye, you and I, Seto Kaiba. But I think we�ve both changed and maybe
someday we�ll be able to get along � for Yugi�s sake, at least.� Having said her piece, Tea got out and
accepted her bags from the driver.
Joey looked
at Kaiba, his head tilted as if he was trying to puzzle something out. �I may never understand you, Kaiba, but I
don�t think I�ll ever give up trying.
You always manage to surprise me somehow.� He glanced at Mokuba and flashed a smile. �See ya, kid! Keep this one out of trouble, okay?� He jerked a thumb at the older Kaiba.
�You bet,
Joey!� Mokuba giggled at the concept of
Seto in trouble. Rolling his eyes,
Kaiba reached out and gently cuffed the blonde upside the head, pushing him out
the car door.
�Get lost,
mutt. And give Kala my condolences when
you speak to her. Mai, too.�
Joey
sobered and swallowed the retort he�d been about to blast Kaiba with for the
swat. �Yeah. I will. Thanks for the
ride, Kaiba. Oh, and money bags?�
�What now?�
�It�s been
a pleasure.� Joey grinned and Seto felt
a tug somewhere deep inside his chest. �See
ya �round school, Kaiba.� Joey grabbed
his bag and sauntered off toward the house, satisfied he�d finally gotten in
the last word with the High Priest of the Gods.
Mokuba
moved to sit across from Seto as the limo pulled away from the curb. �Condolences? What happened, Seto?�
With a sigh
of resignation, knowing his nosy little brother wasn�t going to let up until he
got the entire story out of him, Kaiba related the entire week�s events to him
on the ride home.
************************************
Authoress� Notes:
I know it�s short� but like I said, it�s a necessary chapter. More sooner than later! I swear! Please R/R!
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Daze of Paradise