Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Chapter Twenty Four: Here we go, ready now? ( Chapter 24 )

Chapter Twenty Four: Here we go, ready now?

Seto was having a very good time-well, a good time for Seto, after all. He had seven or so starchips already, and the duelists were pathetically easy to beat in his opinion. He had a sudden urge to duel Yugi, but resisted it, knowing Mina would be there. Not that he was avoiding her, mind you, but it was better they stayed apart for now. He had to cure himself of constantly needing her by his side-it wasn't good for him. People were starting to call him soft, for God's sake!

He wondered briefly if Mina would be there when he dueled Pegasus. She hadn't seemed to realize it at the moment when he said it so casually, but he knew she had gotten it by now. Mina wasn't an idiot-it just took some time for particular things to sink in. And maybe it was better that way, who knew?

As he walked along the forest paths leisurely, he thought about Joey. Was it such a good idea to leave Mina with him? She said Joey had a crush on her-he wouldn't try anything, would he? Seto, in all respects, regretfully submitted to that little nagging feeling of jealousy and mistrust that had been tugging at him since the other day; asking him constantly if Mina ever really meant what she said about loving him. If she wondered about him too. If she needed him like he needed her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Somewhere close by, Mina was discovering for the first time the awful experience of waking up early in the morning and discovering you had slept on a rock all night.

"Ow," She whined, sitting up and rubbing her lower back, feeling very sorry for herself. Bakura, Tristan, and Yugi were already up and going about breakfast making, Tea was just beginning to open her eyes, and Joey…

Well, Joey was sprawled out, snoring loudly, about five feet from where he had begun. Mina giggled, stood and crouched on her heels by him.

"Hey-Joey-wake up, you're making a racket!" He jumped awake and sat up so suddenly she was toppled over onto her backside.

"AHHHHH!!" His eyes were wide and startled for a moment or two, then he turned to look at her and realized where he was. "Oh, Mina, geez, didn't I tell ya not ta do that?!"

"Ow," whined Mina in response, dolefully thinking of the nice black bruise she would have on her bottom to match the one on her back. "Sorry. Just thought you might like to wake up and stop snoring loud enough to wake people halfway across the world."

"I don't snore," He denied irritably, a red blush spreading on his cheeks.

"Whatever!" She giggled and pulled herself up, stretching briefly before going to roll up her sleeping bag. Joey meanwhile stared at the sky and blinked slowly, trying to wake up properly, muttering various things about silly girls and the sun rising too early.

Breakfast was eaten slowly, with each person enjoying the others company, and things were packed up slowly; decks were reviewed a final time before the day's journey began. Mina sifted leisurely through hers away from the others, hesitating on "The Aqua Spirit", brushing her fingertips briefly over the girl's sadly smiling face, the magic water droplet, the veil behind her head. As if to reassure herself it would be with her, she pocketed it instead of leaving it in the deck with the rest, which she tucked into her knapsack among various snacks, chocolate, and books.

"Hey, Mina! Come on, we're going now!" someone called from the clearing, and she jumped up, grabbed her bag, and raced through the trees.

"Wait for me, guys!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pegasus sighed happily. This was working out so nicely-people were so wonderfully predictable. Of course, his was a plan based completely on emotions and luck, and even a certain amount of weather was involved.

He had counted on Mina to wave her hands around so much her communicator would fly off, and he had counted on Seto's curiosity to mostly anything digital when he had picked it up. He had planned for Mina's name to flash first thing on the screen, her full name. He had known Seto would appear and rescue Mina, and that he would be angry and would drop subtle hints, but Mina wouldn't recognize them until later. And he counted on the jealousy.

But now, the main thing was Joey.

Would he or would he not play his part in this game correctly?

The success of Pegasus's plan depended on it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Looks like it's about to rain," remarked Bakura casually, looking at the sky. Yugi nodded.

"We should find somewhere to stay until it's over," he said worriedly. Mina hurriedly nodded her agreement and she and Tea scooted closer to the group. Joey puffed his chest up slightly, showing off in front of the feminine part of the group.

"Nah, a lil' water never hurt anybody!"

This point was quickly nixed when it started to rain so heavily they couldn't see three inches in front of their noses.

"Okay, I'm getting wet, hurry, let's find someplace to wait it out!" Joey yelled through the downpour, and Mina laughed, grabbing onto his sleeve and blindly following him through the rain like falling pieces of glass.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seto was caught mid-stride by the sudden cloudburst, and he jogged leisurely to a small patch of forest which had thickly overhanging branches so tightly interwoven that it was quite snug on the forest floor. He didn't hear two pairs of feet duck into the same clearing of sorts on the other side of the hedge that separated it.

And if he only knew how life altering the next few hours would be……