Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...Kazuki Takahashi does...Me? Would I be writing this if I did own it? /raises eyebrow/

A/N

I'm feeling quite productive lately! Hmm...is that a good sign? Because, otherwise – I'm unspeakably lazy...he-he. Anyway, this is a one-shot sequel to Out of the blue, a Tea and Bakura fanfic I wrote...uh...months ago? Yeah, well – since Vaz wanted a sequel so badly and I'm a nice person – I decided to write one. It might come out a bit late, but...oh, well. It's a one-shot, though, because I don't think I'd have the time to start another chapter-long story...I'm already too busy with TLOTS and CUMK...heh, that looks funny...

Right, so, I hope you'll enjoy this. And Vaz – I hope you'll enjoy this as well. /smiles brightly/ And you better review! /shakes her fist/

Remnants of blue

(Out of the blue one-shot sequel)

-by Alena S. Anigor

The house was empty as usual, Tea being the only one at home. Her parents had to go to a business trip, and although that was no news to her, she still wished they could stay for a little longer. After all, it was autumn and since no one really had a desire to take long walks on a cloudy, windy and cold days like these, she preferred to stay at home, laughing with her parents over dinner, talking about all the duels Yuugi won, and all the dumb things Joey and Tristan seemed to have a knack for doing. Of course, she mentioned one Ryou Bakura and his other half, but she was still hesitant whether she should tell them about her relationship with Yami Bakura or not. Although her father looked pretty much clueless, her mother was perceptive enough to notice a faint blush on her cheeks every time she mentioned his name. Still, she didn't say anything but only smiled at her in a motherly way.

And every time they left, she felt a strange void in her heart, wishing for them to come back soon. She loved her parents; they were kind and quite open-minded and she always knew she could turn to them for help. Now, the brown-haired girl was currently sitting on the sofa, eating ice cream and watching TV. The sound of the telephone ringing made her jerk slightly and she put the ice cream filled cup to the table, getting off the sofa to answer the phone.

"Hello?" She said in a soft voice, half wishing to hear her mother on the other line. Her eyes lit up a bit when she heard Bakura's voice on the phone, deep and profound. She liked hearing his voice; it always carried some sort of strength and mystery in it.

"Can you come over?"

Tea's brows knitted in confusion. She looked at the clock on the wall; it was past eight. Glancing at the window, she saw it was getting dark already.

"What, now?" She asked him, slightly confused by his sudden phone call. After all, they had seen each other in the morning already. A chuckle was heard on the other side before she heard him speaking again.

"What? You don't want to see me anymore?" there he made a significant pause and she could practically imagine him smirking evilly on the other side, "that's not very nice...especially since I've got something for you..." he trailed off, letting the silence take over. Holding the phone in her hands lightly, Tea resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 'Typical,' she thought, 'always playing games...'

"You didn't steal anything, did you?" She asked him suspiciously, eyeing the white wall of the living room precariously. She heard another chuckle over the phone then his voice, flowing in that smooth, deep tone of his.

"Me? Why would you say that?" He replied smoothly, in a mocking tone and Tea sighed in resignation. Fine, she'll play his game this time...besides, she was curious about that something...

"Fine, I'll come...but you better have a nice surprise for me..." She said in a fake, warning tone and smiled despite his tendency to enjoy teasing her and playing those little games with her. After all, it was actually fun; she was never bored around him and after three and a half months of dating him, she already got used to everything he was. He was still slightly possessive and jealous, but he also got used to Yuugi, ever so slowly, although he still liked to glance at the Millennium Puzzle wistfully, making the smaller boy edge away in fright every time that occurred. Tea would only shake her head and tell Yuugi not to worry. Then she would throw him a glare and he would smirk, sneaking his arm around her waist and after a passionate kiss, all was forgotten. Others got used to his presence, as well, although Tristan and Joey were still slightly wary of him, still not forgetting that dreadful experience in Duelist Kingdom...

"Of course," he replied enigmatically and she giggled when he let out another tantalizing snigger.

"I'll see you in a few," she replied and hung up. Shaking her head, she wondered briefly what was he up to this time, but decided to enjoy in the sweet anticipation and curiosity.

She turned the TV off, put the ice cream back in the refrigerator and then jogged up the stairs to get dressed. Humming softly to herself, she went to her room and started rummaging through the closet.

Bakira smirked in satisfaction when he heard her agreement and hung up after her, staring at the wall for a few seconds then redirected his attention to a little, long forgotten item in his hands. She seemed to like that thing a lot, because she often stopped by that same spot a few times, observing the surroundings as if searching for something. He would stare quizzically at her, asking her what she was looking for, but she only ignored his questions, always muttering something about little kids taking it.

He would still be clueless about it if there weren't for his hikari, finding the object among his things on the desk they both shared in the living room. He asked him if the item belonged to him, perhaps and then it finally hit him. That was what she was looking for...

Still smirking and remembering that fateful day when it all started, he twirled the object in his hand, observing it carefully. It was so common and so inane but...for some reason, it meant a lot to her.

"So, I'll give it back to her," he whispered thoughtfully, when Ryou interrupted him and snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned his attention to him, eyeing him indifferently.

Maybe it was the fact that he was with Tea that made him act more civil towards him, but either way, Ryou was happy that his yami finally changed a bit, and for the better. After all, he didn't glare at him anymore and threatened him...that was a good start, wasn't it?

Ryou smiled politely at him. "Uhm...well, I'll be going now," he said softly, something akin to amusement evident in his chocolate orbs. "Have fun, you two!"

With a wave of his hand, he turned around and left, closing the doors behind him. Bakura watched his retreating figure through the window then let out a 'humph'. As much as his hikari was still pretty much a wimp, at least he knew when to hit the road and leave him with some privacy.

He sat down on the couch, waiting patiently for the girl to arrive. He already had it all planned out...he knew she was pretty impatient sometimes, especially when it came to playing his games. She liked it, to some extent, but then, when she had enough, her mood changed so swiftly that he wondered if all girls had the same ability to be happy one second, then angry and ready to pummel him the next. Either way, he already knew when to draw the line and then he would usually say what he intended to say or do what he wanted to do.

The last time when something like that happened, her face went from happy to dark in an instant, her glare being able to burn holes through the shadow realm...he smirked at the memory then quickly got up when he heard the doorbell ringing.

Opening the door, his breath got stuck in his throat and he stared at her, speechless when he saw her wearing a nice, blue dress that reached down to her knees and hugging her curves perfectly. She had a white sweater wrapped around her to keep her warm and she grinned, satisfied with his reaction. 'Good,' she thought, 'two can play this game.'

"So, what's this all about?" She asked him casually when he let her in. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the way her perfume made his insides turn. She turned around to look at him, but didn't manage to utter another word when she felt his lips on hers, kissing her hungrily.

Damn her and that perfume.

When they parted, she stared at him wide-eyed and he grinned in satisfaction this time when he saw the look on her face and a faint blush that crept up her cheeks.

"Oh, you'll see," he replied enigmatically again and she rolled her eyes this time, letting him take her by the hand. They sat down on the couch and Tea relaxed in his embrace. The TV was on, some kind of old, western movie on the screen, but she didn't mind. She hated sitting in silence; she had enough of that at home. When she was with him, she liked to have noise around her, something to play in the background.

Bakura put his arm around her protectively, and nuzzled her neck slightly, making her squirm and her skin prickle. He always seemed to know exactly what she liked and that was just...unfair. Convenient, yes, but unfair. She turned her head a bit to ask him again what he had in store for her tonight, but when her lips parted to form a question, they were once again, sealed with his. Sighing in contentment, she let him kiss her heatedly, putting her hands around his neck to let them rest in his soft hair.

He pulled her closer, stroking her face with his hands and she let out a soft moan, tongues battling for dominance. He slid one hand between her shoulder blades, leaning her even more into him. When his hand sneaked lower to rest on her thigh, fingers sliding her dress up, she squeaked and quickly pulled away from him, her face red. Bakura had a barely noticeable blush on his face, and he blinked in confusion when she suddenly pulled away and looked at him oddly.

"What?" He asked her immediately, not comprehending what happened. She was clutching the soft fabric of her sweater to her chest tightly, her face still red. She glanced away, trying to compose herself.

She liked kissing; kissing was fine, and she liked hugging, that was okay, too. She even liked his hands under her shirt, tickling her teasingly, but...sliding his hands up her legs like that was a bit too...soon. She felt another heat wave rushing to her cheeks but it didn't matter; she knew her face was probably red like a tomato already. Bakura leaned in slightly to try and understand why she pulled away.

"Tea?"

She avoided his eyes for some time, until he forced her to look at him by tilting her chin with his fingers. Hesitantly, blue eyes met dark ones and she gulped, looking down at his shirt instead.

"I'm sorry, I-I well...uhm...you...err..."

She was babbling, she knew it, but somehow, right now, her brain absolutely refused to form any kind of sentence that would make sense. She sighed in the end and decided to stop talking since she wasn't making any sense at all. Bakura was still staring at her, perturbed. After a few moments, she finally took a deep breath and told him that although she liked him a lot and she even liked that...action of his...

"You were, uhm..." she blushed again, "going a bit too fast and, uhm...you know..." She trailed off, leaving him to process her words silently in his head. When he finally understood what made her squeak and pull away, he smirked and almost earned himself a smack on the head.

"Bakura!" Tea hissed vehemently when she saw the smug look on his face.

"Really?" He whispered huskily and kissed her on the lips softly. "You liked it, huh? Well then, who knows what will happen when we decide to take this to...another level..." He added in a low whisper and gently bit her lower lip. Tea was contemplating his words for a few moments, until she realized what 'another level' meant. She trembled once and blushed madly.

"Ugh, Bakura!" She screamed and smacked him on the head this time. "You, you...pervert!" She accused him and sunk lower in the couch, pouting. Bakura winced slightly when she punched him; she could actually hit people and cause a serious damage with that fist of hers.

Silence ensued between them after that in which the girl glared at the TV quietly and the former tomb robber observed her with a grin. Well, all right, perhaps he did go a bit too far but...it was her fault – she didn't have to put that dress on and put that inviting perfume on and kiss him so passionately...

When Bakura thought about it, it didn't really matter what she wore or if she had the perfume on; she was beautiful in every way. Soft brown hair, silky, porcelain skin, and blue eyes, sometimes so deep with anger and determination and sometimes shining so brightly with happiness and joy...Bakura blinked.

Fumbling through his pocket, he finally found what he almost forgot about and with a smirk, inched closer to her sulking form. She was staring straight ahead, refusing to even glance at him but when he suddenly replaced the image of the TV screen with something small and so familiar...

Tea gasped and stared at a little blue pencil.

But it wasn't just an ordinary pencil...it was the pencil. The little blue pencil she dropped with other things when her school bag fell. It was the pencil he grabbed that night in the park, and refused to give it back to her, even when she asked him politely and even threatened him. She often stopped by that same bench, trying to find him, but not seeing any trace of the blue thing, she stopped looking, thinking how someone probably found it and took it already. Now, she was staring at it, speechless and completely taken aback. The pencil her mother bought her when she was little...when she started attending school. She used it frequently when she was younger but then started using other pencils and the little blue one, as short as it was, remained in her school bag as a precious memory of her mother and her gentle smile.

"My pencil..." She whispered and slowly turned to look at him in wonder. He was smiling at her, that true, rare smile of his and in an instant, she grabbed the pencil from his fingers and hugged him so tightly that he thought his lungs would collapse inside of him.

"I thought...I thought you threw it away and then...that some child took it and...oh, Bakura!" She started sobbing in his shoulder and he blinked again, now puzzled with her sudden tears. Why was she crying?

He voiced his thought out loud and she smiled at him gently when she leaned back a bit to wipe her tears.

"It's just that...my mom gave it to me and...it's just a very special pencil," she said, looking at the blue object in her hands happily. Bakura stared at her for a few moments then shrugged, not knowing what else to do.

"Yeah, well...it's your again, and...sorry for...that..." He mumbled, lowering his head slightly to watch the fabric of the couch. Tea smiled at him, her eyes still a bit teary then shook her head slowly.

"No...I...it's okay," she replied softly, twirling the pencil between her fingers thoughtfully, "and thank you."

Bakura didn't have the time to respond when she suddenly pulled him into a bear hug and almost squeezed the life out of him again.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, rocking him back and forth slightly, still embracing him tightly. He grinned and embraced her slender form, feeling something good and warm enveloping him for a moment. He didn't know the name of that feeling, because he had never felt it before, but...it almost felt like...true happiness.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just holding each other in a comfortable embrace and enjoying the closeness. When Bakura looked at the clock and saw it was past 10, he coughed and she leaned back slightly to look at him. Following the direction he was looking in, she gasped slightly and quickly got off the couch, straightening the wrinkles in her dress.

"It's late!" She exclaimed and he got up after her to just stand next to her. She turned around to look at him and smiled. "I should go home."

He nodded although he wished she could stay with him all night. He blushed faintly when he realized how that came out. She didn't seem to notice it since she was busy with buttoning her sweater. When she was done with it, she clasped her hands and looked at him oddly. He raised his eyebrows at her and then she blushed again, turning around quickly.

"Uhm, well, I should get going," she muttered and headed towards the exit. He followed close behind, his hands in his pockets. When she opened the door she almost shrieked when she saw Ryou in front of her. His hand was raised half in the air, keys dangling between his fingers.

"Uhm...good evening, Tea," he greeted her politely and she sighed in relief, smiling at him.

"Geez, Ryou, you scared me," she said and the white haired boy smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

Tea just waved her hand at him dismissively and let him walk past her and into the house. When he disappeared in the kitchen, Bakura leaned in and kissed her on the lips firmly. She kissed him back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear, "I really appreciate it." He didn't see the almost devilish look on her face. She felt his shoulders jerk up and down which meant he shrugged.

"I just thought you'd like it." He answered simply and then almost fell down when she whispered something in his ear and then quickly backed away, giggling at his shocked expression and his crimson cheeks. She grinned at him one last time before disappearing down the street.

He stood still for a few moments, still trying to collect his thoughts and raging hormones. After all, she just said she'd like to see how things are on another level...

Smirking evilly, he glanced at the crescent moon on the sky and then went back inside. Ryou was already making a late dinner for the two of them.

"I'll be looking forward to..."