Disclaimer: I own nothing within the Yu-Gi-Oh universe.

Story Disclaimer 1: THE RATING on this is "M". There were so many sexual situations, that it was inappropriate for it to be rated "T". (Some of it I could hide, but not all.) So, I guess I'll give myself permission to work the "M" rating, a little.

Story Disclaimer 2: I'm sorry for the length of the first five chapters (Prologue through Chapter 4). Chapters 1 - 4 , I could not help, as it's just one big continuous scene.

Chapter Disclaimer: Man, this is too long to be "just a prologue".

"Téa, ...I like you, too. But, now's not the time."

"What? Seto-."

"It's not you, it's me. I'm working so much right now, it wouldn't be fair to you. I've been planning the newest Kaiba Land and a tournament, amongst other things. You knew how busy I was when you were taking care of Mokuba for me. It'll only get worse for us. He's at the age where he can go everywhere with me. You'd be alone most of the time. And, our relationship is not at the point where it's logical for you to withdraw from school." He could hear Téa sobbing on the other side of the phone. "I'm sorry, Téa. Let's just get to know one another for now, then we'll see. If you find someone else before anything happens between us, then I'll understand."

"That sounds fair."

Three years later...

"Téa? I wanted to ask you a question."

"What is it, Yugi?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Téa could not believe that he ACTUALLY asked, "I'm sorry, Yugi." Yugi looked sad. "It's just that Atém hasn't even been away for a month yet. And, I miss him as much as you do. If we start dating, ...if we start dating, then we'd only be falling in love out of co-dependence." Téa smiled, "Yugi. You learned a lot from him. I'm sure you'll fully appreciate your independence once you realize how much he had enriched your life. I'm not saying 'no', ...it's just too soon, that's all."

Yugi smiled at her, "Wow, Téa, you're right. I never thought about it that way."

"Are we still friends, for now?"

"Yeah." Téa held both of Yugi's hands, leaned in, and gave him a peck on the lips. Téa had just given Yugi his first kiss.

Many days later...

"I'm never going to get these done. Why did Joey have to pick the venue at the last minute?"

Téa placed her hand on his shoulder, "Yugi. You know that after we're done, I can help you deliver them. Who do you have left?"

"EVERYONE. Joey just changed the venue again, the day before and I'm tired of reprinting these invitations!"

"I had a feeling that he'd do that." Téa pulled out a few invitations from her bag. She opened one up and showed Yugi that Joey's address was printed inside. "I was talking to him last night and he STILL couldn't make a decision. So, I thought that this was best."

"But, the party's tonight! I'll never be able to deliver them all in time. Especially since Bakura and Tristan are picking up the cake and the rest of the decorations."

"How many people is it?"

"You, me, Duke, Tristian, Bakura, Miho, Rafael, Valon, Alister, and Kaiba."

Téa blinked twice, in disbelief, "Kaiba?"

"Yeah. I hope that he'll come, too. Maybe, it'll put to rest everything bad between them."

Téa sighed and made a tight lipped smile. "Yugi. I'll give Kaiba his invitation."

"I couldn't think of anyone better to talk to him about it. Do you mind taking a few more?"

"Not at all."

"I know you don't know some of these guys and they don't live close. So could you deliver one to each Bakura, Tristan, and Miho, as well?"

"Sure can! Here," Téa handed him some of the invitations.

"Can I have an additional invitation for Mai?" There was silence between them. To help Joey get over Mai's disappearance, Yugi suggested to make a box of memories for her. And, when Mai comes back, she would know how much they all missed her.

Téa smiled softly, "Sure." She handed him an extra invitation.

"Thanks, Téa. By the way, my meeting with Kaiba is in two hours. He doesn't like it when people are late. So, visit him first."

"Okay. See you later, Yugi." Téa picked up her black purse and left Yugi's home.

Téa was waiting for the bus. Since she had some time, she called Miho.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Miho, it's Téa. It's Joey's birthday, today. Are you still coming?"

"Joey, Joey, Joey... I don't know. Who else is going?"

"Tristan, Yugi, Bakura, Duke Devlin, and three guys I don't trust, nor have really seen either." Rafael seemed like an okay guy. Alister, she only did not trust because they never met. Valon she did not trust because he attacked Joey several times, trying to steal his soul for Dartz. She wished that at least Valon would not go.

"Really!? Are any of the three other guys cute?"

"I don't know. But, Rafael seems way older than us and Valon tried to kill Joey a couple of times."

"So, my only two choices would really be Bakura or Duke...? Maybe I shouldn't go."

"What!?"

"Sorry, Téa. But, with those many guys, something bad is gonna happen. Maybe you shouldn't go, either."

"You're BAILING on me?"

"Yeah. Tell Joey that I'm washing my hair or something. I'll talk to you, tomorrow, to see how things went. Okay? Bye."

"Bye." Téa hung up the phone. What Téa did not realize was Miho's wisdom. Miho just did not want to be in mixed company of men who liked her, while trying to get other men to notice her. Miho wanted to date as she pleased and only likes two types of men: men with money and Ryo Bakura. Téa looked again and could see the bus in the distance.

She started to reflect on the past few months in her mind, "This is the first time I'll see Seto, face to face, in a while." "I haven't seen him since Atém left," Téa thought as she got onto the bus and then paid the fare. She took a seat. Atém leaving broke her heart. She was torn between having him go back five thousand years into the past, to where he belonged, or having him stay with her and her friends. If he stayed in the present time, his soul would never be allowed to rest and he would travel through time forever. The duel where he fought against Yugi, he had no choice participating in nor had a hand in who ultimately won. She was happy that Yugi won. It proved that he could be independent from the pharaoh and that Yugi did not need him anymore to continue his growth. "Yugi seemed different after that duel. Not by much. Just that, in his eyes, he looks like he'll go after what he sets his mind to. He used to be way more permissive. I'll need time to figure out if I could fall in love with this new Yugi. Yugi was always very gentle. I've always liked him, but I can't put my finger on why I would never tell him how I felt about him. It's not like I would never go out on a date with him, if he ever asked...just that he never bothered asked me. But, neither did I bother to ask him. It's hard to know how I'll feel about him now, since he'd changed. And, since I fell in love with the man with the deep voice. Now, I know how Belle kind of felt like, in 'Beauty and the Beast'." The inside was the man Belle loved, but the outside, the face of a man she did not like. It felt like the man that Téa fell in love with was no longer there, even though she assumed it was 'always Yugi' for a long time. "Who knows if things would've worked out between Atém and I. It's not just that our relationship would've been in Yugi's face. To watch us together would've killed Yugi. Speaking of which, it's also the fact that Atém was going to kill Seto, just to win the duel at Duelist Kingdom. I just could not see myself marrying a man as indifferent as Atém." Atém was more warrior than King. "That duel meant everything to Seto and Yugi." Téa stood up and started get off the bus. She asked Seto a few times about that duel. She eventually stopped asking Seto, about how far he would've gone to get his brother back. He always gave her the same short answer. Sometimes he was downright cold. Other times, she could see that he finally wanted to let her know, but something always stopped him. She gave up on finding the answer to that question, after that phone call he gave her three years ago. After that phone call, she went to bed every night hoping that one day that she could be with Atém. And, now she knows that that will never happen. She knows that it's been over three years since she told Seto how she felt. The only thing she knew, for sure, was that she was still attracted to him.

Note 1: The Beauty and the Beast does not refer the Disney version. There appears to be a version of "La Belle et la Bête", where after the Beast turns into Avenant / Gaston, she rejects him because she could not get over the fact that the man she saw was physically not the man she fell in love with. She could not get over the fact that the man she fell in love with now looks like the man she always had disdain for.

Note 2: Seto's monologue, at the beginning of this chapter, WAS the original speech I intended to use at the end of "Truth or Dare".