Riddles of the Heart
written by Atlantis
© 2002
Alright, this here is my first attempt at Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction, so please try not to be *too* harsh. I tend to adore the kind of common idea that Seto and Tea would be a totally cute couple and therefore, they are who this story revolves around. I have taken quite a few creative licenses, so by no means whatsoever think that I am following the plotline of the show. There are also some things that are different that you'll notice right off the bat. But don't let that stop you. Just sit back, relax, and please enjoy!
I have no claim whatsoever on the aforementioned show, please don't sue. I have no money and would plan something diabolical if I had to sell my CD's to pay off unnecessary debts.
Rating: PG-13 (that's what all of my stories are for the most part. I enjoy my romance scenes, which probably won't be showing up until a little later in this fic - which is a multi-parter.)
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If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be?
And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody.
1 Corinthians 13:1&2
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PART 1
She was rich. Incredibly so. More than qualified to be
considered in his league. Unlike many others who lived the life
of kings though, money was never a priority. Her friends and
family filled that space instead. She loved them with every
breath she took, keeping nothing of hers from them. Except her
wealth. Her affluence was the only secret that she kept from her
friends.
They would never understand the enormous weight and
responsibility resting on her shoulders because of the power she
controlled. She and her parents understood that money was not
everything. Her two younger sisters however, seemed to take it
for granted. They always got what they wanted no questions asked.
In Tea's opinion, they were spoiled rotten.
But *he* didn't seem to be like that. Tea knew him, though
she had never really spoken to him before. She didn't need to
talk to him to know why he acted the way he did. He had all the
money in the world and didn't seem happy, didn't feel complete.
It didn't matter what he bought, how much his corporation was
booming, or how hard he concentrated on Duel Monsters. That void
would always be there, pitted deep inside him, empty and yearning
to be filled.
At least that's what she thought as she looked up from her
computer screen, her fingers stilling on the keyboard as she
tossed a glance over her right shoulder at Seto Kaiba. AP
Computer Dynamics and Engineering was the only course she shared
with the older, intriguing young man unfortunately. Her mind had
tried numerous times to label him as an older boy, since he was
only about two years older, but she refused to agree because it
was entirely obvious that Seto Kaiba was no boy.
With unsettling, cold blue eyes and short, dark brown hair,
which, as Tea always noticed, was impeccably styled and roguishly
sexy, Kaiba always seemed to radiate a magnetic aura. Every pair
of eyes that found him in their line of vision unconsciously
remained fixed on him until either that person or Kaiba himself
left the area. He was power and control incarnate.
Tea's eyes quickly regarded the rest of him, using both
memory and her current sight of him to build a picture in her
mind's eye. He stood at a good six-one or two easily and was
built with a lean, muscular frame. His defined calves, thighs,
stomach, and torso tended to escape the untrained eye, but she
had been studying him a long time. It was apparent that he worked
out. A lot.
How she longed, in her fantasies, to be held by those strong
arms, wrapping her own around his broad shoulders and tangling
her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck while being held
impossibly close to his warm body. Tea quickly blinked and began
to berate herself, shifting her attention from the object of her
affection back to her computer screen.
Yeah right, like that'd *ever* happen. In your dreams T
Tea thought to herself. Only in your dreams.
She nearly jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder,
jolting her from her private thoughts.
"Hey Tea, you okay?" a classmate asked. Tea nodded, placed
her fingers over the keyboard and began typing rapidly. "You
know, we don't know each other all that much, but I'd like to be
your friend. If you wanna talk, I'll be here, okay?" Again Tea
nodded.
"Thanks Nako. I appreciate that." Nako grinned and grabbed
her book-bag as the bell rang, exiting all of her programs and
returning her computer to the start-up screen. Tea followed suit,
though a little slower, and was walking out of the classroom as
she heard the musical tone of her cell phone. Reaching into her
bag, she pulled the phone out and held it up to her ear.
"Tea?" came an older voice, questioning.
"Yes, this is she. Who's calling?" Tea stopped and stood by
a pillar as Seto Kaiba walked by, looking at her with an
analyzing gaze before striding down the hall with strong,
confident steps.
"How's my princess?" the voice replied, chuckling.
"Daddy!" Tea screamed, a smile breaking over her face. "It's
so good to hear your voice. Are you and mom still in England?"
"We're just about to get on the plane. I just thought I'd
call and let you know. How are you and your sisters doing?"
"Same as always dad," Tea said, sighing as she leaned back
against the pillar. "Arashi and Kiri are still as spoiled as
ever, but at least they're cute every once-in-a-while. I turned
in that huge report today and began my AP Computer Dynamics and
Engineering final, but I couldn't exactly focus in class so I'm
gonna go in at lunch and work on it then. Has mom taken her
pills?"
"Yeah, I made sure she took them right when she got up this
morning. You know how she gets on planes. You'd think she'd get
used to flying after having to go on an airplane at least once a
month, but no, she has to be difficult," Tea's father chuckled.
"Our flight is boarding now, princess. I'll talk to you later
alright?"
"Alright dad. Tell mom we send our love," Tea told him
lightly. She heard him mumble an 'okay' before hearing a click
and the dial tone ringing in her ear. Sighing, she put the phone
back into her bag and began walking down the hallway to her next
class.
Good thing dad called at break, otherwise I would've been
late to class. Mr. Fugimata's class is on the other side of
campus! Tea thought, picking up the pace and moving past the
students standing idly in the halls, chatting at their lockers
and blocking the walkway. "What does a person have to do to get
through this place?" she mumbled under her breath.
"I agree," a voice beside her said in a struggled tone. Tea
turned her head to find her dream guy struggling through the
masses of students right along with her. "I feel like a salmon
swimming upstream!" he vented, scowling and holding tighter to
the two books in his arms. Biting her lip, Tea saw a small path
open up and grabbed a hold of Kaiba's forearm, pulling him behind
her through the tiny opening. When they reached an open pocket
space, she nearly stumbled and fell, Kaiba's quick grab at her
wrist saving her from a face-plant.
Breathing out heavily, Tea blew her bangs up out of her eyes
and straightened her skirt before making sure everything in her
bag was still in place. She rolled her shoulders and closed her
eyes for a moment, rolling her head to remove the stiffness.
"Thanks for getting me out of there. I think I may have
stayed there if you hadn't helped. You were in my last class
weren't you?" Kaiba's voice questioned her from the side. Tea
stilled. She hadn't realized he was still there. Looking up at
him, she smiled and nodded. "I don't usually like to thank
people for little things like that, but you really, literally
pulled me out back there. What's your name?" the upperclassman
asked, shifting his posture and looking directly at her. Tea felt
her heart jump into her heart.
"Tea."
"No last name?" he questioned, a hint of mockery in his
voice. "Just call me Tea," she replied cheerily. "You know Yugi
Moto, right?"
"Good lord, who doesn't? The guy is brilliant in Duel
Monsters. I've played him a couple of times. He's quite a worthy
opponent," Kaiba said, moving forward a bit and motioning with
his head that they start walking.
"I usually hang out with him and my friends Joey and
Tristan. They're pretty great guys," Tea said conversationally.
"I play against them occasionally, but I'm more interested in
other things."
"Such as?" Kaiba prodded. He watched as Tea gave him a look
asking why he cared and nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Lord,
she was beautiful! A perfect, entirely feminine body with soft,
full curves; creamy skin; bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle
as though the stars resided in her gaze; red, pouty lips that
were screaming to be kissed; and thick light brown hair that fell
just below her shoulders. He didn't even want to get started on
how good she looked in her uniform. Kaiba felt his face heat and
turned away, shrugging.
"Well, I love talking to people and being active. Sometimes
I think I'm a little too active and then there's all of my class-
work piled on top, but I deal. I love volleyball, swimming, and
being by myself as well. Every so often, I'll go walking or
hiking to some secluded area, usually where there's water, and
then I just sit, taking in everything around me and enjoying the
silence." She glanced at Kaiba and then blushed. "Oops. Too much
information, I think." Tea was surprised when he chuckled and
nearly melted. His laughed sounded so sexy, a rumble deep within
his chest, almost sounding like a growl.
"That's alright, I don't mind. I don't have the luxury to
have as much fun as you do, though sometimes I wish I did. I've
got this huge house to manage, a little brother to look after, a
company to run, not to mention all of the Duel Monsters
tournaments that people are always trying to rope me into..." he
trailed off. Stopping, he looked at Tea and smiled
apologetically. "This would be my class, so this is where we say
goodbye."
"Oh, alright. I'll see you tomorrow," Tea said cheerily
before giving him a small wave and walking down the rest of the
hallway to her own class. As she reached the door, she looked
back, hoping to catch a glance of him one last time. But he was
already gone.
As soon as Tea got home, the first thing she did was scream.
She couldn't believe it! Seto Kaiba had actually noticed her,
spoken to her... hell, he'd started up a conversation between the
two of them.
"No, wait Tea, calm down. I mean, seriously, let's look at
the reality of this situation for just a sec." Tea held up her
hand, sticking her pointer finger out: one. "He was just being
friendly." Second finger rose. "I'm overly obsessed." Third
finger joined the others. "What are the chances I'd ever get
with him, anyway?" She shook her head and sighed. "I've got a
headache."
The door burst open behind her and in ran her two sisters,
chasing each other and screaming to high heaven. They shouted a
quick hello to their older sister before rushing down the long
hallway, up two flights of stairs, and into their rooms, each
yelling out their claims on the Barbies they were going to play
with.
"I'll never get anything done here. Not with those two
around," Tea said to herself. Picking up her book-bag from the
floor where it had been laying forgotten, she trudged to her room
and pulled off her uniform, changing into different clothes.
After tossing her uniform into the hamper, she grabbed her car
keys and bag. "Girls! I'm going out! Lock the door after me!" Tea
shouted to her sisters. They shouted an 'okay' in response, one
of them flying down the stairs and holding the door while Tea
walked out. When she heard the click of the lock, she grabbed the
garage door opener from her bag and gently pushed the button,
watching the door roll up as she walked in and opened her truck.
As soon as Tea got into her black, crew-cab pickup, she
tossed her bag to the passenger side and pulled her seatbelt on.
After clicking it into place, she shoved the key into the
ignition, listening to the purr of the engine and feeling the
truck rumble beneath her before putting it into DRIVE and
pulling onto the street. Getting off of the residential street
that she lived on, she pulled onto the main freeway.
"Where to go, where to go," Tea chanted as she tapped her
fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the blaring
radio. As she turned a corner, she caught a glimpse of a limo in
her rear-view mirror, going in the opposite direction. She
sighed, immediately thinking of Kaiba and took a left, heading
for Yugi's grandfather's shop. When she reached it, she pulled
into one of the spaces in the five-space parking lot and turned
off her truck after putting it into PARK.
Walking into the shop, Tea heard the familiar jingle of the
door bells as her eyes landed on Yugi's grandfather. He noticed
her and a smile spread across his face.
"Good afternoon Tea," he greeted her. "What brings you to my
humble shop today?"
"Actually I was wondering if the guys were here," she
replied happily. He nodded and tossed a hand over his shoulder,
thumb pointing back sharply.
"In the back room like always. I think they might as well
take up permanent residence in there with all the time they
spend in that room." Tea laughed.
"Thank you," she said gratefully, moving past the display
cases and behind the check-out counter through the door in the
back of the store. Tea walked down a short hallway before
stepping into the room furnished with two couches, a small coffee
table in the middle, a television on the far wall and
refrigerator to the far right as well as an old recliner. Joey
and Tristan were sprawled out all over the couches, limbs
dangling over the sides while Yugi sat , content on the floor.
Tea felt more than saw their gazes on her as she entered and a
slight tremor passed through her body.
That had been happening a lot lately. Ever since she had
come back after spending three summer months in Australia with
her cousin. And she hadn't just been getting the feeling from
Tristan and Joey- she felt like that almost every time a guy
stopped to look at her. It was strange and Tea couldn't, for the
life of her, figure out why it was happening. Was she funny
looking? Intimidating? She had always been aware of her above
average height of five-nine, but this was ridiculous!
"Hey guys!" she called out cheerily. They blinked as if
coming out of a trance before returning her smile.
"T, long time no see," Joey said as he and Tristan pulled
themselves to sitting positions.
"Yeah, Tea, where've ya been?" Yugi asked, clicking the
t.v. off behind him. Tea walked around the couch and plopped down
in the corner of Joey's couch, pulling a pillow into her arms and
lifting her feet up.
"I've been watching my little sisters this week. My parents
had another meeting in England and they've been there for almost
two weeks. Dad called today and told me they were heading home
today and I'm guessing they'll be home by tomorrow. I thought I
told you guys," Tea replied. Joey put a hand behind his head and
laughed.
"Well, supposing you did," he glanced at Tristan and Yugi
warily, "we may have forgotten."
"That's alright you guys. I mean, you've got other things
to do besides keeping track of what's going on in my life." Tea
smiled at her friends and faltered. They were staring at her
again. "Uh, guys?"
"What's that Tea?" Yugi asking, shaking his head slightly
and blushing.
"Why do you guys keep doing that?" she demanded, clawing at
the pillow in her grip.
"Doing what?" Joey asked, jumping back.
"Staring at me like you do! Ever since I got back from 'The
Land Down Under' you guys have been looking at me like I've gone
under... six feet under! You act like I've come back from the
dead or grown a third ear in the middle of my forehead. Now what
the heck is going on?" Tea shouted.
"Now T, I'm sure you're overreacting," Tristan said quietly,
trying to calm her. Tea stood up, her eyes blaring and noticed
how their eyes moved over her again.
"I am not overreacting! You're doing it right now!"
"Aw geez guys, maybe we should tell her..." Joey started as
Tea wheeled on him and grabbed the collar of his shirt with both
hands, hauling him to his feet.
"Alright Joey, I know those two would rather go to the grave
than tell me what's going on, but you're weak and you will tell
me or I'll beat you up, I swear!" she threatened. Joey shivered,
took in a deep breath and seemed to slowly melt before pushing
her hands away and standing by himself.
"Okay, okay, I give. But before I tell ya, I just gotta say
that you smell so damn good." Joey tucked his hands into his
pockets as he watched Tea's bright blue eyes slowly widen.
"Joey, this may not be such a good idea..." Yugi said, but
Joey held up a hand and stopped him.
"No Yug, she wants to know, so I'm gonna let her know." He
looked over at Tea. "You'd better not take this the wrong way,"
he warned her.
"Spill Joey!" she shouted getting frustrated.
"Okay, well, we mean this in the friendliest way, and I'm
speaking for all three of us so... what I'm trying to say is...
Tea you're just gonna have to face the truth. You are freakin'
hot." Joey blew out a breath of relief and looked to Tea, stunned
when he found her unmoving and un-speaking.
"No really, what's wrong with me?" she asked quietly.
Tristan stood and went over to her, draping an arm over her
shoulders.
"Tea, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. In fact,
sometimes you seem too perfect. Joey's being honest with you,
amazing at it is," Tristan explained gently. "Ever since you came
back from Australia, everything about you seems to have changed.
You've gotten a little tanned, your legs seem to be a whole
bunch longer, your clothes fit better, I don't know. There just
seems to be this more mature, sexier Tea in the place of the old
one and it's taking a little getting used to it."
"But I haven't changed. Right Yugi?" Tea asked, turning to
him. Yugi blushed and cast his eyes downward before returning
them to meet Tea's gaze.
"You have Tea. So much about you has changed, it's almost
like sometimes you're not the same person. You've become a
brilliant strategist in Duel Monsters... heck, every
once-in-a-while I get overwhelmed playing with you. You've
gotten so powerful and calculating when you play. You never used
to be like that. It's not a bad thing though. And then there's
the change in your physical appearance as Joey and Tristan
mentioned. I don't know, it's like some switch turned on inside
of you and transformed you into this incredibly gorgeous girl
that we thought we had grown up with. You're not mad, are you?"
Yugi asked timidly, studying Tea's face carefully.
"I'm not mad. Not in a million years, guys. I just never
expected you to tell me something like this. I thought you were
staring at me because there was something wrong with me, but then
I find out it's because you think I'm... You complimented me
instead of bashing me! It's kind of funny," Tea giggled,
grabbing Tristan and Joey and trapping them each in a head-lock.
She winked at Yugi who laughed and stood, walked over to the
group and pushed them onto the couch, a mass of twisted
appendages. Joey let out a surprised yelp when Tea yanked on his
arm to catch a glimpse of his watch. She sighed and started
pushing the guys away from her.
"What's the matter Tea?" Joey asked, sitting up and
laughing, rubbing his wrist where she had yanked absentmindedly.
"I've gotta get going. Unlike you slackers," she winked, "I
have homework to do. I'll see you later," Tea said standing and
straightening her clothes. Flashing a last smile at them and a
last 'thanks', and walked out of the room, through the shop and
back to her truck.
"I am so glad I got that homework done!" Tea said gratefully
to herself as she drove. "I didn't think I'd ever get it done."
Turning the dial on the radio, she hummed along as the newest
boy-band started singing and moved into the right lane, ready to
go home. When she caught sight of a little shadow moving, as if
afraid, along the side of a building, she pulled up to the curb
and stopped her truck, turning it off and shoving her keys into
her pocket. Tea got out of the truck slowly and walked over to
the little kid who was shrunk down, peering around the corner of
the building, not noticing her approach. When she tapped on his
shoulder lightly, he jumped, let out a frightened yelp, and
started crying.
"Please don't hurt me. I don't wanna be beat up again," the
small boy whimpered. Tea's eyes flashed momentarily before
softening. She knelt slowly and smiled tenderly at him, holding
out her hand.
"I'm not going to hurt you little one. I came to see if you
were alright. Who beat you up little guy?" she asked as he took a
cautious step towards her and started reaching for her hand. Tea
took a gentle hold of his little hand and brought him to her
slowly, kneeling to his level and smiling encouragingly. He
sniffled and wiped his eyes with a dirty sleeve as he launched
himself into her arms.
"It was the boys at school. They made fun of my brother and
I told them that they were wrong and they hit me. Then when I
was going home, they chased me and hit me and kicked me. I got
away and ran as fast as I could, but when I stopped running, I
didn't know where I was!" he cried, tears drenching the shoulder
of Tea's shirt. She shushed him gently and rubbed his back,
murmuring that it was going to be okay. When his crying had
slowed, she held him away from her a bit and looked at him.
"It's going to be alright, okay? I'm going to take you home
and give you my phone number and you can call me any time. How's
that sound?" Tea asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He
looked unsurely at her before gulping and biting his lip.
"But my brother told me to never take rides from strangers,"
he countered. "Fine then. I'm Tea," Tea said, holding out her hand for
him to shake. He looked at her hand and then smiled, reaching out
to shake it.
"My name's Mokuba."
"Great. Now if you come with me, I can give you that ride
home," she told him, standing and keeping a hold on his hand. He
grinned up at her and nodded, following her happily to her truck.
She lifted him up into the cab and he scooted over to the
passenger side, pulling his seatbelt on awkwardly. Tea laughed as
she hopped into the driver's seat and put on hers as well.
"This is a little weird for me," Mokuba said quietly. "I've
never been in the cab of a car before and I've never had to wear
a seatbelt before either." Tea looked at him, stunned.
"Why's that?" she asked as she started up the vehicle.
"Oh, well, me and my brother always ride in a limo and there
aren't any seatbelts in them. He tells me that it's not alright
to sit with the driver and so I have to sit with him in the back
all the time. But this is fun. You get to see more when you're
up here," he replied, kicking his feet off the side of the seat.
Tea nodded in understanding and pulled away from the curb and
back into traffic. Mokuba gave her the address of him home and
she was there within ten minutes, stopping in front of a large
house, larger than her own, and letting the small boy out. Before
he left, she handed him a small card with her name and number to
him and watched him walk to the door happily, pulling a house-key
out of his pocket. When she had made sure he was in the house,
she left and headed home.
"Seto! I'm home!" the eight-year-old yelled from the front
door as he shut it behind him. Mokuba ran into the living room
and turned on the t.v., finding his favorite show on. Singing
the theme song, he didn't notice his brother come down the stairs
quietly.
"Mokuba, where were you?" came a voice to the side of the
child. The wild blue eyes turned to meet the calm, calculating,
and cold dark blues of his elder brother. He gulped.
"I was walking around," Mokuba said, not wanting to divulge
his secret or problems to his brother. "Sorry I'm so late," he
apologized. Seto Kaiba's face softened at his brother's
submittance and rubbed his hand over the black hair of the boy.
"It's alright. Just get home sooner from now on," Kaiba said
removing his hand. Mokuba nodded.
"Did you keep your promise today, big brother?" Mokuba
questioned Kaiba suddenly with suspicious eyes. Kaiba gave his
mouth a wry twist that could have passed for a sarcastic smirk
before sighing and answering with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes Mokuba, I kept my promise. I was nice today. I even
talked to a girl at school and walked with her for a while. This
is the last time I let you beat me in a game of Duel Monsters and
choose my penalty. You know I don't like those sniveling idiots
at school," Kaiba finished with his normal attitude returning
with every passing moment. *Though I have to admit,* he thought
to himself, *that girl wasn't half bad, and gorgeous besides.
Legs that went on forever...* Kaiba suddenly blinked, realizing
what direction those thoughts were going and halted his
thinking. Letting his mind wonder over the girl would lead to
feelings, and feelings would lead to hurt. He would never let
that happen again. No one would see his true heart except for
Mokuba. Only he could be trusted.
Kaiba jerked when he felt a cool hand touch his hand
lightly and tug on his coat timidly. He looked down on Mokuba and
watched the ten-year-olds eyes change from confused to content.
"Thank you for keeping your promise, Seto. Even if it was
for only one day," the child said gratefully before hugging his
brother from over the top of the couch and turning back to his
program.
As his brother plopped back into the cushiony softness of
the black leather couch, Kaiba sighed a sad sigh, went back up
the stairs to his personal study, and shut the door.
When Tea walked through the door, she was met with silence
and cautiously entered the house, not wanting to wake her two
younger sisters if they were sleeping. Passing through the
kitchen doorway, she was suddenly ambushed and slammed to the
floor, completely covered by little girls.
"Gotcha!" Kiri cried. "Now I get to choose dinner!" she
yelped triumphantly. "Nu-uh," Arashi protested, getting up off of her older
sister and standing arms akimbo. "I got her first so I get to
choose!" As Kiri climbed off to argue her point, Tea leaned back
on her elbows and watched in amusement as they fought, her
laughing bringing them from their heated debate. "It's not
funny! I won!" Arashi yelled. Tea smiled and got up slowly,
dusting herself off out of habit and laid a hand on each of their
shoulders. "How about I order pepperoni pizza with extra cheese
instead?" Tea asked as her younger sisters eyes lit up like
fireworks. Screaming happily in octaves that couldn't even be
reached by sirens, they pulled on Tea's neck and gave her a
choking hug before running down the hallway, giggling, their
argument resolved. The older girl pressed her lips together and
shook her head before picking up her book bag from the floor and
dropping it on top of the counter. She sat down in one of the
five breakfast bar bar-stools and reached for the white cordless
phone, punching in the number for the nearest pizza place out of
memory.
After ordering the pizzas, Tea sat back and took in a deep
breath, looking around the empty kitchen quietly. It was a good
thing she had her sisters. Without them, her life wouldn't
really be anything. With her parents constantly gone, her joy
always seemed to be found in her younger siblings. Their colorful
artwork and school pictures were plastered all over the front of
the refrigerator with colorful magnets. Bottles filled with red,
green, and blue pastas rested on the counters, and two small
white rose plants sat on the kitchen window's sill above the
sink, living healthily thanks to the careful management of Kiri
and Arashi. Across the kitchen was a larger window that let in
nearly all of the light, a bay window that could be sat on with a
long, pillow-like mat on the sill part for comfortability.
Somewhere down the hall and up the stairs, Tea could hear
her little sisters shrieking happily as they played some
childhood game. Tea had never gotten that. When she was little,
her parents hadn't really understood what it meant to be parents
and instead of loving her, had *taught* her how to be a lady, the
perfect manners, nearly ten different languages, how to dodge
political and economical questions that she felt distasteful, and
so on. She had been raised to be a diplomat, not a person.
However, when she had turned six, she had by that time, also
been taught how to stand up for what she thought and had told
her parents that she needed to attend public school and take some
time off from traveling.
Not long after that, she had gained a sister, and a year
after that, another. They could have been twins the way they were
so similar. Their pretty blonde hair and dark brown eyes tended
to capture any passerby. They, unlike Tea, looked exactly like
their parents. Tea's mother had explained that Tea had gotten her
looks from her father's mother: her grandmother, and bore an
identical resemblance to the great lady. It was said she had been
crown royalty before denouncing the crown and settling down to
live a half-normal life. That hadn't worked of course, but it
hadn't turned out to be as demanding a life as royalty would
have been, so there were no complaints.
Occasionally, Tea went on trips with her parents to impress
some neighboring country with her upbringing, wits, or demeanor,
but that did not happen often. While her parents had not exactly
loved her like normal parents did when she was younger, she had
at least had a chance to spend time with them. Kiri and Arashi
rarely saw them. Again the tables had turned, for though the
girls had to deal with their absence, they gained the
unconditional doting when they were around. Attention was even
paid to Tea, who at times felt left out by her mother. Her father
however, treated her as a princess and was the jewel of his eye.
He had always felt bad about the way Tea had been raised and had
been making it up ever since the birth of Arashi. Tea's mother
however never found Tea perfect. There was always some flaw,
something wrong that displeased her that she found correct in the
other two, and for that Tea was sad.
Blinking back a tear, Tea thought of the benefits of having
finally stood up to her parents. She had become normal at least
in the eyes of the public and had made wonderful friends. School
was a joy that she looked forward to nearly every day and she
loved looking after her sisters and being their favorite person.
No matter what happened, they always went running to her, and for
that, Tea felt completely loved.
There was something missing though. Having turned sixteen
nearly four months earlier, Tea had begun to painfully realize
that she was missing out on one important factor in her life...
The love of a boy. Or young man. Whatever. All she ever saw
around school was how happy people were when they held the hand
of a loved one or stole secret glances at one another. Tea had
never dated before. She'd never been asked, never been
interested until one had caught her eye.
Seto Kaiba was the only guy who had ever captured Tea's
attention utterly and completely. He was everything a girl could
wish for with only one flaw: he was moody and like a solitary
wolf. The way he stared at the world was almost predatory and he
hardly ever spoke except when he was proving others wrong. For
most of the time, Tea could be doing the same thing, but chose
not to cut people down so harshly and kept her mouth shut. If
Kaiba ever made someone cry, Tea was always there to reassure and
calm afterwards, as it had happened on several occasions. But she
couldn't hate him for it, because she saw in him a resemblance to
herself. He was shut off from the world, by choice, because he
was afraid. Afraid of feeling, afraid of getting hurt. Tea knew
those feelings all too well. It had taken nearly two years just
for Yugi, Tristan, and Joey to be let into her trust and into her
heart. They were like brothers to her, but it had been extremely
hard for her, her mind screaming to her every night that they
would leave and ignore her as her parents had when she was young
and still did occasionally.
"Kaiba," Tea murmured quietly, shutting her eyes. "I know
you." The kitchen was silent, her voice hardly echoing against
the cabinets and tile flooring. Her eyes snapped open when she
heard the sound of the doorbell and looked up at the clock on the
microwave hastily. "Thirty minutes? Already? Girls! Pizza's
here!" she shouted as she grabbed her wallet out of her purse and
walked to the door. The screaming of little girls was heard as
they apparently scrambled down the stairs to reach the food
first. Tea opened the door, paid for the pizza, took the pizzas
from the delivery boy (who seemed to be suffering from a severe
breakout) and sent him on his way before he was toppled over by
the hungry children. As Tea shut the door and turned, she
watched as the two girls skidded to a halt in front of her,
practically drooling over the aroma of the pizza.
Walking to the kitchen tantalizingly slow, Tea lured the
girls to the counter where they seemed to be in a trance, just
waiting for her to set down the precious boxes. A malicious
thought entered Tea's mind and she put the boxes into one hand,
placing one on top of the other and tapping her chin with the
free hand.
"These pizzas say that only sixteen-year-olds can eat them.
Sorry you two, you don't get any," Tea teased. The two girls
blinked slowly before realizing what she said. An uproar ensued.
"It does NOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Kiri shouted, stomping
her feet and crossing her arms. "Let me see that!"
"I'm HUNGRY!" Arashi chimed in, trying to jump for the
pizzas in Tea's raised arm.
"I don't know. I think that's what I saw," Tea said,
aggravating them more. "Should I check again?" she questioned
the nine and ten-year-old beneath her. "What'd ya think I should
do?" Tea asked, turning to the old teddy bear sitting between two
of the cabinets in a little knick-knack space. "What's that? You
think I should let them have the pizza? Oh, alright," Tea faked,
turning and placing the boxes on the island in the middle of the
kitchen in a fluid motion. She quickly turned and pulled three
plates from a cabinet as well as three cups and a hand-full of
napkins. Working as a waiter for some time back at the local high
school hot spot, she had learned to be an excellent waitress and
grab a multitude of things at a time. She no longer worked there,
but the talent still remained.
Her sisters snatched the plates up from her hand and hastily
placed the steaming pizza onto their plates with occasional
exclamations of pain from the heat of the food. After plates had
been filled, the three sisters trudged to the living room where
they all sat down in front of the television, settled in the
recliner and the couch. There was a content silence as they ate
together before Tea switched on the big-screen to the cartoon
channel and the girls' delighted shrieks filled the room. Tea
pushed her plate onto the coffee table to the right of her and
sank back into the large, brown leather recliner, reveling in the
sounds of her sisters... of her family... of her life.
*** End of Part 1. What did ya'll think? (My dad's from Mississippi, I can't help it! *^_^*) I love email and critiques, but they're not necessary. I have the superb ability to recieve flames and not get over-dramatic over them, as long as they're not just bashing me.
Here's the question of the week: Why are YAOI fics (boy/boy or girl/girl) so popular with the Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic community? I really don't find them appealing, they're actually quite disgusting in my opinion, but why are there so many? You have to search a lot harder if you want a decent boy/girl pairing. What does everybody else think?
Atlantis *^_^*
[email protected]
Alright, this here is my first attempt at Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction, so please try not to be *too* harsh. I tend to adore the kind of common idea that Seto and Tea would be a totally cute couple and therefore, they are who this story revolves around. I have taken quite a few creative licenses, so by no means whatsoever think that I am following the plotline of the show. There are also some things that are different that you'll notice right off the bat. But don't let that stop you. Just sit back, relax, and please enjoy!
I have no claim whatsoever on the aforementioned show, please don't sue. I have no money and would plan something diabolical if I had to sell my CD's to pay off unnecessary debts.
Rating: PG-13 (that's what all of my stories are for the most part. I enjoy my romance scenes, which probably won't be showing up until a little later in this fic - which is a multi-parter.)
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If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be?
And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody.
1 Corinthians 13:1&2
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PART 1
She was rich. Incredibly so. More than qualified to be
considered in his league. Unlike many others who lived the life
of kings though, money was never a priority. Her friends and
family filled that space instead. She loved them with every
breath she took, keeping nothing of hers from them. Except her
wealth. Her affluence was the only secret that she kept from her
friends.
They would never understand the enormous weight and
responsibility resting on her shoulders because of the power she
controlled. She and her parents understood that money was not
everything. Her two younger sisters however, seemed to take it
for granted. They always got what they wanted no questions asked.
In Tea's opinion, they were spoiled rotten.
But *he* didn't seem to be like that. Tea knew him, though
she had never really spoken to him before. She didn't need to
talk to him to know why he acted the way he did. He had all the
money in the world and didn't seem happy, didn't feel complete.
It didn't matter what he bought, how much his corporation was
booming, or how hard he concentrated on Duel Monsters. That void
would always be there, pitted deep inside him, empty and yearning
to be filled.
At least that's what she thought as she looked up from her
computer screen, her fingers stilling on the keyboard as she
tossed a glance over her right shoulder at Seto Kaiba. AP
Computer Dynamics and Engineering was the only course she shared
with the older, intriguing young man unfortunately. Her mind had
tried numerous times to label him as an older boy, since he was
only about two years older, but she refused to agree because it
was entirely obvious that Seto Kaiba was no boy.
With unsettling, cold blue eyes and short, dark brown hair,
which, as Tea always noticed, was impeccably styled and roguishly
sexy, Kaiba always seemed to radiate a magnetic aura. Every pair
of eyes that found him in their line of vision unconsciously
remained fixed on him until either that person or Kaiba himself
left the area. He was power and control incarnate.
Tea's eyes quickly regarded the rest of him, using both
memory and her current sight of him to build a picture in her
mind's eye. He stood at a good six-one or two easily and was
built with a lean, muscular frame. His defined calves, thighs,
stomach, and torso tended to escape the untrained eye, but she
had been studying him a long time. It was apparent that he worked
out. A lot.
How she longed, in her fantasies, to be held by those strong
arms, wrapping her own around his broad shoulders and tangling
her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck while being held
impossibly close to his warm body. Tea quickly blinked and began
to berate herself, shifting her attention from the object of her
affection back to her computer screen.
Yeah right, like that'd *ever* happen. In your dreams T
Tea thought to herself. Only in your dreams.
She nearly jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder,
jolting her from her private thoughts.
"Hey Tea, you okay?" a classmate asked. Tea nodded, placed
her fingers over the keyboard and began typing rapidly. "You
know, we don't know each other all that much, but I'd like to be
your friend. If you wanna talk, I'll be here, okay?" Again Tea
nodded.
"Thanks Nako. I appreciate that." Nako grinned and grabbed
her book-bag as the bell rang, exiting all of her programs and
returning her computer to the start-up screen. Tea followed suit,
though a little slower, and was walking out of the classroom as
she heard the musical tone of her cell phone. Reaching into her
bag, she pulled the phone out and held it up to her ear.
"Tea?" came an older voice, questioning.
"Yes, this is she. Who's calling?" Tea stopped and stood by
a pillar as Seto Kaiba walked by, looking at her with an
analyzing gaze before striding down the hall with strong,
confident steps.
"How's my princess?" the voice replied, chuckling.
"Daddy!" Tea screamed, a smile breaking over her face. "It's
so good to hear your voice. Are you and mom still in England?"
"We're just about to get on the plane. I just thought I'd
call and let you know. How are you and your sisters doing?"
"Same as always dad," Tea said, sighing as she leaned back
against the pillar. "Arashi and Kiri are still as spoiled as
ever, but at least they're cute every once-in-a-while. I turned
in that huge report today and began my AP Computer Dynamics and
Engineering final, but I couldn't exactly focus in class so I'm
gonna go in at lunch and work on it then. Has mom taken her
pills?"
"Yeah, I made sure she took them right when she got up this
morning. You know how she gets on planes. You'd think she'd get
used to flying after having to go on an airplane at least once a
month, but no, she has to be difficult," Tea's father chuckled.
"Our flight is boarding now, princess. I'll talk to you later
alright?"
"Alright dad. Tell mom we send our love," Tea told him
lightly. She heard him mumble an 'okay' before hearing a click
and the dial tone ringing in her ear. Sighing, she put the phone
back into her bag and began walking down the hallway to her next
class.
Good thing dad called at break, otherwise I would've been
late to class. Mr. Fugimata's class is on the other side of
campus! Tea thought, picking up the pace and moving past the
students standing idly in the halls, chatting at their lockers
and blocking the walkway. "What does a person have to do to get
through this place?" she mumbled under her breath.
"I agree," a voice beside her said in a struggled tone. Tea
turned her head to find her dream guy struggling through the
masses of students right along with her. "I feel like a salmon
swimming upstream!" he vented, scowling and holding tighter to
the two books in his arms. Biting her lip, Tea saw a small path
open up and grabbed a hold of Kaiba's forearm, pulling him behind
her through the tiny opening. When they reached an open pocket
space, she nearly stumbled and fell, Kaiba's quick grab at her
wrist saving her from a face-plant.
Breathing out heavily, Tea blew her bangs up out of her eyes
and straightened her skirt before making sure everything in her
bag was still in place. She rolled her shoulders and closed her
eyes for a moment, rolling her head to remove the stiffness.
"Thanks for getting me out of there. I think I may have
stayed there if you hadn't helped. You were in my last class
weren't you?" Kaiba's voice questioned her from the side. Tea
stilled. She hadn't realized he was still there. Looking up at
him, she smiled and nodded. "I don't usually like to thank
people for little things like that, but you really, literally
pulled me out back there. What's your name?" the upperclassman
asked, shifting his posture and looking directly at her. Tea felt
her heart jump into her heart.
"Tea."
"No last name?" he questioned, a hint of mockery in his
voice. "Just call me Tea," she replied cheerily. "You know Yugi
Moto, right?"
"Good lord, who doesn't? The guy is brilliant in Duel
Monsters. I've played him a couple of times. He's quite a worthy
opponent," Kaiba said, moving forward a bit and motioning with
his head that they start walking.
"I usually hang out with him and my friends Joey and
Tristan. They're pretty great guys," Tea said conversationally.
"I play against them occasionally, but I'm more interested in
other things."
"Such as?" Kaiba prodded. He watched as Tea gave him a look
asking why he cared and nearly stopped dead in his tracks. Lord,
she was beautiful! A perfect, entirely feminine body with soft,
full curves; creamy skin; bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle
as though the stars resided in her gaze; red, pouty lips that
were screaming to be kissed; and thick light brown hair that fell
just below her shoulders. He didn't even want to get started on
how good she looked in her uniform. Kaiba felt his face heat and
turned away, shrugging.
"Well, I love talking to people and being active. Sometimes
I think I'm a little too active and then there's all of my class-
work piled on top, but I deal. I love volleyball, swimming, and
being by myself as well. Every so often, I'll go walking or
hiking to some secluded area, usually where there's water, and
then I just sit, taking in everything around me and enjoying the
silence." She glanced at Kaiba and then blushed. "Oops. Too much
information, I think." Tea was surprised when he chuckled and
nearly melted. His laughed sounded so sexy, a rumble deep within
his chest, almost sounding like a growl.
"That's alright, I don't mind. I don't have the luxury to
have as much fun as you do, though sometimes I wish I did. I've
got this huge house to manage, a little brother to look after, a
company to run, not to mention all of the Duel Monsters
tournaments that people are always trying to rope me into..." he
trailed off. Stopping, he looked at Tea and smiled
apologetically. "This would be my class, so this is where we say
goodbye."
"Oh, alright. I'll see you tomorrow," Tea said cheerily
before giving him a small wave and walking down the rest of the
hallway to her own class. As she reached the door, she looked
back, hoping to catch a glance of him one last time. But he was
already gone.
As soon as Tea got home, the first thing she did was scream.
She couldn't believe it! Seto Kaiba had actually noticed her,
spoken to her... hell, he'd started up a conversation between the
two of them.
"No, wait Tea, calm down. I mean, seriously, let's look at
the reality of this situation for just a sec." Tea held up her
hand, sticking her pointer finger out: one. "He was just being
friendly." Second finger rose. "I'm overly obsessed." Third
finger joined the others. "What are the chances I'd ever get
with him, anyway?" She shook her head and sighed. "I've got a
headache."
The door burst open behind her and in ran her two sisters,
chasing each other and screaming to high heaven. They shouted a
quick hello to their older sister before rushing down the long
hallway, up two flights of stairs, and into their rooms, each
yelling out their claims on the Barbies they were going to play
with.
"I'll never get anything done here. Not with those two
around," Tea said to herself. Picking up her book-bag from the
floor where it had been laying forgotten, she trudged to her room
and pulled off her uniform, changing into different clothes.
After tossing her uniform into the hamper, she grabbed her car
keys and bag. "Girls! I'm going out! Lock the door after me!" Tea
shouted to her sisters. They shouted an 'okay' in response, one
of them flying down the stairs and holding the door while Tea
walked out. When she heard the click of the lock, she grabbed the
garage door opener from her bag and gently pushed the button,
watching the door roll up as she walked in and opened her truck.
As soon as Tea got into her black, crew-cab pickup, she
tossed her bag to the passenger side and pulled her seatbelt on.
After clicking it into place, she shoved the key into the
ignition, listening to the purr of the engine and feeling the
truck rumble beneath her before putting it into DRIVE and
pulling onto the street. Getting off of the residential street
that she lived on, she pulled onto the main freeway.
"Where to go, where to go," Tea chanted as she tapped her
fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the blaring
radio. As she turned a corner, she caught a glimpse of a limo in
her rear-view mirror, going in the opposite direction. She
sighed, immediately thinking of Kaiba and took a left, heading
for Yugi's grandfather's shop. When she reached it, she pulled
into one of the spaces in the five-space parking lot and turned
off her truck after putting it into PARK.
Walking into the shop, Tea heard the familiar jingle of the
door bells as her eyes landed on Yugi's grandfather. He noticed
her and a smile spread across his face.
"Good afternoon Tea," he greeted her. "What brings you to my
humble shop today?"
"Actually I was wondering if the guys were here," she
replied happily. He nodded and tossed a hand over his shoulder,
thumb pointing back sharply.
"In the back room like always. I think they might as well
take up permanent residence in there with all the time they
spend in that room." Tea laughed.
"Thank you," she said gratefully, moving past the display
cases and behind the check-out counter through the door in the
back of the store. Tea walked down a short hallway before
stepping into the room furnished with two couches, a small coffee
table in the middle, a television on the far wall and
refrigerator to the far right as well as an old recliner. Joey
and Tristan were sprawled out all over the couches, limbs
dangling over the sides while Yugi sat , content on the floor.
Tea felt more than saw their gazes on her as she entered and a
slight tremor passed through her body.
That had been happening a lot lately. Ever since she had
come back after spending three summer months in Australia with
her cousin. And she hadn't just been getting the feeling from
Tristan and Joey- she felt like that almost every time a guy
stopped to look at her. It was strange and Tea couldn't, for the
life of her, figure out why it was happening. Was she funny
looking? Intimidating? She had always been aware of her above
average height of five-nine, but this was ridiculous!
"Hey guys!" she called out cheerily. They blinked as if
coming out of a trance before returning her smile.
"T, long time no see," Joey said as he and Tristan pulled
themselves to sitting positions.
"Yeah, Tea, where've ya been?" Yugi asked, clicking the
t.v. off behind him. Tea walked around the couch and plopped down
in the corner of Joey's couch, pulling a pillow into her arms and
lifting her feet up.
"I've been watching my little sisters this week. My parents
had another meeting in England and they've been there for almost
two weeks. Dad called today and told me they were heading home
today and I'm guessing they'll be home by tomorrow. I thought I
told you guys," Tea replied. Joey put a hand behind his head and
laughed.
"Well, supposing you did," he glanced at Tristan and Yugi
warily, "we may have forgotten."
"That's alright you guys. I mean, you've got other things
to do besides keeping track of what's going on in my life." Tea
smiled at her friends and faltered. They were staring at her
again. "Uh, guys?"
"What's that Tea?" Yugi asking, shaking his head slightly
and blushing.
"Why do you guys keep doing that?" she demanded, clawing at
the pillow in her grip.
"Doing what?" Joey asked, jumping back.
"Staring at me like you do! Ever since I got back from 'The
Land Down Under' you guys have been looking at me like I've gone
under... six feet under! You act like I've come back from the
dead or grown a third ear in the middle of my forehead. Now what
the heck is going on?" Tea shouted.
"Now T, I'm sure you're overreacting," Tristan said quietly,
trying to calm her. Tea stood up, her eyes blaring and noticed
how their eyes moved over her again.
"I am not overreacting! You're doing it right now!"
"Aw geez guys, maybe we should tell her..." Joey started as
Tea wheeled on him and grabbed the collar of his shirt with both
hands, hauling him to his feet.
"Alright Joey, I know those two would rather go to the grave
than tell me what's going on, but you're weak and you will tell
me or I'll beat you up, I swear!" she threatened. Joey shivered,
took in a deep breath and seemed to slowly melt before pushing
her hands away and standing by himself.
"Okay, okay, I give. But before I tell ya, I just gotta say
that you smell so damn good." Joey tucked his hands into his
pockets as he watched Tea's bright blue eyes slowly widen.
"Joey, this may not be such a good idea..." Yugi said, but
Joey held up a hand and stopped him.
"No Yug, she wants to know, so I'm gonna let her know." He
looked over at Tea. "You'd better not take this the wrong way,"
he warned her.
"Spill Joey!" she shouted getting frustrated.
"Okay, well, we mean this in the friendliest way, and I'm
speaking for all three of us so... what I'm trying to say is...
Tea you're just gonna have to face the truth. You are freakin'
hot." Joey blew out a breath of relief and looked to Tea, stunned
when he found her unmoving and un-speaking.
"No really, what's wrong with me?" she asked quietly.
Tristan stood and went over to her, draping an arm over her
shoulders.
"Tea, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. In fact,
sometimes you seem too perfect. Joey's being honest with you,
amazing at it is," Tristan explained gently. "Ever since you came
back from Australia, everything about you seems to have changed.
You've gotten a little tanned, your legs seem to be a whole
bunch longer, your clothes fit better, I don't know. There just
seems to be this more mature, sexier Tea in the place of the old
one and it's taking a little getting used to it."
"But I haven't changed. Right Yugi?" Tea asked, turning to
him. Yugi blushed and cast his eyes downward before returning
them to meet Tea's gaze.
"You have Tea. So much about you has changed, it's almost
like sometimes you're not the same person. You've become a
brilliant strategist in Duel Monsters... heck, every
once-in-a-while I get overwhelmed playing with you. You've
gotten so powerful and calculating when you play. You never used
to be like that. It's not a bad thing though. And then there's
the change in your physical appearance as Joey and Tristan
mentioned. I don't know, it's like some switch turned on inside
of you and transformed you into this incredibly gorgeous girl
that we thought we had grown up with. You're not mad, are you?"
Yugi asked timidly, studying Tea's face carefully.
"I'm not mad. Not in a million years, guys. I just never
expected you to tell me something like this. I thought you were
staring at me because there was something wrong with me, but then
I find out it's because you think I'm... You complimented me
instead of bashing me! It's kind of funny," Tea giggled,
grabbing Tristan and Joey and trapping them each in a head-lock.
She winked at Yugi who laughed and stood, walked over to the
group and pushed them onto the couch, a mass of twisted
appendages. Joey let out a surprised yelp when Tea yanked on his
arm to catch a glimpse of his watch. She sighed and started
pushing the guys away from her.
"What's the matter Tea?" Joey asked, sitting up and
laughing, rubbing his wrist where she had yanked absentmindedly.
"I've gotta get going. Unlike you slackers," she winked, "I
have homework to do. I'll see you later," Tea said standing and
straightening her clothes. Flashing a last smile at them and a
last 'thanks', and walked out of the room, through the shop and
back to her truck.
"I am so glad I got that homework done!" Tea said gratefully
to herself as she drove. "I didn't think I'd ever get it done."
Turning the dial on the radio, she hummed along as the newest
boy-band started singing and moved into the right lane, ready to
go home. When she caught sight of a little shadow moving, as if
afraid, along the side of a building, she pulled up to the curb
and stopped her truck, turning it off and shoving her keys into
her pocket. Tea got out of the truck slowly and walked over to
the little kid who was shrunk down, peering around the corner of
the building, not noticing her approach. When she tapped on his
shoulder lightly, he jumped, let out a frightened yelp, and
started crying.
"Please don't hurt me. I don't wanna be beat up again," the
small boy whimpered. Tea's eyes flashed momentarily before
softening. She knelt slowly and smiled tenderly at him, holding
out her hand.
"I'm not going to hurt you little one. I came to see if you
were alright. Who beat you up little guy?" she asked as he took a
cautious step towards her and started reaching for her hand. Tea
took a gentle hold of his little hand and brought him to her
slowly, kneeling to his level and smiling encouragingly. He
sniffled and wiped his eyes with a dirty sleeve as he launched
himself into her arms.
"It was the boys at school. They made fun of my brother and
I told them that they were wrong and they hit me. Then when I
was going home, they chased me and hit me and kicked me. I got
away and ran as fast as I could, but when I stopped running, I
didn't know where I was!" he cried, tears drenching the shoulder
of Tea's shirt. She shushed him gently and rubbed his back,
murmuring that it was going to be okay. When his crying had
slowed, she held him away from her a bit and looked at him.
"It's going to be alright, okay? I'm going to take you home
and give you my phone number and you can call me any time. How's
that sound?" Tea asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He
looked unsurely at her before gulping and biting his lip.
"But my brother told me to never take rides from strangers,"
he countered. "Fine then. I'm Tea," Tea said, holding out her hand for
him to shake. He looked at her hand and then smiled, reaching out
to shake it.
"My name's Mokuba."
"Great. Now if you come with me, I can give you that ride
home," she told him, standing and keeping a hold on his hand. He
grinned up at her and nodded, following her happily to her truck.
She lifted him up into the cab and he scooted over to the
passenger side, pulling his seatbelt on awkwardly. Tea laughed as
she hopped into the driver's seat and put on hers as well.
"This is a little weird for me," Mokuba said quietly. "I've
never been in the cab of a car before and I've never had to wear
a seatbelt before either." Tea looked at him, stunned.
"Why's that?" she asked as she started up the vehicle.
"Oh, well, me and my brother always ride in a limo and there
aren't any seatbelts in them. He tells me that it's not alright
to sit with the driver and so I have to sit with him in the back
all the time. But this is fun. You get to see more when you're
up here," he replied, kicking his feet off the side of the seat.
Tea nodded in understanding and pulled away from the curb and
back into traffic. Mokuba gave her the address of him home and
she was there within ten minutes, stopping in front of a large
house, larger than her own, and letting the small boy out. Before
he left, she handed him a small card with her name and number to
him and watched him walk to the door happily, pulling a house-key
out of his pocket. When she had made sure he was in the house,
she left and headed home.
"Seto! I'm home!" the eight-year-old yelled from the front
door as he shut it behind him. Mokuba ran into the living room
and turned on the t.v., finding his favorite show on. Singing
the theme song, he didn't notice his brother come down the stairs
quietly.
"Mokuba, where were you?" came a voice to the side of the
child. The wild blue eyes turned to meet the calm, calculating,
and cold dark blues of his elder brother. He gulped.
"I was walking around," Mokuba said, not wanting to divulge
his secret or problems to his brother. "Sorry I'm so late," he
apologized. Seto Kaiba's face softened at his brother's
submittance and rubbed his hand over the black hair of the boy.
"It's alright. Just get home sooner from now on," Kaiba said
removing his hand. Mokuba nodded.
"Did you keep your promise today, big brother?" Mokuba
questioned Kaiba suddenly with suspicious eyes. Kaiba gave his
mouth a wry twist that could have passed for a sarcastic smirk
before sighing and answering with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes Mokuba, I kept my promise. I was nice today. I even
talked to a girl at school and walked with her for a while. This
is the last time I let you beat me in a game of Duel Monsters and
choose my penalty. You know I don't like those sniveling idiots
at school," Kaiba finished with his normal attitude returning
with every passing moment. *Though I have to admit,* he thought
to himself, *that girl wasn't half bad, and gorgeous besides.
Legs that went on forever...* Kaiba suddenly blinked, realizing
what direction those thoughts were going and halted his
thinking. Letting his mind wonder over the girl would lead to
feelings, and feelings would lead to hurt. He would never let
that happen again. No one would see his true heart except for
Mokuba. Only he could be trusted.
Kaiba jerked when he felt a cool hand touch his hand
lightly and tug on his coat timidly. He looked down on Mokuba and
watched the ten-year-olds eyes change from confused to content.
"Thank you for keeping your promise, Seto. Even if it was
for only one day," the child said gratefully before hugging his
brother from over the top of the couch and turning back to his
program.
As his brother plopped back into the cushiony softness of
the black leather couch, Kaiba sighed a sad sigh, went back up
the stairs to his personal study, and shut the door.
When Tea walked through the door, she was met with silence
and cautiously entered the house, not wanting to wake her two
younger sisters if they were sleeping. Passing through the
kitchen doorway, she was suddenly ambushed and slammed to the
floor, completely covered by little girls.
"Gotcha!" Kiri cried. "Now I get to choose dinner!" she
yelped triumphantly. "Nu-uh," Arashi protested, getting up off of her older
sister and standing arms akimbo. "I got her first so I get to
choose!" As Kiri climbed off to argue her point, Tea leaned back
on her elbows and watched in amusement as they fought, her
laughing bringing them from their heated debate. "It's not
funny! I won!" Arashi yelled. Tea smiled and got up slowly,
dusting herself off out of habit and laid a hand on each of their
shoulders. "How about I order pepperoni pizza with extra cheese
instead?" Tea asked as her younger sisters eyes lit up like
fireworks. Screaming happily in octaves that couldn't even be
reached by sirens, they pulled on Tea's neck and gave her a
choking hug before running down the hallway, giggling, their
argument resolved. The older girl pressed her lips together and
shook her head before picking up her book bag from the floor and
dropping it on top of the counter. She sat down in one of the
five breakfast bar bar-stools and reached for the white cordless
phone, punching in the number for the nearest pizza place out of
memory.
After ordering the pizzas, Tea sat back and took in a deep
breath, looking around the empty kitchen quietly. It was a good
thing she had her sisters. Without them, her life wouldn't
really be anything. With her parents constantly gone, her joy
always seemed to be found in her younger siblings. Their colorful
artwork and school pictures were plastered all over the front of
the refrigerator with colorful magnets. Bottles filled with red,
green, and blue pastas rested on the counters, and two small
white rose plants sat on the kitchen window's sill above the
sink, living healthily thanks to the careful management of Kiri
and Arashi. Across the kitchen was a larger window that let in
nearly all of the light, a bay window that could be sat on with a
long, pillow-like mat on the sill part for comfortability.
Somewhere down the hall and up the stairs, Tea could hear
her little sisters shrieking happily as they played some
childhood game. Tea had never gotten that. When she was little,
her parents hadn't really understood what it meant to be parents
and instead of loving her, had *taught* her how to be a lady, the
perfect manners, nearly ten different languages, how to dodge
political and economical questions that she felt distasteful, and
so on. She had been raised to be a diplomat, not a person.
However, when she had turned six, she had by that time, also
been taught how to stand up for what she thought and had told
her parents that she needed to attend public school and take some
time off from traveling.
Not long after that, she had gained a sister, and a year
after that, another. They could have been twins the way they were
so similar. Their pretty blonde hair and dark brown eyes tended
to capture any passerby. They, unlike Tea, looked exactly like
their parents. Tea's mother had explained that Tea had gotten her
looks from her father's mother: her grandmother, and bore an
identical resemblance to the great lady. It was said she had been
crown royalty before denouncing the crown and settling down to
live a half-normal life. That hadn't worked of course, but it
hadn't turned out to be as demanding a life as royalty would
have been, so there were no complaints.
Occasionally, Tea went on trips with her parents to impress
some neighboring country with her upbringing, wits, or demeanor,
but that did not happen often. While her parents had not exactly
loved her like normal parents did when she was younger, she had
at least had a chance to spend time with them. Kiri and Arashi
rarely saw them. Again the tables had turned, for though the
girls had to deal with their absence, they gained the
unconditional doting when they were around. Attention was even
paid to Tea, who at times felt left out by her mother. Her father
however, treated her as a princess and was the jewel of his eye.
He had always felt bad about the way Tea had been raised and had
been making it up ever since the birth of Arashi. Tea's mother
however never found Tea perfect. There was always some flaw,
something wrong that displeased her that she found correct in the
other two, and for that Tea was sad.
Blinking back a tear, Tea thought of the benefits of having
finally stood up to her parents. She had become normal at least
in the eyes of the public and had made wonderful friends. School
was a joy that she looked forward to nearly every day and she
loved looking after her sisters and being their favorite person.
No matter what happened, they always went running to her, and for
that, Tea felt completely loved.
There was something missing though. Having turned sixteen
nearly four months earlier, Tea had begun to painfully realize
that she was missing out on one important factor in her life...
The love of a boy. Or young man. Whatever. All she ever saw
around school was how happy people were when they held the hand
of a loved one or stole secret glances at one another. Tea had
never dated before. She'd never been asked, never been
interested until one had caught her eye.
Seto Kaiba was the only guy who had ever captured Tea's
attention utterly and completely. He was everything a girl could
wish for with only one flaw: he was moody and like a solitary
wolf. The way he stared at the world was almost predatory and he
hardly ever spoke except when he was proving others wrong. For
most of the time, Tea could be doing the same thing, but chose
not to cut people down so harshly and kept her mouth shut. If
Kaiba ever made someone cry, Tea was always there to reassure and
calm afterwards, as it had happened on several occasions. But she
couldn't hate him for it, because she saw in him a resemblance to
herself. He was shut off from the world, by choice, because he
was afraid. Afraid of feeling, afraid of getting hurt. Tea knew
those feelings all too well. It had taken nearly two years just
for Yugi, Tristan, and Joey to be let into her trust and into her
heart. They were like brothers to her, but it had been extremely
hard for her, her mind screaming to her every night that they
would leave and ignore her as her parents had when she was young
and still did occasionally.
"Kaiba," Tea murmured quietly, shutting her eyes. "I know
you." The kitchen was silent, her voice hardly echoing against
the cabinets and tile flooring. Her eyes snapped open when she
heard the sound of the doorbell and looked up at the clock on the
microwave hastily. "Thirty minutes? Already? Girls! Pizza's
here!" she shouted as she grabbed her wallet out of her purse and
walked to the door. The screaming of little girls was heard as
they apparently scrambled down the stairs to reach the food
first. Tea opened the door, paid for the pizza, took the pizzas
from the delivery boy (who seemed to be suffering from a severe
breakout) and sent him on his way before he was toppled over by
the hungry children. As Tea shut the door and turned, she
watched as the two girls skidded to a halt in front of her,
practically drooling over the aroma of the pizza.
Walking to the kitchen tantalizingly slow, Tea lured the
girls to the counter where they seemed to be in a trance, just
waiting for her to set down the precious boxes. A malicious
thought entered Tea's mind and she put the boxes into one hand,
placing one on top of the other and tapping her chin with the
free hand.
"These pizzas say that only sixteen-year-olds can eat them.
Sorry you two, you don't get any," Tea teased. The two girls
blinked slowly before realizing what she said. An uproar ensued.
"It does NOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Kiri shouted, stomping
her feet and crossing her arms. "Let me see that!"
"I'm HUNGRY!" Arashi chimed in, trying to jump for the
pizzas in Tea's raised arm.
"I don't know. I think that's what I saw," Tea said,
aggravating them more. "Should I check again?" she questioned
the nine and ten-year-old beneath her. "What'd ya think I should
do?" Tea asked, turning to the old teddy bear sitting between two
of the cabinets in a little knick-knack space. "What's that? You
think I should let them have the pizza? Oh, alright," Tea faked,
turning and placing the boxes on the island in the middle of the
kitchen in a fluid motion. She quickly turned and pulled three
plates from a cabinet as well as three cups and a hand-full of
napkins. Working as a waiter for some time back at the local high
school hot spot, she had learned to be an excellent waitress and
grab a multitude of things at a time. She no longer worked there,
but the talent still remained.
Her sisters snatched the plates up from her hand and hastily
placed the steaming pizza onto their plates with occasional
exclamations of pain from the heat of the food. After plates had
been filled, the three sisters trudged to the living room where
they all sat down in front of the television, settled in the
recliner and the couch. There was a content silence as they ate
together before Tea switched on the big-screen to the cartoon
channel and the girls' delighted shrieks filled the room. Tea
pushed her plate onto the coffee table to the right of her and
sank back into the large, brown leather recliner, reveling in the
sounds of her sisters... of her family... of her life.
*** End of Part 1. What did ya'll think? (My dad's from Mississippi, I can't help it! *^_^*) I love email and critiques, but they're not necessary. I have the superb ability to recieve flames and not get over-dramatic over them, as long as they're not just bashing me.
Here's the question of the week: Why are YAOI fics (boy/boy or girl/girl) so popular with the Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic community? I really don't find them appealing, they're actually quite disgusting in my opinion, but why are there so many? You have to search a lot harder if you want a decent boy/girl pairing. What does everybody else think?
Atlantis *^_^*
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