Disclaimer- Yu-Gi-Oh characters are not mine.
(But the storyline-plot-idea belongs to Anshu. © 15/3/2007.)
Lovingly written for lilshygrl25, Ayame11midori, Requiem for a Sunburst, and the-hinotori.
"It's alright to be nervous."
Téa glanced up and graced Mai with a heart warming smile. "I'm not nervous."
"You sure? I mean, this is one of those moments…" Mai was babbling.
"Rebecca…" Serenity screamed, cutting Mai midstream. "You're crushing the posies, hand them over."
"I can't believe he's late." Rebecca complained in the hustle and bustle. Handing the flowers to Serenity, she pushed her out of the way. Girls were feeling a bit on the edge. And, 'He' was the reason behind their edginess. "Is he here yet?"
"I think he is," Mai said, hearing the Porsche screech. "Téa, honey, put something around your neck."
"Its okay, I'll wear the pearls you and Joey gave me."
"Good. Now scurry, unlike him, we don't want to be late."
Desires ran wild when dressed in an elegant dark Issey Miyaki Seto Kaiba stood next to his bride to be. They were ready to take their next step in life. The commitment to live with one another, in sickness and in health, in riches and in poor, in good and ill circumstances to be sealed.
"Did you think I wasn't going to make it?" Seto leaned towards his angry bride, teasing.
Téa's vein twitched. "Not at all." She deviously smirked. "I knew you'd move heaven and earth to be here."
"Am I in trouble?"
"I don't know. Are you?"
"Ssshh! Save something for later," Mokuba intervened. He was embarrassed at the general display of flirting, and lack of propriety his brother and sister-in- law were showing. 'Some people have absolutely no sense of place or timing.' Mokuba shook his head as Téa stifled a bubbling snort.
The ceremony then on was relatively painless. The rituals complete, and the priest asked the inevitable.
"I most invariably do." Seto affirmed, without any hesitation or doubt in his heart.
"You may now kiss the bride."
"Finally."
"Shut-up and kiss me."
First billet-doux
"Téa…?" Husband dear was impatient. TÉA…?" A little angry. "Wife… where are you?"
Tsk, tsk! Casually arriving from her in-house dance studio, wife calmly announced. "I'm right here. And what's with the screaming?" She irritatingly demanded. She was practicing a difficult dance routine and her concentration slipped with the ruckus he was creating. Folding her arms, she glared when he smirked.
"I can't find my laptop."
"It's exactly where you left it."
Seto raised an eyebrow.
"On the study table," she provided.
He just stood there. Her patience snapped, and she grabbed his hand and led him to the study to give him the visual display. Téa froze as she entered the study. She was visualising a surprisingly charming display of her own. A single long stemmed rose, a sleepy lamp quenching the half burned candle, and a stardust note waiting for her undivided attention. A radiant smile graced her lips, she approached the set-up, and claimed the note addressed to her.
It read:
When your hand I took in mine. Lamps along my route turned bright;
Winds changed their course to ease my way. My goals appeared in easy sight.
He knew jewellery never appealed her. What counted most in her thoughts were these simple gestures of admiration. So he did what he does best and took her by surprise… Ecstatic, her arms found their way to the back of his head. She pulled him close, ready to break in his arms. Their lips merely hair width apart…her words hushed from her lips to his.
"Seto, you do know the only thing between two people is light."
"I thought you'd never say."
And then two bodies dissolved as one. The unknown tale of their passionate night, recited by the smoke, that rose from the staggered, unquenched candle in the surrounding darkness.
His first proposal.
"Téa, Seto…? Here, I'd like you to meet Aria." Mokuba blushed as he introduced his girlfriend.
"Aria, meet my family, my parents… my world." The look on his face was priceless. The admiration, the regard, it was all there.
Téa had encouraged him. She had convinced Seto for an early dinner. After all, the younger brother couldn't propose without receiving the clear signal from his elder sibbling. The meeting was a hit. Seto was happy with Mokuba's choice. The evening came to an end, and Mokuba escorted his girlfriend back.
"Do you think he'll propose?" She entered the study, replacing his coffee with milk.
"Of course, he will. He's a Kaiba after all… and didn't I propose you?" Seto grabbed her by her arm and placed her on his lap.
"Gardner, I propose tacit terms. Marry me. Your needs will be looked after, and I'll honour the commitment by staying loyal to you. Though of course, I expect the same in return." She laughed, mocking his no-nonsense tone. "Yes, a very romantic proposal, indeed."
"Sounds enough straight forward to me." His hands around her waist. He nuzzled her neck, breathing the warmth of her sensitive skin.
"How come a ballerina like me ended up with a businessman like you?"
He shrugged, gently nipping her earlobe. She moaned and he smirked at the small victory. Suddenly he stood, depositing her hide on the floor. "I ask myself that question everyday. Anyway, you know you love me." He declared, towering over her and then, marching away.
"Husband, come back here and acknowledge me properly." And she went tumbling after.
The New Addition.
"Don't you bloody move. I swear to god I'll kill you myself."
Seto shot a threatening look to his wife followed by the warning. He was scared.
Téa was in labour, and the nurse was administering epidural in her spine to relieve her from the contraction pains. Téa was not supposed to move. Or else, there was a strong risk of paralysis. And Seto was sweating. Holding her hand as if his very life depended on her still form, he was shooting daggers at her at the slightest of movement.
He appeared to be in much more distress than her.
"SHUT THE HELL UP." She roared in pain. Seto cringed. Honest to god he didn't know what to do? And her screaming and ruthless grabbing was scaring the hell out of him.
"Doc, please. Do something." Mokuba, standing outside, pleaded. He was genuinely concerned. But more to the point, he was concerned about his big brother's tantrums. Seto, apparently, was screaming more than Téa.
"OOUUCHH!" and this was him again.
"That was one very strong contraction," midwife observed. "Alright, easy now, just one more push."
"Aaaaaaaah! TÉA, my hand."- and this was Seto's reason to scream. She was squeezing the life out of it.
Finally his ordeal put to an end. "Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Kaiba! Your first born is a baby girl."
"Second born," the young mother corrected. Getting decent, she collected her little bundle of joy in her arms. "Our first born will always be Mokuba." She gestured Seto to call him in.
"Renée." Proud uncle named the unnamed, bringing child to light.
Words were unnecessary for the occasion. All three were now complete, silently basking in the wonderful moment. Proud and arrogant to the core, Kaiba boys kissed their girls, holding them close.
Kaiba vs. Kaibas.
"O crap." The youngest of the Kaiba clan swore. "Dad, do you think mom will be mad at me?"
Five years old, and Renée Kaiba was two steps ahead of her father. Downright stubborn and spoiled to the core by her patriarch, she stood in front of him, hiding her results in her little hands.
"No sweetheart, I don't think mom…"
"What's going on here?" Téa asked, emerging from her studio. "What are you two planning now?"
She saw the glint of mischief flashing in their eyes. This usually meant two things. Either the father and the daughter were planning to pull a new prank on the dweeb patrol, or, they were hiding something. It was a recipe for disaster.
"Nothing." Seto lied point blank.
"Renée, come out. I can see you hiding behind your father."
"I'm afraid Renée is not here right now. Please leave a message after the tone, and I'm sure she'll…" Seto barricaded before Téa could grab the little Kaiba.
"AAHHHH!" Renée screamed as her mother finally caught her.
"Come here you little devil, and YOU," Téa threatened both the conspirators, shooting glares at them.
"What did I do?" Seto protested an unnecessary defence.
"What are you hiding?" She saw her daughter passing what looked like a report card to her dad, and daddy dear tucked it in his pocket.
"Nothing."
"Seto?" Before Seto could grasp what was happening, in a lightning speed, Téa grabbed it out of his pocket. "Hn," she frowned at the Math score. "99%, you failed," she gave the disapproving look.
"Téa?" Seto shielded Renée.
"You know if you don't score 100% you fail. Certain rules don't change; and as for your punishment no icreammm!" Mother couldn't finish. Somehow, something was missing beneath her feet. Oh! Yes, it was the ground. Seto had lifted her. He was conveniently carrying her in his arms. "Hey, put me down, not fair."
Both father and daughter were laughing at her. "Not until you call-back the penalty," Seto said, moistening his lips.
"Is that so?" She gave him 'the look.' The look that said -put-me-down-right-now-or-face-the-darn-consequenc es. Too bad it didn't work. "Seto, I swear to god… you and your little devil here drives me insane."
"You don't by any chance feel we're ganging up on you, do you?"
"That is exactly how I feel," she managed, without realising she was manipulated.
"Fine, if that be the case, lets balance the team." And here, he cornered her.
"Dad, does this mean I'll have a brother?" The little evil ingenious pitched in. She was oblivious to the fact what her dad was implying. She was only five and clueless to the ways of the human reproduction.
"Sure sweetie, anything my little angel wants."
"Hey, you're both grounded."
It's All Over Now
"What's bothering you?" Sensing her agitation, Seto wrapped an arm around Téa and pulled her close.
"Not now." She pushed him away.
"What's wrong?"
"You." She bristled, in cold anger. "Your existence in my life… that's what's wrong."
Amused, he stood silent and watched as she continued her tirade.
"You've ruined me. Marrying you was a mistake. Because of this blasted sham of a marriage, I've no career, no independence, no life and absolutely no identity of my own. I'm confined in these four walls. I stay indoors catering to your child and your house, while you go out and live your life."
"Keep Renée out of this," he warned, narrowing his eyes.
His possessiveness over their daughter was the closing sign of her deal. Instigation was all she needed to fume the flames. "Why? Oh, I forgot, you've your daughter now. So she takes precedence over me. I'm burdened with these hideous stretch marks. And no longer worthy of your affections? I'm nothing more than your bloody bed warmer, isn't it?"
"Were you out on a lunch with a feminist? Where is this unnecessary aggression coming from?"
"Bully for you, Seto, but I can't take it anymore. I want out. I'm leaving you and my decision is final."
Tremors or The Quivering Effect.
"Mrs. Kaiba? Please take a seat."
"What is it, doc? Are the results normal?"
Téa eyed the brown envelope on the glass table. She knew it held the reins of her life. She had been taking these tests for the past five years. And everyday she had hoped. Hoped to avoid her ill fate.
Téa and Seto were happily married for nearly seven years. Their world filled with serene tranquillity. They were a blessed couple with a beautiful baby girl. Mokuba too was engaged to his girlfriend and was planning to get married next year. What more could they ask for? But they say- bliss comes at a price of ignorance. Unfortunately for Téa, the cost of her awareness would be a heavy price to pay.
"Well!" The first crack surfaced. She didn't like that sound of instability. Doctor Jones, a man in his late fifties, was her family doctor since she was sixteen. He was also the best Cancer Specialist.
"Doc, what is it? What are the results? You're scaring me."
"I think its best if we disclose the results in your husband's presence."
Her heart skipped a beat. Seto didn't know of her clandestine visits to the hospital. "These are my results. And I believe I have the right to confidentiality."
"Very well." Doctor Jones removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Téa was stubborn. "Mrs. Kaiba, the initial treatment has failed."
As expected. "Yes, but aren't there any follow-up treatments? I mean these days; the chances are favourable."
"Stem cell transplant is our first objective and if it didn't work then…"
"Chemotherapy. What's the probability, doctor?" Or the chances of my survival?
"Téa, please don't give up hope." He rested his hand on hers, offering her comfort. "There are thousand of cases of leukaemia out there…"
"I know but I'm more concerned about myself. Please… let's just get to the point. I need to know before I commit."
"Téa," the specialist was still not convinced at her attitude of hiding the truth from her family. Especially, her husband.
"Doc please, it's very important for me and for my family," she made the final attempt.
"As of this stage, all I can estimate is fifty-fifty, but we need to start the treatment as soon as possible. I suggest you inform Mr. Kaiba this instant and make the arrangements for your daughter."
Blood drained from her face. Her senses refused to entertain such a possibility.
"Téa."
"Yes, I know. I know." She couldn't breathe…
She had to look after her daughter. Renée was too young. She had to arrange Mokuba's wedding and Seto… Seto was worse than Renée. How will he manage? He was so dependent on her. These days he couldn't even remember the basic things. His shoes and socks and shirts and handkerchiefs… What about his breakfast? And his iron tablets? His exercise routines and morning walks? Will that damn coffee machine be back in home if she was to… god, it took her five years to control his caffeine addictions, or to set up some ground rules at home. What if he breaks in to his ungodly working hours? His health, his sleep, his dietary requirements.
She had to make arrangements. She can't leave. She couldn't leave. Time, she needed more time. Just like that her world had fallen apart. A world that took her seven years to build… from a tiny fragile nest to a strong architecture of rocks and stones… from the foundations of hatred to peace and love… Now destiny laughs at her happiness.
Téa gripped the brown envelope- the test result that changed her life forever.
The scenic flashbacks of her fragmented life ended when Boeing 747 landed at the Heathrow airport, England.
Like a wayfarer bound for elsewhere, she had willingly handed the leash of her destiny to this flight. The treatment suggested by Doctor Jones had failed, and now the next option left to her was of Stem-cell transplant. She had bravely battled Cancer for five years. She had disguised her pains from her family behind a smile. The fighter in her wanted to fight and with a sense of dignity. The effects from the surgery would eventually reveal and they'll know…
She had deliberately framed that fight with Seto. How else could she leave him? She knew he could handle her betrayal. His pride and arrogance would see to it that he survive without her. But the news of her illness… no, his love for her would break him. And that, she wouldn't allow. Besides, she knew he would be strong for Mokuba and their daughter. He always was the stronger one between them. This time, it was her turn to be tough and fight her own inner turmoil's be it in life or in death.
Collecting herself, she walked to the telephone booth. The reception on her cell phone was unavailable. 'Damn airports.' She just wanted to hear their voice. Just once. Who knows when she gets another chance? She inserted the international calling card, and with shivering fingers, punched the numbers, only half way through…
"You're dishonouring your commitment, Gardner. Walking away was not part of our deal. I thought I made that clear in my proposal."
The blood drained from her face. It couldn't be! There was only one person in the entire world who addressed her 'Gardner' in that lazy, arrogant drawl of his. Téa turned and summoned the courage to face him. She was an artist and this was her final act. "There are no more deals, Seto."
"You honestly thought you're lame arguments and mock fights could've fooled me? Think again, wife."
"It's over. Let me go." She shook her head, refusing to look him in the eye.
Seto laughed at her audacity. He was breaching her personal space, making her uncomfortable. "You're not only a bad cook but also a bad liar."
That got her attention. Regardless of her emotional state, and all that was going in her head, she somehow couldn't digest the remark of being a bad cook. "Aren't you slow to notice…"
He smirked, cherishing every moment of her spark. "And a quitter too. What have you done with the great spirited woman that I married?"
Annoyed, Téa sighed and picked her handbag from the floor. This argument was pointless. Looking for an easy exit, she turned to walk away. But Seto was quick. He grabbed her by her wrist.
"Let me go," she challenged his hold over her, looking at his grasp.
"Give me one good reason, and I'll let you go."
"I don't love you."
"Liar."
"Delusional."
He laughed, a painful laugh. "I'm a Realist, Téa. Not delusional. Never delusional. I see the enormous amount of pain behind your eyes." This took her by surprise. "I haven't travelled six thousand miles away from home to mock you. I'm here to get you through that damn surgery."
Téa was speechless. She had risked everything to cover up the layers. And he? How? "You knew?"
"I'm Seto Kaiba." He smirked. "I know everything. I've known about your cancer since the day you got your first results."
"Why didn't you?" But she already knew the answer to that.
He knew her in and out. He knew her desires and wants, her smiles, her moods, her expressions. Just like she knew his. Sure, they fought like cats and dogs half of the time… okay, maybe most of the time, but the important thing was… he respected her, her indivdualism, and more than that, he respected her space. She had the right to privacy despite their oneness. Sharing this vital information was her task. The question was of faith and trust… her faith and his trust.
"The question is why didn't you?" Seto counter argued. He was overwhelmed by the emotions. "Why didn't you have enough faith in me?"
Téa couldn't speak. She was lost in the depths of those dark azures. The rawness of his pain, hurt, and passion haunted her soul.
"Can't you understand… it's not just a bed or a life we share… it's more, so much more... You're not the only person to bare her soul in this relationship. Can't you see I too… I love you, Téa ." Nothing mattered anymore. Those three words took away all her pain. All her fears. God, she loved him… how long she had waited to hear that from him.
"Why Téa? Why? Where did I go wrong?" What could she say? "For five years, I've waited for you to trust me, acknowledge me with this horrible truth. Five years, I've stood in deep dark corridors of that hospital… seeing you bear that pain alone. Why?" His control broke, and he rested his forehead on hers.
How close he had come to lose her? Seto staggered and Téa grabbed him by the shoulders. She didn't know where she found the strength to act as his armour.
"You taught me that dignity is everything worth fighting for, being brave for. I guess, I just wanted to take this risk alone." She justified the reason still reluctant to admit her mistake. "I'm sorry, Seto." She wept uncontrollably in his arms. "I'm so sorry. I love you but I was so afraid…"
He gently kissed her tears. "And you taught me that to fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead. Promise me you'll live with me," he wanted her assertions to never leave him again.
"I promise."
"We'll get through this together. I won't let you go, you hear me." Ignoring their whereabouts two lovers stood proudly kissing the life out of each other. Who says passion dies after marriage?
"How did you know I was travelling to London? And what do you mean, I'm a bad cook and why are we still arguing?"
She broke the kiss, earning a loud grunt. She may have broken the kiss but Seto refused to break the embrace. Kissing her, he initiated another round of disagreement.
"Argurments are the best part, wife. It was your withdrawal that I couldn't take."
And just like that he reminded her of their wedding vows. They were in this together- for riches and poor, sickness and health, and all the other life's trials and triumphs. For four years, leukaemia had clawed its talons on one blue eye, and yet, it couldn't break her spirit. Now two blue eyes have joined their forces...
Nah.
In my personal opinion, I don't think this love story ends here. After all, Seto Kaiba was fighting for the very love of his life.