Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the brands mentioned in this chapter."
"Talk"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
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Another empty room. Tea sighed in frustration and slammed the door before moving on to the next one. Where was he hiding?
They had returned from their trip not too long ago. She had gotten a relatively inexpensive dress from the sale rack, against Seto's wishes. But she had picked a dress she could modify later and make it more suited to her taste so she wasn't completely disappointed. She was still adamant about paying him back though, and her actions must have conveyed that to him too because he hadn't bothered with her when she had gone back to the rack to pick a dress. He had pretty much ignored her for the remainder of the shopping trip, even when she had placed her dress at the counter, earning stares from the sales associates, and snickers from the other girls. He hadn't said a word to her or glanced at her in the limo either but he didn't have to. She could see that he was angry. She had pissed him off with her stubbornness.
As soon as they had entered the house, Seto had quickly walked up the stairs and disappeared. With him out of sight, the other girls had attacked her, verbally bashing her for her disrespectful actions. She had assumed that they were talking about the dress but soon learned that they were referring to the incident with Ryou Bakura.
Flashback
"I want to say that I can't believe you did something as low as that, but now that I know you, I expect even worse from you." Jacqueline said nastily.
"What do you mean? What did I do wrong?" Tea asked, trying to keep her anger under control.
"You mean besides humiliating Mr. Kaiba in front of the entire world? Nothing I guess." Jacqueline replied sarcastically.
"He will live with me buying a cheap dress." Tea assured them with a snort. She received incredulous stares from all of them.
"Wow, are you really that stupid or just pretending to be?" Rhea said.
"Watch what you say or I will be forced to stoop to your level and shut your mouth accordingly." Tea warned.
"You think we are talking about the dress?" Cathy said. "We are talking about the shameful and lewd behaviour you displayed today by throwing yourself at another man, right in front of Mr. Kaiba."
"What? I didn't throw myself at another man." Tea snapped. "He was a friend."
"With the way you threw yourself into his arms, it looked like you were long lost lovers." Norah pointed out.
"I'm telling the truth. He was just an old friend I hadn't seen in a very long time." Tea said.
"You did seem exceptionally happy to see him, more than you have been in this house." Eiza said.
"Because he was an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time." Tea repeated.
"We are not allowed contact with the outside world during the taping of the show. Those are the rules." Jacqueline said. "We all miss our friends and family. But none of us would break the rules and go flying into the arms of another man because we respect the rules and we care about Mr. Kaiba. We know how it would reflect on him if a person supposedly vying for his affections showed more reverence and love for another man than for him."
"I didn't mean for it to be like that." Tea said slowly, finally realizing how her actions had been interpreted. "And I'm sure Kaiba knows it too. He knows that Ryou is only a friend."
"It doesn't matter how innocent your intentions were. The bottom line is that you embarrassed him with your actions. You haven't been nice to him at all during your stay here and then you rub your dislike of him in his face by being overly lovey-dovey with another man." Cathy said.
"You are such a slut. You are here to win Mr. Kaiba's heart, for money no doubt, while you are emotionally attached to your ex-boyfriend, and most likely physically involved with that white-haired man." Rhea said. "And everyone sees it now, including Mr. Kaiba. You won't survive the next elimination."
"Kaiba understands that-." Tea started but was interrupted, this time by Serenity.
"You noticed that he was angry in the limo. We all noticed it. He became that way after you left to meet with Ryou Bakura. And it is to be expected. Everyone in the store, from the sales associates to the camera crew, was commenting on your action, questioning your intentions and loyalty. And he had to stand there and take it all, in front of a camera. He has every right to be angry." Serenity said. Tea had nothing to say. She had assumed that his anger stemmed from her defiance and stubbornness, but it was much more serious than that.
"You screwed up big time. I doubt even your relationship with Mokuba Kaiba will save you now." Eiza said in a somewhat smug tone and turned to leave. The other girls shot her victorious looks and left as well, leaving her to worry over what she had just learnt.
End flashback
She thought about what they had said but she found it difficult to believe that a simple hug and a conversation could have such a big impact.
Flashback
"Ryou." She called out as she ran towards the white haired male. He was clearly shocked to see her and stumbled when she threw her arms around him in a hug, but somehow managed to hold his footing and steady both of them before they went tumbling from the momentum onto the sidewalk. Just as quickly as she had hugged him, she disengaged from him and shot him a wide smile.
"I can't believe you are here. You were supposed to be in England. What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in almost two years." She excitedly spoke. He laughed at her state and replied.
"It's great to see you too Tea. It's been that long, yeah. But if I'm going to receive this kind of greeting from you if we part for long, I might just make a habit of it." He teased good-naturedly. She laughed at his comment.
"If you stay away on purpose, then I'll tackle you to kill you, not hug you." She threatened. It was his turn to laugh.
"I'm honestly shocked to see you. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your head but no one else under the age of sixty has such white hair so I knew it was you. What are you doing in Domino?" She asked.
"My hair is a dead give-away. You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to sneak around. Camouflage is impossible." He replied with a wink. "I'm actually here for you."
"Me?" She was confused.
"Yes, you." He tapped her nose affectionately with his index finger. "Yugi told me about your trip as soon as he found out and we all planned to get together and surprise you. Unfortunately I couldn't make it before you came but I figured that my coming would still be a surprise to you."
"Surprise? I'm beyond surprised. I can't believe Yugi planned this and hid it from me." She said. "And what do you mean by "we"? Who else is a part of this?"
"Duke for sure, and maybe Mai." He answered. She squealed in joy and bounced on her feet like a little child.
"Oh my God, everyone is going to be here."
"We wanted it to be just like the old times, to get the gang together and have some fun." He said. "But imagine my surprise when I showed up to Yugi's house and found you missing." He said with a smirk. "Tea Gardner is on a mission to slay the dragon of Domino."
"Shut up." She punched his shoulder lightly. "The guys told you about my situation?" He nodded and chuckled. She punched him again.
"It's not funny." She whined. "The house is so boring. The other girls are mean and bitchy. I have no friends in the house and nothing to do. I'm wasting my vacation."
"What about Kaiba? Surely he must keep you entertained." He said and she huffed.
"If by entertained you mean annoyed, then yes, he does that plenty." He smiled sympathetically at her.
"He can't be that bad."
"We always argue and fight, no matter the issue or time. He is still an egomaniac who thinks the world revolves around him." She complained.
"I can't blame the guy given his situation. He has a harem of beautiful girls to choose from. That is enough to give any guy an ego-boost." He said and she rolled her eyes.
"They are more like his groupies. They fulfill his every wish and demand as if he is their king and they are his servants."
"And you defy him?" He said with a raised eyebrow. She smirked.
"Of course. Someone has to keep his ego in check. And I bravely do that every day. The downside is that I often get his undivided attention. He seeks me out to annoy me and taunt me."
"Aww, that means he likes you." He teased.
"Have you lost your mind?" She said in an incredulous tone.
"Come one Tea, don't tell me you forgot how it works." He said. "When a boy likes a girl but doesn't know it or doesn't want to admit it, he teases her so he can try to convince himself that he doesn't like her, but at the same time talk to her and interact with her and be with her." He spoke in a tone used for explaining a new concept to a child.
"That applies to little kids, not grown men." She said with a roll of her eyes.
"Kaiba is probably at the same level as a kindergarten kid when it comes to love. I doubt he has experienced love or any of its stages before. So we can safely assume that his teasing and attention is a way of his emotionally under-developed, kindergarten-aged mind to communicate his love for you." He said sagely.
"You are crazy." She said in a dead-panned tone.
"No. Kaiba is definitely into you. Ever since you came out of the store, he has been glaring at me, willing me to spontaneously combust from the intensity of his stare. He is jealous that you are paying attention to me when you should be with him." Ryou pointed out.
"What?" Tea said, quickly turning around to confirm what Ryou had said. She saw Seto glaring at the two of them, along with everyone else in the store.
"See, I told you he likes you." Ryou said smugly.
"He isn't jealous. He is angry because I broke the rule." Tea said in a worried tone. "We are not allowed contact with anyone outside the house, and I broke the rule by coming to you."
"I'm sorry for being so dashing and tempting that I caused you to break a rule." Tea laughed openly at his words. Even he chuckled lightly.
"I missed this." She admitted. "I am very alone in the house. That's why when I saw you, I couldn't help myself. I miss you and the guys a lot."
"If you are right and Kaiba is angry at you for breaking the rule, then you will be eliminated next and be back with us soon." He said. She shrugged her shoulders. "But if I'm right, then Kaiba will keep you in the house just so he can have you all to himself." This prompted another giggle from her.
"I better go or Kaiba might come out and start an argument with you and me." She said.
"As you wish." He said. "I'll see you soon I hope."
"Probably very soon." Tea said with a smile. "Tell the guys I miss them." They shared a quick hug before Tea turned and walked back into the store. She noticed that everyone had dispersed to their spots again but they were all watching her from the corner of their eyes. She spotted Seto standing with Norah and Eiza, listening to something Norah was saying. She decided to let him be and went back to the sale rack, trying again to find a decent dress to buy.
End flashback
As far as she was concerned, the meeting was ordinary. She had done nothing inappropriate by hugging an old friend. But in the context of her current situation, the innocent action of a hug had been interpreted as a declaration of love. As she thought about the interaction from the girls point of view, she understood how and why they had reached the conclusion. They didn't know anything about her or her past or her friends or her friendships. They didn't know that she had many close male friends whom she trusted and loved. They didn't know the situations she had been in with them so they couldn't understand her behaviour towards them.
But Seto knew. He knew Tea and he knew her friends. And he knew about her relationship with her friends. Surely he knew that she and Ryou were only friends. His anger did stem from her action of going to Ryou but not for the same reason the others thought. He wasn't angry because she had hugged another man, nor was he angry at the fact that she had broken a rule. He could care less about the rules since he hadn't been exactly following them either. He was angry because of the way her actions has reflected on him. He knew what the others thought. He heard what they said. He was angry because her actions had embarrassed him in front of the others. She understood that, and was ready to accept her mistake and apologize.
After her conversation with the girls, she had gone on a quest to find Seto and tell him the truth. But he had disappeared. She checked everywhere but he was nowhere to be found. How was that possible? Had he left the mansion? She had seen him go upstairs but she had checked everywhere and still couldn't find him. She had no idea where his room was but so far, every room she came across was open and empty. Where was he?
As more time passed, she began to worry. She knew how his mind worked, especially when he felt that he had been wronged. He would let the anger simmer, let it increase, let it engulf him, until he could feel nothing else and think of nothing else but punishment for the one who caused him to feel that way. The result was never good for the victim. She had never been on the receiving end of his anger and now that she might be, she was worried and slightly afraid. She had to find him and explain herself.
"Can all the girls gather in the living room please?" Mokuba's voice rang over the speakers. Tea groaned and got off her bed. She had been sitting on it for over an hour now, having finally given up her search for Seto. She had failed to find him. She had checked the entire mansion, all the floors, all the rooms. He was out. He had to be. Or he was stalking her and had hidden in the rooms she had already checked. Either way, she hadn't seen him and now it was too late. It was time for the date.
"Hi girls, how was the shopping trip?" Mokuba asked pleasantly when they had all gathered in front of the TV screen, minus Seto. His tone was casual and friendly. He didn't seem angry or disappointed which gave Tea some hope. Maybe it wasn't as bad as the girls had made it out to be. Maybe Seto understood and wasn't angry. He was probably annoyed but not as angry as she feared him to be. He wasn't the same petty teenager she had left years ago. He was a mature, intelligent, and reasonable man. The situation was fine.
"It was very interesting. We all enjoyed it greatly." Rhea answered Mokuba who continued to smile.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now it's time for the date, at the end of which one of you will be eliminated. The date will take place outside the mansion at a spot not too far from here. You can step into the awaiting limo outside. Seto will meet you at the site." The girls did as told, talking amongst themselves as to what the date might be. Mokuba hadn't given them details of the date or what they would be doing so everyone was curious and nervous.
The limo ride was relatively short and after just a few minutes, they stepped out and were greeted by the camera crew that usually followed them on their excursions. Tea noticed that one camera was focused solely on her. She knew why that was so. They expected her to do something unexpected again and didn't want to miss it. Well, not on this date. This time, she would be a model date. She would be nice to Seto and try to enjoy their date. She wouldn't do or say anything to insult him.
"Where is Mr. Kaiba?" Norah asked a crew member.
"He is inside." He pointed to a set of doors that seemed to lead to a stadium of some sort. When they stepped inside, they realized that it was a race car track. A silver gray car, that appeared more like a silver bullet due to the speed at which it was moving, was approaching them.
"That is Mr. Kaiba." The crew member informed them. They all watched in awe as the beautiful and powerful Maserati Granturisimo stopped in front of them and Seto stepped out of it. The crew member held up a computer tablet with Mokuba's grinning face on it.
"Welcome, ladies, to Seto's playground. Seto is a big fan of fast and expensive cars. He has one of the most enviable collections of luxury brand cars and motorcycles in the world. Though he prefers to travel in limos or helicopters or jets, every now and then, he rides out in one of his many fancy cars. When such a mood strikes him, he usually ends up at a track such as this one where he can drive and speed to his heart's content. Today, you will be enjoying some of Seto's favourite cars with him. You can either sit with him in the passenger seat and enjoy the ride or ask to drive the vehicle. At the end of tonight, one of you will be eliminated. Enjoy." The screen went blank. Seto stepped forward and smirked at the girls.
"Who wants to be first?" He said.
"Me." Rhea immediately said and sauntered towards him, completely ignoring the other girls. Seto didn't bat an eye and led her to the car.
"You can drive since you are so amazing at it." Rhea said batting her eye lashes. Seto didn't respond or glance at her and both seated themselves.
The other girls watched as the car started and within seconds it was speeding down the track. It didn't slow down at turns either. Cathy and Serenity exchanged nervous glances. After a few minutes, the car stopped in front of them and a pale faced Rhea stepped out. She forced a smile on her face and turned to Seto.
"That was amazing. We should do it again. Maybe after the other girls have had their turns, we can share one more ride?" She asked coyly.
"We will see." He replied and turned to the other girls. "Who wants to be next?" After a few seconds of hesitation, Norah stepped forward. Seto smirked and nodded at her.
"Wait here, I'll be right back." He sat in the car and drove it out of sight, behind a shelter of sorts. Tea wondered if it was a garage. After a few minutes, a red Porsche Panamera appeared and stopped in front of them.
"I think this better suits you." Seto said as he stepped out. "Want to drive or ride?"
"I'll ride." Norah replied. The car sped off again. Jacqueline turned to Rhea.
"You look a little pale."
"I'm fine." Rhea snapped. Cathy and Serenity snickered behind their hands while Eiza smirked openly. After Norah's turn, Eiza went. She got to ride in a silver Bugatti Veyron. Jacqueline chose to drive the Jaguar C-X75. The girls watched with barely controlled laughter as the lustrous silver-blue car moved on the track as if it was hiccupping. It had bouts of speed followed by harsh breaks. When the car finally stopped in front of them, it was hard to tell who was more relieved to be out of the vehicle, Jacqueline or Seto.
Cathy got to ride in a black Aston Martin One-77. She wisely chose to ride and not drive. After her turn, Seto brought a beige Pagani Huayra and asked Serenity to come with him. She too, chose to ride and not drive. The car sped around the track only twice before it stopped in front of them and a green-faced Serenity stepped out. She quickly avoided them and went to the side to heave out the contents of her stomach. Tea watched her with concern while the other girls watched in amusement. Before Tea could go to Serenity, Seto spoke to her.
"Gardner, it's your turn now." She turned to him with a pleasant smile.
"I guess it is. What awesome car will I be riding in?" He smirked in a way that worried Tea.
"I'll be right back." When he came back, he was riding a silver Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird. The superb machine stopped right in front of her and Seto took off his helmet. She stared at him and the motorcycle in amazement.
"Come on Gardner. Let's not waste time." He said, offering her a helmet. She wasn't sure what to say or do. She had a few comments at the tip of her tongue but she didn't want to voice them. This had to be a perfect date. She had to be nice and docile and obedient, just like the other girls. That meant that she had to go along with whatever Seto proposed, even if it wasn't exactly what she wanted. She pasted a smile on her face and accepted the helmet from him.
"So I get to ride this bad boy? Awesome." She said. He smirked before wearing his helmet. He waited for her to settle behind him and noticed her moving around and fidgeting.
"Hold on, I'm about to go." He warned her.
"Hold on to what exactly?" She asked. The back of the bike was smooth and sleek with just a small elevated metal railing, barely an inch high. She tried to hold on to that but her sweating palms kept slipping. Seto revved up the engine, indicating that he was about to go. Based on how he drove the cars, she could guess how this ride would go. She had to hold on to something secure and non-slippery. The motorcycle zoomed forward with a jerk. Letting out a small squeal, Tea grabbed onto Seto's shirt.
Seto smirked at the squeal she let out. She was afraid, just as he had predicted. He had chosen the motorcycle with the sole purpose of scaring her, to have her feel afraid, vulnerable, and at his mercy. She would be begging him by the time he was done.
Tea soon adjusted to the movement of the bike and began enjoying herself. The motorcycle was undeniably powerful and fast, and Seto handled it with admirable ease. He continued to speed it until everything around them was a blur.
"How are you feeling Gardner?" Seto yelled over the wind and the engine.
"Amazing." She yelled back. "This is amazing." The genuine joy in her voice annoyed Seto. She was supposed to be cowering in fear, begging him to slow down. No matter. The fun had just started.
He took a sharp turn. The bike turned at an angle that had it leaning towards the ground. Seto tilted the bike so that it was as close to the track as it could be without compromising their safety. He waited for the expected scream or shout but got nothing. Even her grip on his shirt remained the same.
Tea realized what he was trying to do, and smiled at his attempt. So this was his revenge, his payback for the injury to his pride. He wanted to scare her into submission. He wanted her to cry for help, for mercy, and beg him to stop, to let her off, to keep her safe. He wanted an ego boost. The question was, should she do it? She could pretend to be afraid and stroke his ego, but if he saw that she was pretending, he would be a lot angrier than he was now. Actually, she was starting to think he wasn't even angry, just annoyed. That she could handle.
"You are pretty good at this." She told him. "But you will have to do better than that if you want to scare me."
"What are you trying to imply?" He said. She laughed as they whizzed past the camera crew.
"I know you are trying to scare me. But you forgot that I have been on motorcycles before, and with people crazier than you. Joey and Tristan used to give me rides all the time, and they took a lot of pleasure in doing stunts with me at the back so I would scream and yell at them. I guess it made them feel like a man." She said.
"Feel like a man? Please Gardner." He scoffed. "If you think I'm anything like your geeky friends, then you are stupider than I thought. I was just having fun. If I wanted to scare you, I wouldn't use cheap tricks like these."
"You are calling them cheap because they didn't work." She teased. "You should ride with Joey or Tristan and see how they do it. You will learn something. They may not have the fancy expensive motorcycles you have but they have skill."
"The day one of those idiots is better than me at anything is the day I'll kneel before you and accept your superiority in everything." He said. Tea only laughed in response. Her behaviour annoyed Seto to no end. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to enjoy herself, let alone taunt him. It was time to turn things up a notch.
He sped up more and weaved left and right, tilting the motorcycle at all angles, sometimes coming so close to the ground that his knee almost brushed it. The only response he got was more excited squeals and cheers. Frustration was starting to turn into anger. He could see the camera crew signaling him to end the ride. He must have reached the time limit reserved for each girl. It was time to let Tea off the bike. His plan had failed. He hadn't been able to make her submit to him, to scare her and embarrass her. She had ended up enjoying herself.
No, his ego screamed. This wouldn't end this way. Everyone needed to see that he was angry with her, that he had planned a retaliation, that he had executed the retaliation and made her pay. The camera crew and the world needed to know that he did not forgive those who made a fool of him. He had to make a fool of her in front of everyone.
He would not accept failure.
With his mind covered in a red haze, he jerked the handles of the bike upwards, pulling the front of the motorcycle in the air, executing a wheelie stunt. This would definitely scare her into place. He waited to hear the tell-tale scream of fear but all he got was the sound of a shocked breath followed by a gust of air as her body separated from his.
Tea was enjoying herself a lot more than she thought she would. Despite Seto's attempts at stunts to scare her, the thrill of riding the motorcycle at high speed was exhilarating. Her every cell, every nerve was humming in pleasure along with the engine. Joey always said she was a motorcycle chick and she had always laughed at his words. But now as she felt the immense pleasure and excitement course through her veins, she felt that maybe Joey had been right. She was a motorcycle chick. She closed her eyes and pulled her head back, feeling the wind caress her neck and body. Her grip on Seto's shirt slackened as she gave in to the moment, feeling as if she was flying.
Suddenly, the motorcycle jerked and its front lifted in the air. Unprepared for the shift, her body fell back. Her loosened grip wasn't enough to steady her. It was as if time had slowed down and she felt each second as an eternity. She felt Seto's shirt slip through her fingers. Her body slipped backwards, gravity pulling it towards the concrete track. The small elevated bar at the back of the bike did nothing to stop her. She was falling off the bike, falling to crash onto the track, head and back first. She was falling.
He felt it as if it was happening in slow motion. He felt her fingers leave his shirt as her body fell backwards, ready to hit the hard concrete. He heard and felt her breath of shock and disbelief, followed by the gust of wind that was indicative of their separating bodies. She was falling off the bike.
Without another thought or moment, he pushed onto the motorcycle, slamming the front wheel back onto the track. The unplanned and abrupt action caused the motorcycle to stumble a bit but he barely registered it. His focus was on what was going on behind him.
Her body jerked forward and slammed into his back, her face hitting the spot between his shoulder blades painfully. Her fingers gripped his shirt again, tighter than they had before. The gust of wind he felt because of the space between their bodies was now replaced by the warmth of her torso pressing tightly against his, telling him that she was still there, that she hadn't fallen, that she was safe.
The arms and the body pressed against his back were trembling, just as his arms were shaking. He could feel her violently thumping heart, beating in sync with his. A glance at the fingers gripping his shirt told him how white they were. He looked at his own hands and found them in a similar state.
He took in a deep breath. He had to steady himself or he would lose control of the vehicle. He had to be in control. It was losing control of his emotions that had prompted him to carry out such an irresponsible act. He couldn't afford to be emotional again. He had to be in control.
He stopped the bike quite far from the others to give him and Tea a chance to steady themselves. He knew the camera had captured his stunt but he hoped it hadn't captured the result of the stunt, and what had almost happened. Thinking about it made him feel a myriad of emotions that were so jumbled together that he could not identify a single one of them. He needed time. They both needed time and space before they joined the others.
The bike stopped but neither moved or spoke. Tea's body was still trembling against his. Very slowly, she detached her shaking limbs from his and got off the bike. Seto took his helmet off and watched her struggle to take hers off. Her fingers slipped twice before finally taking it off to reveal a deathly pale face. Without looking at him, she placed the helmet on the seat and turned on unsteady legs, stumbling towards the others. He went after her.
"Gardner, listen..." He started and grabbed her arm to stop her. As soon as he touched her, she turned and slapped him. His face turned to the side from the impact, his cheek stinging at the force of the blow. He stared into her tearing eyes that looked at him with emotions he had never seen directed at him before; anger, disappointment, and fear. Something stirred inside him as he looked into her eyes but he was unable to move or speak. He watched the tears spill from her eyes onto her pale cheeks before she hurriedly turned and ran towards the exit.
Everyone watched with shocked expressions as Tea ran past them and out of the arena. The camera crew exchanged looks before two of them hurried after her. The rest remained with the girls and focused on Seto who hadn't moved from the spot where he had been slapped. After a few seconds of silence, he turned and rode the bike into the area where all the vehicles were being kept. When he joined them, his face was stern, daring anyone to even make a sound. He walked past them and into the awaiting limo.
The ride back home was the most tense they had ever experienced. Tea sat by herself, her posture tense, face turned away from them. She made no sound but her actions of wiping her cheeks every now and then indicated that she was silently crying. Seto sat on the other end, his face also turned away from them. He, too, was tense and rigid, his fists clenched tightly by his side, his jaw set firmly. The other girls sat quietly, not making a single sound.
When they reached the mansion, Seto was the first to get out. He held the door for them and watched as they all crawled out one by one, but no one entered the mansion. Tea was the last one to exit. She kept her face bowed, her bangs hiding her eyes. She didn't spare anyone a glance and ran into the mansion. Seto slammed the door of the limo shut with more force than necessary, causing some of the girls to jump at the sound. He then followed Tea into the mansion, the girls trailing after him.
Tea was nowhere to be seen when they all came inside. The girls stood together, glancing at Seto, deciding if they should ask what happened. They had seen the slap and were itching to know the story. When Seto began walking up stairs, Rhea quickly spoke.
"What happened?" Seto stopped in his tracks and sharply turned his head.
"None of your business." He spat with blazing eyes. Rhea stepped back at the intensity directed at her. The other girls too became apprehensive and quickly dispersed to be out of his sight. When he disappeared, they gathered together again.
"What the hell was that?" Cathy said in an incredulous tone.
"She slapped him. She actually slapped him." Norah said in disbelief.
"But why?" Serenity said. The girls gave it some thought but could find no answer.
"It doesn't matter why." Jacqueline said. "What matters now is what will happen next because of the slap."
"What do you mean?" Cathy asked and Rhea smiled gleefully.
"Tea will be eliminated. There is no way in hell he is going to let her stay after this. She slapped him. She is done."
"More than done." Eiza said. "She slapped him on TV. It was recorded. He won't let it go with a simple elimination. He will make her pay even when she is out of the mansion."
"She is as good as dead both in and out of the mansion." Rhea said in a satisfied tone. "Perfect end for a horrible person like her."
"There has to be more to it than that." Serenity said. "Tea isn't stupid enough to slap him without a reason. Something must have happened to make her do that. Besides, he didn't do anything when she slapped him. He just let her go. That has to mean something."
"Maybe." Norah said. "But we can't know unless we ask one of them. And I don't want to ask either of them."
"I'm afraid that what really happened will remain a mystery." Cathy said.
"Until the show airs and we watch it." Eiza said. "Mokuba might have them give an explanation in the confessions." The others nodded in agreement.
"But at least we all agree that she is going home tonight?" Rhea asked and the other girls nodded in agreement. It was the only logical outcome of the events they had witnessed. Seto wasn't one to let something like that slide. He would surely eliminate her.
Seto entered the eerily quiet library and began moving in the direction of the hidden spot Tea had showed him. He had a feeling she was there and he needed to speak with her. He had given her some time to deal with her anger. He had used that time to gather his thoughts and emotions. Now he was ready to face her.
She was there, sitting in an armchair, her legs tucked underneath her. Her face was set in an angry grimace, her hardened eyes focused on some random spot on the carpet. Seto watched quietly as a lone tear escaped her eye and she angrily wiped it. She was still very angry and hurt. He hesitated to proceed with his plan. Maybe now wasn't the right time and he should come back later. But later when? The elimination was tonight, in just an hour. He had to speak with her before that.
"Gardner." He called her to get her attention. Her head snapped up to stare at him. He saw the same emotions in her eyes. Again, something twisted inside him but he couldn't identify the emotions he was feeling. That was fine with him. He needed to use his head to fix the situation, not his emotions.
"What are you doing here?" She asked angrily. "How dare you show your face after what you did?"
"I came to talk." He said in a calm tone.
"Get out of my sight." She said. "Go, leave me."
"I won't leave until I say what I came to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I got your message loud and clear." She spat. "Admittedly it took me a lot longer than expected but that is my fault. You were always very open and clear about it. It was my doe-eyed optimism that blinded me and kept me from seeing the truth. But it's all clear now."
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"You always said I didn't mean anything, that I was insignificant, not worth your time or note. But I deluded myself into thinking that you didn't mean that and kept trying to be nice to you, to be your friend. I kept trying to read between the lines, kept trying to interpret your actions as something they were not. There were times when I doubted my belief, but for some reason, I still clung to the hope that I wasn't as low on your radar as you claimed. I had no idea that you were being serious, that you honestly didn't see me as worth anything." She angrily said.
"That's not true." He objected.
"It's true." She yelled back. "You proved it today. You risked my life for your amusement and pride. You almost killed me. You are an egotistical and loathsome human being who has no regard for anyone's feelings or life."
"Gardner... I..." His insides twisted as he watched her body shake with silent sobs. All the words he had practiced in his room disappeared from his mind and he was rendered speechless.
"My life meant nothing to you." She said softly, staring at the floor. "That's why you so easily gambled with it." She took in a shuddering breath, trying to gain control over her emotions.
"I trusted you." She said in a broken voice. "Even after everything you said and did and how you treated me in the past, I trusted you. I always felt that I could count on you if I was ever in a desperate situation. But you proved today that I was a fool for believing that. I was a fool to think I mattered to you at all, that my life, my existence mattered at all. I am nothing to you. My life means nothing to you." She took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes before looking up at him.
"Thank you for clearing up my misconceptions. I understand now that you meant what you said in the past. I am useless in your eyes and have no significance or place in your life. Message received."
He could not breath. Every word she said cut him like a knife and he was in physical pain. He recalled the emotions he had seen in her eyes when she had slapped him. Anger, disappointment and fear. He could deal with anger and disappointment. He had seen those in her eyes on a few occasions. Granted they had been temporary but he had seen those directed at him. It was the fear in her eyes that was new, and that hurt the most.
He had seen it reflected in those blue orbs before, when she was sitting under a dangling crate, her life at the mercy of a psychopath. Now the same fear in was those eyes but because of him. She was afraid of him. She didn't trust him and feared that he would hurt her... as he had almost done today.
He walked on shaky legs and slumped on the couch across from her.
She feared him. She believed that he could hurt her, that he would hurt her. His insides twisted painfully and he found breathing to be difficult. She feared him. She thought he didn't care about her life.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, not meeting her eyes. "I didn't plan on any of it to happen. I wanted to scare you, yes, but I never imagined it would go this far. I don't know what came over me that caused me to act that way, and as much as I try, I can't understand why I did that." He stopped to take in a shaky breath before continuing.
"Perhaps it's because in my mind, you are the only one who can take all my crap and still be okay. I think that after seeing you face so many life-threatening situations, I have established a view of you as someone who is invincible, someone who can face any risk and not get hurt. Perhaps that is why I dared to do a dangerous stunt without thinking it through." He struggled to speak further.
"I do know one thing. You make me lose control and feel emotions I am not used to. I can't think straight when I am with you. I just act, and I fear that's what I did today as well. When you riled me up, I gave in to emotion." He paused to see if she would speak but she remained silent.
"Tea." He said her first name, surprising her. He had never used her first name before. "When you slipped, I... I felt afraid, as if my own life was slipping away from me. I have never felt that kind of fear before." Swallowing rather painfully, he finally looked up and met her eyes.
"Don't ever think that you mean little to me, that your life means little to me. You are one of the few rare people who bring color to my gray existence. You mean more to me that you know, more than even I knew. I regret that it took an instance such as today's to make me realize that." He abruptly stood up and began walking towards the exit. Tea watched him go in silence. He paused just before he left her secret spot.
"I truly am sorry." With these last words, Seto Kaiba disappeared behind the shelves of books, leaving a very conflicted girl alone to silently cry.
Seto stiffly stood in the middle of the living room, ready to proceed with the elimination ceremony. Mokuba's face was present on the TV screen behind him. He had just made the announcement to call all contestants to the living room. Everyone was there except Tea. Seto wondered if she planned on skipping the ceremony. She probably wasn't ready to face him, the girls, or Mokuba. For that matter, he wasn't ready to face her either. It was better if she didn't attend.
But Mokuba wouldn't let her, Seto realized. Mokuba would want her present. From the conversation Mokuba had with Seto and his attitude so far, Seto concluded that Mokuba wasn't aware of the incident. Otherwise, the younger Kaiba would have given Seto hell, privately of course. Mokuba was somewhat protective of Tea in the house, considering he had tricked her into being there in the first place. If he knew what Seto had done, he would be just as angry as Tea.
His thoughts were interrupted by the murmuring of the girls. He looked up and saw Tea enter the living room area. She kept her head bowed, her eyes directed at the floor as she came to stand at the edge of the sitting area with the couches.
"Would you like to sit?" Mokuba asked pleasantly. Tea stiffly shook her head. Seto watched Rhea whisper something in Jacqueline's ear and both girls shared victorious smiles.
"Well then, let's begin the elimination ceremony, at the end of which one of you will be leaving the mansion. Seto has made the decision based on the shopping trip as well as the car date." Mokuba explained and then turned to his brother.
"Seto, if you will please proceed and declare a winner first." Seto pasted an indifferent expression on his face and began speaking.
"There was no winner." His tone and expression made it clear that he was in no mood for arguments. The girls didn't seem very upset at his words either so Mokuba didn't press the matter.
"In that case, proceed with the elimination ceremony." Mokuba said. Seto nodded and began speaking.
"I will call your name to come receive the rose." He said in a monotonous voice to the girls, and began calling the names. He called Norah, Cathy, Eiza, Serenity, and Jacqueline to get a rose. After them, he held the last rose in his hand. Rhea moved to the edge of the couch in anticipation of getting up to receive the rose. She had a confident look on her face. Seto turned to look at Tea and found her in the same state as she had entered.
With careful steps, he walked towards Tea. She still didn't look up but he did notice a stiffening of her shoulders. He stopped two feet away from her as to not invade her personal space. She still didn't look up or move. He held the rose out to her.
"It's yours if you want it." She finally looked up into his eyes and saw the regret, the shame, and the pain he was feeling. She hesitated visibly before slowly extending her hand and accepting the rose. Seto's shoulders relaxed and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Not giving him a chance to speak or do anything, Tea turned and fled the living room. Seto stood in the same spot, watching her run up the stairs.
"What? How is... how can this be? It's not... possible." He turned to watch Rhea standing with a mixture of confusion and rage. "How can you eliminate me and keep her?" She demanded. "I am much better than her. I deserve to be here."
"I have made my decision." Seto said in a dismissive tone.
"I demand an explanation for why I was eliminated." Rhea said angrily.
"Because you annoyed and angered me with your possessive attitude." Seto sneered. "Ever since the dinner date, you have been pretending as if you are I are together, that I am yours to claim. You have spoken for me on a number of occasions when you had no right to do so. And today in the car, you compromised your safety and mine by holding on to my arm while I was driving. You did that twice, even after I told you that I needed both hands to drive and control the car. You are being eliminated for taking liberties you are not allowed." As he spoke, he knew he sounded like a hypocrite. Rhea or any of the other girls hadn't taken the liberties Tea had, but he was punishing them and ignoring Tea's transgressions. Looking at the other girls expressions told him they knew it too but were hesitant to voice their thoughts.
"How can you let Tea stay and eliminate me?" Rhea asked again. "That bitch disrespected and insulted you. For God's sake she slapped you. How can you let that go?" Seto menacingly advanced towards Rhea.
"What happens between Tea and myself is none of your concern so don't speak of things you don't understand." He warned her in a dangerous tone. "And never question my judgment." Rhea quickly nodded her head, anger replaced by fear. Seto glared at her one last time before leaving the living room.
He could hear Rhea crying and complaining about the unfairness of it all but he didn't care. He was just glad that Tea had decided to stay. Now he had time to fix the damage he had done. Had she left, she would have avoided him even after the show was done. Not only that but she would have told her friends, prompting them to give him a verbal and physical smack down. But thankfully all that had been narrowly avoided. Tea had decided to stay and give him a chance. And he wouldn't mess it up.
Confessions:
Jacqueline: "What the hell happened today? I can't wrap my head around anything. First Tea broke the rules and ran into the arms of another one of her probably many lovers. Then she slapped Mr. Kaiba, and he didn't do anything to her. He didn't punish her for breaking the rules or for humiliating him. He didn't retaliate for the slap. He didn't do anything. Instead, he walked to her and offered the rose to her as if she was some queen he had offended, and he was asking for her mercy. What the hell is going on? What kind of deal does that bitch have with Mokuba that she can do all this?"
Eiza: "I am not sure what to say. I can't figure it out. Tea did something that deserved instant disqualification but she was not penalized for it. Then she slapped Mr. Kaiba. That's right, she slapped him in front of everyone and still nothing happened to her. Mr. Kaiba didn't do anything to get back at her. In fact, from his behaviour at the elimination ceremony, it looked like he was apologizing to her. What happened between them?"
Norah: "Today proves my theory that this competition is rigged. Tea can do no wrong. She can break all the rules, she can slap him, she can insult us, she can insult anyone she wants, and she is still right. If she tried to kill one of us tomorrow, I won't be surprised if Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba still took her side. She is the perfect angel and we are all idiots who are foolishly trying to compete with her."
Cathy: "Rhea goes and Tea stays? How is that fair? I can't understand what Mr. Kaiba is thinking. I know he is a very complicated man and is known to make decisions that no one understands, but this decision is wrong. Everyone can see that, so why can't he? What is going on? What happened that made Tea slap him? Why didn't he punish her for insulting him like that? What happened when they were on the date?"
Serenity: "I can't believe the events of today. Tea went to see Bakura. The other girls think he is her lover. I told them that as far as I know, he is a friend which isn't a lie. I feel a bit guilty because I could have been more firm in my defense of Tea. But it's not like it would have made a difference. Everyone else was convinced and nothing I said would have changed their mind. Instead, it would have turned them against me and I can't have that. Besides, Kaiba didn't do anything to her. He ignored her and that was it. None of us would have gotten the same treatment had we done what Tea did. I can see why the other girls don't like Tea. She is getting preferential treatment because of her past association with Kaiba. Maybe I can get some sort of advantage too if I assert my past association with him. He hasn't done anything to me yet so he must be neutral towards me. I can turn his attitude to positive. I just have to be aggressive in my approach, like Tea. So far, I have tried to stay under the radar and be quiet and sweet, but I think he is bored by it. The carnival date was a proof of that. But no more shyness. I will try to be bold and get his attention. Just like Tea, I can use my relationship with Yugi and Joey to my advantage and go far in this competition."
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Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
Please review and let me know what you think.
