Yuna: So people didn't...

Yuji: shakes his head

SHINE-AT-SHADE: Readers, this chapter contains some Spanish. Both Atem ans Tea do understand, it took me a while to do this right...

Yuna:And you call yourself Mexican-American...

SHINE-AT-SHADE: SHUT UP!! It took me a while...

Yuna: Sad...shaking her head

SHINE-AT-SHADE: How did control me since chapter one?

Tea couldn't help but notice both the palace around her and the cotton dress she was wearing. It was a long white dress. It felt weird wearing it under her white linen robe, it made her feel "royal."

"You look fine Tea."

She made a face, "I'm not used to wearing these types of things…I rather stick to clothes that would actually let me move freely."

Atem chuckled. "You'll eventually get the chance to wear your clothes back, but not right now. It's your birthday; you should be wearing something to celebrate it."

"Isn't the cake and the locket enough?"

The vampire shook his head. "No."

Tea ignored the no and looked around the palace. White marble columns and walls surround them. It looked pretty big to tell if it was the first floor or the second. She was in the main hall and already she thought that this was a joke, a dream. Her family had no connection with these cursed vampires, the Council is a lie and her necklace holds no power to unlock a powerful being to bring the world darkness.

"Here we are and stop being in denial, it won't help me from giving you that cake. Now, if you're done, do have any questions?"

"About what?"

"Anything about this palace. Is there something that you are curious about?"

She really didn't want to know anything about this huge palace. Around them, there were so many people. It wouldn't hurt to say something about how she got to the palace and why were they so many people. Tea then noticed some demons, shape shifters and monsters walking by. Why are all of these beings doing here?

She came up with one, "Is this palace connected somehow? There seems to be many types of beings walking by. Some of them are somehow from different continents of the world."

"This is one of the palaces that are under each of the Five Lands of Earth. This is the Spring Palace, the headquarters of my family since the War began. These people come from different continents to seek refugee. Some come by the other palaces to either pick up some few things to invest in certain markets near the Marketplace. It's just outside of the palace. Any other questions?"

Why do you even bother getting me presents for my birthday? Tea wanted to ask, but she kept that to herself. This felt unsafe for her, she never know what kind what trick this would be. Tea scolds herself for thinking like a bounty hunter. He is supposed to protect her, not kill her.

They've arrived at the dinning hall; it was as big as the main hall. White columns and walls surround a huge dinning table made for many people or creatures. Behind that was a large wooden door, from the smell that's coming from it, it had to be the kitchen Atem was talking about. "Okay, we're here." Atem, acting like a gentleman, pushes the door and lets Tea in the kitchen first.

The kitchen was twice as big as the room that she was sleeping, which was bigger than her apartment (which made Tea feel really cheap). Full of pots and pans, stoves and ovens, even a couple of refrigerators, but it was empty of any cooks that would cook a cake.

"Ey, que te dije? No puedes venir a la cocina en la tarde! Oh, it's just you Atem. Who's that woman with you?" A red-headed woman appeared behind them. She was wearing a white apron over a long black dress. The woman's bright hazel eyes seemed to be brighter than the light from behind her.

"Good it's you. Tea, I want you to meet Camilla; she's the head chief here in the kitchen. Camilla, this is one of the last members of the Gardner family, Tea Gardner. Camilla, I need help finding a pre-made cake for Tea, it's her birthday today."

The chief cook walked to them, in a pissed off mood.

"Atem, I'll find you a cake, after you eat your pill. La ultima cosa que quiero de ti, es un vampiro agarando sangre de los niños. Afuera! Go!"

Tea looked at Atem, who started walking to a cabinet near a random refrigerator, grumbling. She turned to Camilla, "Camilla, was that Spanish you were speaking?"

"Si Tea."

"Then, are you from West America?" Tea asked.

"Pues si Tea. When I sixteen, and was married to my first husband, Santiago, I was captured by a Council member. En ese tiempo, el Council estaba governando America del Oeste."

"Why did the Council want from you?"

"Tea, I overheard something really terrible. You know that the Council of Roses governs a continent once every five other years. When they governed West America, they are basically all dictators. Cuando sabian que supe un secreto…not only did they captured me…but…pero…mataron am mi esposo…mataron a Santiago…"

Tea was struck. Camilla too lost someone special early in her life, but Camilla was actually married. How awful that must feel. Tea knew exactly how Camilla felt. She walked that path before.

"Okay Camilla. I ate that stupid pill. Now can you find a cake for Tea?"

Camilla shook her head. "Perdon Atem, pero no tenemos pasteles por el momento, but I can make one. So Tea, what kind of cake do you want?"

Tea thought for a moment. She was still sad about Camilla's past. She turned to Atem for some help, he just smiled. That same smile Tea couldn't help but blush back in New Day Bar.

"Well…chocolate… a chocolate raspberry cake."

Camilla happily clapped her hands energetically. "Then it's settled. I'll get the ingredients and start working, happy birthday Tea!" She went to the refrigerator and started collecting the ingredients for the cake.

Atem sat down on a random counter. "Camilla is quite something, isn't she?"

Tea nodded. "Though you got to feel sorry for her, for her past."

"At first I did. When the Destruction War started at West America that year, I went with Mahado. It usually gets pretty ugly, especially in the urban areas. When I first heard that the Council captured Camilla, I knew I had to save her. She was going through enough pain already. Then again, I do save anyone who was hurt by the Council. It's not fair for anyone innocent to be hurt by those…pathetic backstab-"

"Ey Atem!" Camilla shouted from across the kitchen, "Stop flirting with Tea y wen a ayudar con el pastel!"

Both Atem and Tea blushed, even though they didn't know why. "C-Camilla, we're not…ah, fine." Atem went to start making the cake while Camilla came to take Atem's place on the counter.

"I know he wasn't flirting you but it ticks me off when he doesn't do something useful while he's around me."

Tea giggled. "I bet he does his own shares around the palace. I'm really sorry for what happened to you."

"Ya olvidetelo Tea. Forget about it, it was all in the past." Camilla looked at her wedding ring. "I met someone else. It was a couple of years after Atem saved me. He was just too good to be true. Ricardo is his name. Ay, Tea, lo amo. Lo amo con todo mi Corazon. That was the same year…Atem told me something interesting." Camilla turned to look at Tea. "Mira hija, I heard about what happened to Leo, but remember: always move on and be happy for what you have. There has to be another person who you can't stop thinking about?"

Tea had to agree. She turned to see Atem, who seemed to be mixing some ingredients together. That night when Old Izumimiya kissed her, she knew it was for whatever stuff for her to drink but to also kiss her? There could have been many different ways for her to drink that potion, why did he choose to kiss her instead?

"Alright, estas lista?"

"What?"

"For switching places with Atem of course. You didn't think I would just leave him doing all the work now would you? Ey, Atem! Tea is going to take over. I feel more secure with a human tasting the cake than a vampire."

"That's cursed vampire to you!" Atem shouted back.

He came rushing to them while Tea goes to finish up the cake.

"Hey, do you think she can cook?" Camilla asked.

"She's twenty-five. I'm sure she can manage."

Camilla turned to Atem, "Ey, you think she's the one for you?"

Atem blushed. "What?!"

"Don't play dumb with me. Twenty years ago, you visit Tea and her parents, remember?"

"I only went to make sure they were safe." Atem said.

"Ya se, I know, but I mean after that. You said you used that other power of yours, to see people's future selves. You told me how beautiful and kind Tea would be, you even added a little too much information on how you felt by that vision…"

Atem cleared his throat, but Camilla was right, he fell in love with Tea's future self. He hoped to be there for her, to wait for her until she grew up so that he can tell her about his feelings.

Until Thomas wanted Tea to have a normal life, Atem knew that everyone in his family would object Thomas' wishes. The leader understood a father knows what's best for his children. The last thing Thomas wanted for his only daughter is to be friends with a cursed vampire.

"Ey Atem, I forgot, why did you fell in love with her anyway?" Camilla asked.

"When I see someone's future self, I see that exact vision. I just fell in love with her kind side, the one who doesn't care who someone's status but their attitude toward others. I wanted to wait by her side to see her grow and be that person."

"So you're saying that she's better than your first wife?"

Atem, unfortunately, loved Tea more than his first love…his wife. He had learned long ago to move on with his immortal life. He wanted to protect Tea even more from Bakura than all the surviving members of the Gardner family combined, perhaps even more from his own family. Atem just wants to be close to her and he knew this was the only chance he has to be close to her.

Camilla didn't wait for a response. She knew what Atem was thinking.

"I think I'm done…" Tea said from across the kitchen.

"A ver hija?" Camilla went to see if the cake was ready to bake. Sure enough, it was. "Good job, buen trabajo. You would make some lover very proud!"

Tea blushed for the complement. She looked at Atem from the corner of her eye, without Camilla looking.

"Kuri!"

"Kuriboh!" Atem quickly grabbed Kuriboh from eating something from a random refrigerator.

"That looks like one of the flying fur balls…I think it was Chocolate." Tea later realized that the fur ball was bigger than Chocolate.

Atem shook his head, "This is just Kuriboh. Your servants, for the moment, are called Winged Kuribohs. There's bit of a difference between the two fiends. If you were still in Cerulean flower, I think you would call this a level one fiend."

"I think I would call it cute." Tea went to pat the small fiend, which made the it feel happy than afraid from the vampire's gripped.

Atem couldn't help but to look at Tea. There was that kindness that Atem was waiting for, the reason he fell in love with her in the first place.

"Oh no." Camilla seemed to be looking for something; it seemed she was having no luck finding it.

"Something wrong Camilla?" Tea asked.

"Ay, queria contrar la crema dulce but…"

"Camilla, if it's frosting your looking for, isn't on the counter over there." Atem was pointing to a counter with jars of different colored frosting.

"Si but I'm out of white frosting. Since the cake is chocolate, I was hoping to add a bit of vanilla frosting, to decorate it." Camilla sighed, "I guess I have to go to the Marketplace to buy some more. Kuriboh!"

"Kuri?"

"Ven con migo. I need someone to come with me, just in case I carry more than I need."

"Kuri…"

Camilla, with her shopping bag, dragged Kuriboh to the kitchen door.

SHINE-AT-SHADE: Camilla and her husband's are from a drama that I'm watching right now. It's called Pasion. It's a Mexican drama but it's good. Too good to be over this Friday...the last episode...T.T