A/N: I wrote this story a while ago, so it wasn't really my best work. I'm going to be editing it and adding more. So, for old readers, I hope you like the revised version. For new readers, thanks for reading and feel free to leave your opinion of the story. I just ask that you don't be rude and nasty in your review. Other than that, enjoy the fanfic!
Note: The songs used in this chapter are Hey Sexy Lady (Shaggy) and What's My Name (Rihanna). Also, there is a slap in this chapter. While I do not advocate physical violence, especially in relationships, I felt that the slap was a little necessary as it was needed to show just how much Kaiba is affected by Téa and just how much their relationship has changed.
Disclaimer: Chapter 21 and I still don't own YuGiOh.
PS: What I write in no way reflects the policies of Tisch. Everything I've written is purely FICTION.
"How much longer do we have together?" Téa heard a voice asking as she slowly opened her eyes. Groaning, she looked around her, trying to remember what had happened.
Suddenly, memories rushed back to her and she let out a slight groan. Quickly, she shut her eyes, not wanting to think about where she was. She felt much better now and wanted nothing more than to leave.
"You have eight days left," she heard a voice answer outside her door.
"Eight days?" the first voice asked and Téa's eyes immediately shot open. That was Kaiba's voice. But, who was the other person?
"Yes, eight days. Why do you sound so upset, Mr. Kaiba? I thought you wanted this marriage to end," the other voice replied and Téa held her breath as she listened.
Who was the other person? Kaiba's lawyer, perhaps? Her thoughts were interrupted by a scoff from Kaiba.
"I'm not upset. The sooner this marriage is over, the better," he said and Téa felt tears suddenly come to her eyes. She listened as he continued, "I'm just worried about my half of the company. When we get divorced, do I get it at once?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't you?" the voice asked and Téa was more than convinced that it belonged to his lawyer.
"Just making sure," Kaiba replied in a nonchalant voice.
"Really? Or did you perhaps fall in love with Miss Gardner? Are you actually accepting her as your wife?" the lawyer asked. Immediately, Téa held her breath as she waited for Kaiba's answer.
"Of course not. Don't be stupid," she heard him reply and instantly felt her heart stop.
He continued, "she's not my wife nor am I her husband and nothing will ever change that." At his words, Téa turned away and buried her face in her pillow, not wanting to hear anything more.
Why should she care if he didn't love her? It wasn't as if she wanted him to love her. But, if that were true, then why were tears escaping from her eyes?
She let out a sniff and felt the pillow begin to grow wet with her tears. As she cried, she kept repeating to herself that she didn't love him. After all, how could she love a man like him?
Seto Kaiba only cared about business and his wealth and expanding his company. He only cared about being the top businessman in the world. His ruthless and arrogant nature left no place for love in his life.
Sniffing, she realized that he was only capable of loving one person and that spot was already taken by his brother.
Suddenly, she remembered the bet that they had made months ago. It seemed as though he was winning. There he was in the other room, completely emotionless and uncaring about their divorce while she was in here, silently crying over the knowledge that he didn't want her or love her.
No! She wiped her tears and shook her head. She wouldn't lose this bet!
She shouldn't be sad about the marriage ending. After all, she hadn't even wanted it in the first place. She thought back to six months before and how restless she'd been about their marriage ending. Now, when the time had come, she was crying?
No, that wouldn't work. She sniffed again and shook her head. She was happy that the marriage was going to be over. In a week, she would go her way and he would go his. She would have her scholarship and admittance as well as her inheritance and her half of the partnership company while he would have his half, exactly what it had said in her father's will.
They would both be happy and satisfied, and would go their own way, never to cross paths again.
Later that Day:
"Where's Téa?" Kaiba asked as he entered the kitchen. It had been about three hours since he had brought her back from the hospital and she'd gone to the study. He hadn't seen her since and, after searching the entire house, was unable to find her. "And when did we get a dog?"
"I'm not sure, Master Kaiba. She said something about going out to meet a friend, but that was all," Aimi replied before adding, "and Téa rescued him yesterday during the storm. Isn't he a darling?"
Shaking his head impatiently, Kaiba asked, "a friend? Who?"
However, he had a feeling as to who it was and ground his teeth together when Aimi replied, "someone by the name of Duke."
That was all he needed to hear before he spun around and stormed out of the kitchen, his eyes narrowed.
She was out with Duke?
He growled to himself as he pulled out his phone and began to call her. She'd been in the hospital with a fever only a few hours ago. Why the hell had she gone out? And with Duke? What was her relationship with him?
His vision red, all Kaiba heard was the ring back tone as he called Téa's phone before her voicemail greeted him. Angrily, he ended the call before redialing only to be greeted by her voicemail once again. Why the hell wasn't she answering her phone? Where was she and what was she doing?
Once again, he dialed her number and, when greeted by her voicemail, snapped, "call me back when you get this message. And learn to answer your phone!"
With that, he angrily hung up the phone before storming off to his personal study, his mood suddenly dark and brooding.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Duke asked, looking over at Téa, who downed a shot of tequila. For some reason, she looked incredibly sad and it seemed that she was drinking more than usual.
With a preppy smile, she squealed, "yes!" before getting another shot.
"Are you sure? Because you looked miserable when you came to find me," Duke replied and she quickly shoved his concern aside.
"I wasn't miserable. I was tired. After all, I just came out of the hospital," she shrugged before downing another shot.
Eyes wide, Duke exclaimed, "you were in the hospital? Téa, you shouldn't be out drinking! You should be at home resting."
Shaking her head, Téa slurred, "I'm fine. It was just a little fever. Nothing serious."
Not convinced, Duke continued, "I still think you should be resting."
Téa however, was more than ready to let the matter go. Picking up her margarita, she took a sip before leaning forward and smiling, "I'm fine, Duke."
Standing, she suddenly lurched forward and Duke quickly grabbed her waist to prevent her from falling.
"See?" she smiled up at him before dissolving into laughter.
"Téa," Duke began before she turned towards the bartender, cutting him off.
"Bartender, gimme two, no, three," she paused and turned towards Duke, clearly confused.
"How many fingers is this?" she asked as she held up two fingers.
Sighing, Duke wrapped his hand around her wrist and said, "Téa, I think I should take you home."
Immediately, Téa shook her head and pulled her wrist from his grip, replying "no! I'm not going home. And that was the wrong answer, Duke."
Turning back towards the bartender, she raised her hand and attempted to count the fingers on her hand before she gave up. Smiling, she said, "bartender, give me this amount of shots of tequila."
Behind her, Duke gestured at the bartender and shook his head.
"Whatever you say, miss," the man replied before he turned and left to 'get' her drinks.
"I love this song!" Téa suddenly squealed before she grabbed onto Duke's shirt and pulled him behind her as she stumbled onto the dance floor. "Duke, dance with me!"
Her body's callin bawlin got me crawlin up the wall and
My size ain't small it's tall and catch here comes her clothes be fallin
Her neighbor's callin bawlin all this noise is so appallin
They must believe we're brawlin headboards band till early mornin
Téa let out a squeal as she swung her hips and grabbed Duke, pulling him closer towards her.
"This is fun," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Looking up at him, she asked, "isn't this fun?"
With a slight smile, he shrugged, "yes, I guess."
Smiling, Téa continued to dance, unsuccessfully attempting to sing along to the lyrics.
Hey sexy lady (She's drivin me nuts) I like your flow (Uh! Uh!)
Your body's bangin (Sexy Lady) out of controoooooool! (Sweet and nice)
You put it on me (You know you got that figure) ceiling to floor
Only you can make me (Wow) scream and beg for moooooore!
Smiling, Téa made her way back towards the bartender, Duke following closely behind.
"Bartender, where's my drink?" she asked as she leaned on the bar counter. The man looked at Duke before looking at Téa and replying, "coming right up, toots."
Moments later, he returned with a margarita, which Téa proceeded to gulp down. Satisfied, she set down the half full glass and looked over at Duke.
"Ready to go back?" Before he could reply, she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the floor again.
Ooh na na, what's my name
Ooh na na, what's my name
"My name's Téa," Téa chuckled as she moved along to the song. Beside her, Duke let out a laugh as well.
"Yes, your name is Téa," he smiled as he continued to dance.
Ooh na na, what's my name
Ooh na na, what's my name
Ooh na na, what's my name
whats my name, whats my name
"I said my name's Téa!" Téa suddenly growled and Duke was taken aback.
"I know your name's Téa," he replied.
Confused, Téa asked, "then, why does she keep asking me what my name is?"
Also confused, Duke wondered what she was talking about before he heard the chorus and chuckled, "that's the song, Téa."
"Oh, right," she smiled embarrassingly at him and he shook his head.
Baby you got me, and ain't nowhere that I'd be
then with your arms around me
back and forth you rock me yeah
so I surrender, to every word you whisper
every door you enter, I will let you in
"Where are my drinks?" Téa suddenly asked.
Chuckling, Duke replied, "you didn't order any more drinks, Téa."
Eyes wide, she gasped, "really?" before she turned and headed towards the bar.
"Téa," Duke said as he followed behind her, "maybe you've had enough alcohol. Let me take you home."
However, she shook her head and said to the bartender, "let me get two shots of tequila."
Moments later, the man returned with the shots and Téa quickly downed one.
"That's one serious chick you got there," the bartender remarked as he watched Téa pick up the second shot.
Shaking his head, Duke replied, "she's not usually like this. She's just having a bad day."
At that moment, Téa mumbled, "I need more drinks," as she stared at her empty shot glasses.
Smiling, the bartender said, "sure. It's ladies' night after all," before he turned to get more drinks.
"Téa, what happened?" Duke suddenly asked Téa, who was spinning around on the chair.
"Wheeeee," she giggled, "you should try this, Duke."
"Téa," he said more seriously as he gripped her shoulder to steady her.
"What happened?" he asked again.
Chuckling, she leaned in and smiled, "let's dance!"
Losing his patience, Duke shook his head and suddenly growled, "no! Téa, what happened? Tell me what's wrong!"
At his insistent tone, Téa looked up at him and Duke gasped at the tears that had formed in her eyes. His face softening, he asked again, "what happened? Why are you crying?"
Her voice cracking, Téa managed, "Kaiba."
"What did he do?" Duke asked, watching as tears began to run down her face. "Did he hurt you?!"
Shaking her head, she mumbled, "no, he didn't."
"Then, what did h-" Duke began to ask when she sniffed and gave him a tearful smile before she said, "he doesn't love me."
"What?" Duke asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"He doesn't love me, Duke," she smiled at him through her tears.
"Bu-" he began saying when the bartender returned with the drinks. Suddenly, she spun around and grabbed a drink.
"A toast!" she proclaimed as she raised her glass. "To the pain of unrequited love!"
Duke could do nothing more than stare as Téa downed the drink.
Shaking his head, Duke stood and said, "I think I should take you home, Téa."
However, she shook her head and said, "let's dance instead!"
Duke, however, shook his head and said, "I'm taking you home."
At the look on her face, he added, "now," before grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the club.
"Where is Téa? It's almost 1 am," Mokuba said, looking over at his brother, who was pacing in front of the door. Standing to the side were Aimi and Hiro. Before Kaiba could answer, the door opened and Téa stumbled into the mansion, soaked from the rain that was falling outside.
"Oh dear," Aimi breathed as Téa stumbled and fell to the knees. She hiccuped before chuckling and slowly got to her feet.
His face dark, Kaiba made his way towards her as Mokuba, Aimi, and Hiro looked on.
"One, two-" He heard her mumbling as he approached her. She suddenly looked up and shot him a wide smile.
"Oh, look! Here comes my wonderful husband!" she slurred, clearly drunk. She stumbled into his arms and, looking up at him a smile, exclaimed, "darling! How are you?"
"Where were you?" Kaiba asked, his voice hard and emotionless.
Shrugging, Téa replied, "I was out," before she pulled herself out of his arms and waltzed past him.
"Out?" he repeated as he turned to glare at her. Unhinged by his quiet rage, Téa nodded and hiccuped, stumbling as she attempted to take off her shoes.
"Drinking?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Forgetting all about her shoes, she looked up at him and nodded, asking with amazement, "how did you know that?!"
Before he could reply, she quickly moved towards him and said, "I bet you can't guess how much I drank."
"Oh dear, " he heard Aimi exclaim and ignored it.
Not replying, he looked at Téa who chuckled and nodded.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to guess how much I drank," she smiled as she stumbled backwards.
"Well, I had three Margaritas and 8 shots of Tequila," she proclaimed, proud of herself.
"Really?" Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow. Téa hiccuped before she nodded.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Kaiba continued as he walked towards her.
"Nope. What time is it?" she slurred as he moved closer to her.
"It's 1 in the morning," he bit out, trying to keep his temper in check.
Laughing, Téa replied, "then why ask me if you already know?"
His nose flaring, Kaiba bit out, "I asked you because I wanted to know if you knew what time you returned home."
Chuckling, she replied, "why does it matter? I'm home, aren't I?" before adding, "at least I came here instead of going home with Duke."
Immediately, Kaiba's eyes grew wide and he crossed over towards her.
SMACK! echoed throughout the room as Téa staggered backwards, holding her cheek.
"Seto! Did you just slap her?" Mokuba yelled, suddenly running towards Téa, who was still holding her cheek in shock. Kaiba looked at her before he turned away.
"I don't need to explain myself," he said as he began to walk away. Téa looked up at his retreating figure and suddenly felt more sober than ever.
"You beast!" she yelled in anger as she made her way towards him. Reaching him, she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
Glaring at him with hard eyes, she demanded, "what gives you the right to slap me?! Who do you think you are?!"
"Your husband," he simply stated, watching as shock crossed her face before she backed away and let out a sharp laugh.
"Husband?" she mockingly asked as she stared back up at him. Laughing again, she raised her finger and pointed at him, asking, "really? You?"
"You're my husband?" she chuckled before her face turned serious and her eyes grew hard as she demanded, "have you gone mad? You're not my husband!"
Thunder crashed outside as the accusation echoed throughout the hall. For a moment, no one said anything.
Suddenly, Aimi made her way toward them. Shaking her head, she clucked, "child, calm down. Don't say such things. You two can talk this out. Every married couple fights."
However, Téa quickly shook her head. Chuckling bitterly, she turned towards Aimi and said, "no, we don't have to talk anything out."
"Do you know why?" she asked, watching as confusion crossed the older woman's face. Laughing, she turned towards Kaiba and said, "why don't you tell her why, Kaiba?"
"Tell them what? They can see that you're clearly drunk and talking nonsense," Kaiba replied in a cool voice, causing Téa to let out another laugh.
"What's the matter? Cat suddenly got your tongue?" she asked, her voice becoming more hysterical and higher in pitch with each word. "You didn't seem to have a problem earlier today when you said it, now did you?"
"Téa, calm down," Aimi said, moving towards her. However, Téa shook her head and backed away from all of them, her eyes focused on Kaiba as tears filled her eyes.
"Tell them!" she suddenly screamed as tears began rolling down her face. "Tell them what you said!"
"Seto, what happened?" Mokuba asked, turning towards Kaiba, who was staring at Téa as she lost control.
Not removing his eyes from her, he said, "Téa and I are not really married."
"What?" Aimi gasped.
Kaiba continued staring at Téa and continued, "our marriage is a business marriage that was to last for 6 months, after which we would be free to divorce and each of us would get half of the partnership company her father and Gozaburo established together. It was a clause in Téa's father's will."
"Dear god," Aimi gasped, clamping her hand over her mouth. "So, it was all a lie?"
Nodding, Kaiba turned away and replied, "I don't love Téa nor does she love me."
The moment he spoke the words, Téa felt her heart break into a million pieces, but nodded.
"That's right," she said. "It was all a lie from the beginning. We didn't love each other."
Turning towards Aimi, she sniffed, "I'm so sorry for lying."
Tears rolling down her face, she slowly back away, repeating, "I'm so sorry," before she turned and ran out of the mansion, leaving everyone staring after her.
Kaiba stood motionlessly and watched as Téa disappeared into the rain. Moments later, they heard the squeal of car tires as it pulled off. Clearing his throat, Kaiba turned and began to head towards his personal study.
"Seto, where are you going?" Mokuba asked as he watched his older brother retreat towards his study.
"I'm going to do work," Kaiba replied, not looking at anyone. However, Mokuba shook his head and headed towards his brother.
"But Seto, it's raining out and Téa just drove off in the car crying," he said, looking in the direction Téa had disappeared in. "Go and bring her back."
Shaking his head, Kaiba coldly replied, "it's not my concern," before he turned and continued walking towards his study.
"Seto!" a new voice suddenly yelled. Kaiba turned and saw Aimi shaking her head at him.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded as she moved towards him.
"Nothing is wrong with me," Kaiba replied and she gave a short laugh.
"Really? Because I think it's disgusting how you pretend not to care about her," she said.
"Who said I'm pretending?" he asked and Aimi chuckled.
"Child, I may be old, but I can recognize when two people love each other. You love Téa," she said, "just as she loves you."
"And what makes you think she loves me?" Kaiba sneered, raising his eyebrow.
Shaking her head, Aimi replied, "it's obvious, child. Why else would she be so upset over what you said? Why do you think she looked as if she died when you said you didn't love her? Child, she'd been in love with you for months, just as you've been in love with her for months."
"It's none of my concern," Kaiba shook his head and resumed walking towards his study.
"Very well," Aimi sighed. "But, answer me this. Have you ever felt any love for Téa?"
At her words, Kaiba froze and his mind flashed back to them. He saw her smiling at him. Her scared face as she clung to him. Her drunken flirting with him. Her thanking him for protecting her. Her thanking him for saving her. Her going out to dinner even when she was sick. Her screaming his name when she was scared. Her calling his name. Her asking him to never leave her.
He saw her lying in the hospital bed, clutching his hand and telling him that she loved him.
"I see your silence is your answer," Aimi said with a smile.
Without a word, Kaiba grabbed his coat and headed towards the door.
Téa let out a sob as she braced herself against the railing.
"I'm so stupid. I should have realized that he didn't love me. How could he?" she sobbed as tears ran down her face, mixing with the rainwater. "After all, why would he love me?"
She could feel her heart breaking and wanted the pain to just go away.
"I wish I had never agreed to this marriage. I thought it would be easy. Being married to him for 6 months. I always hated him. But, these 6 months have been nothing but torture," she sobbed. If she had known back then that she would feel such pain and heartbreak, she would have rather given up her scholarship and admittance.
"I've fallen in love with someone who will never love me," she cried as she fell to her knees. Staring out at the dark water, she asked, "why did this have to happen?"
Suddenly, her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at the caller's ID.
Seto Kaiba.
Sniffing, Téa ignored the call before she closed her eyes and leaned against the railing.
Again, the phone began to ring. She looked down at the caller's ID again.
Seto Kaiba.
"Leave me alone," she whispered as she ignored the call once more. She didn't want to talk to him. She just wanted to make it through the next week without having a complete breakdown.
After the divorce, they would both go their own way and she would be free to nurse her broken heart. Sniffing, she regretted entering the marriage. The only thing she'd gotten out of it was a broken heart.
The phone rang again and she let out an annoyed groan.
"What do you want?" she cried as she answered the phone.
"Téa! Where are you?" Mokuba's voice yelled from the other end.
"Mokuba?" Téa asked, confused. Why did he have Kaiba's phone?
"What wrong?" she asked, a feeling of unease coming over her.
"Where are you?" he asked again.
"At the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 1," she replied before asking again, "what happened, Mokuba?"
"Come to the hospital. Room 312," was his response before the call ended, leaving Téa staring at the phone as lightening flashed behind her.
"Mokuba, what happened?" Téa asked as she barged into the room, soaking wet.
Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and a horror filled scream escaped her mouth as she took in the sight before her.
"What happened to him?" she screamed as she ran over to the bed, her eyes taking in an unconscious Kaiba. He was strapped up to a machine and wearing an oxygen mask. However, there was blood on his face. Instantly, images of her mother flashed through her mind and Téa backed away, placing her hand over her mouth as she started to scream again as her past repeated itself.
"Téa!" Mokuba yelled as he watched her drop to her knees, her body shaking as she continued to scream. Running towards the door, he opened it and yelled out, "someone help!"
Within moments, a nurse and the same doctor who had treated Téa the day before ran into the room.
"What's the matter?" the doctor asked before his eyes fell on Téa and he let out a gasp. "She shouldn't be here!"
Quickly, he turned towards the nurse and ordered, "quickly help me get her into a bed."
As they tried to help her over to a bed, Téa began to fight them as her mind broke from reality.
Looking over at Kaiba, she suddenly saw her bloody mother standing in the doorway.
"No!" she screamed, fighting the doctor even more vigorously. "Leave him alone!"
Her mother began to walk towards the unconscious Kaiba and Téa began to struggle even more. "No! Leave him alone! Don't take him away from me!"
She continued to thrash against the forces that were holding her down, her vision becoming dark as she did.
"Nurse, I need a sedative. Now!" the doctor yelled. The nurse quickly ran to get a sedative as the doctor and Hiro struggled to hold down a fighting Téa.
"Don't touch him!" she was screaming, her eyes wide and hysterical. Mokuba watched in fear as Téa struggled to get free while screaming at an invisible figure.
"Leave him alone! Please!" she sobbed as her mother moved towards Kaiba.
"Téa, calm down!" Mokuba attempted to calm her down so that the nurse could administer the sedative. However, she wasn't paying attention to him. As he watched her, Mokuba was sure that she had lost touch with reality as she was now screaming and thrashing as if the Devil himself were after her. Even though the doctor was holding her back, she continued to struggle her way towards Kaiba.
"Mommy! Stay away from him!" she screamed as her mother hovered over Kaiba. Turning towards her, her mother smiled and leaned over Kaiba.
"No! Don't kill him!" she yelled as she saw her mother begin to suck out the life from Kaiba, who was becoming pale and bloody.
"No! Wake up Seto!" she screamed as he gasped, his body becoming older as his life left him. Shaking her head, she continued screaming, "wake up Seto! Please wake up!"
Mokuba watched as Téa continued to scream and his eyes grew wide as he heard her yell out mommy. What was she talking about?
Téa watched in horror as all of the life left Kaiba before her mother turned towards her. Suddenly, she was directly in front of her. A strangled scream erupted from her throat as her mother reached out to touch her.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed in horror as the hand touched her. Suddenly, she felt something sharp pierce her and gasped in shock.
"The sedative will kick in very soon. She needs some rest to calm her nerves," the doctor said. "She's been through a lot over the last two days. Her mind is exhausted."
Mokuba looked over at Téa, who was leaning against a nurse, still screaming.
Téa let out a scream as her mother touched her before she leaned in. Her face bloody, she whispered, "hello Téa."
Instantly, Téa's body froze and she felt her breath freeze in her throat. Trying to scream, she found that she was unable to. In fact, she couldn't control any part of her body.
"What's wrong with her?" Mokuba asked, noticing that Téa had suddenly stopped moving as a horror struck look seized her face, which had also become deathly pale. Her eyes had also become lackluster.
"Dear god," the doctor breathed as Téa suddenly sagged against the nurse.
"What's happening to her?" Mokuba asked, looking at Téa, fear in his eyes.
"She's gone into shock," the doctor exclaimed as he ran over to her.
"What? Is that bad?" Mokuba breathed, looking at Téa, who looked like an inanimate doll.
"She went into shock and I just administered a sedative," the doctor mumbled. Mokuba turned and looked at Téa, who was staring off into the distance, a detached look on her face.
"Is she going to be alright?" Mokuba asked, looking at Téa, who appeared to have had a psychotic break.
Before the doctor could respond, she slumped forward as the sedative kicked in.
So, reviews! Tell me what you think about the new and improved chapter!
-DramaQueen95