Seto emerged from the shadows.
Carefully assisting Ishizu from the ladder, he offered her his hand. They belonged to the same class of intellectual disposition, so neither bothered to question his unacceptable behavior or her sneakiness. Ishizu set the pace. He gently walked her in the house. Her face scrunched as she sat over a sofa. At her distress, he panicked. Sensing his discomfort, she tactfully hid her smile.
"I'm fine. Just a stitch. Quite normal under the circumstances."
He looked a bit skeptical. Not that he had any experience around pregnant women. "Perhaps, I should call in a doctor."
"You enjoy playing a knight, don't you?"
"On the contrary, I'm a dragon wielder, Ishizu. Not the slayer."
Smoothing the edges of her tunic, she nodded. Seto adjusted a small cushion behind her back. She took her feet off the ground, resting them on the centre table. Her ankles looked swollen. His eyes narrowed over that detail but kept to himself. He was her brother-in-law not her midwife.
"Your concerns are duly noted. However, I'm more inclined to learn about your intentions towards my sister."
That did it. Eyes cold and authoritative voice, Seto enquired. "Intentions?"
"She's been through hell and back in your name…" Diplomacy failed. Ishizu couldn't complete for the fires danced in his cold eyes.
"She's not the only one. I did what I had to. There was no other way to keep her."
"Keep? Seto Kaiba, Téa is not a profitable deal that you can close with a dotted line and a bottle of champagne." She was referring to his company merger and marriage.
"Believe me. Nobody can understand and respect her predicament more than myself." Unknown to them, Téa stood outside, eavesdropping. At his acknowledgement, a concrete wall around her heart shattered. "Men are rational fools. Women are emotional fools. Bottom-line, both are fools."
His translation- I've been foolish enough not to understand her. But how could I've known what she wanted? She rarely allowed her emotions in the picture. At times, she was worst than me.
Ishizu weighed his sincerity. He admitted he was foolish. Though not in so many words. The next question bothering her was not easy to ask. But being the eldest, the responsibility was on her shoulders.
"Are there others in your life?" Investigation on the whole Rumana Jones issue.
"No."
Outside, Téa clutched her chest. Her breathing became erratic. It was clear that Ishizu knew nothing about Marik and Rumana's affair. She wondered if Bakura was equally clueless.
This was ridiculous. Ishizu was visibly shaking. "We've shadowed you, Seto. Since the last decade you've resided in more than 60 countries. And you're telling me that you never had an affair?"
He was followed? This was news to him. He raised a questionable brow.
And then… the comprehension dawned on Ishizu. God. "You were searching her? All this time, you've been looking for her."
Seto remained unvoiced. But his silence spoke volumes. Their first meeting in New York - Her touch and he recognised her instantly never once falling for her lie.
"An entire decade spent to search her? What if you'd never found her?"
"The search would've continued." He replied calmly, handing her a glass of water.
"Disregarding her decision and letting her walk out of your life…"
"Look Ishizu, I've accepted the blame. Taken responsibility. So stop with the accusations already."
"Tell me how this wedding came to be."
Seto narrated the events.