Chapter 51 – Return Dance
Tea threw the last of the streamers into the nearby trash can and let out a content sigh. She checked the living room one more time to make sure everything was cleaned up and chuckled at the sight of the younger Kaiba brother dead asleep on the couch. She couldn't blame the kid, though; it was already a quarter after midnight. "He was basically running around all day, so it's no surprised that he's exhausted," she thought as she turned the lights out and headed upstairs towards her bedroom. "It's really late, and he was up at six in the morning planning this whole event."
It was Seto's first day back home from the hospital, and rather than letting it be a boring, returning-home day, Tea and Mokuba decided to throw him a little party just for the three of them. They knew he was eager to return to the orphanage and see the kids, but both figured it would be best until he was settled back in at home. And what better way to settle down than to have a little party? She remembered the look on his face as he had walked through the door, the mixture of shock and appreciation. The three ended up playing video games for several hours, eating a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that Tea had baked just this morning. It was their way of celebrating his return, and to Tea it reminded her of what a family would do, making her heart skip a beat.
But even though the festivities were now over, Tea was still as awake as ever. "I wasn't up at six in the morning, so I'm wide awake from the whole party," she thought as she entered her bedroom. "There is no way I'll be able to go to sleep now. But the last thing I want to do is annoy Seto, and Mokuba is asleep, meaning it's up to me to entertain myself Hmm…" Deciding on what to do rather quickly, she took out her new dancing attire which she had bought with Mai and began changing. It was a simple, light blue, short-sleeve dress that went down to right above her knees, showing off her long legs. She never liked wearing orthodox dancing clothes; she preferred dressing up when dancing. When she spotted the dress during her shopping spree with Mai, she knew it was perfect for dancing in. Once she was completely changed, she grabbed her CD player and her favorite CD before opening the door leading outside onto the balcony.
There was a light breeze blowing, but on the whole it was very comfortable outside. Plugging her CD player into a nearby outlet next to the doorway, she closed the door just enough so that the cord wasn't cut in two and placed the CD in the player. "Maybe if I dance for awhile, I'll make myself tired," she thought as she pressed the play button. She then walked towards the center of the balcony and waited for the music to start. "Besides, I haven't danced on my own in quite some time, and I don't want to bother Seto, especially if he's doing work. Only he would go back to business on his first day back…but that's Seto for you." Sighing once more, she listened as the music finally started, letting her body begin spinning to the lyrics and melody.
~Whenever sang my songs,
On this stage, on my own.
Whenever said my words,
Wishing they would be heard.
I saw you smiling at me,
Was it real, or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner,
Of this tiny, little bar…~
She had only just begun her dancing when she was startled by a hand grasping onto her shoulder. Stopping and blinking in surprise, she quickly turned around to see a pair of blue eyes staring into her own. "Having fun?" he jokingly asked, making her smirk and nod her head.
"I was until you interrupted me," she remarked, placing her free hand on her hip.
"Now, for some reason, I don't quite believe that," he countered, replacing the smile that was on his face with his trademark smirk.
"And why would you not believe me?" she asked, feigning innocence. She blushed slightly as it dawned on her that, unless she was imagining things, the two were getting closer.
Instead of countering her remark a second time, he chose instead to gently kiss her cheek, causing the slight pink to turn into a dark red blush. "Aw, am I embarrassing you now?" he asked as he gently cupped her cheek with his other hand.
"N-No. I just wasn't expecting it."
~My last night here for you.
Same old songs, just once more.
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
I kind of liked it your way,
How you shyly placed your eyes on me.
And did you ever know
That I had mine on you?~
"So might I ask what you are doing out here anyway?" he asked as he let go of her.
"I figured it was nice enough for me to dance for a bit," she answered.
"Even though it's 12:20 in the morning?"
"Well, after all that partying, I'm now wide awake." He chuckled at her comment and shook his head.
"We only played video games, you know? Don't tell me you're worse than Mokuba is when it comes to sugar; you only ate two or three slices of that cake you made."
"No, I'm not that bad. I was just happy to see you, is all."
His smirk slowly turned into a smile, and he closed the gap between them as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you…for throwing me that little party," he whispered as he stared deep into her eyes, letting her see past the ice barrier he had spent years building. "Even though it was just the three of us, it meant a lot to me. So…thanks."
~Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face.
As if you're never hurt,
As if you're never down.
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure?
If frown is shown, then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.~
Tea chuckled and nodded her head. "You should really be thanking Mokuba, to be honest. He's the one that spent all day getting the thing organized. I just helped with decorating and baking."
He chuckled once more and muttered, "I'll never understand where that kid gets his energy."
"Oh, I think you do, Seto," she remarked, making him blink in surprise. "You have the same level of energy that he does; you focus it more on your company and the orphanage. He just bounces around all the time."
Smiling down at her, the two just stared at each other in appreciation and care before he asked, "So…did I interrupt your dancing or—"
"Actually, you just agreed to dance with me," she interrupted, smirking devilishly as she quickly grabbed his hand and placed it on her hip, holding his other hand in hers. He went to object but decided against it, for he glanced down at her hand that was grabbing onto his shoulder before nodding in agreement. The two began dancing around the balcony, the music enveloping the world around them. All was content and peaceful around them, the past few days falling by the wayside as this moment became the most important thing in both their lives.
~So let me come to you,
Close as I want to be.
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast.
And stay there as I whisper,
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me.
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?~
"So what did you and Mokuba do while I was in the hospital?" he asked, glancing down at her.
"Waited for you to wake up," she answered, smiling up at him. "We helped Jade move into the new orphanage, but it wasn't as pleasant of an experience as we all thought it would be as you could probably imagine."
"I want to go over and visit those kids tomorrow," he stated as the two quickly spun in a circle, making Tea giggle. "I'm sure they've been worrying about me just as much as you all have."
"Lilith will be really happy to see you. She was so upset over what happened, and even though the kids are trying their best to cheer her up, they're as worried about you as she is. I think the whole episode was overwhelming to her…"
"You can't blame her, though. I mean, someone was shot in front of her. Look how fucked up I turned out to be over that." Tea frowned and stopped dancing to the beat, making Seto stop with her. "What?"
"You…Seto…"
~Darling, so share with me
Your love if you had enough.
The tears if you're holding back,
Or pain if that's what it is.
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice?
Just reach me out then
You will know that you are not dreaming.~
"You can't say that I wasn't messed up over that situation, Tea. Even if it sounds blunt, it's true."
"Yeah, but… I don't like hearing you say things like that about yourself."
Smiling in understanding, Seto leaned down and gently kissed her lips before staring deeply into her eyes once more. "And that's all I could ask for, Tea," he whispered. "You don't know how much I missed you while I was out cold in that hospital. I kept thinking about you…it was so lonely in the darkness. Even though I kept thinking about how screwed up I was, all the horrible things I did in my life…I…kept coming back to you." Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer against him until her head was against his chest and whispered, "I love you so much, Tea."
"I love you, too, Seto," she said, taking in her boyfriend's words. "And that's why I don't like it when you talk down on yourself. You have done so much for those kids, you earned the right to a multi-billion dollar corporation, you have become a parent for your little brother Mokuba…" Smiling, she closed her eyes and whispered, "And you mean the world to me."
The couple stood still, letting the music continue and simply enjoying their embrace. Tea could hear Seto's heart beating slightly faster than normal and tried not to chuckle. She was sure that he wasn't used to intimate situations such as this, but he made no move to break the embrace either. In fact, she felt him pulling her slightly closer, his left hand coming up to play with her hair. She frowned, however, when she heard him begin laughing.
"What's funny?" she asked, pulling away to look up at him.
"I don't think I honestly ever felt like this before," he remarked, still trying to hold his laughter back. "I mean, sure, I loved Sophie to death, but I was happy during that part of my life. When Gozaburo came into my life, I thought I would never feel content living the way I did. It was all so monotonous, so grey… Everything was just being done because it had to be done. I wasn't living; I was only alive. And now…" Chuckling, he shook his head and said, "I just feel…happy to be standing here with you."
Tea smirked and said, "Well I'm sure you didn't ever expect yourself to be the romantic type."
"No, definitely not."
Tea slowly tip-toed her way back into Seto's embrace before asking, "So…do you like this feeling?"
"I…I don't know."
"Does it hurt?"
"No."
"Are you sad or angry about feeling this way?"
"No."
She smiled and whispered, "It's amazing what certain situations do to people, Seto. Maybe you just realize now that life could be over at any second?"
"I knew that for the longest time; I was just counting on it to happen eventually."
"What do you think about it now?"
Feeling his finger lift her chin up, she saw him smiling down at her, his eyes shining brightly, the dullness almost completely obliterated. "I don't want to think about it. I just want to think about right now…this moment…being here…" Gently brushing his lips against hers, he whispered "…with you…" before kissing her lips once more.
~Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face.
As if you're never hurt,
As if you're never down.
Shall I be the one for you
Who pinches you softly, but sure?
If frown is shown, then,
I will know that you are no dreamer.~
Tea slowly wrapped her arms around his neck as she let him continue to kiss her passionately, moaning when he pulled her closer to him. "Se…Seto…" she panted, beginning to her feel her legs give out from under her. He slowly backed away, making her smirk mischievously. "If you're going to make out with me, we should probably not be outside where people might see."
Watching as a smirk slowly formed on his face, he quickly picked her up, making her squeak in surprise, before saying, "Then maybe we should take this inside…?"
"Perhaps…" He began kissing her once more, making her eyes close on their own, and she felt him begin walking presumably back inside. She didn't even care if the music was still playing or not. In fact, from what she heard, it already ended. Once she felt her back hit the bed, Seto's tongue already exploring the inside of her mouth, all thoughts except those on Seto flew out the window and into the night sky.
Phew! I'm sorry this took so long to write; I didn't want it to be too cliché or romantic or what-not, but I suppose it was begging to be written that way. This isn't the end, to be sure. I have one more chapter in store for this story. The song used for this chapter was Eyes on Meby Faye Wong, and many of you may recognize it from Final Fantasy VIII.
