They gathered up the warmest clothing they could find, bundling themselves up before braving the elements. The snow continued to fall and at an alarming pace making Kaiba nervous about how much time had truly past from the time he noticed the snow until now. Protocol three was designed to be a swift way of getting the user out of the virtual world, but he'd never actually tested the protocol before, and the time of activation to moment of return likely varied. Kaiba wasn't about to take any chances by diddle-dallying. They were running out of time.

"Tea! Hurry up!" He shouted from the bottom of the staircase. Kaiba tapped his foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. He drummed his fingers up and down his crossed arms, analyzing their best course of action. He honestly didn't know their best course of action. Would it be to try and get back to the forest where he had been dropped off? For the love of God, he hoped finding the portal would be easy, or else….

Tea jumped off the last step and snapped Kaiba out of his thoughts.

"I couldn't find any boots," she stated, "my feet are gonna freeze."

"Oh, now look who's bitching about cold feet."

She furrowed her brows at him, "This is different! The snow's like three feet high!"

"Whatever…" He waved his hand toward the door and Tea followed him. As they made their way outside, the winds picked up, creating blizzard-like conditions.

"It wasn't like this when we were observing from the window. What's going on?" Tea crossed her arms and began rubbing them down.

Kaiba scanned the horizon. There was nothing. Nothing but snow as well as some unwanted gusts of wind. What was going on?

"I hate to say this Tea, but I think we're really running out of time."

"Is that why it suddenly got so nasty out here?"

Their visibility drastically lessened with the opposing blizzard. It was getting hard to see Tea behind him. They barely made it a few feet from the house when Kaiba looked back, but the house was gone, as if it hadn't been there at all. Either their visibility was just that terrible, or their environment was changing again. Kaiba had a bad feeling it was the latter.

Slight tremors almost threw him off his balance. At first, he thought it was the unevenness of the snow, but he felt it again, and this time Tea commented on it.

"Did you feel that?"

Between the poor visibility and the endless piles of snow, Kaiba could just barely make out movement coming from behind Tea. She didn't look back as Kaiba tried to keep eye contact with her and not glance at the movement that was quickly creeping up from behind. A deep, thunderous rumble was beginning to fill his ears as the ground started to shake more violently.

Kaiba took several steps toward Tea and grabbed her hand, refusing to break eye contact even though the earth beneath them shook. "Don't look back. Time to run."

She obeyed and sprinted along the uneven snow with him. Kaiba could feel her tugging on his arm as she tried her best to hold her balance through the uneven piles of snow.

The thunderous rumbling roared louder and the earth began to crumble behind them. Kaiba looked back at Tea, but it was simply a rouse to use his peripheral vision to see what exactly was going on. The earth behind Tea was opening, crumbling into an abyss that threatened to swallow them both. It was as if they were being chased by an earthquake.

Must go faster. Kaiba picked up the pace, but the wind and snow made it difficult for him to see where he was leading them. Every time he brushed the snow from his face, it would just assault him once more. For all he knew, he could be headed toward a pitfall. But was that truly a bad thing? The pitfall might just lead them home. Maybe he should just let the earth swallow them up; it would save time in trying to find an exit.

But what if that wasn't the exit? Damn it… Whatever which way Kaiba's thoughts scattered, he knew they needed to escape, and getting engulfed by virtual tectonic plates wasn't the way he wanted to get out. He was sure it wasn't Tea's idea of a great escape either. For all Kaiba knew, it could be a catalyst to get them to run in the right direction toward home.

"I think I see something up ahead!" Tea shouted above the booming noise.

Kaiba squinted through the wind and the snow to try and make out what she was talking about. Roughly thirty yards away was a lone building, all lit up as if it contained inhabitants.

Kaiba booked it through the shaking piles of snow, treading up the front steps of the building. He tried to climb as fast as he could without slipping, but he was tugged backward by Tea losing her balance on the icy steps. Swiftly, Kaiba latched onto the shaking railing, trying his best to keep them both sturdy. Tea shrieked but quickly regained her composure thanks to Kaiba. He took a moment to look back at the separating terrain. Snow was rushing down into the gorge, falling into dark nothingness.

Frantically, Kaiba moved up the stairs to push open the front door, barging inside and pulling Tea higher up the front steps with him. The stairs crumbled beneath her feet and fell into the nothingness below, begging Tea to follow suit.

She screamed as her body dangled in the door way, "Don't let go, Seto!"

He grasped her hand tighter and used his other arm to pull her in. Once she was in, he slid her across the floor, making sure she was far away from the door before slamming it shut with so much force that one would have thought the door would bust at the hinges.

They kneeled on the floor, gasping for air. Kaiba didn't notice his surroundings until he heard Tea gasp. At first he thought she was just panting from all the running, but he looked up and observed her horrified face.

"We need to get out of here."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I-I… recognize this place…"

"So?"

Clapping and cheering were heard from down the hall. Tea rose with lighting speed and sprinted toward the sound, paying no attention to Kaiba.

"Tea, wait!" Kaiba trailed behind. He stopped when he saw her lurking in the doorway of what seemed to be a ballroom. He approached her slowly and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her body felt tense. She didn't even react to his touch.

Kaiba took a moment to observe the atmosphere. The hallway they were in was dim, but the lights coming from the ballroom illuminated the area just enough where lighting wasn't necessary. White string lights were hung throughout the place, and everyone seemed to be dressed in party attire. There had to be over a hundred people in the ballroom. The men in dress shirts and dark pants, the women in sequin dresses. Music was playing in the background. People carried champagne flutes around, gossiping with one another. Kaiba noticed some people wearing cheesy party hats, fuchsia feather boas, and plastic crowns with a large date displayed across the top. He squinted at a woman's head to read the displayed date.

A New Year's Eve party? From over two years ag—?

Kaiba's mind froze.

'I left the party and was completely distraught.' Tea's words echoed in his mind from their previous conversation back at the coffee shop, 'Yugi proposed to me that night….'

The cheers and whistles grew louder, and everyone clapped in excitement. A circle of people gathered around, obstructing the view of what was going on. There was a small break in the circle and Kaiba was able to get a glimpse of the action. His jaw tightened at what he saw.

There were shushes and hushed voices.

"I think he's going to do it!" Kaiba heard one woman say.

"Of course he is! I just hope he doesn't flake out," another replied.

"Well, we're all gathered here. No going back now," the woman chuckled and a few others joined in.

Once the room had quieted down, Kaiba took in the sight of Yugi and Tea, standing in the middle of the crowd. Yugi was nicely dressed, wearing a clean purple shirt with a matching vest. Tea was decked out in a purple sequin dress that matched her partners. They looked like the perfect couple and Kaiba seethed at the thought.

Kaiba noticed a few familiar faces standing in the crowd near Yugi and Tea. Tristen, Bakura, the dog, the dog's sister, and even Duke Deviln were in attendance at this party.

Suddenly, and to virtual Tea's surprise, Yugi had got down on one knee. The crowd cheered and whistled. The virtual projection of Tea placed her hands over her mouth in shock. Kaiba could feel Tea shake underneath his hand as she watched the scene unfold. He couldn't begin to imagine the emotional roller coaster she must be going through.

"We don't have to watch this. We can leave." Kaiba's words didn't even penetrate through her. Her eyes were fixed on the scene, playing one of the last things she remembered from the real world. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. Kaiba squeezed her shoulder, reassuring her and hoping she would break out of the trance she was in. He couldn't blame her when she didn't.

"Tea…" The virtual projection of Yugi said as he dug into the pocket of his dark pleated pants. He pulled out a tiny, velvet black box, opening it with care. A silver diamond ring, sparkling against the lights of the room, was delicately perched in the soft crease of the box.

Both Tea, and the virtual version of herself began to cry. Kaiba was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to do or say to comfort Tea.

Tea shook her head, "I-I can't, Yugi…"

Gasps echoed throughout the ballroom. People gave each other confused glances. Friends and family seemed to be in complete shock. Yugi was in a deep state of disbelief. Kaiba had never witnessed this kind of astonishment from Yugi before.

"I…" Tears streamed down her face, washing away bits of her glamorous party make-up. "I'm so sorry, Yugi…" Silence consumed the room, everyone anticipated her next response.

Tea was now trembling underneath Kaiba's grip, knowing the outcome...

"I can't marry you, Yugi." Leaving no time for Yugi to contest, Tea dashed out of the room, barging through the crowds of people with her hands covering her face. Her heels clicked rapidly on the hardwood, fading into the distance as she desperately sprinted to escape her situation.

Yugi stood up, "Tea! Wait!" He darted after her, vanishing into the crowd.

Neither one spoke. Kaiba could hear the muffled sniffling coming from Tea as she dabbed her eyes dry. He didn't know what to say to her. Should he console her like she had with him? He felt clueless. Kaiba never dealt with a failed proposal, nevertheless rejecting someone. Tea was the only person who had ever punctured his walls… but even then, was their relationship real? They were still in the virtual world after all….

"We should get out of here. We're running out of time." Was all he managed to say. There was no use in trying to soothe her. They were going to die if they stayed any longer.

Tea swallowed sharply, "You're right. Let's go. Follow me." Tea didn't even give Kaiba a chance to protest as she began weaving her way through the ballroom toward another dark hallway on the opposite side of the room. Kaiba followed, dodging the virtual people. None of them seemed to notice their presence, just like the virtual projection of his family.

They were heading in the same direction that Tea and Yugi ran. Was she following the virtual version of herself?

"Where are we going, Tea?" She didn't respond, but Kaiba had a hunch where she was headed and prayed that it led them to the portal back home.

Tea brought them down a dark hallway with their only light source being from a red exit sign. If Kaiba had blinked, he would have missed Tea bolting out the exit door. The cold air of January pierced his lungs like a notched knife and he swallowed a few times to warm up his air passage. The cold didn't seem to stop Tea as she sprinted through what appeared to be a small parking lot. The parking lot was poorly lit and to Kaiba's surprise it wasn't completely buried in snow. The parking lot had been plowed but there were patches of ice left behind for them to dodge. Kaiba almost slipped but succeeded in keeping his balance. He wondered how Tea managed to do it. Maybe all her years of dancing had kept her nimble?

Before he knew it, Tea had whipped open the back door of a random parked car and crawled into the back seat, waving her hands at him, "Come on, Seto! Hurry up! Hurry up!"

He leapt over a few more patches of ice and dove into the back seat of the random car, slamming the door shut behind him. He took a few seconds to close his eyes and catch his breath. His lungs were burning. He couldn't wait to get the fuck out of this miserable virtual—

"Ah!" His body slammed back into the seat as the car jerked forward, squealing out of the parking lot and gunning it down the road. As Kaiba gained his composure, he snuck a peak at who was driving. It was Tea. He couldn't recall her ever jumping into the front seat? Maybe she did it when his eyes were closed?

"You okay?" A voice asked from next to him.

He twisted his head, "Tea?" It was the real one. Not the virtual one.

He looked back and forth between the two, examining their situation. The real Tea sat next to him and had encouraged him to crawl into the backseat of a car that the virtual and distraught Tea was driving.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Kaiba spat.

"I was thinking of our ride home," she replied.

"Ride home?" Sobs erupted from the driver's seat as the virtual Tea tried to operate a moving vehicle and wipe her tears away simultaneously. "You think a heart-broken version of yourself makes for a perfect chauffeur? Are you out of your mind!?"

"No, I'm in it thanks to you."

He rolled his eyes and ended up glancing at the virtual version of Tea, shaking as she sped down the street. Make-up smeared across her face as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles turned white while her body shook as she inhaled and exhaled sharply in between her cries.

"She's going to kill us."

"She's going to bring us home."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaiba questioned. His anger swelled. How could Tea be so senseless? Why would she bring them into a car knowing it was going to crash?

"She's our way out," Tea stated simply.

"How?" There was a smidge of panic in his voice.

"Water has been what I've been subconsciously afraid of this whole time, right? Maybe I need to actually face it head on to get out of here?"

"And if that fails?" The panic in his voice grew.

She shrugged.

Before Kaiba could explode at her, his body hit the side door. Tea flew his way and her head smacked against his. He quickly pushed her off and readjusted himself in the seat. Of course, neither of them were wearing seat belts, but what was the point now?

Kaiba glanced up at their driver. She had taken a sharp turn and was now hurtling toward what appeared to be a bridge.

Oh shit.

"I'm sorry, Seto," Tea said once she had settled upright in her seat.

"It's a little late for that now, don't you think?"

She reached for his left hand and took hold of it without his consent. Calmly, she planted a soft kiss on the top of his knuckles. Kaiba didn't quite know how to respond to that. He wanted to rip his hand away from her, shout at her stupidity, but the way she kissed his hand, the way she tenderly caressed it, eased his frustration. There was just something about her that he couldn't be upset with. He didn't know what it was, but whatever it was made him reach out and embrace her. If they were going to die, at least they'd do it together.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck and mumbled, "I really am sorry for all of this."

He clutched her closer, "It'll all be over soon." He had come to the conclusion that she had to be right. What other choice did they have? It was either crashing into the bay and hope that was where the portal was, or die searching for it. His execs were pulling the plug on them anyway. This was their one and only chance. He closed his eyes, lowering his face into her chocolate brown hair. Kaiba clutched her tightly, bracing for impact.

A scream erupted from the front seat as Tea lost control of the vehicle. They spun diagonally down the street, skidding across the icy road and ramming into the side railing of the bridge, busting through its metal beams.

Kaiba and Tea's arms began to unhook from each other as their bodies were lifted into the air, gravity unable to hold them down. Their bodies bounced against the roof of the car. It was as if they were free-falling. Kaiba tried to regain his grip on Tea, but falling force continued to pull them apart until they were on opposite sides of the car.

Their bodies smacked against the seats as the zero-gravity feeling ceased the moment the car collided with the icy bay. Their ability to breathe was sucked from their lungs like a vacuum the moment the windows of the car burst from the water pressure.

There was no escape now. Water rushed in, unrelenting to the small space they were trapped in.

Kaiba tried to hold onto his breath, but there was barely any air left to hold onto. The water was so cold, so painful, it hurt to even move. His chest burned and his vision began to close in on him from all sides. The last thing he remembered was desperately taking in one last breath, but there was no air to take in, there was only water. It invaded his chest like a warzone. An unwanted, merciless enemy, too powerful to overcome. He let go, giving the water complete control, just like Tea had over two years ago…

It was ironic. The water that had sent Tea into a coma was going to wake him up.


A/N: Oh yikes! Don't kill me you guys. I know it's been over a month since I last posted a chapter. Usually, I'm on the ball, but over the past month I've graduated college, had about a million job interviews and moved, so there's been a lot going on. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me through this. Tea and Kaiba's journey is far from over and there's plenty in store for them next chapter (which will be posted much sooner than this one.)

As always, thank you for reviewing. Your kind words are what drives me to continue writing, so I greatly appreciate it. You all are amazing!