The sun smoldered over the city before sinking behind the massive skyscrapers that lined the horizon. Kaiba couldn't peel his eyes away from the fiery hues that melted into the clouds. After staring out the window day in and day out, he'd concluded that he was officially bored and needed to get back to work. Of course, the doctor couldn't release him just yet, so he and Mokuba had developed a plan…
"How exactly did you get us out of there, Mokuba?"
The younger Kaiba turned to face his older brother, who had been laying in his hospital bed and twirling his thumbs for what seemed like days. Kaiba was restless, and Mokuba couldn't blame him. He knew how his brother was, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. That's why Mokuba was here, to keep him entertained and— Mokuba bent over to pull something out of a black backpack— to sneak in his brother's work laptop. The hospital didn't allow for any high-frequency technology to be used in a patient's room. Plus, the nurses refused to let him work, so Mokuba snuck him his laptop every night when then nurses didn't come in to check on him as often.
"Well, that was out of the blue. I thought you wanted to hear about the stocks?"
Kaiba reached for his computer, "Sorry, my thoughts have been a bit scattered. I've had way too much time to think about things," he fired up his laptop, gracefully placing it on the side table. "I still want to know how we got out. Did you use protocol three?"
Mokuba nodded, "I had to. They were going to pull the plug, Seto. I didn't have any other choice."
Kaiba knew exactly who 'they' referred to, and he seethed at the thought of them. This was now the second time his Board of Directors had tried to kill him. At least this group had the legalities to back their case.
"Also…." Mokuba drew out the word, like pulling a lose string from fabric. "One of our technicians discovered a way to unlock the last memory Tea had experienced. We figured if we triggered that and protocol three, there was a better chance of drawing you both out."
Kaiba went pale, clenching his jaw so tightly that he thought he'd cracked a tooth. Visions of Tea and Yugi burned in the back of his mind. He found himself perplexed from the idea that Tea had figured out how to use her flashback to get them out.
"Seto? Are you okay? You look a little light-headed."
He swallowed hard, trying to force down his revelation. "I'm fine, Mokuba. Just lost in thought for a moment."
Mokuba smiled sympathetically, taking a seat next to his older brother's bedside, "I assume Tea's last memory was not a pleasant one?"
A mixture of animosity and jealousy rushed through Kaiba. His hatred toward Yugi flared up once again, but this time it was for a whole different reason.
"No, it was not pleasant… Not for either of us."
"What do you mean by that?" Mokuba had always been intuitive just like his brother, yet Mokuba's intuition shined when it involved people, something Kaiba was not keen on.
"Quit analyzing me, Mokuba."
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are."
"I swear to you, Seto, I really am not. I'm just worried about you."
Kaiba cocked his head to the side. Now he was the one analyzing his brother, but Mokuba seemed to be serious as well as troubled, and Kaiba couldn't pinpoint where this sentiment was stemming from.
"You were gone for over six months. The moment you came back I was ecstatic! It meant I was going to get to see you and talk to you again." Mokuba took a moment to pause and collect himself, and Kaiba wondered when his older brother got to be so thoughtful. Was it during the six months he was away? Had he really missed out on so much?
Mokuba continued, "Now that you've been back it just hasn't been the same. You're more reserved than you used to be and I'm concerned for you."
Kaiba didn't say anything.
"What happened to you and Tea, big brother? Was it something traumatic?"
Kaiba sighed, "You don't need to concern yourself with these things, Mokuba—"
"—Yes, I do!" Mokuba interrupted, surprising Kaiba. "You're my brother and I care about you. If something's bothering you, please, tell me!"
"There's nothing you or I can do about it."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It doesn't have to." Kaiba was stern. He couldn't tell Mokuba about his 'affair' with Tea, and the feelings he harbored for her.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Mokuba groaned.
"I'm being difficult? Why can't you just give it a rest. It's nothing."
"But you've hardly spoken to me. It's been almost a week since you've been back and we haven't had a sincere conversation. I just want to know what's going on with you."
"I guess I'm still a bit foggy from the virtual world and all of the pain medications I'm on. Like I said, it's nothing…" He sighed, knowing he had lied to his brother. It was something he hated doing but knew needed to be done. Yugi was going to try to talk to Tea again, and Kaiba couldn't muster up the courage to speak to her. Did she want him? Did she want Yugi? Kaiba didn't want to get involved. If Tea wanted him then she would speak with him, right?
Mokuba sighed and Kaiba could tell he had given up on pressing the subject. He couldn't tell if his little brother believed him or not, but for now it didn't matter as long as Mokuba quit asking questions.
"Either way, I'm just glad you both made it out okay. I missed you, Seto…."
Kaiba offered his brother a subtle smile, "I missed you too, Mokuba." He stretched his arms out so his brother could hug him and Mokuba immediately jumped at the opportunity. No matter what they were still brothers, and they loved each other. To Kaiba, this was the only love that truly mattered.
"Tea? Are you decent?" Her mother called from the doorway. Her parents had been visiting with her all day and for the better part of the week. Like most parents would be when their child woke up from a coma, they smothered Tea, trying to spend as much time with her as they could. They had truly missed her and barely gave her a moment to breathe. Overall, Tea was okay with it. She knew it had been nearly three years since they'd spoken to her, but to her it felt like yesterday. Time was a weird concept and she was still trying to wrap her head around it all.
"Yes, mother, I'm just watching TV. You can come in." She flipped through channels on the remote control, trying to find something that sparked her interest. She landed on an episode of Seinfeld.
"There's someone here to see you."
Tea turned her attention away from the television. She didn't see her mother walk into the room but she waited in anticipation to see who was here to visit her.
Could it be him?
Tea's heart sank when she laid eyes on her visitor.
"Yugi…" Saying his name felt odd. It was as if his name were a rock lodged in her throat that she couldn't clear herself from.
Yugi stood just a few feet from her bedside and stared at her. Tea took him in, evaluating his presence. He was here in the flesh for the first time in almost three years.
"Hello Tea…" The greeting was almost inaudible. Tea could tell Yugi was uncomfortable in her presence. His hands were fidgeting with the fabric of his black pants, and he kept glancing away from her as her eyes bore into him. She knew why he felt awkward, and it would be useless to speak about it.
"Yugi…" She said his name once again, still in a state of disbelief.
He swallowed, mustering up the courage to finally look her in the eye for more than a few mere seconds. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you sooner… I was unsure of how you'd take my company and I didn't know if you'd want to see me ever again and— hey! Wait! Hold on!" Yugi ran toward Tea attempting to help her get from her bed to her wheelchair, but she had already beaten him to it, meagerly supporting her own weight and plopping herself within the confines of the chair.
Yugi knelt in front of her, "Are you all right?" He noticed she was panting from the effort.
She gazed into his violet eyes, noting their vibrant hue for the first time in three years before launching herself into his arms, "Yugi!" She cried. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, letting her guilt pour out as tears streamed down her cheeks, dampening Yugi's shirt.
"Tea?" Yugi accepted her embrace with bewilderment, gently wrapping his arms around her to comfort her.
"Yugi! I'm so sorry! I never should have left you that night!" She wailed, pulling him tighter into their embrace.
"It's okay—"
"No, it's not!" She exclaimed, "I made you suffer for so long. I'm so sorry!" Her vision was foggy from her tears.
Yugi broke the embrace, keeping one hand grasped around her shoulder, while the other gently wiped her tears away. "Tea, listen, you're okay…" He lent her a soft smile, "I forgive you."
His smile was compassionate and caring, but Tea just couldn't get past his words. "W-what did you just say?"
His smile deepened, "I said I forgive you."
Forgive….
Striking blue eyes flashed across her mind. Images of them… of him. How could Yugi forgive her after her and Kaiba—?
Realization struck her. It wasn't like Yugi knew about her and Kaiba… did he? He couldn't have. There was just no way. She knew Yugi, and if he knew about them then he wouldn't be here, forgiving her like this. Yugi was forgiving her for the night of his proposal.
She thought of Kaiba once more. Why hadn't he come to visit her or even asked about her? Was he embarrassed? Was he ashamed? How could she tell if he didn't even bother to speak with her? Maybe he no longer wanted to be with her….
Tea blinked away a few stray tears and stared into Yugi's forgiving eyes once more. If she wanted to make this work, then this was her one chance.
She was going to get him back.
Because to her, Kaiba had already made his choice.
"Mr. Kaiba, we'd like to thank you for what you did," Mrs. Gardner said before taking a sip from her tea and placing it on Kaiba's bedside table next to his laptop.
"Yes, without you, we wouldn't have our daughter back. You forever have our gratitude," Mr. Gardner thanked. He was standing next to his wife, his arm draped around her waist. Kaiba sat in his hospital bed, staring at Tea's parents. He couldn't help but be jealous of her. Her parents were alive and happy, especially now that they had their only daughter back.
"I did what I had to do." Kaiba was straight and to the point. He wasn't up for visitors after Mokuba had gone home for the night, but the nurse had insisted he take two more visitors before bed. He didn't realize it would be Tea's parents. Part of him was content with seeing them, but the other part was disappointed they'd come to visit him before Tea did. What was it about the short trek down the hall that made it so difficult for Tea to come see him? He swallowed tensely when he realized he could be asking himself that very same question.
"We appreciate that Mr. Kaiba," Mrs. Gardner picked up her tea and took another small sip from it. "She's asked about you."
Kaiba's ears perked up, "Has she?"
"Oh, yes!" Mr. Gardner declared, "A few times, actually."
Mrs. Gardner's bright smile mimicked that of her daughter's. Kaiba instantly knew where Tea had gotten it from. "I think she would like to see you."
"Really?" Kaiba questioned.
They nodded at the same time.
Kaiba couldn't help himself, he had to ask even though he knew what the answer would be, "Has she seen Yugi, yet?"
Again, they nodded in unison. Thankfully, they didn't speak in unison.
"I let him into her room this morning. Tea didn't speak much about their encounter after he left." Tea's mother measured her husband's unsure gaze, "I think they just need time…"
"We still think you should visit her, Mr. Kaiba," Mr. Gardner added, "she needs to properly thank you."
Kaiba almost blushed. She's already thanked me enough.
"I think you should see her tonight, and if not tonight, tomorrow," Mrs. Gardner glanced down at her watch, "Oh, what the heck, it's only quarter to eight! I think you should go see her tonight. The sooner the better!"
"Ah, honey, let's not pressure him. No worries, Mr. Kaiba, feel free to visit her anytime. But, if you were looking to visit her tonight, I'm sure she'd be up."
"Yes, indeed." Mrs. Gardner bowed her head, "Thanks again, Mr. Kaiba. We appreciate you reviving our whole world."
"You are forever in our debt. Have a goodnight." The couple waved and left the room.
Even though Kaiba barely spoke a word, he got all the information he needed. Tea wanted to see him. He recalled how her parents seemed to want to brush away Tea's conversation with Yugi earlier that morning.
He clutched the nearby IV pole, pulling it closer to him as he crawled out of his awfully uncomfortable hospital bed. Quickly, he slid into his slippers and hobbled out the door, wheeling his IV bag behind him. One thing was for sure. He was going to see her, and they would settle this once and for all.
A/N: Hey, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I am so sorry I made you guys wait so long for an update, but I have an excuse! I hate telling the entire world this, but I've been very ill over the past month. I've barely had the strength to do anything, and that unfortunately includes writing. So, I apologize if this chapter is pure crap. I'm still recovering. I hate hospitals, and the constant IV's and blah!
It's kind of ironic, the night after I posted chapter fourteen where Kaiba gets irritated with his IV drip, I ended up passing out in the hospital and had to have an IV. Let me tell you, I was annoyed by the dripping sound too! Maybe this is a sigh from God that I shouldn't torture fictional characters anymore? Even if it was, I wouldn't listen, haha!
Again, I apologize and I hope to get the next chapter out quicker. Please review even if you think this chapter sucks. Thanks everyone! You're all awesome, lovely, supportive and amazing!
P.S. I apparently cannot write a hospital scene without one of my main characters watching Seinfeld in a hospital bed…. If you've read When Anime's Collide, you'll understand.
