Dammit, dammit, dammit!
After her call with Kaiba and his sudden invite to join him for dinner tomorrow, Tea realized one important thing: she needed to get the hell out of here, and here being Yugi's bedroom.
In the back of her mind, she desperately hoped Yugi wasn't home to hear her conversation with Kaiba. And if he wasn't, great, but Tea still didn't want to be here when he got back. Even more reason to get the hell out of here now.
How she'd gotten here in the first place was slowly coming back to her. Yugi had taken her out for sushi and she drank way too much. She couldn't recall the rest of the night or how she got back, but that didn't matter, she was stuck relying on people anyway. And for how long? Well, that was anybody's guess…
Tea pulled her wheelchair closer to her, which was placed purposefully next to her bedside. There was a small note lying on the seat, no doubt it was from Yugi. She plucked it off the seat and read it:
Good morning, Tea. I hope you slept well. I went to work and won't be back until later. Feel free to stay if you'd like. I'd like to work things out. Call if you need me! –Yugi
His desperate note made her cringe. She didn't want to work things out. She just wanted to leave and forget that last night ever happened. Thankfully, Yugi wasn't home and she could escape.
Picking up her purse, she draped the strap over the side of her wheelchair and began hoisting herself up. A harsh wave of nausea hit her and she collapsed back down onto the bed.
She groaned, rolling over onto her back. She spoke directly to the ceiling, "This is going to be harder than I thought…. Fuck hangovers…."
To Yugi's surprise, the sky had opened up and it had begun raining. August was not only one of the hottest months, but also one of the driest. It was rare to witness rain this time of year, if at all. It had started to rain right after Yugi left work at his grandfather's game shop, and he didn't even think to bring an umbrella even when his grandfather had insisted.
"Yugi, my joints are getting stiff, I believe it might rain." Solomon Muto had been wiping down the counter as Yugi switched the 'open' sign to 'closed.'
"Don't be ridiculous, Gramps, it's August."
"Well," Solomon began, locking the glass cabinet behind the counter, "I'd bring an umbrella if I were you, just in case. I keep a spare one by the door."
Yugi opened the door to the game shop, waving goodbye, "I'll be fine, Gramps. See you tomorrow!"
The rain assaulted him as he ran toward his one-bedroom apartment. It had been his mother's before she left Domino, and she insisted Yugi move into the place to give his grandfather some space. Now he wished he'd still lived at the game shop to avoid situations like this one.
Urgh! I hate it when Gramps is right!
Unfortunately, Yugi wasn't carrying a jacket to cover his head since it was August. Fortunately, the rain was as warm as the weather had been, making the trek home a bit more bearable.
Once he reached the front door to his apartment, he fumbled with his keys, desperately trying to find the right one. Everything was drenched and it made the slippery silver keys a bit more difficult to hold. After finding the correct one, he burst through the door, shutting it quickly behind him. He shook off his shirt, shoes and socks, leaving them in a heap on the front door mat. Thankfully, the rain hadn't soaked completely through his pants. Shivering, he made his way down the short hall toward his bathroom.
Oh my God…
Fear halted the shivering of Yugi's body as he felt his blood run cold. His eyes widened in shock and he felt his throat tighten up, unable to breathe as he dreaded the worst.
Horror settled in and he couldn't shake the fact that something terrible might have happened to Tea. Her wheelchair was tipped over, lying on its side in the middle of the hallway. The contents of her purse had been scattered about the floor, but there was no sign of Tea.
"Tea!?" Yugi half-yelled, half-choked.
A couple seconds passed without a response, but then a small, raspy voice squeaked out, "Yugi?"
"Tea!" His voice was stronger now that he knew she was still here. The bathroom light was on, and the door was open. He sprinted the few feet to the entrance, dodging the scattered items of Tea's purse. When he reached the bathroom, he saw Tea curled over the side of the toilet seat. She hugged it like it was her favorite stuffed-animal, but the look on her face said she'd hated the position she was in, and hugging that hard porcelain.
Yugi approached her, brushing a few long strands of stray hair away from the toilet bowl. "Are you okay?"
Tea almost laughed, tempted to make a snide comment. No, she wasn't okay. Instead, she shook her head and replied with a simple, "no."
"What happened? Why didn't you call me?" Yugi's voice was shrill. He was so shocked by what he saw, he couldn't help his state of panic.
Tea held up her finger, silencing Yugi for a moment as she dipped her head into the toilet bowl and began dry heaving. Yugi rubbed her back, waiting for her to finish. There weren't any contents in Tea's stomach to cough up, but just the motion itself made Yugi nauseous. She stayed this way for a few minutes, finally finishing as she spit into the toilet, rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth, then flushed.
Her voice was wince-worthily scratchy. "I dropped my phone on the way." She pointed toward the hallway. "You want to fetch it for me, Yugi?"
He nodded, "Of course." He got up and searched the hallway for her phone. It was a few feet from her purse and her wheelchair. He clicked the center button to see if the battery was dead or not. Luckily, her battery was still full.
"Can you call my mother for me? Tell her to come pick me up." Tea called from the bathroom.
"Got it." Yugi had no problem unlocking Tea's phone since it was brand new. She had gotten a new phone just a few days ago because her other one was outdated considering she'd been gone for so long. Searching through her recent calls to find her mother's number, Yugi came across a number he did not recognize. It was the only number she had received and answered a call from on this phone. He looked at the day, time, duration of the call, and where the number was from. Today, twelve-thirty, five minutes, and Domino City….
"Yugi?"
He almost dropped the phone, "Uhhhh, hold on, she didn't answer… I'll try again," he said over his shoulder. Thankfully, Tea couldn't see him snooping. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, but part of him still needed to know who had called Tea and who was important enough for her to answer and talk to? Maybe it was just a telemarketer?
He pressed the call button.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Until finally…
"Kaiba."
Yugi froze.
"Hello? Tea?"
Yugi wanted to yell at the sound of his rival saying her name the way he did. Why did Kaiba call her? What could've been so important? These were the questions he wanted to ask, but didn't have the courage to. Maybe he was over-thinking it? Maybe Kaiba was just calling to check up on her? Maybe he knew she was sick? But that wasn't like Kaiba at all.
"Hello?" His voice became irritated. "Hello?" He repeated.
Yugi swallowed hard, praying that the receiver didn't pick it up.
"Urgh…. Butt-dial," he grumbled and then the line went dead.
Yugi pressed end and let out the air he'd been holding in escape his lungs, relieved Kaiba didn't think anyone else was on the other end of the line.
"Yugi? Did she answer?" Tea asked from the other room, her voice still extremely hoarse. He could hear the excruciating effort she used behind every word.
"Uhhhh…." Yugi fumbled with her phone, trying to frantically find Mrs. Gardner's number. "Let me try one more time."
The next evening, Tea wheeled herself into her mother's bedroom. Her mother was relaxing on the bed reading a book. She looked up from her reading material as she noticed her daughter's presence.
She set the book down on the bed and got up quickly, smiling at Tea. "Oh sweetie, you look beautiful!"
Tea didn't smile, "Thanks."
"What's the matter, honey?"
She shook her head, "Nothing, mom…. You said you'd help me do my hair."
Her mother nodded, "Of course," she stood behind Tea's chair and began wheeling her toward the master bathroom, "I have the flat iron already warmed up."
Once they reached the bathroom, Tea got a good look at her reflection. Despite her mother's encouragement, she did not look beautiful. The bags under her eyes had doubled since her hangover and no amount of cover-up Tea applied could conceal them. Overall, her make-up wasn't perfect, as she had attempted to put it on with shaky hands. She felt thinner than before, probably from vomiting all day yesterday and barely eating since then. And lastly, the light blue maxi-dress that had once fit her shape stunningly, now hung onto her loosely, making her appear more like a person wearing a hospital gown than a form-fitting dress.
Mrs. Gardner began running her fingers through Tea's hair, stroking the strands generously with some sort of product. It smelled nice, and her mother's fingernails felt soothing against her scalp, but the action seemed useless. No amount of relaxation would heal the depression Tea felt.
Since her arrival back in the real world, everything felt the same. She had gone back to her same old life, and despite being almost twenty-three, she lived with her parents and wasn't planning on attending any university, and couldn't find a job since she was 'disabled.' Her parents kept telling her she needed time to heal, but for how much longer?
Granted, it was nice to have some sameness, but not in the ways she wanted. She didn't want to be stuck in this goddamn wheelchair anymore. She wanted to walk again, dress herself again, make lattes once again, and most of all, she desperately wanted her dancing career, that seemed to be promised almost three years ago, to happen.
So, in retrospect, some things had changed, just not in her favor. She wondered how they'd changed for Kaiba?
"There. What do you think?"
Tea looked into the mirror. She gave her mother a forced smile, "It's great…"
Mrs. Gardner pulled a hand mirror out of a drawer and held it behind Tea's hair, showing what the up-do looked like from the back. Her mother had braided a thick crown of her long hair into a formal messy-bun. How had her mother finished such a difficult hairstyle so quickly? Maybe she had been too lost in her thoughts to realize how fast the time had gone by…
"Do you think Mr. Kaiba will find it charming?"
"Mom, please don't call him that."
"What? That's his name, isn't it?"
"You can just call him Kaiba."
Her mother, placed a hand on her hip, "Well?"
"Like I said before, it looks great…."
Mrs. Gardner set the hand mirror down on the counter and placed her hands over Tea's shoulders, messaging her fragile, boney body. "Honey, is everything all right? You haven't been yourself lately."
Tea didn't say anything, and her mother took that as a cue to move in front of her daughter and look her in the eye. Her hands were still placed upon Tea's shoulders. "Sweetie, your father and I are worried about you. You're barely eating, we know you can't sleep at night, and we can tell you're unhappy. Even Yugi is concerned about you."
"Of course, he is…" Tea rolled her eyes. She didn't want to talk about Yugi. In fact, she wanted to avoid him all together. To her, Yugi represented another mountain Tea needed to climb.
How am, I supposed to climb all these mountains in a wheelchair?
Mrs. Gardner sighed, "I know you rejected his proposal, but maybe you want to rethink—"
"Stop it, mom! Please, just stop talking about Yugi."
"Is that why you've been so upset?"
"No."
"Then what, honey?"
"What do you think, mom? I can't do anything anymore! I'm stuck in a wheelchair! I'm not able to live my life the way I want and it's all because of Kaiba's virtual world! I probably would've been better off staying in a coma for the rest of my life!"
Tea's mother gave her a concerned and almost helpless look. She spoke with a unique softness that Tea had never heard from her mother before. It was as if her mother was lost in the chaos of Tea's situation and was desperate to figure out a solution for her only child.
"Don't say that, sweetie. We're glad you're back."
"I'm glad you're happy because I'm not," Tea spat.
Mrs. Gardner exhaled, giving up the fight with her daughter. "Would you like me to call Mr. Kaiba, tell him that you're still not feeling well?"
"I feel fine."
"Are you sure? I can let him know that you're cancelling so you don't have to see him."
Tea shook her head, "No, mom, I have to face him on my own."
"But, honey, if you're this upset, are you sure it's a good idea for you to be going?"
"Kaiba and I need to talk."
And with that, she wheeled herself out of her mother's master bedroom.
The limo pulled up at exactly six-thirty, just like Kaiba promised. Tea was ready at exactly six-thirty, just as Kaiba requested. It was just like him to always get what he wanted. And tonight would be no different.
"Roland," Kaiba's voice was stern as he stepped out of the vehicle, adjusting his light blue tie on his white suit, "assist Mrs. Gardner, please." Kaiba took one look at Tea's mother trying to wheel the poor girl down the front porch steps and couldn't help but feel disappointed. It had been almost two months since their arrival back to reality. Why wasn't she any better? Had his renowned technology permanently damaged her lifestyle? Was Tea better off in the virtual world where she could walk?
These thoughts dissipated as Roland wheeled Tea toward him, stopping just before the entrance to the limo. Kaiba bowed before her as an act of respect, taking her delicate hand, kissing the back of it and saying, "You look lovely."
She only half-smiled at him, not even meeting his gaze. It was as if her soul had been snatched from her body, leaving a paralyzed, lifeless shell in her place. Where was the Tea he had known? Did he leave her back in the virtual world?
"Miss, would you like assistance getting in?" Roland asked, bowing slightly to honor his boss' guest.
Kaiba stepped in, "I can handle it, Roland. Please get the car ready and…" he whispered into Roland's ear so that neither Tea nor her mother could hear what was being spoken.
"Yes sir."
Kaiba leaned down to scoop Tea up into his arms, but Mrs. Gardner placed a soft hand on his shoulder, stopping his movements. Even though she had greatly tried to control her tone of voice, the look on her face revealed that she was a pleading mess, desperate to defend her daughter from any more harm. It was the same look she and her husband had given him when they signed the papers to hand Tea's comatose body over to Kaiba Corp to use in the virtual world.
"Mr. Kaiba," her voice was a low, shaky whisper. Kaiba was sure Tea could hear it, even though her mother had attempted to conceal it from her. "She's not doing well. Please, take good care of her. She needs all of the support she can get right now."
"Mother!" Tea snapped. Both Kaiba and Mrs. Gardner jumped at the harsh tone of Tea's voice.
Mrs. Gardner gave him another desperate look before letting go of his shoulder. She brushed Tea's shoulder this time, increasing the perkiness in her voice, "Have fun, honey! Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."
Tea refused to speak and Mrs. Gardner left them with a faint smile before she disappeared into the house.
"She treats me like a child ever since…." Her voice trailed off, but the irritation didn't fade from her face.
"I'm sorry…." Kaiba didn't know what to say. He wasn't expecting Tea to still be in this condition nonetheless so unhappy. He offered her his kindest voice, "If you don't mind, I'd like to help you into the vehicle now."
She glared at him, "Just make it quick."
He scooped her up from the chair, bridal style, and gently placed her in the backseat. Kaiba folded the wheelchair, set in down in the backseat and climbed in himself.
Once the door shut and the limo began moving, Tea turned to Kaiba, "You can drop the nice guy act now. You're away from my mother."
"It wasn't an act."
She rolled her eyes, peeling her gaze away from his to stare out the window instead. "Whatever, Kaiba."
The remainder of the ride was silent. Kaiba couldn't shake the idea of Tea still being cooped up in that wheelchair. Why hadn't he known she was still in a wheelchair? He supposed that he had simply guessed she wouldn't be.
Kaiba stole a glance at her from the other side of the backseat. She was still staring out the window, a solemn look upon her face. He had to be honest with himself, she looked horrible. It was as if the past month and a half hadn't healed her one bit. This made moving forward with his revenge plan even more difficult. How could he take advantage of a girl that wasn't even remotely the same as he left her? That day in the hospital was the last time he saw her fire, but now he was beginning to believe that was her last line of defense. She was just as fragile as she looked, and she couldn't hide it anymore.
The limo stopped outside one of the fanciest French restaurants in Domino City, La Bleu Chateau. The line to be seated was wrapped around the building, stretching into the alleyway.
"La Bleu Chateau? Kaiba, are you kidding? It takes hours to get in here, even with a reservation."
He smiled slyly at her, "Not if you're a Kaiba."
She deadpanned, "I'm not a Kaiba."
"You know what I meant." Why wasn't she charmed? This sort of talk had worked on her before.
Roland opened the door and grabbed the wheelchair, setting it up outside the vehicle.
"Please, just get this over with quickly so I don't have to be so embarrassed in front of all these people." Tea scooted close to Kaiba and wrapped her arms around his neck. He missed the feel of her in his arms, but this felt different somehow. She wasn't the same and it was painful for him to grasp.
He tucked her legs and quickly carried her out of the vehicle, placing her gently into her chair. She wheeled herself away from the two men and toward the end of the line of people, unwilling to wait for either them.
"I'll text you when I need you," Kaiba instructed Roland and left to chase after Tea. Once he caught up to her, he gripped the handles of her chair, stopping her in her (literal) tracks. "Hold on there, Speedy Gonzales, we don't need to wait in line."
She whipped her head around, still trying to push her chair from his grip, "And why's that?"
"Didn't I already tell you? I'm a Kaiba."
She rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time already this evening, and made her way to the front door without Kaiba's assistance.
"Ah, Mr. Kaiba, we've been waiting for you," the host bowed, "we have a table already set up for you. Please, this way." He waved for them to follow him inside, "The table is set up per your special instructions." The host glance down at Tea and smiled. She quickly shot Kaiba a death glare. Kaiba knowingly declined to look at her and thanked the host, tipping him as he left.
Once they settled into their table, Kaiba grabbed his menu and began flipping through it, ignoring Tea's spine-chilling stare. He hummed to the tune of the violin that was being played by one of the live musicians the restaurant had, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
"You knew I was in a wheelchair? That's how the host knew of the 'special instructions?'"
He didn't look at her, "I had Roland call the restaurant on the way here. I didn't realize you were handicapped until this evening."
"Don't use that word." She shot icicles at him.
Kaiba put his menu down. "What word?"
"You know."
He paused, acting as if he were thinking it over, "Handicapped?"
She didn't reply. She just kept glaring.
"I didn't realize the truth hurt you so much, Gardner." He casually picked up his menu and began flipping through it once again.
In a flash, Tea torn the menu from his hand, tossing it across the floor. A few guests at nearby tables stared at the random commotion. She didn't give a shit about their reactions. Kaiba could tell that the only thing she wanted to do was smack him across the face.
"Gardner, this is a fine establishment."
"I don't care. Are you going out of your way to piss me off tonight, Kaiba? What the hell's the matter with you?"
"Matter with me? You're the one throwing menus."
"You know I'm not handicapped!"
Kaiba pulled back the tablecloth, glancing underneath the table. He came back up, smirking cockily at her, "I see a wheelchair underneath your ass. Pretty sure that constitutes as someone who is handicapped."
Her eyes ignited. It was the exact reaction he was looking for. "You know full well I wouldn't be in a wheelchair if it weren't for you!"
"Oh, you're blaming me for your coma?"
"No! I'm blaming your stupid technology for crippling me!"
"You mean the technology that's been appropriately named after you?"
Tea's glare intensified, "I didn't ask for this, you know? I didn't ask for the stupid project name, I didn't ask for Yugi to propose to me, I didn't ask to end up in a coma, I didn't ask to lose the use of my legs, and most of all, I didn't ask to be here with you."
Her words stung, but in a way, Kaiba wanted them to hurt. It meant she was still alive.
Their waitress approached, setting down two glasses of water. "Hello, I'll be your waitress tonight. Would you like to try our house wine?"
Tea kept her fiery gaze upon Kaiba, but spoke toward the waitress, "No, I was just leaving." She torn her wheelchair away from the table and wheeled herself as fast as she could out of the restaurant.
A/N: Oh my goodness. What a doozy of a chapter! I felt like I needed to make it up to you guys since I've been MIA for over a month. Please review to let me know how I'm doing. More Tea and Kaiba to come!
