The time it took for Tea to reach Kaiba's cell felt like an eternity. Her mind kept racing with all the things she wanted to say, but there was no way she could say them without blowing her entire testimony. She had to be tactful and clever with her words. There could be a camera or microphone placed in Kaiba's cell that was somewhere out of sight, and the police didn't need to know that most of her confession was a lie. Kaiba was the only one who needed to know that, and Tea felt obligated to put his mind at ease.
Tea's thoughts weren't completely composed by the time Chief Lemm opened Kaiba's cell door. She froze the moment she saw him sitting there, handcuffed and decked out in an orange jumpsuit.
Tea cringed. This was a sight she definitely wasn't ready to see.
"I'll let you talk to him alone. You have ten minutes." The sound of Chief Lemm's voice interrupted her thoughts, but didn't deter her from staring at Kaiba. They held each other's gaze, as if their blue eyes had suddenly turned to stone.
"I'll be right on the other side of the door for your safety." Chief Lemm kindly pushed Tea's chair into Kaiba's cell and slowly shut the door behind them, giving them the privacy they needed. Even with the implied privacy, Tea knew she couldn't explicitly say anything that would incriminate them both.
The click of the lock on the door signaled their green light moment, but neither one of them opened their mouths. Tea's lips were pressed so tightly together that she swore someone had magically sewn them shut. Kaiba's lips weren't tight at all. In fact, it was his eyes that looked like piercing needles. It was as if they were trying to drill all her muddled thoughts right from her brain. Kaiba would keep staring at her if she didn't say something, and at this point, staring was wasting their precious time.
Tea knew she needed to get crafty with her sentences. Every sentence needed to have purpose and it had to be something that only Kaiba would know and be able to decode. She craved a clever way to get the truth to him somehow.
"I just got out of the interrogation room. The officer's lied when they said they only had a few questions for me. It was more like twenty! All revolving around you, of course." Tea tried to place emphasis on the right words while sounding light and casual, as to not raise suspicion. Maybe he'd catch on? She prayed he would.
There was a long pause. Kaiba appeared to be thinking, but the stone-cold look upon his face hadn't changed. His voice was low when he finally decided to speak.
"What did you say to them?"
Tea almost choked. It was as if he were giving away their code!
"You know I can't tell you that! You of all people should know that if I told you, your testimony would go up in smoke!" She paused, laughing awkwardly at the irony of her last comment while thinking of how she was going to phrase her next one. "Uh… speaking of smoke…. I could really use a cigarette. Can you smoke with me?"
"No, but I'm good." His reply was so relaxed that Tea was questioning whether he had done something like this before. "How are you doing?"
Kaiba changed the subject, but it didn't take Tea long to catch onto his real question.
"I'm all right. Wishing I could remember a time when my legs didn't feel like they were on fire."
"I'm sorry… Is there anything I can do for your wounds?"
Wounds? She didn't have any wounds, unless he was referring to her legs? Instantly, she remembered the pictures Chief Lemm had shown her in the interrogation room. Kaiba was asking about his wounds!
"Don't worry." She didn't emphasize these words but meant them in the sincerest way. "My doctor is going to heal up these ol' wounds in no time!"
He smiled slightly at her, a glimmer of hope flashed across his blue eyes. This was the first smile she'd seen on him in a long time. A look of deep relief was written across his face and Tea took in the sight, wanting to cry. This is what he needed to hear, even if their words were in code.
"Please thank him for me, will you?" His tone was soft and humble, a reaction Tea never thought she'd receive from Kaiba.
She beamed, thankful for this moment. "Of course."
The two were silent for quite some time, and Tea began to worry that her time with him was up. She didn't know what else to say, she had said everything that needed to be said.
Kaiba began. His words were not in code, but they were shocking nonetheless.
"I'm sending you away."
She didn't speak right away, taking a few moments to process what he had just said.
"What? But I just got here."
"I promise you, it's for the best."
She knit her brows together and began fumbling with her words, "N-no! I- I can't leave you now. Not…" She stared at him with compassion and sincerity, "… Not like this…"
He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and hanging his head in a state of defeat. "You've done all you can, Tea. It's time for you to go."
Tears began pricking at the edges of her eyes. She was so confused. Why was he doing this to her? She gave him the comfort and information he needed to hear and now he wanted to send her away? Was this a queue that he didn't want to be with her? Had Seto Kaiba truly given up?
"No!"
He let out another heavy sigh. His words were drawn out and he sounded tired, "Tea, don't argue me on this."
She shook her head, a few teardrops straying from her eyes, "Don't you understand? I want to be here for you."
"This isn't your problem."
"Isn't my problem?" She felt heartbroken, like Kaiba had verbally slapped her in the face. She lied for him. He accepted that, and now he just wanted to let her go? She felt like their relationship was a game of ping pong, and she was worn-out from all the back and forth. "I thought we were in this together?" At this point, she didn't care if she sounded hurt. She was, and she needed Kaiba to hear it.
His words came out horse and shaky, almost as if he were nervous to say them. "Not anymore…"
Tears rolled down Tea's eyes. How could he do this to her? She felt so betrayed. She had given up everything for him. Her friends, her oath to the law, and even Yugi… So, how, at such a crucial time like this, could he be so cruel?
"But, what about the testimony?" She protested.
He just shook his head. Did this mean she didn't need to testify for him in court?
There was a rapping at the prison door before it swiftly opened. Chief Lemm was standing over them. "Times up."
"Seto…" She whispered his name as the tears poured down. They continued to stare at each other. His eyes wore a weary and uncomfortable look of sadness and defeat. Something was off about him all of a sudden. There was a reason he was doing this and Tea regretted thinking that thought just as the chief of police was kicking her out.
Chief Lemm grew impatient when Tea didn't wheel herself out of the cell right away, so he grabbed the handles on the back of her wheelchair and began pulling her out.
"W- wait!" She shrieked, "Wait! Seto!" Her chair kept moving backwards as she reached out to grab Kaiba. To her surprise, he reached his cuffed hands up to gently stroke her fingers with his, before letting his hands fall back down in defeat. His eyes held a look of pain and desperation, soaking in the last remnants of her as she was being dragged from his cell.
"Tell me why you're doing this! Please! Seto!" Her screams echoed throughout the concrete cell.
"Goodbye, Tea…" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"No! Seto!" Tea's eyes were foggy from crying, but she could've sworn she saw a tear or two fall from his beautiful blue eyes.
As the door to his cell was shut and locked, Tea cupped her head in her hands and sobbed, hoping that this wasn't the last time she would ever get to see those beautiful blue eyes.
Tea was escorted back to her home that evening. She had cried in the backseat of the police car the entire time. Onlookers probably thought she was headed to jail, and Tea silently wished that were true, then maybe she'd actually get to be with Seto.
When the police dropped her off, her mother was waiting for her at the front door.
"Oh, Darling! Chief Lemm called us and filled us in on where you were and what you were doing." She bent down and hugged her daughter, stroking her hair gently, "I'm so proud of you for being so brave to testify for Mr. Kaiba."
"There isn't going to be a testimony…."
Her mother pulled away from her, "What do you mean?"
Tea wheeled her chair into the living room and out of the front entrance. Her mother followed.
"Sweetie, is everything alright?"
Tea shook her head, tears threatening to fall once again. "No, everything is not alright. Kaiba doesn't want me to testify. He just wants me to get out of his life for good."
"Oh, Tea, Honey… I don't know about that."
"That's what he said, Mom."
"Then why did he send over a plane ticket to New York City?"
Tea's head shot up in shock, "What!?"
Her mother nodded, "Yes, your flight leaves in the morning."
She couldn't speak. What the hell was going on?
"His assistant called and filled me in. Mr. Kaiba is sending you to New York City to work with one of the best dance coaches and physical therapists in the United States! Isn't that great?"
Tea didn't understand. She thought Kaiba wanted her out of his life. Why was he doing this?
"You'll be healing and studying dance in a sixteen-month program! It's what you've always wanted!"
Tea couldn't match her mother's excitement. Kaiba was sending her away for sixteen months. This was why he said goodbye. He really did want her gone.
"I've packed all of your essentials so you don't need to worry about doing that tonight. Oh, and did I mention all of your meals and housing expenses have been covered? Can you believe that!?"
Tea didn't respond, and her mother's excited expression quickly transformed into a look of concern.
"Honey?" She placed her hand on her daughter's face, "If there's something you want to talk about, you know you can always talk about it with your father or me. We're always on your side, Sweetie."
Tea gently brushed her mother's hand away and stared at the wall, trying her best to focus on something, hoping it would help conceal the tears that threatened to fall.
Dealing with Kaiba's drama was like riding an endless emotional roller coaster. One moment he was kicking her out of his life, and the next he was fulfilling her life-long dreams. She couldn't understand it all. She was simultaneously depressed and ecstatic. Truth be told, she didn't know what to feel.
"I… I don't want to go."
Her mother's dark eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Don't want to go? But this is your dream, and it's being handed to you on a silver platter! It's more than what your father and I could ever afford for you."
"I know, but I'm not going."
Mrs. Gardner tried to be sincere, but her patience was growing thin. "Tea, this is your future, and a chance for you to walk again. I know you want that more than anything. Please try to be reasonable and think about this in the most rationale way possible—"
"I'm not going, Mom! Didn't you heard what I just said? Kaiba wants me out of his life, and sending me to New York is his way of doing it!"
Her mother thoughtfully took in Tea's words before lending her daughter a caring smile, "I see where you're coming from," she reached out to take her daughters hand, rubbing gently on her fingers with hers. The action reminded Tea of what Kaiba had done to her earlier and it sent a wave of chills down her spin.
"But," Mrs. Gardner continued, "I think he's trying to help you, not harm you. He's sending you away so you can have a future that he may not have."
Her mother's words shook her up a bit, and Tea didn't realize how selfish she was being. This whole time she kept pegging Kaiba as her enemy, someone who put her in a wheelchair, when in reality all he ever wanted to do was get her out of it. How could she have been so blind? Maybe she knew the truth this entire time and didn't want to accept it because maybe she thought that Seto Kaiba actually having genuine feelings and good intentions for someone else was beneath him? Kaiba wasn't the type of person to admit his feelings, but if her own mother, who didn't even know of the events that took place in the virtual world, could see the good in Kaiba, then why couldn't she?
Tea tried to excuse Kaiba's good intentions, still not fully believing her mother was right. "But what about the trial? Sixteen months is a long time to be away! Kaiba could be out of jail in less than sixteen days!"
"Or he could go to prison for sixteen years."
Tea stopped arguing. Reality had hit her like a ton of bricks. Kaiba could go to prison. Tea always supposed it was a possibility that just wouldn't happen to someone like him….
"Did it ever occur to you that he may know something that you don't?"
Tea sighed in defeat, "No, I… I guess I didn't think of that. I was just so worried about him and this entire situation…"
Tea's mother laced her fingers between hers and gripped her daughter's hand tightly in reassurance. "There's a life for you beyond this wheelchair, beyond the trail, and beyond Domino City, and I think Mr. Kaiba knows that. So, will you please just accept his parting gift and thank him for the future he'll be giving to you?"
Without realizing it, Tea was crying. But even still, she was able to smile through her tears. "Okay, but can you please stop calling him Mr. Kaiba."
And for the first time in a long time, Tea laughed.
It was genuine, and it was freeing.
Never in his life had Seto Kaiba been so relieved. The weight of the world slowly lifted off his shoulders the moment he stepped out of the packed courtroom. He let out a small sigh of relief before the news crews could swarm him. For once, he was thankful he was going back to his cell, that way he'd get rid of the media moguls.
"Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Kaiba! Tell us what you thought of the trial?"
"Did you think the judge was fair?"
"Are you pleased with the jury's final decision, Mr. Kaiba?"
"Please tell us how you feel!"
"Mr. Kaiba! Mr. Kaiba!"
The door to the inmate holding area was slammed shut, and Kaiba was relieved to hear the silence even though his ears were dully ringing. He let out another sigh of relief, letting his tense shoulders fall and his feet drag.
The bailiff tugged on Kaiba's handcuffs, indicating he move quicker. Kaiba hadn't realized he had stopped walking, he was just so focused on the verdict that almost nothing else could capture his attention… until he walked into his holding cell.
"Shana?"
She stared at him, arms crossed, hip popped, and face firm.
She looked rather intimidating and for once, Kaiba was a bit nervous to speak to her, "Wha-? What are you doing in here?"
A deep, heavy sigh left her lips, "To help you out for the very last time."
"It's not the last time."
She shook her head, her short blonde bob staying put, "You really think the board's going to give you back your job? I'm sorry if you think that, sir, but you're sadly mistaken. You just cost the board fifteen million dollars."
"That's pocket change," he stated flatly.
She snorted, "Maybe, but that money is coming from the board's budget and is getting sent straight to the government. You know how frustrated their puny capitalistic minds work when they think about their money getting handed over to the government."
Kaiba chuckled.
"What!?" Shana snapped, "You think this is funny? You think the damage you've caused Kaiba Corp. is something to laugh about?"
"No," his comment was crisp, "I've just never heard you refer to the board in such an honest and comical way before."
Her angry scowl shifted into a small smile, "Well, I'm trying my best here, sir."
"Hurry it up, your car's waiting," The bailiff roared from outside the cell door.
Without warning, a pile of fresh, clean clothes was shoved into Kaiba's arms. He sucked in the scent, taking in how much he missed the fantastic smell of detergent. Compared to what his orange jumpsuit smelled like, the fresh clothes smelled like heaven.
"Here," Shana plopped a pair of dark gray socks atop the clean clothes, "get ready quickly, you have a press conference in forty-five minutes. I've already taken care of the rest of your belongings." She smiled up at him, "You're finally going home."
Home. It was one of the things Kaiba couldn't get out of his head for the past few weeks. Being locked up twenty-four seven had made him eager to go back. It was as if he was constantly daydreaming about something he'd taken for granted, just like—
"Tea!?" The resonance of his shrieking voice echoed throughout the cell and both Shana and the bailiff turned back to look at him with an appropriate mixture of shock and confused.
Targeting his question toward Shana as if her face were a bullseye, Kaiba continued to shout, "Where is she?"
A/N: Yes, yes, another month, another chapter. But guys, I PROMISE that the next chapter is what you've all been waiting for! I freaking cannot wait for you guys to read it! I've been planning it since December 2016 and I am so excited to finally share it with you! I don't want to hype up Chapter 25 too much in case it flops, but regardless, I am excited for it. And if the writer is excited, won't their readers be too?
Anyways, I hope all of you caught onto the code Tea and Kaiba were exchanging. If not, message me and I can point you in the right direction. Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!
