"It's not that big of a deal, Yugi." Tea played her fork round and round in the spaghetti that was supposed to be her lunch.

"But don't you want to know what he was thinking? I mean... Why? Do you think he's found someone else? It's possible... but Tea, oh, I'm so sorry."

She sighed and put down her fork to look over at her distressed friend with a meek little smile. "Yugi... I do want to know what he's thinking, of course I do. But I don't think he's found anyone else." Her eyes wandered back down to the ring she'd removed from the box and slipped onto her finger, the wrong hand of course for where it was supposed to be, but it was there and he misty orbs flitted over the glittering gems. "He must have given this to me for a reason..."

Yugi came over and sat down next to her. "I don't want to see you get hurt again, we all don't."

"I know Yugi. I know..." Her voice trailed off into her other thoughts, back to their conversation. She had been so excited to go over there that afternoon, but it had ended in complete disaster. 'He seemed to be holding himself back... What did he say? That I've crushed my wings? That was sort of weird... I wonder what he's thinking. I wish I could just-' a warming thought of her stroking the side of his troubled head and telling him it'd all be fine and he could always tell her everything came to her head and she smiled with a longing sigh. 'He doesn't think I loved him, does he? I don't think so, or else he wouldn't have said that...'

"Tea?"

"Oh, what?" Her head came back up to cock at Yugi.

"You just looked sort of spaced. Are you all right? I mean, if you need to talk about it..."

"I know you're always there for me. But... I think right now I just have to go for a walk. I'll see you guys later, alright?"

The spiky head bobbed up and down. "Alright, if you need to. Just, if you need help, we're here."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I know, I know, you've already told me ten times. I'll see you later." And she walked out of the door of the game shop.

Yugi's eyes cast down to the floor in a distracted fashion. "This has to be the most confusing relationship I've ever heard of."

************************

Seto drove up to park in front of her house and got out of the car to knock on the door and then crane around the side to see if she was in there. 'Is anyone home?'

"Hello?"

He knocked on the door and waited a little bit longer before he sighed, that would have been the easiest way... But of course this wasn't going to be easy for him.

Getting back in the car he started heading for the game shop, guess number two. And as he pulled up in front he got out and opened up the door, Yugi was there, and the little head popped up, but before any words could come out of the mouth owned to the head Seto turned around again and went out the door.

'Where could she be?'

With a sigh he drove off to the park and got out of the car to start wandering through the endless pathways that he'd never spent the time to explore... This was all so strange. He knew he had to find her, but he didn't know what he'd do once he actually did find her. Tell her he still loved her? Tell her the endless nights he'd spent thinking about her and wishing life had been anything but what it had become? ...Or would he lie? He could tell her that it was all fine, they could work through this, talk a little. If they got back on the same page maybe they could get back together, and be happy.

******************* "Seto! ...Big brother, it's me, Mokuba! ...Where are you?!"

"Right here, Mokuba. I'm right here." He wrapped his arms around the small form and stroked the black head soothingly. "Just calm down, I'm right here..."

Tears welled up in the small blue eyes and he grabbed onto his older brother's shirt and buried his face in it as he sobbed. "I thought I'd lost you. Where did you go? Why did you leave me, Seto? ...Did I do something wrong?"

"No... you didn't do anything wrong, kiddo. It's me. I'm the one who did something wrong. But it's ok, I'm here for you now, I'm not leaving you again... ever." ******************** Kaiba grasped his fingers over the locket on his neck. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Maybe after all this time he'd just been fooling himself.

"Tea?"

Icy orbs had found the figure they'd been looking for, and slowly he walked up beside her, staring down at the ground. "Hey..."

Her eyes blinked at him a second, surprised he was there. "Kaiba, what are you-?"

"I'm sorry..." Stopping he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him, staring at her face. "I'm so sorry for all that I've done to you, Tea, and for all that I've put you through. Why do you put up with me? I've taken you in and stabbed you in the heart and yet you still come back the next day just to see me again... Why?"

"I-... I don't know." Her lashes twitched up and down before she turned her head to the side and stared at the floor. "I didn't really think you were doing it on purpose... If I had known that you'd meant to-"

"No... no. I never meant to, Tea. In all my life I never meant to hurt you." He bit his lip and dropped his hand to his side and took a few steps away, turning his back to her. "I'm just so screwed up. You have no idea what my life has been like... I'm not even sure if my being here does anyone any good, or if anyone would be better off without me... When you met me, you hated me. I didn't care, but now, if I could go back and change all that. I wouldn't be the same man that I was... But you can't change the past, which is something I've learned all too well. What there was cannot be changed no matter how hard you try, but, Tea-" Turning back around he stared at her, approached again and took her hand. "I don't want to ruin this. I don't think I have it in myself to ruin this... And you might say that it doesn't exist anymore, but-... but Tea. I love you. Please... take me back. Give me a second chance, a third chance, I don't even know what the number is anymore I-"

Tea brought her finger and put it to his lips with a gentle smile. "Shhhh... hush, Seto, hush." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Don't give up on yourself so easily. I know you're stronger than that and you know it just as well as I do... but Seto, I'm not sure you really need me, do you see?"

Eyes filled with pain and he pulled away from her. "How can you say that? ...How can you possibly say that I don't need you? Do you know how I've been torturing myself?? Do you have any idea???" He grabbed her hands again and shut his eyes as he shook his head. "Please, just try, talk to me, anything... I need to be able to talk to you. I need to be able to touch you... Even if we're only friends it will be at least something. I'll keep to myself, I don't even have to say anything, please just don't ever think that I don't need you when that's anything but what I don't need..."

Tea sighed and pulled her hands away to put them on either side of his head and lift his gaze up to meet hers, talking very sternly, but gently. "What do you want from me Kaiba? What is it that you need so badly that you'd throw away all that I knew you for?"

"I-... Tea... it's- it's you." A smirk played over his lips, he knew how tragic this all must look. "It's you. You were the one who helped me, even if I was out to destroy myself you still clung on, that little piece of hope that I had long since abandoned... Don't you see? I have no parents, no older sibling, no aunt, no uncle, no grandfather to scream at when they do something that I can't stand... All I have is myself, and Mokuba. And Mokuba's growing up... you can see it too. He doesn't need me anymore; he can take care of himself... So who's left to take care of me? When I go to sleep at night who is going to be the one in the morning that I can say hello to and know that they'll accept me for who I am, faults or no... I need you there for me, Tea, for my friend... for, my, my fa-"

She stopped him again by covering his mouth and nodded a silent understanding. "Alright, Seto. Alright. But if you go and give up on me again I'm not going to come back so easily again, okay? This is the last chance you're getting." And she removed her hand, stared. "Do you understand? I'm only one person."

And he nodded, and took her hand and held it tightly. "I'm going to try my best, but promise me you won't tell anyone just yet. Is that fine? I-... I just don't think I can handle more than one person to worry over loosing you for... I have to remember what it's like not to be alone."

Tea laughed and he smiled, and again he thought that maybe it wasn't so bad after all, and maybe all that'd he'd been through in his life was all just leading up to this... so that he could learn to be human again.

"Alright, Seto... alright. I'll give you that, now you just go home and call me later tonight, you look like you're going to cry."

Kaiba smiled and let go of her hands. "Yes Tea... I'll call you." He gave her one last smile before he turned and walked away from her... maybe it wasn't so bad...

((WOW! Hasn't it been long enough people? *counts on fingers how long it's been since she last updated* ...Wooooow. That's a while. 3 months of so O.o REALLY sorry people, lol. Just hope you're happy with the fact that my fingers have broken free of their cobwebs. ^_^ and who said that being sick was bad for you? *counts again* ... just wow. Well, we hope you enjoyed this chapter. FINALLY got them back together... was it worth the wait? Hope so. Later people! Glassy isn't dead after all ^_^))