Chapter Three



Placing her hand on the rail, Tea arched her back. Tilting her head backwards, she felt the brisk sea air rush over her body and brush her hair across her face.

The quiet shuffle of feet behind her stopped. Tea closed her eyes and sighed. "I love the sea." She whispered.

Mokuba stared out at the scene before him. The tides lapped gently against the harbour. Sunlight gleamed off the water, and like diamonds, specks of light shimmered off the blue velvet surface.

"I don't come to the harbour alot."

"Oh?" Tea reluctantly opened her eyes and regarded the kid. "And why is that?"

Instead of answering, Mokuba shrugged. Tea followed his line of vision to the sky above. Though the seagulls weren't the most majestic of creatures, they soared above the waves with a sense of freedom and ease that Mokuba could only envy.

"Seto doesn't think the harbour front is a safe place for a kid like me." The forlorn expression on Mokuba's face was enough to break Tea's heart. But before Tea could comment, Mokuba changed the subject. "I am really sorry for what my big brother said earlier. He's usually not so rude."

Tea snorted. "Right."

"No, for real." Looking at Mokuba's earnest expression, Tea felt guilty for even questioning him. There was not a speck of doubt in Tea's mind of the important position Seto Kaiba held in Mokuba's heart. Choosing not to burst the Kid's bubble, Tea simply nodded.

After the confrontation in Seto's office, Mokuba caught up with Tea outside of Kaiba Corp. He wanted to apologize for his brother's actions. Tea invited him for a walk instead. They walked together in silence, letting their feets navigate through the busy streets of Tokyo. They ended up by the harbour front. Tea was glad. Water was said to be therapeutic, in Tea's case, it certainly helped to tamper down the urge to strangle Seto Kaiba.

"But what will you do about that job?"

Tea sighed, what else could she do. "I guess I'll look for a new one."

Mokuba tilted his head up and looked at her curiously. "So you're not giving up.'

"Not a chance. There are a lot of people counting on me to succeed out here." For the first time since she came to Tokyo, Tea felt the full weight of her family's financial troubles on her shoulder. After the interview with Seto Kaiba this morning, Tea felt as if yet another problem had been heaped onto her ever growing pile, pressing her down. Tea had the frightening thought that if she didn't get rid of the pile soon, it would crush her.

Seeing that Mokuba was studying her curiously, Tea quickly turned away. Sometimes the kid was too perceptive for his own good.

"Common Mokuba. I better walk you back to Kaiba Corp."

Mokuba took one last glance at the seagulls sailing over the water; higher and higher their featured wings carried the creature into the sky.

Mokuba sighed. "Alright."



~*~





It had been two days since Tea's meeting with Seto Kaiba. She had not heard any news regarding the secretary position from Kaiba Corp., nor had Tea allowed herself to be deluded into thinking that she would.

Shutting the door behind her, Tea unceremoniously dumped the handful of newspaper onto the floor. It was well after lunch and Tea was starving. The afternoon sun filtered in through the window; Shoving the curtains aside, Tea lifted open the glass. Air fluttered in through the opening, ruffling the newspaper on the floor.

Today, Tea joined the many citizens of Japan in the quest for a job. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Not only had Tea not been able to find anything, her feet ached from all her trampling through town.

Opening the door to the mini-size fridge the motel provided, Tea took out a couple of tomatoes, a large cabbage, chopped cucumbers, and a couple of red and green peppers. As a dancer, she was always conscious of her health and her weight. Tea had long ago concluded that she couldn't be the tall, thin girl that most dance companies wanted; she was only five four, with natural curves that many of her highschool classmates used to snicker over. Leaving the tap on, she let the water run over the vegetables. Tea went over to the cupboard and took out the bottle of vinegar, and mustard.

Mixing the vegetables into the salad bowl, Tea sat down beside the newspaper and crossed her legs. Reaching for the paper, Tea spread it open in front of her. Despite her less than savoury luck today, she refused to succumb to the urge to give up. Finding a job was just another hurdle on the track to success, and Tea meant to fly over the hurdle. If it meant that she had to start the race by scrubbing tables at Macdonald's then that's what she would do.

Flipping the newspaper to the business section, Tea prepared herself for the gruelling task of circling job ads. The phone rang, interrupting her.

"Hello?"

"My dear Tea."

Tea's mouth went dry at the sound of the voice. Even through the static filled phone line, she'd recognized the speaker anywhere.

Hesitantly, Tea answered. "Hello, Mr. Gozaburo."



~*~



"This way, please," Tea followed the maitre d' through the restaurant. Her feet slowed when she spotted the white-haired man sitting beside the window.

Her eyes wandered over the interior decorations. Rich dark red drapes hung down the side of the windows. Matching coloured Persian rugs covered the floor. A Grand piano sat by the corner of the room, its polished surface reflected the image of the black tux pianist playing softly to a piece by Chopin. The first word that came to Tea's mind was expensive; Snooty followed close behind.

"Tea," Gozaburo, ever the gentleman, stood up and waited for her to take her seat. With a wave of his hand, Gozaburo dismissed the waiter.

"Mr. Gozaburo," Tea began.

Gozaburo interrupted her. "I heard the interview did not go very well."

Tea felt heat spread through her cheeks, and she gasped. "You heard?"

Gozaburo chuckled. "Words travel fast in the corporate world." He paused and regarded her with amusement. "But I do believe you are the first one to speak to my son in such a manner."

Tea was sure if they turned off the light in the restaurant, her face would be glowing in the dark. "Mr. Gozaburo, let me explain."

Gozaburo held up his hand for silence. When he talked, everyone else listened. Tea wisely closed her mouth.

"No need, Tea. I didn't call you because of that."

"You didn't?"

"No," he smiled, and Tea felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. To turn Gozaburo's own words back at him, Tea knew this was not a social visit. He contacted her this afternoon and requested that she meet him because he needed her for something. Tea could feel it.

"I have a proposition for you, Tea." Gozaburo swirled the wine in his flute. The red liquid crashed against the side, trapped by the glass. Gozaburo was in perfect control. "But this is your last chance, Tea."

Tea clenched her hands tightly in her lap. She felt as if she was in a dark narrow hallway. Behind her was nothing but air, in front of her were infinite possibilities cloaked in darkness.

"My dear?"

Taking a deep breath, Tea took her first step into the shadows. "I won't disappoint you again."



~*~



Seto Kaiba rubbed the back of his neck in fatigue. Lifting his eyes off of the stack of work on his desk, he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just a little past seven thirty and groups of stars had begun appearing in the night sky outside his window.

Reaching over his desk, he turned on his lamp. All of his employees had long since left Kaiba Corp., but Seto had stayed behind to tie up a few loose ends.

He regarded the pile of paper on his desk in disgust. He hated to admit it, but he was desperately in need of another secretary. He had held seven interviews today, making a total of thirty applicants he had seen over the past week. None of them sparked his interest....except maybe one.

The image of fire flaring in wide blue eyes, cheeks flushed pink from anger, full red lips turned down in annoyance, all encased in soft brown tresses brought a small smirk to Seto's lips. As soon as the smile had come, it was suppressed with a frown.

The girl was trouble, Seto concluded. She had too much attitude and not enough common sense to know when to shut up while talking to the superior.

Shoving Tea Gardner out of his head, Seto reached for the phone. Turning on the speaker, he hit the speed dial button.

It was picked up on the first ring. "Kaiba residence," The no-nonsense tone emanated from the other side.

"Benedict," Seto leaned back in his chair.

"Oh, Master Kaiba."

Seto was not one for pleasantries. "How's Mokuba?"

Before the white-haired butler can answer, Seto heard a yelp on the other side. "Benedict, is that my brother?" Seto smiled at Mokuba's voice, and winced when he heard the distinct crash of glass on the floor.

"Young master, you calm yourself down this instinct!" Seto couldn't help chuckling. He figured Benedict was the only person on earth that could screech at the top of his lungs and still exhibit the regalness of a king.

"Big brother?" Mokuba's voice was breathless with excitement.

Suppressing the smile in his voice, Seto tried to sound strict. "Mokuba Kaiba, what was that?"

Mokuba cringed on the other side, so his brother heard the commotion. Darn! "Nothing, just a vase."

Seto's brow knitted together. "Which vase?"

There was a full ten seconds of silence before Mokuba coughed. "The Stra...vra or something."

Seto groaned inwardly. His brother had broken a Stavros. That vase was over three thousand dollars American. He had his art dealer personally travel to Athens to obtain it.

"Seto," Mokuba said quietly. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No, Mokuba." Seto swallowed the lie. "I am not mad. But be careful the next time."

"Okay," The twelve-year old had already banished the thought from his mind. "Seto, when are you coming home? I've been waiting for you to start dinner for almost half an hour now."

Seto sighed. "Mokuba..."

Mokuba's happiness deflated like a balloon. He knew that tone of voice. When Seto said his name followed by a sigh, it always meant he had something else to do.

"I have to finish these files, Mokuba."

"But..."

"Be good." It was more of an order than a request.

Mokuba twisted the phone cord in his hand. "Alright."

"I probably won't be back until eleven. By that time, I want you in bed."

Mokuba nodded as if his brother could see him.

"I'll see you later."

"Bye." Mokuba whispered and handed the phone back to Benedict.

"Will Master Kaiba be joining you soon?"

"No." Mokuba slumped back in the sofa.

"Ahhh..." Benedict's knowing answer seemed to echo through the empty mansion, and Mokuba slumped further into the cushions.



A/N:



Lilagyptian, you're right, Tea only assumed Mokuba was fourteen. Heh, sorry, I didn't make his age clearer in previous chapters, I tend to forget about the lil details that are also important to the plot -_-;; But I did mention he is twelve in this one ^_~



*looks thoughtful for a moment then refers to her book psych 101.* Lady love, children's development tend to be influenced by their environment. so think of it this way, Seto was adopted by Gozaburo, he lived with his adoptive father while he was a child, so it's logical to assume that some of Gozaburo's less than desirable traits rubbed off on Seto. I hope this explains somewhat your question, if you are still confused, feel free to email me.



Master-duelist, Seto is the head of Kaiba Corp. Tea only assumed Mokuba was, because Gozaburo said he adopted A son, and Tea happened to meet Mokuba before Seto.



Phew, done with the questions. Thanks for the input everyone. And if there are any more questions, feel free to ask. ^_^