Riddles of the Heart Chapter 8B, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Riddles of the Heart written by Atlantis © 2002

Well, here it is! After a ridiculous amount of waiting, at least for those of you who haven't forgotten this fic, it's finally here, edited and ready for you to read. So much good news for me. This monster took me a long, long time to write because so much emotion had to be put into it and I wanted a very real, very accurate look into the characters. There's also the fact that I graduated from high school and have been frantically searching for a job for the last three weeks as well. But I got a job! Now I will have money -and- write! Can it get any better?

Any and all moments and/or scenes involving Mokuba and/or a devil-conscience in this chapter are dedicated to my girl, Kysra, who never fails to write massive reviews which I love to read over and over and over. Girl, you're always bemoaning the fact that you're so long-winded but I don't mind a bit! Go on and keep being that way, cuz I'm certainly not complaining!

There shall be no apologies because the sheer length of this chapter and the content is enough of an apology in my eyes.

GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP GROUP

I now have a Yahoo! group that all of you can join to discuss my fiction, write and post your own, or simply gab with other people. If you're interested, check out my profile since fanfiction.net doesn't allow direct linking. It will also be a place where you can read my stuff when fanfiction.net is down.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter (there certainly weren't many of you!): Amanda, ma-au, HeavensAngel4115, kitty, Goddess Hikari, Penny Lane00, jen, Morning Mist, tea/anzufan, Aluyah, Chaos Babe, Taichi Prime, shadowed fry, Tara-hime, Lunar Dragon 209, Kerrie-chan, Kysra, Azurite, Jellybob 15, and Shy-Lil-Dreamer.

Disclaimer: After writing a chapter this freakin' long, I think I'll just claim Yu-Gi-Oh! as mine and see what happens. Anyone who wishes to dispute it can take it up with my poor fingers which have typed so much they are bruised.

Rating: R

Notes about rating: This chapter, in general, is very emotional and for content (a flaming lime) and language later on, this is a warning to all ye who don't like that stuff. If you can't handle an R rating, don't read this. I don't want to end up getting reported by someone who ignored these very specific notes.

My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existance is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:5-7

PART 8B

There was nothing, not a sound. Nothing but a dull throbbing that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat, growing steadily into a pounding drum, a waterfall crashing mercilessly onto rocks. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, a slit opened and the barest hints of grey and yellow light could be detected. With time creeping on, other colors began to filter through, blurred and indistinguishable. Then shapes could be seen. Finally, objects were real and present and pain lanced through her body like a spear, tearing at every nerve until she screamed.

Hardly able to turn her head, Téa crawled to the edge of the bed and promptly threw up, body convulsing wretchedly and head swimming with the action. Once her stomach contents had been emptied, she proceeded to throw up bile, stripping her teeth of the enamel and leaving a sour and bitter taste all over her mouth. Though it sent her into a fit of vertigo, she turned her head and wiped her face on the blankets, trying to at least get rid of the physical remnants of her sickness. She drifted into unconsciousness.

When Téa next woke, pains in her side, hands, and knees told her that she needed to do something unless she wanted to die of blood loss. Pushing herself up cautiously to rest on her forearms, she took a moment as her equilibrium re-balanced itself and her world stopped spinning before she sat up all the way. A very wry smile quirked the sides of her lips as she realized the Grammy's were still on. It seemed like a lifetime had passed. As she turned her head, Téa let out a startled gasp, stopped breathing and began to cry. Just to the left of her was a large revolver and when she raised her eyes, a bullet-hole blackened the wall just behind her. Her gaze traveled down to her side where there was a tear in her clothes and blood was soaking her shirt. She wiped at the tears clouding her vision angrily because they kept getting in her way. Damn it, all she wanted to do was see.

"My God," she sobbed brokenly. "I was that... that close to... to..." A fresh batch of tears came upon Téa and her already sore body curled up on itself, her breathing ragged and choppy.

Later, though she didn't know how much later, Téa finally got up and padded to the bathroom, careful to avoid all of the glass littering the floor. Stripping down, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and cried some more, looking over her bloody and naked body with a feeling of sorrowful detachment. This wasn't her. This was a shell that had been shattered and left in the gutter to die. This was a girl who didn't know what to do with what she had been dealt.

She stepped into the large shower and turned the water on the lowest setting possible, cringing and biting down on her lip when the water ran over her body. With shaking hands she began to gently wash the crusted blood off of her body with the glass shards and then moved to wash and disinfect her open wounds. A mangled cry was ripped from her throat as she applied hydrogen peroxide to the wound at her side, where the bullet had presumably missed killing her by mere centimeters. Tears mixed with the water as she washed, wincing whenever she rubbed the washcloth over a bruise. When she was eventually able to stand a warmer water setting, she slid down the shower wall and sat in the corner and wrapped her arms around her bent legs as her shoulders shook with continued crying.

Doctors always said that it was healthy to cry though, right? It released pent-up emotions and hostility and generally relieved a person of their troubles or at least eased them a bit. That and the steady beating of the shower were both aiding in calming her, restoring her breathing to normal and slightly lessening her pain as the water numbed her. Easing her head back, Téa's mind traveled to the events that had lead her to this situation and stretched out, sprawled all over the floor of the shower. They simply weren't easy to think about and after fighting tears back, she was able to revisit what she had gone through months earlier.

As she and her sisters stepped out of the limo wearing all black, Téa gave an emotionless survey of the funeral home. White roses lined the path to the front door of the building and a small yellow daisy was on each of the headstones that could be seen from the corner of her eye. Glancing behind her, she watched as the funeral procession stopped and each individual car looked for a parking space. The little ones at her sides clutched her hands like lifelines, their small eyes wide and sad; they knew why they were there.

A man dressed down in a black clerical outfit approached them from the doorway of the building and gave a sincere bow of his head and motioned for them to follow, and Téa did, tugging gently on her sisters to follow. Something inside of her broke as she heard Arashi and Kiri's sniffles and tears dropped, unbidden, down her face. She didn't bother wiping them away because they belonged there: after all, where were tears more appropriate than at your own parents funeral?

The priest led the girls around the back of the building and down a well-kept path which was lined with wild roses, nicely trimmed and pruned, but almost mocking. Mocking because they were the epitome of life and yet they were used to beautify the death that surrounded them. A new batch of tears rained down from Tea's eyes and she was glad that her face was covered with a veil. Her sisters didn't deserve to see their strength and stronghold so weak and vulnerable. They stopped as they reached a large canopy where they were directed by the priest to be seated in the front row, directly before two caskets that sat on either side of the podium. A cynical part of Téa commented that the dead were now on parade, to be shown to everyone who cared to look.

Others filed into seats behind them, but Téa and the girls did not look to them, though they knew each and every one of them. Co-workers and employees, trusted friends and advisors, business rivals and allies alike; all were gathered to watch the final partings of Kevin and Tamoya Hurikama Gardner. Téa's friends were all seated in the reserved two rows behind her, the entire Wheeler family present (Mr. Wheeler sober for once), Yami, Yugi and his grandfather, Tristan, Duke, Bakura, Mai, and the Ishtars, Marik and Ishizu. In her row, to the right of her sisters, Harry and his family sat silently and Téa looked to the two empty seats at her left, saddened that they had not yet been filled. Someone, probably Joey, coughed behind her and she looked up through tear-clouded eyes at the path to see Seto and Mokuba approaching, each with two bouquets of roses in their hands.

Ignoring all of those present, they walked up to the caskets and each of the Kaiba's placed one of their bouquets on them while the two remaining bouquets remained in their grasps. Both Seto and Mokuba gave formal Japanese bows to the encased dead before turning and taking their places next to Téa. The roses sat in their laps and Seto reached out a hand to take Téa's, making sure to squeeze it reassuringly as the priest stood at the podium.

Words came out of his mouth, solemn words that made everyone gathered weep and dab at their eyes with small white handkerchiefs, but Téa didn't hear any of them. All that she could do was see, see the ornate, glorified boxes that held the mangled and unrecognizable bodies of her parents. Arashi and Kiri would look to her every once in a while, obviously not comprehending what the "man up there" was saying, but Téa would gently shush and console them, telling them that it was all right, they didn't really need to know. Her gloved fingers laced through Seto's and yet she never looked at him, merely drawing strength from him; strength to keep from either rushing to the caskets and crying over them or escaping from the too-clean, too-happy, too-unrealistic graveyard.

After some odd moments of silence, Téa realized she had to say a few words out of respect and rose hesitantly, not willing to let go of Seto's hand and not able to take him up with her. Standing in front of the mahogany platform, Téa found that she could not speak, instead only able to stare right and left at the death that surrounded her. She cried. She couldn't help it. It was deep and heartfelt and somewhat loud. Through it all, her eyes remained open and she watched as people shook their heads or nodded in pity, silently judging her for the words that she did not say. But it wasn't pity she wanted! She wanted her parents back. Her eyes shifted down and she noticed that her hands were shaking horribly but she made no move to correct the problem.

Let me suffer. I deserve it, she voiced silently as tears tumbled down her cheeks again. A mumble went through the crowd and then Seto was at her side, cradling her into his chest, his hand steady at the back of her neck and around her waist. As she sobbed, she felt him press a kiss to her temple and then straighten to look at those gathered.

"I think that you can all see that Téa is not in the state to speak right now, so I would like to do so on her behalf. I know that I did not know Kevin or Tamoya as well as Téa did, that much is obvious, but I had a very deep respect for them as members of the business-world as well as people. My experience allowed me to cultivate a friendship with Mr. Hurikama and anyone that knows me knows that that is a difficult task. However, it was through this friendship and partnership that I realized he loved his family more than his own life and that he would give his life a hundred times over just to make sure they were happy. He often spoke of his three daughters, though not by name, and I gained a respect for them as well because I knew that any children of Kevin's were sure to be exemplary. It was not until a later time that I discovered Téa was one of his daughters.

"I cannot claim to know the words that Téa wished to say to you today, but I expect that all of you will respect that she did not speak and remember her and her sisters in your prayers. Thank you for coming today," Seto finished, slowly coaxing Téa to follow him back to her seat where she continued to cling to him. Minutes after, the caskets were transported to where they were to be buried and everyone followed, many whispering a few last words of their own and tossing in white roses before the earth swallowed them up.

After everyone had left and the caskets had been covered, their engraved granite gravestones put into place, Téa remained riveted at the foot of the graves, staring and crying. Hours before she had said goodbye to her little sisters, Harry having offered to take care of the girls for the night and now she stood alone, not noticing that awful rain clouds were hanging in the heavens and threatening their wrath upon the world. Sinking to her knees, she placed a hand on each of the new graves, feeling the newly turned soil under her now-bare hands, clawing at the ground as though it were a prison. Then she bit her lip, watching as teardrops fell from her eyes into the dirt where small puffs rose where they had fallen. And it was then that it sank in.

They weren't coming back. They really weren't coming back. Her parents were dead and she was alone except for her sisters, whom she was now expected to take care of. There was also the company she had suddenly and unexpectedly inherited. The first day had been easy enough, charging in with banners flaring as she claimed ownership, but actually running the company had turned out to be a completely different, and a more difficult matter. She also couldn't forget about school. She was still a full-time student enrolled in her last year of high school and had grades to keep up and finals to prepare for. Understanding the workload that Kaiba dealt with had finally dawned on her and she wasn't sure that she could handle the pressure.

Seto also deserved her attention. That was what she had decided. She needed him in her life and was willing to sacrifice time from some other priority she had in order to show him that she cared and that she wanted him to stick around. He was her foundation, the only thing that truly kept her going. At times, she felt like a shadow, passing through life and not affecting anything around her but witnessing all of the injustices and wanting to fix them or help and not being able to. Téa was afraid of becoming a phantom: the walking dead.

Rain began to abruptly pelt her from above and she stood once more and shook her hair out of her face, pulling the black hat and veil off that covered her head. Rather than heading for the car which she knew was waiting for her, she walked around instead, half strolling, half stumbling across the grounds of the graveyard. It was after a minute of walking that she noticed a shadow under a tree just off to the left of the path and she approached it, not sure who it was and not truly caring. She was surprised to find that it was Seto Kaiba. He stood inbetween two tombs, a bouquet of red roses placed on the top of each one. Now Téa understood.

Though the rain had thoroughly soaked her through-and-through, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, laying her cheek against his back. He tensed at first, then, realizing who it was, relaxed once more and placed his arms over hers. He was wet as well. A few more minutes passed, the rain coming down harder now, the sky a dismal grey, and Seto turned in Téa's arms and hugged her tight to him. Together, they went back to the path and eventually made their way to a limo that was waiting. Even drenched to the bone, they still did not hurry and Seto held the door open for Téa like a perfect gentleman before climbing in after her himself, shutting the door firmly and barking directions to the driver. When he and Téa had settled into the backseat side-by-side, Téa turned to speak.

"You sent my ride away?" she asked. He nodded. She also nodded. She opened her mouth to say something else but didn't and they lapsed into several moments of silence as the steady beat of the rain pounded against the windows. "Were those your parents, Seto?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"I just figured that while you were paying your respects, Mokuba and I would as well. Today is the fourteen-year anniversary of their death," Kaiba replied softly. He leaned forward to switch the heater on full-blast then settled back again.

"You didn't have to," Téa said. At Kaiba's glance she added, "Wait for me, I mean." A blush stained her already pink cheeks, rosy from the cold. She leaned into his side. "Thank you." Téa placed a kiss on his cheek and curled up next to his side, shivering but content.

When the limo stopped, Kaiba and Téa exited the vehicle as quickly as they could. It did not register that Téa was in Seto's home for the first time until the front door shut behind her and she looked up into the immense entryway to see a large crystal chandelier hanging above her, glittering with faint light. Seto took her hand gently and led her through the greeting room and den, past the ridiculously large kitchen, up two flights of stairs where they presumably entered what looked to be his bedroom. He rummaged through a closet for a moment before emerging with a large downy towel and an oversized pair of pajamas.

"Go and take a shower before you catch your death. I'm gonna go and make some coffee and take a shower myself," he commanded gently, kissing her forehead before leaving the room. Téa watched him leave, almost wishing that he hadn't, and then went into the bathroom.

Emerging a little more than half an hour later, her hair damp and clothed in Seto's large navy blue pajama pant and shirt set, she padded through the room and out into the hall, looking for the owner of her temporary clothes. Looking down from the top of the stairs, she spied a set of double doors slightly ajar that opened up into a grand ballroom and another set of doors that looked as if they led to an indoor olympic-sized pool. After nearly tripping on the long pant legs twice, Téa settled herself on the steps and rolled the bottoms up a few inches before proceeding down once more. She found him in the den, a fire roaring in the massive fireplace, with a cup of coffee steaming beside him. But that wasn't why she had stopped in the doorway.

Seto Kaiba lay reclined in an expensive black leather recliner wearing only pajama bottoms. His broad chest was exposed to the entire world and if he would only lean forward, his back would be as well. He was breathing easily as his chest rose and fell at rhythmic intervals and she let her eyes drift over his toned but not overly muscular body. Seto had large arms and broad shoulders and a collar bone that inspired the thought of daring kisses. His pants hung low about his waist and Téa's thoughts, for once, soared into desperately naughty territory.

What I wouldn't give to see what's underneath those pants, her devil-conscience snickered, clad in red leather negligé. Téa batted those thoughts away, not without difficulty, and moved further into the room, immediately surrounded by the warmth that the fire had provided. Unable to resist temptation, Téa leaned forward with her arms on either side of the recliner and kissed Seto's neck before pulling back and sinking into the armchair opposite of him. He stirred and woke slowly, blinking childishly before focusing on the young woman before him who was wearing his clothes. And damn but she did look good in them, particularly with the shirt falling off of her shoulders and exposing all of that skin that he had yet to taste.

"I was gonna put on a shirt," he said sleepily, "but I didn't hear you come down."

"Don't bother," Téa told him with a yawn. "I don't mind and you look comfortable, besides." Her eyes drifted over him once more, lingering on his lower stomach before traveling back up over his chest and neck where she stared at his lips and then moved up to his eyes to find that he was regarding just as intensely. Caught in the act, Téa had the grace to blush and pull a nearby pillow into her lap to play with the tassels on the corners. She refused to make eye contact with him again over such an embarrassing display of interest and was surprised when he spoke.

"Come here." It was soft-spoken, but it was most definitely a command. Gulping, Téa got up from her place and walked over to him, standing at the edge of his chair. He promptly reached up and hauled her into his lap so that she straddled him. So surprised by Seto's sudden movement, Téa couldn't help but immediately settle in and place her arms on either side of his head to steady herself. When she once again caught Seto's gaze, her insides coiled into a tight knot that demanded fierce release. His deep blue eyes were nearly black and centered solely on her. Her eyes slipped closed and a breathy sigh passed through her lips as his hands moved up and down her sides, teasing her and fulfilling her at the same time.

He moved forward only slightly, barely pulling at her lips with his own before making a trail down her neck and over her shoulders where his mouth and tongue marked her for his own. Téa's hands left the back of the recliner and held Seto to her, making sure that he didn't stop, though he had no intention of doing so. Slowly and carefully, he made his way to the other shoulder and payed it the same lavish attention, trailing down her arm as the loose sleeve dropped even further down. Then his mouth took a different route, trailing down the middle of her chest where he nuzzled the buttons holding the shirt together. His hands were already brushing scorchingly over the sides of her bare breasts and Téa was so close to throwing caution to the wind and ridding herself of the now-annoying shirt but halted on a long, indrawn breath when his thumbs traveled over her nipples and rubbed back and forth for a few moments. Then her mouth opened in a soundless scream as his mouth kissed the cloth-covered peak and his hands pulled her closer to him.

It was now obvious to Téa how much Seto wanted her because she was resting her weight on the evidence, occasionally inadvertently grinding over him and eliciting a groan from his seductive mouth. His mouth left her breast and his hands gripped at her hips, pulling her farther down onto him.

"Do you see what you do to me? All it takes is one touch..." Seto breathed harshly in her ear, kissing it lightly before possessing her lips with fierce intensity. He took his time, nudging her lips open and darting away from her questing kisses, making the kiss on his terms. Her mouth opened on a shallow breath as he pulled her so close that her chest was crushed up against his and he slid his tongue in teasingly, barely touching her own before returning to the gentle sucking of her lower lip. He repeated the process and received another breathy moan from her as his hands slid up inside of the shirt she wore, his fingers trailing over her skin with deliberate preciseness. When he abandoned the teasing tactic, Seto allowed his tongue to slip into Téa's welcoming mouth, tasting the fresh sweetness of her kiss. Her hands dove behind his neck and latched onto his hair, sinking deep into the thick strands as she rocked into him, angling her head to feel his kiss better.

With one of his hands firmly planted inbetween her shoulder blades, the other drifted down to curve over the seat of her pants, taunting her desires as he let his fingers wander in and around the waistband but never more. He was surprised to say the least when Téa's hands abruptly left his hair to claw all over his chest, raking her fingernails over sculpted muscles. His lips left hers and he leaned back into the chair, breathing heavily as her hands drifted lower to the waist of his pants, her fingers dancing over the skin and making him twitch under her touch. She scooted back slightly and he opened his mouth to ask her where she thought she was going but it died as a croak in his throat as her fingers massaged his upper thighs, sinking into the skin through his lounge pants.

Knowing that he would not have the strength to do so later, he sat up and pulled Téa back into him, making certain that her legs were locked around his waist, and stood up, hastily making his way toward and up the stairs. Téa bounced slightly against him with every hurried step he took and she giggled into his neck as her hands tickled his back which had been previously unexposed to her. The door to his room was open and as soon as he had passed through the doorway, he pushed it closed with his foot before slowing down and stopping at the edge of his massive four-poster bed, complete with thick drapes that could enclose any who occupied the bed. Seto's lips found Téa's once again and he kissed her slowly, softly, fully. Easing himself onto the bed without releasing his hold on her, he was able to crawl up to the head before lowering both he and Téa into the thick and lush comforter of his bed.

His lips couldn't get enough of her, couldn't touch enough skin, couldn't taste her as much as he wanted. Téa sighed beneath him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, one leg rising at an angle to keep him close to her body. Her fingers danced over the skin of his back, tracing the contours of muscles and gently scratching them as they coiled under her scathing touch. He sank into her comforting warmth, into the circle of her arms that were filled with so much love; love that he had not had the chance to experience as a child. Going to the funeral and seeing those twin caskets, then Téa's broken spirit, and finally Mokuba's face as they had placed bouquets upon the graves of their own parents had taken Seto back to his own fears and insecurities: feelings that hadn't surfaced since before the death of Gozaburo. But having Téa so close, touching her and feeling her solid presence beneath him reassured him and blanketed him in a nearly euphoric cloud. He felt invincible.

"Se... Seto..." His name was a gasp on Téa's lips and Kaiba realized that his hands were completely underneath the pajama top she wore, caressing forbidden skin. But he didn't care. Hearing Téa call to him so desperately drove him to the edge of whatever precipice he stood on and an urge to go further struck him long and hard at the same moment Téa locked her arms around his lower back and hugged him tight to her, burying her face into the side of his neck as they ground against each other. Without hesitation, his hands left the delicious places on her torso and moved to roughly grip her hips, pulling her up into a tortuous rotation of his own hips so that she hissed at him from behind clenched teeth. And then he was sitting up, looking down at her in her ravaged disarray, looking flushed and wanton with her mouth slightly open and arms thrown back above her head, his body firmly settled between her legs.

"I want you. Now." Seto was surprised that he had actually said the words; then again, he wasn't. It was exactly what was going through his head, but what had actually given him to courage to say it out loud he had no idea. Téa blinked owlishly, as if coming out of a trance.

"I'm not on the pill," she said softly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. "And I'm not sure I'd want to if... I mean, if I were to do it, I would want it without a condom." Téa blushed and looked away from Seto. He leaned forward slightly and turned her face with a gentle hand so that she would look at him once more.

"Say it," he commanded quietly. "I want to hear you say it." Téa blinked again.

"Say what?" she asked, bewildered. "What? Sex? Is that what you want me to say we want?" A look of hurt crossed her features but Seto smoothed them away with a reassuring brush of his thumb over her cheek, eyes still fiery, but controlled.

"No. That you want me too." His look was nearly pleading, as if he would lose the shred of faith he had been clinging to ever since the deaths of his parents, that there were such things as love, fear, lust, and emotions in the world. That hope was not an illusion, not a figment of the imagination meant to trick and deceive. Understanding lit within Téa's gaze and she sat up quickly, perhaps a little too quickly because she grabbed her head at the sudden feeling of vertigo, but it passed and she took Kaiba's head in her hands and placed a soft kiss on each of his temples and then his lips. She gave a quiet little laugh against his lips.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted you, you silly boy," she joked, looking at him with joyful eyes. "And how could you doubt it even now? The sighs you drag out of my throat and the way my body responds to the calluses on your fingertips as they move over me... Honestly Seto, what more proof would you like?" Téa let her fingers trail over Seto's face, jaw, and lips as she spoke, following the movements of her hands as she spoke to him, as though she were speaking to a small child.

"I'm not used to not having tangible, physical proof," he admitted quietly. Again Téa blinked, then giggled, a hand rising to cover her mouth.

"What kind of proof would you need, exactly? I don't really go for pornographic pictures or videos, myself," she managed to get out through her fit of giggles. Seto realized the error in his words and smiled as well, his gaze losing some of its previous heat and gaining a bit of affection as he watched Téa laugh, still clothed and comfortable in his pajamas. It was a jealous sense of pride that surged through him to know that the girl he considered his was wearing something of his. It was also damnably sexy.

"That's crude, Téa," he told her quietly, chuckling as he leaned forward and rubbed his nose against hers, which was difficult in and of itself because she shook with laughter so much. Her laughter quieted down a bit when Seto's lips pressed firmly against hers, tongue licking at her bottom lip to gain entrance. She allowed him to continue on with the casual opening of her mouth and the wrapping of her arms around his neck again. They kissed for some time, occasionally rough but mostly the soft pulling of lips and entangling of tongues and when they pulled apart, both breathing hard, Téa laid back down and held her arms out for Seto.

"We need to get some sleep," she told him, making sure he settled himself squarely behind her back. His arm draped over her stomach and played with the hem of her shirt as one of her hands slid under her pillow and the other settled on top of Seto's hand.

"What about..." he trailed off, dropping kisses along her neck and bare shoulder to get his point across. Téa turned her head to look at him.

"I see it this way, Seto: neither of us have been in the happiest of atmospheres today, what with the funeral and weather and all. Our emotions are charged and completely irresponsible at this point of time. When the time comes for you and I to have... make love, I want all of my inhibitions and I want to be completely conscious of my actions and the decisions I'm making," Téa explained. "Plus," she added with a wink, "it would be helpful to be well-rested because I am personally under the impression that we would keep each other busy for quite some time, once we really got started." With that, Téa turned her head back around and settled into her pillow, which happened to actually be Seto's pillow, and therefore filled with a scent so uniquely him that she took in a deep breath before closing her eyes. She could feel Seto's nose rubbing back and forth over the skin between her neck and shoulder and the soft puffs of his breath before he made a reply, resting his head on her shoulder.

"You do realize that with all of these stop-and-go sessions we tend to have, you've driven me to frequent and intense jacking off, right? Téa, my beautiful tempting Téa, you are going to kill me at a ridiculously young age," Seto replied with a kiss on her shoulder. He removed his arm from around Téa's waist and got up from the bed, promptly making his way to his bathroom and closing the door, leaving a hysterical young woman laughing in the bed.

A short while later, Seto emerged from the bathroom looking the same but slightly relaxed and laid down behind a sleeping Téa, making sure to pull the sheets and covers up around them. A gentle hand moved hair away from her slumbering face before moving back to its previous place over her stomach as the other bent beneath his head. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard the last remnants of the rain replaced by the steady beating of two hearts, the very rhythm that time stepped to.

Startled, Téa broke out of her not-so-distant memories as a cold blast of water from the shower covered her nude form and sent her into shivers, goosebumps covering her soaked skin. Standing with some difficulty, for the cuts and gashes along her body were still quite painful and open, she shut the water off, having rinsed a while before sitting and got out, reaching for a large white towel to dry off with.

"White," she mused silently. "How ironic that I should dry my cuts and damaged body with something that appears to represent purity and innocence? God, what I wouldn't give to go back and be that little girl again. Being lonely would be better than being alone. At least when you're lonely, you know that eventually somebody is going to come back for you." Carefully, ever-so-carefully, Téa dabbed the water from her skin and made her way gingerly through her parents room, careful not to step on any more glass, then downstairs to her own room where it took time to change into loose jeans and a small white t-shirt once she had taken the time to completely bandage and treat her wounds. The gash at her side was particularly painful, where the bullet had nearly missed her, but it was only a flesh wound and she would survive as long as she made sure it didn't get infected. Thinking back on it made her cry again and she crawled into the middle of her bed and squeezed her ragged old teddy bear in her arms, resting her chin on it as her tears fell.

A few brief minutes passed and Téa nearly jumped out of her skin as a blast of thunder exploded from the outside sky and shook her window. The rain followed immediately after, pelting the glass and streets with vicious drops, as if out to seek revenge on the whole world for being doomed to fall to earth. It wasn't long before the lightning also made its presence known as it lit Domino under the curtain of the downpour, crackling with white-hot heat and sharp slivers that flickered and hit the ground at random locations. The storm outside matched the one warring within her and, she thought cynically, at least God had the decency to keep them synchronized enough for her not to be afraid of the wind that howled and bowed small trees over nor the darkness that engulfed everything that entered it.

When her thoughts began to shift around to different and unrelated things, Téa began to calm, bit by bit, organizing her flow of emotions with the images that went with them. First, and perhaps silliest, was the thought of needing to clean up her parents room since it was now a mess. And that bullet-hole in the wall would never do. That room had needed new wallpaper for some time now anyway. Then the angry thought that the gun would have to go as well. It was simply not acceptable to have that in the house: someone could get hurt. Arashi and Kiri would need to be picked up from summer camp in a few days. Téa hoped they had remembered to pack sunscreen. It was far too easy to burn at the lake.

Every single one of Téa's rational ideas was immediately replaced by those that were horribly irrational or inconsequential. They didn't matter and wouldn't affect the state that she was in at the moment, but they were exactly what she needed to focus on. To move away from the hysteria boiling under the surface of her skin, having nearly killed herself, she had to look to things that seemed not to matter in order to gain her wits back, stand her ground against the tears that threatened to keep coming. But no matter what she thought about, she just couldn't get... him... out of her mind. He stood in the doorway of her parents room as she put new wallpaper up; he held the lid of the box she sealed and gave to the police for them to use, in order to get it away from her; he followed her in a separate car up to the camp in order to say hello to her sisters as she went to pick them up.

Seto Kaiba.

That insufferable bastard that she could not stop loving. That stubborn, cruel, ridiculously smart and unbearably beautiful man. When she looked across her room in the mirror, it was not her eyes that she saw, but his. When she closed her eyes, his blue gaze was there too. His warmth was in the teddy bear she held, in the pajamas she saw lying on the floor. His words whispered to her through the whirrings of the fan, the ticking of her dresser clock, the pit-pats of rain on her window, the booming crescendo of the thunder as it beat like a heart in the sky. Liquid diamonds gathered in the corners of her eyes as she picked up the small strip of pictures that she had taken with him in the cramped little picture booth that had been in the pizza parlor the night of their first date. A picture of her smiling and him scowling as he complained about the small seat. A picture of him getting more comfortable as Téa winked at the camera and turned on his lap. A picture of her lips at his temple and his beautiful eyes wide with surprise. Then another picture where he and Téa were bent out of the picture. The last picture showed a smug Seto with his trademark grin as he stared at a thoroughly kissed Téa who looked like she had taken a tumble in a dryer, her mouth shaped into a crooked smile as she stared doe-eyed at the camera.

"I'll never stop loving you," Téa whispered, running two fingers over Seto's face, a face that smiled and showed no care in the world. Hardly the face she had last seen at their last encounter. That had been an angry and demanding face, one that she couldn't meet, one that she hadn't recognized. A sudden vision of her parents bloomed before her eyes and she sniffled as she remembered one of the more vicious fights that her parents had had when she was younger.

Her mother had gone shopping again and maxed out her card. Money may not have been an object when it came to Téa's family, but her father didn't like wastefulness or the purchase of trinkets that would never be actually useful. Kevin Hurikama Gardner had looked murderous when he found out that Tamoya had not only overspent on one credit card, but three in a single day. It had been the only time they had fought that he had purposefully sent Téa and her sisters to their rooms. Of course, that hadn't kept the inquisitive Téa from hearing every word or peeking out of her door. To say the very least, it had been such an awful fight that threats of divorce had popped up in the conversation, separation, and other means of inflicting pain on the other individual. Her father had left that night, refusing to sleep in the same house with Téa's mother and she had sat fearfully in her room the whole night, wondering if he would come back.

Three days later, he did come back, his arms laden with a dozen red roses for Arashi and Kiri, two dozen for Tamoya, and three dozen white roses for Téa. Having been only twelve at the time and dreadfully attached to her father, Téa had called Harry and told him what happened and her godfather had gotten on the case quickly, having to search each hotel in the city and those on the outskirts of Domino before finally tracking him down and letting Kevin know that his little girl was worried. Being dreadfully attached to Téa, though no father should ever love one child more than another, Kevin Hurikama immediately went back home, stopping first at his favorite florists and buying out the entire stock of roses. Téa's mother had been green with envy that her daughter had received more flowers than she had, but Kevin had apparently made it up to her in different ways. Eventually, everything she had bought that had maxed the credit cards out were returned and Kevin and Tamoya had gone on a lengthy second honeymoon.

It was her father's actions however that struck a chord deep within Téa. To Téa, it had always seemed like her father had loved her mother more than her mother loved her father, yet he didn't seem to care, as long as he had someone to love. There had been other arguments of course but that one in particular touched Téa because while it had been her father to walk out, it had also been him to walk back, taking the first step to mending the relationship that had torn slightly. The resemblance was uncanny. Téa had been the one to walk out on Kaiba but the words he had said in his anger as she left had made her feel like he had left her alone in the world without even the flame of a match to light her way. All this time she had been waiting for a total and complete apology from him, something that said he was wrong and she was right. But it didn't work that way. Relationships give just as much as they take and Téa was right, but she was also wrong, just like Seto was right and wrong. Téa had walked out of his office that day, crying and wounded and dead inside, but it had still been her who walked away from them.

"Thank you, Daddy." Téa let her teddy bear fall from her arms as she stood and took a pair of socks from her dresser and tennis shoes from her closet, lacing them up and grabbing her keys as she left the house and got into her truck, grabbing a light hooded sweatshirt on her way out. Once the garage door had lifted, the rain came rushing in, immediately covering the warm and dry concrete with angry droplets that spread everywhere, under and into cabinets, pelting objects sitting harmlessly on the shelves. Téa reached to turn the heater on as well as the headlights and backed out carefully, keeping a wary eye on the twin streams that had formed against the slopes of the sidewalks on either side of the street. When the garage door had closed, Téa's foot hit the accelerator, as much as she dared anyway, and she quickly made her way out of her neighborhood directing the vehicle so that she could get to the other side of town the quickest way possible.

However, while the weather matched her emotions, fate had no pity for her whatsoever and Téa found herself going in circles as she found street after street closed off due to heavy flooding. Impatient, she flicked the radio and heard the frantic cries of a reporter whose voice was so muted by the torrential rain and howling wind that Téa had to turn the volume nearly all the way to maximum before she could hear his actual words. Unfortunately, he kept cutting out.

"It is amazing out... folks. You won't be seeing a... this bad for... long while so get... of it. It's definitely not hard. Our chief meteorologist... calling this phenomenon... Hundred Years' Flood... so massive. Domino... in over seventy-six years according to..." And then static filled the waves, deafening Téa as she drove. She turned the volume down as quickly as she could and tried other stations with the same result and finally turned it off. Shaking her head, Téa kept a keen eye on the roads for crazy drivers, as people are apt to become when confronted with rare weather on the streets and was glad she had done so.

Approaching a green light, Téa proceeded on through at nearly ten miles per hour under the speed limit in order to drive safely when a small car sped through the intersection, tried to put on its brakes, and slid the rest of the way through, missing Téa's truck by scant centimeters. It ended up plowing into a telephone pole and coming to a stop there. Téa thought about stopping but when she saw a shaky driver emerge shakily from the car, she continued on, not wanting to add herself to the accident count which she could tell was mounting by the amount of cars she passed that had pulled off to the side of the road, steaming or crushed. But nothing would stop her. She had to get there. To him. To apologize or die trying.

"You CAN NOT treat people like that!" Téa yelled as she followed a raging Seto into his office. Seto whirled on her, breathing hard, and stared down at her before moving behind her and slamming the double doors. When he had thrown himself down into his high-back leather chair at his desk, he steepled his fingers together and gave her a cold look.

"And you can't challenge my authority in front of employees like that. First of all, it teaches them to not be as respectful to superiors, and second..."

"Second of all," Téa interrupted, slamming her hands down on the desk in front of him, "they don't completely and utterly fear you so damn much. Do you have any idea how frightened people are of you?" Kaiba stood menacingly and darkness shrouded his features.

"I have been running this company four more than eight years now and it has become the most powerful corporation in the entire world. Are you, little Téa Hurikama Gardner, trying to tell me how to run my company? You are sorely mistaken if you are. Even your father was not foolish enough to challenge my authority!"

"Am I to always be compared to him, then?" Téa shot back, tears gleaming in her eyes.

"If your effort continues to be this pathetic and weak-minded in the future? Yes," Seto hisses, moving from behind his desk to stand in front of his massive windows, clenching his hands behind his back so that they turned white.

"So, is that what you think I am? Weak-minded? Pathetic?" Téa snarled.

"Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer." Kaiba turned to stare at her from out of the corner of his eye. "You have a poor grasp on business and the procedures and ethics that must or must not be followed. Top companies do not reach the top without a little ruthlessness or brutally hard work. Yes, I push. I push everyone around me because I know their limits and when they're not giving me their full potential. And when they reach their limit, I give them a new one to achieve. Those that continue to work hard are rewarded and those that aren't are fired. I only want the very best and so only the very best work for me. Nobody can ever be perfect, but there will always be something to improve upon. Unfortunately, you've already reached your sad little limit and I'm not impressed."

"I am not here to impress you!" Téa whispered viciously. Seto snorted.

"So I noticed." With his words, Téa felt like she had been slapped and thrown against a wall. Her heart jumped into her throat and she couldn't swallow. Perhaps she didn't know Kaiba as well as she thought she did. Was that possible? Could he be more different from her than she first believed? "In fact," Kaiba interrupted her thoughts, "I've noticed that your standards have dropped. School ended several weeks ago and you used to be running neck-and-neck with me but that ridiculous project of yours dropped your average considerably, didn't it? Skating by with a barely passing grade is hardly a sign of an up-and-coming corporate owner." Seto had hit her where it really hurt.

"I couldn't get the program to work," Téa said under her breath but Seto had obviously heard it and gave a harsh, barking laugh.

"You've apparently never heard of the phrase 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'. One attempt to get a program working never anyone anywhere," he sneered.

"Pardon me for having my life torn to shreds, Mister High and Mighty! Or have you forgotten that I witnessed the deaths of my parents this year, was then expected to fully care for my sisters, run a mega-corporation, and attend the rest of school? You have no damn idea how long and hard I worked on that project. Do you even know what it was about, or does your mind have room for nothing but gaming and virtual reality? It was a program that would enable poorer families to have both a phone line and internet capabilities on the same line," Téa bit back, stalking over to Kaiba so that she stood in front of his mocking form.

"Been there done that sweetheart. Ever heard of DSL? Or a T-1 line?" Téa rolled her eyes.

"Contrary to what you believe, I'm not a complete moron. I'm talking about a phone line with those two features being used simultaneously!" Kaiba seemed taken aback, but Téa blazed on. "Having grown up in this age of technology, I've seen too many friends struggle with their classes and homework and whatever the hell else because their family couldn't afford a second line or couldn't sacrifice the use of the phone line for internet use. But my program wouldn't work. Not because I didn't try or work ridiculously hard on it, but because I couldn't find out where the... A single, regular phone line has the capability of housing both services simultaneously but there is a wire, a single wire, that is configured in such a way that unless its path is rerouted or completely removed, it won't allow the two uses of the line.

"I'm not bloody done so shut your mouth!" Téa shouted as Seto opened his mouth to say something. "I'm tired of you treating me this way. Every time there is a meeting or the plans for a new product are being drawn up, you either don't include me or push me so far away that I don't even know what's happening. I may not be completely business-savvy, but I know when someone is trying to control me. You think that because KaibaCorp is so big and you're so powerful and have endured so many hardships that you have the right to be rough on other people. Well I've got news for you Seto Kaiba! Other people may put up with your shit, but I sure as hell won't. I've gone through just as much as you have, though in different manners, and when you keep me from learning what I need to survive in this real business world is just what I think your stepfather Gozaburo would have done!" Kaiba stumbled backwards and knocked his chair over, as if he had been bludgeoned. "Yes, you're that brutal. I've seen the way you speak to people while you're in this building, in your so-called 'indestructible mode' but you're missing a crucial, crucial detail. People are more willing to work and work harder under desirable conditions. When you put the whip to them and treat them like dogs, they become so afraid that all that they can do from that point on is obey orders. The ingenuity and imagination and innovation is gone and all you're left with are drones who are too afraid to quit because they're supporting families.

"I have a family. I had a family. I considered you a part of it. But I can't love someone who can treat others and me this way. You're a mean, foul-spirited bully who's used to getting his way and trampling on people in order to do it. There's no love or room for it in your heart because all there is in the place of your heart is a black hole that will forever suck emotions and caring into the swallowing darkness. You don't even have ice for a heart because ice can be melted and molded and warmed. No, just a black pit that takes joy in other peoples' pain." Téa was breathless and too far gone to stop now, no matter what was said. The tears she could faintly see at the corners of Seto's eyes did not move her.

"No love? No love? Then what did we have? I'll be damned if it was only a short period of infatuation or a school crush. What we have... We've gone through so much together! Can you deny the way your heart clenches when we have to part ways? The way you smile when I hug my brother and laugh with him? If I have a black hole for a heart, then why do I feel so much pain? You're not the only one who hurts, Téa," Seto said softly as he hung his head and turned to rest his forehead against the glass. Téa's usually vibrant eyes were dull and cold as she took in the scene before her, as she watched several drops fall from Kaiba's eyes to the carpet.

"Yes, I am the only one who hurts," her monotone voice told him. She turned on her heel and walked briskly to the door and stopped only briefly when she heard Seto's voice.

"Where are you going?" Seto's voice asked, pleading.

"I'm leaving," she said in such a way that Seto would know she didn't mean just the building. "You had your chance. Too bad you blew it. Have fun running your damn company. I'm sure it'll bring you more joy than this weak- minded and pathetic little girl ever did." Her cold hands reached out and twisted the knob that opened the door and she walked through, still hearing Seto's cries as he tried to stop her and bring her back. He wanted to talk, to explain and apologize and please, couldn't she just listen and understand? His words of desperation fell on deaf ears. Téa closed the doors behind her without turning around and left the building.

Finally she had made it out of town and was making her way down the solitary and well-kept road that led to the Kaiba Mansion but tears that blurred her vision threatened to force Téa to pull her truck off the road. She shook her head and the tears smeared across her cheeks and under her nose, down onto her lips and she was determined to get to him. Her voice became a mantra as she apologized to him, to Seto, under her breath, praying that he would hear her cries though she had ignored his. Just ahead were the tall and bright lights that marked the entrance of the Kaiba estate, shining even through the darkness of the rain: beacons of hope for Téa's downtrodden soul. Turning carefully into the lengthy driveway, it was only moments before Téa's truck had gone through the loop that surrounded the thoughtful statue of Athena and the fountain she stood in and parked, breathing heavily for a few moments with the engine turned off. Even with her heart beating as loud as it was, the incessant pounding of the rain outmatched it and thunder shook the entire truck, creating an echoing cacophony in the cab of the truck.

With a swallow and the quick zipping of her thin hooded sweater, Téa threw on the hood and jumped from the truck, running for the massive front doors through the unceasing rain. By the time she had reached the doors she was already soaked to the bone and numb with cold and could hardly push the button to ring the doorbell and so resorted to banging on the door with her fists instead, calling for Seto or Mokuba to open up. When she heard the click of a lock, Téa relented her steady beating on the door and looked down at a bewildered Mokuba who held the door open for her.

"Tea?" His voice was beyond puzzled and his face mirrored his thoughts but it seemed to dawn on him how bad the storm was and quickly ushered Téa inside, instructing her not to move an inch until he had retrieved a towel for her. And so she stood, shivering, in the doorway of the Kaiba Mansion, looking around blankly and rubbing her wet arms with equally wet hands. The young boy returned moments later with an overly- large towel in hand which he handed to a grateful Téa who immediately wrapped it around herself as she shivered.

"What in the world are you doing here?" he asked, flinging himself over the back of a couch to look at her from behind the cushions. "That storm out there's pretty brutal."

"Where's Seto?" Téa gasped, still shivering. Mokuba's eyes immediately lost their warmth and the light within died, his face contorting into a sad shape as he sank in his seat. "Mokuba, where's Seto?" Téa's voice was more frantic. Mokuba worshiped his older brother and usually any mere mention of his name would make the kid smile so this reaction meant something was wrong. Mokuba mumbled something under his breath and Téa went to kneel in front of him at the couch to hear him better.

"In his study." The answer was so simple but something laid beneath his words that caused him such sorrow. "He's always in his study. Drinking. Tonight he's woken up and passed out twice. He cries a lot too. Doesn't even talk to me anymore. It's like he's not alive." Mokuba began to cry and Téa hugged him to her through the towel, trying not to get him wet, and comforted him as best she could.

"Hush. Hush. It'll be okay. I'm gonna go up there and talk to him, okay? Everything's gonna be alright. We're gonna get your brother back to being that cute, bossy, card-playin' fool as soon as possible, okay?" Téa asked, giving Mokuba a feeble smile. The boy made a face.

"My brother is not cute." Téa laughed.

"Well, he is to me. Is that okay with you?"

"Definitely!" Mokuba gave her a thumbs-up as Téa stood and walked to the stairs, taking a deep breath before beginning the two-level trek to Seto Kaiba's private study. The third floor was completely dark except for a small lamp that gave off a faded orange light next to the slightly open door of Kaiba's study. Téa narrowed her eyes but continued onward, clutching the towel close to her. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, nearly falling flat on her back when her foot slipped on a bottle.

"What the... Oh, Seto, no." Téa's throat closed up on itself but she had no more tears left to shed. The sight she saw was enough to almost bring her to her knees and gasp in shock. Bottles, half-filled, empty, full, cracked, and broken were strewn all over the room along with glasses that seemed to have the same look to them. And there, laying all over the desk, was the young CEO himself, half falling out of his chair with his face lying on papers of all kinds. Téa approached him, quietly, and knelt next to him on her knees, her face sad and remorseful. She reached out and moved some of the hair away from his face, running a thumb over his brow and leaning forward, but she caught the awful smell of hard liquor and had to turn her face away. Her hand jerked away and Kaiba muttered in his sleep. It was no full sentence but she was quite sure she had heard her name and several slurred emotions. Téa had to wake him up.

"Seto. Seto please wake up. It's me... Téa." Again, he stirred in his sleep but did not wake up. Instead, he copied what she had said, in a far more slurred fashion and drifted back into oblivion. Téa shook her head. "This'll never work. Even if I get you to wake up, you're so intoxicated that you won't even know what I'm saying, let alone remember it," she sighed. Pushing off her knees to stand, she made her way back to the door and went back downstairs where she found Mokuba looking up at her expectantly. She shook her head at him and his face fell. "Seto is totally out of it. Even if I could wake him up, it wouldn't do any good to talk to him. But we're still gonna do some good for him and I'm going to need your help, okay?"

"You need my help?" Mokuba asked, some of the light coming back into his eyes. "I can really help?"

"Sure you can. Come on, you and I have some things to do," Téa said as she held her hand out for Mokuba to take. The black-haired youth stood and happily took her hand as Téa led them up the stairs and explained what they were going to do.

Seto startled awake and shot up in bed, gave an awful groan and sank back down, cradling his head in his arms as he turned on his side, sinking into his bed. Wincing, he opened his eyes once more and looked puzzledly at himself and where he was. He could have sworn that he had fallen asleep in his study. Further examination of himself made him question how the hell he had gotten into a clean set of pajamas that did not reek of alcohol as he knew the clothes he had been wearing last night had. After all, he hadn't taken a shower for at least two days and hadn't changed clothes either, having been suffering from a particularly painful remembrance of being with Téa when he stumbled upon several sets of photographs in his desk. That was when the heavy drinking had started, though it certainly hadn't been the first time.

Ever since Téa had walked out on his life, he had slowly been trying everything possible to get his mind off of her. He dove into his work, introduced a complete new line of products. That didn't work. He tried sports of any and all kinds as well as working out every chance he got. That didn't work either. International trips. Landscaping. Having another pool built. Attending galas and charity balls. None of them could get that beautiful girl out of his head. And then he found a bottle of vintage scotch in a cabinet in his study a business associate had given him as an eighteenth birthday present. And he drank the whole bottle in the course of several hours. It had been hell the next day but it had made Téa fall out of focus for a short time and it was the only thing that had proven to do so, so far.

Being Seto Kaiba meant that he could get anything he wanted, no matter what age he was and after consuming the bottle of scotch, he promptly ordered for several large cases of assorted alcohol, all of fine vintages, mostly wines, some whiskey and even a bottle of vodka, and all very expensive. But as long as they made him forget the pain he felt about no longer having Téa in his life, if only for a few short hours at a time, he was more than willing to fork up the cash. The question still remained though: how did he get into a clean pair of pajamas and his bed? He took a deep breath then smelled his arm, an odd sort of behavior if ever any saw, but not for Seto when he discovered that he was also freshly bathed and clean. The only remnant of the alcohol was the slight flavor in his mouth.

His canopy bed was half closed off on one side but Kaiba didn't care and carefully crawled out of bed, his head pounding even though no detectable light was anywhere near him. On a chair near the bed he found his slippers and a clean robe and slipped both on before trudging out of his bedroom, down the hall to his study. He was surprised to see it completely clean of all bottles and glasses and smelling faintly like lemon cleaner. His eyes went wide when Mokuba stood from a corner holding a trash can. His eyes lit up and the boy dropped the trash can.

"Big brother!" Mokuba launched himself at the elder Kaiba and hugged his waist tight. "Feeling better, huh?" he asked cheerfully, a bright smile on his face. Seto knelt down and gave a ginger smile.

"Yeah," he said softly. "My head hurts a bit but other than that, I'm doing fine. Did you do all of this?" he asked. Mokuba nodded. "You cleaned my office, got me to my bed, somehow bathed me, and put pajamas on me?" Seto asked amazedly. Mokuba nodded again.

"I couldn't have done it by myself though. Téa helped a lot. In fact, it was her idea!" Mokuba picked up his trash can, still smiling, and walked out of the study down the stairs to dispose of the last of the waste. For a few dazed seconds, Seto didn't believe his ears and stood stock-still before turning on his heel and following the younger Kaiba, taking a hold of his shoulder. He knelt down again and looked Mokuba straight in the face.

"What do you mean it was Téa's idea?" he asked firmly. Mokuba looked at Seto as though he was silly.

"Well, she was over last night in that awful storm and she was gonna talk to you but when she saw you laying all over your desk passed out she said that we were gonna help you out. So we got you up and dragged you to your bathroom and Téa told me to wash you in the bath she had gotten ready and when I was done, she tried her best to help me get you dressed," Mokuba laughed. "She made me put your boxers on though while she looked at the wall." Seto blushed. "Then she helped me put your pajamas on and get you settled in bed. After that, the both of us went in your study and took all of your alcohol away, threw away the bottles and cups, straightened everything up and then cleaned everything from floor to ceiling. Téa told me that you'd like it."

"And then she left?" Seto asked, his face sad. Mokuba gave him another weird look.

"No. When we were done cleaning - God it took forever Seto! You had so much crap in there - Téa told me to go to bed and she went and sat by your bed all night. When I woke up this morning she was asleep so I went to go and double-check your study and then you came in. Didn't you see her?" Seto stood abruptly, not answering his little brother and rushed back up the stairs despite the incredible pounding of his head. Breathing hard, he stopped in his doorway trying to catch his breath and saw Téa, sleeping in his oversized armchair through the thin material of his bed drapes. How could he have missed her before? She wasn't two feet from where he had been lying. Quietly approaching her, fearing she was an apparition, he walked around his bed and pulled the curtain back so that he could sit on the edge of his bed and stare at her.

Her hair was tossed back in a messy ponytail and her clothes rumpled, a blanket wrapped around her body. Her chest rose and fell evenly and Seto could hear the sound of her breathing.

"My God, you're real," he whispered, leaning forward and moving his fingers over the back of her hand, laying in her lap. Téa's eyes shot open and she looked slightly out of sorts for the briefest of moments before settling her gaze on Seto, her mouth falling open slightly. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye and she watched as Seto's hand seemed to rise and brush it away in slow motion before he moved off of the bed and leaned forward, his knees resting on the floor as he hugged her around her waist, blanket and all. Stunned for a few minutes, Téa couldn't even move, but then commanded her arms to move so that she could hold Seto, running her fingers through his hair and holding his neck as he nuzzled her stomach like a child. Seto looked up at her, eyes misty and Téa gave a breathy cry.

"I'm so sorry Seto. I'm so sorry. Forgive me, oh please forgive me, I'm so sorry!" she cried to him. "Those words I said, I honestly don't know... I just know that I didn't mean them. I love you. God, forgive me Seto," Téa sobbed as her head bent and shook, eyes shut and unwilling to look at him. Seto stood and Téa opened her eyes in panic, thinking that he was leaving her as she had left him but found him reaching down to pick her up into his arms, then crawling onto the bed and sitting in the center, simply holding her to him. He buried his head into her shoulder and cried, rocking back and forth, his arms as tight as metal bands but all the more comforting to Téa because they were.

"No," Seto whispered. "No, no, no you were right. Some of your words were right. But I'll be damned if I want to dwell on that right now. All I know is that you're here and you love me and I'll never let you go again, not as long as I'm alive. I can't live without you. I know that now. Téa, if anyone needs to be forgiven, it's me. I've been a fool not apologizing to you and for saying those awful, awful, unforgivable words to you. I don't deserve you and I don't know why you're here, but God, I love you and I'm not letting you go again. I swear it," he whispered into her shoulder, tears soaking her shoulder. He turned his face and kissed her neck and looked up, eyes red-rimmed and wet but utterly sincere. Téa took his face in her hands and kissed him gently, so painfully sweet that both of them cried into it.

"You're forgiven. I can't hold anything against you, not now, not when... not after I saw you last night. It broke my heart to see you like that Seto. I want you to know you broke my heart and I love you. Don't ever be so stupid to do something like that again. I could have lost to that damn alcohol," Téa cried, pressing her lips to his temples and forehead and eyes, her hands not letting go of his face. She looked at him to see him smiling through his tears at her.

"And you are washed of your sins against me as well," he said quietly, returning the gentle kisses on her brow and temples and eyes. "Is there any way... I mean, do we have to start over again? Or can we, do you think we can go back to where we were before this whole... thing?" Seto asked for lack of a better word.

"Whatever you want, just don't leave me alone again," Téa pleaded leaning her forehead back against Seto's. His arms moved down slightly, closer to her waist, and he hugged her tight to him, startled when she gave a painful gasp. He sat back a bit, taking in her wincing face and then lifted the hem of her shirt to find a large bandage wrapped around her middle, part of it soaked with blood. Téa began to cry again.

"Tea, what's this?" Seto's voice was tinged with fear and he looked at her with wide eyes. "How did this happen?" Rather than answering, Téa fell into his arms sobbing dreadfully and rubbing her face in his neck. Through her mumbled words Seto heard, "dead without you", "you were why I survived", and some other words that faded away when he heard, "... tried to kill myself." He began crying again and laid down, Téa on top of him, and he held her, pulling her up to rest at his side. He wanted to ask why, but he knew why. It was the same reason he had been drinking and driving himself crazy; the very same reason he had also contemplated suicide.

It was a long time before both of them settled down and were breathing easy, able to carry on conversations without shaking or crying, though they refused to let go of each other. Frequent kisses to the forehead were given and taken and Téa had eventually taken a shower, cleaned her wound with Seto's help, and once again put on a pair of his pajamas. By the time they had discussed all that they possibly could, night had once again fallen. As everyone knows, crying is a frightfully draining activity and a short while later, both Téa and Seto found themselves exhausted and on the brink of a rather deep sleep when Mokuba poked his head through the door.

"Could I... I mean, would you mind if I..." he trailed off, digging his toes into the carpet, face eager but hesitant. Téa sat up and so did Seto.

"What do you need, hun?" Téa asked, tilting her head slightly. Emboldened by the endearment, Mokuba took a breath and held his head up.

"Could I sleep between you two?" His hesitance returned when Téa and Seto looked at each other and dissipated when Téa held her arms out to him. He ran to the two and gave them each hugs, careful of Téa as Seto had instructed him, and crawled beneath the covers. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and Téa and Seto looked at each other over the top of his head as they too settled in with soft smiles, smiles of acceptance, understanding, and new beginnings before they too drifted off. It was then that the rain lessened, then relented completely and the clouds were blown away by the gentle but firm wind, allowing a full sky of stars to light the heavens and the dreams of all below them.

End. Ta-freakin'-da! Took me long enough. I would appreciate it more than usual if everyone who read this chapter left a review. I was particularly proud of the way it turned out and since I adore everyone's feedback, more of it would be equally loved!

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Atlantis