Ichigo- HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE! Oh! I'm so happy!
Kaiba- it's probably because you saw the Lord Of The Rings 3
Ichigo- -_- I'm not happy because I saw it…I'm happy because I saw Legolas in it! ^_^ *drools*
Bakura- Thanks for the reviews guys! * hands each reviewer a dagger-shaped cookie*
Ichigo- I want Christmas presents! I want Christmas presents!
Kaiba- it's already past Christmas you moron! You always want Chistmas presents! Even if it's Easter!
Bakura- Because Easter is cool! And cool is kinda like cold! And cold reminds you of-
Ichigo- Christmas!
Kaiba- What are you guys? Were you guys dropped on your heads!
Ichigo- *mad* yes! I was! And just so you know! The doctors found nothing inside! They said it was hollow!
Bakura- well that explains why she's so…weird…
Ichigo- I know! ^_^
Kaiba- well…my new year's resolution is to get something that will keep Ichigo away from me
Bakura- my new year's resolution is to control all of middle earth and help The Lord Of The Ring devour all the hobbits!
Ichigo- and my new year's resolution is to fly like peter pan and help save middle earth with the help of Legolas and little pink bunnies!
Kaiba- *shakes head* on with the story….
Drifting Away- Grief
Tea pressed the rose against her cheeks she stared at the coffin in front of her. She wore a black dress that came down to her knees and a long black coat over it. Her hair was tied neatly into a bun, having strands of hair fall down intentionally. She wanted to look her best. She drained out all the noises that came from the guests and her family, who were talking about the sad death of her father. She didn't want to hear them, or see them, or talk to them. She just wanted to be left alone for a while before the funeral started.
Tea held her stomach. Seeing her father pale and fragile made her stomach turn and twist into knots. He had known her father as a strong man who could lift a ton or two without a sweat and seeing him laying down there, helpless and weak, made her want to look away. Instead, she looked down, slightly touching the edge of the coffin with the tips of her fingers.
A shoulder suddenly laid upon her shoulder. Tea turned around to face Kaiba giving a look of sympathy. He moved a strand of hair from her face and placed it behind her ear as he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back softly and turned to face her father again. Kaiba went behind her, wrapping his arms around her wais as she laid her head on his chest, holding his arms.
"Was this how you felt," Tea said softly, eyeing the coffin in front of her.
"Felt like what?" Kaiba asked her, rocking her gently from side to side. Tea dropped her head carelessly, letting it lay against his chest
"I don't know," she said helplessly, "Weird. Did you feel weird when you parents, well, past away." Kaiba shrugged.
"I guess," he said, "I was 8…or 5. To be honest, I really didn't know how I felt. I was…naïve." Tea smiled faintly.
"You not naïve," she reassured, rubbing his arms for comfort.
"I was though, you don't know how many things I regret doing." Kaiba tensed up and cleared his throat to hide his uneasiness.
"Why won't you tell me then," Tea teased, "Maybe it'll cheer me up a bit." Kaiba fretted with his hands and gazed around the place.
"I don't it would," he said softly.
"Come on," Tea said. Kaiba bit his lips, searching for a regret that wouldn't upset Tea even more.
"Um okay," Kaiba hesitated, "I regret…trying to get Gazaburo to adopt me and Mokuba."
"But then you wouldn't have met me," she said smiling, "So that doesn't count. Tell me another one." What did he do to you anyways?" Kaiba cleared his throat.
"Let's leave that to another day," he whispered, chuckling slightly.
"Okay, then another regret." Tea said. Kaiba's smile faded.
"That's for another day also." He tightened his grip around Tea she smiled warmly.
"Okay, but Kaiba," she started.
"Yeah?"
"If you hold me any tighter, I'm going to suffocate." Kaiba suddenly let go of his grasp and blushed madly. Tea sighed, turning around to see him.
"I could always tell you stuff, you know that right?" Tea whispered softly. Kaiba rested his chin on top of Tea's head and held her again. Tea stared at the lifeless body.
"I do now," Kaiba replied back.
"I can tell you things that I can't even tell Joey, Tristan, Bakura, or even Yugi and Kikyo." She hated to admit it, but it was true though. They wouldn't understand. She wished they could but they had no prior experience.
"Why is that," Kaiba said.
"Because you were actually…normal." Tea said. She turned around slowly, and looked into his blue, shimmering eyes. He gazed back at her.
"That's funny. I always that I was the outsider." Tea shook her head quickly.
"You were the outsider because you were realistic and every one else wasn't. Even me." She looked at the other students who came to the funeral to support her. They were off talking to each other in all kinds of places. "Before I met you, I was going through life like it was a dream. That no matter what happened, my friendship, my hope, my courage or whatever it was. I don't care. I just went through life thinking that no matter what happened, I could handle it. I could be strong. Be strong for my friends. Be strong for my family." Her lips trembled and her voice rose. "That I can…deal with any thing." Her eyes glistened, tears slowly forming. She clenched her hands into a fist. Her voice softened. "And now I'm here, and everything is messed up and it's not a dream anymore. It's a nightmare." Kaiba tried to calm her down. He kissed her forehead and looked at her.
"It just takes time," he said.
"I don't even know where my mom is," Tea said again.
"It just takes time," he said again. "Everything takes it's own course." Tea buried her head in his chest. She wasn't crying though. She was trying to hold it back. Tea just wanted Kaiba to hold her and comfort her. "It just takes time."
"But when will it stop."
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The funeral was just beginning and the guest finally sat down. One by one, people stood up and walked to the podium to testify. Some broke down crying, some quickly said their words and walked away before they even started. Tea walked up to the podium next. She took a deep breathe.
"He was born June 6th, 1957 in a small town. He worked his way up to respect and dignity," Tea kept a straight face, unlike those who sat in front of her with bundles of tissue at their side. "He was my dad. And he was well-loved by many. Especially my mom. It really is ironic to see such a strong and persevering spirit lay in this coffin, pale and fragile. I will miss him most of all. And hope to God that my mom is safe."
She stepped down, not a single tear pouring from her eyes. Her eyes remained dry and shrill throughout the whole funeral. As they lowered the coffin down into the ground, Tea stared to the sky and breathed in deeply, smelling the sweet aroma of flowers and feeling the calm surroundings that took place.
For an instant there, she was back in her dream. She was back in her dream where nothing could go wrong and everything was all right. She heard a child bawling and she suddenly snapped back to reality. The sun was setting, mixing colors together in the sky. Around her, men and women grieved and waited in line to throw flowers down to the ground where the coffin laid.
Tea stood in line, biting her lip and looked to the side. It was her turn to throw her rose. She pressed the rose to her cheek, feeling the soft petals. She closed her eyes, and then threw the rose, watching it as it dropped to the center of the wooden carriage.
15 after, families and friends went into their car to go home. Tea stood eyeing her father's tombstone. "A Father and Friend. Loved and Cherished By All " It said, engraved. The breeze came in, making Tea's hair fly to the left as she wrapped her arms around herself, eyeing the ground.
A hand touched Tea's shoulder and Tea turned her head. The gang stood behind her.
"We can drive you home if you want," Yami said, worriedly. Tea smiled a little and nodded her head slightly.
"It's okay," she said, "You guys can go." They all nodded and started for the car.
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Kaiba stood in front of a grave, holding a single white rose in his hand.
"So, this is what people do at graves, huh," he muttered to himself, "Talking to rocks and grass. Well, at least I know they're not talking to themselves like crazy people." He sighed and looked around him to see if anyone was around. "It's pathetic really," he said again, "Nothing will happen." He turned to walk away, only to stop and turn his head back to the tombstone. He walked back up.
"One try won't hurt, will it," he muttered to himself. He opened his mouth only to close it and shake his head quickly, "What am I doing! This is stupid. It's not like they're going to reply back to me. Then again, an angel did come to me when I was going suicidal." He raised an eyebrow and what he just said, "It still sounds weird when I say that." He turned again, but still went back.
"One shot," he said whispered, "Nothing to lose, but probably my sanity." He kneeled on one knee with his arm holding the rose, laying restlessly on it.
"So," Kaiba said, "It's been a long time since I've talked to you, mom and dad." He cleared his voice. "Things been going…okay. I was suicidal, Mokuba's in a coma, and Tea's dad died and we don't even know where her mom is." Kaiba chuckled and sighed. "I have done so many things in my past and come to think of it, most of my decisions turned out horrible. You don't know how many things I regret doing, mom and dad. I just wish you were…here. You don't know how much I need you right now." Kaiba closed his eyes slowly and opened them again. He placed the white rose in front of the tombstone. Kaiba took one more glance at the grave and walked away.
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Tea was now sitting again the tree that was beside the grave.
"Hey," a voice came from behind. Tea turned around to see Kaiba, hands in his pockets, walking shyly towards her. Tea smiled.
"Hey," she said. "Thanks for paying for the funeral." Kaiba shrugged.
"Don't worry about it," Kaiba reassured, "Won't hurt me to spend a couple 100's to spend for you." Tea smiled.
"It really meant something for me that you made the funeral really nice," Tea remarked." Kaiba walked up to sit beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's getting dark, don't you think," Kaiba asked, "Do you want to go now?" Tea shook her head.
"I want to stay a little more longer," she said, almost to herself. Kaiba nodded and said nothing more as Tea laid her head upon his shoulder, snuggling close to him. They looked at the stars together in the clear night sky.
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Kaiba stopped at Tea's house that night. He turned his head toward her.
"Here's your stop," Kaiba said, looking down. Tea smiled.
"Thanks," Tea got out of the car and walked up to her door to open it. She got inside and waved good-bye to Kaiba. He drove off as Tea stepped in her house.
Watching from a distance, Tea peered behind the corner to see if Kaiba was gone. Satisfied at what she saw, she got out of the house and locked the door. Tea wrapped her arms around her self, trying to warm herself.
The wind was strong that night. Her hair swayed to the as she walked in the center of Domino City. Just to her luck, it started to rain. For some odd reason though, she continued walking. A few people were seen, just getting out of shops.
Tea turned her head back, still walking and then turned it back, only to bump into a stranger, holding a bag of stuff in his hands, walking the opposite way. Tea dropped down to her knees in attempt to pick the bag and it's belongings. Tea frowned.
"I'm so sorry," Tea began, "I wasn't looking." She continued picking the things up, unaware of the person helping her.
"No it's okay," a voice replied, "I should know where I was going." Tea handed him a toy car, they hands touching gently in the rain.
Tea glanced up suddenly to see a young boy, not much older than her, looking up at the same time. His brown hair, wet from the water droplets pouring down, came down to his ears, partly covering the sides of his eyes. His hair reminded her of Seto Kaiba's hair, only this boy's had a more darker shade of brown and his hair was highlighted with streaks of lighter brown colors. He was wearing a blue old navy shirt and what seemed to be denim jeans. His features were extraordinary. His skin was flawless and his eyes glistened in the moonlight. Tea suddenly smiled and looked away. He smiled shyly and slowly stood up with his umbrella in hand. Tea also stood up and faced him.
"I guess I should say thank-you," he said, looking down as he dug his hands into his pockets. "So, thank-you," Tea smiled all of a sudden, although she tried to hide it by looking down.
"No, it was my fault," she replied back. She glanced down at the floor and realized that there was one more item on the floor. She picked it up and looked at it.
"A duel-disk," Tea said to herself, "KaibaCorp's creation, right?" She asked him.
He nodded eagerly, smiling wider.
"For my older brother," he said, "He loves dueling." Tea nodded. They stood there in silence for a while. The boy looked around and took a hand out.
"Donichi Kuwaba," he stated, " But you can call me Don Don for short." Tea smiled sweetly and cocked her head. She shook his hand.
"Tea Gardener," she replied back. He nodded and smiled, his eyes shimmering on his innocent caring face.
"Nice to meet you, Tea" he said, gazing at her. Tea blushed slightly. She knew he was a stranger and she just met him, but the warmth of his hand touching hers, his starry eyes gazing at hers, his smile making her heart beat faster.
She then remembered of Seto Kaiba and the night at the garden. His hand touching hers as he handed her the rose, warm and loving. His kiss that night, so gentle as if to make sure she felt like she was the only girl in the world. Tea shook the thought of that mysterious stranger, smiling at her as thought of Seto, holding her tightly as they danced.
Tea let go of her hand and kept it behind her back as she moved away. The boy gave a curious look as to why she backed away, but then just smiled and dug his hand into his pocket again.
"I guess I should be going," he decided. He chuckled uncomfortably and then looked at the soaking girl in front of him. He handed her his umbrella. Tea looked at it and opened her mouth to protest.
"It's okay, take it," he reassured, shrugging at the same. Tea raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Do you always give an umbrella to strangers," she replied.
"I have a feeling we'll be meeting more of each other in the future," he smiled. He turned around to leave. "Good-night, Ms. Garderner." Tea watched him walk away and sighed.
" Good-bye."
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Ring. Ring. Tea picked up her cell phone, placing it beside her ear.
"Yo," a new-Yorker voice replied. Tea smiled.
"Hey Joey," she said, jumping onto her bed. She just gotten herself changed from the harsh weather outside. "Wus up?"
"New Year's Eve is comin," Joey grinned wildly. He sat in front of his tv, sitting Indian style. Bags of chips and dip surrounded the teenager. "Tristan is havin a party at house and word has it, he invited a lot'o people, n' one of the many people who we want to invite is you and money-bags." Te sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Money-bags, huh?" Tea laughed, "Is that his nickname now?"
"Whadadya think I'm gonna call him," Joey wailed, waving his arms around, "Supreme Lord of us all?" Ta laughed and went to her closet to find an outfit.
"I thought you guys were cool now," Tea asked. Joey shrugged.
"Yea, we are," he said. "But now I can call him whateva I want and not get beat up for it!" Tea smiled.
"Okay, count me in." Tea spoke. Joey nodded.
"Already did."
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Kaiba sat at his desk, computing statistics on his laptop. He smiled as the ratings on his latest invention raised higher and higher and higher. Proud of his accomplishment, he rested his hands behind his head and sighed. Nothing says winner better than Seto Kaiba himself. He watched again, as the numbers went from thousands, to millions, and then to billions.
The speaker went aloud a dew minutes after and Kaiba went out of his chair to press the button.
"Yes, Rachel," Kaiba asked, strict and cold as usual.
"There's another virus in sector 12 and it seems to be spreading to other computers in sectors 1-10." Her voice was steady and unnerving. Kaiba sighed, running his hand through his shaggy hair. There were so many times when he had to deal with these senseless things and it made him dumb-founded as to why these pathetic morons of his couldn't deal with it themselves. It made no sense at all to hire them just so that they'll do nothing and still get paid high. It just had about enough it.
"I don't pay you guys to just sit there and look like pretty little idiots," Kaiba scolded, "I paid you to run this company right. If you so-called workers can't deal with a simple virus, then maybe it's time that you and the other morons in this place find another job." He narrowed his eyes.
"You can't possibly fire me," Rachel said, determined, "I'm the best you have in this place and you can't argue with that. Not only am I your secretary, but I'm also the person you put in charge in the making of you inventions, Mr. Kaiba. I'm their manager."
"Then started acting like one," he sneered back. He paced around the dimmed room with the curtains covering the window. "Tell your people to fix this mess up themselves and if they do it wrong, they'll have to answer to me." He pushed the button again and went to sit back down.
He waited 2 hours for a report of the mishap and still nothing came. He grew weary and agitated and rubbed his hands on his face. This would have take n him 30 minutes to the max. He stood up and pressed the button.
"Rachel," Kaiba said through the speaker, "I've been waiting and waiting and still you donkeys haven't told me what happened." He waited for a reply back, but was shot by silence. "Rachel," Kaiba demanded, "Give me a report or you'll be seeing yourself on the road in a matter of minutes."
"The virus is already in sectors 1-12 and is already spreading to all the sectors in the building. The virus will be done infusing it self in a matter of hours. And it seems to be affecting out profits out of the inventions." Kaiba muttered to himself and growled.
"Tell them to stop and let me do it," Kaiba groaned, "It seems that's always the situation in this company." Kaiba walked down the KaibaCorp's main building and started to work. Kaiba examined it and did a little guess and check here and there. He found out the problem and smiled. Someone's hacking into our mainframe and trying to steal our money through the computer. Stupid morons. After about 45 minutes, he was done and got up to go. He walked up to the doors and closed the light. He was about to go when the computer screen of the same computer he worked on started blinking. Kaiba turned around and strolled back to his seat in front of the computer.
He watched it blink and found that the virus was still going on. He placed a confused look on his face.
"What?" he groaned, "I've been fixing these hackings for years, what's wrong with this one?" He continued working on it.
1 hours past, and then another hour, and then another hour and still Kaiba couldn't fix it. What is wrong with this thing? His hand trembled and he fretted more and more. All of a sudden, the hacking stopped, but not because of Kaiba.
"They stopped…hacking," he whispered. Everything went back to normal. He hurried back to his office to see what the statistics of the profits were. He opened his laptop and scanned through it. The ratings and the statistics decreased dramatically. Kaiba knew right then that whoever hacked into KaibaCorp also took out more than ½ of its money too. A sweat drop formed beneath his eyebrow as he buried his face into his hands in disappointment.
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Tea walked inside her bathroom, adjoined by her room. She began to brush her hair. She continued combing her tangled hair until she noticed a sheet of paper, folded carefully, underneath the kiwi fragranced lotion. Tea slowly crept onto it, hesitating before opening it. She unfolded it, relieved to only find her mother's grocery list.
Tea smiled. Something dropped from the letter and Tea picked it up. It was her mother's plane ticket to Domino City. Pale-frightened and curious, Tea wondered how her plane could have been here. After all, Tea did make sure her parents had both of their tickets. Tea, wide-eyed, looked at the paper again.
There was still writing on the back.
"Ever wondered if your house is always safe. Let us tell you…it's not."
Tea dropped the letter and dashed out of her bedroom, running toward the front door. All of a sudden, the phone rang. A cold shrill came down her spine and she slowly turned her head and stared at the phone. Tea gulped and picked it up.
"Hello?" she said, her lips quivering.
"Hello, Ms. Gardener," the menacing voice spoke, "Having a fun time?" Tea's body shivered as she sat down on the arm of the couch.
"W-who is this?" she demanded. She tried to sound tough, but her voice was soft.
The guy on the other side chuckled.
"So quick to questions," he taunted. He spoke lowly, "Don't worry about who we are, just about now," he growled, "Worry about your mother and what we're about to do to her if you don't get us what we want." Tea's heart beat was as fast as a racing horse as she panted in and out.
"Where is she? Please, just tell me," she pleaded, "Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you."
"Patience, dear child," the voice said calmly, "Patience." Tea bit her bottom lip, anxiously waiting for an answer. "You must give us up to 3 million dollars in cash." Tea's eyes widen at the sum of the money.
"I-I don't have that much money with me," she stuttered. The tears welled up again, only to be wiped away by her hands. "I don't have that much money."
"I really don't care if you don't have that much money with you," he scolded, "I don't care if you rot. If you don't give us that money within 5 months, I'll see to it that you'll be reunited with your mother, only to see her die."
"No," she pleaded. She dropped to the floor, her right hand clutching her t-shirt. "Please." The dial tone was all that was heard as Tea gripped the phone to her ear.
Ichigo- well! Hope you guys liked our new year's eve treat! ^_^
Bakura- please review!
Kaiba- *eating* hey! These dagger-shaped cookies are good!
Ichigo, Kaiba, and Bakura- HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE TO ALL!
Ichigo- AND AL A FREAKIN GOOD NIGHT TOO!