kaiba: paranioa is a symptom 4 a greater problem...
me: don't mind 'im. hes in a bad mood but wat else is new?! nothin'.NE ways hopefully dis chap.'ll be best one. u decide & note da change in point of view (POV) plz.
********Tea's POV********
"Can you believe it?" I complained to Yami as we were walking home for once, his bike was in the shop. The rest of the gang had been with us, but left to see some new game and Granpa's game shop. Neither of us were really in the mood for it. He'd been a bit more quiet lately...but I decided not to pry. He had a stormy look in his eye; then again, that was common occurence. "Sorry.....guess I'm talking your ear off." I apologized.
He smiled and the frown erased. "No, go ahead. I'm here to listen to all your problems."
So, sidestepping over a turned over trash can, I went on, " .....So I show him my menu plan for the project, and he very rudely says no, and I say fine, you think of one, and he says,fine I'll email it to you. And you better do a good job!" I said in a deep voice with a 'Kaiba' scowl. There was only the sound of care rumbling past.
"Well. That's not very fair; he's letting you do all the work." He replied finally. I had the impression he was trying to hide a smile.
"Tell me about it! And look; look at what he's making me prepare!" I held out my palm pilot with Kaiba's email on it. But my hand was shaking so hard with rage, that it was impossible to read. So Yami took it and studied it. His hands never shook.
"Broiled duck with cabbage stew and cornbread and lemon merigue.....that does sound like a lot." he said sympathetically. "Might I help you with it?"
"Thanks, but I'll do it; it's my project." I gritted my teeth, staring up at the Kaiba mansion tower in the distance. "And that's only for the first course! How am I supposed to all of that in one day AND eat dinner with the teacher?" I stewed in silence, cursing him.
"Well, it's says here that he wants you to use his kitchen instead of your own and that he'll pay for all the ingredients." Yami handed the pilot back to me. I took it dejectedly. He doesn't understand!
"He just hates me. That's why he's putting me through cooking hell." I muttered, kicking a blue-grey pebble out of the way. So confused....
"I doubt that, Tea. He talks about you constantly, when we duel at his corporation." That made my head snap back up. Yami was smiling, in a friendly but knowing way at me. "You....think?" I said, not able to help the hopeful tone of my voice. I not sure exactly what I'm asking! Yami must think I'm going crazy. He still doesn't know anything about my secret crush, and he never will! I'm too ashamed....
"You like him huh?" a sort of teasing grin crossed his face. "I'm not that surprised...."
I must've turned twenty shades of red. I forgot about his perceptiveness. "What are you talking about..." I turned away without saying goodbye, which was rude but he understood.
I let myself into my house and checked the answering machine. None for me, all my friends were angry at me for 'ignoring them'. Which isn't my fault; I'm still grounded! The house was empty, my parents worked all day and got home late afternoon. I wrote a note before I forgot to, then climbed the steps to my room.
There, I undressed to my slip and stared thoughtfully at my closet. I was supposed to work on some more of the project with Kaiba, not the cooking part, another. It hurt my girlish pride that he had called me a 'tomboy' and told me to fix my attitude and 'myself up.' No matter how I looked at it. It had. Was Yami just kidding when he says he talks about me all the time? But why would he do that? I had to find out. But I was going to be sneaky.....
Might as well..... I fished out a wrinkly white paper out of my purse. I'll ask Kaiba what he meant by fixing myself up. He'll probably be only too happy to tell me. I smoothed it out by rubbing it on the edge of my dresser then studying it for a moment. It was the grainy half of a photocopy of a photo that I had fished out of the trash after he threw it away. I connected to my half. The jagged split was right down the middle of the face. "Why did you keep this?!" I could almost hear him saying it. And my hot answer: "How should I know, you idiot?!"
Geez, we argue even in my head! I rolled my eyes heavenward, and placed it in my drawer and slammed it shut. "There! Out of sight; out of mind." Yeah, right....sheesh when did I get so cynical? I can get over this! It's just a little crush!! I gritted my teeth together and pumped a determined fist high. [a/n: dats what u think >:D]
"Hey. You."
"Gah!" I said aloud. "Ghost....?" It was my in room!
"Idiot. Down here." There was no mistaking that sardonical voice. Dazedly I picked up my phone to my ear. "No talk to it like a television set." he instructed. I did and saw him on the tiny screen.
"Kaiba!" I demanded. "What---How----?"
"I fiugred you wouldn't check your attachments on the email I sent you, so I set them up to a timer to be automactically downloaded." He explained like this was common and normal. "I hope you're getting ready for the first of the project, like you'd promised." He went on, with a slight smirk that nearly drove me up the wall. If it's an attachment, then this is a prerecorded taping, I thought, sticking out my tongue as he continued to talk. My cat, Fluffy purred and pawed and I made him sit right on top of his face! "....and that's all. For now." he finished ordering me around. Bleah! I thought. You're not the boss of me! "Make sure you bring everything I told you. I will not accept anything less." Huh? Oh, I could just play it back to hear what he said.
There was a tiny pause, then I saw his eyes drift down. "I hope you're going to change.....that slip'll scare my brother witless." Bzt, the screen went blank.
******Later*******
I made my way to his mansion, and his creepy butler showed me the kitchen. I certainly didn't want to go, after that incident, but I wasn't about to let him accuse me to our teacher of not doing any work. Sure, I was red faced like with a bad sunburn, but I wasn't going to be the one to mention it. And if he did, I'd act like he was the crazy one. It's my word against his!
Still, I cringed to think of what he must've saw.....me making faces in my underwear. It had been live, not recorded.....you stupid! I berated myself. The kitchen was more like a laboratory, steel chrome sinks, steel countless refrigerators, steel this, steel that. Somehow it was unsurprising.
I set my bag on a large, yes, a shiny metal table, in the cafeteria sized room. Get this over with was my motto. The butler told me everything I needed was in the cupboards and left. I glanced up. Lines and rows of cupboards overlapped eaach otherway on the ceiling above my reach. Great. I wish I could work in my own kitchen, but he is pretty generous to let me work here and pay for it....
"Hurry up. You're behind schedule already, Gardener." Dressed in a dark royal blue coat with black pants and a silk green shirt, he stood with his arms crossed, regarding me. "Stop gawking," he ordered, "I have a conference here and need you to be out by then."
"How am I supposed to reach the ingredients?" I demanded hotly. "Use a ladder?!" But it came out more of a mumble and I didn't even meet his eyes. I was never going to .....ever again.....
With a burdened sigh like as if to say I was totally inept, he reached up and easily took down pots and pans. I gathered my shoulder-length hair into a ponytail while watching him warily without being too noticeable of course. So far he hasn't mentioned it....he sure does stand ramrod straight.....and tall! I reached for my apron and tied it about my waist. What? It's true...and he always wears clothes that cover all except his head and hands..... And today was no exception. Still, no amout of clothes could hide the confident set of his broad shoulders, or the cocked position of his hips, even just by reaching up. I felt myself turn red at these 'beautiful' thoughts, and I looked down at the lengthy recipe book instead. I recalled when I put Fluffy to sit on his face earlier, and a nervous snicker escaped. He gave me a narrow eyed glance, and I turned it into a pitful sounding sneeze fast. "'Choo!" I used the handkerchief he gave me.
"Anyway, " he said, as if I'd said something aloud, "If you need any help, any at all, Jaq my head chef, will be in shouting distance." He widened his eyes a bit and arched his eyebrows, as if to say anybody could hear me. "You're just going to prepare the first part, the marination sauce. Correct?"
I said yeah and he turned and left, to my relief, his long coat swishing aganist the yes, steel floor. It seemed one big mirror box, except for the gigantic whole wall was one big window, showing the sun setting. Stone cold silence, like the tomb of someone so self centered, everywhere he turned there had to be a reflective surface. Brushing that feeling aside, I set up and began to work. I show you Seto Kaiba, I thought as I worked, I'll show you that I can do all this work you gave me! My hands basted, stirred and added. I set the meat aside and whisked the sauce. I'm really surprised he didn't hand me a rifle today and expect me to go and hunt the bird!
"Miz Gardener?" A moustached man I assumed was Jaq put his head in. "Do you need any help?"
"NO I'm fine thanks." I pushed my sweaty hair out of my eyes with one freezing hand. "I said I'm fine!" when the man came in anyway.
He looked at me apologetically. "Mr. Kaiba said it would cost me my job if you made any mistakes, so...." He began helping me.
"Sounds like him," I muttered. This guy smelled like old soup and his hair looked like thick, greasy snakes. "Why don't you just quit? He doesn't have the right to threaten you like that."
The chef just shook his head sorrowfully. "It will make him angry and ruin my reputation." He took out the flour and added water and eggs.
"Well you can tell him not to send me any more help," I began to knead it, "unless it's him, like he's supposed to!" I called, my voice echoing off the wall. If he can see into my room, he's probably somewhere in here!
I spent a while trying to convince this guy to quit, and when he was almost convinced, Kaiba appeared again. His footsteps were so soft it seemed like from thin air.
"Chasing away my employees now, are we Gardener?" he said through tight lips.
"You shouldn't dock them pay and keep benefits from them, like insurance and pension," I declared, looking at him right straight in the eye now. Slamming a pot down for emphasis, I said, "It's unfair!"
The lights of war enter those navy blue eyes and his mouth thinned to a straight line. I was fascinated by a muscle jumping in his jaw. "You will not speak to me like that in my own house. Are we clear!" He took a painfully tight grip on my wrist and squeezed.
"Crystal, but you're not my boss," I said clearly, though it squeaked on the end. I've never seen him so angry. I tried to wrench free, and the hand he had was still holding the whisk was dripping white batter. A splotch of it appeared on the front lapel of his dark coat. I froze. "S-sorry...." Why am I apologizing....?
He let the silence hang for a long, agonizing second. "Liar." At the corner of eye, I saw Jaq hightail it out of there. I didn't blame him. "Clean it off." he ordered.
Since it was my mistake, I had no choice. I took up a dish towel and put down the whisk, my heart jarring in my throat. I though it was going to leap right out! Somehow, I managed to do as he said and looked up at him in the mouth, my bravado gone. I watched the corners tilt up, one higher than the other, in a smirk. " Slip."
"Another name for me?!" I hissed like an angry cat in outrage. My hands shot out in a attempt to strangle him, but easily evaded me and shot out one hand at my neck in attempt to stop me. His arms were longer than mine so I couldn't reach his neck. But oh, I wanted to. I tried leaping, jumping, hopping over to get to him, but nothing worked. It looked like he wasn't even putting up an effort. Kaiba even had the nerve to look amused! I knew he could snap my neck since his hand was closed around it, but I was too furious to care. I was sick and tired of all the names. If he were to strangle me, probably no one would hear....
"So...you don't like being called names." he said slowly, releasing his hold slightly. I really think that something snapped in my head. Boy, how scary....and I have an explosive temper.
As he soon found out. With an animal cry, I pounced like an angry cat. "No, I DON"T LIKE IT!!!!" I yelled, not caring if the neighbors within a two miles radius heard me. "Especially when it refers to my underwear!!!!" I think he was taken aback, both literally and figuratively. Because he stumbled back with the first most surprised expression I've ever seen. His hand caught the edge of the countertop to steady himself, while the other was still wrapped around my neck but our weight was too much and we collasped aganist one fridge. The steel handle must've gone into his back because he let out a yell and there was a crack! Then he went limp and still.
I was alright and he was just stunned because he groaned softly under his breath. In pain, though. Ho boy, am I in trouble... "Wake up!" I whispered feverently. Any time soon someone was to come in and see us on the floor together. I tried to scramble to my knees, but the floor was slippery. Plus, I'd fallen on top of him and if I moved, he'd move and what if he broke something?! Oh god, I hope he didn't.
"What do you, play on the football team, Gardner? You are such a tomboy." I would've gotten mad if the words weren't spoke painfully through gritted teeth.
"You're all right," I said grateful he was. Even though it was obvious he wasn't.
"Of course I am. Get off me." he twisted to one side and attempted to heave himself up, but I heard a funny popping sound and his mouth gaped open in an "O". But then he just twisted harder, grunting impatiently.
"Stop it; you're going to hurt yourself even more..." More sickening grinding noises of bone. He ignored me and tried tucking his legs under him to get up. "I said stop it!" I hissed fiercely, putting my hand on his shoulder just when he's about to make it up and pushing him back down.
He gave me such a glare that I think the dead bird behind me got up and walked out the doors. Dark brown hair that was usual neatly combed was now falling around his face. His eyes were crystallized from the pain and he looked about ten years old again. I've always thought he had a very young face, only ruined by constant frowns and glares that marred it with wrinkles. I put on my best pleading, begging look. I wasn't sure what to say to make him understand.
Anyway, a voice interrupted from outside. "Mr. Kaiba? Your business associates are here for the conference. May they come in?" It sounded like it wasn't going to take no for an answer. The double doors creaked open.
"NO, make then wait in the corridor." he barked, grabbing the handle of the fridge and gasped sharply. I looked at his hand, it was black and blue. He must've banged it aganist the metal.
"Give me your other hand," I hissed when he slumping to the floor again. A dejected look was coming to his eye. "I'll pull you up. Now, if you don't want to be seen like this!"
Reluctantly he did so. Now he wasn't looking at me in the eye, as about four old men came in through the kitchen. "Are we....interupting something?" They asked, looking at the unfinished now dry batter and marianation sauce. They looked at me in my spattered apron and messy ponytail. I probably looked like I've been pulled backwards through a bush.
"No. Nothing. Come on to my office." He led them out, but before he did, he gave me a glance that looked like he'd deal with me later, and I nodded. It was time to go.
Satisfied, he turned back towards them but not before he smiled slightly over his shoulder, for a second, as if in afterthought. A very tiny arrogant smile, but a smile nonetheless.
TBC
me: aw! A smile! how sweet! ^_____^
kaiba: -__-##
me: i'd vote you 'best smile' kai-kun, if u did it a lot more.
tea: fat chance.
me: y'know, tea, your personality lot differnet from the comic on the anime. i dink dat's weird. @_@ anyhoo, R&Rs pleases me & kai kun too don't mind his shaking head.^^