Disclaimer: Ergh! I don't own YGO! Ra-dam it!
%%%%%% Seto's POV %%%%%%%%%%
"Well, well…..the results are very interesting." said Mrs. Li, the home economics teacher, scratching her chin.
We----the rest of the class--- were turning in those plastic nightmares from hell in for evaluation, and I wasn't sorry. Dry-cleaning my pants and my limo seats cost a fortune. "Well, did I pass?" I wanted to know, drumming my fingertips on the desk in agitation.
Gardener shifted from foot to foot beside me, saying nothing. Then again, it has been a week since she'd said anything to me.
"Well," the teacher dragged it out, "Ms. Gardener doll is in perfect condition. So she passes." There was an ominous pause.
The class behind me waiting eagerly, silently, like vultures waiting for prey to drop dead. They all wanted to hear that I, Seto Kaiba, had failed home economics.
A trickle of sweat started over my cheek. If I don't pass this class from hell, I can't graduate! Damn those requirements…… I hadn't taken the chip out myself and reprogrammed it because I thought Gardener would notice the difference in a silent baby to a crying one and tattle on me. Surely I was beginning to think she wasn't as flaky as I thought, and that she really would notice.
"…..but your doll, Mr. Kaiba, is in horrible, dreadful condition. If this were a real life, you'd be in jail for child neglect," There was a hint of a threatening tone but she was smiling.
Gardener coughed. I looked at her, suspecting she was trying to cough out a laugh. She didn't look at me but stared straight ahead, turning red.
"Once more….." I turned back to the teacher anxious, and mad, "Did. I pass or NOT?!"
Mrs. Li paused again, damn her. "Since this is a joint grade, whatever Ms. Gardener receives, is your grade also," she said. I felt my hopes rise in spite of myself. "But that attitude of yours does me no good, Mr. Kaiba." Gardener cleared her throat again at my side. "Still, I don't want to see it any longer in our fine school. Congratulations, you pass."
I passed. I was relieved, I felt my shoulders sag from it. As I turned, Mrs. Li stopped me by saying:
"But remember, you pass this part. There is still the dinner with me." I turned away as the class erupted in loud cheers. Which I thought was all a bit overdone.
"Whatever," I told the teacher over my shoulder, storming out of the class as the bell rang behind me.
Humph. I'll be glad when this stupid year's over and done with. No one's more happier than me that I'm leaving. No one...!!
I strode to my locker and started stuffing my texts in. A fond smile passed across my face. At least, I'm going to miss my old locker…… so everlasting and faithful, stuck by me through thick and thin……
I stiffened, hating to be caught reminiscing. Especially about an inanimate object. And when I get embarrassed, watch out. But I recognized the voice."Um….."
Gardener shifted her weight, finger combing her hair nervously, talking to my floor, "the cooking part….at my house. S-so..you don't have to worry about it……..""I just wanted to tell you…..that I've already nearly finished……"
I studied her unexpected nervousness around me. Since That Night, I'd expected her to be all lovey-dovey and fawny around me, and was vaguely relieved but she seemed to be avoiding me at all costs. Relieved and a tiny bit puzzled, though. "Why would you do that." I shifted my briefcase from one hand to the other, lifting the metal latch with a sharp click. "You should've used my kitchen. It's a million times better equipment than anything in your sorry house."Silence.
"……Okay?" she finished hastily.
Maybe I was trying to get a reaction, because I felt vaguely disappointed when she pretended to scratch an itch on her cheek to hide her splotchy blush that resurfaced. I gave a mental eye roll.
Girls……..more complicated than a trigonometry problem!!
And if you've ever taken trigonometry…you'd know what I'm talking about.
I noticed that all her friends were lined up around us even after the lunch bell rang. I gave them all what I call my infamous Death Stare, perfected after countless times. They scuttled away like roaches from the light, but only to spy from a safer distance.
"Maybe to avoid me?" I said, reaching in my briefcase for something I wanted to give her. Casually, I hesitated, waiting for her answer.
She was rapidly combing her hair now, she was so nervous. "N-no….I uh….. just rather use my own stuff. I mean, my own bed---I mean-----" She broke off, sweating bullets, but I had to admire to way she kept around. More people would've been sinking to the floor right now.
I let the silence hang, I'm sure she felt, like an ax. Then, a little of the tension left me. if you would've told me I'd be in this situation right now, I'm sure I would've laughed. Gardener was staring at the floor, like if she'd done something wrong, ashamedly and guiltily, in anguish. For some reason, that got on my nerves.People in crowd, starting whispering in hushed voices.
"Look at me." I took a gentle tone. She shook her head, then finally contradicted herself and stole a peek up at me. Her eyes were so sad with shame and humble and meek, I had to laugh loudly. I wasn't laughing at her, it was just that this thing was so ridiculous, blushing and being shy at each other over something that didn't even happen. I mean, nothing seriously really did happen, so I didn't know what she was so worried about.
Apparently, Gardener did think I was laughing at her. I watched the lights of war flash in her large cerulean eyes, her fists clench.
Finally, I thought, a real reaction from the Tea I know….. "It's not…funny!" Her face turned bright red, this time from anger. "Ooh…..sometimes you are such a jerk!"
My smile froze as I repeated. " ' Jerk….'" I tried to distract myself by looking away for something else to focus on. "I see. Whatever." There was nothing else, and I didn't to run away like a coward. But I did it anyway. My fingers closed hard on something, crushing it as I turned away, and began walking down the hall-way. I have to get to work anyway…….who cares.
People made the way for me, they'd better. Then I felt someone grab the crook of my elbow and Gardener's voice said, "Wait!"
I shook her off. "Leave me alone!" I hissed in an angry voice, though it was only a fraction of my usual anger. I just couldn't block it, now matter how hard I tried, this heavy feeling had suddenly sat on my chest, and decided to make it's home there. I didn't want to look at her, but I did, and she had wide eyes that was fixed on mine, not shy any longer. Then her gaze darted away, to the floor. A look of puzzlement over took her features, and before I could stop her, and bent and picked up something that was laying at my feet.
Tea held it up to the light, in its sorry state: the red petals were crushed, though I'm sure no redder than my face. The green stem was nearly broken, set at an angle. Around us, students gave a collected gasp and clutched themselves, whispering furiously, as if it were a time bomb instead. "Did…..you bring this for me?" she said softly, her cheeks getting all rosy, and glistening eyes staring at the flower as if it were something precious.I glance at my hand and saw it was empty. Dammit…… the flower!
As if.
"No!" I snatched at it, but it only broke in two, since she didn't have any sense to let go. With that, I stormed down the hall into my limousine.
Whatever.
%%%%%% aw, she hurt his feelings….. %%%%%%%
Later that night, I scoured my desk top papers for something to do, but my heart really wasn't into doing anything constructive today. After the disaster of making a fool of myself earlier that day, it was enough for me to just crawl under the covers, something I hardly ever do, and sleep.
So I canceled all my appointments and took a short vacation. Maybe, just maybe…..I'll wake up someplace warm…..
Except I couldn't sleep. Rolling on my back, and stared up at the canopy of my bed, rubbing my hand absently. My fingers touched something sticky and rough, and when I lifted it, I saw it was one half of the crushed flower that was intended for Tea. Apparently, the juices had made it stick to the back of my hand. All through the business meeting I'd had this thing stuck to my hand!
Shadows darkened my room as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky with my modd and still I didn't move, the flower still clutched to my hand. If my brother were to step in, he'd wonder what the hell I was doing, staring into nothingness holding a crushed flower. He'd think I was some sort of wacko. In truth, I was busily trying to sort out and analyze, organizing my mind into a singe coherent thought. It's what I do when I'm feeling confused or unhappy. So even though it looks like I wasn't doing anything, I really was.
Sneaky, eh?
With a grunt, I got up and shook my hand to free it of the flower, the juices had stuck to it like Superglue. Then I lay back down, thinking that I'd just tell the servants I was sick. Finally I was able to sleep.
As I was drifting off, the silent house suddenly echoed a thump. My eyes snapped open, and I waited to hear it again. Thump. Getting up slowly, I reached for a panic alarm button and let my fingers rest on it lightly, listening carefully, daring not to breathe. Every instinct said 'danger.'
There was silence. I crept up, out of my bed, into the hall. I didn't shout out in case it was an intruder. Just the time for it too! I clenched my teeth in a grimace, then made my way down the hallway, grabbing the nearest weapon, which turned out to be a broomstick the maid had left behind.
Stealthily I went to the source of the sound. I could hear voices, but couldn't make them out. Who was talking? I entered the front hall, noticing it was nighttime outside. Then a saw the body of my butler, sprawled on the floor. My breathing quickened, and my grip got tighter. "About to fly off on your broomstick or something?" a female voice sounded from behind me.
Instantly I whirled, being taken off guard and attacked wildly. My priceless Ming vase shattered upon impact, and the pieces crumbles to bits on the floor.
"Um……" she was speechless, but unhurt. My swing had been wild.
"What are you doing here!" I yelled right into Gardener's face. "I could have mashed your face in! Don't scare me like that!" I was very close to shaking her until her teeth rattled.
"But…you didn't," she pointed out with a cheery, but shaky smile.
I rang for a maid to come and pick up the vase, which she did. "I ought to charge you for that vase," I said threateningly, as I helped my butler to his feet. The shattering sound of the vase has woken him up from unconsciousness.
"Well…..you're the one who broke it," she said, her voice light, then seemed to shrink back when I glared at her.
"What happened?" I asked the butler. "This young lady….I told her she needed an appointment and that you weren't seeing anyone right now, and she shoved me to the floor!" The old butler was disgruntled.
By this time I was advancing on Gardener, menacingly, even though I was in my old clothes, which was a T shirt and jeans someone got me that I never wore (it was as a joke), she shrank back, eyes wide and wary, until our bodies made perfect spooned right angled L's. She was about to teeter over until I grabbed her around her waist and said only two words: "Get" and "Out", in that order.
There I let go, and she grabbed the banister to support herself. "You said I could use your kitchen---"
"You said you've already finished with it!"
"I said, I was NEARLY done," she huffed herself upright again. "And I can't finish unless I use your kitchen for OUR grade, so….."
I stared stonily at her, my arms crossed and tipped my head to the right to see if she was lying. She had on her pink ruffled apron so I guess she was telling the truth. "Five minutes," I said finally, turning away. "You have five minutes." I saw her nod over my shoulder and was content that she didn't mention what had happened earlier that afternoon. I went back upstairs and changed my clothes, I had to anyway for a meeting that night and went downstairs to check on her. already five minutes had passed, and I found her with my kitchen in disarray, flour everywhere. "You'd better clean up this mess once you're done," was all I said.
"Oh, you're rich, you have plenty of servants to do it," she muttered at me rudely, pushing back her hair with one flour wet hand. I watched as she set a pot near the oven and twisted the knob. "isn't like you have to do it yourself," she muttered more to herself than to me.
"True, but I'd rather watch you do it," I said bluntly, an I told you so smirk crawling across my face. "Regretting that you didn't do as I said in the beginning and let me hire professional cooks, eh?!"
I expected her to deny it, but she said wholeheartedly, "Ohhh, yeah," before putting her head into the oven. I didn't expect this and was in silence for a while. When she didn't get up again, I went around the counter. Her voice were echoing in the little oven, still agreeing with me about hiring professionals to do it. "…..definitely....should've let professionals…….handle it…"
"Here get out of there," I said impatiently, as she did so. "I'll do it!" I found a pan full of cornbread, and using oven mitts, brought it out. For a while we finished the rest of the job, me mixing the pot and she starting to clean up. "Don't bother," I said, over my shoulder. "You're right, the servants'll do it."
"I'm just gatherin' my stuff up," she replied, and after a pause I continued to talk about how right I was and how wrong she'd been, in not listening to me.
And throughout it all, she didn't say one word! Not one word! I was totally amazed.
Finally we were done, and we agreed to it would be my house when we had the teacher to evaluate our dinner. "When is it?" I questioned, reaching in my side for my appointment book. I had forgotten to write it down.
"The sixteenth of June." Our eyes met over my book.
"Right before my graduation….." I let the sentence trail off, before penciling it in and closing it shut. There was an awkward silence, as I watched her fumble in her cardigan for something.
"I, uh…..brought you something," she held up a flower, an uncrushed one, "since I crushed yours and broke it, this is my payback," she said the word "payback" a little bit mockingly.
Wordlessly, I took it and rolled it around my finger and thumb. Keeping my voice wooden like, I said, "Thanks…….for helping me with this project," I said formally.
"You're welcome. I really hope you get to walk down that aisle to get your diploma," she said earnestly with a bright smile, which I didn't mind. "And…..I'm going to be there to watch, whether you like it or not," she went on say the last part mock threateningly.
A real smile crept over my features. "Are you imitating me again? This time, don't choke!"
She looked at me with wide eyed innocence. "Who, me? I'm too nice to do such a thing!"
Then we shared a laugh, sort of. Both of us were hesitant, both unsure.Another silence, awkward and long passed, though I didn't feel it go by. I was too busy staring, in the stillness.
TBC
Aw I hope I didn't fluff you up! Actually, I do….ah, picturing kaiba in jeans and shirt. ::drool!:: y'know, kaiba I like ya an' all but I thought it was pretty pathetic in that episode where you have virtual fans cheering you on. - -;;; & marik styling his hair scene was funny XD anyhoo, R&R