NOTE: Well, I'm really into this story, so there will be many updates, constantly! Glad those who are reading it like it! Geez, Chapter 5 already? I've been on the ball with this one!

Disclaimer: If you wish to here more about the point behind this disclaimer, email me at Get the picture?

Chapter 5: Of Feelings and Thoughts

Tea woke up and rolled over onto her side. She looked at her alarm clock: 6:37. She closed her eyes and thought, for a minute, as was custom nowadays, what job interviews or dance auditions she had at what time.

Suddenly, Tea sat up in bed. She was starting her work for Kaiba today! And he had never told her what time she would be picked up! It could be anytime!

She jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. Not ten minutes later, she was out again, drying her hair and getting dressed. She packed the remainder of her belongings and put her bags by the door. Then, she rushed back to make her bed…not that she was going to sleep in it for a while…hopefully.

She had decided not to sell the apartment, just incase Kaiba ended up firing her, which was a surefire thing that would happen…eventually. But, you never know.

Tea had a spot of breakfast. Then, she realized a new worry. What was she going to do with all this food? She could be gone for quite a while before…if…she ever returned home. She couldn't leave it to rot. So, Tea found a spare suitcase and began packing up the foods that couldn't be thrown away at the moment. What else could she do? After all, she was going to be Kaiba's new cook. The food could come in useful at times….

Half an hour had passed by the time she had finished packing the food. She dragged that case to the door next to the four others. And still, Kaiba's servants hadn't showed up.

So, she grabbed the remote and plopped down on the couch, ready for some television in her wait. By the time she had watched the news, two cartoons and another TV show, the doorbell rang. Tea turned off the set, placed the remote down on the couch and walked over to the door.

Slowly, she opened it, and there stood the person she least expected to be on her doorstep.

"Kaiba! Aren't you supposed to be working? It is Monday after all," Tea opened the door to its fullest extent. Kaiba walked inside.

"I took a few hours off to tell you what you need to know and get you set up." He then saw the five bags lined up at the door, "Is this it?" he gestured to them.

"Yeah…why?"

"Funny, I thought you'd pack more."

"You told me what to pack."

"That I did," he picked up three of the cases, somehow finding room in his hands and arms for them, "Ready yet?"

"I've been ready for two hours," Tea replied, picking up the other two suitcases.

"Okay then…." Kaiba felt a tad foolish that he had forgotten to tell her that he would be here at 9:30. They walked outside, where the limo was waiting. The trunk was open, ready for them to pack up her things. They fit the five suitcases in there snuggly, and closed it. Kaiba then entered the limo.

Tea ran back to the house to lock the door. After she locked it, she stood there for a minute, thinking. This was where her three years of misery had taken place. Now, she was leaving it…for some time at least.

"You coming?" Kaiba called out impatiently.

"Yeah," she answered back. Touching the door handle one last time, she then turned back and walked to the limousine.

It's always hard to part with places that have been etched into your memory somehow. But, she wasn't going to miss the apartment. Nothing special had happened there. No…just pain and misery. Tea climbed into the limo, closed the door, and they rode off.


Tea sat on the opposite side of the seat from Seto. It was quiet…too quiet. Nothing passed between them but silence. Silence…something Tea desperately wanted to break. She couldn't stand not having some noise. On the other hand, Seto probably was fine with the silence. So, she sat there, trying hard to think of anything at all to talk about. But all she came up with was: zip.

Seto took occasional glances at Tea through the corner of his eye. He never actually turned to look at her. He didn't want her to notice that. She was acting quite strangely today: she hadn't said a word. By now, usually, she would have started some conversation, which Seto would have detested.

Indeed, knowing that she was in here, the silence was kind of eerie. Usually, he'd be typing away at his laptop. That, at least, was some noise. Even when he rode with his brothers, they were usually whispering away, no doubt planning their next prank.

So, unlike his usual self, he had the urge to start some sort of talk. Then, Seto remembered what he needed to actually talk to her about.

"Gardner."

Tea looked up suddenly at the mention of her last name. Sometimes that got irritating. She was given a first name for a reason! There were lots of people around the world with the last name "Gardner." Her name was "Tea." But, she didn't speak these thoughts. She knew it wouldn't faze Kaiba in the least. Actually, it might provoke him to do that more. He loved seeing people irritated, or tortured. Yeah, that's a better word.

"Yes?"

Kaiba took out a slip of paper from a pocket inside his trench coat, "Here's your schedule as to when meals occur. They're to be held at these times, sharp."

Tea took the paper and read down it:

Monday – Friday (excluding holidays): Breakfast: 7:00. Lunch: --. Dinner: 6:00

Saturday: Breakfast: --. Lunch: 12:00. Dinner: 6:00.

Sunday: Breakfast: 9:00. Lunch: 12:00. Dinner: 6:00.

(Information for special meals will be provided the day before.)

Well, it seemed pretty self-explanatory. Monday through Friday, Mokuba and Noa were at school, while Kaiba was at work. He probably ate there. It seemed (due to her past experience) that they ate breakfast out on Saturdays. And then, on school holidays or whatnot, the breakfast would probably move an hour earlier and lunch would occur at 12:00 as usual.

Yeah, that seemed like what it was. Then, there were those "special" meals. What did he mean by that? Oh well. She'd probably find out eventually. Tea then folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket.

"Any questions?" Seto asked, hoping there weren't. Then again, he loved to wisecrack people, by asking if the paper wasn't explanatory enough.

Tea thought about the "special" meals question she had, and then thought against it, "No. It's quite proficient."

Seto was a tad surprised. He thought for sure she'd have at least one question.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, I am. Quit pestering me. I know you'r4e just wanting to throw some insult at me. Three years isn't that long a period," Tea replied. Seto was again, a tad surprised. Why though? She had been pretty smart in school…. Maybe she could figure things out for herself.

"I'm not as stupid as I look, you know. Just because--"

"I didn't say anything," Seto retorted.

"Well…I know…but you were thinking it," she replied and turned to stare out the window. Dang, (and if I couldn't hold my tongue, I would've used a different word to emphasize my feelings more) she was good. He had to give her some credit for that.

For a good time, the silence pressed on. Tea continued staring out the window, watching buildings, people and trees passing by. There was nothing better to look at, she thought.

Then came the argument of the mind.

Yes there is, a voice rattled on in Tea's head.

What are you talking about, Tea questioned back to herself.

Of course there's someone better to look at.

What do you…heck (here, I would've emphasized further….) no.

You know it, too.

No. That's just…wrong. No, there is no way…why are you even talking to me? I have no recollection of these thoughts…feelings…whatsoever.

That's because they just started.

No, they never started; they never came.

Yes they did. You know you want to glance at him.

No way. Not in a million years. I like the scenery just fine.

Sure…you like him even better.

No I don't! Stop bothering me!

Too late. I'm not leaving. Not by a long shot.

Go away!

I'll be back. But just to show you that I do have legitimate power here….

Tea sat up, suddenly. Slowly, she turned around and faced forward again. Then, she glanced out of the corner of her eyes at Kaiba. Why was she doing this? That stupid…thought…or whatever it was that was floating around in her head.

Kaiba turned his head slightly to look at her. He had that feeling that people get when they're being watched.

Tea quickly looked ahead again.

Told you I had the power.

GO AWAY!

Fine, I'll be nice…for now. Just wait though. You'll see my side of the argument one day.

NO I WON'T!

The thought left…for the time being. Tea sighed and laid her head back. What was going on with her? Where in the world did that second presence come from? It seemed familiar…like that time she had a MAJOR crush on Yugi. Tea's eyes widened. HECK (must I emphasize more?) no. No, no, no, no, no! That was SO not it. She COULDN'T like Kaiba. It was WAY to weird.

No, she relaxed herself. She was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. She was the same Tea from three days ago, BEFORE she had even given a thought to the Kaiba family. She was calm. She was relaxed. Then why was her heart pumping so rapidly?

Seto swore he saw her eyes dart forward when he looked at her. He SWORE it. Then again, he could be wrong. But that was HIGHLY unlikely. Then again…he could be wrong.

Finally, after more silence, the chauffeur pulled up into the driveway of the Kaiba Mansion. The limo was driven up to the front doors and stopped. Jeff (remember, that's the chauffeur's name) walked out and opened the door for Seto. He stepped out and walked behind the limousine. Tea scooted over to that side of the car and climbed out as well. She then walked to the back of the limo and got out two of the suitcases, while Kaiba took three, yet again.

They walked to the door, which was opened for them. The two stepped inside. Seto then put down the three bags. Tea looked a tad confused.

Seto looked at her and read her puzzled expression, "The maids will take them up to your room." You didn't think he was actually going to carry them all the way. Heck no! He's just not a total lazy bum.

"Oh, okay," Tea replied, setting her two bags down.

"Lily here," he said, gesturing towards the nearest maid, "will give you a tour. I shall be returning to Kaiba Corp." With that, he walked out the door; shut it, and a minute later, the limousine could be heard driving down the driveway.

Tea stood there for a second, waiting. Lily then walked over to her.

"Would you like that small tour now, miss?"

"Oh, yes please," Tea replied. Lily took her upstairs and showed Tea her room first. It was up the stairs, to the right, then to the left, and the first door on the left. Next, she explained where Seto, Mokuba and Noa's bedrooms were. Then, she showed her the study, library, office, living room, family room, some other small rooms (such as the many bathrooms), dining room, and finally, the kitchen. By then, it was about 11:00. Lily left her and Tea navigated back to her room to unpack.

Before, when Lily had shown her where her room was, Tea hadn't entered it. Now she saw that her suitcases were lying on the bed, which was located in the center of the room. To the left of the bed was a window, and on the left wall, there was a desk, with a computer situated upon it. To the right of the bed was another window, and on the right wall was a dresser. There was also a closet on the right wall, a little off from the dresser. On the south wall (the wall with the door on it) were a bookcase and a chair.

It was more than Tea could have imagined. Back in her apartment, she had just had the bed and the dresser. That was all there was room for. Though it may seem pretty normal to many of us, it was the lap of luxury to Tea. Poor girl….

It took Tea a good hour to unpack. She left the food suitcase alone, for now. She stashed the others in her closet. A maid was then passing Tea's bedroom door. Tea ran out the door to ask her something.

"Excuse me!" she cried out. The maid turned around.

"Yes?"

"Um, I was wondering…. I'm the new cook…so, does that mean I have pretty much, complete control over what goes on in the kitchen?"

"Yes dear. If you're the cook, you have the control. But, remember, Mr. Kaiba still has the authority over you in that matter," and the maid walked off. Tea snorted. Authority over her? She was an independent woman! Kaiba may be her boss, but that didn't mean he had complete control, like he seemed to have over the rest of these servants. Tea walked back into her room and thought about it, while lying on the bed, trying to rest.

Eventually, Tea became hungry. Even though she didn't have to prepare lunch for other people (according to the schedule) she still needed some for herself. So, Tea took some food from her stash, and walked down to the kitchen. There, she prepared herself her regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She also grabbed some juice from Kaiba's refrigerator. Then, she munched on some crackers that she had brought down. No, she wasn't very big on lunch. That would probably change, though, on the weekend, when she would have to prepare the meal for the Kaibas. They probably went all out in all of their meals.

After that short meal, all Tea could do was lounge around. She took a trip to the family room, sat down on the couch and turned on the television. What else could she do? Kaiba didn't expect her to just sit in her room all day, did he?

Soon, 3:00 rolled around the corner. Mokuba and Noa would be coming home from school soon. Tea switched off the TV (after having sat there for a good two and a half hours) and meandered back to the front hall, gazing at the artwork on the walls as she went. By the time she got to the front hall, Mokuba and Noa were taking off their shoes and dropping their backpacks by the door.

"Hey guys!" Tea called out to them. The two turned around.

"Tea!" they replied and ran over to her, "What's up?"

"Nothing much…just…nothing, actually," Tea ended lamely. What else could she say?

"Same here," Noa replied.

"Can we have a snack?" Mokuba then inquired, out of nowhere.

"Well, sure! Why not?" Tea walked with them (or should we say ran with them) to the kitchen. Noa went to grab some cookies and Mokuba brought out the milk.

"Hey, Tea? Can you get a couple glasses for us?" Mokuba asked her, sitting down at the counter on one of the raised chairs.

"Sure…" Tea looked around in the many cabinets. Finally, she found the one full of regular glasses. There were many assortments of colors. Tea picked up a red one, and then spotted a blue one: the only one of its color. She smiled and took it down, feeling a slight shiver as she touched its cool surface.

Noa opened the bag of cookies and took out three for him, and three for Mokuba. Then, he shoved the bag away. Mokuba came back with spoons for them.

"What are you guys going to make?" Tea inquired, still holding the glasses.

"Well…it's kind of strange…we're not sure Seto approves, but that's okay," Noa responded.

"Yeah, you take some chocolate cookies, put them in a glass, pour milk into it, then "kill" the cookies with the spoon. Then, you spoon it out and eat it! It's quite good actually," Mokuba explained.

"Really? I might try that one day. But, you're only having three cookies?" Tea said, putting the glasses in front of them: red for Noa, blue for Mokuba.

"Yeah, the last cook told us that three was enough sugar for us," Noa replied, putting them in the empty cup.

"Well, I'm the new cook, and I say you get a max of five. I'm sorry, put three's too little," and with that smile, Tea walked out of the kitchen. She heard the two boy's yelps of joy at the new amount of sugar intake they got, and then waited. It shouldn't be too long, she thought. One…two…three….

"AH!" she heard Mokuba shout. Bingo. "It's…it's that glass! That glass that was…cursed to…ah! It burns!"

Tea laughed to herself. Noa heard her snickering, though she was in the hallway.

"Very funny Tea, truly. I have to give you credit for that one," Noa shouted back to her. Tea heard the clinking of glasses as she supposed the Mokuba had put the other one in the sink and was getting a new one.

No…it wasn't going to be her fault if they were over-hyper tonight. No…in all thought, she thought Seto deserved the "torture." Yes, after all that he had done to her friends in high school. Then again, she felt a twang of guilt. He had given her a place to stay and a job.

Ah, it didn't matter. How hyper could the two get off of two extra cookies? After all, Tea truly believed that three cookies were just too little. Oh, if she thought Seto was going to be tortured with their hyperactivity, she had a new thing coming to her.


"You watch them. I've got work to do," Seto said, shoving his jumping brothers out of his office and pushing them into Tea.

"But…but…this wasn't in my job--"

"I have a feeling you're behind this," Seto replied, smirking evilly, then closing the door. Tea glared at the closed door. Now, she had two kids who were bouncing off the walls, to look after. Maybe only four cookies….

No, she'd let the two have their fun. Over the weekend, when Kaiba wasn't at work…oh, he would pay. Yes, he would pay. She despised him at the minute for dumping them into her care.

Then again…there was that other feeling…a feeling of….

NO! Tea erased the unfinished thought before it could finish (hint the word "unfinished"). She was NEVER going to stoop so low as to say she had a liking for Seto. But there, she may not have said it, but I did. Ha.


Hehe! I revealed her thoughts! Ha! Now, mentally, she'll probably kill me, but that's okay! Otherwise, the plot of this story would not have taken shape! Haha! Oh…the next chapter will be payback…yes…haha…I'm evil to poor, awesomely hot, loveable, Seto…Muhahahahahahaha!