NOTE: Sorry for the long break in updates (okay, about 10 days, but still!). I was thinking up what to do (which didn't take long) but then I was working on my other fics…hehe…lame excuse…but some of you know how that is, right? This is EXACTLY what I wanted to avoid a couple months ago, when I started this fic, and said it'd be my only one…but hey, my mind just doesn't let me rest when I have other plans for stories. Oh well…on with the long awaited fic! (Yes, I know it's not THAT long, compared to other people, but for me, it is! It's a good thing I can do this stuff over a night or two…) But, I have to say…this will probably be the last update for a couple weeks, because I can't update in Chicago. Of course, that's only a little longer than I have been updating lately…but if I come up with another idea, I'll post it ASAP!

Disclaimer: Sigh Why is this world so cruel? WHY CAN'T I OWN YU-GI-OH? Is it too much to ask? Well…yes.

Chapter 20: A Long Time Deprived Explanation

Tea woke up that next morning, feeling unnaturally happy (for what had happened just last night.). She had temporarily forgotten about her outburst at Kaiba's party. Heck, she had temporarily forgotten about the party!

It was, naturally, a Monday, thus meaning school was today. Tea looked at the clock: 6:30. Right as it should be. She got up, made her bed, and then went off to take a shower and dress. She came back twenty minutes later, and brushed out her hair. She left it at that and went to eat breakfast (she liked naturally drying her hair).

After her breakfast, and biding her parents goodbye, she hopped into her car and drove off to school. She was still feeling happy. That is, until she walked up to the front of her school. Immediately, the once loud front of the school was now completely silent, except for the twittering of birds. Everyone was staring at her.

Tea stood near the entrance, uncomfortably. Suddenly, she heard familiar voices, calling her name, and breaking some of the silence, for they weren't calling very loudly.

Tea looked over to see Yugi, Serenity, Mai and Marik standing under a tree, to the side of the sidewalk, which ran to the front doors of the school. Tea quickly power-walked over there.

"Hey guys! Where's Joey?"

"Detention…with Tristan," Serenity sighed,

"Ryou?"

"Not here yet," Yugi commented.

"Duke?"

"Dentist appointment…he'll be late," Marik replied.

Tea then finally asked, since everybody was staring at the ground now, "Guys…what's going on? Why is everybody staring at me?" She said this quietly. The rest schoolyard was still staring at her. Many of them had been at the party themselves. Those who hadn't had heard form those who had.

"Um, Tea, don't you remember what happened last night?" Marik inquired.

"Last night?"

Yugi ran his two index fingers in circles, in the air, "Does Kaiba's party ring a bell?"

"Oh yeah! That was last night! What about it?"

Mai was fed up, "Girl! Everybody's staring at you because of what you yapped off at Kaiba last night down in the hall!" Serenity looked at the ground, a tad guiltily. She had no reason to look that way, though.

"Oh yeah…" Tea remembered thoughtfully. Then, she remembered it to the full extent, "Oh…yeah…" she said through gritted teeth. At that moment, a black limousine pulled up to the front of the school. This time, every gaze was directed toward the door was opening, and emitting Kaiba. He stepped out and took one look at everybody.

He was clueless…for once.

Even the gang, save Tea, whom was still fuming, was looking his direction. Tea finally turned to see what they were looking at. She saw Kaiba, and immediately gave him the nastiest glare in the history of Tea's nasty glares…which could be pretty nasty indeed.

Seto knew what was up, now. Even though it bothered him a bit, he acted unfazed by the situation, and continued his way up to the front steps to the school.

Everyone was back to staring at Tea now.

"You know what, guys? I think we ought to go inside now," Serenity prodded them all along.

"Yes…inside," Tea said, spaced out. They reached the front steps, where the group was pretty much going to part.

"Tea? Can we talk to you at lunch? All of us?" Yugi inquired. That was the only time they could talk freely with everyone there, save Ishizu. But, Marik would fill her in at home.

"Sure…" Tea replied, and headed off to Math, her first period.

It was when she reached the doorway to the room, that she remembered one fatal thing: she had Advanced Math with none other than: Seto Kaiba. Geez, this day was going to be a nightmare.

She collected herself, and walked in coolly, not giving so much as a second glace to Kaiba, who sat in the back, as usual. For now, they were the only two in the room. The teacher wasn't even there yet.

She sat down in her assigned seat (in the front row) and opened up her book, and her bonder to where her homework was stored.

This wasn't good. She hoped someone, whether it was the teacher, or a staring student, would get in here. She didn't want to be in the room, alone with Kaiba.

Someone sat down next to Tea: in the seat to her left. Good, Tea sighed, that was Kyoko Asuka's seat (she's an OC that I'm using in the novel I'm writing. Here, she's going to act as a classmate, of course). Finally, someone else was here besides that retard in the back seat.

"Tea," a male voice started, "I need to talk to you." Tea shut her eyes the minute the voice had begun talking. It wasn't Kyoko…it was….

She turned her head slowly, and opened her eyes, "You need to talk to me, Kaiba? Actually, I think we talked enough last night, judging at all the glares and stares we've received this morning. Oh look, more glares!" she pointed at the threshold of the door, "Look's like your fan club isn't too happy about that…. Wow, I never knew we'd share a similarity."

Kaiba turned to look in the doorway. There indeed, were three of the smarter girls in his "fan club," glaring at the two of them. Seto sighed, stood up and walked to the back of the room, and sat down again. He would have pounded his desk in frustration, had the teacher not come in at that exact moment.

Soon after, the rest of the class filed in, and class started once the bell rang at 8:00 sharp.

Kaiba didn't pay attention, as usual, during Math class. Except, today, instead of being on his laptop, or reading a book, he was thinking. He was thinking of ways to get Tea back where she belonged: with him.

She now seems to utterly hate me, he thought, but that's sort of understandable. I've made fun of her friends, and even her, unintentionally. I obviously hurt her six years ago. I shunned her in times where we both needed each other. I've been a cold-hearted jerk. And then, after six years of coldness, and a long period of no forgiveness between us, I go and kiss her! She must REALLY hate me now. I'm never going to get her back. But, I have to try.

He thought up hundreds of ways to get her back, but each was as impossible, or stupid as the next.

On an especially stupid act, he thought, great, I'm reducing myself to thinking like "the mutt."


Lunch arrived after the next period (they're on the block schedule, meaning that they have four classes (A) one days, and four different classes (B) the next day, switching A and B every Friday (Ex.: A, B, A, B, A or A, B, A, B, B)).

Tea sat down at their gang's usual table. Eventually, after the others had sat down, she started the conversation. She had a feeling that whatever they had wanted to talk about with her had something to do with Kaiba.

"So, Joey, Tristan…how was detention today?" she tried pulling them away from the subject.

"Fine, same as usual," the two replied simultaneously, not eating yet.

"Why aren't you guys eating? Is something wrong? Are you sick?" They didn't answer. She took that as a no, and a cue to quickly start another conversation. "So, Duke…how was that dentist appointment, huh?"

"Look Tea," Duke started, "Stop trying to avoid the subject. We know you're trying to change it with these questions."

"But I--" Tea started.

"Hun, you've kept something from us. Something you pretty much revealed last night. And as friends, we think we have the right to know what," Mai continued.

Ryou took it up, "Well, Tea, you see…it seems that last night, you yelled…in Kaiba's face…that you had been through for a good six years or so. It makes it sound like you had a…I don't know…a…"

"A relationship with him," Joey cut it suddenly, looking at Tea sternly.

"And Tea…by the looks of last night…it kinda seems that he…" it was Serenity's turn to fade off.

"Hurt you," Yugi added in, bluntly, looking sternly at Tea, like Joey was.

Tea looked around at them all for a second. She REALLY didn't want to tell them the truth. But, she didn't want to lie either. So…she was going to do something that she did best: exaggerate. A quality that wasn't really lying, but also stretched the truth just a little.

"Guys, it was nothing. He asked me to…come to his office for a minute, because he needed to…ask me something. We kind of got into an argument. You know…his temper, my temper…" Tea began.

Tristan whispered to Joey, sarcastically, "Ha, they'd make a good couple with those similarities." The reaction he expected from Joey…was entirely different from the one he got.

"I know…that's what I'm worried about. It seems that it was that way…six years ago," Joey replied, still whispering.

"Guys?" Tea looked at the two, "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!" they answered back, a little to quickly.

"Oh…well, anyway, that's it, really--" Tea was interrupted.

"What about the "six years ago" thing?" Marik inquired.

"Oh…that…I was referring to a…job! Yes, a job. He had…hired me six years ago for a small, part time job when he got his company. I needed the money since, back then, I was worrying about my aunt and uncle with their jobs. They hadn't expected, six years previous to be dumped with a kid. Yeah, that's the story," Tea ended.

"Liar," Mai stated plainly.

"I'm not lying!" Tea retorted.

"Well, you sure ain't tellin' the truth, the whole truth and nuttin' but the truth!" Joey rebuked.

Duke clapped playfully, "Bravo, Joey! You learned something in history class!"

"Shut it!" Joey snapped back.

"No, she's not lying," Yugi stated.

"Oh, thank you Yugi--" Tea started.

"She's exaggerating," Yugi ended. Tea reddened. Everyone looked at her, impatiently. Dang, Yugi was too smart for her own good. Either that, or she and he had been close friends for WAY too long.

"Tell us the truth, Tea. We're not going to kill you. We just want to know," Ryou said.

"He will," Tea pointed at Joey.

"Why would I kill you?" Joey replied, pointed to himself.

"Because…you just will…" Tea retorted.

"Tea, it's all the past. What's done is done. Joey can't get mad at you for that," Marik replied.

"Besides…if I'm right in knowing where this is going," Serenity stated, "this comes in way before any of us were friends."

"Hehe, that's funny, because, even though you weren't there with our original group, Serenity," Tea inquired, "You're totally right."

"Ha! We're getting somewhere!" Mai replied.

Now, it just so happened that Tea sat on one side of the square bench in the cafeteria, and the others were all crowded on the opposite bench, looking at her, while waiting for an explanation.

It was in this fashion, that Tea was able to see who had just stepped behind them. She glared…one of her famous death glares. They were almost as famous as the glares the person she was glaring at, gave.

As soon as the rest of them saw her glaring, they looked behind them, and stared into the ice-cold eyes of none other than Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiba," Duke stated.

"How long have you been standing there?" Joey threw out.

"Well, since your girlfriend right here just started glaring, I supposed just for about twenty seconds now," Kaiba replied, nonchalantly.

Tea immediately stood up and started walking away.

"Tea! Where are you going?" Ryou inquired. She turned around and glared long and hard at Kaiba.

"Don't you use that word around me," she spat out. That one made Kaiba think. What word?

"What word, Tea?" Yugi asked. Tea snorted and walked off to the drink machine to get herself an iced tea.

The rest turned back to Kaiba, "Do you know what she's talking about?" Tristan inquired.

"I might…but it's not like I'd tell you." It was then that he had just figured it out. Girlfriend. That was the word that bothered her…well, if he used it. "Let's just say it's a word that has to do with something you're trying to get Gardner to tell. At least, I think you're trying to get something out of her. Perhaps…perhaps you're trying to make her reveal what she's hidden for six years from you…."

"What, do you want to tell us what happened?" Mai crossed her arms.

"No. And I'd prefer if no one told. However, seeing as the mutt here just needs to know that information, before he drives himself even crazier than he already is, I'll leave you to pick away at Tea's emotions…er…memories," and with that word hanging, he walked off to the back of the lunchroom.

"What the heck is he talking about?" Marik inquired.

"Is that jerk gone?" Tea came back, with an almost empty can of iced tea. Heck, it was only fifteen steps to the drink machine….

"Yes…" Mai looked at her suspiciously.

"Tea…what's going on? Kaiba totally just confused us," Duke replied.

"Why, what did he say?" Tea sipped the last of her drink, and chucked it into a nearby trashcan. It landed in there perfectly.

"Good shot!" Joey stood up. Tristan pulled him back down and elbowed him. "Oh, yeah…Kaiba." Joey returned to senses.

"Well, he said something along the lines of you…keeping something from us for six years?" Ryou gave her a questioned look.

"And what word bothered you? That had something to do with what he said, too," Marik added.

Tea sighed, "Fine. You know what? Mai's right…and you're right, Marik. You have the right to know, and the past is the past. There's nothing anybody can do about it now," she looked up at the clock, "I have fifteen minutes. You'd better catch all of thins, because I'm not going to repeat it."

And with that, she began her tale. She told them of how, when she came to Japan, Kaiba was the first person there to be kind to her. They became friends. (At this, Joey has started reddening in anger.) Soon…they didn't think of themselves just as friends, but having a relationship. (Joey began fuming here, while Tea began reddening at the strange looks the gang was giving her.)

Soon, Kaiba's parents died, and she had no friends. She visited him at the orphanage, just through the gates. Then, one day, he was taken away from her. (She was just about to tell them about how they had almost kissed…but she left that part out. They didn't have to know that.) Then, the next day, she had seen Kaiba and Mokuba taken away in a limo.

For weeks, they had written letters back and forth. Finally, she was admitted to come and see him. That had been the fatal day: the day he yelled at her: the day he shunned her: the day their friendship ended.

After that, she had made friends with Joey, Yugi and Tristan, and had always tried to avoid Kaiba. This was what led part of the gang's dislike towards him: Tea disliked him. To this day, she still felt hurt, and despised him for hurting her.

"There. That's my story. That's what Kaiba meant about me keeping something from you for six years. He was meaning that I had been…his girlfriend…and he had been my…boy—boy---" she couldn't bring herself to say the word.

Yugi immediately rushed over to her side of the table, and put a hand on her shoulder. She started crying quietly.

"I'm sorry. This is my problem. I shouldn't be worrying you guys with this. Don't worry about me," Tea tried wiping away the tears that kept on flowing.

"It's alright Tea. We know you were hurt. That's why we're here to help. But you know…you could've brought this to us sooner, and made it less painful," Yugi soothed.

"I know…it was stupid of me…but I was just afraid…because…I didn't know what you guys would think of me…after that…especially Joey," she added.

Joey, who up to now had been burning away to a crisp, suddenly stopped, and realized most of this bottling up, had been his fault. If he hadn't hated Kaiba so much and shown it, his friend would have been happier. So, he tried putting this into words.

"Tea…I'm really sorry…. I feel that a lot of this is my fault. I mean…you even said…"especially Joey." I kept you from telling us…and from letting out something you needed to tell us. I really sorry," he apologized.

Tea looked up," It's okay, Joey. I've told you now. It's all alright."

"But one thing still bothers me," Mai said, "What did Kaiba do to make you so angry last night?"

Tea paled. No way was she going to tell them that. She had told enough as it was. Suddenly, the bell rang.

"Oh, well, what do you know? We're going to be late for class. We'd better be off. See you later guys!" and with that, Tea rushed out of the cafeteria.

"Ugh! She's keeping something else from us!" Mai retorted.

"Relax, Mai," Ryou replied. She looked at him, amazed, "She's told us most of the puzzle. We'll find that out another day…when she's ready to tell. But it won't be too long from now. We'll make sure of that."


Kaiba was sitting at a bench, putting away his laptop. A droplet of water landed on the computer's surface. And then another. They were tears. Kaiba had purposely sat closer than usual to their spot, though they hadn't seemed to notice.

Hearing her version of the tale…again…had been painful. It was then, again, for the second night in a row, that he felt the pain that he had inflicted upon her. But now, he was willing to make up for it. He was also wanted her back.


Well, was that chapter good enough for you? Did you like it? Was it too short? I don't think so…but it is one of my shorter chapters…I think. Oh well! You got an update, so there you have it! Of course, this will probably be the last update for about three weeks, so enjoy it! I'll try though; I'll try for another one…. Review!