Disclaimer: "I do not own yugioh."

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

...

Tea slowly opened her eyes and curiously glanced around.

'Where am I?' She wondered. The place was unfamiliar to her. It was a grand room with a blue theme. She was lying down on a king size bed, covered in blue sheets. She removed some of it and gasped realizing that her clothes had been changed.

'What is this? Where am I? Whose room is this?' She began panicking. The sound of running water stopped and not long after, a door opened, revealing a handsome man clad only in a towel. She gasped recognizing his face.

"Kaiba." That was all she could say because she was too shocked. He sharply turned to stare at her.

"You're awake?" His eyes widened. He was equally surprised.

It had been a week since he had brought her to his mansion and into his room. He had taken care of her since the day Mokuba had tricked him into it, feeding her and making sure she was in a comfortable position besides other things. Every day, he would come early from work and spend his time with her. He just sat beside her and worked, occassionally watching her. He had regularly checked her wounds to see if she was healing. Every time, her creamy skin without any scar would entrance him. It seemed that God was bent on keeping his creation as perfect as it had been before this whole ordeal. He often wraped his arms around her waist, holding her close and kissing her forehead to make sure she wouldn't have any nightmares. He wanted her to be awake, to see her smile, and to hear her laugh. But secretly, he wished he could give her sleeping pills for longer than a week so he could watch her and be with her. He knew if she woke up, he would never get as close to her as he could during her sleep.

"Is this your… mansion?" She hesitated saying that she knew was in his room.

"Yes, and this is my room." Surely, he didn't feel awkward about the situation.

"How did I get here? Last I remember, I was in the alley with..." She couldn't finish. Her throat choked up and her eyes spilled tears. His heart lurched at the sight.

"I brought you here. Mokuba heard your screams and I went to investigate. I found your friends beating you. I didn't know why. You were defenseless so I took you from them. You were badly hurt so I brought you here."

"You saved me and… then took care of me when I was unconscious." Tears started falling from her eyes again. "You helped me, and those who I always trusted treated me so badly." She covered her face and cried. Seto quickly strode and sat beside her. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and massaged her back. She fell into his arms and sobbed. He just held her close, trying to absorb the pain from her.

"Shh. Don't cry. It's over. They can't hurt you any more. You're safe here." He whispered comfortingly to her. After a while, she stopped crying. But she didn't let him go. She rested her head on his chest and let his heartbeat calm her down. She liked the feel of her skin against his. That's when she realized what she was doing. She was hugging Seto Kaiba who was only wearing a towel. She moved back and blushed crimson red.

"I'm… I'm sorry." She said turning her head away from his bare chest. He noticed her blush and realized that he was nearly naked. He blushed himself.

"I'll go downstairs and… see Mokuba. I should thank him." She said and tried to get up but stumbled back into his arms.

"What happened?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I don't know. I tried to stand but it feels like I don't have any energy at all." He could see the panic on her face.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. I'm fine. Just surprised and worried. Why did it happen? I look fine and feel fine too." She asked him, trying to get out of his arms.

"You have been asleep for a week. Your muscles aren't used to work. It will take some time to adjust to movement." He calmly explained.

"So how am I supposed to get around?" she couldn't stay in bed all day.

"You don't have to worry about that. Your legs will adjust to movement soon. For the time being, I'll help you. Just… just let me… wear something." Tea blushed red and moved out of his arms. He held her around the waist and placed her on the bed beside him. Then he got up and walked into his giant closet. Tea waited for him to come out and when he did, he was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. He looked vary casual, like a normal teenager.

"Well, are you ready?" He asked, standing in front of her.

"Yes. But I still don't know how am I going to go downstairs." He answered her question by scooping her in his arms, bridal style. She gasped but his strong hold told her she was safe, so she relaxed.

He walked out of the room and carried her down the stairs. Tea wrapped her arms around his neck for support and rested her head on his chest. She inhaled the scent of his cologne. He smelled nice, maybe because he just took a shower. His neck was still wet with the drops of water dripping from his damp hair. She felt strange being so close to him. He was supposed to be the enemy; someone she was supposed to dislike. This didn't seem right. But lately, many wrong things, many weird things had happened. Her most trusted friends had hurt her. They broke her and killed her spirit. Seto had resurrected her body and she felt her spirit being resurrected as well.

"Hey Tea. You're awake and okay. I'm so happy." Mokuba's head appeared in her view soon after his voice. He was bouncing happily, not being able to control his excitement.

"Hey Mokuba. Thank you so much for taking care of me." She gratefully smiled at the kid.

"Oh I didn't do much. It was Seto. He was the one who fed you and took care of you. That's why we didn't change your room, so you could be near him." Mokuba replied, causing Tea to stare at Seto in disbelief. He turned his head away, pretending to look at something else.

"Mokuba," he said, "grab those cushions and put them on the couch." Mokuba did as was asked. "Okay. Now go get something for her to eat." Mokuba nodded and left. Seto gently lowered Tea on the couch and carefully placed her on the comfy cushions. He adjusted them around her frame and then stood straight. That's when he noticed Tea lowering her head. He sat down beside her and held her face to take a better look. It was as he had predicted. She was crying.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. She wasn't crying because of Mokuba. Maybe she was thinking he did something to her during her sleep.

"No, you didn't. You have been doing everything right." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Then why are you crying?" It didn't make any sense.

"You… you have been so nice to me during my unconsciousness, taking care of me when you didn't have to. And even now, you treat me like a crystal doll, treating me with such care. I... I have never been treated that way before." She admitted and smiled at him, though her eyes still shone with tears.

"Fragile things are to be treated with care." He replied with a rare smile.

"I just never thought... I never expected it from you. I always expected this from…" She couldn't finish as tears began to form in her eyes again, but she wiped them before they could escaped her eyes.

"It's always the person you least expect." He said gazing into her eyes.

"Yeah." They sat there, gazing into each other's eyes, not daring to blink.

"Hey, I told the maid to make something for you Tea." Mokuba's voice shook them out of their state.

"Oh… thank you Mokuba." she said, disappointed a little since Seto had stood up, ready to leave.

"I'll… I'll see you later then." He quickly said and turned around towards his office. Tea watched him leave sadly, but Mokuba's cheerful voice caught her attention.

"We were so worried about you Tea." He said.

"We?" She inquired.

"Yeah, me and Seto. He was worried too. He would check your wounds and take your temperature regularly, even though the doctor said to do it every other day."

"Really." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah. But it's all good now. You're better and you can play with me now. I got this cool game that I wanted to try out and…" He continued talking to her and she smiled at his excitement.

Seto was working in his office; at least he was trying to work. He couldn't get his mind off a certain someone. The feel of her in his arms was fresh in his mind. Her radiant smile was evident in his memory, and made it hard for him to think of something else. She had occupied his thoughts and was slowly occupying his life. He sighed as he turned the laptop off. He needed to do something to get his mind off her. Suddenly the door opened and Mokuba's nervous face appeared.

"Umm Seto, I need your help"

"What is the problem Mokuba?"

"It's Tea."

"I said NO. I am not going to eat that." Tea said, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest and pouting like a small child. Seto sighed. He got down as soon as he could, thinking Tea was hurt. But the problem wasn't her. It was the chicken soup she was supposed to eat.

"Don't be stubborn. This is good for you." He tried to reason with her.

"But it tastes yucky." He raised an eyebrow. Yucky? Was that even a word? Well, it suited her since she was acting like a child.

"The doctor recommended this for you." He told her.

"But I don't need it anymore. I'm healthy now. Let me eat real food." She said, and he wanted to point out the fact that her 'healthy' body couldn't even walk.

"No, you'll eat this until you're strong enough to move." He said plainly, ending the discussion.

"No. I'm not eating this." Mokuba sighed. He would have to step in and solve this problem. Both were as stubborn as they came.

"How about we make a deal Tea. If you eat this, then you can… call Seto by his first name." He suggested.

"What?" They both spoke in unison.

"Yeah. If she eats this, you'll let her call you 'Seto' instead of Kaiba. Do you agree?" He asked his brother, who nodded after a small pause. He then turned to Tea who nodded as well.

"Okay then. Sorry for bothering you Seto. You can go back to your office now if you want." Mokuba said. Seto stood there for a while, as if making a decision. Then he turned around and walked back towards his office.

Knock, knock.

Seto stared at the door.

'Who could that be?' He wondered. It couldn't be Mokuba because he would enter after a knock. Then it must be Tea. He quickly shot out of his seat and opened the door. Just as he expected, Tea was there, leaning against the wall for support.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he grabbed her by the waist and brought her into his office.

"I wanted to tell you something. I finished the soup. So…" She looked away, blushing. But Seto knew what she was asking.

"I'm a man of my word. You can call me 'Seto' from now on if you want." Her face brightened.

"Seto." She said his name and giggled. He frowned.

"What's so funny?" He asked. He didn't like being laughed at.

"Nothing. Your name, it just sounds weird coming out of my mouth, doesn't it?" He frowned.

"No." She giggled even more. That was it. "Stop it Tea." She did, immediately, but not because he told her to, but because he had called her by her first name.

"Did you just call me 'Tea'." She asked, eyes slightly wide with surprise. He smirked.

"Did that sound weird coming from me?" He asked. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, it actually sounded nice." He smiled back.

"So, is that all you wanted to tell me?" He inquired, hoping there was something else. He didn't want her to leave just yet.

"Actually, Mokuba and I were wondering if we could have pizza for dinner." Seto frowned. He didn't like junk food much.

"No. The maids will have the dinner ready soon. Besides, you can't eat it. You still have to eat the foods specified by the doctor."

"Oh please." She said. Her eyes became big and shinny. Her lower lip started trembling and was set in a pouting position. Seto recognized that. It was 'the face'.

"Where did you learn this from? Mokuba?" Mokuba always made that face when he wanted something.

"Yes. He told me this always works. You're a sucker for 'the face'." She smiled at him. "So, can we, please." He sighed. He couldn't resist such a pretty face.

"Fine. Go ahead." He sighed, defeated. She smiled triumphantly.

"I guess it does work. Tell me, how do I look when I make 'the face'." She made the same face again. Seto smiled at her. He reached out and held her chin in his fingers, to take a better look. He brought her face closer to his, as if inspecting it.

"Hmm, you look cuter then before." He said and pulled back. She blushed at his comment.

'He thinks I look cuter. Then he thinks I look cute.' She thought, feeling like a giddy school girl.

"I think you should stay here. I am almost finished so I'll take you downstairs with me." He said. Tea nodded, happy at a chance to be in his arms again. She waited for him to finish his work. He was done sooner then she thought.

"Okay, let's go." He said as he picked her up in his arms again. They ate pizza, even Seto, who complained with every bite. Tea got to eat just a little bit as well. They chatted after dinner, debating on a movie to watch, and ended up picking Mokuba's choice. After an hour and a half, Seto declared it was time to go to sleep. Tea said good night to Mokuba and Seto picked her up again. He took her to his room.

"Do you have a balcony?" She asked him. He nodded and took her there. He placed her on the floor and stood beside her, close enough to hold her in case she fainted or stumbled. They gazed at the star filled sky.

"Thanks." She said, still looking at the sky. He turned to stare at her. "For everything. You have done so much for me. I owe you my life."

"Hmm." He mumbled.

"Why did you do it?" She suddenly asked, making him turn his head slightly to stare at her.

"Because I didn't want you to go through that alone." He admitted after a pregnant pause. "I have been in the same situation before. My stepfather beat me to toughen me up. Every night, I would be in the same situation, bruised and bloody. So I knew how you felt. I had no one to help me so I turned cold. But you… you don't deserve to be alone and full of hate like me."

"I thought I wasn't going to make it." She admitted in a small voice. "I was so scared. But I did make it because of you. I thought I couldn't trust anyone ever again after what happened. But I do. I don't know how or why but I trust you. I did the moment I woke up. It's like I trusted you even when I was unconscious." She turned to stare into his eyes. "I trust you Seto. Can I?" Her eyes were full of hope tinted with fear. He knew he couldn't say no even if he wanted to.

"Of course you can. You always did what your heart told you to do. I trust you to do it now as well." He replied.

"My mind tells me to trust you Seto, but my heart… it's still scared. I don't know what to do." Seto put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Do what you think is right." She stared at him with her beautiful eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug.

"I trust you. I trust you with my life. I know I can count on you to be there for me. Please don't be like them. I don't want to be hurt again." He felt her tears on his shirt, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head and said.

"I won't ever hurt you Tea. I know how you feel. I'm not like them. I never was and never will stoop as low as to be like them. I'll always be there for you when you need me." He told her.

'I won't leave you Tea.' He silently added to himself. 'I can't even if I want to.'

...

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