Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, or the song used in this chapter. The song is Numb by Linkin Park.

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

...

"Mokuba, have you seen Tea?" Seto asked his brother who was busy playing a video game.

"Yeah. She is in the gym." Mokuba replied, not looking away from the TV screen. Seto sighed and went to look for her.

He had just returned from work and expected to find her greeting him. He was looking forward to spending time with her. But she was nowhere to be seen. As he neared the gym, he could hear loud music. She must be dancing in there. It was her passion after all.

I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I've become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be

The lyrics of the song didn't surprise him one bit. He opened the door and saw Tea dancing, her eyes closed. He watched in amazement as she danced furiously, her every movement displaying anger. It was as if she was taking her anger out through music. But even in the absolute anger, her moves was smooth and flawless. The song ended as she finished her dance. She stood still, her arms stretched, head bowed low.

Clap, clap, clap.

The sound of clapping forced her to open her eyes and lift her head. Seto stood in the door, a smile gracing his lips. She blushed.

"That was great." He said as he walked towards her.

"Thanks." She said, breathing heavily.

"You danced with perfection, even though you had been deprived of movement for quite a while. Impressive."

"Thanks. So… am I good enough? I mean, can I train with you now?" She asked hopefully. Her eyes were shinning with excitement and hope and Seto couldn't refuse.

"Sure. I believe we can try."

"Yes. Thank you so much. You won't regret this." She jumped in excitement.

"We won't have much trouble since you already posses the strength, stamina and balance needed to learn the art of fighting. Infact, if you become creative, you can turn you dance moves into fighting."

"Really?" She said, eyes wide with surprise.

"Sure. I saw you spin on one leg just now. If you extend your other leg instead of bending it while spinning, it could be a kick. Now do it. Let me see." He told her. She did as she was told.

"Lift it up a bit. Try to kick me. Aim for my face, my jaw." He said. She hesitated for a bit. Then aimed for his face. Even though she was smaller in height, her kick, if connected, would've been able to hit him square in the face, had he not moved away.

"This isn't as hard as I thought." She said as she tried again. He smiled.

"Ok. Let's practice some more kicks and then we'll move to punches." He said.

"Hey Tea, guess what? The carnival is in town." A hyper Mokuba told Tea.

"Really. We should go then." She nodded excitedly.

"Seto won't. He thinks it's a waste of time." Mokuba said sadly.

"We'll just have to change his mind them. Now let's go get him. I have a plan." Tea said smiling evilly.

Seto was working in his office when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said and continued working.

"Hey Seto." Mokuba and Tea said at the same time, making him look up.

"What are you two doing here? Do you need something?" He asked them, suspicious of their smiling faces.

"Kind of." Mokuba said.

"Yes we do." Tea said.

"What is it?" He asked after they didn't elaborate.

"The carnival is in town and we want to go." Mokuba said jumping up and down in excitement.

"Mokuba, I have told you several times. Must I repeat myself?" Seto said shaking his head.

"But Seto, we get bored sitting in the house all day. An outing will be fun. And I think you need to get out of this stinking office as well." Tea said.

"Come on Seto. Please. I never get to spend any time with you." Mokuba whined, trying to guilt Seto into agreeing.

"But Mokuba." Seto sighed, ready to explain to his brother, but Mokuba took out his secret weapon. Puppy dog eyes. Seto stared at his adorable brother and couldn't find the strength to say no. He turned to Tea.

"Tea, explain to him. Tell him-." But he stopped, shocked at what he was seeing. She was giving him the same look. With two pairs of bright eyes peering at him, he gave up.

"Alright You win. We'll go to the stupid carnival." He grumbled.

"Yay. You're the best seto." They both yelled happily and ran downstairs, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Seto just laughed at their antics.

"I want to go on the big wheel."

"I want to ride the roller coaster."

"I want to play games."

"I want to eat a lot of cotton candy."

"No, hot dogs. They are tasty."

Tea and Mokuba had been saying things like that the whole way during the ride. Seto had listened to it patiently, but he didn't have much patience.

"Stop. It." He said in a serious tone, silencing them both. "We'll do whatever you want if you shut up now." They both nodded and he continued driving.

Normally, they would use the limo, but Tea wanted him to drive his car this time. She thought a limo would attract too much attention. But Seto said that wherever he went, attention found it's way there, so she didn't have to worry about that. But Mokuba had agreed with her and so here he was, driving them. The car came to a halt in the parking lot besides the entrance to the carnival. Seto, Tea and Mokuba got out, smiling lightly. People around them turned to stare at them and whisper among themselves.

"Just ignore them." Seto told Tea and Mokuba as they went inside the gates. Mokuba and Tea soon spotted the giant roller coaster and ran towards it. Seto followed, shaking is head in disbelief at their childishness. Mokuba and Tea got tickets for themselves. They wanted Seto to sit with them but only two people could sit in one and Seto said he didn't want to go on the roller coaster, so they left him. He stood besides the metal fence, watching them.

"Sorry kid, but you can't sit in this one. This is for big kids, not shrimps like you." A young man said to Mokuba who was sitting besides Tea.

"What? You have to be kidding Me." Mokuba said in disbelief.

"Ask that man who works here, if you don't believe me." The man said smirking.

"All right, we will." Tea said glaring at the man, who only laughed. They asked the man who worked there and found that Mokuba wouldn't sit in that particular roller coaster. He didn't meet the height requirements.

"Oh, what are you going to do now?" Tea said as mokuba got out.

"I am gonna go on the other one." He pointed to another one, which was smaller compared to the one Tea was sitting in.

"Okay. But what am I going to do? I don't want to be alone in this. It will be no fun." Tea said looking disappointed.

"No worries babe. What am I here for? I'll sit with you incase you get scared and need someone to hold." The young man who told Mokuba about the ride said as he sat in Mokuba's seat.

"The only thing that is scaring me is your ugly face. And the only way to get rid of it is for you to get the hell out of here." Tea said angrily to the guy. But he only laughed.

"Feisty. I like it." He said, as he got comfortable in the seat. Tea realized he wasn't in any mood to leave, so she decided to.

"Since you are not leaving, I will. I won't be able to eat lunch, thanks to you, but I won't miss dinner as well. So sit here and scare the others." She got up, ready to leave but he grabbed her arm and yanked her back into the seat. Tea yelped in surprise.

"Oh no. You are not going anywhere. You'll sit here with me and enjoy the ride." The man said smirking. Tea looked helplessly at Mokuba. She tried to yank her arm out of his grip but he held on tightly.

"Let her go you freak." Mokuba said angrily. The man turned to stare at Mokuba and laughed.

"And who are you, her boyfriend?" He laughed again. "I don't think she needs a shrimp like you. She deserves a man like me. And she'll get one. Now scram. Go to your mommy." The man turned to Tea again and tried to run his fingers through her hair. Tea, once again, struggled to get out of his grasp, but failed, yet again.

Mokuba did, scram from there, but instead of going to his mommy, he went to his brother.

"Seto, Seto, come with me fast." Mokuba said as he ran towards his big brother.

"What is it Mokuba? Why aren't you with Tea?" seto asked.

"I was with her. But a man made me get out because I was young. Then he got in beside her and is harassing her. He wouldn't let her out." As soon as Mokuba finished, Seto started walking towards the roller coaster. Mokuba followed, smiling evilly.

Tea was having trouble trying to keep the man's hands away from her body. He kept trying to touch her. She couldn't even get away from him. He kept smiling as if he was enjoying her discomfort. She felt like punching his ugly face. She tried but he grabbed her that arm as well. Now both of her arms were trapped within his strong grip.

"Pretty faces like you shouldn't mess with people like me. But I'll let it slide. After all, I can't hurt something so delicious." He licked his lips and moved in to kiss her. She moved her had back as much as she could, but he only came closer. She closed her eyes, trying to block his image out. Just when she could smell his tobacco-laced breath, he jerked his head back. She opened her eyes and saw that someone had pulled his head back. And that someone was Seto.

"I'll give you 30 seconds to get away from her and out of my sight." Seto said in a dangerously venomous voice. He glared at the man with angry eyes. Though his face was expressionless, a hint of anger could be detected. His eyes and his clenched fists clearly indicated he was about to blow.

"S… sorry man. I didn't know she was taken." The man stammered, scared by Seto's demeanor.

"20 seconds." Seto said and the man quickly got out and ran away from them. Tea watched him run in amusement and then turned to Seto.

"Thanks." She said smiling gratefully at him. He didn't reply.

"I have to go now, or I'll miss the ride. See ya." Mokuba said as he ran towards the small roller coaster.

"I guess I better get out too." Tea said as she started to get out but stopped when Seto got in to sit beside her.

"What are you doing?" She said completely shocked. He said he didn't like roller coasters or any joy rides.

"Clearly, a single beautiful girl attracts too many horny morons, so I'll stay with you. And since you want to ride this abomination, I guess I have no other choice." He said, not looking at her.

'Beautiful. He said a beautiful girl.' Tea thought happily. His other words sunk in slowly. He cared for her and so was here, even though he didn't want to. She smiled at his kind gesture. The roller coaster slowly started moving and Tea held on to the rail tightly. Excitement and fear ran through her veins like blood. As they moved up, she knew they would soon go down and through a loop. She held onto the railing and closed her eyes, as her body was jerked forward and her heart stuck in her throat.

Seto noticed Tea's tensed posture and her white knuckles and smiled. She was scared. He could not understand why people went on these rides if they were afraid. He slowly put an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. Upon contact, her body relaxed. Tea didn't feel scared any more. He was glad that his touch was able to quell her fear and bring her comfort.

"That was so awesome. I loved it. How about you guys?" An excited Mokuba asked Tea and Seto.

"It was so cool." Tea said and Seto didn't argue. He may not have liked the ride, but he liked what happened during the ride when Tea clung to him.

"Let's go play some games." Mokuba suggested and Tea nodded. They walked towards the many game stalls. Tea and Mokuba tried many games, won some and failed at many. Suddenly Tea spotted a huge stuffed panda. She squealed in joy and ran towards it. It was the first prize and to win it, she had to knock 5 bottles in one blow with a ball. She tried several times but failed. The most she got was 4 bottles. Then she gave up and turned around to go to some other game.

"Let me try it. It's not so hard." Seto said. He grabbed the ball and threw it with impressive strength. The force knocked over many more then 5 bottles. The whole stall with the bottles shook. The man ran to hold it, preventing it from falling over.

"You won sir. Take whatever you want." He said trying to fix the bottles again.

"Take whatever you want." Seto said to Tea, who stared at him surprised. Then she took the panda and hugged it. It was the same size as her, just a foot smaller. Seto watched the ridiculous sight of a grown girl hugging a stuffed animal her size.

"Oh thank you Seto. Thank you so much. You are the best." She squealed hugging the panda and him. He tried hard not to blush and smile. He had seen her disappointed face when she had lost. He just couldn't see her looking so miserable so he played the stupid game. He could buy her hundreds of those idiotic toys but he knew she would be happier if he won it for her. And she was. They continued going from game stall to game stall, trying their luck. After a few hours, they could feel the tiredness of the day overtaking them.

"That was so much fun." Mokuba said happily, and Seto ruffled his hair. "Hey look Seto it's the game that I have. Let's go play it. I bet I can beat you." Mokuba said dragging Seto towards it.

"You guys go ahead. I'll go get something to eat for us." Tea said and walked towards a hot dog stand. She bought three and walked towards them when she heard someone call her name.

"Hey Tea. Wait up." She stopped dead in her tracks and then turned around to stare at the face she hated the most in the world.

"What do you want?" She asked, venom dripping from every word. He looked surprised but recovered quickly.

"I have been looking for you. Thank God I found you. And no one else is here too."

"Why? So you can hurt me again? I don't think that's a very wise choice. There are far too many people here. Shouldn't we be in an alley? And shouldn't you have your buddies with you?"

"Tea, please listen to me. I never wanted to hurt you. I never did." He said sadly.

"Yeah right. You were the one who slapped me Yugi. That hurt me more then the other blows." Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She would never let him have the pleasure of seeing her cry again.

"No Tea. It was Yami." He defended himself.

"You could have stopped him. But you didn't. You just watched him and the others. Just watched and enjoyed it." She accused him.

"Tea, please listen to me. When Serenity told us that, none of us believed her. But then you came and did what she told us. It hurt all of us, and we believed her story. In rage, Yami hit you. You know how he is when it comes to betrayal. He becomes very angry and unreasonable. But he was hurt by the action too. Tell me Tea, what would you have done in our place?"

"I would have given my childhood friend a chance to explain herself and would have believed her." She said. Yugi looked down in shame.

"And I did want to. I had a feeling Serenity was lying, and that you wouldn't do that. You would never betray us. Deep down, we all knew that, and still know that. At that time, we were blinded by anger. And Yami was hurt the most. When you left crying…"

(Flashback)

"Yami, say something. You have been acting like a stone ever since Tea and everyone else left." Yugi asked his yami.

"I can't believe it. How could she? How could I?" Yami said, not looking up.

"Yami, calm down. I have a feeling Serenity was lying." Yugi said, placing a comforting hand on Yami's shoulder.

"But why did Tea do exactly the same then? She didn't know what Serenity was going to say? She betrayed us Yugi. She had been with Kaiba all along. And I trusted her. I let her be my best friend, my most trust worthy fried. And she stabbed me in the back." Uami said staring at his hands.

"Yami, please listen to me. The Tea I know would never do that. And you know that as well." Yugi said.

"Maybe we never knew the real Tea. Maybe she lied to us all along. And I was such a fool to trust her. A fool." Yami punched the wall.

"Yami." Yugi said worriedly, watching his yami shake.

"I hit her Yugi. She betrayed me and that's why I hit her. But then why do I feel so bad? Why does it hurt?" Yami's voice was shaking. Tears ran down Yugi's face.

(End flashback)

"So that's what really happened? How did I miss that?" Tea said sarcastically.

"Tea, you don't believe me, but it's true." Yugi said desperately, trying to convince her.

"Sure Yugi. All the time they were hitting me, they were doing it out of love and care. I completely believe you." Her voice changed from sarcastic to sad. "You just didn't hurt me physically, but emotionally as well. My wounds may appear healed but the scars will always remind me of your inhumanity."

"Tea please. Yami was hurt. He was blinded by rage and pain, but he's very sorry." Yugi said.

"Sorry doesn't do anything Yugi. And why was he so hurt? Because he didn't get a chance to send me to the shadow realm? The thought of me still living must be painful to him."

"Tea, he was hurt because-." Yugi started but Tea cut him.

"Stop it Yugi. I'm not going to listen to any more of your lies." Yugi wanted to say something but stopped when he saw Seto come and stand behind Tea.

"What's the problem Tea?" He asked her, glaring at Yugi.

"Nothing important." She said.

"Then let's go. We have spent enough time here. Mokuba is already in the car." Seto said.

"Okay, let's go." Tea said and walked away with him, leaving Yugi alone, staring sadly at them.

"He was hurt because he hurt you Tea. Because he loved you and he still does." Yugi finished, staring at their backs, watching them disappear into the crowd.

...

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