disclaimer: "i do not own yugioh."

"talk"

'thoughts'

Tea cautiously glanced around the area to scan for any human being. When she was assured there was none, she entered the hotel. She had lied to seto about going to the church. Although she felt terrible about lying to him and using church as her escape, she had to do it. She had to talk to marik and clear things out between them. She was there for a purpose. Since she had already been to his room once before, she knew where to go.

"Knock, knock." With a racing heart, she knocked on the door and met with a handsomely dressed marik.

"Tea?" the shock was evident in his voice. Surely, he didn't expect her.

"Yes marik. It's me. Can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course." He happily replied and moved aside to allow her in. Once in, he started talking rapidly.

"Tea, I knew you'd come. I knew you loved me. You can't deny your feelings for me."

"Marik." Tea tried to talk to him, but he seemed to be in a different world.

"You still love me. You had forgotten our relationship. But I reminded you."

"Marik." Tea said it louder this time, but still no effect.

"I may have lost you before, but I won't lose you this time. I love you as much as you love me."

"MARIK." Tea screamed. This caused him to stop babbling and stare at her.

"What?"

"I'm not here to confess my feelings for you marik." Tea explained calmly.

"What? You're lying." Marik said.

"I'm here to tell you to leave. Please marik, try to understand. I don't love you any more. I love seto and nothing will change that."

"…" Marik was speechless.

"Ever since you came back into my life, everything has been going wrong. You think that by destroying kaiba corp. you're hurting seto only, but you're hurting me too. I love seto and I feel his pain, his stress." Tea continued.

"No. This can't be." Marik slowly whispered as he fell back on a chair.

"I came here to prove to you that I love seto only, and will always love him, no matter what. Marik, I'm pregnant with his child."

"What? That's impossible. You'd never… he…" marik didn't know what to say. It seemed like words had left his side, just like tea.

"He did marik. Because I let him. I wanted him to. I love him marik and I'm happy with him. And if you really do love me, then you'd leave. You'd leave me here, in my world. Please marik, leave me to my happiness. That's all I ask from you marik. That's all." The last part was barely above a whisper. Marik's head hung low.

"All right tea. You'd get what you want. I'll leave." Marik said. Tea's face lit up in joy.

"Oh thank you marik. I knew you were a good person inside. Thanks." She said and left him alone to deal with the pain of a shattered heart.

Tea happily entered the kaiba mansion. She had finally convinced marik to leave her alone, to leave them alone. Now her and seto could be happy again, without the problems they were facing now. No more company troubles, no more mental stress. It was all over.

"You seem very happy. A bit too happy for church." Seto's voice seemed to echo in the huge mansion.

"Seto?" tea said in surprise. "I thought you had work at kaiba corp."

"I did. But it wasn't of important nature." Seto said, walking down the stairs. Tea noticed his eyes were cold and his face was expressionless.

"But you said it was important." Tea recalled what he told her earlier that morning.

"Not as important as this is."

"What is?" tea was confused.

"Where were you just now?"

"I told you, I was at church."

"Then you must have met with the father too." Seto now stood before her, eyes boring holes in her skull.

"Yes. I did." Tea didn't know why he was asking her all these questions.

"And was that father's name marik?"

"What? What are you saying seto?" tea face went pale.

"You were at marik's hotel, weren't you?"

"I don't know what--." Tea tried to deny it but seto yelled, scaring her.

"DON'T LIE TO ME. I saw you walk in there with my very eyes."

"Wh…" tea was like a deer caught in headlights. Seto had seen her, but how? How did he know she was going there?

"Why were you there? Why did you go there?" he continued with questions.

The secret tea had been hiding from his was out in the open. And not in the way she intended it to be. Because she had lied to him, seto doubted her. If only she had told him everything, this wouldn't have happened. But she was afraid he would be angry. No need to fear it now.

"Seto, you don't know everything." She said desperately.

"Of course I don't know everythi9ng, if I had known, I'd have done something." seto grumbled.

"Seto let me explain."

"Then explain why you were there? How did you know him? For how long have you been seeing him?"

"I knew him before I met you." tea said. "I was dating him then."

"What? But you said you weren't seeing anyone."

"I lied." Tea shamefully admitted.

"Why?"

"No one knew about our relationship. Not even my dad. But when I told him, he was angry. Marik was poor and wasn't the kind of son-in-law my father wanted. He agreed to meet him, on the condition that if he didn't like marik, I'd marry you. And then he insulted marik and drove him out." Tea told him.

"And then you had to marry me." seto said in a cold tone.

"Yes." Tea said.

"You never did want to marry me. Instead you were forced to. That's why you were sad on our wedding night. That's why you didn't let me touch you. Because you loved marik." Seto said in a monotonous voice.

"Yes."

"Because of me, you had to be away from your lover."

"No." tea quickly said. That's not what she was saying.

"And when he came back for you, you were more then happy to go back to him. But I stood in your way." Seto continued.

"Seto, no. That's not--."

"The same person that pulled you two apart. So to gat back at me, you sold my company to him."

"No." Tea was now freaking out.

"You planned to bring me down by destroying my company."

"Please, listen to me."

"You lied to me all those years. You only pretended to be happy. But deep inside, you resented me."

"That's not true."

"You watched me shower you with affection and laughed behind my back at my foolishness. Indeed I was foolish to trust you."

"Seto, please, give me a chance to explain myself." Tea begged him with tears in her eyes.

"Of course. After all I have done to you and your lover, the least I can do is give you a chance." Seto said with venom and hatred in his voice. "And I will give you a chance. From now on, I won't stand in the way of you and your lover. You are free to do whatever you please. Just take your things and get out of my sight." These words hit tea's heart like rusty daggers.

"You… don't--." He didn't give her a chance to finish.

"I said get out. I don't want to listen to your lies any more." With these words, he marched upstairs and shut the door to his room… "Their" room.

"Seto, listen to me. It's not what you think." She yelled as she pounded at the door, begging at him to open. But he didn't. She slowly sank to her knees as all energy left her body.

"You don't understand. I love you," she whispered. Approaching footsteps caught her attention. It was mokuba.

"Tea, why are you crying? What happened?" mokuba asked as he sank to her level.

"Mokuba, help me. Seto… he doesn't understand… he… he told me to… leave." She managed to say between hiccups. Mokuba was a bit shocked but he quickly recovered.

"He was acting strange since he got back from work. I think I'm beginning to understand why he hit duke."

"Duke?" tea said. He must have taken seto and showed her. He was the one.

"He did it. He tricked seto." tea yelled in anger.

"Calm down tea." mokuba said.

"Mokuba, please talk to seto." tea begged. At this, mokuba lowered his head.

"I… I can't. I'm sorry."

"What? Why?" tea was shocked.

"He is very angry right now tea. He is beyond reason at this moment. It would be wise if you leave for now." mokuba advised.

"I can't leave. I won't leave. This is my house." Tea said.

"Please tea, listen to me. I'll try to talk to seto. I know that he loves you tea. His love is being masked by anger at the moment. He hates betrayal. And your presence will only make the situation worse. Leave for now and I assure you seto will come to take you back."

"He will?" tea asked through wet eyes.

"He wills tea. I promise. Now come on, I'll take you to your father's house." Mokuba said and he helped tea stand. With shaking legs, tea walked out of the mansion. Her father was out of the country on a business trip so there would be no problem of explaining this to her father. Tea knew if her dad found out, he would be furious at her.

"Master marik." Called out a servant. "There's a call for you." with defeated steps, marik walked towards the phone and took it from the servant.

"Hello… tea?" why was she calling him.

"What?… no I didn't… I… no." marik tried to talk but she was yelling at him, not giving him a chance to say a word. And before he knew it, she hung up on him. But what she had said had been crystal clear to him. How did it happen? How did duke know she was coming there? Was he spying on her? But why? Marik hadn't ordered him to do that. He didn't… but maybe someone else did. And marik would talk to him.

He stormed into a closed room, where not many were allowed to go and yelled at the man, partially hidden in the shadows.

"You did it, didn't you?" marik yelled loudly. The man smirked evilly and said.

"Did what?"

"Don't play innocent with me. I know all about you. I told you specifically to not hurt tea in any way. Then why did you do it?"

"I didn't hurt your precious little girlfriend in any way."

"Liar. Then how did duke know where tea was going? You told him to spy on her, stalk her."

"Maybe I did. What's so bad about that?"

"Bad? The plan was to bring kaiba corp. down, to bring seto kaiba down. That was the deal. You promised me tea wouldn't be involved in any way."

"This is all part of the deal. We are bringing seto down… and the best way to do it is by attacking him emotionally." The man explained.

"But that involves hurting tea. And I won't let you. The deal is off." Marik said in a tone if finality. The man chuckled.

"Well, that's even better. I was planning to get you out of my way."

"What?" marik said in disbelief.

"You have served your purpose. I have no use for you any more." As soon as he finished, two men appeared behind marik and grabbed his arms.

"Let me go. What the hell are you doing?" marik yelled. The man chuckled darkly.

"I am removing the last obstacle that stands in my way. I knew you and your little love story was going to stand in my way. So now, I'm going to remove you. Take him away and lock him in the cell." He ordered the men, who took a screaming, yelling marik away. The man's sinister laugh filled the dark room as he spoke again.

"Besides, I think it's time seto met the real owner of the company."

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