Hi ya'll! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but my Beta-Reader bailed out on me... she said that she had lost her interest in Yu-gi-oh, and that she couldn't help me anymore. I was so pissed off... the she said "Keep on tangling." Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, I have no idea. All I know is that I looking for a new "reliable" Beta-Reader. The last one only checked chapter 8... And not any of the others. But if not, I can just write my story solo... E-mail me at if you are interested, or just add it in your review. I also need help learning HTML, since I don't have a clue... Now that my ranting is over you can enjoy the next chapter!

Recap: Devastated by her rejection from Julliard, Tea Gardner (17) goes out and looks for a job to support herself. Little did she know, Seto Kaiba himself was in New York- and was the one looking for a young applicant to take care of the house and Mokuba. In a surprising change of character , Seto accepts Tea into his house as an employee. But no sooner had he done this, he found out new things about Tea's surprisingly dark past. One thing had baffled him in particular- that Tea Gardner was not only an orphan (that was adopted), but that she was the missing child prodigy, Anzu Mazaki! And as If that wasn't enough, Seto is bursting with feelings towards Tea that he can't explain. Is this new feeling love, or just a silly attraction? Well we are just about to find out, as his feelings are put to the test- while trying to save Tea in the raging currents of the ocean!

Chapter 10:Too Late

Seto struggled against the force of the strong currents. It was like an ongoing game of tug-of- war with an obvious victor. But he wouldn't give up- he knew he had to stay strong for the both of them. Both of their lives depended on his will power. His will to live. He remembered his father saying so before...

A seven year old Seto was sitting on the floor drawing a picture of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, when a though struck him.

"Father?" Seto asked.

"Hm?" his father looked up from his newspaper.

"When will I die?" he asked innocently.

"Pardon?"

"When will I die?" he repeated.

"Seto, I don't know why you are asking that question."

"Please Father! I really want to know..." he pleaded.

"Seto, I don't really know the answer. You will only truly die when you are ready. When you know people are counting on your presence, and your will to live is strong, you will never truly die."
Seto's face contorted into an expression of confusion. "Will... to live?" he asked.

"You have to believe in yourself, even if others don't. Because once you fail to believe in yourself, hope is diminished. You'll understand when you are older, Seto. Right now concentrate on living your life as a normal kid... that includes cleaning your room."

"Daddy!" Seto pouted.

"Seto..." his father said in mock anger.

Then his father pounced on him, and tickled him, the air full of laughter...

'My will to live...' He thought. If she couldn't believe in him, he would have to believe in himself. He would have to go that extra length to save them both.

He swam deeper into the ocean. The water pressure was becoming too much. He could feel his muscles straining as he continued to swim. His mind was constantly telling him to turn back; to leave her. He had more priorities in his life than her. No one would miss her. He had Mokuba to take care of... But, strange as it may sound, his mind wasn't the one telling him to swim; his heart was.

"The human heart is a weak and feeble thing, and the heart is one of a human's many imperfections... You must learn not to use it in dire situations, no matter how much it calls you. Emotions are for the weak minded." That was Gozaburo's saying...

Seto and Mokuba sat in their room crying. They had arrived at the orphanage two weeks earlier, their parents had died in a car accident. Mokuba cried into his brother's shirt until he fell asleep. Seto, unable to succumb to sleep, sat up in bed thinking of the accident. For he had been there. He had witnessed the death of his parents. He had seen his father and mother pulling out of the driveway, only to be crushed by an oncoming truck moments later.

He was traumatized by it all. He was only glad that his brother wasn't unfortunate enough to witness the death of their parents. He would be mentally scarred for life. A soft knock was heard at the door.

"Leave me alone." he stated emotionlessly.

To his surprise the person at the door barged in. It was a young girl about the age of twelve, like him. She had long brown hair that came down to her waist, and the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Don't you know how to knock?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"Not really." she said, "But I'd love to learn!"
"It was a rhetorical question!" he growled. "You probably don't even know what that means, you bubble-headed girl." he sneered. He didn't really mean the cold attitude, but he was sick and tired of the world.

"As a matter of fact I do! A rhetorical question is merely a question that is not meant to be answered! I come from a long line of geniuses the Maza- ," she covered her mouth in fear.

Seto just gave her a quizzical expression and shook his head. "Well, I'd really appreciate it if you would get out of my room." he said as politely as he could.

"No, I'd rather not. In fact, I want to play a game!" she said enthusiastically.

"Get OUT!" he yelled.

Mokuba stirred, opened his big eyes and looked around.

"Oh! Whose that? He's sooo cute!" she exclaimed at the sight of Mokuba

Seto immediately got in his overprotective mode and said, "Leave my brother alone!"

Mokuba instead ran towards her.

"Hi mi name is Mokuba, and I'm four years old! That's my brother Seto." he said, " Who are you?" he asked.

"Ummm... my name is A... Andrea." she stammered. Seto had a feeling that this wasn't the truth, but what did he care?

"Andrea" picked Mokuba up and started spinning him around, while Mokuba giggled with joy.

When she put him down, he gave a pout of disappointment, but started laughing again as she started ticking him. Seto watched in the background amazed. She reminded him so much of his mother.

"What about you Seto? Are you ticklish?" she asked.

"No."

"He's lying Andrea! He's worse than me!" Mokuba stated.

Seto scowled at his brother.

"Is that so? We'll just have to see then, won't we?"

She pounced, ticking him on his sides, his stomach, his feet.
And Seto... was howling with laughter.

Andrea stopped.

"Be my friend?" she asked.

"Always." he said no longer feeling sad.

Then it hit him. She was the one in the orphanage. Her name wasn't Andrea! It was Anzu Mazaki, or Tea Gardner.

Out of nowhere a strong burst of strength flowed inside of him... and he was able to grasp Tea's hand. The rest was all a blur. How he got to the dock, how he called the ambulance when she wouldn't wake up, and of course the news broadcasters in the background filming every move that he made.

Yami, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey sat on the couch searching through the channels. They were all thinking of a way to cheer Yami up. Joey was drinking a soda, and Tristan was chowing down on popcorn. Yugi had the remote in hand pressing the buttons until an appealing program come on.

He stumbled across the news channel 6.

"Breaking news." said the headline.

"A young distressed teenager threw herself off the dock just about 45 minutes ago." said one reporter.

"Man, people are becoming more and more crazy these days!" said Tristan with a full mouth.

"Surprisingly, C.E.O of KaibaCorp, Seto Kaiba, jumped in to save her. She is in critical condition and is rehabilitating in St. Joseph's Hospital. Her name was..."

Tea Gardner.

Joey spat out his drink.

Tristan nearly choked on his popcorn.

Yugi dropped the remote so hard that the batteries flew out.

Yami jumped up and ran out the door to the shop.

"Wait up man!" shouted Tristan.

"Yea, we're comin' wit ya!" yelled Joey.
Seto sat in the seat next to Tea's bed and put his head in his hands. He hated to admit it but right now he was scared. Scared for Tea's life. It had been his fault. He insulted her and she took extreme measures and tried to end her own life.

He looked at her face. Tubes were connected to her mouth and nose, and her lips were blue. Her face was so pale... it reminded Seto of a porcelain doll. Her breathing was very labored and quick.

But what scared Seto the most was he fact that...

The doctors said she had a small chance of survival.

They concluded that she had swallowed to much salt water. Her body was fighting for her life. They had also said that if her body gave up, she would either go into a coma, or stop breathing entirely.

The worse thing about it was that there was nothing that he could do except sit and wait. He knew that he hated waiting, but it never felt like ...this.

He recognized the feeling, it was similar to when he was worried about Mokuba. But what he didn't understand was why he was feeling this towards Tea. This was THE Tea Gardner he was talking about.

He had never really gotten to know her for what she was. Even though she claimed the obnoxious, bubbly, ditzy-cheerleader was just a cover-up, that image would never be erased from his mind. He had met her other self. The destructive part of her that caused this whole dilemma. He still thought that the optimistic Tea that he met in grade school was the same Tea in front of him.

For once in his lifetime, silence interrupted his thoughts. Tea was no longer breathing.

Yami had never run so fast in his life. He ignored the yells and shouts coming from his friends. He couldn't waste any time to wait up for them. His time was wearing thin.

He saw the faint outline of the hospital building and ran even faster towards it.

'I love her now more than ever.' he thought.

'I hurt her horribly in the past. I caused her own friends to turn against her. I had thought I was in love with Myra... but I was as wrong as I could have ever been. I never meant to hurt her. If she dies I will NEVER forgive myself for what I've done!'

He reached the door and practically flew through it. He ran all the way to the receptionist's desk.

"WHAT ROOM IS TEA GARDNER IN?" he demanded.

The receptionist was startled. "Let me check..." she said rather shakily.
"HURRY UP DAMMIT! FOR ALL I KNOW SHE MIGHT BE DEAD ALREADY!" he shouted angrily.

"Alright, Alright! Calm down sir. She's in room 314. You have to go up four flights of stairs before you reach it and..."

Yami ran before she got to finish.

"Tea." he whispered softly.

Seto's mind went blank. He looked over at the heart monitor... and the beats were slowing. Then it finally hit him. He would never see her again. He would never hear her voice. He knew it now more than ever. Why he cared when she got hurt. Why he thought of her excessively.

Because he...

Loved her.

The monitor flat lined.

Yami ran through the door and instantly knew that he was too late.

"TEA!"

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm so evil! Review and get a quick update, if not I might take forever! Andi-chan