Disclaimer: "I do not own Yugioh."
"talk"
'thoughts'
...
"And then I punched the guy in the face and knocked him out cold." Joey said puffing his chest proudly. The gang was in the game shop, hanging out.
"Yeah right. And then a bunch of girls wearing bikinis came to party with you." Tristen said laughing and grabbed Joey's head in a headlock.
"Hey man. Let me go. You're hurting my brain." Joey said.
"You have a brain? New discovery. This should be on the news. " Tristen said. Yugi laughed and turned to glance at Tea who seemed lost in thought.
"You okay Tea?" He asked her with concern in his voice.
"Huh. Did you say something Yugi?" She asked him.
"What's up Tea? You haven't been talking much." Joey said as he finally freed himself from Tristen's hold.
"Yeah. You haven't insulted Joey once." Tristen said and Joey glared at him.
"It's nothing guys." She lied to them.
"No, there's something definitely wrong. You seem so sad." Tristen said.
"You have been like that ever since that kid you were babysitting went on vacation." Joey pointed out.
"It's nothing guys. Don't worry." Tea said smiling at them. Joey and Tristen shrugged their shoulders, willing to let the matter drop.
"We're always here if you need to talk Tea. We're always going to support you no matter what." Yugi said squeezing her hand. She smiled and squeezed back. Just then her cell phone rang.
"Excuse me." She said and walked away from them to talk.
"Hello." She said.
"Hello, Tea? Where are you? Why aren't you here? Why haven't you been here for 3 days?" Mokuba bombarded her with questions.
"I am at the game shop with the guys." She said.
"Why aren't you here, with Seto?"
"I… I haven't been spending too much time with my friends and you know it. So I just needed a break." Tea lied.
"I don't know what happened between you and Seto, but you have to come back. Seto has been very grumpy ever since you have been gone. He hasn't been eating properly and yells at everyone. He even snapped at me yesterday." Mokuba said worriedly, but the sadness in his voice was evident.
"Oh" was all Tea could say.
"He misses you Tea. You have to come back. Please. He may not say it, but he needs you. He wants you to be there. Please come back. Whatever problem you had, it can be solved." Mokuba said pleadingly.
"Ok. I'll be there." Tea said and shut her phone. She turned to they guys.
"Guys, I have to go. The kid is back and they need me. See ya." She said and ran out of the game shop.
"Did you see that?" Tristen said.
"See what?" Joey said confused.
"Tea was so happy when she said that. It's as if she really wanted to go there." Yugi said.
"What's up with that? Is that kid more special then us?" Joey said thinking.
"Maybe there's something else going on there." Tristen said suspiciously.
"Guys. Tea loves kids and that kid has probably grown on her. That's all." Yugi said, trying to assure them.
/What do you think Yami?/ Yugi asked him.
/…. / Yami didn't answer.
/Yami? Say something. / Yugi said but only silence greeted him. Yami didn't answer. Yugi sighed.
'I hope what I think is right.' He thought to himself.
Tea quickly walked towards Kaiba mansion. Her heart was screaming in joy. She had decided to quit the job, but somehow never did. She didn't want to. So, she never went there, never talked to Seto or Mokuba for 3 days. But during those days, she had been thinking about him all the time. She always found herself imagining what he would be doing at that time. Was he taking care of himself? Now she had the chance to find out herself. Her heart warned her about what might happen if she lost control again. But she wouldn't let that happen.
"Oh finally. You're here Tea. Thank God." Mokuba sighed in relief as soon as he saw her enter the mansion. Tea opened her mouth to say something but he knew what she was going to say. "Seto is upstairs, in his room. He hasn't eaten anything since morning." Tea nodded and ran upstairs.
Seto felt the door open. He sharply turned his head to yell at the person, but the familiar smell of perfume stopped him from doing so. He heard her gentle steps, approaching. He couldn't believe his senses. Was she really here, or was his mind playing tricks on him.
"Hi." Her melodic voice came. She was real. His heart lifted in joy. "I brought your food." She said and sat beside him on the bed. She placed the spoon near his lips and he opened his mouth without any protest at all.
"Why did you leave?" He finally asked, after he finished eating. She didn't reply for a couple of seconds.
"My friends were asking me to spend time with them." She said.
"Hn." He grunted.
"Did you miss me?" She asked him, but there was no mischief in her voice.
"I didn't have anyone to argue with, so I guess you can say that." He slowly said after a small pause.
"Aw. Aren't you sweet." She said pinching his cheek and laughing. He frowned, but smiled. He really had missed her.
She started cleaning his room, since he hadn't allowed anyone in, and it was a mess.
"Mokuba called you on Sunday, but you never picked it up. He called you many times." Seto said.
"Yeah. I was kind of busy. I am always busy on Sundays." She answered.
"Why?" He asked her, hoping it had nothing to do with a boyfriend.
"I go to church on Sundays." Her answer filled him with relief.
"And you stay there, for how long?"
"As long as they need me."
"What is that supposed to mean? Who needs you there?"
"The father."
"Why does he need you?" Suspicion was evident in his voice. Tea laughed.
"On Sundays, everyone goes to church, so there's a lot that needs to be done. I volunteer to help them. That's why I stay there for as long as needed."
"Oh." He was surprised. He never knew anyone so helpful. This girl was definitely different, in an amazing kind of way.
"This is my way of saying, "forgive me", to God. We do so many sins so I try to redeem myself by helping the church. I also pray for me and all my friends." She said.
"You remind of someone I know. She's also preaching about helping and caring about others. Hn." He scoffed. Tea's face fell. She knew he was talking bout her.
"She must be very nice then." She slowly said.
"She hangs out with losers. If she knew there's was someone much more nicer then her, she would die of shock." Seto said and laughed. "Your parents must be really proud of you."
"I… I guess." Tea slowly said.
"What is that supposed to mean? They don't want you to volunteer at the church?" He asked, amazed.
"No… I don't know."
"What are you trying to say?" He was getting confused by her answers.
"I don't know if they would be happy." She admitted.
"Why? Haven't you told them?
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can't."
"Why not?" He was getting irritated by her answers.
"I don't know where they are." She said sadly.
"What do you mean? They are on some kind of trip?"
"That's what they said when they left." Her voice was so low he had trouble understanding what she was saying.
"Enough with the riddles already." He said loudly.
"I don't know where they are." She yelled. "I don't even know if they are dead or alive." Silence filled the room after her outburst.
"Explain." He finally said.
"They were famous corporate lawyers. When I was 8 years old, they left on a business trip. But never came back. No one knows what happened to them. The press had many different stories. Some said their plane crashed. Some said it was hijacked. Some said they were kidnapped and killed. Some even said that they left because they were sick of their life here and wanted a new start." She stopped there for a while and then continued again.
"I was young and didn't know what to do except cry. I didn't want to believe anything and still don't. That's why I said that I don't know." She sadly said.
"How… how did you survive… without parents? I mean… who took care of you?" Seto hesitantly asked. He knew these topics brought back painful memories.
"Before the business trip, they refused an offer from a powerful company. So many people thought they were killed. No one wanted to take care of me, in fear of his or her safety. Even my relatives were scared. Then finally, my dad's friend became my guardian."
"How did he treat you?" Seto asked. If that man had laid a finger on her, Seto would make sure to cut that hand off.
"He treated me pretty good. He took me in because he wanted to use our money to invest in his new business. He did, and it didn't work out the way he expected. That's why I am now working, or I would have had enough money to live easily." Tea said sighing.
"So that bastard basically used you." Seto said, his voice rising with anger.
"Not really. He was nice enough to take me in, or I would have ended up in an orphanage. I know what that's like, keeping in mind your experience. He was nice and caring. Even if he did take me in for money, he took care of me and helped me get through the tough time, and I am grateful for that."
"So, what does he do now?" Seto asked curiously.
"He has lung cancer and can't work. He's on welfare. I visit him once a week or more if I have time."
"Does he ask for money?" Seto said with venom in his voice. Tea frowned.
"He doesn't. For your information, he is always happy to see me and never asks for anything." She snapped angrily.
"Whatever." Seto said. He knew he had offended her but he refused to apologize. Silence filled the room once again as she moved around, cleaning up.
"Hey, look at the time, I better go make something to eat. I am hungry and I bet you're too." She finally said and walked out of the room, leaving Seto alone.
He couldn't believe what he just heard. And he thought he was the only one with such horrible childhood. She was even worst. She had no clue about her parents, whether they were live or dead. And if they were dead, she couldn't visit their graves. Her uncle took her in for money, and so used her. But instead of turning bitter against him, she still cared for him, and appreciated him. She continued to amaze him. Now he felt closer to her. He knew the pain she had experienced and he could relate to her. They understood each other and very similar.
He had never met anyone like her. She was special to him already. He was worried about her when she left, wondering what did he do wrong? He had missed her and he knew that he valued her. But her value to him had just increased. She was so caring, so gentle that he couldn't imagine ever losing her. And he wouldn't. She was special to him, and he would make her his. He would give her everything she deserved, the happiness and the comfort. He didn't care who she was. He would make her his.
...
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