NOTE: Believe me…I had ideas for this chapter. Interesting ideas…. But, we must remember that this is PG…and I don't know what rating my "plans" would fall under. So…they're not exactly in this chapter. And I know the chapter isn't the best. It's a sort of…transition chapter, you know? Had one of those in TATFC recently. The next chapter will be better, I swear.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 10: Truths

Tea sat there, on the tile floor of the cafeteria. She was still psyched about how the two of them –Seto and her- had reacted. It was…unbelievable.

"W-What…did he mean…by all that?" Tea asked to no one in particular. Mainly - herself. Her heart was still fluttering in her chest, just like that one time her uncle and cousin had unintentionally scared her out of her wits.

Tea shook her head. It was nothing. She would think nothing of it anymore. No. It was just a spur of the moment: it meant nothing: it WAS nothing. With these new thoughts, Tea stood up suddenly, and proceeded out the cafeteria, ready to proceed with her original plans.

It was after meandering around the halls, trying to remember where a certain someone's locker was, that she stumbled upon it. She smiled on her achievement, but immediately frowned when she found that there wasn't enough light in the hall to open the combination.

Tea snuffed, and sighed, opting to go back to the room to fetch that flashlight of Mr. Kamiah's. She turned on her heel, and walked back to the room.

Inside, she found Seto standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, with his back turned to the door. His hands were folded behind his back, and he seemed to be in some sort of trance; just staring out the window.

Tea, not wishing to disturb him, crept in quietly and searched for the flashlight. She was looking around for it, when she accidentally bumped it over with her hand. It fell with a thud onto the desk, jolting Seto out of his thoughts.

"What do you want, Gardner?" he inquired, impatiently.

"N-Nothing," she stumbled, "Just getting the flashlight…. Gotta…open a locker."

"What for?"

"To see if Mai's over-obsession with hygiene will help us at all. Seto turned around and gave her a what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about look.

Tea sighed, "Just come on," she nodded, heading towards the door. Seto decided to follow her, just out of curiosity.

She led him over to Mai's locker, and shined the flashlight on the lock. Spinning open the combination, Tea opened the door.

"You actually know her permutation?" Seto inquired.

"Yeah. We all know everybody's…in our group. It's sort of an…emergency information sort of thing: like now. I just hope Mai hasn't failed us today…." She looked inside and smiled. "Nope. Her paranoia has come through."

Tea began digging through Mai's cupboard, while mumbling things like, You'd think she'd use her locker for books instead of toiletries and crap….

Seto was suddenly tossed two towels. He barely caught them.

"What the heck are those doing in there?" he inquired.

"Mai plays volleyball here. Sometimes, when the practice is really rough…and/or late, she takes a shower in the school showers before going home. I swear: she can't stand being all…sweaty and whatnot. So, because practices are frequent, she keeps a supply in here. Heck, if she really feels like it, she'll shampoo her hair and such," Tea said, placing a shampoo bottle on top of the towels in Seto's hand.

"I really don't believe this," Seto shook his head.

"Neither do I!" Tea replied, answering both Seto and her own thoughts, "The girl actually has a small bag of razors in here! What the heck is she thinking?" Nevertheless, Tea put two new razors from the bag onto the stack.

Seto blinked, "Number one: tell me how exactly she fits all of this in here. Number two: are these towels even clean? And number three: what's with the extra razor?"

Tea continued to peer around in the locker, "One: I don't know. Two: yes. She changes the two towels: one usually for her hair and the other for herself, every week before the weekend. This way, if she forgets to, she can always bring the replacements on Monday. Three: you."

Seto tried to keep up with the questions he had asked and the answers she had given. He finally jumbled them into the correct order, and commented on the last answer, "Me, Gardner?"

"Yeah, you. Am I not correct in knowing that guys have to shave, too?"

"Are you kidding? This thing will cut me alive! I'll go with the beard instead," Seto threw out.

"They cut everyone alive," Tea replied, "Live with it."

Seto sighed. She really could be a stubborn-

"There, that should be the last of what is needed," Tea threw down a small pack of shaving lotion she had found buried in Mai's locker. I swear this girl is obsessed… Tea thought out, shutting Mai's locker door.

Seto saw a small slip of paper fly out from the door. He watched it flutter to the ground, and Tea didn't notice it.

"So, who's first? We need the flashlight, and being that there's only one of them, and that the bathrooms have really small windows: not enough light to shed, so we have to go one at a time. So…yeah. Like I said, who's first?"

"I'll go. It doesn't' exactly take me long, so we can get out of those revolting school showers as soon as possible."

"Okay…" Tea replied, sorting out some of the stuff he needed: mainly leaving a razor and a towel aside for her use later. He took the other things, and the flashlight, and headed off for the men's bathroom.

Once he had disappeared, Tea sighed, "Whatever happened to 'ladies first'?"

"You: a lady? How egotistical, Gardner," Seto laughed from down the hall. Tea's mouth dropped open, enraged. That had been one of the biggest insults she had ever received. She gave a surprised and angry look in the direction from which he had left. She closed her mouth, then, to form a thin line, and strode off angrily to go and wait near the bathrooms. He was right about one thing: the sooner they got out, the better.

Soon, about ten minutes later, Seto reappeared…with a paper towel cradling his face. He dumped half of the showering supplies onto Tea's pile, and continued to wince.

"What's wrong?" Tea asked, mildly concerned.

"Didn't I tell you that thing wo0uld cut me alive?" Seto glared at her, gesturing violently towards the razor. He took off the paper towel to see how much blood he was trekking from a few cuts.

Tea rolled her eyes and stood up, "Come off it: it's not that bad. What's a few cuts going to do to you?" she inquired, gathering up her equipment. Then, muttering to herself, "Men are such babies." Seto glared at her. Unexpectedly, she swept up and gave him a quick peck on his cheek, "There. All better."

He froze and watched as she just flounced away, as if nothing had happened. As small as the gesture was, it had taken quite a toll on him.

Sure, their earlier kissing had had a lot more added to it, yet that was just purly accidental. Here, Tea had truly, and deep down meant (so it seemed) to make that gesture and NOT mean for it to be a mocking punishment.

However, just as Tea turned the corner into the girl's bathroom mini-hallway, she reappeared, glaring at Seto, "And under NO circumstances are you to come in while I'm in that bathroom. Got it?" It wasn't the regular everyday privacy demand. It was a threat.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Seto threw out carelessly, jumping out of his thoughts.

"I would hope so," Tea retorted, walking off.

Seto put the paper towel back up to his cheek again and checked the loss of blood. Not much.

He then remembered something he had wanted to check out. The CEO then proceeded to walking down the hallway back towards Mai's locker. He momentarily reached it.

Seto then turned towards the note. He bent down and picked it up, walking over to the nearest window to read it.

Seto scanned a couple lines. Interesting….

Hey Joey? You get the feeling Tea is keeping something from us? She was acting really strange today. (Mai)

Uh…yeah…yeah! Now that u mention it…she was acting kinda freaky. Why do u think?

I dunno. Maybe something is really wrong. Do you think she trusts us? Wouldn't she have come to us if something was really wrong? Does she really think of us as friends?

Mai, listen to yourself! You're making her sound like…like you were! I dunno…. Maybe it's something she doesn't think we can help with or understand.

Or maybe she doesn't find us as her friends.

Nonsense! She would never think that!

How do you know?

Because I know Tea!

Really? Then do you know what's going on with her?

…No.

Bingo. Teacher's coming…we ought to stop.

K.

So…Gardner's friends don't think that she cares. I wonder what she would think of this… Seto sided with himself to figure out whether on not to show her the note. He finally returned to the detention room and sat in a seat, just relaxing. Tea had the flashlight after all. He couldn't exactly read, and he would have to strain his eyes a lot to read by the windows.

He stayed that way for about ten minutes. That's when he heard a scream.

Tea's scream.

Instinctively, Seto hopped out of his seat and started running (ignoring the pain screaming from his foot) and ran towards the source of the scream. Involuntarily, his search led him to the girl's bathroom, where he slid in through the miniature hallway.

Seto stopped and looked around for her, spotting her near the showers; rubbing her head violently. The towel wrapped around her was beginning to slip. Seto cringed and looked away. He didn't want to exactly view anything….

"Oy…" Tea whispered, "Nasty fall," she shuddered. Seto found it best to leave now before she noticed he was in here. He began to creep away.

"KAIBA! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" Tea suddenly shrieked. Kaiba broke into a sprint, not wanting to meet her slap again. The last one he had received yesterday had indeed hurt – not to the point of long-term pain, but strong enough to not want to feel her hand like that ever again.

Tea slipped her P.E. clothes on at lightning speed and rushed out of the bathroom, running after Seto.

"KAIBA, YOU ARE SO DEAD!" she roared down the hall.

Kaiba continued to sprint down the hallways. If he ran back to the room, he would pretty much be trapped, unless he closed the door. Yet, with the lock porturding out from the door, it wouldn't close on it's own, and he would have to hold it. It was too much effort for a simple chase.

He stopped though, for a second. Why was he running? He could easily avoid her slap or whatever else she had to throw at him. Then again…he didn't exactly want to bother with any violence. He was in enough pain already, with his foot and all.

He turned around to see just where Tea was at the moment, and suddenly was crashed into by the girl. Seto fell backwards onto the hard tile, and he felt his back crack. Tea landed on top of him with a jolting thud.

"WHAT DID I…tell…you…" Tea's voice faded off as she saw her proximity to Seto. That fluttering feeling was back in her heart. She couldn't speak anymore. Something was clogging up her throat. Nothing was very clear anymore….

"What's wrong, Gardner?" Seto inquired, referring to her fade off.

Tea, however, thought he was talking about something else…. That 'something' he had been nagging her about recently.

It was as if a dart was thrown at her brain and it shattered like glass. She laid stock still for a moment. She couldn't find the right words to say…. Everything was jumbled up inside her mind.

Seto's eyebrows knit up in confusion, "Gardner? Gardner? …Tea?" he tried her first name.

Suddenly, shadows spread across Tea's face, and her eyes welled up. She bit her lip, and immediately plunged her face into a chunk of Seto's P.E. shirt (the clothes he had changed into) that she was holding. Her voice exploded.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!" she cried out.

"…Gardner…what are you talking about?"

"You were right; you were right! Okay? There, I said it! YOU WERE RIGHT! Now just leave me alone about it! I'M SICK OF THE SECRECY! I'M SICK OF THE LIES, THE PAIN – EVERYTHING! YOU WERE RIGHT! SO JUST LET IT BE!" Tea ranted on.

Seto was almost afraid to ask, "…Right about what?"

"I'm-!"

Earlier that morning

Rika Gardner lay in bed. But she couldn't sleep. On the contrary, she was wide awake. How was it that her husband could sleep like a log? She could here his snores all the way from the living room. It was horrible! And her daughters! Did any of them even care that Tea was missing?

After she had broken the news to her husband, and the power had gone out, he had immediately rushed down to the basement, whereas the rest of the family didn't see him for a couple of hours. When Kaz had finally come up, he looked angry, yet completely tired at the same time. He had requested going to bed, and Rika had denied it.

"Do you not care that your niece is out there, God knows where!" she had shouted at him.

Kaz held his head, "Whom?"

"KAZ! TEA, you IDIOT!" she shrieked at him. Rae and Kari cowered behind the couch. They had never seen their mother this angry before…especially at their father.

"Tea…Tea!…Tea…?" he seemed as if he was trying to remember who that was.

"IT'S THE COUCH FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO SLEEP THAT BAD!" Rika stomped off to their room and slammed the door shut, immediately falling onto her bed, crying for her niece-daughter.

She didn't know where the heck Tea was. And she cared about Tea as if she were Rika's life itself, just as she cared about the rest of her family.

She would not rest until Tea was safe at home.

But she felt so powerless. She couldn't do anything in this storm to find her. She could only hope that she was somewhere safe…with someone trustworthy.

And what was up with her husband? He had come up completely "dead," and had forgotten all about Tea!

She wouldn't stop trying, though. Today was a new day. Hopefully…hopefully Tea had made it through the night. Rika Gardner couldn't stand thinking of the many possibilities of what could have happened to the girl.

She seemed like such a fragile girl. She seemed to bruise easily, and have cuts all the time. But Tea only said it was due to clumsiness. But…wasn't she fed rightly? Should she not bruise so easily? Was Rika giving her all the right nutrition? Was Tea anorexic?

This brought up so many new worries that Rika had never thought to ponder before. She was going to have a serious talk with Tea Anzu Mazaki Gardner when she got home…. That is, IF she got home.

And going back to thinking about her daughter, Rika broke into a fresh new wave of tears.

Short, I know, but that's why I did a double update! Enjoy the next chapter! I know this one really wasn't much. The next one is better! READ ON!

PS: Sorry if there are some confusing errors in this chapter. I had some stuff written, then changed some, so there might have been some transitional errors. Also, there was a concern expressed in a review: I am permanently making Rika Tea's father's sister. Got that? Okay…unless some thought should come up and change that.