I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!
Chapter 12 – Warm Fuzzy Feelings... Wait!
Tea sighed as she saw Kaiba maintaining the fire as usual in the morning sun. Here they were; back to normal, if you would call being stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere normal.
She looked down at her clothes. They were Kiyo's. She suddenly remembered that she had left her clothes on his boat. She didn't want to be reminded of Kiyo, but these clothes were better than the ones she had been wearing.
She saw Kaiba pause and he seemed to be thinking really hard about something all of a sudden.
Kaiba almost choked when he finally remembered. Through all of that whole ordeal he hadn't even once thought about his duel monsters deck! He looked over to the tree that he kept it hidden in. He walked over and pulled his duel disc and deck from a hiding place inside the tree's trunk.
He fingered the cards in their holster. Duel monsters was practically his life, and he had almost left it behind without so much of a thought to retrieve them! What was happening to him?
He looked over at Tea and just stared at her as she was tending to a fishing pole. Her slender fingers worked so diligently and her hair was falling in her face, almost covering up those crystal clear eyes.
That's what was happening to him.
It had been almost a month since they were stuck here together, and already he was beginning to... and he slightly cringed at the thought... to care for her. He even admitted to wanting to protect her. He even kissed her twice... not to mention he was wanting to do it again.
Kaiba rubbed his head and then put his duel disc and deck back in the tree. Thoughts like wanting to kiss Tea again were dangerous. He rubbed his temple and let out a sigh. He needed to focus his mind on something other than her at the moment.
But that was a hard thing to do.
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Another attack had given Duke a lot of clues. He had traced the direction the fighter jets were coming from and with the help of Kaiba Corp's navigation systems, they were able to estimate a certain area to search in.
He asked people in the area if they saw jets flying overhead a lot. Many said no, but a few pointed out the direction they thought they came from. It wasn't much, but he felt he was getting closer.
His cell rang when he took a pit stop in a small farming town.
"Duke Devlin." He stated.
"Hey Dice Boy, how're things over in yer neck of da woods?"
"Hey Joey." Duke replied. It was never hard to distinguish Joey's voice on the phone. "I guess they're okay. Still no luck, but I think I'll aska a few more people around here to see if I can dig up any more clues."
"I see. Well, we were just checkin' up on ya, since we haven't heard from you in a while."
Duke couldn't help but smile. He could hear Tristan in the background grumbling something about having Serenity all to himself, but she was running off with someone or something. He didn't catch it all. "What did Taylor just say about Serenity?"
"Nothin!" Joey exclaimed, then his voice went softer as he was obviously speaking over his shoulder, "Nothin' Tristan, ya hear me?" He came back online with Duke, "Sorry, for some reason thinks he's goin' out with my sista' or somethin'."
"Yeah, 'cause she's mine, right?"
"Ri-What! Listen here Dice Boy, you may be doin' an awful good thing for the Kaiba's right now, but I won't tolerate that kind of junk! Serenity doesn't belong to any three of you jerks! Bye, Duke." He growled and hung up the phone.
Duke frowned. Three jerks? Who was the third jerk?
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Mokuba smiled as Serenity handed him a cup of hot green tea. They were in the basement of Kaiba Corp looking at schematics. She had been hanging around with him here for a few days now, but he was not complaining.
Serenity on the outside seemed to just be some useless girl hanging around amidst all the machines and computers and men in business suits, but to Mokuba she was more than that. She was a good friend who was helping him through a difficult time. Just her simple presence made him feel at ease.
Mokuba was looking over some stock charts and going through the business expenses for the amusement parks in the States. Things had been in a decline, but now they were starting to pick back up. They were nowhere near the peak they had been in a few months ago before Seto disappeared. But Mokuba was just glad that things were finally beginning to shape back up.
Serenity leaned in to look at the graphs from behind him. He really didn't mean to tense up, but her arm was leaning against his shoulder. The contact was making him blush and lose focus.
"How's it going Mokie?" She asked.
"Uh... good. Things are looking better."
"And you haven't had an attack in a few days now. I wonder if they're gone." She sounded hopeful.
Mokuba knew better than to feel hopeful. "Whoever they are, I know they aren't through. They're probably coming up with better technology." He rested his chin on his hands that were propped on the table.
Serenity leaned back and sighed. "Well, the less they attack, the better."
"Yeah." He replied distantly as he typed another memo to be put out.
Serenity got an evil little smile on her face. She had to cheer him up. He was looking more gloomy as of late. She thought about what she could do for him. Her face lit up. She had just the idea!
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Kaiba came out from the tree line and onto the beach to see Tea just staring up at the sky. What in the hell? He tried to follow her gaze. Turned out she was looking at the top of a group of trees at the end of the beach.
He walked up to her. "What are you doing, staring off into space like the village idiot?"
He saw her shoulders tense and she frowned. She squinted as she looked over at him. "I was thinking about us getting some coconuts for dinner." She pointed up at the cluster of trees. Indeed, there were some coconuts on the top canopy of palm leaves.
"How do you suppose we get them?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking about. C'mon, you're the freakin' genius here, what's the best possible solution to getting the coconuts?" She challenged.
"Cut down the tree." He replied simply.
She tilted her head. Typical Kaiba answer; something so flashy and straight forward. It reminded her of the time he had blown up his own Island during the end of the Battle City Finals. But that wasn't the point!
"Kaiba... cut down the tree with what?" She demanded.
"Hmm." Was all he said and looked back at the trees.
"How about I stand on your shoulders. I think we'll be tall enough." She suggested and saw that look in his eyes; the look that said 'what in the hell? are you an idiot?'
"You're suggesting you climb on me to reach them... when'd you think I would ever let you climb on me?" He growled. She huffed.
"Didn't you say that you'd protect me? Huh?"
Oh yeah... he sighed at the thought. He really had said that didn't he?
"Well, protect me from falling will ya!" She came behind him and physically pushed him towards the trees. He resisted, but the next thing he knew they were under a cluster of coconuts. "Now, on your knees."
He scoffed. "What makes you think that I'll ever get on my knees for you?"
She rolled her eyes. She swiftly reached down and tickled the back of his knee. He buckled, surprised more than anything, and she took that moment to force him down by his shoulders. She began to climb up his back to his shoulders.
She finally put her feet on his shoulders, wobbily, and held the trunk for support. "Okay, stand up now."
How in the hell did this situation even come into play? He had no intention of helping her, but here he was, letting her stand on his shoulders. He stood so quickly, she almost lost her balance, and shifted her weight to straighten herself.
Was he trying to make her fall off?
She held onto the trunk tightly, afraid she was going to fall off. She managed to look down to already see Kaiba looking up at her with an annoyed, frustrated look. "Are you going to get them or not?" He asked, agitated.
"Right!" She looked up and grabbed for the nearest one. She just wasn't tall enough. She tried getting on her tip-toes to reach. Her feet dug into his shoulders and he made a grunt of uncomfortable pain. "Sorry!"
"Just hurry up." He growled.
She grabbed ahold of one and pulled. It wasn't coming loose. Her feet wobbled and her knees trembled. She yanked hard to pull the coconut free, but in doing so her heels pushed forward, sending Kaiba headfirst into the tree trunk. She screamed as she fell backwards and landed with a crack ontop of the fallen Kaiba.
She looked down to see she had somehow ended up on Kaiba's back. He lay there, face in the sand, his hands spread out besides his head. He wasn't moving.
Oh no, she just killed him! She frantically scrambled off him, and turned him around, but saw him wince and seeth through his teeth.
His blue eyes opened menacingly and if looks could kill, she would be long dead and buried under twenty feet of dirt. She bit her lip and backed away as he tried to sit up.
He growled and mumbled something under his breath and slowly stood. He walked away from her and to the fire he had just lit that afternoon.
She felt sorry for him. But he hadn't yelled at her! That was a first... wasn't it? She sighed and walked over to him and set the coconut down, away from them. She turned to him.
He looked in pain, even though he was trying to hide it.
"I'm sorry I hurt your back." She said softly.
He didn't say or do anything. He was too furious and busy talking in his head about things he'd like to do, like strangle her or sit on her back, or some other childish thing he would never admit he had even thought about.
The pain was shooting up his back in waves. He could really go for a relaxing chiropractic massage right about now.
He tensed when he felt a pair of fingers run along his spinal cord. He straightened emmediately and whipped his head around to see Tea behind him, pressing on his back with her fingers.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded, but she physically pushed his head back to facing forward. Then he involuntarily closed his eyes as her hands began to rub his tense shoulders. It felt really nice. Too nice.
She trailed her hands and kneaded his muscles and then worked her fingers between his shoulder blades. She rubbed down his spine almost down to his hips, and then worked her way back up. she found the knots in his back and rubbed in a slow circle to get the kinks out.
She smiled to herself as she felt him relax in her hands. Boy, all those times she did it for her mom really gave her plenty of experience. But this was a little different. His muscles were lean and fit, and his shoulders strong but tense. He felt so tense, like he was carrying the weight of the world on those shoulders.
She softly kneaded the shoulder blades again before working on his spine again. She felt every bone in her soft fingers, and she almost had every muscle memorized when he titled back his head and let out a long breath.
He leaned back against her hands more and more, until he was practically laying in her lap. She reached up and tentatively touched his head and felt his hair. He wasn't resisting, and she couldn't help but continue.
She rubbed the sides of his head and down his neck and behind his ears. Then she worked on his temples and forehead. His eyes were closed, and he let out a small groan, and then she noticed that he was asleep, his head and part of his upper body supported on her lap.
She smiled again and brushed some hair out of his face and away from his eyes. He looked so peaceful. And who would have thought that Seto Kaiba was particularly fond of back rubs. She was finding out that Kaiba was turning out to be a completely different person than what she thought he was.
Then again... she remembered his comments from before about her and the climbing and the kneeling. Or the fact that after she hurt him, he went and sulked by himself. Nope, he was still Kaiba.
"Well, I guess I paid you back for falling on you. I don't owe you anything now." She said softly.
She nearly passed out from surprise as blue eyes shot open and looked up at her. "What about you don't owe me anything? Paid me back?"
"You weren't asleep!" She exclaimed.
"Of course not." He smirked that stupid smirk of his. "You're a nice pillow after all."
"Ugh!" She pushed him off her knees and he rolled to sit on his knees. She tried to stand up but Kaiba reached up and pulled her back down so she landed on her knees in front of him, who was now positioned the same way.
He looked down at her with mischief in his eyes.
"Let go of me." She demanded, but it was in a soft voice.
He kept his death-grip on her wrist. His other hand clasped around her waist to pull her closer.
She fought the blush on her cheeks and looked away from him. He was just playing one of his stupid games, and she really wasn't in the mood right now. Then again, his hands on her body made her feel shivers and butterflies all over.
"I think you owe me a little more than a massage." He said, that smirk still on his lips.
Tea's eyes went wide. What exactly was he proposing!
A/N: Sorry for the lateness... but as most of you may know it is getting towards the end of school with finals, tests, and papers due all in the same week! Ahh! But, I managed to update this b/c I was inspired b/c I've been watching yugioh non-stop for like the last week. I'm rewatching the series... of course, that is 224 episodes! I'm at the end of the Kaiba corp grand prix right now. Im looking forward to watching the last season of the series (it's my fav.) –mostly cause it has a lot of Kaiba, or kaiba's other-part-self. I love the songs in the opening and beginning... lol–watching Kaiba beat Jake (or whatever his name is) –he's the best! Lol –anyway, hope you all enjoyed this, and I'll hopefully be updating in a few weeks –sorry sorry sorry – I gotta finish school up before I update any more!
Review replies:
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Lady Fiore-Ami Metallium: good point! Yes, it will be a while, but that is just more fun stuff to come later! Thanks for being a fan of my fruba fics too! Although, you can tell I like this story a lot more, I update more often! Lol ... Genjy0-SanzO: fluffiness is fun ain't it? ... oXanZuXo: Yeah, Kiyo was suspicious alright. They're kinda 'together-but we know this couple, huh? Hope you didn't stay up too long for this review! ... poptart: hey! It's coming as fast as my hands can type! Lol! ... Fiona McKinnon: I'm trying to write the next chapter quickly too, just hold on a little longer! ... Seguha: review soon! ... Starian Princess: yes, leave it to Seto, really! Lol, they are closer now, aren't they? I'm glad I upped that whole incident! ... QueenofHearts4u: yes, it has been a month or so since I updated these last two chappies, but I'm back. Although I might be gone for a little while until finals and school is done. Its been longer than 7 hasn't it? Uhhh... Emporessofthedragons: sorry that fanfic didn't let you review! Fanfic is weird sometimes isn't it? This one is better than the fruba fics, isn't it? Don't tell the fruba people I said that! ... RogueGoddess007: I'm glad you like it! I did hurry, didn't I? ... InsaneShadowFan: I'm so happy you really like it! I'm blushing! I will keep on rockin! ... Lily: I won't! this is slanted for a 26 chapter release! ... WingedWisdom: your welcome! It was a little short, so was this one. Sorry! Kiyo was supposed to be stupid! Especially messing with Kaiba... Kagome21: I'm bowing. Thankyou, thankyou, I have updated! Did you like it? ... Muguet: if you wanna translate it into French, that's cool. The more people who can read it, the better! I'm just glad so many people like this fic! ... yoursolastsummer: yes, he could take him, to an extent. Serenity and mokie are hard to write! Any pointers for these two? ... Hesushika: I'm glad you like it. It makes me so happy! ... TobiasDM: Thanks for the encouragement! I hope I am updating soon enough for you all! Are you really a dm?... xXTwistedzxzangeLXx: I'm glad you thought it was good! It makes me really happy that so many people like it! ... Padewan CarrCarr: Because, if he did save them, this fic would be really short, and we don't want that, do we? This is doing them some good, isn't it? Hmmm, it might be a while until they actually admit out loud, but we know these two don't we? ... suzyq: I will try to update again soon. Thanks for the support! ... amberblood: Kaiba really is changing, isn't he? Whether he wants to or not! Glad you like this! keep reading! ... Bobo-is-the-bomb: I'm glad you think this is a good story. Did you like this chapter? ... LuvinAnime: Hey! Ohmygosh, are you still not allowed back on yet? I'm so sad that I can't read your fics and your updates! I hope everything is going okay and you are able to post again. Please come back to us! We miss you! ... Gemini Gurl: You're in tears! I'm sorry! Well, hopefully this update didn't make you cry again! Hope you liked it ... Bradybunch4529: sorry for Kiyo? Why? Anyway, yes, it is because of those contradictions of terms that make Kaiba x Tea fics so fun, isn't it? ... DidiHoney: yes, I updated again! Yay! The events are turning some more aren't they? Even though this chapter wasn't so eventful... me: OK! ... merissala: Yes, if you have any ideas just tell me and I'll be happy to consider them. I'm always looking for inspiration, and what the readers want is very important to me ... swimmurgirl: This wasn't as quick as the first, but it's an update! I can't have them get home already! This is slanted for 26 chapters (tentatively), so NO! no getting off the island yet! Lol –keep reading! ... Chaos-Paladin: yea, unexpected, but I can't let them escape so soon. Kaiba's a fighter ain't he? Plus –Anzu was involved, so he had to 'protect' her ... Kiki: I will! ... dream-fantasy10: was it really the best chapter so far? Glad you liked it! What do you predict to happen next chapter? ... KatarinnaRaysLover: Glad you love it. Kaiba is the best isn't he? He's one of my favorite characters in all of anime! He's what I watch yugioh for, he's what I bought the entire series for! All 224 eps! I'm crazy, ain't I? ... Blue Rhapsody3: No, they can't make it home yet! Like I said before, this is slanted for 26 chapters, so they have to have more adventures on the island before the end chapters when they finally get home –whoops! Did I just give you a spoiler? ... cutehelenjames: I had you glued to the screen? Wow! I'm glad you liked it so much! Yes- they are back on the island. But being alone with eachother is good for the two! ... Miss Yukishiro: missy, missy, missy. You are my 300th review! Yay! It was fate you were, isn't it? My little sissy! I'm glad you're back with us finally. Now its time for you to update! I know I know, fruba for me, but yugioh is so much more fun! Dammit! Lol! Indeed Kiyo will be back, but don't tell anyone else that, okay? oO Oo I don't think anyone else eavesdropped. Anyway, gotta go. Whew! This took forever! Bye missy! ... Zoe: I hope you get an account or something and you can put me on your author alert and it will automatically email you when I update –fanfic is free, you know –glad you like the story!...Niki: Glad you think so!... me: Sorry! I'm having end of school horrorness! Finals and tests and papers due! But I managed to get this out. I got your email right before I posted this chapter! Lol. Hope you enjoy!