DISCLAIMER: Must I painfully admit this every time? Gosh, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. (turns to lawyers and government people who are pointing guns) "Happy now?" " Yes, very… hopefully we won't have to call in government officials next time to get you to admit that"
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A/N: Hey yah for me! I wrote this chapter on time (gives self pat on the back), and didn't make you guys wait 4 months again (winks). Thanks to all the people who reviewed, I really didn't expect so many for this story (not that I'm complaining LOL.) So anyways enough of my useless ramblings.
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Chapter 3: Moving in
"Where is she?" The words could be heard throughout most of the hospital. The frantic yelling being traced back to a distressed looking brunette, and a dirty blonde haired man looking quite uncomfortable.
" Who are you looking for? " asked the receptionist behind the desk.
" Ummm… Anne Gardener" Tea said trying to catch her breath. The receptionist took a long while looking up the name in the computer database, chewing gum, and slowly blowing out a bubble.
" Oh here it is… you're gonna have to fill out a form to prove that you are a relative, then we'll just check everything and you can go see her."
" Is she alright?" Tea asked frightened.
" Don't you listen, first fill out the forms then go visit whoever the hell you want."
" Seto… help me…" she said turning to him in utter distress.
" Oh my god Mr.Kaiba, I…I didn't recognize you"
" Oh I forgot I owned this place" Seto mumbled, " Give me Ms.Gardener's room number."
" Up at the third ward, she'll be placed in Room 111, after everything's been sorted. " Once hearing the number Tea raced toward the elevator and Kaiba followed suit.
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" I can't believe she's going to get married"
" I know it's a shock"
" En' out of all the people it had to be that thing Kaiba"
" Yea, but what can we do about that Joey? Nothing might as well accept it. While you're accepting that you might as well know that me and Serenity are getting married."
" WHHHHHAAAAAA?" Joey yelled holding Serenity in a possessive big brother type of way. " Now way… she's too young, you two haven't even dated….nnoo"
" Since when are we going to be married?"
" Oh honey your brother is just over reacting, you don't have to pretend."
" No seriously, I had no idea I was going to get married until now."
" Hahahah, oh man if you could have seen the look on your faces… price less." Tristan could not stop laughing as the three other occupants of the room collapsed onto a near by sofa. Then his face got serious while he added looking straight into Serenity's eyes. "But I plan to someday, someday there will be a Serenity Taylor" that said Serenity blushed a crimson red, Mai smiled, and Joey… well he was either constipated, full of rage, or about to puke, because by the way he looked you really couldn't tell which one it was.
" Umm… okay didn't know I could have such a dramatic effect on all of you. Hey Serenity want to go visit the Game shop and see Yugi and Du… actually lets go get some ice-cream" he said rubbing the back of his head nervously knowing that he was competing with Duke for the girl he loved.
" Oh okay, just don't say stuff like that "
" Why not?"
" Just don't okay?"
" Alright, whatever you say, lets go." He said extending the crook of his arm towards her so that she could link hers with his. Once the two left a silence fell upon the other two. It had been weird between the two ever since she got back. She'd gone off for a year with her rich boyfriend to explore the world, leaving Joey to cope without her. She told them all that in the end she left him because the relationship wasn't working when in reality it had been because she'd looked him in the eye and said, "I love you Joey"…when her boyfriends name had been Kyo.
" Uh I gotta run Joey I'll see you later."
" Wait Mai" he said grabbing her hand. " I don't know what happened but ever since you came back, I can't help but feel somethins not right between us. I don't know if it's because of something I said or something that happened during your year out, but it's killin' me."
" Joey…"
" No don't speak just listen. I thought we had something there, thought that that kiss had meant something."
Flashback
" Joey, oh my god are you alright?"
" I'll live" he said laying on the hospital bed.
" What happened?"
" I was takin' a joy ride on Tristan's new motorcycle, doctors said I was lucky, most woulda' died from an accident like mine."
" If you had where would have that left me?" she asked tears in her eyes, while she was trying to stop them from spilling out.
" Mai-muph" though whatever he was about to say never came out because his words were stopped by soft lips.
End Flashback
That had been the last time he saw her before she disappeared for a year.
" Do you know how many times I thought about what happened to you? You disappear and then like it didn't happened you reappear."
" Look Joey I'm sorry the kiss didn't mean anything, it was a mistake, I never really meant it to happen. I'm really sorry, and I can't take back what happened, but I was hoping we could be friends. You know start over fresh?"
" Yah that'd be cool" For now…
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" Is she going to be alright? " asked the frightened looking brunette to the middle aged doctor.
" She is in critical condition right now. When she passed out, she hit her head on a glass table, shattering it. There were multiple cuts to her face, a possible sign of brain damage, and bits of glass stuck within her skin. Right now the medics are removing glass and checking for brain damage. So far, she has not regained consciousness, but that is normal seeing that she lost a lot of blood and will need time to recuperate. As soon as I find out anything else I'll let you both know." Since Tea was in too much of a state of shock to respond, she just nodded her head, and sat in the only armchair in the waiting area.
If a person were to walk by now it would seem as if there were two young people in love, were occupying the armchair. Her head on his shoulder, draped by his jacket, eyes closed. His arms around her, providing comfort, lulling her softly into a reassuring sleep. Yet, in reality the case was quite different. After two hours of sitting in utter silence, Tea had practically gone numb. She hardly knew why she was here anymore, who was sitting next to her, or who she even was. Her mind left blank her eyes closed and her head rested on whatever was nearest to it, Kaiba's shoulder. They were sitting in front of a large open window, and in the chilling breeze of the night Tea, who was adorned only in a short-sleeved tee and jeans, was really feeling the cold. Not wanting for something else to be of a burden to him, Kaiba had taken off his jacket and put it upon his fiancé's sleeping form. Though, when she continued to shake from the cold, he had no other option but to put his arm around her engulfing her in what would be considered a semi-hug. Many thoughts were running through the young CEO's mind at the moment. Like if he hated this girl, if he was so disgusted by her, then why was he still here? There were so many other things he needed to attend to, so many people to yell at (which was mainly why he went to Kaiba corp. everyday anyways, he could just work from home, but no he found comfort in what he did best, yell) yet, here he was. The only reason he could come up with was that she was now technically a Kaiba and Kaiba's looked out for one another. One word just seemed to pop into his head divorce, and for the first time since she'd mentioned it the words seemed to find a place within him. This would be over soon, she'd be gone, and there would be no one, except Mokuba, that could have such power against him. He would not come to care for her, thus, she would not become his weakness.
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"What's wrong Yugi?"
"Nothing Yami"
" I know you, and I know when there's something troubling you."
" Its just Tea"
" Ahh, I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."
" Yah it's just hard for me you know, not to have said anything and act all calm in front of Tea."
" Why did you do it then? You should just tell her how you feel."
" Well she would be miserable if she knew it would just about kill me to witness her get married to Kaiba. She's my best friend and if she's okay with it, I should be too."
" But you're not okay with this."
" No, but it will take some getting used to. After my hearts been broken to it's limit, the pain should stop right? Then it'll start to heal right? And if I'm around them both for a long enough time, maybe her happiness will bring mine."
" Yugi I wish I could help you, but I know nothing of what do in such situations of love."
" If only things could be different. If only I had told Tea how much I loved her before. Then there would be a chance that now it was mine and Teas wedding that was the talk of the town and not hers and…"
" It's okay Yugi."
" No it isn't!" and then he ran off tears sparkling in the air behind him.
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" Mr.Kaiba?"
" Yes?"
" Ms.Gardener is doing much better now. She still hasn't regained consciousness, and probably won't for the next few hours, at least till tomorrow morning. Yet, everything is fine, and she will be all right. The paramedics who found her said that your fiancé really shouldn't go into the house until the blood and mess has been cleaned up. It could cause something traumatic for her."
" Okay, she'll be staying at Kaiba mansion then." Those words said between them, Kaiba gently picked up Tea and went towards the exit of the hospital. Yet, not without barking out the words "You're fired" to the rude receptionist. He smiled (well sort of, it was a Kaiba smile…okay forget it, sorry I even tried, it was a smirk) he felt better now.
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Tea jumped up suddenly from the bed that she had been lying upon. She recognized nothing in the room. Except the bed in which she inhabited everything else was covered up, indicating that Tea was the only person to stay in this room for a very long period of time. Fear consumed her. Where was she? What about her mother? Oh god, how was her mother? Alive… could she possibly be….no she wouldn't think about it. Okay calm down Tea she reminded herself What's the last thing I remember? Hmmmm… Going to the hospital, talking to the doctor, sitting next to Kaiba. Kaiba! Where was he? She knew that no matter how she loathed him, for the years of insults and coldness and all, he would never let harm come to someone when he was with them. Maybe I'm at Kaiba Mansion. She looked around for any sign that this was the palace of a Kaiba and the she found it, in golden script at the edge of her blanket was the word 'Kaiba'. She was relived, happy, tired. She couldn't help it, she soon found her head once again hit a soft pillow. The last word in her mind before she drifted of into a dreamless sleep was MOM.
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This time when Tea awoke, it was not by will. There was a strong hand on her shoulder urging her to wake out of her peaceful slumber.
" Leave me alone." She mumbled moving in the opposite direction of the intruder.
" Gardener don't make me kiss you awake, I will if I have to " he whispered heatedly into her ear.
" Okay I'm getting up, you don't have to resort to that."
" If you want to sleep go ahead. Mokuba just told me you'd rather want to be awakened so you could go see you're mother." Her face instantly paled at his words.
" Is she…"
" She's fine, hurry up and get ready, Mokuba's downstairs so you can go eat breakfast with him, then there's Alfred out front who will take you to the hospital."
" Aren't you going to come to?"
" No I have better things to do." He knew he shouldn't be so hard on her, seeing the tears forming in her eyes, but it was the only way. He was Kaiba after all, it was his duty to be so.
" Fine" she said turning around as to not face him. He wanted to go hug her, felt like comforting her but his step fathers words rang throughout his mind " Companion is a sign of weakness, it only brings you down in the long run", and so he just quietly exited the room.
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Tea stood in front of room 111, holding the doorknob preparing herself for what was to come. She opened the door slowly, and there was her mother, stitched, bandaged, and yet still alive.
" Oh mom, how are you?"
" I'm doing better now."
" I'm so sorry it's all fault, I'll never leave your side now. When you come home I'll be around 24/7, for whatever you need."
" Tea it's alright, it wasn't your fault" The tears Tea had refused to shed in front of Kaiba this morning came spilling out. " Tea I can't come home."
" Why not?"
"The doctor said I should stay in a place where there is medical supervision all the time. Tea I need you to move in with Kaiba."
" What?"
" He called this morning and it's all settled. I don't want you living in that house all alone. You would have had to live there eventually."
" Okay, I understand. I'll come and visit you though, and what about the wedding?"
" The doctor said if I'm feeling up to it, I'd be able to leave for a day."
Mother and daughter spent the rest of Tea's 3-hour visit reminiscing, and talking. They laughed and all, lightning up each others mood. After all, as Tea had always been taught, laughter was the best medicine.
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A/N: Wow this chapter ended up sorta long. The longest chapter yet so far. This chapter may have seemed a little boring but I just had to establish some things. There wasn't much of the bet in this chapter, but it will be in the next chapter (something to look forward to there :p )