Chapter 3: I'm watching

He asked you to what? Tea demanded as she held her hairbrush between her teeth so she could sign.

Joey, excited to tell anybody about Seto's proposal, found himself disapointed in his friend's reaction. Shouldn't she be happy for him? He expected her to jump up and down and hug him over and over. Instead she just stared. Her eyes wide with negative disbelief. Joey sighed and repeated himself, smiling. Maybe Tea had misunderstood him. However, she only grew more angry.

You're too young to get married, she signed in big threatning gestures, how on earth could you have said yes! I know you're not stupid, Joey!

Joey frowned and raised his hands to argue, but Tea wouldn't let him.

No, let me finish, she silently ordered, this is stupid. Seto should no better than to ask you to marry him! He's not even that good of a signer!

The blonde rolled his eyes. He'd had enough of this. If Tea wasn't going to be happy with him, then he didn't need her comments at all. He grabbed her hands, but she shook him off. He waited for her to say something else. Something mean and nasty, but she didn't. She removed her brush from her mouth and gently set it on her chest of drawers top. She kept her back turned to him, her arms crossed. Joey stood up and flikered her light switch. She still didn't turn around. Instead, she picked up her hand bag and made her way past him, looking at the floor the entire time.

"Seto, open up!" She cried pounding on the Kaiba residents door.

What on earth was he up to? He hadn't been dating Joey long enough to marry him!

When Seto opened the door, he smiled awkwardly. Why on earth was Joey's friend at his house? However, Tea was not smiling back. She looked very, very angry.

"How could you?" She demanded, "how could you ask Joey to marry you? He's only eighteen!"

Seto shrugged.

"That's not too young."

"Yes it is," she said, "and you already told us that you're going back to America this fall, remember? How can you-"

She stopped in mid-sentence.

"Yes," Seto finished for her, "he's going to come with me."

Tea shook her head and screamed, "No he is not! This may be news to you, but Joey's life does not revolve around you!"

The neighbors across the street were looking from their garage. Seto motioned for Tea to come inside. When she didn't, he took her by the wrist and pulled her in. He closed the door behind them.

Tea began to open her mouth, but Seto quickly retrieved a pamplet off of the coffee table and handed it to her. She stared at it and read aloud, "Cochlear implant?"

"They only do it in America," Seto explained excitedly, "but Joey could regain his hearing! He could speak again!"

Tea hurled the booklet at his feet.

"So you want to marry him so he can talk to you again! Is that all Joey's worth! A voice in bed or something! So you can hear your own selfish name!"

Seto took a step toward her menacingly. She was now backed against the wall, but she did not tremble out of fear. She trembled out of sheer fury. Furious that Seto would even think about doing this.

"I'm selfish?" He repeated, "I'm trying to give Joey back what he lost and you're calling me selfish?"

Tea frowned deeply at him and said, "I think it's selfish because you're doing it for you. You're not doing it for Joey at all!"

"I would do anything for Joey-"

"Then accept that he's deaf," Tea screamed pushing him away from her, "accept the fact that Joey can't hear! Accept that he'll never be the Joey you know all those years ago!"

She was crying now and Seto wasn't quite sure why. Did she love Joey too?

"He hasn't changed, "he said cooly, "you just want him to be different. It's you, Tea, you want him to stay deaf so you can be this wonderful intepreter who is lavished with this bright aura of power."

He pulled her closer once more and nearly whispered, "I think it's you who's being selfish."

His voice was so cold, Tea felt goosebumps rise on her skin. She pulled away again and stomped to the front door.

Before she slammed it behind her, she spat, "I won't let you hurt Joey, he's not just some light for me! He's my best friend!"

When she left, Seto collapsed onto his sofa. Of course Joey would want to talk again! Tea just didn't know what she talking about! She and her gang of charity-infactuated hoodlums had brainwashed him into thinking being handicapped was A-okay and he'd never be anything more than their little deaf friend whom they could pal around in public with! Was that friendship? Was it?

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Howver, as the blackness expanded in front of his eyes, he felt his hands began to move into shapes. Shapes that had meaning.

Worried, want, Joey, Joey, Joey...

He was barely aware of the words he was forming with his hands. The hands that had raised Mokuba with. The hands that had built a better Kaiba Corp. The hands that had both insulted and flattered Joey.

Kaiba's a liar, Joey, Tea exploded barging into Joey's bedroom, he doesn't want to marry you for you at all! He wants you to hear again!

Joey shook his head and replied, We've been through that. I told him I wasn't going to get the- he finger-spelled,c-o-c-h-l-e-a-r i-m-p-l-a-n-t.

Tea stopped and looked as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Had he really lied to Joey? She had just told him that because in her current state of rage, Tea wanted to toast Seto's nasty little personality in a pizza oven. Put a knife through him. She let her hands fall to her side and sat on Joey's bed.

Joey approached her and knelt down so she could see his hands.

What's wrong? He brought his, "y" to his chin and tapped it a few times.

Seto's planning to take you to America, Tea signed more into her lap than Joey's direction, he told me-

Joey shook his head and took her hands. Her eyes blazed into his as he let go and began to sign to her, Seto would never do that! You're...you're just mad because I'm getting married! You-

Tea glared at him, and it wasn't her normal glare. In her eyes, Joey had never seen so much hurt. She squeezed them shut so she didn't have to see her best friend have his heart ripped to shreds. The blonde tapped her hand repeatidly, longing to apologize, but Tea stood up and fled.

Damn...he signed meekly before sliding to the floor.

To the readers:

Chibismiles: Weddings are fun, but will there be one, that is the question

Bakuraluver4ever: Yah, I'm really, really trying with the description, but writing sign kind of spoils me for dialogue.

jonouchi-kaiba-mokie: Yah, I finally got off my lazy butt and began to continue!

MLadyAngel: Thank you! I'm going ASAP!

Euphoria: You thought of my fic? Wow! Now I really feel loved (lol)! Seriously, thank you so much! It's you guys who actually keep me going b/c I was reading the reviews and thought, "It's really time to start the sequel"

Celdria: Now do you have an idea of what I meant? Thanks for asking!