There was nothing quite like the glisten in youthful, innocent eyes. Seto watched in wonder as his daughter moved the wrong chess piece and state, "checkmate!"
He smirked, "Beaten again."
She smiled up at him while clapping her hands and said, "You tried your best, Daddy!"
They were sitting on the floor of her bedroom. Since this was the only memory Faith's subconscious had, it was the only setting her brain could take them to within the virtual world. It didn't exactly look the same as the one from the real world. Seto thought that this was because her eyes were the only part of her that had ever moved on their own in the real world, thus only picking up on bits and pieces of what the room looked like. The plush maroon carpet was the same. The thick velvet comforter and deep mahogany woodwork of the large bedframe was the same. A lamp on the bedside table was also the same, but other than that, the rest of the virtual world was blank within Faith's mind. It was mostly a sea of white. A prison that the poor girl didn't even realize she was part of.
Seto had to improvise most of the time. For example, their chess board was something he'd programmed on a day he left the virtual world—a feature which took him years to design. On previous models of his virtual tech, any additional users were 'stuck' in the virtual world until the original user woke up, however, he'd modified this flaw and made it so that individuals could come and go as they please. This helped coma patients respond at their own pace and the success rate of reawakening was statistically better. Seto made sure to spare no expense when he originally launched the upgraded VR tech to the world.
When it came to Faith's condition, Seto decided to take it as slow as possible. There was no way of knowing how fragile her mind was. He could've reprogrammed the entire room for her, but the extent of fragility with her mind was completely unknown. Seto chose to simply bring (program) small items with him into Faith's mind every time he came back into her virtual reality. The tactic worked and some of the time she had asked him if she could keep some of the items. Seto would've given her the world if she asked for it, but again, her mind was a mystery, and it was best for him to play it safe.
"Will you leave me again?" The question broke his train of thought, but in a more devastating way, it broke him, too. She was learning so much compared to when Seto had first met her. He taught her how to speak, walk, and talk. She was only four and may have been a bit behind cognitively due to her handicap, but Seto could tell she was bright. She was even picking up on his coming and going within her mind.
"I'll be back again tomorrow, I promise."
"I know…" She looked away from him. Her long brown hair falling in front of her face, hiding her beautiful ocean eyes.
Scooting closer to her, Seto scooped her up into his arms and began brushing the stray locks from her eyes. There were a few tears prickling at the sides of her eyes. She was always like this, and Seto had come to learn how sensitive his daughter was—just like her mother.
"You... are… so beautiful…" He began softly singing.
"… to me!" She finished, smiling widely and giggling. Proud that she could recall the lyrics to the song and sing along with her father.
Smiling back at her, he continued, singing louder this time, "Can't you see? You're everything I hoped for…"
"…you're everything I need!" She sang even louder, her squeaky voice making both of them laugh.
Giving her a playful glance, Seto smirked before he began tickling her sides. She squealed even louder, and they laughed together until both their sides hurt. After a minute or two they flopped to the floor, landing on their backs, smiling up at a blank ceiling.
"You… are... so beautiful…"
In a soft, screechy voice, Faith finished the song with a high-pitched, "… to me…"
Letting go of all other emotions, Seto allowed himself to laugh, succumbing to the largest belly laugh he'd had in his entire adult life. His daughter gave him life. She was his purpose, and he wanted to give her the childhood he never had. Laughing on the floor like this—virtual or not— was something Seto never got the chance to do. It was as if he was finally experiencing a part of his life that he'd missed out on for the first time, too.
"Where did you learn that song, Daddy?"
"My own mother used to sing it to me before bed."
"Where is my m-mo-moth—" She attempted to say the word.
Realizing her struggle, he offered, "Mommy?"
"Yeah!"
Seto looked away. How was he supposed to answer that? Her mother was gone. Seto wasn't even sure she wanted anything to do with him—but he knew she wanted Faith. How was he supposed to explain to Faith that she needed to wake up when Faith didn't even know what to wake up from?
"Do you remember what I told you about this place, Faith?"
She groaned. She'd heard it a hundred times, "Yeah… that this is not real."
"Do you know what you need to do?"
"Wake up." Her response was out of habit from a conversation they'd had so many times before.
Seto sat up and gripped his daughter's shoulders staring at her sternly, "Listen to me, Faith. You need to wake up to meet Mommy, okay? Do you understand that?"
"No…" She couldn't meet his gaze and turned away in embarrassment.
"What don't you understand?"
Pointing to the bed, she said, "I sleep there and wake up there, but you never wake up or sleep, Daddy." He wasn't sure what she was saying at first, but thankfully she elaborated. Pointing toward the bedroom door, Faith's tone became grumpy, just like a typical toddler, "But you go in and out of the door."
When she didn't continue, he asked, "And do you ever try opening the door?"
She huffed, "No! That's where you come from!"
Seto's eyes widened. No way. It couldn't be that easy. Her statement left Seto pondering for a second. Had she really not explored the option of opening the door? After spending all her life in the virtual world, hadn't she ever been curious as to what was beyond the confides of her bedroom? "Faith, is there a reason you don't try opening the door?"
"I just said, it's where you come from, Daddy. I can't."
He raised an eyebrow, "Because, you don't want to go where Daddy goes?"
"No! Because I don't want to stop you from coming back!"
Suddenly it clicked. She wasn't afraid of going through the door, she was afraid of disrupting the only portal that provided her with company.
"Listen to me, Faith," his grip tightened on her shoulders, "I know you're able to open that door. When I leave, I want you to open the door, okay?"
"But I want to go with you!"
Seto almost slapped himself. It really was that easy. She just didn't want to do it alone. Seto had been so lost within complexities for his entire life that he'd somehow forgotten just how simple children could be sometimes.
"Is that what's been holding you back this whole time? You just didn't want to be alone?"
Faith nodded.
Exhaling loudly, Seto shook his head to steady himself and regain his thoughts. "Okay… Then let's go together." He held out his hand.
Happily, she took it and asked, "Will I wake up?"
"I don't know. That choice is yours."
And just like that, they made their way to the door, opening it up to reveal blinding light.
There was a light tap on her shoulder. Tea whipped around to see one of the dancers in her show smiling at her and pointing across the room. "There's someone waiting for you over there, Mrs. Kaiba."
Standing in the doorway of the backstage room was Mokuba. He caught her gaze and smiled, waving for her to come over. Tea had to stop herself from letting out a heavy sigh and rolling her eyes. Everything within her wanted to scream. Why couldn't she just celebrate the last show of the season with her company and be left alone? The Kaiba's had a way of always ruining something. When she was a teenage, she was helpful and enthusiastic toward them—never wanting to think badly about them, especially not Mokuba—but as time went on and as she grew older, it seemed that Seto's aspirations simply never ceased and Mokuba continued to tag along with his older sibling, regardless of the circumstance. What a shame that it simply had come down to choosing to leave her husband and child behind.
Bitterly, Tea slammed her party cup down on the hors d'oeuvres table. The remining liquid sloshed around but didn't spill, concealing her anger. Pausing for a moment, closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, she thanked the dancer that had informed her and began making her way over to Mokuba. Despite her clear glaring toward him, Mokuba looked way to happy to see her.
"Tea!" He reached out and hugged her.
Despite her resentment, she hugged him back, but quickly became punctual, "What's going on, Mokuba? Why did you fly all the way to New York? I thought it was only Seto that was coming?"
Tea was thankful that Mokuba wasted no time in getting to the point as well. "Seto's waiting in one of the dressing rooms." Mokuba grabbed her hand and began tugging it. She didn't move.
The urgency threw her off. "What's going on, Mokuba?"
He pulled her through the doorway and began leading her down the hall toward the dressing rooms. "I promise you; it'll all make sense in a moment!"
The excitement in his voice couldn't be contained. This made Tea's heart flutter. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, not wanting to get her hopes up too much, but they were practically running down the hall at this point, making Tea's feet burn as her tights rubbed against her high heels.
Realizing how uncomfortable she was, she asked, "Can we slow down just a bit, Mokuba?"
"We're almost there!" Mokuba didn't slow down.
Reaching the door to the dressing room, Tea thought she heard a second voice coming from the other side of the door—one that didn't belong to Seto—but she brushed it off. This building was huge, brimming with tons of other people, it could be any—
Her brain froze as the golden light from the dressing room flooded her vision. Even if she wanted to finish her train of thought, she wouldn't be able to. Once that door opened, all thoughts drifted away like dandelions dancing in the wind. Her mouth hung open, eyes wide and filling with tears. She wasn't prepared for who she saw.
A pregnant pause hung in the air. To Tea, nothing mattered but her beautiful daughter, living, breathing, and standing right before her. Tea almost questioned if this was real until…
"Mommy?"
Mommy. The name sounded sweet and light, like cotton candy or lemonade, reminding Tea of the feeling of innocence, like being a child. Mommy. The word repeated in her mind once again. A foreign name to Tea, something she'd never been referred to before but had dreamt of being called for years.
"Faith…?" Her voice was quiet, much quieter than she had anticipated. She hoped the young girl heard her.
"Are you… my Mommy?"
The question was so innocent and sincere that Tea immediately burst into tears. Nodding her head and smiling brightly, "Yes!" She bent down and extended her arms as Faith came running up to her.
Jumping into an embrace, Tea gripped her daughter, and for the very first time, her daughter held her in return. Having Faith respond, awake and alive, was everything Tea had prayed for since her birth. Her heart swelled. Any bitterness or contempt she felt toward Seto immediately melted away. She didn't know how he did it. Not only did he manage to heal their daughter, but he also healed her broken heart.
For the first time since walking into the room, Tea looked up at him, still embracing their daughter. "You put our family back together again."
His arms were crossed. His smug face looking only a little older since the last time she saw him. He was smirking down at her, reminding her of all the times he'd done this before. This time was different, though. Tea could see his pride, but she also saw his heart.
"And you doubted me?"
Breaking apart from Faith and running her fingers through her daughter's long brown locks, Tea stared at the bright blue eyes of her child. She looked back at Seto. "Not anymore."
He smiled, and bending down to their level, he took them both into his arms, capturing them in an embrace that Tea hoped he'd never break apart from ever again.
"Ready to come home now?" Seto asked. His eyes were like dark ice, piercing through her thoughts. Tea knew this wasn't just a simple question. It wasn't a command either. It was more of a proposal. Was she with him, or was she going to leave him incomplete? For as long as she'd known Seto, she knew his eyes were his biggest betrayer. They reflected an illusion of seriousness and sternness, but they always seemed to tell a slightly different story.
The narrative of Seto Kaiba… someone who didn't want the world to know that he was just a man who loved profoundly. Anyone with an ounce of sensibility could see through the façade, as his eyes may have appeared bold and brooding to the simple-minded, but they were desperate for reciprocated love. Thankfully, the end of Seto Kaiba's story didn't have to end with him forever wondering if all of his extreme acts of love were enough to fill the profound void in his heart…
"Forever," Tea replied, closing the loop on his proposal as she stood to face him.
"Forever?" An ounce of hope stirred within his one-worded question. Tea noticed the unconscious swell of his chest in anticipation. His icy blue eyes were quickly melting.
"I'm ready for forever." Her words were truly a commitment, and this time there'd be no running away.
He took her face into his palms, and it felt electric, as if this were the very first time his fingertips ever grazed her cheeks. Breathing in her air, and inhaling in all of her being, Seto paused to take in the view of her. The intensity of his eyes didn't change, and there was a solid, silent promise behind them. He gently kissed her, giving her a second chance.
She kissed him back, sealing in that promise. Because this wasn't just an ending to Seto Kaiba's search for love. It was hers, too.
A/N: It's over! Thank you to all of you who've stuck by me for the past SIX YEARS (and then some) as I've gradually written this story. This story came to be back when I was still in college, and I saw a writing prompt on Pinterest about a man falling in love with a girl trapped in a computer. Immediately, I thought of Yu-Gi-Oh! I sincerely did not think this story would end up being 38 chapters long, but here we are.
If you're up for it, I've left some interesting facts about this fic below. There's a lot of random things I've put into this fic, so please let me know if any of you caught any of these things! Again, thank you all—from the very bottom of my heart—for reading and reviewing! I am forever grateful for all of you. Thank you!
Just like Skillet named their band after a frying pan, I named this story after one of their songs/albums.
Some, but not all, of the chapter titles are named after songs.
Shana is me. At the time, I was in college (senior year) and had short blonde hair that I would hairspray to high hell so it would stay put in all my job interviews. I would wear blazers and high heels to all my classes because I had an internship with a Fortune 300 company and needed to go into the office after my classes. It was a time in my life where I was focused on my career. I still work for this company today. I guess it all worked out.
Tea and Seto's time in New York City is loosely based off my time there in 2017. I went during Christmas, and it was fabulous (and freezing cold).
In Chapter 1 there is a young girl. This girl could be interpreted as a younger version of Tea, but also a foreshadow to Faith.
In Chapter 3, Kaiba gets bit by a snake. This is a reference to an episode in the Millennium Arc of Yugioh where Mahad gets bit by a snake and Atem sucks the poison out.
In Chapter 5, Kaiba and Tea go to Barney's New York. This is a real department store in NYC and is referenced many times in Gossip Girl, a nod to one of my favorite shows.
In Chapter 15, Tea flips the TV in her hospital room to Seinfeld. Later, in Chapter 29, Kaiba is at the doctor's and Seinfeld is on, a nod to my favorite sitcom.
In Chapter 19, Tea's in a wheelchair and gets her hair done by her mom. Her mom tries to cheer her up but Tea's still in a depressive mood. This is a reference to the last episode of season 3 of the Legend of Korra where Korra is in a wheelchair and Asami is trying to cheer Korra up.
In Chapter 24, Kaiba and Tea are having a conversation while Kaiba is in his jail cell. They are having a conversation within a conversation. The italicized words are their coded conversation. They're having this conversation to avoid suspicion from the police.
In Chapter 29, Kaiba is in another hospital room while Seinfeld is on the TV in the background.
In Chapter 32, Tea asks, "Where is Seto? Is he safe? Is he alright?" This line is a direct play on the line from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Vader wakes up on the operating table and asks, "Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
In Chapter 36, Mokuba yells "Check her pulse," a direct nod to Bakura in the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as the Abridged version where he yells, "Check his pulse, Yugi!" Classic line, really.
In Chapter 38, Kaiba is singing 'You Are So Beautiful' by Joe Cocker. I included this because my mom used to sing this to me before bed when I was Faith's age.
Story stats: 128,300 words, 240 pages, time taken from start to finish: six years, three months, and sixteen days.
Thank you!
