In this chapter, the point of view is split between Téa and Kaiba. Yu-gi-oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi. Please read and review. And check out "Invisible Ink."
A Phantom's Gaze
When he overheard Yugi tell Wheeler and Taylor that Téa wouldn't be going to the Academy, after all, Kaiba almost laughed out loud, and had to cover his mouth to hide his grin. The universe had handed him an opportunity.
It was just before school let out, and Téa was in a different History class. Yugi was telling about how Téa didn't get the scholarship in a sad, sad voice. As Wheeler and Taylor raged against the unfairness of it all, and Wheeler talked about heading down to the academy to "crack some skulls," and Yugi tried to look at the bright side by stating that at least Téa would get to hang out with them, Kaiba sat there and grinned for the first time in weeks. It was a wonderful plan, absolutely wonderful.
He had Téa all paid off by that afternoon. He'd even thrown in a sizable donation to the Academy, just to sweeten the deal.
He was quite pleased with himself.
When Téa first came to the Academy, Kaiba intruded on her mind quite frequently. The dancers slept in suites, so she could wake up in the middle of the night to pace her dorm room without waking her suitemates.
In the shower, she would think about him and scrub herself so hard it hurt.
The worst was when a memory of him would ambush her when she was dancing. She would stand in the corner, waiting for her turn to move across the room, when thoughts of him would make her teeth grind and her fists clench. Two instructors took her aside to tell her that they noticed she seemed tense. They recommended the yoga classes to help her ease her stress.
One night, in the shower, she dug her nails deep into the skin of her forearm, raking the flesh and leaving angry looking lines. She felt distant, impassive. It frightened her.
Later that week, when the other dancers were in bed and she couldn't sleep in the suite bedroom that felt like a capsule, she picked up a paper clip, straightened it, and jammed the sharp end into her thigh, dragging it across the skin. The pain made her gasp, and relief seemed to rush in as the blood rushed out.
It wasn't dangerous. There was only a slight puncture wound in the morning, but Téa was terrified. She had felt so separate from herself when she had done it. She remembered having the insane thought that it would help her sleep.
She began to take the yoga classes, and threw herself into dancing and making new friends, two things that were rather easy for her. She avoided sharp objects. The sight of the little puncture wound filled her with shame.
Soon, the girls would have their first dance recital. This was another thing to take her mind off of Kaiba, who seemed to be fading away faster and faster. Her parents were bringing her friends down to see it. She fell asleep every night physically exhausted from the exertion.
She did exactly what she did after the first time in the closet, when she worked manically on cleaning the house and preparing Joey's gift, only now she danced. It had seemed to help, after the first time in the closet. In fact, it had made what happened become nebulous and otherworldly, so much so she could pretend it never happened. It would have helped her pretend forever, if Kaiba hadn't done it again.
She was certain this approach would work this time. She would never see Kaiba again. He had sent her here, and now it was done. She was going to move on with her life. Kaiba would never show up again.
Kaiba awaited the dance recital at the Academy with anticipation and trepidation. He had his secretary buy his ticket a month in advance.
He had never seen Téa dance before, even though she was rather famous throughout the school for her abilities. He felt compelled to watch her.
He flew the helicopter the night of the recital, and then was picked up by a private car, an inconspicuous Jetta. He had showered, brushed his teeth, put on cologne. He noticed his facial hair was growing ever-so-slightly thicker.
He was seated before everyone else, in a private box. He looked down at the crowd. He saw Yugi Moto come in—he could recognize him anywhere—and looked away. If Yugi was there, that meant Wheeler was there, and he didn't want his evening spoiled.
The lights went down. The dance began.
Téa might as well have been alone on the stage. He watched her every move, memorizing the lines of her body, observing the muscles bunch and elongate, and the tempo of feet and arms. He spent minutes just following the sweeps of her wrists with his eyes. He studied the way the light fell on her neck with intensity. Her hair had gotten longer, and watching the strands swing and shine filled him with an almost gleeful feeling.
He was disappointed when the performance was over. He sat in his box and watched as the crowd left. He looked down and saw Yugi hadn't left yet, and he was indeed with Wheeler and Taylor. What surprised him was that Mai Valentine was there too, and Wheeler's sister—what was her name? Liberty? Dakota?—and Bakura. Bakura looked healthy and happy, and more relaxed than Kaiba had ever seen him. He leaned against the lip of the stage with an easy smile that never left his face. He even looked less thin, like there was no room in his body for some muscle. Yugi was holding a dozen apricot roses spotted with daisies.
Along with the group were a man and a woman who looked to be in their mid-forties. They both had brown hair, and Kaiba guessed that they were Téa's parents. He was torn between curiosity and wanting to hide.
When Téa herself appeared, changed into a yellow sundress, everyone in the party ran to give congratulations, and she hugged each one in turn, even Bakura, who looked down bashfully. She hugged Yugi the longest, her eyes closed.
When Yugi let go, she opened her eyes to move onto Mai, and she happened to look up at the box. Her eyes met with Kaiba's.
Her smile vanished. Her eyes widened. From the movement of her chest, Kaiba could see her breath caught.
Mai noticed. She whipped around to follow Téa's line of sight. Kaiba crouched down just in time.
He didn't leave for another ten minutes, making sure they weren't hanging out in the lobby. He was filled with shame at himself. Why was he so afraid of them? He could destroy them, just like he destroyed the orphanage.
He shouldn't think such thoughts. They would disappoint Kisara. He was sure Kisara would approve of his decision not to cause a scene. There was a time and place for everything, he told himself.
He flew home, pondering his next move.
He had not been there. He had NOT been there.
Téa told herself that over and over as she sat down to dinner with her parents and friends. He had been a phantom, a figment of her imagination. If Kaiba had really been there, he wouldn't have ducked out of sight. He would have stayed to throw insults at her friends, and maybe even her mom and dad.
"You looked like you saw a ghost, kid," Mai said to her in the bathroom at the restaurant. She applied lipstick to her bottom lip before continuing. "Your face went absolutely white."
"Oh, I thought I saw a guy up in the balcony. It just startled me, that's all," Téa said. She nudged Mai's shoulder. "Were you and Joey holding hands?"
"Yes, they were!" Serenity clapped her hands. "They started going out last weekend!"
In jumping up and down and hugging her friends with joy, Téa found it even easier to believe Kaiba had been just a hallucination.
She had to. She would go insane if she didn't.