Yugioh and its characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi.

A Man

Téa waited for someone to tell her what Kaiba was doing at Kame, but everybody seemed to think that she was something fragile. After much throat clearing and mental rehearsal, she decided to ask.

"I heard Kaiba came by the other day," she said while hanging out in Joey's room a couple of days after meeting Mai on the bridge. "We haven't seen him in a while. What did he want?"

"Nothing, Téa," Yugi said. "Say, would you like cookies? I can make sugar, or chocolate chip…"

Joey plopped down next to her on the floor and stared into her face, searching for any signs of a breakdown. "What movie do you want to watch, Téa? We'll watch anything you want."

"Would you rather play a game, Téa?" Tristan plopped down on the other side of her and stared at her just as intently as Joey. "We'll play anything you want. Or, we can go out!"

"Only if Téa wants to," Serenity piped up. She sat down on the couch behind Téa. "Téa, you have such pretty hair. It's so thick and shiny, and looks so nice up in a bun. May I play with it?"

"Well…sure," Téa knew that everyone was concerned. She had given Mai permission to tell everyone that she had been upset, but nothing beyond that. She felt guilty for not telling anyone else, especially Yugi, but she knew that they also wouldn't understand what she was going through, and, while she appreciated that they went out of their way to avoid mentioning Kaiba for her sake, it was difficult for her, knowing that there was an exchange and she was left out of it.

Serenity's hands felt nice in her hair. She had to admit, it was comforting, having her friends dote on her. She didn't want it to last forever, because she didn't like feeling weak. She felt like she was recovering from a long illness, waiting patiently to get back to her old self.

The moment on the bridge was a prickle of shame, even though Mai had told her she had done nothing wrong. "It was just a lapse, honey," she had told her. "Just make sure that the next time it happens, you call me, okay? Promise me. We're not alone, Téa. We have each other. So promise me."

"I promise."

She would keep that promise. She would never hurt herself again, and would never put herself on that bridge again. Knowing Mai knew almost everything had steadied her somewhat.

She decided that if only Ivan knew about Kaiba, that was okay. She would handle it herself. She feared Mai would find out and want to know why she kept it from her, or, even worse, think that she was making it up to get attention. Téa couldn't bear that.

"So, what did Kaiba want? Is he starting another tournament?"

"Oh, you know Kaiba," Bakura said from his perch on the armchair. "He just swung by to preen. "

It never ceased to amaze Téa how soothing Bakura's presence was, now that he was free from his spirit. His voice was so soft and smooth, and he was naturally empathetic.

"Would anyone like a cup of tea?" Bakura continued. "I have some nice Earl Grey. I thought everyone might like to try it, seeing as how it's such a relaxing evening."

"Wow, Bakura," Téa said, "I was just thinking that tea would be perfect."

"Who wouldn't be thinking that tea would be perfect?" Bakura chuckled. "While Yugi makes the cookies, I'll boil the water and steep the tea. Do we have milk and honey?"

The scent of cookies and tea, her friends' voices, and Serenity's fingers moving through her hair made Téa feel safe, but it bothered her that they were keeping something from her. At the same time, she was keeping something from them, and to be angry with them for keeping their secret would be hypocritical.

Téa found herself spending more and more time alone with Mai. She had also been offered her old teaching job at the dance studio, and she took it without a thought. It was only later that she realized how strange it was, to be actually looking forward to leaving the house.

A little while ago, I might have turned the studio down. That would have been awful.

Fall was fast approaching. The sunsets mellowed, and crisp nights fell sooner. Téa and her friends took advantage of the remaining daylight and warmth to go for long walks along the pier, laughing and chatting. Téa always walked arm-in-arm with Yugi. It was a companionable affection, one that nourished both of them.

One particularly warm Saturday afternoon, Téa swept the shop while Yugi was taking care of his grandfather. Grandpa had been going up the stairs while carrying a box full of cards, thinking he would price them in front of the TV. He had turned around to call something to Yugi over his shoulder, overbalanced, and nearly fell down the stairs. He had wrenched his knee catching himself. Téa had sat by him for a while, armed with a box of caramels, his favorite, and then let Yugi take over to talk business—they had a whole drawer of invoices and orders to go through.

She could picture Yugi running the business. It was his home, after all. Ever since Yugi had become the face of dueling, there had been no financial concern, and there was no reason to think that would change.

Téa swept and smiled, thinking of Yugi and his cheerful, caring presence behind the counter. His wide-eyed joy in discovery whenever he learned a new game, or just got a new shipment of cards, hadn't diminished in any way, and was quite infectious.

I wonder what it would be like to be with him 24/7?

She grinned at the thought. She imagined those twenty-four hours with him: eating breakfast, which they would take turns making; going to work; coming home; talking and laughing while making dinner; watching television or playing games; washing the dishes. He would be the first audience for all her dance routines. He would always clap.

Then, at the end of the day, they would get in bed together and…talk and laugh.

Wait…that's all?

Téa pictured snuggling with Yugi, holding hands, tickling. That was easy. She pictured kissing him on the mouth—try as she might, that's as far as she could go. She couldn't even picture him without his pants.

She shut her eyes, determined to try harder. They were in bed. They were kissing. Yugi puts his tongue into her mouth…

Téa stifled a giggle.

Okay, so he's kissing me, he has his tongue in my mouth, he starts to take off his pants…

And he takes off his pants…

And…

The pants stayed stubbornly on.

The doorbell merrily jingled. Téa looked up, and her giggle fell heavy from her lips as she felt that familiar feeling of all motion in the universe grinding to a halt. The warm orange early evening sun was a spotlight, and it threw the figure that entered into shadow, but she saw enough.

It was Seto Kaiba.

She pried her foot from the floor and took a step back. She strangled the broom, putting it between them, a laughable shield. She glanced at the counter. It was now a simple cardboard box, easily vaulted over or crushed or tossed aside. She had shrunk in size. The ceiling was as high as a cathedral's and made the whole store feel like a cavern. The path to the staircase was leagues long.

Kaiba himself was ten feet tall. She was a tiny bird, a paper doll, porcelain.

"Gardner," he said. He cleared his throat. "Téa—"

He took a step forward. She took another step back.

"I'll get Yugi," she said. Her voice croaked.

"No, don't get him." Kaiba took another step toward her and she took another step back. He was no longer backlit, but now she was against the wall. "Your hair is long," he said. "It's very…nice."

She noticed she was wiping one palm on her shorts. The other palm was dripping on the broom. He stared at her with bright eyes. Her mind whirred desperately, empty but for the bright, sharp urge to flee.

Think. Think!

"I'm sorry about Kisara," she said. A muscle in his cheek jumped. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned…"

"It can't have been any easier for you with Atem," Kaiba said calmly. He shrugged. "Besides, she is always with me."

"Oh. That's good, for her to be in your heart." She stepped sideways toward the stairs. "Let me get Yugi…"

"I don't need to talk to Yugi. I've already spoken to him. I've already spoken to your parents."

Téa leaned on the broom. It was the only thing keeping her up at this point. Don't show weakness. "What? My parents? What are you talking about?"

"I have permission." In a few long strides he was leaning on the counter.

Téa felt weak. She forced herself to stay upright. "Permission for what?"

"Mokuba has been talking about you," he continued. "He talks about you a lot, actually."

Téa couldn't feel her lips, but she forced them to form words. "Why would he be talking about me?"

"You saved his life. Don't you remember?" He angled his body towards her. "He owes you so much. We owe you so much."

Téa shook her head. "No. You don't. I did what anyone would have done."

"No. Not everyone would have done that." He searched her face. "My God, you've lived in a world of kindness. You truly believe that people are good, don't you?"

Téa couldn't answer.

"That would be a good perspective for Mokuba," Kaiba said, almost to himself, but his eyes held her face. "Yes, he deserves to be able to think that the world is at least a little bit trustworthy. He deserves to be happy." His eyes were pinning her now, like a cat playing with a mouse. "You make him happy, Téa."

"He's a good boy," Téa whispered. It was all she could think to say.

"Yes. I feel I did a pretty good job, but a lot of it was his own doing. I can't take all the credit for it. " His body shifted and Téa flinched. His eyes changed from bright to penetrating. "You're afraid of me."

The broom twitched in her trembling hands. "I'm not. I'm not afraid of you. I just…"

Liar. You Just what? Hate him? Hate yourself?

"I just…now's not a good time. That's all."

"Téa, the last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me." He shifted his body more, working his way around the counter, step by step. "In fact, you never have to be afraid of anything ever again." He stopped and gazed at her, his eyes softened. "Did you enjoy the Academy?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm how you got in. I paid the tuition." He was smiling, his next words coming out in a rush. "Did it make you happy, being there?"

"I enjoyed it, yes. Thank you. Thank you very much." He's back to get something in return. You knew it. You knew this. "I'll pay you back. It may take me years, but I'll pay you back, with money." It was loathsome, but better than the alternative.

He shook his head. "I don't want any money, Téa."

She saw what would happen next. He would grab her, and shove her into the wall, or yank her into his body. His hands would run all over her, like she didn't have a heart or a soul or a brain, like she was just a body, not a human being. All she was to Seto Kaiba was skin. That's all she was to Bandit Keith and the gym teacher.

Téa felt something warm and alive cocooned inside the cold dread that had enveloped her insides.

"What did you speak to my parents about? And Yugi?"

"I was getting permission." He looked at her like she should know what he was talking about. She was terrified she did.

"Permission for what?"

"To court you. To marry you." He was moving around the counter again, his words in a rush. "I'd like to take you to the mansion with me. I'd like you to live with me, and Mokuba. I can give you every thing you ever wanted and more. I can do that. You know I can."

The words "to marry you" sliding from Kaiba's lips shocked Téa into a brief numbness. Then, the warmth inside her turned to a smoldering. She looked him in the eye.

"No."

Kaiba went stiff.

"No. I won't do that." As she spoke, she imagined that it would be best to just calmly walk away and leave him standing there, but she couldn't stop talking. "Why would I marry you, Kaiba? I can't even call you by your first name. Do you think I'd want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life? You don't even know me." Tears were streaming down her face, but there were no sobs. Her voice was clear. "And after what you did to me, those times when you…"

He was staring at her, his eyes icy and almost blank. She was painfully aware of how tall he was, how heavy, and how hard his big hands gripped the countertop, his fingers white at the tips.

"You hurt me," she whispered. "You hurt me."

Now that she was done, her breath hitched, and her stomach ached, and she trembled, but she didn't take her eyes off of him.

Kaiba looked down at his hands. He stared at them for a long moment. Téa thought about running, but she saw something in Kaiba, then. His shoulders dropped, and his eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them again, and raised them to her, she saw that pleading, desperate look she had seen in the gym closet and in the girls' bathroom, and also that sadness she saw on the blimp.

"I told you," he whispered. "I told you that would never happen again. You'll never be hurt again. Ever, by anything."

She realized that, in his heart, he believed himself, and she felt that repulsive desire to comfort him.

"But you did it, Kaiba. You made me feel like nothing. Like I was just something you could grab and do whatever you wanted to and then throw away."

"It wasn't like that!" Kaiba's fingers gripped the counter again.

"Yes, it was. It was to me!"

"You liked it sometimes. I know you did. It didn't hurt you all the time. You would have fought more if it did. You would have tried harder to pull away." The sinews of his hands bulged thickly from his grip.

Téa's belly burned and sloshed with a vile, bitter fluid. "You wouldn't LET me pull away, Kaiba."

Kaiba shut his eyes. Téa could hear him breathing slowly and deeply. She thought about running, but found she couldn't, not now. She didn't want to run.

Kaiba opened his eyes and raised them to her.

"Téa," he said, his voice measured. "I want you to think about this. Think about Mokuba. Think about what we can give you." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Think about what we can give your parents. They're good people, Téa. They want what's best for you. They want you to be happy."

"They don't know what you did."

"Which will not happen again. I will tell you that as many times as it takes. It will not happen again. It will not happen again. It will not happen again." He inched closer. He was almost all the way around the counter now. "Not only that, I can more than make up for it."

"By doing what, Kaiba?"

"Taking care of you. Taking care of your family."

"Can you get rid of this?" She rolled up her shorts, and his eyes peeled open. His back straightened, and his hands spasmed on the edge of the counter. She hated him, at that moment. It was easy to see him not even acknowledging what she was trying to show him, blinded by the curve of her thigh and the thrill of once hidden skin now exposed. It was possible that those hands would be on her any second now, the fingers going up the legs of her shorts, his crotch crushing her against the wall—two against one, he and his genitals, the hard fact of his maleness, ganging up on her.

His face fell. He spotted the scar from the paperclip, a large white freckle with a slight lavender tint.

He stepped around the counter. He knelt in front of her.

A dead hush fell over the room. Golden dust stopped their slow, aimless dance in the light of the sun's last blaze.

"I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"

"I couldn't sleep. A lot of nights, I couldn't sleep." Téa's face felt like it was sizzling. "I kept…feeling it. I kept seeing it."

He was silent at her feet. She felt he knew what she meant by "it."

"And, I thought that it would make me stop feeling, and seeing."

"Did it work?"

She looked down at him. He glanced up at her, and then settled his eyes back on the scar.

"Did it make it all go away?"

"For a few minutes. It made everything quieter." Those moments after the paperclip was shoved in and pulled out, everything was soft, muted, gentle. She had felt like she was floating. "But no, Kaiba, nothing could make you go away."

"I have one like that," he said, ignoring her last statement. He looked up at her. "It's from a match."

Téa was angry that she found herself curious and caring. "Who did it?"

"It was at the orphanage."

"Is that why it was torn down?"

"It's one reason." His lips twitched. He looked up at her. "All I did was touch you," he whispered. "It was supposed to feel good."

Her heart went from a lope to a gallop, and her breath pistoned in and out of her lungs.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you. Not like those people did with me." He lifted his hand from where it rested on his knees. It glided toward her. "For what it's worth."

His palm made contact with her thigh.

She swung the broom down as hard as she could. It wasn't very hard; he was too close to her, and she was too close to the wall, to make an effective arc, but the blow, as clumsy as it was, still met his shoulder with enough force to make him stumble off of his knees. His palm flew off of her thigh and landed hard on the floor. She sprinted to the doorway that led to the stairs.

"Wait!"

His gravely voice was pleading. She stopped in the doorway, and turned to look at him. He was still in a half-crouch, his palms flat on the floor.

"Do it again."

She couldn't have heard that right.

"Hit me again. Get it out of your system, if that' s what it takes. "

Téa almost did it. She almost broke the broom over his skull. It would feel good, that initial resistance, and then the give of wood on skull, just as it would have felt good to drive that pen into his neck.

She thought of Yugi upstairs, going over those files with his grandpa. They were peaceful and loving. This shop was a place where she had laughed and played games, ever since she could remember. She wasn't going to soil it.

She let the broom go. It made a hollow clatter on the rubbery floor behind the counter.

"Get out," she said.

He squinted up at her.

"I said you could hit me. Do it."

"And I said get out. " She was going to burst into flames, pour over him like a tidal wave, blast him out of the shop. His jaw was slightly agape as he stared up at her. The whites of his teeth and eyes blared. She wondered if that's what she looked like to him, when she was the one who was frightened. "You call yourself a man? Get out!"

"Téa?"

Yugi was coming down the stairs. His face blanched when he saw Kaiba crouched on the floor. He moved between them and gripped Téa's arms. "Téa, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Kaiba stood up, his head bent. Téa drilled her eyes into him.

"I'm fine, Yugi. Nothing's going on."

"What happened? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive, and nothing happened."

Kaiba raised his head and their eyes met. His eyes were filmy with tears, but not tears of sorrow.

"I am a man, Téa." A round teardrop rolled on his lower eyelid and balanced on his lower lashes. "I'll prove it to you. I promise. I'll show you I can be a man. I won't stop until I do. I won't stop until you'll have me."

"Kaiba, get out of here!" Yugi yelled. His hands gripped Téa's. Téa gripped back. Her anger was gone, but there was no terror to replace it. "She said no! Leave!"

"I'll prove it to you," Kaiba said softly. "You'll see I can be a man like your father, like Atem, like Set. We can be like your parents. I promise, in Kisara's name."

He turned and left.

Without knowing why, Téa sobbed. It was so sudden it left her winded and dizzy. Yugi held her close and made a soft, steady susurrus in her ear.

They held each other in the embers of the sunset, Kaiba's promise echoing around them.