A/N Téa still has no clue that Seth is actually Seto.
After Kaiba finished helping Téa get ready for bed, he walked to his room and shut the door. He put his hand to his chest, which had a strange burning sensation. He walked over to his desk, took some Tums and dug up a phone number. Roland was more of a personal assistant now to Kaiba, than he was a driver. So Kaiba messaged Roland the number and asked him to make an appointment with the designer. He took the shirt Téa had left for him to wash outside her door. He looked at it and gave Roland the clothing sizes. The designer Annabelle was going to be there in the morning to dress Téa.
The next morning, Kaiba met Roland in the Kitchen and said, "When the designer gets here, tell her to just leave the clothes here and return at 2:00. I will pay her then for anything Téa wants." Mokuba guided Téa in the room a few minutes later and she greeted, "Good morning Seth. Good Morning Roland." Kaiba ignored the greeting and simply grunted in response. He took a sip of coffee and opened the newspaper.
The sound of the rustling paper reminded her, "Oh and it's Mystery."
He looked over his paper and said, "What?"
"Yesterday you asked what type of books do I like. I like mystery novels. Many of them have interesting settings and quirky characters." She answered.
"Oh," Kaiba said as he sat down his newspaper. He then said, "A designer will show up in an hour with some clothes. She will leave them here until 2:00. So, pick out what you like."
He was about to get up when she said, "Mr. Seth, I don't need designer clothes. This is extremely kind of you, but I am a simple girl. I hope to pay you back one day for your kindness. But I will never be able to afford to pay back some of the designers the Kaiba brothers had."
Kaiba was stunned to say the least. He was quiet at first as he tried to contemplate what to say. Finally he said, "Consider this a gift for helping Mokuba recover after his brother's death. Besides, it is easier this way. I hate crowded places like the mall."
To this she nervously replied, "Yes Sir," and bowed to show respect.
Shortly after they ate breakfast, Kaiba watched from his security room as the designer brought the clothing racks into the living room. After she left, Kaiba walked downstairs to see Téa feeling a garment looking lost. Kaiba walked up next to her and asked, "What's wrong? Do you not like the clothes?"
Téa shook her head and said, "No, that's not it. It's just…I have no idea what any of this looks like. So how am I supposed to know if it suits me. All I can go by is how a garment feels."
Kaiba took the shirt that she was holding and paused for a moment before saying, "This is a purple long sleeved shirt. It has some frilly looking crap on the sleeves."
Kaiba stopped dead in his tracks as she gave him the most genuine smile he had seen since before the accident. After that he spent most of the day helping her, telling her what each individual piece looked like.
When she found a few pieces she liked, she unfolded her cane and walked to the bathroom. Roland who was leaning against the wall this whole time watching, sat next to Kaiba as Téa was in the bathroom changing. "You know Kaiba, I don't think I have ever seen you take this much interest in a woman."
Kaiba dismissed the statement and replied, "She is just Mokuba's friend. Nothing more. You should know by now that I have no interest in romance."
Roland refuted, "No Seto had no interest in romance. This Seth fellow seems to be falling hard and fast."
Kaiba shook his head and said, "Roland, now is not the time or place to discuss this."
Rolland frowned but nodded in response. The door to the bathroom opened and Téa stepped out in a light blue sun dress. "Excuse me Seth, could you zip the back of this for me?" she asked as she held the zipper shut. Kaiba stood up and walked over to help her. He swallowed hard as he zipped her dress closed. She turned around and asked, "How does it look?"
"You look…" Kaiba didn't know what to say. She looked beautiful in that color. It brought out the color in her eyes. "friendly," he concluded.
"Friendly?" she asked confused.
Kaiba quickly mumbled, "Yeah, friendly now go try something else on. You are going to want to keep that one.
"Okay, Thank you," she answered as she returned to the bathroom.
Kaiba once again sat down and waited for Téa to finish. After Téa had selected the clothes, Kaiba assisted her to the couch. She sat next to him and asked, "Would you like to watch a movie?" Before he could refuse, she curled her legs up, felt around for the remote, and rested her head on him. Kaiba normally would have pushed any woman who tried this off of him. This time however, he seemed unsure of what to do. Kaiba looked over to Roland to silently ask him what to do, but Roland only winked at him and left the room. Without any other options, Kaiba let out a sigh and watched the TV.
…
Téa had fallen asleep about 10 minutes into the movie. Learning her way around as a blind person was starting to exhaust her. Once Kaiba realized she was asleep, it left him alone with his thoughts. He looked down at the girl asleep on him and wondered to himself, 'Is Roland right? Could I be falling for Gardener?' The thought itself was preposterous. She had only been living with them for a few days. But then again, for months he used to watch her and Mokuba spending time together. While he watched he desperately longed to interact with someone other than Roland and his little brother.
He looked down when he felt her shiver and grabbed the remote to light the fireplace. He slowly lowered his arm from the top of the couch to around her arms. It was an unconscious reaction to both keep her warm and to hold her a bit closer. Even if he could never sort his feelings for the girl, there was no denying that he was starting to feel something.
…
Mokuba came home from baseball practice and found his older brother sitting next to Téa. He gave his older brother a cheeky grin and a package that was delivered on the porch. He whispered, "Well, you look like you had a nice evening."
The older Kaiba rolled his eyes and replied, "Don't be foolish. I am simply a victim of circumstance.
Mokuba smirked and replied, "Sure you are Seto…I am pretty sure that even Téa can see that you are falling for her."
Kaiba's eyes got wide for a minute as he looked down to make certain she was asleep. He then reminded, "Seth, it is Seth."
Mokuba shrunk back and said, "Oops sorry. It is a difficult habit to break." He then looked to Téa and continued, "But, I wish you would tell her. I know she would keep your secret. She is a good person Seth."
Kaiba shook his head and replied, "That may be, but we thought Yugi was a good person and look what he did to me. I am a monster." He saw Téa begin to stir and decided to carry her to her room.
…
When he reached his own room, he opened the package and found several items. Some of the items were books about caring for the blind. One of the books looked like a child's alphabet book, but on the inside it had tiny bumps. The book was a way to teach braille to the blind. Kaiba spent several hours trying to memorize the bumps and their corresponding letters. He wanted to give Téa the ability to read again, so that she wouldn't feel so isolated.
…
The next morning Téa was slightly disoriented. She went to sleep in the living room, but woke up somewhere else. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was back in her room. She got dressed in some of the new clothes she had chosen yesterday and prayed it matched. She then grabbed her cane off the night table and made her way to the kitchen. Mokuba greeted her as she walked through the door, "Good Morning Téa. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded and realized that the aroma of black coffee had yet to assault her nose. She asked, "Where is Seth?"
Mokuba's eyes widened in shock and he asked, "How did you know he wasn't in here?"
"I don't smell coffee," she replied simply.
Mokuba laughed and said, "Well, that is a dead giveaway. Anyway, he decided to sleep in today for some reason."
"Oh, okay," Téa said hesitantly as she sat down at the table. Mokuba grabbed some pancakes for her and put them into plate in front of her. "Does he sleep in a lot?"
"Nah, usually he only sleeps in when he is sick or has something on his mind. I already peaked in on him this morning. He doesn't look like he is sick, so I think he is just nervous about something." Mokuba replied.
Téa nodded and started to eat. About 30 minutes later, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It didn't sound like the person was wearing shoes, so she knew it couldn't be Roland. "Good Morning Seth," she greeted. He looked over to her groggily and grunted in response. He then proceeded to the kitchen for his coffee.
"How are you feeling uncle Seth?" Mokuba asked curiously.
Kaiba took a sip of his coffee and answered, "I'm fine. Roland informed me that your braille books have come in."
Téa's eyes lit up and she said, "I will be able to read again soon? When do I start?"
"We can start after I have had my coffee," Kaiba said with both exhaustion and contentment.
…
Kaiba placed the alphabet book in front of her and stood behind her chair saying, "Brail is mainly memorization about the placement of dots. Once you learn the letters, it will be easy for you to put them together in your head to form words. It just takes time. He took her hand and placed it on the first page of the book. This is A."
They went over the same book for hours. Just trying to get familiar with the feel of the letters. Eventually, Téa grew tired and asked, "What do you do for a living Seth?"
Kaiba looked down at her and replied, "I took over Kaiba Corporation until Mokuba is able to handle it on his own."
"If you don't mind me asking, how are you able to do all that work from home and still manage to help Mokuba and me? I mean, I remember Kaiba being a workaholic. But it was just Mokuba and him. How are you able to do all that and assist someone like me? I just don't understand why you would want to do this. Not that I'm not grateful or anything."
Kaiba was silently thinking, he really wasn't sure why he was doing this…he just was. He then answered, "Initially, I was helping you because of Mokuba. However, now I have grown fond of having you around. It was too quiet when it was just Mokuba, Roland, and me."
Téa smiled halfheartedly and replied, "Thank you for being here for me. I have been back in Domino for several days now and not one of my friends have tried to visit or even call. It really makes me wonder if they have forgotten about me, or if they…never mind."
"Or if they what?" Seth pushed.
"Or if they don't want to be friends with me anymore because I have become a burden. I can't do all the things that we used to do together," Téa admitted sadly.
Kaiba didn't know what to say. He wasn't exactly known for being social. He was desperately trying to think of something to say to her when she asked, "Can…can I feel your face?"
"What?" Kaiba asked taken back by the question.
"Can I feel your face? I want to know what you look like." Téa replied simply.
"No," Kaiba answered as he stood up to leave. He looked at her face filled with disappointment when he left and his heart flipped. He wanted to please her, but if she knew how he looked…he didn't even want to think about what would happen.
…
Later that day, Kaiba picked up the phone and dialed Yugi's number.
"Greetings, Kaiba. Have you called to beg my forgiveness, or are you looking for another duel? I have to say, I am quite happy to not see your ugly mug gracing the newspaper daily." Atem asked pridefully.
"Really, I am almost certain that your best friend would kill to be able to see my face in the paper… You know the one that you and the nerd herd completely abandoned." Kaiba replied angrily.
"We didn't abandon her. Surely she can't believe that. You haven't been brain washing her, have you?" Yugi asked fearfully.
"I didn't have to. After all she has been home for almost a week now and not one of you geeks have called her or even checked in on her. The girl thinks that you guys haven't contacted her, because her condition would be a strain on the friendship."
Yugi gasped and said, "She can't possibly think that. Not after all we have been through."
Atem switched over and interrupted, "Quit the mind games Kaiba. She would never think such a thing. Besides, why the hell would you care if she did? This is just a trick to get me to duel you isn't it?"
"Can you think of anything other than cards Yugi?" Kaiba couldn't believe the words that came out of his own mouth but continued…
…
Téa felt like she had crossed a line when she asked if she could feel his face. Kaiba was a very private individual, so maybe his uncle Seth was too. She wanted to apologize, but wasn't sure where he was. She remembered that Mokuba's room was on the second floor and maybe Seth's was too. Carefully she felt around to find the railing of the staircase. Step by step she slowly ascended the stairs. She hung on to the rail and prayed that she wouldn't fall.
She heard yelling and listened. It sounded like Seth was talking to someone over the phone. "The girl thinks that you guys haven't contacted her, because her condition would be a strain on the friendship…Can you think about anything other than cards Yugi? Téa has followed you from one end of the world to the other and you think I am just calling you for a duel?" She heard him pause for a minute before he continued, "Look, I don't care what you think about me but I want you and your dorky friends to be here tomorrow for 5:00. I won't be here, but Mokuba will be. He will bring everyone out for dinner and a movie. If you or any of your friends don't show up, I will assume the worst and won't bother you again." He then slammed the phone down in anger and made his way towards the door.
Téa was surprised to hear him approach, and tried to retreat but ended up walking straight into a book case.
The crashing sound caught Kaiba's attention and he walked over to where she had fallen. Again, his foot steps approaching had frightened her and she backed away until she backed into a wall. The footsteps stopped in front of her and instead of saying anything, he started to pick up the books.
Téa waited to see if she was going to get reprimanded, but it never came. Finally the silence was broken when he asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Kaiba saw her blink a few times in surprise before she shook her head no. He knelt down and grabbed both hands to help her up. Téa felt something brush across her hands and her eyebrows furrowed and she asked, "Why are you wearing a fur coat? It's the middle of July."
Seth chuckled and looked down at his hands before he asked, "Why do you ask so many questions," He then guided her to the stairs. When they approached the stairs, he stopped her and said, "I am going to stand in front of you while you come down. If you are going to insist on coming upstairs, I would prefer to know that you can make it back down on your own." Fear flashed in her eyes but she nodded and put her right hand on the rail. Slowly and hesitantly, she made her way down. A few times she stumbled, but as promised, Seth stayed in front of her the whole time and was there to steady her.
Mokuba and Roland happened to pass at the time and watched as Kaiba helped her down the stairs. Mokuba whispered to Roland, "Come with me."
Roland followed Mokuba into the library and Mokuba asked, "Do you think that Téa could love my brother?"
Roland shrugged and answered, "Before seeing Téa and Kaiba together, I didn't think that any woman could. He was just so stuck up and rude, that I didn't think it was possible. That being said spending months away from the real world seems to have made Kaiba more tolerant towards people. This week with Téa has proven that. I think that if there was any woman who could love him, it would be her."
"Then we have to do something to get them together. I can tell my brother has feelings for her. All we need to do is to get her to fall in love." Mokuba replied.
Roland scoffed and said, "Yeah, and get him to swallow his pride and admit it." Roland's phone rang and he answered it, "Yes Sir, I'll be right there. Mokuba, your brother is ordering dinner. Do you want to come with me so they can have some time alone?"
Mokuba nodded and followed Roland out the door. "Big…Uncle Seth, I am going for the ride with Roland!" Mokuba called out.
"Wait a minute, Mokuba come here," Kaiba called back. Mokuba walked into the Kitchen and noticed Téa wasn't there.
"Where's Téa?" Mokuba asked.
"She's in the bathroom," he answered, "Mokuba, I've invited the geek squad to watch a movie tomorrow with Téa. While you are out with Roland can you pick up some popcorn and whatever other crap people eat in movie theatres these days?"
Mokuba's mouth dropped in surprise and he asked, "You're going to watch a movie with them?"
Kaiba shook his head, "No, I am going to be in my room working on some stuff for Kaiba Corp. I just did this for…"
Mokuba's head shot up, maybe is brother wasn't as clueless as he thought he was. "Maybe what?"
"It's nothing Mokuba. Get anything you want." Kaiba said as Téa entered the room.