Kayser was pleased that Téa had decided to join the troupe. He didn't want to waste any time, since rehearsals were due to begin, so Téa found herself packing well into the night upon receiving an e-ticket to Tokyo the next day. She knew she couldn't take much with her; she managed to fit the contents of her wardrobe, a few books, a journal, and a photo album into two small suitcases.

It would have to do; so much would have to be left behind… and not just her things, either. She would have given anything for the chance to have her friends accompany her.

"I need to get a grip," she thought. "Remember what Mystíca said… if I don't go, I'll be missing out on something precious. And now that I know that, I'll never forgive myself if I don't go."

Yes, acting was easier. If she left her friends in a musical or play, she could easily meet up with them offstage. She couldn't exactly do the same in real life. She would have to move on.

"No one told me that achieving this dream would be so difficult," she said aloud, to no one in particular. "But I shouldn't be acting like this, anyway. Friends split up all the time; it was only a matter of time until it happened to us. First Atem, and now me… and then there's Kaiba, who was never really a part of our group to begin with. I almost wish I was like him; this wouldn't be so tough…"

She trailed off. She would never know if she and Seto could've started a relationship. But given his personality, maybe it was for the better; they would've driven each other crazy within the first week.

She sighed, banishing the image of the CEO to the recesses of her mind.

The next morning, Téa said goodbye to her parents as she heard the arrival of her taxi cab outside the door. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were helping her bring her suitcases outside, and they were all astounded to see Yugi and the others standing on the house's porch.

"You know you didn't have to see me off like this," said Téa, though she was secretly grateful that they had done so.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," said Mai. "It's no trouble, and besides… the boys are here specifically to help with all of that luggage."

She clapped her hands twice. Joey and Tristan snapped to attention and proceeded to carry Téa's suitcases into the taxi. Téa suppressed a smile, wondering how much they had tried to get away from the responsibility.

"There's no way we would have missed saying goodbye," said Yugi. "You're going to be traveling for goodness knows how long."

"And when you become a famous dancer, we can all boast that we knew you before you became a star!" said Joey, closing the trunk of the taxi cab. "Hey, if you ever need an agent--"

"I'll let you know," Téa finished, feeling like laughing and crying at the same time. It was a bittersweet moment; she had been dreaming of going abroad to achieve her dreams, but hadn't counted on how difficult it would be to leave behind the friends she cared for so much.

"And we wanted to give this to you," Yugi added, handing her a wrapped present and a farewell card.

"It's a going-away present," explained Duke.

"It was my idea," said Mokuba, pointing to the gift. "Well, the actual gift was my idea; the idea of a parting gift was everyone's idea, of course…"

"We all chipped in to buy it," added Bakura.

"But don't open it until you leave!" said Serenity, drying a few stray tears.

"You write to us everyday, got it?" asked Tristan, shaking her hand.

"Of course," whispered Téa, her voice leaving her.

She glanced around at the group of assembled friends, but the absence of one person stood out. Seto Kaiba was not among the crowd. She knew that he tended to avoid scenes such as these, but she was still disappointed; it had seemed as that the dance hall mystery had helped them to understand each other slightly, and that feelings between them were changing. But no; he hadn't even bothered to show up, even though Mokuba had. She didn't want to admit it, but she was hurt. Even though she hadn't confessed to him about her feelings, she had hinted about them, and he seemed to have understood. So why hadn't he come? Surely Mokuba had told him; surely he knew that this would mean that they she wouldn't be seeing him for months… maybe even years, if she was especially successful…

"You know, Téa," said Yugi. "I know you always talked about leaving Domino… I just never thought the day would actually come… I'm really going to miss you, Téa."

"Hey, we all will," said Joey. "You're one of a kind, Téa. And it's never going to be the same without you. Now you come and visit us, y'hear?"

She nodded, and then proceeded to hug each of her friends goodbye (she had to stop and wonder if she would have gone so far as to hug Seto Kaiba, too, if he had been there; would he have accepted the hug? Or would he have turned away?). She got into the taxi, and as it began to drive away, she turned back to see them one last time, as they chased after the departing cab.

She continued to wave until the cab pulled away, and she could no longer see them. And then she let her tears fall.

"You OK, Miss?" the driver asked.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. One of the tears splashed upon the wrapped gift. "Oh, that's right, I forgot…"

She read the card first.

"Téa, we miss you already. Just remember that we'll always be thinking about you, just like you'll be thinking of us. You know we want you to go out there be the greatest dancer in the world, but forgive us for being a little bit selfish in that we wish you were back here with us. All the same, go out there and break a leg (not literally, of course)! We know you'll be great! Hope you like the gift we got; it'll help you keep in touch!"

And they had all signed the card… all of them, except Seto Kaiba. This realization also hurt. She thought he had changed, albeit slightly, and yet he had been obviously indifferent to her leaving.

She opened the present now, and was astounded to see that it was handheld computer, manufactured by Kaiba Corporation and had already been completely personalized for her, obviously Mokuba's doing. Attached to it was a post-it note, written by Mokuba.

"Hope you like it, Téa; thanks for being such a great friend. It's from all of the others, too, of course; they all paid for it, but I was sure to give it the best worldwide access to the internet! Now go out there and dance!"

She was able to connect to the internet immediately, and proceeded to sent thank-you emails to everyone. She couldn't have asked for a better gift; home would be always a pocket away.

Seto was hard at work when he received a phone call from a slightly annoyed Mokuba.

"I hope you're happy, big brother, because Téa just left; she's probably halfway to the airport right now," he said. "I don't know why you didn't want to show up, or even sign the farewell card. Seto, it's not like she ever did anything to you; what was so important that you couldn't even say goodbye?"

"The welfare of our company, for one," the young CEO replied.

"Kaiba Corporation was not going to be ruined if you had stepped away for fifteen minutes…" the boy replied.

"Mokuba, I was too busy to go," Seto insisted. "I couldn't help it, and I'm sure Gardner will understand. And she'll have to come back to Domino sometime; I can easily speak with her then."

"If you say so…" Mokuba replied. "I think I'm heading to the arcade for a while, so I'll catch up with you later."

"That's fine," the CEO said. "I need to finish up work here, anyway."

After the brothers had said their goodbyes, Seto had to reflect upon the real reason why he had decided not to attend Téa's send-off. He could have easily placed his work aside for fifteen minutes, as Mokuba had pointed out. But attending her send-off might have brought up an unexplainable notion: that he might not have wanted her to leave in the first place.

But why would he not want to see her leave, after all of her endless friendship speeches and remarks about how stubborn and impossible he was? Shouldn't he be looking forward to the fact that he would no longer have to hear them and put up with them?

He didn't know what to make of this thought. But perhaps he owed her some sort of good luck message. He could send her a message via her new handheld computer; perhaps that would work. He began to compose the message.

"Miss Gardner, the news of your departure has reached me. The news was surprising, albeit expected. I wish you luck on your dancing endeavors. Sincerely, Seto Kaiba."

Seto glanced over the message, and a frown crossed his face.

"Listen to me; I sound like I came right out of Pride and Prejudice…" he thought. "Why is this so difficult!? There was a time when I wouldn't even bother with sending a message at all…"

Perhaps it was the fact that he wanted to send a message that made it difficult. And there was only one reason why he would want to send her the message; it would be the same reason why he may not have wanted her to leave. As unbelievable as it sounded, he missed her.

But that was impossible! Seto Kaiba never missed anyone! And even if he did, the last person he would miss would be Téa Gardner!

"Don't tell me I've grown accustomed to her speeches…" Seto thought, but he wasn't as derisive as he normally was.

But was it just because he was getting used to her? Or was it something more? She had, after all, revealed that she cared for him. And perhaps, he cared for her; he had saved her from drowning beneath the cellars of the performing arts center only a few months ago.

"Well, it doesn't matter now," he said to himself. "As Mokuba said, she's already left…"

And yet he knew, if he hurried, he could probably take his limo and arrive at the airport when she did, in time for a face-to-face meeting. But what was he supposed say to her? He couldn't possibly tell her the truth—that he did in fact care for her, when his reputation clearly stated that no one else had room in his life. He couldn't possibly tell her that!

With a frustrated sigh, he minimized the message he had written; he would have to find a different way to phrase what he was trying to say. But he wasn't even sure what that was.

"This isn't supposed to be difficult," he chided himself. "Either write that message, or go speak to her for five minutes!" It wasn't like him to be so indecisive or at a loss for words.

With a frustrated growl, he slammed his laptop shut. If this prospect was going to haunt him until he did something, he may as well go speak to her and place this whole fiasco behind him. Maybe then, he'd move on, and perhaps she would, too. There would be no need to dwell on the possibilities of what could have happened. Seto Kaiba didn't believe that a relationship between them would've worked out, anyway. And he would have to tell her that. Yes, it would be harsh, and she would hate him for saying it, but it was the truth… wasn't it?

He was about to place a call to his chauffeur to ready the limo, but his cell phone rang before he could do so. Roland's voice clearly indicated trouble.

"What it is now?" Seto asked, thinking of the million and one things that could be going wrong.

"Mr. Kaiba, we… we just received that overdue check," Roland began. "And--"

"Then cash the check, and let's move on," Seto replied. "The procedure is very simple."

"That's just it, Mr. Kaiba," said Roland, dreading his employer's reaction to the news he was about to deliver. "The accounting department tried to cash the check, but… it bounced."

"…WHAT!?"

Everything—Téa, her departure, the conversation, the message—was instantly banished from Seto's mind. It was as he had predicted; that fool hadn't intended to pay back the money. He only pretended to agree, in the hopes that Seto would somehow not notice the bad check.

"Hold all transactions, Roland," the CEO ordered. "I'm heading to the accounting department to take a look myself."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

As Seto stormed down the corridor, his mind did briefly remember Téa. Well, he certainly wouldn't be able to meet with her now; she would have to settle for an email later.

"Sorry, Gardner," he thought. "But this is just further proof that it would never work out."