Peneia Teke: Hey guys! I'm back, and I'm dead! (throws confetti) Wait, I think I just contradicted my self... Ah, whatever.

Anyway, I swear teachers get together and plan when they're going to give projects because I always end up getting three projects at a time, which is why the update came so late. Well, that, and this chapter's been a killer. I just couldn't seem to get it the way I wanted it. It's still not exactly the way I'd planned, but eh, whatcha gonna do?

Kaiba: You're rambling.

PT: (reads what she's written) So I am!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Five

The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of activity and before Tea knew it, the day she'd been dreading had arrived.

Saturday morning at 8:30 she dragged herself out of bed, dressed quickly in shorts and a comfortable t-shirt, and headed out the door to the Domino Humane Society. She wanted to be there a few minutes early in case Mr. Rigby needed help with any last minute arrangements. She'd decided that inviting the guys to help with this project would be a big mistake, considering the unexpected circumstances that had been forced upon her-namely Kaiba. She'd simply told them that she had plans with her family for Saturday morning and wouldn't be home until late afternoon. It wasn't a complete lie; after all, most of the staff at the humane society did feel like a part of her family... She only preyed that the guys wouldn't be anywhere near the beach during that time.

To have them see her with their sworn enemy was the last thing she needed.

She grinned as she turned a corner and spotted her boss loading supplies into his red pickup truck at the Humane Society's entrance. "Hey, Mr. Rigby!" she called, raising a hand in greeting.

Mr. Rigby looked up and smiled. "Well, good morning, Tea. You're here bright and early."

Tea nodded. "I wanted to see if you needed help with anything."

Mr. Rigby put a hand to his chin and glanced around. "Actually, I think everything's already taken care of, but thank you for the offer. You can go wait inside until it's time to leave if you'd like. It's awfully chilly out here."

Tea nodded and headed for the large brick building, anticipation growing for the task ahead. If anything, the day would be an interesting experience.

"People, may I have your attention, please?" Mr. Rigby's clear, loud voice rang out over the crowd of volunteers. Once everyone had quieted, he continued, "Thank you. I'd like to introduce to you the manager of this project, Mr. Eric Finley."

A kind looking man stepped forward and smiled broadly at the group around him. "Hello! First off, I want to thank you all for joining us today in the spirit of this year's environmental event. It wouldn't have been possible if not for our wonderful volunteers and organizers like you. Now, I'll provide you each with a plastic bag and a poker stick and assign you to a section of the beach. We'll take a lunch break at 1:00. I know there will be people coming and going all day, but any help you are able to provide is appreciated. Well, I believe that settles everything, so what do you say we begin?"

The volunteers surged forward, grabbed their needed materials, and spread out along the beach. It wasn't long before each was immersed in his or her task and fell into a comfortable routine.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to this," Kaiba growled, glaring at the water in disgust. He'd only arrived an hour ago and was already regretting it. He (much to his annoyance) had been sent to work with Tea and-what was her friend's name again? Oh yes, Marissa.

"Well, it could be worse, I guess," Tea mumbled, shoving another piece of trash into her bag.

Kaiba gave her an incredulous stare and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Enlighten me."

She smiled weakly. "At least we're not in school."

"Swimming in their filthy pool," Marissa piped in without pausing from her work.

Tea grinned inwardly. "Or eating their morbid gruel," she added with a snigger. The girls caught each other's eye and grinned. "Hey Kaiba?" Tea asked after a moment's pause. "What's a phrase that rhymes with gruel?"

"Wheeler is a fool," he replied stoically.

She glared at him and put a hand on her hip. I set myself up for that one. "Why are you so cruel?"

"Enough," he growled. "You realize, Gardner, that your maturity level rivals that of a two year old."

Tea shrugged and went back to her work. "At least I'm having fun," she muttered under her breath.

"You're rhyme didn't fit, anyway," Marissa told Kaiba in annoyance.

"Bite me."

She ignored him and instead turned to Tea. "Who's Wheeler?"

Kaiba was quicker to respond. "He's a mangy, third class hack of a duelist, who can't get over the fact that he's been bested, and isn't smart enough to control his big mouth."

Tea's eyes narrowed in anger and she gave Kaiba her best icy glare while he smirked back at her. "Gee... Sounds like someone else we know."

"Um..." Marissa began as she glanced back and forth between the two, looking thoroughly confused.

Tea turned to her and smiled apologetically. "Don't mind Kaiba, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Hn, quite the contrary. I'd say I know very well what I'm talking about," he replied evenly.

"Joey Wheeler's a great person and one of my best friends. He's funny and loyal-"

"And stupid."

"And determined," she hissed through clenched teeth, "and he's a great listener when he wants to be, and-"

"Obnoxious."

"Would you shut up!" Tea yelled, whirling around to face him. "Why do you always have to be so negative? So maybe Joey isn't perfect. Who cares? It's what makes him fun to be around."

Kaiba wasn't fazed. "No, it's what makes him a moronic buffoon."

"That's so not true! You have no right to talk about him like that! You don't even know him!"

"I don't need to know him. Face it; your friend is a low life scum, who'll never get anywhere in life. You shouldn't bother hanging around people like him; Taylor either. They'll only pull you down with them."

At that moment Tea's temper boiled over. Without thinking about the consequences, she brought her leg back and sent a spray of sand and water in Kaiba's direction. He cursed loudly and stumbled backward several steps too late. He looked down at the trails of dirty water running down his trench coat, and Tea stood frozen in shock, a hand covering her mouth. Marissa stood awkwardly in the background, unsure of what to make of the whole situation.

Kaiba raised his head to meet Tea's gaze, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Tell me, Gardner. Do you have any idea how much this trench coat cost me?" he asked, his voice a deadly whisper.

"Fifteen dollars?" Tea supplied weakly, giving him a timid grin that clearly said, 'please don't kill me'.

Kaiba chuckled, though it was anything but amused. "Heh. Try fifteen-hundred dollars!"

Tea's eyes widened and she took a step back. Holy shit, that's a lot of money! Stupid Tea! Stupid Tea! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why'd I do that? This is Kaiba we're talking about! He'll probably murder me in my sleep! No, scratch that, he'll make me pay for the coat in manual labor, and then he'll murder me in my sleep! While Tea was mentally chastising herself for her reckless action, she involuntarily began backing up.

Kaiba shrugged off his trench coat and laid it down on the wooden planks of the dock, eyeing it for a moment while he sized up the damage. Then he turned around, and his eyes came to rest on Tea's retreating form. He grinned darkly and made his way toward her; his long strides allowed him to cover twice as much ground as she. In no time at all, he'd caught up to her and grabbed her shoulders roughly.

"Let go, Kaiba!" she shrieked, pulling away defensively. "It's your own stupid fault your trench coat's ruined. You shouldn't have said those things about Joey." Maybe that was the wrong thing to say... "Besides, I'm sure you can wash it, and it'll be fine!"

Without a word, Kaiba wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up, over his shoulder. "Kyaa! What do you think you're doing?" she shouted, banging him with her fists. "Put me down!" Kaiba cringed slightly. God, she hits hard!

He paid her no heed and strode out onto the pier while nearby volunteers stopped what they were doing and looked on with interest. Marissa made a move as if to try and stop him but thought better of it and instead stepped back, concern etched in her eyes.

Kaiba walked down the length of the pier and slowed the last few steps to savor his victory. He raised the struggling girl over the water and grinned. "No! What are you doing?" Tea shrieked, "This isn't funny anymore, Kaiba!"

"You should have thought of that beforehand, Gardner," he grinned and dropped her into the dark liquid. She landed with an ungraceful splat and sank quickly as the water sucked at her clothing, engulfing her entirely. She came up a mass of flailing limbs and sputtered water as she shouted angrily, "Seto Kaiba, you jerk! You're impossible!"

Yes, she had to admit that it was a lame comeback, but her mind was numb with shock and cold, and it was the only thing she could come up with at the moment.

"You're lucky that's all I did to you," he scoffed.

"Lucky! Lucky?" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the man, not three feet away, who'd submitted her to this torture. "You call being thrown into freezing cold water, in my clothes, lucky?"

"Stop overreacting. It isn't that cold."

"Yeah? Why don't you come in and see for yourself?"

Kaiba hesitated for a brief moment as if actually considering her challenge. What the hell? He stripped off his shirt and took a confident step forward, plunging from the dock into the water below. His reaction upon contact was-yes, it was indeed cold-freezing cold. Wading through the water of a shoreline was one thing, but submerging one's full entirety into the aforementioned was another matter altogether. Of course, Kaiba would never admit that aloud; his ego was far too big to admit he'd been wrong. "Like I said, it's not that bad."

She glared at him and turned away, doing her best to tread water. It wasn't that deep; the water only came up to Kaiba's shoulders, but the added weight of Tea's clothing was making it difficult to keep her head above water. She flipped over on her back and held her breath to keep from sinking. The water actually did feel nice now that she was more used to it, and the air was warmer than it'd been earlier in the morning. Tea stared up at the deep blue sky, listening to the gurgling noises of the water and gently moving her arms to help keep her afloat. After several minutes of silence, she began to feel more relaxed. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, moaning quietly as the cool water tickled her scalp-or at least she thought she'd been quiet.

She jumped as two strong hands positioned themselves on the small of her back, and she opened her eyes to see Kaiba staring back at her. "You look comfortable," he said with a smirk.

Tea rolled over and felt her feet hit firm sand. "I was comfortable until you disrupted me," she replied. It was a lie, and she knew it.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. You should be thanking me."

"Why?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Because everyone else ditched you for lunch. Hn, some 'friends'."

"What!" She glanced around. She and Kaiba were the only ones still on the beach. "Oh. Why didn't they tell me?" she murmured, though it was more to herself than to Kaiba.

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Gardner. They said they'd bring you something back."

"Oh. And what about you? Aren't you hungry?" She wasn't sure why she suddenly cared.

"No. I don't eat lunch. Now, we still have a job to do, or have you forgotten? It wouldn't surprise me."

Tea scowled. "I was just taking a break. You should learn to chill a little, Kaiba. It'd be good for you."

He glared at her. "Whatever. You're one to talk. I'm going back to work, but you can stay here and laze around all you want." He began wading toward shore with a smirk on his face and snuck a glance back behind him at Tea.

"Hey, wait a minute, Kaiba!" She rose angrily out of the water and began advancing toward him. "You were the one who chucked me in here in the first place! Don't you tell me I'm being lazy. And besides..."

Kaiba, however,was no longer listening. His eyes had caught Tea's figure as she stood, and he noticed that her wet clothes hugged her skin tightly, annunciating the curves that he usually tried to ignore. He began to feel hot and tore his eyes away from her, afraid he'd lose it if he didn't. The fact that they were completely alone didn't help. He could barely hear what she was saying. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Kaiba? Kaiba! Are you listening to me?" she asked in frustration.

"What is it?" Kaiba asked in annoyance, refusing to make eye contact. She was uncomfortably close, and it took all the restraint he had to keep his hands at his sides. He'd give anything for the deep pockets of his trench coat about now. Unfortunately, that was all the way over on the dock.

Tea flailed her arms in exasperation, and her hand accidentally brushed his. He stiffened at the contact, and she quickly pulled her hand back in embarrassment. After several awkward moments, she gathered her courage and braved a peek at the intimidating CEO.

Tea grudgingly admitted to herself that he was really, really hot... especially with his shirt off. She'd never thought he'd have such a firm looking chest, or such well defined abs... No! Bad Tea! Don't think like that. He's your best friend's rival, remember? It was too late, though, the damage had already been done.

"You're gawking, Gardner."

"W-wha? No, I'm not," Tea stammered, feeling flustered. Ok, deep breath. It's just Kaiba. Nothing's going to happen.

"You can't seem to take your eyes off me." His voice was quiet.

"I ..." She shifted nervously and glanced away.

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt the soft touch of his fingers on her skin. Kaiba raised her chin with a finger and captured her wary irises with his penetrating gaze. His eyes darkened with mixed emotions, and Tea felt her face begin to heat up, though she silently prayed that Kaiba wouldn't notice. It was to no avail.

"You're blushing." A careless smirk replaced the uneasy expression from before, and he began to caress her cheek with his thumb.

Tea turned twenty shades of red and moved her eyes from him. "Why are you doing this, Kaiba?" Her voice shook slightly, much to her dismay. Kaiba didn't answer. Instead he pulled her against him, so her chest was touching his, and tightened his grip on her hips. "Kaiba?" Tea squeaked, shocked at his abrupt action. She could feel a tickling sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Shut up," he muttered and briefly pressed his lips to hers. Tea squeaked again in surprise and tried to pull away, but Kaiba's iron grip prevented her from moving.

He paused and glanced down into her confused eyes as she tried to take in what had happened. "K-Kaiba. You... you kissed me?" she stuttered.

"Does that bother you?"

"I-I don't know. I don't think so. It just-"

"Good."

His lips were back on hers but with more passion, and she slowly, hesitantly began kissing him back. He turned his head to deepen the kiss and ran his hands slowly down her sides. Tea wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. After a moment Kaiba ran his tongue along her bottom lip, demanding entrance, and she complied willlingly. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and sought out her own. They fought for dominance, each struggling against the other in a sensual game of tug and war.

Suddenly, Kaiba's hands seemed to take on lives of their own, and his mouth moved from her lips to place tender kisses on her neck and throat. Tea's heart began racing, and she felt dazed as if in a dreamlike state.

When Kaiba's tongue reached a particularly sweet spot, she took a sharp intake of breath as a shiver of delight coursed through her body. Her mind began to fog over, and she became totally absorbed in the man before her.

"Hey, did you guys want turkey or chicken san-Oh my God!"

Tea started and abruptly pulled away from Kaiba. Blushing furiously, her eyes darted toward the source of the disturbance. Marissa was standing wide eyed with a mixed expression of shock and horror. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, turning away slightly in embarrassment. "I didn't mean... I didn't realize you guys were... Um, I'm just going to go now, kay?" She whirled around, still stumbling over apologies.

"Wait Marissa," Tea called hoarsely, sidestepping Kaiba to catch the now emotionally traumatized girl's attention. "It was nothing. We were just...um, talking." She said the last word slowly.

Marissa giggled, rubbing her neck nervously. "Talking, right, if you say so. Anyway, uh, we brought back some sandwiches if you're hungry, which you probably are, now."

"Marissa!" Tea exclaimed.

"From all the working you guys've been doing!" the curly haired girl exclaimed, putting her hands up defensively, "You know, since we've been gone!" There was a short pause in which she could hear the call of sea gulls as they circled around above their heads. "So, yeah..." She cast another apologetic glance back at the two teens and left them to their own devices.

Tea stole a glance at Kaiba, and the emotions she'd seen so clearly in his deep blue eyes were replaced once again with his cold, impenetrable mask. "Kaiba?" she asked softly.

He looked down at her. "It was a mistake, Gardner, nothing more," he responded coldly. Then he turned and walked back toward the beach, leaving her to look on after him. His comment hurt more than it should have.

Tea had the urge to call out but stopped herself. Kaiba's right. It was all a mistake. We were alone and just got carried away. Besides, he's an arrogant bastard. He doesn't have the ability to love. She hesitated. Right? For the first time in her life she wasn't entirely sure.

PT: Argh! (beats Kaiba over the head with a rolled up newspaper)

Kaiba: Hey! What the heck was that for?

PT: Humph! For making this chapter so difficult to write of course! And for blowing off Tea at the end there.

Kaiba: (rolls eyes) You wrote it, not me.

PT: So? That's not the point! (sighs) Well, I hope you guys liked it. I thought it was kind of fast paced and choppy, and I might have made the characters a little OOC, but at least it was an update, right?

Next chapter I'll dig into their feelings a little more, and there'll be a lot more action. Hehe. So, until next time. (saluts) Also, a review (or constructive criticism) on your way out would absolutely make my day!