Chapter 19 – Sacrifices and Love

Tea sat down and listened as the driver shut the door to the limo and walked around to the front. Seto was sitting across from her, a slight dullness in his eyes hinting that he was tired. She felt the limo start up and watched as the large building began to disappear behind them before letting out a small sigh. "I'm sorry I brought you along just to sit through that presentation," Seto stated as he closed his eyes. "That must have seemed to be the most boring presentation ever to you."

"Actually it was quite interesting," Tea protested, a small smile appearing on her face. "Since I don't know much about technology, it was fun just sitting and watching all the diagrams and stuff. Besides, it totally beats those school presentations and assemblies they force us into."

Seto let out a small chuckle before shaking his head slightly and looking out the window. "If you want to just stare at diagrams, I have plenty of those around KaibaCorp. But Mr. Kenshie… It's a wonder that man's still in business. I may have to stop buying merchandise from him if that's only the farther he's going."

"What do you mean? He seemed like a nice enough guy."

"Tea, it's not about whether you're nice or not. What matters is whether what you're selling will please your clients." Another chuckle escaped his lips before he added, "I'm living proof of that."

"So what you're saying is that his technology isn't pleasing you?"

"Not just that, but I already have technology that surpasses his 'newest' inventions, as I'm sure some of the other CEO's at that meeting do. He's not keeping up-to-date in the technological world, and I can tell I'm not the only client he's probably going to lose."

Tea slowly nodded her head and wondered how that man was going home tonight, not realizing that he had just lost several hundred, if not thousand, dollars in one night. It amazed her the way businessmen were. "They're all so ruthless, only wanting to make a profit and be ahead of the game. Something Seto was taught to be early on by that step-father of his… It's amazing he still has friends like he does."

"Seto?" she asked after awhile, seeing him raise his eyes at her. "What exactly did your step-father do to teach you to be like him?"

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two, and she could see a mixture of fear and confusion in Seto's eyes, as if he was expecting a blow from somebody twice his size, which were unaccustomed emotions in those cold, blue, demanding eyes. Tea immediately regretted asking the question, but before she could reject his answer, he asked in a small voice, "What made you ask that?"

"N-No, it's nothing," she quickly replied. "Forget I said anything. I'm sorry."

"No, but…why did you ask that?"

Sighing, Tea looked down at the floor of the limousine. "I just…thought about that businessman going home, losing all those contacts you talked about. You businessmen…you all just are doing your jobs, not caring if one loses a million dollars in one night or not. It's every man for himself in your world, basically, and unless I grew up in that type of world, I don't think I could ever get used to that. I know you were adopted, so you obviously weren't literally born into that lifestyle, but how did…how could somebody change their perspectives on things like that?"

She slowly looked back up to see Seto just staring at her, his lips slightly parted, before he shook his head and looked out the window. "All you need to know is that he was an asshole, and that I never respected him for a single moment. He wanted to change me, and this is what he made me into."

"Made you into? And what exactly does that mean?"

"You think I wanted to be like this?" he asked, turning to narrow his eyes at her, his voice growing cold once again. "I didn't grow up wanting to be known as the bastard in charge of KaibaCorp. That wasn't my goal in life. But no, he forced me into that position, and I knew from the moment I was adopted that it would be my inevitable fate."

"So why get adopted by someone you didn't even want to be adopted by? Why force yourself into that situation?"

"Mokuba…" Sighing slightly, Seto leaned back into the chair, his eyes scanning the ceiling. "I did everything for that kid. I gave up everything for that kid. I didn't want him rotting away in that orphanage, being picked on for the rest of his life by those idiot bullies. So I challenged Gozaburo Kaiba to a game of chess, winner take all. I won, and we were adopted. Mokuba was given a chance to be a kid and have a good childhood, and in exchange mine was taken away. That's all there was to it."

It's fascinating how so little information can mean so much. Suddenly Tea saw Seto in a new light. "He sacrificed everything for his brother, and now he doesn't know how to be happy or sociable because he was never allowed to be," she thought, watching as the CEO slowly closed his eyes. "He was forced to be what everyone expected out of him, and that took away all his emotions, leaving him with what a businessman should act like. Cold, ruthless, conceited… Seto isn't that type of person at all, yet he has to be in order to survive in the world he was thrust into. Seto… you being misunderstood… I think I'm beginning to understand why…"

"So what are you going to do when you get home?" Seto suddenly asked, interrupting Tea's thoughts and obviously wanting to put an end to the conversation. After all, Tea knew that Seto wasn't one to care what others were doing.

"Or maybe that's the front he puts on…" she thought before shaking her head. "Not sure. Maybe I'll start doing that project we were assigned."

"The essay on a person having one emotion?"

"Yeah."

"That's the stupidest assignment ever. There's no such thing as a person having only one particular emotion."

"But it does make sense, in a way. I mean, if I was only loved all my life, I wouldn't know how to handle rejection." Tea smirked and said, "I think you just find it stupid because it actually relates to you."

"And how does this assignment relate to me?" he asked slowly.

"No offense and all, but from what I've heard and seen, I don't think you truly understand what it means to be loved. So when you eventually find that person you will love—"

"—which I won't—"

"—I can't see you handling it very well."

"I know what love feels like, alright? Yes, my life has sucked quite a bit, but I've had good moments as well."

"Good moments…with Sophie?" Tea gasped in surprise at Seto's reaction to her name. All the color immediately drained out of his face, and a sudden, fearful frown appeared.

"No… We aren't talking about her." He took in a large breath of air and slowly exhaled it before closing his eyes shut. "You are not allowed to say her name at all, understand? I don't like remembering that relationship, and you probably shouldn't even know about it. So just forget about her, her name…forget that I even had an old girlfriend, alright?"

"Seto, what happened? I mean, seriously, I had some bad relationships, but we all move on. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay!" he protested, raising his head to glare at her. Yet Tea could see the broken down soul in those eyes, and it frightened her. "Now just drop the topic."

"Okay, okay… I'm sorry." Sighing, she watched as Seto closed his eyes and tried to calm down. She quickly moved across the limo to sit next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen against her hand and saw him glance over at her before shaking his head and closing his eyes once more, leaning back into the seat. "Hey, look, I'm really sorry," she stated.

"Just drop it Gardner." The use of her last name made her slowly take her hand back and frown. Feeling the limo be brought to a stop, Tea looked out to see her apartment complex. She watched the chauffer open the door for her and was surprised that Seto got out with her as well. "Which apartment is yours?"

"Here, I'll show you," she answered as she entered the building. Climbing up a nearby staircase, she walked down the hallway, which was nothing more than white tile and dark green walls, and knocked on the last door on the right. "Here it is. It's not much, but it's enough for me."

"I see," he answered, eyeing the door up and down before looking over at her. "Well, I thank you for coming along with me. You can keep the dress and all that jewelry, by the way. I have no use for it."

"Y-You sure?" she asked, a smirk appearing on her face. "Don't like playing dress-up every once in awhile?"

"Um, no. I'd rather not."

Tea laughed and nodded her head in understanding. Taking in a big breath of air, she made a bold move and wrapped her arms around the unprepared CEO, whose breathing stopped and body stiffened the moment she did so. "Just as I thought. He's afraid of love, compassion…friendliness." "Thank you for inviting me," she concluded, releasing him from her grasp and looking up into his confused eyes. "I'll hopefully see you tomorrow." Placing the key in the doorknob, she turned it and walked into her apartment, turning around and watching as the CEO walked back down the hallway and down the staircase before shutting the door.