Chapter 24 – Left Behind

Seto and Tea sat outside on the swings as Jade continued to tuck the kids into bed. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the entire city, and the stars couldn't have been more plentiful. A slight breeze went by, brushing Tea's hair slightly, as she went and tucked the strands of hair behind her ear. The two were sipping hot tea, made specially by Jade for the kids. She let out a small sigh and smiled over at the CEO, who was wearing a simple dark green t-shirt with his traditional black pants and boots. "Where did you find the time to think up of that?" Tea asked, referring to the event they had held earlier that day.

"Oh, it was nothing," Seto replied. "I remember some worker when I was going here doing that every so often. It kept us in shape and was always pretty fun."

She nodded her head and closed her eyes, the memory of that day replaying itself in its head. The two had arrived at the orphanage, and Seto began setting up the playground in a different fashion. She had helped him set it up, taking orders from him on where to place objects and set things up. Once it was completed, Seto had brought the kids out and began a huge competition on who was the most fit, a.k.a who completed all the 'events' set up as quickly as possible. Caterina had won, so Seto gave her a bag of candy, while each of the other kids got merely one piece. The smiles on their faces were absolutely priceless; they were so happy to have something different in their lives. Glancing over at Seto, Tea fully appreciated what he had done, what he obviously took some time out to plan, and realized that the heart of gold hidden under all that ice really did glow for these kids.

"They aren't just orphans to him," she thought, taking a sip of her tea. "He doesn't just feel this is his duty to do this job. He really feels and loves these kids. He's like…their older brother."

"What did you think of the competition?" Seto asked, breaking her thought process.

"It was rather creative, to be honest. I mean, that whole hula-hoop-to-hopscotch-to-swing-set run was classic."

"I try to make it challenging for them. These kids love challenges. You can tell they really want to grow and be something bigger and better in their lives than just orphans."

"Do any of the kids know exactly what they want to be when they grow up? Every child has at least some idea of what their future career might be."

"I know Harem and Steven want to become video game creators and eventually build their own company. They already have their college picked out and everything. I think Lilith mentioned something about becoming an author, which fits her personality very well."

"Oh? Have you talked to her recently?"

"Yeah. I pulled her aside during dinner to talk to her some more. She says she's taken the initiative and began talking with the other kids. She already seems to be a bit happier."

"That's good. I'm glad she took your advice." Looking over at him, she watched as he drank the rest of his tea and let out a sigh, a frown appearing on his face.

"Yeah… I'm happy too."

Tea looked back at the building before returning her glance to Seto. "Seto…what did you want to be when you grew up? Before you were adopted?"

"What does it matter?" he asked, staring down at the ground.

"Dreams always matter, Seto, no matter how old or how new they are."

He chuckled at the comment and slowly looked over at her, a small smile forming on his face. "I always wanted to be with computers. I just…didn't think I would ever get this far."

"Is that really true?"

"Well, when I was really little and read a lot of fantasy, I wanted to be a vampire."

Tea burst out laughing at this. "Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. I wanted to be a vampire and become rich and powerful. I wanted to be on top of everything. Of course, this was when I was little and believed in all that crap. Now I know better… I know far better…"

"But you are rich and powerful, aren't you?"

"I'm not a vampire."

Tea chuckled. "Sorry for your loss. Why would you want to live for forever anyway?"

"I've always been afraid to die…well, I shouldn't say that. I used to be afraid to die. Then…once I was adopted by Gozaburo…my visions and outlook on life changed. Besides, I was young back then. All kids are afraid to die; they haven't accomplished their purpose on this planet yet."

"Seto…even though you don't act it, you're young as well."

"I'm not ignorant like I used to be."

"So have you completed your purpose on this planet yet?"

An awkward silence hung over the two before he let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not even sure I've found it yet…" he whispered.

The only sound that could be heard was the water miles away, splashing against the shore. All Tea could do was stare at Seto, letting his answer sink in. "A boy who achieved all of his goals…he became powerful, rich, on top of the world…and yet he doesn't even know why he exists…" It was as if the barrier that the CEO held before society had crumbled, leaving a poor, confused, desperate boy in its place. Suddenly the ice had melted, the stone wall had been shattered, and what was left was a boy who didn't understand why events happened to him, events she didn't yet know.

"Were you happy at the orphanage?" Tea asked.

"Yeah. Mokuba and I always did fun things together, yet it usually got us into trouble. We always went to the spot that I want to show you and a couple of other places. I took Sophie there too…" Tea watched as he cringed and clasped the bridge of his nose.

"So Sophie went to the orphanage here?"

"Y-Yeah. We always played games or read books. I taught her how to play chess too. Mokuba and I constantly played it; I wanted to be a chess champion when I grew up. I always looked for challenging things…it makes me happy to see that these kids are just the same as I was." Smirking, he added, "Let's just hope they don't end up like me."

"What, you don't want them to become successful?"

"I don't want them to become unhappy."

"Seto…" She couldn't find anything to say. "Riches and wealth don't buy happiness, and Seto is the prime example of that. He has everything in the world he ever wanted…and he's now admitting that he's miserable. What happened to you, Seto? How was that cheerful boy you say you were left behind? What forced you to build this barrier between yourself and the rest of the world, leaving you alone and in the dark? Seto…what caused you to become cold?"

"Don't pity me," he warned, glaring slightly over at her. "I've made it this far in life, and I'm not backing down now. Yes, I'm still dealing with things, but I hope to be over them soon enough. Right now I just have to live life like normal and pretend it doesn't bother. Maybe one day it really won't…"

"How can you say that when you confessed you don't even know what your purpose is?"

"What about you? What's your purpose in life?"

"To live life to its fullest, and to view as much of it as possible. I want to see everything and anything. I just want to learn what's out there."

Seto's lips slightly parted at her response before they closed and formed another small smile. "Even though it sounds cheesy, I believe you when you say it. As for my purpose… I think I'm only here to take care of Mokuba."

"Seto…what about these kids here? They certainly care about you. And Jade and Mokuba and—"

"And you?" Tea stopped at his interruption and felt her eyes widen. "Don't worry about me. Put it to good use and worry about yourself."

"For such a stuck-up man, you don't really seem to think highly of yourself."

"Gozaburo beat every single bit of self-esteem out of me. I'm lucky to still be alive after everything he did to me."

"What do you mean, he beat it out of you?" Tea asked, her voice turning firm and angry. She watched as Seto's eyes slowly closed and shuddered slightly.

"It's nothing."

"Oh, it's something. Now tell me."

"What do you care? Besides, it's in the past. I can't change it, and telling you won't do a thing."

"What do I care? Seto, in case you haven't noticed by me telling you hundreds of times, I do actually worry about you. I want to know what happened." She waited for a response and almost figured she wouldn't receive one when she heard his voice.

"I mean he literally beat it out of me," he answered, his voice dropping down to a mere whisper. "I… That man abused me, Tea. I remember him yelling at me, calling me worthless, stupid, ignorant, selfish…every name in the book he could find. He'd throw things at me, kick me, punch me… He did everything in his power to make me feel inferior. And for several years, I did."

Tea felt tears threatening to surface, but she quickly blinked them away. She knew he would be angry if she showed signs of pity or remorse, but…the news of this multi-billionaire being beaten…she was slowly beginning to understand. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything, so don't you dare apologize for that man. He got what was coming to him, and now he's gone."

"You can't just erase those kinds of memories though, Seto."

The two just sat in silence, letting the darkness of night swallow them whole. Seto soon stood up and began walking towards the orphanage before he stopped and looked back at her. His eyes were no longer his, it seemed, for a flood of emotions poured out of them. Sorrow, anger, rage, fear…all the emotions Tea assumed to be in line with his memories seemed to flow out of his eyes and into her soul, tearing her apart. It was almost too much to bear, especially when she was now developing feelings for this man in front of her. "I'll be right back," he said after a moment passed between the two. "I'm sure Jade's done by now. Then I'll take you to go see that place. Here… I'll take your cup inside." Tea nodded her head and handed the cup to him, feeling his hand lightly brush against hers. She blushed slightly and watched as he walked inside, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Seto… No wonder Jade worries about you so much. You're so far behind when it comes to realizing your own potential. You don't see what people really think of you. All because of this Gozaburo man, you think of yourself so harshly. You need to find that boy that was left behind, Seto, and gain some happiness back. Maybe…what if I helped you, Seto?" A sudden smile appeared on her face. "If I help you become happier, would you learn to trust me as I'm learning to trust you?"

Hearing the door open once more, Tea looked over to see Seto walking back towards her. "She's all done with everything," he called out, waving over to her to come forward. "Let's go." Tea began to follow him around the back of the orphanage, wondering what kind of place Seto was taking her to.