Chapter 34 – Small Confessions

"So this is your place…" Seto commented as the two walked into the apartment. The floors were just thick, white carpeting while the walls were a light blue color. All of the furniture was dark blue except for the chairs and table, which were made of tan wood. A doorway allowed one to see the kitchen in a small, adjacent room, while a hallway led back towards an open, bedroom door and two other doors.

"Nothing like what you have, I know," Tea stated as walked into the kitchen. "But it serves its purpose. I have a safe place to sleep at night."

"That's all that matters," Seto stated as he sat down in one of the wooden chairs.

"Do you want something to drink?" Tea asked, raising her voice so that he could hear her.

"Not really."

"Okay." Putting some hot water on the stove, she moved the dial to High and walked back out to sit next to Seto. "Just making myself some tea."

"You like tea, don't you?"

"I try to drink a cup a night. It helps me sleep and relax. Maybe you should try drinking a cup every night."

Sighing, Seto smiled and shook his head. "I highly doubt a cup of tea a night will cure me."

"What do you have nightmares about? I mean, you looked very…torn up when I decided to wake you."

"It's just about Sophie. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Seto…"

He glanced over at her before letting out another sigh. "I know I'm keeping her kind of a secret, but… I believe some things should just be left alone."

"To be honest, I was surprised when you mentioned her at dinner."

Seto chuckled and rolled his eyes. "She was always so into everything. I remember when she stated she wanted to become a ballroom dancer when she grew up. I laughed and said that they would never allow somebody who was like her to be a ballroom dancer."

"Why? What was she like?"

"She was just so scatter-brained and random. She always kept you on the edge of your toes. I was not exaggerating when she told Mokuba everything about sex. I wanted to kill her for that, but she said she knew Mokuba could handle it. And by the way, he's not always like that, the way he was tonight. He was just being a smartass."

Tea chuckled and nodded her head in understanding. "I figured just as much, although you have to admit that he is quite hysterical at times."

Smiling, Seto nodded in agreement. "Yeah…that's my younger brother for you. The exact opposite of me." At this, he crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward slightly.

"Oh, I don't think so," Tea remarked, watching as Seto eyed her. "You both have a sense of humor, and you both know how to have fun. You just hide it from the rest of the world while Mokuba shows everyone how kind he is." A comfortable silence fell over the two, and Tea soon heard the water from her teapot boiling. Walking back into the kitchen, she called out, "Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"I guess so…" he reluctantly answered. Tea smiled and prepared two cups before walking back out and setting them down on the table. Seto grasped one in both hands and just held onto it while she sipped hers. After taking a small sip, he set the cup back down and stared back up at her. "So what about you, Tea? Have you had any previous boyfriends before you met the infamous, bastard CEO of KaibaCorp?"

She chuckled and nodded her head. "Yes, I had one other boyfriend."

"What happened to you two?"

Biting her lower lip, Tea shivered slightly, remembering the night well. "I… Well, the both of us came home one night, and—"

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine," he interrupted, and she glanced up to see a worried expression on his face. She shook her head no.

"If we're going to be in a relationship, I think you should know," she answered. "We came home one night, and it had been a fun night for the both of us. We began drinking… This was maybe two years ago, and even though we were underage his mother had alcohol downstairs. I only had a cup or so, but he drank a lot. I didn't keep track; we were just having so much fun."

"After awhile, things became rather…heated, I guess you could say. I had sex with him, and the next day he abandoned me for this stupid whore we had met at the party that night. Needless to say, I was not happy at all. That's how I know what nightmares are like. All I could think about was him dumping me for this slut… We had plans about after high school and everything, too."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Seto replied after taking another sip of his tea. "Know that I would never think to do that to you."

"I know you won't. But…it still hurts from time to time." Drinking a gulp of her tea, she smiled and looked over at him. "What about you? What happened between you and Sophie?" She already knew Sophie was dead, but hopefully Seto didn't know that she knew. No, she was curious to see what the CEO would say.

"I guess since you told me…" Drinking the rest of his tea, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sophie and I continued seeing each other from time to time after Mokuba and I were adopted by Gozaburo. We found no problem with it, and at that point I didn't realize the cruelty of Gozaburo Kaiba. But shortly afterwards… She died." Tea made sure her eyes widened in feigned shock. "I had to watch as she suffered, as she died, and I was helpless to do anything about it."

"What did she die of? Was she sick, or did she do something drastic?"

"No…nothing like that. She just… I…" Closing his eyes, he covered his forehead with his hand and let out a long sigh. "That's what I have nightmares about. Her death just continually replays itself over and over again inside my head. I couldn't do anything…to help the only other person I cared for other than Mokuba. I was so heavily medicated that year that it's a miracle I even remember it."

"You said you've taken so many pills you don't need help taking them anymore…"

Seto chuckled sadly at this. "Yeah. I've taken pills, liquids, therapy…and this is the better me." Chuckling again, he said, "Isn't it pathetic?"

"Seto, if I went through what you have, I would be in much worse condition," Tea argued. "I mean, you've gone through an awful lot of stress and loss in your life, something that nobody deserves. You should be proud of yourself for making it this far."

Seto smiled over at her. "You sound like Mokuba…"

"Why? Because I'm right?"

Seto's smile turned into a smirk. "Oh really?"

"What did you take all that medication for, though? From what I've seen, you only take prescription drugs for depression."

"Yeah, well… I had depression, I was suicidal, I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and was reliving my past, and I was constantly monitored because I more than once tried to overdose." Letting his head hang back on the chair so that he was staring up at the ceiling, he whispered, "It's a freakin' miracle I'm still around today."

"Why were you suicidal?!" Tea asked in pure shock. "God, he must have loved this girl, literally, to death!"

"I just felt so lost over her death… I thought that, by killing myself, I could be with her. That was a short-lived phase, though, since Mokuba reminded me that there were still others I needed to take care of. Still…it was a phase I went through."

"You must have really loved her…"

"I did." Raising his head to smile at her, he added, "And if this relationship works out, maybe I'll love you just as much."

"Speaking of surprises," she commented, smiling over at him.

"I know. I still can't figure out how I fell in love with you. I guess… I just saw you in a different light at the orphanage."

"The same could be said here. But I was talking about how you're so positive about this relationship."

"What's the matter with wanting something like that to work out?"

"Nothing. You just seem so…happy about us being together."

"I'm trying to get over a death that happened years ago. By falling in love with someone else, I knew I was getting on the right track. I guess…what I'm trying to say is that…that I know this is a good thing for me, and I want it to remain this way. Being pessimistic and cynical about it would just destroy it, along with my chances for starting over again. I'm trying to make this work out as long as possible for me…for us. Why? Would you rather me be an asshole like I have to be at work?"

"No, I didn't say that!" she exclaimed. "I'm just saying that it kind of shocked me how you are so different when you and I are together."

"I'm really not that bad of a person," Seto stated. "I just really don't trust others. Once I trust you, I'm okay around you. I can be friendly towards you and have fun and do things I wouldn't normally do. But…that trust barrier is the hardest one to pass through."

"Is that why you act so coldly towards others?"

"I act that way because I don't want a constant beating on that barrier I've created. I don't want others trying to befriend me; you and Mokuba and Jade and Lucy are good enough."

"I forgot about Lucy…"

"How? That girl is insane."

"You're the one who's friends with her!"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. She doesn't know we're going out, though. The moment she finds out a friend is dating someone, she has their wedding plans already done by the second week. She's weird when it comes to planning parties and things like that."

"She's very repetitive, too."

"Yes, very."

"Well, I promise not to mention anything to her. I don't really talk to her at all, to be perfectly honest."

"Haha, that's probably the better choice."

"Why are you even friends with her?"

"Well, when I have to throw a party, I get her to do it. She knows how to plan parties; she basically does it for a living next to styling others. Other than that, she's very nice and used to babysit Mokuba. We have a history."

"I see. I find it amusing that you're friends with all girls, though."

"If you're insinuating I'm a womanizer, you're sorely mistaken," Seto stated. "All the boys picked on Mokuba at the orphanage, so of course I never befriended them. Jade protected me from them while I protected Mokuba. Lucy came into the picture while Gozaburo was around and I had no friends. It was just the way it happened."

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing, but I'm sorry about your experience at the orphanage."

Seto shook his head. "I can't change it, so whatever." Looking over at the nearby clock, he sighed for the fourth time that night and slowly stood up. "I should probably be getting home. If Mokuba isn't in bed by the time I'm home, he isn't allowed to play any video games for the rest of the week."

Tea chuckled and trailed behind him towards the door. "Aw, Seto's being a good daddy!" she joked, remembering Mokuba's comment earlier that night. Seto chuckled at this and turned around to face her.

"Would you rather have Mokuba running loose in Domino City?" he questioned.

"Um, not really. He'd probably be sent to the zoo."

Seto nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, probably."

Smiling, she walked up and wrapped her arms around him and placed her head against his chest. "If you ever want to come over here, you're always welcome. I know it doesn't have the pool or anything like that, but if you want to get away from your work or something, that's fine." By now, Seto had begun brushing his hand through her hair, comforting her.

"I'll keep that in mind," he answered, tilting her head upward with his hand and locking his gaze on her. The two just stared at each other, and as she was becoming lost in his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered, "I love you, Tea." Pressing their lips together, she felt him kiss her once, twice, and then the kiss deepened itself as his tongue pressed against her lips. Opening her mouth for his entry, she felt his tongue begin to dance with hers, sending shocks of pleasure into her system. Her legs suddenly felt weak; she wrapped her arms around his neck for support before she fell.

The two stood there for as long as they felt was right, not caring whether one minute or twenty had passed (although that was a definite stretch). Whatever the case was, the two continued to kiss one another, making sure no passion was left out. Once the two ran out of air, they both backed away in unison and smiled at each other. Kissing her one last time lightly on the lips, Seto let go of her and said, "I'll see you tomorrow," before leaving the room, and her, alone, the taste of Seto's tongue in her mouth still lingering and sending shivers down her spine.