Chapter 46 – Appreciation

Tea and Jade pushed the main door open and walked into the main living room before shutting the door behind them. The two had been convinced by Seto to go and check out the new orphanage, the brunette hoping it was exactly what Jade wanted. Both Kaiba brothers were watching over the kids at the orphanage, giving the two the time to do so.

Tea heard Jade gasp in surprise and watched her take a few steps forward before looking around the entire room. The floor was a beige wood paneling, and the walls were white with light blue diagonal lines painted on. Most of the furniture was a dark blue color, but the large entertainment system was made of mahogany wood, housing a rather large television and the gaming systems. There was a small bookshelf filled with some of the books Tea and Seto had moved from the orphanage, and a long coffee table centered in front of a sofa facing the entertainment. A love seat was placed vertically beside the other sofa, making a sort of corner.

Tea had seen the entire orphanage, as her and Seto had been moving things to and from the orphanage for the past week, but it still amazed her what Seto had accomplished in so little time. And by the looks of it, every cent had paid off. There wasn't a thing left unchecked; all furniture had been purchased and delivered, most of the possessions at the old orphanage were being packed away, and the kids were bouncing around with anxiety, wanting to see their new home.

Glancing over at Jade, Tea saw the woman's hands, which were clasped firmly together in front of her face, shaking as she slowly walked around the room, looking at all there was. "My God… I didn't think it would be this big of a place," she whispered. She walked back over to Tea, a large smile evident behind her hands. "Lead the way, tour guide."

Tea chuckled and bowed slightly. "Right this way, please," she mocked, getting a chuckle out of a Jade as she led her employer through an archway into a rectangular room. The floor was the same, but the walls were now a dark red color. "This is the dining room," Tea stated, though she didn't really know why. The long, glass table with black supports and black chairs would have easily given it away.

"I see…" Looking up, Jade asked, "And does that particular doorway lead into the kitchen?"

"Yep," Tea answered, watching her walk over and open the dark wooden door. She gasped again in surprise and ran inside, and Tea giggled before following her inside. The counters were light wood, while the counter tops were a green marble. The floor was simple white linoleum, and the walls were painted green and yellow stripes. Boxes were on the counter tops with silverware, dishes, and other appliances inside them.

"He knew I would give him a hard time if the kitchen wasn't done perfectly," she stated, placing her hands on her hips and taking a look around. "I guess he really took that to heart; it's exactly how I said I wanted it."

Tea smirked and walked back through the doorway, leading her back through the dining room into the living room. Jade soon came up behind her and asked, "Do you know if there's a bathroom on this floor?"

"Yeah," Tea answered. "Here, it's right around the corner." Leading the woman through another archway, Tea pointed to her right and smiled. "It's right at the bottom of the staircase. This one just has a toilet and sink in it, but the ones upstairs have showers in them. I think he may have put a bathtub in one or two of the bathrooms as well."

"I see…" Looking to the left, Jade nodded her head and began climbing up the staircase, Tea following behind her. "Is the study up here? He mentioned building a room just for the kids to do homework in and such."

"It's between the two bedrooms." Once the two reached the top of the stairs, Tea began pointing down the hallway in the opposite direction. "Your room is in the back there," she began to explain. "Then there's a personal bathroom for you. I believe that's one that has a bathtub in it. Then there's the girls' room, followed by the study, and then the boys' room at the end here. Bathrooms are located right here, next to the staircase again. Again, there's one for the boys and one for the girls."

Jade just stood in awe, listening to Tea explain the layout, when she began walking down the hallway, opening each door up to take a peek inside the room before continuing on to the next one. Tea decided to just let her wander and waited until she reached the end of the hallway, which was where her room was located.

"I wonder if she likes it or not," Tea thought as she leaned against the railing. "Seto was so worried about her visiting the place, as if she was going to hate it or something. But from her reaction so far, I think she really likes it. Hell, I would!"

Once Jade walked back to Tea, she let out a long sigh and smiled widely. "This is…everything I wanted out of the orphanage," she whispered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him for this."

"I think if you tried to, he'd yell at you and say it was nothing like he always does."

Jade chuckled and nodded her head in agreement. "Still… This is absolutely amazing. The kids are going to love this place so much… I…"

Tea blinked in surprise as she watched a teardrop fall down Jade's face. She quickly went to brush it away, but another one fell in its place. "I've never had anyone do anything like this for me. This really is the greatest thing he could have ever done for me."

"Hey, he cares about those kids as much as you do," Tea insisted. "I'm sure he did this for you as well as those orphans."

"I know…and that just makes this all so much better." Deciding it was better to let the tears fall, Jade let her hands fall to her side as she leaned against the railing next to Tea. "He really is one of the best people I've ever met. I know he acts so callous and cold out in the real world, but he's suffered, and suffering changes people. I won't be able to thank him enough for this."

Tea smiled and wrapped her arm around the woman's shoulders. "I think if he saw you now, he would be beside himself with happiness."

This made Jade go over the edge, and she suddenly burst into tears. "I…I've taken care of him since he was a little kid," she explained, trying to talk while wiping away her tears. "To think that my actions meant this much to him… It makes me really happy to be a part of his family."

Tea blinked in surprise but then understood what she meant. "His dysfunctional family of orphans…"

Jade smiled and nodded her head. "We're all just one big family when you think about it. We care about each other, and we take care of each other. Like you just said, Seto did this for the orphans as much as he did for me. His family is his everything…and the fact that he really considers me part of that family…" Chuckling, she said, "…It makes me cry."

"Seto…if only you were here to see the reaction you caused out of this woman," Tea thought, giving Jade some silence. "She's so ecstatic over what you've done for her, and yet you always thought of yourself as somebody who was cold and merciless. You are in the business world, but…in the real world…you're so caring for others."

"Oh shit, I hate crying like this," Jade complained as she wiped the last of her tears away. "I'm just… I get emotional when people do things for me. I've had to work my ass off to keep the orphanage where it is today, and now that we have this… There's so much I'll be able to do with those kids. They'll be so much happier."

"Hey, tears of joy are healthy tears!" Tea insisted, letting go of her and walking in front of her. "Besides, if you weren't emotional about it, I'd have to say you were one tough nut to crack. If someone offered me a brand new place to stay, I'd be crying tears of joy too."

"This isn't just about having a place to stay," Jade stated, smiling up at her. "This is him showing me how much my protection over him and Mokuba in that orphanage meant to him. This is him showing his love for those kids who don't have a home, much like he did for a portion of his life. This is him providing these kids with the means of fulfilling their dreams, no matter how strange or exotic they seem. This is… This is him making a future for those kids that society has tossed aside."

Tea just watched in awe as a new set of tears began to fall down Jade's cheeks. Chuckling, she wiped them away and said, "I really need to stop this."

"Hey, if it means that much to you…you should let the tears fall."

"I know, but I'm a badass woman, and that means no tears!" she exclaimed. "How do you think I protected Seto and Mokuba? Sure, my father was the head of the place, but that didn't stop a lot of kids. I had to build up a reputation, you know?"

"The enforcer, huh?"

"Didn't we already go over this? The protector, not the enforcer." Blinking in surprise, Tea remembered their discussion and chuckled.

"It seems like forever ago when we had that discussion…"

"Yeah, and you didn't even love Seto then."

Tea's eyes widened. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't…"

"I'm really happy for you two, you know? I mean, Seto told me about his plans to adopt Lilith, which I think is a really good move. He always wanted to have a small family, one that he could return home to at night after work and be around. He was never one for having five or six kids, but he always stated he would adopt, and he only wanted one or two kids. This is a really big step for him in the right direction."

"Having a family for almost everyone is a big step…"

Jade smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so… I hope Mokuba will be okay with it, though."

"Oh, he's beside himself with wanting to know who this mystery person is."

"So he knows you two are planning to adopt?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know which kid. He was furious when I wouldn't give him an answer, but Seto told me not to tell."

"That's Seto for you. Mischievous little bastard." Tea chuckled and nodded her head in agreement. "So what do you think of having a family with Seto? I mean, you two haven't been going out for a very long time, yet you're already planning on adopting."

"We talked about it last week," Tea admitted. "I'm happy with it, to be perfectly honest. It's funny how we both match with our future plans; he wanted a small family, and so did I."

"See? You two aren't so different after all!"

"Yeah, I'm understanding that more and more."

"Well…enough of this emotional stuff." Wiping the last of her tears away, Jade smiled and widely and said, "We should probably head back. Who knows what those guys are doing right now?"

"Hopefully not setting off fireworks," Tea remarked as the two began their descent down the stairs.

"Ugh, don't even mention that. It took a lot to keep those two in the orphanage after that prank."

Tea chuckled nodded her head in understanding. "Seto…you're such a mischievous person. You really do act your age sometimes. You…are so different from when I first met you…or are you? Whatever the case is…I was right. You mean everything to a lot of people...including me."