Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.
"Talk"
'Thoughts'
Dreams/Flashbacks
...
Cool wind blew past her, gently caressing her hair and cheeks as she stood facing the ocean that reflected the various colours of the setting sun. The sky prepared to dazzle with orange and red before putting on the cloak of night, and the water rippled with anxiety to finally glitter with moonlight. No noise, save the calls of birds as they trudged home, could be heard over the gentle sound of waves. It was this peaceful scene that had her heart fluttering with unrest and unease. The serenity of the surround rang in her ears as warning bells. The phrase 'calm before the storm' had not left her mind ever since she had stood upon the docks. Every fiber of her being was tense, every hair standing on end, every muscle bunched up to respond as soon as threat appeared.
She glanced at her left and saw the ominous spot, the place where years ago she had sat helplessly, a crate dangling above her head as a mad man threatened her then friends. Automatically, her eyes moved a few feet away to rest on the spot where he had stood, his eyes focused not on the duel but on her. A shudder coursed through her body as she recalled the meeting of their eyes. They had been…calculating?... concerned?... afraid? She never had time to contemplate because he had moved. Like lightening he struck, fast and deadly, striking the target. The sound of chopper was drowned in her ears by the pained scream of the man who had control of the crate, and then it was over. She had been too numb to hear the deafening crash of the chopper into the water behind her, or the screams of her friends, or Marik's growl escaping through Joey's mouth. No. Her eyes had met his again and she remembered shuddering.
The sun sank a bit more into the welcoming embrace of the water and the wind howled at the loss of heat. She wrapped her arms around herself a bit tighter unconsciously. Even after years, this place could make her heart beat in fear.
"It is not so cold right now." The voice behind her caused her head to whip in its direction, and she saw him walk towards her at a leisurely pace, which to her appeared like a predator stalking its prey. "But I have a coat in my car, if you need it." She scowled at his generous offer. Her arms crossed over her chest in a defiant manner as she turned fully to face him.
"What do you want?" He merely raised an eyebrow at her question.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" She rephrased. Instead of directly answering her, he kept his eyes locked onto hers and continued his predatory stalk towards her. She felt a familiar shudder surface but she let out a deep breath to calm herself. However, she did not remove her gaze from him and almost saw the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. She would not be intimidated by him… or at the very least, she would not let him know if she was intimidated by him. Her heart beat wildly against her chest when he was, but an arm's length away from her, but instead of stopping before her, he continued past her and stood facing the ocean the same way she had been not too long ago. Confused and frustrated, she turned again and opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.
"It is a beautiful evening, isn't it?" He asked in a very gentle, non-Kaiba like voice. Her head spun, in anger or confusion, she was not sure.
"Did you call me here to show me the scenery?"
"No." He said honestly, still not turning to face her. "I called you because I knew you would come." He answered and momentarily, she was baffled. He had simply asked her to come because he knew she would? That did not make any sense. Where was the motive? At that moment, she was glad he was not facing her because she was sure her face reflected her utterly baffled state.
"… Well, since you know me so well, this should not come as a surprise to you." She said hotly and spun on her heel to march far away from this infuriating man when he spoke again.
"Do you know what day is it today?" A growl escaped her lips as frustration reached an all time high, at least for today.
"Is this some sort of new torture technique, to quiz me on stupid topics and ask me idiotic questions?" More than him, she felt frustrated at herself for responding to him. Maybe he was right. Maybe he did know her too well.
"I refuse to believe you have forgotten it." He said softly and finally turned, locking eyes with her. His soft gaze washed over her like the cool breeze that blew all around them.
"I know what day it is." She ground out as her eyes narrowed in accusation. "So this is your game. You called me here to remind of the favour you did me by saving my life." Her jaw clenched. "Well, I think it is time I repay back that … favour." She spat the word as if it was poison on her tongue. "You lost a chopper and I am willing to compensate you for it. As for your generous gesture to save my life, I believe we can consider my talk with Mokuba a return favour."
"Weighing emotions against money?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "You have become more like me than you realize." Her jaw clenched tighter, her hand forming a fist on her side. "It is a pity, and ironic really, that you would sink to the same low place from where you once tried to save me."
"Don't try to be high and mighty when you know that your reason to be here and call me here is just as noble as my attitude."
"On the contrary, I did not call you here to remind of that incident." He said calmly and she snorted in disbelief. "True that today is that day but it is also the very same day and place that started us." Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Today is the day you did the biggest favour to me. You accepted me in your life." The wind bellowed around them as the last yellow ray of sun was swallowed by the orange and the red. The waves crashed against the docks and the birds flew over them, calling to each other. But it was all drowned by the raging storm in his arctic blue eyes.
Flashback
She stood facing the water, mesmerized at the contrast of colours the setting sun was creating on the water. Had this time of the day always been this breathtaking or was she just seeing it this way because she had been given a second chance at life? She believed it to be both. Perhaps too lost in the thrills of life and the security of the surround, she had failed to pay attention to the little things that made up the world. And why would she have? What would a sunset bring her? What would the crashing waves, the starlit sky, the glowing moon bring her? What place, what significance did they have save being objects that were just… there. Staring at them, admiring them, noticing their purpose in the world, their role in the cosmos did not being her any benefit. No, staring at the moon did not lead her to be a better dancer. Counting stars at night did not bring her peace when she knew the next day she would have to pull an extra shift at work to get enough money to pay for her application fee. No. These… objects were meaningless to one lost in the hustle and bustle of life.
But once it was all taken away, the stress of work, of job, or career, of future, then what?
Once the lens of future was off, the world was different. It was alive. It was vibrant with colour, with sounds, with smells, with sensations that were overpowered and overshadowed by the "priorities" of life. One was able to appreciate everything from the breath that one took to the sun that kept cosmos in order, from the small speck of dirt that stuck to the shoe to the stars that lit at night to make the darkness friendly and beautiful. This was the life of the second-born, of someone who had crossed over and returned more wise and noble.
She took a deep breath and smiled at the cool sensation of the humid wind against her warm skin. To think she could have… most likely would have missed all this if fate, also called Seto Kaiba by some of her friends, had not intervened. She shuddered, not from the wind or the chill in the air, but from the memory as she eyed that spot that had been her intended grave, had Kaiba not intervened. She closed her eyes and thanked God for a second chance at life. And she silently thanked Kaiba as well.
"You would think that coming here for a year, you would have enough sense to know it sometimes gets chilly and a sweater might be needed." The unmistakable voice of her savior rang over the crashing waves and she turned with surprise evident on her face and eyes. "But then again, you are friends with the mutt. Perhaps the obvious evade you more than I thought." His comment annoyed her but it did not overcome her shock at seeing him here, of all the places, and today nonetheless, at the anniversary of that horrid day. Was it a coincidence?
"What are you doing here?" She asked. He smirked as he continued walking towards her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I did not know this place was private property." He said sarcastically, but with less bite than what usually came out of his mouth.
"I'm sorry." She quickly apologized. "I was just curious because…"
"Because of the day and place?" He supplied with that aggravating smirk of his, but once again, the shock came because of his words and not the tone. "Yes Gardner, I do remember. Today is the anniversary, I believe." She stared at him like a fish out of water, mouth open, a twitch going through her body every now and then. His smirk widened and it was enough to sober her up.
"So you are here to mourn your chopper?" She said, and he let out a laugh.
"You never fail to disappoint me Gardner. I like that." Shock threatened to surface again, but this time, she was ready and determined.
"I'll… leave you then…" She said and took a step back when he shot her a weird look.
"You don't have to leave on my account." He said. "If I wanted solitude, I would have waited a few more minutes for you to leave, or arrived before 4:30 since that is your designated time." This time, shock won, once again.
"You… know… I come here?" She managed while trying her best not to get angry at his smirk.
"Of course. I have been coming here too, to mourn my chopper as you believe it." She blushed in embarrassment, but her decision to leave was reconsidered. So she took a step closer and walked to stand beside him, facing the water.
"Thank you." She said and she heard him sigh. "I know I have said that many times before-."
"Ninety seven times." He supplied without turning his gaze from the water. "And this makes it ninety eight." She stared at him with surprise in her eyes. He was keeping count?
"Well… anyway, I wanted to thank you again. And I will continue to as long as I breath because I am breathing thanks to you. I could have died but you saved me." She blushed and turned away from him. "I know this sounds cheesy and corny but I feel like you gave me a new life, better than my previous life. Thank you for that, and I guess that makes it ninety nine." She finished with a smile. He did not answer for a while. She saw his jaw clench and unclench a few times but he did not speak.
"You said you have been here many times too, and from your previous statements about my lack of sweaters and time pattern, I would say you have been here as many times as me, if not more. Why didn't you ever come and talk, like you did today?" She asked. He still didn't answer. All gratitude aside, she was beginning to get frustrated with him.
"Well, I can see you are in one of your moods now, so I'll leave you." She said hotly and turned on her heel when he spoke.
"Have dinner with me." She nearly slipped and fell, even though the dock was quite dry and make of non-slippery wood.
"Wh… what?" She so intelligently responded. He turned and openly smirked at her.
"I am tired of hearing your 'thank yous'. If you really want to repay me, then have dinner with me. Mokuba is at a friend's house tonight and I find myself craving company."
"I don't… dinner… me… tonight… me… dinner…" She said between breaths. He let out a chuckle.
"You will not be dinner Gardner." He said and she blushed crimson. "There will be actual food, and I guarantee you will enjoy it should you decide to come. And I will answer all your questions, even the one you asked me eleven months and eighteen days ago." Her eyes widened as she recalled the question she had asked him that long ago. She had asked him why he had saved her? Why he had sacrificed his million dollar chopper for her? Why had he risked his life for her? He had never answered. But today, he was willingly offering? Of course there was a catch i.e. dinner with him. but was that so bad? What could he do in a few hours?... Ok, so there was a lot this man could do in a few minutes let alone a few hours, but it wasn't like he was going to torture her… at least not physically. Besides, the temptation to have her unanswered questions finally answered was too great.
"Okay." She finally said. "Where do you want me to meet you?" He began walking away from her towards his car or ride she presumed.
"I will send a car to pick you up at 7." He said over his shoulder.
"Can you at least tell me the location so I know to dress appropriately." She yelled over the wind and the waves at his back.
"It will be at my mansion." Was all he said before he disappeared behind the raised platforms. Tea sighed in exasperation. This man was the most frustrating being she had ever met… but he was an enigma that interested her. And now she had a dinner date with the enigmatic man. A tingle of excitement ran through her spin all the way to her toes and she giggled. If nothing else came out of this dinner, at least she could tell her grandkids that she once ate dinner with the great Seto Kaiba.
She turned her face away from the window to stare at the clock. It read 6:58pm and there was no sign of any car coming for her. Knowing Kaiba's knack for punctuality, she had actually made the effort to be ready before 7 and had succeeded. She figured if she pleased Kaiba, it would be easier to obtain the answers she sought. But now that she was ready, time seemed to be moving extra slow. Granted that she had been waiting for only a few minutes, it felt much longer. Was this how others felt when they expected someone to be on time and the person wasn't? If so, how did the concept of "fashionably late" arise?
BEEP BEEEEEP. Startled out of her thoughts by the loud sound of a car horn, she found herself staring at a sleek car right before her apartment complex. Quickly sneaking a look at the clock while grabbing her purse, she noted that it was exactly 7:00pm and 4 seconds. The car must have arrived exactly at 7.
'Wow, talk about punctuality.' She thought as she raced out of her apartment, down the stairs and out the door. The driver, a fairly tall and well built man dressed in a black suit quickly got out of the car and greeted her while opening the back door of a silver Lexus for her. Smiling graciously, she got in, slinking further along the impossibly soft seats, allowing him to slam the door and sit in the front behind the wheel. Noiselessly the car began moving.
Tea glanced at the man's face reflected in the rear-view mirror. He appeared to be in his 40s, probably early 40s. His face was set straight, eye focused on the road, but his eyes were soft and friendly. When those eyes met hers through the mirror, she blushed.
"Is something the matter ma'am?" He asked kindly. She blushed again before speaking.
"I was just wondering how you managed to get to my apartment at exactly 7pm, not a second over or under? How do you time yourself so well?" He actually laughed at her question and she felt even more stupid for asking. Of course he was punctual to the extreme. He was a Kaiba Corp employee, or at least Kaiba's employee. Kaiba probably whipped the ones who didn't follow his every wish until they were turned into the perfect beings he desired.
"I do time myself." The man replied, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I time myself to get there ahead of the schedule, but never late. Then I hide a block or two away and show up at the exact time."
"Hide?" Tea said with wide eyes before giggling.
"Yes." The man said with a chuckle. "I was at your apartment at 6:50pm. But I remained out of sight. I was parked in front of the coin Laundromat, which I believe is owned by a couple in their mid 40's." Tea giggled even more and nodded her head.
"Okay, I believe you." She said as she regained some control over her self and her giggles died down. "I actually had the ridiculous idea of Kaiba whipping his employees to turn them into perfect machines." The man smiled at her through the mirror again.
"Mr. Kaiba is demanding and strict but he is not unfair to those who are loyal and competent. I'm sure you already believe that he is a decent man or you would not be here in this car on the way to his home to have dinner with him." Tea's eyes softened as she recalled his attitude towards Mokuba, and his selfless gesture towards her and she nodded.
"Well, we have almost arrived." The man said and Tea eagerly looked out the window to see a huge mansion become even bigger as the car approached it. Her eyes widened as far as they could as the car pulled up before a set of huge metal doors. The driver entered something in a remote, perhaps a code or password of some sort she guessed, and the doors opened to reveal a long driveway. Feeling much like a dog in a car, she stuck her face as close to the window as was dignified and stared at the lush greenery and fountains passing them as they approached the actual entrance of the mansion. When the car stopped, the man got out swiftly and opened her door for her, allowing her space to get out. She straightened her outfit and stepped on the a stair when the door opened and appeared the handsome owner of the giant mansion.
"Come in." He said as he stepped aside to let her in. She took a step further but then turned to stare at the driver.
"Thank you very much for bringing me here and being so nice to me Mr…" The man actually blushed before muttering "Robins" quickly. She smiled kindly at him and thanked him again before turning to face a now scowling Kaiba, who thankfully still let her in.
The inside was even more beautiful, if that was possible, and with Kaiba, it was all possible. It was so elegant and classy she felt like she was in a high class establishment and not an actual house. But then again, it was not a house but a huge mansion.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." He said as he passed her to move further into the house. She followed, all the while studying him. He was wearing plain but undoubtedly expensive dark blue jeans. Over than, he was wearing a white collared shirt. His outfit was simple, yet strikingly dashing. Was this how he usually dressed in his house or was this a special get up for her? Nonetheless, it was rich and classy. She was glad she had picked the outfit she was wearing. It was a simple but pretty black cocktail dress that Mai had forced her to buy. At that moment, she thanked God for listening to Mai's logic of 'every girl needs a little black dress'. Hers wasn't too formal since she didn't think she had any special events to wear it to. It was sleeveless and came up to her knees, flaring out slightly near the hips. Mai had termed it cute, on its own and on her.
"Have a seat." Kaiba said, gesturing to a spacious living room. She chose a seat and sunk into a comfortable couch. He chose a spot across from her and the staring contest began. She nervously fidgeted and he confidently smirked in amusement. Finally wanting to break the silence, she spoke.
"So Mokuba is at a friend's place?" He nodded.
"Yes. He was insistent and I could not say no."
"I am surprised you let him. You are overly protective of him." He scowled.
"I am not over-protective." He corrected and she smiled.
"I bet Mokuba said the same thing, didn't he?" When he shot her a half hearted glare, she giggled.
"He's a good kid. You should trust him every now and then."
"I do." He said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "I allow him everything that he asks for and more, but I believe I have spoiled him."
"You can't spoil a child like Mokuba. He is too caring to be self absorbed." She said with a fond smile, remembering her time with him when they were trapped in a warehouse. He had been adamant to not leave without her and only after many pleads did he leave with the promise that he would come back for her.
"His way of caring is very selfish." Tea opened her mouth to refute but he help up his hand to stop her. "I know him and deal with him, so trust me when I say that it is true. Even when he is being nice to you or me or someone else, subconsciously, he is doing it for himself."
"How can you say that?" Tea protested. "He worships you. He is always looking out for you and defends you against Joey and Tristan." Kaiba's eyes softened.
"I would not deny that he is loyal and caring, but he defends me because I am his brother and so by principle, he must support me. He cares for my well being because he knows he needs me in his life. My life revolves around him. He knows that and sometimes I feel he expects that. He has expectations that are often not warranted. He was not supposed to be at a friend's house tonight, but he knew he would get permission. But the fault is my own. I have given myself to him so wholly that I am mine no more."
"I don't think that is true." Tea said softly. "Mokuba cares for you deeper than that. He does have expectations of you but he is also very aware of what is expected of him. He loves you and knows that you love him. It is possible that he takes advantage of your love for him, but he is a child. It is what he should do."
"You mean it is normal for him to abuse my attitude towards him?" Kaiba said slyly with a faint smirk.
"Not abuse." Tea corrected. "Abuse is such a harsh word. Utilize to the best of his ability." She said cheekily and he actually chuckled. Tea gazed at him in wonder for she could not recall him chuckling, at least not at something she had ever said. Just then a maid entered.
"Dinner is ready sir." Kaiba stood up and Tea followed suit, walking behind him as they went up the stairs, through a small hallway and onto a fairly spacious balcony. A table for two had been set. Like a true gentleman, Kaiba pulled out a chair for her before sitting.
"You are so lucky you have a balcony you can enjoy." Tea said. "I can't even sit by my window because there is so much noise from traffic." He smiled.
"I am sure something can be done about that… but after dinner."
"Huh?" She was confused at his words and wondered what he could do to remedy her situation. Surely he could not build her a balcony at her apartment or change the road direction so no traffic would bother her. That was impossible. But then again, this was Kaiba. Anything was possible for him.
The maids began bringing food and uncovering them. An unintentional squeal escaped Tea's lips as she stared at the uncovered food. Italian cuisine was her favourite, but it was hard to find an affordable restaurant in Domino, so she never got to eat much except for frozen dinners. But this… this was amazing. The food smelled exquisite and she could not wait to dig in. But how had he known? Or was this a coincidence? One glance at his arrogantly satisfied smirk told her he had known all along. But how? She did not recall ever having a decent conversation with him let alone discuss her taste buds.
"I recall you advocating for Italian food for the dance in grade 9, and again in grade 10. Further research proved that it was your preferred cuisine." She was surprised, no shocked, that he remembered something that had happened years ago. Yes, she had wanted Italian food for the dance, but it was denied since no affordable place was nearby. But how had he known? He was not on the dance committee, she knew that for sure. And what did he mean by "research"? Was there a file somewhere with information on her? Maybe Tristan was right in his conspiracy theories about the government keeping a file of every person in the country.
"What do you mean 'research'?" She asked suspiciously. His smirk widened as he pushed a plate of bruschetta towards her.
"You know, following you on your grocery shopping trips, going through your garbage et cetera et cetera."
"You are joking." She said, smiling at his smile. "I can't believe you are actually joking." She helped herself to some food and began eating. Immediately her eyes rolled back in pleasure. This was so much better than the frozen entrees she indulged in.
"This is amazing." She said between bites and he smirked.
"I did guarantee you would enjoy dinner." She did recall him making that claim on the docks. Had he already planned this when he had asked her to dinner? Or had he commanded his maids to cook after he had received her answer.
"Your cook is amazing." She complimented and he looked up from his plate.
"This was not made by my cook. This was made by the head chef of Mirabile." He said causally sipping his wine. Tea nearly spit out hers. Mirabile? Not only was that a very high class establishment where she could not even get a reservation in her fantasies, but it was at the other corner of Domino. Driving from there to Kaiba mansion would require at least 2 hours, and then making this amazing food should have taken a few more hours. But how was that possible when she had seen Kaiba around 5pm? How had he managed to, first of all, convince the head chef of Mirabile to leave his restaurant in the evening when many people would be coming to dine, manage to get him to his mansion in time and get him to make all this food? It didn't add up.
"Since it looks like your are thinking more than enjoying your food, I will tell you that I had the head chef fly over in my private chopper to save travel time. He was already in my mansion cooking when I met you and invited you to dinner." Her eyes widened for the nth time that day. Surely a stroke or heart attack was to come to her that day considering the amount of shocks she had received.
"But how did you know what I was going to say?" She demanded.
"I believe that question period should be after dinner. But just to make it easy for you to at least swallow your food, I knew you would agree because I had the perfect bait." His twinkling eyes told her exactly what he meant and she cursed her curious nature. But at least her curiosity hadn't gotten her killed. It had gotten her to a delicious dinner at a beautiful balcony in a breathtaking mansion with a devilishly handsome and clever man. Curiosity was good… so far.
At the conclusion of dinner, Seto led her through the same small hallway, down the stairs, and into a large, empty hall. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him when he left her standing alone and walked towards a corner.
"I had this recently completed, so you will be the first to see it." He said and she wondered what he was talking about. Did he make another duel disk or gaming software?
"Put this on." He said, holding a bracelet like device in his hand. She inspected it when he had clasped it around her delicate wrist. It was a high tech wrist band or some sort. But it was still very sleek and beautiful, silver in colour.
Suddenly, the lights went off and there was pitch blackness. Panic rose in her heart. What was going on? Unconsciously, she held the bracelet. But before she could call out to Kaiba, glaring lights blinded her vision, momentarily causing her to close her eyes in a gesture of protection. But even behind her close eyelids, she could see the lights. Not only that, there were sounds of people, a crowd, moving around her. The air around her face was slightly humid, but relatively calm and nice. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and was baffled to find herself standing on a sidewalk, surrounded by people. Around her, there were buildings upon tall buildings, most of them flashing various advertisements on giant screens. Hundreds of individuals, dressed in all kinds of clothes surrounded her as they walked, completely ignorant of her presence, yet careful to avoid her if her still form came in their way. With a rapidly beating heart, she looked at the intersection and there it was, just as she had predicted; Seventh Avenue and Broadway.
"I don't believe it." She whispered, more to herself than to address him.
"I believe you recognize this place." He said in a pleased tone. She vigorously nodded her head.
"Yes. I do. I have dreamed of being here so many times… and now… this…" She could not describe the feeling. To be at the famous New York Times Square was a dream of hers. She had promised herself that if she ever enough money to visit New York, she would definitely visit Times Square. But Kaiba had made that dream come true for free. It was unbelievable. Even though in a corner of her mind, she knew she was in Kaiba mansion and all this was probably a virtual reality, or some illusion, but it felt so real. She could literally smell the hotdogs people were eating, hear the sound of people speaking to each other, and into their cell phones. She could feel their clothes, and sometimes body parts, brush against hers as they passed her, lost in their own world.
"How… how is this… so real?" She asked.
"Because of the bracelet on your wrist." His voice came from too close and she turned to find him right beside her. She had been so lost in the sights that she had failed to notice him walk towards her and stand beside her. But at this very moment, she did not care.
"Bracelet?" She said, eyeing the silver device carefully.
"It sends electrical signals to your sensory nerves, thus causing your synapses to be activated, and signal to your brain. The bracelet is connected with the mainframe from where I can select a location or setting. Then the bracelet works to activate only the senses and synapses that are associated with the place, such as the feeling of humid air, the smell of hotdogs, the feel of a material against your skin et cetera." She stared at him in absolute wonder.
"How… how can you do that?"
"It's quite simple really. All you need to do is determine the optimal input to activate the sensory nerve endings of your sensory cells and neuron synapses, and have extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and nervous system, so you can regulate and designate the different inputs needed to activate different sensory neurons." He replied causally. Yeah, simple for him only. She decided not to voice that and turned back to focus on the view before her.
"We can walk too." He informed her. Tentatively, she took a step, dodging the person walking towards her, but in the process, she bumped into the one walking beside her. She actually felt her shoulder hit his arm.
"Sorry." The person said quickly and put some distance between them before continuing his walking. She was amazed at this… at what Kaiba had done.
"Let's go." She felt Kaiba grab her hand and lead her through the crowd. Baffled, she walked with him as he pointed out the landmarks that made Times Square a sight to see. She saw everything, from the AXA Center to the Times Square Tower. Kaiba was an excellent guide. After they passed the New York Marriot Marquis, Tea pulled on Kaiba's hand to stop him. He did so and turned to shoot her a confusing stare.
"Thank you." She said softly. He stared at her for a few moments before letting go of her hand and taking something out of his pocket.
"There is one other place I want to show you." He said, holding a small remote that he had produced from him pocket. He pressed one button and the scene changed. Suddenly, it was much calmer and she was staring at a different building. Looking up, she found herself staring at another dream. It was Broadway Theatre.
Just like before, Kaiba grabbed her hand and dragged her still and speechless form inside. Like a thirsty traveller, Tea eagerly and greedily drank in the site her eyes were seeing, from the walls to the hundreds of seats to the stage they were fast approaching. Her heart did a flip and she felt her knees go weak. The stage. They were going to the stage. She was going to step on the stage she only dared to dream of, the stage where only a chosen few performed, the stage that was pretty much like holy ground to her. She was sure that if Kaiba was not holding her hand, she would have collapsed on it, kissing it with tears streaming down her face.
"I know you have always wanted to be here." He said, finally letting go of her hand when they were standing in the middle of it. "The future when you will get to stand on the real stage is perhaps not very far, but if you want, you can dance here right now." With wide eyes, she stared at him before letting out an excited squeal and running a few feet back. She lifted one of her legs and gracefully spun on her toes, doing a pirouette. When she finished, she opened her eyes before giggling in joy and doing more pirouettes. Had she known this awaited her, she would not have worn a dress. Thankfully, it did not constrict her knees and she was able to bend them, albeit a bit uncomfortably.
After doing a few pirouettes and a few other dance moves, she stopped and opened her twinkling eyes, meeting Kaiba's soft ones. Almost in slow motion, she walked towards him until she was standing but a few centimetres from him. It was the closest she had been to him… ever. She could feel the heat radiating from his body mingling with the heat from her own body. The smell of his spicy and fresh cologne pleased her senses and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes before closing the distance between them.
"Thank you so much." She said while embracing him gently. "This is… this is more than I have ever imagined. You have made my dreams come true. You have made me so happy…" Her voice broke as emotions chocked her throat. She finally felt him respond as his arms slowly wrapped around her small frame. "Thank you." She repeated.
"I…" He hesitated. She lifted her face from his warm chest to stare at his face. Their eyes met and she saw a storm of emotions, all swirling so quickly that she could not distinguish any one of them.
"I'm glad you like it." He finally said, turning his face away from hers. For a few seconds, they did not move. Finally, Tea separated herself from him. He lifted the remote and pressed a button and suddenly, they were back in the Kaiba mansion, standing in an empty hall.
"I think this was a successful first run." He said, walking towards a corner, where a laptop was located on a table. "I'm sure Mokuba would appreciate it as well, though he would want to use it to revisit Disney World." He said with a chuckle.
"Why?" Tea's soft voice rang in the empty room.
"He loved that place when we first went there. After that, he demanded that I make a similar place in Domino, so I built Kaiba Land." Kaiba explained, turning off the laptop and closing the screen.
"Why did you do all this for me?" She asked the real question that she felt he had known but had carefully avoided. He did not answer. "Why did you go to such lengths to make me happy, to, if I daresay, impress me?" He lifted his head and locked eyes with her.
"Have I succeeded?" He softly questioned back and suddenly, her heart was racing, just like it had at the sight of the Broadway stage.
"Why did you invite me to dinner today Kaiba?" She whispered.
"Because I was tired of running away." He replied, looking away. "I was tired of running and avoiding this. I was tired of lying to myself, of looking for ways to fool myself to forget or at the very least, ignore what I have known for a very long time." The room was filled with a repeating lub-dub, lub-dub sound. Or perhaps it felt that loud to her since she was closest to the organ that was beating so rapidly and fiercely, creating the sounds.
"What… have you… known?" She could only whisper and hoped he had heard it over the ridiculously loud sound of her beating heart. He turned his face and this time, she saw the emotion in his eyes. It was so clear and so strong that she could not take it. All air left her lungs as he answered.
"That I have feelings for you." Darkness began to cloud her vision. She needed air. She needed oxygen to supply her brain to survive. She needed to breathe. She took in a deep breath, like a diver emerging from water.
"H… how…" She could not fathom what he had just said. It was impossible.
"You have had my attention for years." He spoke in a soft but fond voice. "Since the first day we met, 3 years, 8 months and 23 days ago." She was shocked at his memory. How did he remember how many days it had been? How was it possible for someone to know the exact numbers?
"It was my first day at Domino High. I had decided to attend public school to set an example for Mokuba since I did not want him to be home schooled like me. I wanted him to be able to interact with other children since he had been isolated most of his life and was very shy. But also because I wanted to know the potential buyers for my products." Kaiba said honestly. "I was switching Kaiba Corp. from a weapons to a gaming company and I felt that I should study the market as closely as I could, so I could learn about the potential customers. I wanted to know all the ways to best use them for my own gain, to exploit their needs and natures to benefit me. I had no interest in the education that I would obtain. It or the graduation diploma had no value in my eyes." That was acceptable to Tea since it was very Kaiba-like.
"I met you around afternoon, I think around 2:15pm. I had come to school during lunch because I had a meeting in the morning, and the principal was speaking with me, wasting my time with nonsense. I encountered many teens that day and they all pointed at me and whispered, especially the girls. They would giggle when I would pass and push each other towards me. I supposed they wanted to speak with me, but for some mind numbingly stupid reason, acted like buffoons and giggled." Tea remembered that. The news that the famous teen prodigy and millionaire was at their school in their school uniform, possibly as a student, had spread through the school faster than wildfire. It was the topic of conversation at every lunch table. Even her friends had talked about it, with Joey and Tristan wondering if they could befriend the millionaire and use his money for fun. But when they had returned to their class, they had not spotted the famous teen. They had guessed that perhaps he was in a higher grade. After all, he was a prodigy. But in the next period, he had appeared at the door, asking permission to enter the class, explaining that the reason for his tardiness was a meeting with the principal. He then handed a note from the principal to the teacher as proof and took a seat at the back of the class. His entrance had started whispers and giggling, but the teacher had silenced them with a loud smack of his ruler on the desk before resuming the lesson.
"You were sitting in the third row from the wall facing the grounds, behind Yugi. The mutt was in the row beside you, sitting in the seat beside you and behind point dexter." Tea frowned at his specific referrals to her friends, but did not voice them. She did not dare disturb him right now.
"I didn't know you then, nor did I pay any attention. At that time, you were just a body filling the room along with the rest of the idiots. You were part of the potential customers whom I planned to exploit. It was what happened after class that caused me to really see you." She wondered what special thing she had done to warrant his attention.
"You came and talked to me, I think you wanted to welcome me. It was your way of being friendly, I later learned. But when you spoke to me, you did not stutter or blush. You looked me in the eyes and spoke to me. You offered me friendship with you and your friends and asked me if I wanted to speak with your friends as well. I was tempted to, believe me I was. In that one meeting that barely lasted a minute, you had successfully obtained my attention. But when I looked at your friends, I saw all guys." He paused there to let out a short chuckle. "Immediately I was put off. I did not want to compete with other men for your attention." Her eyes widened in shocked realization and he chuckled again. "Yes. I had barely spent a minute in your company but I had already become possessive. I did not want to share your attention or friendship with them. Back then, I wasn't the sharing type. I am not one now either, but I believe I have improved a bit." He supplied with a short smile. She did not close her mouth that was hanging open.
"Though I refused your offer publicly, I never accepted the refusal privately. You were in my eyes now and I unconsciously paid attention to you. If you may recall, I changed my seat the very next day to be close to yours, so I could hear your conversations with your friends. I hate to admit it but I was jealous of your friends, and that jealousy turned into anger and dislike. I blamed their existence in your life for the lack of your presence in my life. Selfish, I know." He said with a sigh. "I insulted them to make myself feel better and superior, and even you must agree, your friends gave me plenty of opportunities and reasons. Because of my attention to you and your friends, I learned about Yugi's grandfather's card and you know what happened then." Oh yes, she knew it very well. Grandpa had been in the hospital for a full day. Yugi had been so upset. All of them had been upset and angry at Kaiba.
"It changed the way you looked at me completely. There was dislike and distrust in your eyes now and it pained me." Kaiba continued. "But I always managed to convert the pain into anger and direct it back at you and your friends, well, your friends mostly. I blamed them, especially Yugi for poisoning your mind against me. After all, as far as I was concerned, I did nothing to you. You had no reason to be upset with me."
"My friends are like my family." Tea said and Kaiba smiled slightly.
"I know. I learnt that during Duellist Kingdom, when you risked your safety in order to accompany and support Yugi and Wheeler. I was shocked to see you there." Kaiba admitted. "You weren't a duellist, and I had seen the list of all the participants. Your name was not there, and I knew Pegasus did not give you a special invite. I guessed that you had sneaked onto the island. I was furious with you for being so reckless, and with Yugi and the rest of your friends for letting you do that. But at that moment, Mokuba's safety was on my mind, so I ignored the nagging feeling at the back of my head to chide you and Yugi about the danger you were in. I told myself that if you were smart enough to sneak on the island, then you were smart enough to protect yourself as well. I just warned Yugi of Pegasus' power and left. I had to focus on my brother and my company." Tea just nodded like a dumb mute. She knew Kaiba had been concerned with Mokuba at that time, but he had actually been concerned about her as well? She tried to recall that time, but try as she might, she could not recall seeing concern in his eyes, not for her or her friends. He had just stared at them coldly and insulted them, like he usually did. But then again, Kaiba was a master of hiding his emotions. She had just learnt that he had been paying attention to her for the past few years, ever since he had met her, yet she had never suspected a thing. In fact, she had always felt that his focus was always Joey and Yugi, and she doubted he knew anything more about her other than her name. And here she was today, finding out that he knew a lot more than she could have imagined.
"I was forced by Pegasus to confront Yugi and I saw you again. Needless to say I was relieved to see you safe. And then… well you know what happened next." Tea watched him turn his face away, in shame or regret, she did not know. But it was obvious it was not something he was proud of or wanted to discuss with her. And why would he? In the eyes of her friends, and perhaps in his own eyes as well, he had used an underhanded tactic to win the duel. He had manipulated Yugi into giving up. He had unfairly taken advantage of Yugi's kind heart and won the duel. It was not like the strong and honourable duellist they thought Kaiba to be, but then again, his brother's life was on the line, and he had chosen his little brother over his honour.
"When you called Yugi to stop the attack, I…" Kaiba began again, "I was shocked. I thought you hated me for what I had done to your friends, and would be too glad to see me fall off the face of the earth. But of course, I was wrong. A part of me felt that you weren't cruel and didn't want to see me hurt; that you had stopped the attack for my sake, for my safety, for me. The selfish side of me wanted to believe it. But I knew it was for Yugi that you did it. You did not want him to regret his decision later. You knew him well, and knew he would second guess his decision, and ultimately blame himself entirely for my misfortune. You did not want him to suffer. It was all about Yugi."
"No." She felt the need to correct him. "It was never only about him. I… I was worried about you too." She admitted. "I knew that you would not risk your life for a stupid grudge, or just to win a duel. I knew that you must have a more important cause, and if you were willing to sacrifice your life for it, then I did not want to see you fail." She said, hoping he would stop looking at her with such soft surprise. "I wanted Yugi to win so he could save his grandfather, but not at the cost of your safety." A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Thank you." He said. "But whatever your reason was, you saved my life." She blushed in embarrassment. She had never considered that as saving his life. "But in the end, despite my determination, I failed to rescue Mokuba and Yugi ended up saving me and him." Tea sensed a bit of anger in his tone. His pride must have stung knowing that, and repeating it again.
"And he did it again when he came to my company and beat the virtual reality game I was trapped in. I was disappointed in myself, not just because I had to be helped by others, but because I appeared weak. In both cases, you were there to see me being 'saved' by Yugi, and I was angry at myself for being so weak. I felt ashamed. I knew then why you liked Yugi so much and never could like me. Yugi came out on top no matter what. I…" He let out a scorned laugh. "I was jealous of a 4 foot midget." Tea openly frowned at him insulting her friend like that. "Defeating him and redeeming myself became a kind of obsession. That was the reason I created Battle City Tournament. I wanted to collect the god cards and defeat Yugi. I wanted to show the world and you that he was not invincible." Tea frowned again at his choice of words. She wanted to tell him that she never thought Yugi to be invincible. She had known Yugi for most of her life and knew all his strengths and weaknesses. Sure she had seen Yugi at his best, as a strong, powerful, and determined duellist and person, but she had also seen him at his lows, when he was defeated, hurt, and broken.
"It was during Battle City that I realized I had feelings for you." He continued and she blushed again at his words. Sure he had said it before and she had had plenty of time to process it, but when he said it again, it sent powerful shivers through her body.
"When I found out that you had risked your own safety to rescue Mokuba, I was grateful and felt indebted to you. I offered Yugi help in locating his friends and gave him a ride in my chopper. But it was not just because I felt indebted to you for helping my brother. No." He shook his head ruefully before finally meeting her gaze again. "I did it because I was worried about you." It felt as if thousands of butterflies had taken sudden birth in her stomach and were now causing funny feelings to arise. His simple and plain words were having such a powerful effect on her. "I feared that even if Yugi found you, it might be too late. Marik was a dangerous man and I did not want to take any chances with your safety. Using a chopper would get us there faster than any other form of transportation Yugi could have used. So I offered to take him there, and deep down, I hoped and prayed that we would get to you before Marik did something." His eyes softened and she saw disappointment house in them. "But unfortunately, we were still too late. Right before my unblinking, frozen eyes, you walked into a death trap." She had been under Marik's control so she did not know how her friends must have felt watching her willingly risk her safety. Of course, when she had come to, she had been afraid, more afraid than she had ever been, and not just because there was a high chance she might die, but because she was dying in a pathetic manner, and because her friends could die as well. It was a horrible feeling, waiting for your death that you knew would come, and knowing that all your loved ones would see it happen. She could imagine what her friends must have been feeling while watching her sit under a dangling crate, because she felt the same while watching Yugi and Joey duel.
"It was then that I lost all rational thought but your safety." He admitted, his voice fierce with emotion. "I could not focus on anything else, not the duel, not my unattended chopper, not even my own safety. All I cared about was you… your safety."
"Kaiba…" She could only whisper his name in utter disbelief.
"I… I was afraid." He admitted in a small voice, but did not withdraw his gaze from hers. It was as if time was moving backwards. It all came rushing back to her, and she vividly recalled seeing the same blue eyes that day, and just like that day, she was rendered speechless.
"I wanted nothing more to do than to save you. I did not care about Yugi or Wheeler. All I was concerned about was you. But I knew I could do nothing, not until the duel was concluded. I knew you would never forgive me if I risked their safety to rescue you. So with my heart clenched in fear, I watched and waited. And when the opportunity came, I just reacted. I did not care that I was destroying a million dollar chopper which was my favourite mode of transportation, nor that I was risking my safety and my brother's future. The only thing possessing me was you and your well being." She was so overwhelmed with shock and emotion that she could barely breathe. This all seemed too surreal. It felt like she was in a movie of some sort. There was no way this could be real. This could not be happening to her. She was just an ordinary girl. Such stories of caring and devotion were reserved for novels or fairy tales, not for real life, and certainly not for her ordinary life. This just couldn't be.
"But after it was done, after the adrenaline rush and the powerful wave of emotion was over, I was shocked at what I had done and what I had discovered. I immediately left because I could not look at you anymore." He admitted. "I could not… it was too… confusing and overwhelming. I did not want to believe it." He said in a frustrated voice. "I wanted there to be an alternate explanation, one that I could easily accept. I tried and tried to come up with that explanation but never succeeded. The truth was always there, staring at me in the face, mocking me and torturing me." He paused there to run a hand through his hair, perhaps in an attempt to calm himself. She wanted to comfort him, to ease his anguish and frustration, but she was lost on how to actually do it. In the end, she chose to remain silent.
"I allowed you on the blimp because I did not want you to be targeted by rare hunters in the city. I felt that if you were near me, I would be able to keep an eye on you and protect you." Her eyes widened ever so slightly at his claim. "I blamed your friends, especially the mutt for your capture. He was too weak to protect you and ended up endangering your life." This one, she definitely wanted to refute. Joey was not weak. He would have done everything to help her but he had been tricked by Marik, just like her, and just like her, he had fallen victim to Marik's mind control. Her capture or subsequent fate was not his fault. She did not blame him for anything. She had chosen to stick with him in the tournament. Getting captured was her own fault. In fact, Joey had been captured because of her too. When the rare hunters had attacked them, Joey had been distracted by her. He had tried to save her from the rare hunters and had ended up getting beaten. If anything, she was to blame for their capture. But before she could inform Kaiba, he was already speaking.
"But my effort to protect you only ended up putting you in more danger." His hands clenched in fists in anger. "Had I known that my snake of a step-father had plans to lure me into a trap, I would never have allowed you entry on the blimp." She was once again taken back by the intensity of his emotion. "I blamed your friends for endangering you and always claimed that I would do better, " He said in a rueful tone, "but in the end, I ended up doing the same." She opened her mouth to say that it was not his fault. He had not known what awaited them. But then again, her friends had not known anything either. If Kaiba blamed them, then he had no choice but to blame himself as well.
"Even in the virtual world, Yugi ended up being the hero and saving everyone." Kaiba said bitterly. "And it just made me all the more determined to defeat him and prove to myself that he was not better than me." He sighed after that. "Battle City was a disappointment overall. I was angry at being defeated again and I did not want to see Yugi or the mutt for obvious reasons. But I wanted to avoid you too. So I did. I made any contact with you guys minimum. I skipped as many classes as I could under the excuse of meetings." She remembered that well. Joey was always complaining about Kaiba getting off easy when he missed the tests. But her and Yugi had been worried about the older Kaiba. They worried if he really was too pressured at work, and hoped that he would be able to solve whatever problems he was having. Now she just learned that Kaiba was skipping on purpose. Mentally she scoffed and crossed her arms in a stubborn manner. Joey was right. Kaiba was using the meetings and his company as an excuse to get out of school.
"But the truth was that I was a coward. I did not have the courage to face them or you." His next words ended her negative feelings towards him and in came the fuzzy feelings again. "I always felt that my interest in you was purely out of curiosity and nothing more. But after that day at the docks, I learned that it was much more than that. And I became afraid." He admitted, albeit a bit hesitantly. "I was trained to be alone, to be independent so no one could learn my weaknesses and exploit them. I was taught not to trust anyone but myself, to not let anyone in. I isolated myself from everyone and thought myself guarded. But you just broke through the shield without even doing anything or knowing at all. And it scared me." Tea unconsciously nodded her head. She could only imagine what Kaiba must have felt after making that discovery. Hell, she could barely cope with it herself.
"At first, I refused to acknowledge that there was anything between us, but when it became painfully obvious that it was not the case, I had to resort to a different strategy. I looked for reasons to not pursue you." She noticed an amused glint appearing in his eyes. "But every time I came up with a "valid" reason, you came in and just smashed it to dust." Her curiosity rose. This she wanted to hear. Apparently, she had done much to Kaiba without her knowledge and intention and she wanted to know how she had overcome his limitations of her.
"I told myself that you were just like the other girls but you changed that view during the first few seconds of our first meeting." She nodded, recalling what he had said minutes ago. "Then I told myself that you were careless and un-ambitious, but your attitude in school and your determination of getting into dance school, even going so far as getting a job at that ridiculous Burger World proved I was wrong again." She momentarily wondered how he had known about her job, but if anything Kaiba had proven today, it was that he knew a lot more than he led on.
"I told myself that you hated me after what I did to Yugi's grandfather, but your actions during Duellist Kingdom told me I was wrong again. I told myself that you were not brave or strong, but your action and decision to save Mokuba showed me I was wrong… again. I was running out of excuses at that point." She almost smiled at his declaration. "I was so desperate that I targeted your lack of duelling abilities. But your duel with Crump in Virtual World showed me that I was wrong again." Tea beamed with pride. She was particularly proud of her performance in that duel. She had defeated a grown man and saved her body from a pervert who would have, no doubt, spent a lot of time 'getting to know himself' had he won the duel. The only downside was that now when she saw penguins, she shivered. Thankfully, there weren't any penguins in Domino except in the Zoo.
"I used up every excuse I could think of, from the colour of your hair to the style of your shoes." Tea wasn't sure if she should laugh or frown at that. "In the end, I knew there was only one reason that would prove effective." He paused there; for dramatic effect she wondered. But she could not wait.
"What was it?" She asked, hoping she didn't sounded too eager or desperate. His eyes bore into hers as they hardened considerably.
"I told myself that you had feelings for Yugi." This hit her like a ton of bricks. What? How could he think that? How could anyone think that? Yugi was her friend. They were friends. She had never given Yugi or anyone else any indication that she had any sort of romantic interest in Yugi. It was insane for someone to assume that. Kaiba must have been very desperate to believe that.
"Why else would you continue to be with a midget who looked like a pre-pubescent boy with ridiculous hair?" Oh that was low. Yugi had gotten his growth spurt a bit later than the other guys, but no one had the right to insult him for that. It had not been his fault.
"Yugi is an amazing person. He has many good qualities despite his lack of height." She defended her absent friend. Kaiba nodded his head.
"I figured as much, and to me, it was all the more reason you would be interested in him." She suddenly realized that she had not refuted his idea of their romantic relationship. She opened her mouth to tell him but stopped. If Kaiba was telling her everything, maybe he knew that her and Yugi were just friends. Why else would he divulge all this to her? So she chose to remain silent and see what happened next. If need be, she would set his misconception straight.
"I could see many reasons why you would be interested in him and I accepted it. It worked for me because it warded off against my thoughts of you. I did not want to compete with Yugi anymore, especially when it appeared that he had already won." She frowned and felt that perhaps now was the time to tell him that there was nothing going on between her and Yugi. She opened her mouth but having already expected her to speak, he held up his hand.
"I know what you are going to say, but at that time it didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that I had a reason that worked. I no longer had to avoid you or the rest of the geek squad. I could go back to mocking and insulting the mutt and point dexter, and life would be normal again."
"Wait a minute." Tea said. "Are you saying that insulting my friends and I is part of your normal life? That in a sick and twisted way, we are a part of your life?" He chuckled fondly.
"Yes. I am saying that." He openly admitted. Oh if only Joey was here. He would gloat and mock Kaiba for having the very people he detested a part of his normal life.
"Over time, I have come to admit a lot of things." Kaiba said. "In the beginning, you and your friends were nothing but a bother. Yugi was a constant pain in my side. You were an itch I couldn't scratch, and Wheeler was a fly that would not leave me no matter how much or how hard I swatted it." Tea's mouth was open in shock, but this was shock of indignation. An itch? She was an itch? How dare he?
"But I have come to realize that these are things that have proven good for me." Kaiba continued, smiling amusedly at her reaction. "Yugi is still a constant pain in my side but it continually reminds me that I am human. You are an itch I don't want to scratch because you caused me to discover a part of me I did not know I had. And Wheeler is the annoying fly that distracts me from the boring and monotonous routine that is my life." Still an itch. She was still a damn itch.
"I think it is time for dessert." He said out of the blue, completely shattering the atmosphere their previous conversation had set. "The head chef did not have time to make an Italian dessert or any dessert for that matter, but I believe there is some ice-cream in the freezer." He said causally and walked towards the doors that led them out of the room. "Come on Gardner." He said, looking over his shoulder as he held the door open. "You can gawk at my brilliant new invention later." His arrogant smirk and retreating back caused her to think that perhaps what had just happened was an illusion, a figment of her imagination, a deeply hidden part of her subconscious that had just surfaced. The Kaiba she had been dealing for the past few minutes was imaginary, and the jerk who had called her an itch was the real deal. Huffing in indignation, she followed him into the kitchen. He was standing before the freezer, hand shoved in to take out the ice-cream. She took a seat on the stool closest to him besides the centre island.
"We have vanilla, French vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, strawberry, cherry, cookies and cream, vanilla fudge almond, chocolate almond, rocky road, coffee, and peanut butter." He raised his head from the freezer door to raise a questioning eyebrow at her and was met with her baffled expression.
"Mokuba went grocery shopping without me." He explained and she giggled, imagining the kid's excitement at picking whatever he wanted.
"Hmm… whatever you are having." She said. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at her but then his head disappeared behind the freezer door again before emerging with a box. He was careful not to let her see what he had chosen. Only when he handed her the bowl did she see what he had chosen.
"You did not tell me you had this." She shot accusingly at him, watching him innocently take a spoon of the Neapolitan. He smiled angelically, which scared her to ends before answering.
"I did not intend to. This is my favourite and I was planning to keep it from you." This man really was an enigma. He was confusing. One minute he was nice and the next minute, he was back to being a selfish jerk.
"I guess I ruined your plan then didn't I?" She said hotly, shoving her spoon harshly in the colourful delight. "I hope I destroyed another one of your ridiculous expectations." Kaiba only smirked and continued eating. For the next few minutes, there was no conversation and both enjoyed their dessert. Finally, Tea asked the one question that had been bugging her for a long time.
"Why now Kaiba?" She asked. He merely raised an eyebrow, so she clarified. "You hid it for so many years, so why tell me all this now?"
"Because I refuse to wait any longer." He replied. "I held myself back primarily because of Yugi. I waited and waited and he has yet to make a move." She wanted so desperately to tell him that he had it all wrong. Yugi was never going to make any moves because he didn't have any feelings for her. They were just friends, but Kaiba was on a roll at that moment and didn't give her enough time to formulate the thought process to speak, let alone actually speak.
"And why should I wait?" Kaiba said in a raised voice. "Why should I give in to Yugi? I fought with him so hard for small things such as a duelling title, but for this which is more important to me than any title, I gave in without even trying. I took the coward's way out and just handed Yugi the victory. But I am not a coward." His hand gripped the bowl tightly and she feared it might break under his grip. "I am Seto Kaiba." His eyes bore into hers and she felt charred by the intensity in those icy blue eyes. "I never give up or give in. I fight for what I want and I don't let anything stand in my way. And I want you." The bowl slipped from her shaking hands and almost fell on her lap but by some miracle, she managed to save her dress.
"I desire you Tea Gardner. I have wanted you for a long time, and I will not wait any longer." The honesty, the rawness, the passion in his words and eyes had her heart beating a 1000 beats a minute. Her lungs gasped for air as she let out a series of short, rapid breaths. Her heart beat against her ribs and she could literally feel the muscle straining to break through the bone and fall to the ground. Her chest heaved from the effort to breath as her brain processed what he had said, and most importantly, how he had said it.
He wanted her. Such simple and plain words yet they were causing mayhem in her mind. How was this possible? How could he want her? The words shared during this evening rang through her head like million bells chiming at the same time. It was overwhelming. It was overpowering. It was unbelievable. It was… simply impossible.
"This… I…" She gasped for air that refused to stay in her lungs. She longed to calm her heart that had been on a roller coaster ride since this evening began. She needed some sort of control, for her sanity's sake. She needed to make sense of things or she would surely go insane.
But all resolve, all effort, all determination crumbled to the ground when he stepped closer to her. Oh he smelled delicious. His cologne added to the list of things that were currently overpowering her.
"Tell me Tea." Her knees buckled as he said her name in a heated whisper. Her hands trembled and this time, the ice-cream bowl slipped but his large and warm hand was right there to steady it again in her small, trembling hand. "Do you have any feelings for Yugi?" Eyes locked with his, she was tongue tied, so she slowly shook her head, unblinking and afraid that if she made any fast movements, this dream, this illusion would shatter.
He smirked and her heart did a summersault. She gasped when he very gently placed his hand in her hair, feeling the silky strands run through his fingers. She felt her vision darken. Her head was becoming dizzy. This was too much for her, too much too fast. His hand sensually moved down and rested on her neck, cupping it ever so carefully, his thumb running over the side before resting on silky smooth, heated flesh. Seconds ticked by and none made a move. His smirk widened.
"110 beats per minute." He said and she realized he had just measured her heart rate through his thumb that was on her erratically quivering pulse. Was her heart really beating that fast? Whatever it was, she felt it increase even more as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Are you afraid Tea?" He did not remove his lips from the shell of her ear, in a way, forcing her to verbally respond.
"N… no." She squeaked and felt his lips stretch, into a smirk or smile, she wasn't sure.
"Good." He whispered before moving away from her ear only to come a hair breadth from her lips, locking eyes with her once again.
"Kaiba…" She whispered like a blushing virgin. His eyes melted into pools of heat and she felt her every bone melt.
"I am going to kiss you now Tea." He declared, moving even closer so that his lips were grazing hers. "Stop me now if you don't want this." And it was then that her heart exploded. The last thing she felt was a screaming loud heart beat before everything was calm and quiet.
His surprisingly soft lips were moving over hers like molten lava, slow and sensual, and scorching and deadly in effect. She moaned before her hands automatically lifted up to bury in his hair. The ice-cream bowls laid forgotten as a more delicious treat was shared by the two.
End flashback
That had been her first of many mind blowing kisses from Seto Kaiba, and on his kitchen island too. It had once been a treasured memory, but it was nothing more than a ghost of the past now, its beauty marred by the ugly reality she was forced to face.
"Why are you bringing up the past Kaiba, things that no longer matter?" She asked, but her voice was not as hard as she would have liked it to be.
"Because I want to end it." He replied, being ever so clear. "I want to end the games we have been playing Tea. I want to put an end to the ridiculous illusions that we have of each other, or at least what you think of me and us."
"I am under no illusion." She clarified. "It is you who needs a reality check." He smirked in a knowing way and earning bells rang in her mind.
"Tell me Tea, do you remember how your heart beat when we used to kiss? Do you recall how you used to fall against me when I would touch you? How you body used to tremble when I would whisper sweet things in your ears as you lay in my arms at night? Do you remember all that?" No, she didn't, her mind repeated over and over. It was too long ago. She no longer felt that, no longer remembered how that must have felt. No, she had erased all that from her mind. She had gotten rid of her weaknesses, of his effect on her a long time ago. She was no longer effected by him.
"Does Alistair do that to you?" His next question had her confused and surprised. Was he comparing himself to Alistair, or did he want her to make the comparison? Was he so confident in his abilities that he thought that he could prove to be a better man, a more skilled lover?
"Does he make your heart race when you kiss? Does he make your breath hitch when you touch? Does he make you tremble with pleasure with nothing more than mere words?" Of course he did, she thought. He must have. He… she tried to think back to their first date, their first kiss, their first night together… but found that the intensity of her reactions was not as strong as it had been with Kaiba on that fateful day. But there were many reasons for that, she reasoned. Back then, she had been a bumbling virgin, in mind and body. She had been innocent and unaware. She had never had such intimate contact with a male. Kaiba had been her first in every sense. Her reactions and their intensity were uncontrolled.
With Alistair, she had had much experience. By the time she had met Alistair, she had suffered heart break and had strengthened her heart. She was no longer a blushing maiden. She was no longer innocent. She had learnt to not let her emotions get control of her. She had grown. So it made sense that her reactions to Alistair's ministrations were less intense. It made perfect sense.
"Judging from your expression, I would say that the answer is no." Seto said with a triumphant smirk. She frowned.
"Our circumstances were different." She clarified, or was she justifying? "I was an actress when we met. I was well versed in emotions and controlling them."
"I didn't ask if you expressed them. I asked if you felt them." His smirk widened ever so slightly as if he had caught her in a trap. In response, her frown deepened.
"I can't feel that way anymore. I have learnt not to, or better yet, trained not to." She said hotly. "If I melted at every man's touch, I would not be a successful actress."
"Alistair is not 'every man'." Seto said and she felt the trap shut. "He is supposedly your lover."
"He is my lover." She growled.
"And yet you don't feel passion for him."
"I told you I can't—."
"Liar." He growled, losing control for the first time since they had met today. "You can regulate how you express what you feel but you can't control what you feel. You taught me that. And its time I reminded you." He took a step towards her. Her heart lurched and she automatically took a step back.
"What are you doing?" She asked, panic rising in her voice as he continued moving towards her at a fast pace.
"I am going to prove to you that you can still feel the passion you once felt." Before she could run, he was on her, his arm around her waist to secure her writhing form against his heated one.
"Let me go." She demanded, using her free hand, since one was trapped by his wrapped arm, to pry him off her. But he was superior in strength. He managed to grab that hand and secure it within his hand that was wrapped around her waist, thus effectively trapping both her arms.
"Let me go Kaiba." She said again, but this time, the tone was less demanding.
"No." He simply replied. He leaned forward and buried his face in her hair, bridging any gap between their bodies that was present before. It was as if the wheel of time had reversed and she was back to being innocent and inexperienced. Her heart thumped violently against her rib cage, bruising her insides with the force with which it beat. Her breathing turned erratic. Black spots threatened her vision. Dizziness overtook her mind. All rational escaped her mind. She could think nothing, feel nothing but the heat of his body scorching hers, the texture of his callous hand holding her smooth wrist securely yet tenderly, the sensation of his breath on her ear and neck as he took in her scent. Shivers ran down her spine as his voice assaulted her ear.
"I always loved the smell of jasmines on you." She was speechless, tongue-tied due to the intensity of what was happening to her.
"You think that we are over." He whispered heatedly, his grip on her tightening. "But you are wrong. We are not over. We have never been over. You are still affected by my ministrations, by my presence, by my voice, by my touch." His hand went to brush through her hair, feelings the longer strands slide over his fingers and fall in elegant waves. Her body trembled as his hand ghosted over the skin of her neck before cupping it, his thumb brushing the flesh tantalizingly. "You still tremble due to the force of emotions I arouse in you." He lifted his face from her hair and brought it face to face with her, his nose brushing hers.
"Are you afraid Tea?" He asked, smirking when no words came out of her mouth. There was a moment's pause before Tea slowly shook her head, not breaking gaze.
"I am going to kiss you now." He declared, just like he had done so years ago on the same day. "Stop me now if you want or God help me I won't be able to stop myself." The intensity, the honesty, the heat in his voice was too much to bear that her knees buckled and she fell limp against him, being held up only by his grip on her waist. Thoughts zoomed in her head like speeding cars, words resounding, warnings thundering, panic deafening, and then… it was all gone. It was all silent and calm as his lips brushed against hers, slowly and sensually, as if testing the waters before taking the plunge. All rational thought, all restraint, all control was forgotten as her very own lips betrayed her, responding to his gentle coaxing and moving against his. It was as if a dam had broken and she was caught in the way. With unimaginable and probably unmatchable force, Seto attacked her lips, nearly knocking her backwards from the force with which he pressed his lips against her. No longer were his lips soft and sensual, but they were rough and demanding as they devoured hers with greed and want. His tongue rushed into her mouth, caressing every corner, feeling every nook and crevice, exploring and recalling as well as inciting pleasure that curled her every toe. And she responded. She responded to every probe of his tongue, every sweep of his lips. Every action, every moan, she responded to in a way she shouldn't have. But there was no coherent thought being composed in her mind, no logical reaction being thought, because there was no rational mind to do so. All was lost save the sensation and the pleasure.
Finally, after an eternity of unleashed passion, Seto pulled away but just enough to lock eyes with her hooded ones again.
"120 beats per minute." He claimed triumphantly. "I just beat my own record."
Smack.
The sound of a slap rang loud in their ears over the crashing waves and the howling wind. Violently, Tea separated herself away from Seto and turned on her heel, running as fast as her legs would carry her. Never once did she slow down or turn, disappearing from sight within a few seconds.
Seto rubbed his stinging cheek gently while trying to contain a huge smile.
"Happy anniversary Tea."
...
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Please review and let me know what you think.