Chapter Sixteen:
All My Trust: Part II
(Coral Reef Hot Spring Resort)
Kaiba and Tea's Room
8:30 pm
Kaiba stepped into the hotel room, feeling aggravated.
He had just finished giving Mokuba a piece of his mind and was starting to feel a bit hungry.
He visually searched the room for any sign of Tea. She was nowhere in sight. He assumed that she retreated into the confinements of the bedroom again.
He closed the door behind him, heading straight into the pantry.
He yanked the refrigerator open once more in the hopes of finding something to eat.
Unfortunately there seemed to be nothing that sparked his interest.
He decided that the best course of action would be to order room service.
He headed over to the phone sitting on the small table next to the couch. As he reached for the receiver he suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone; Tea might be hungry as well.
He stopped as he looked in the direction of the bedroom.
Should he ask her?
From the way she had been acting, it seemed as if she were trying her best to avoid him.
He sighed hopelessly deciding that it couldn't be helped.
They would have to face each other eventually; she would just have to deal with it.
He walked over to the bedroom door, which he assumed would be locked tight.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before knocking.
Tea jumped at the sound of the light rapping sound against the door.
Her heart skipped a beat, knowing that it was Kaiba.
She hadn't finished changing and was clad in nothing but her underwear. She pulled her T-shirt over her head, reassuring herself that she had locked the door. Her girlish instinct however kicked into full gear. She desperately reached for her towel, in an attempt to wrap it around herself, T-shirt and all.
Before she had a chance to respond however she heard Kaiba's muffled voice pierce its way through the wooden door.
"Hey, I'm ordering room service, when you're finished you can come out and have a look at the menu - And just so you know, if you're not out in the next five, I'm ordering without you!"
His words weren't clear but his attitude was crystal.
She blew out a breath of relief, glad that he hadn't attempted to come inside.
Room Service? She didn't even know that someone could order this late.
Then again…
Sighing quietly, she didn't even need to finish the sentiment.
She quickly pulled herself together and got changed as fast as she could manage.
She didn't even realize how hungry she was up until now.
Slipping her feet into a pair of comfortably soft bedroom slippers she nervously prepared herself to face the music.
She stood in front of the bedroom door, willing herself to reach for the door knob.
She felt her heart beating inside her chest as she did.
God, get it together! Why couldn't she stop herself from acting this way?
Feeling extremely annoyed with herself she forcefully opened the door.
Kaiba was sitting on one of the couches, his eyes focused on the TV.
As she closed the door, he turned his attention over to her.
He smirked as per usual.
"Guess you were really hungry."
His taunting made it easier to deal with the fact that she was nervous.
She responded normally.
"Very funny."
She walked over to the living room, pursing her lips together, not knowing exactly what she should do next.
Kaiba sensed her uneasiness right away.
He reached for the menu card next to the phone, gesturing for her to take it from him.
She did so almost immediately.
"And try not to take all night deciding."
Without thinking, she took a seat right next to him.
Kaiba casually turned his attention back to the TV, trying in vain to ignore the smell of her perfume.
She looked at the menu, visually scanning its contents. There were quite a few dishes to choose from, unfortunately most of which she weren't familiar with.
After a few short moments she decided to take something simple.
"Hmm, I guess I'll have the beef fillet."
Kaiba seemed a bit surprised at her choice; Beef fillet happened to be one of his favorite dishes as well.
He turned to look at her.
"Good choice."
Tea looked back at him, feeling herself turning pink in the face. She handed him the menu card, looking away before he could see the extent of her blushing.
Kaiba couldn't help noticing the warmth she had brought with her into the room. Somehow being around her like this made him forget that he was ever cranky in the first place.
He decided that despite their predicament, he should at least try to make her night with him, one that she would enjoy.
He rose from his seat and headed over to the phone.
Tea listened as he made the order, noticing that he opted for the same dish.
She turned her attention to the TV in an attempt to stop her heart from racing. She still couldn't seem to make herself relax.
The entire situation was so difficult to wrap her head around.
The movie playing on the screen was an action flick and by the looks of it, not a very good one at that. Luckily the credits were just starting to roll up.
When Kaiba was finished making the order he returned to his seated position at her side.
Her body instantly went rigid.
He reached for the remote and proceeded to flip through the channels; neither of them saying a word to the other.
It was Tea who broke the silence first.
"So you like action movies?"
Kaiba kept his eyes on the TV, surprised at her attempt to make conversation.
"Humph, not really, that was the only thing good on, these channels are pathetic- you'd think for all the money people pay for this, they could at least provide some decent programming!"
Tea couldn't help her amusement. Somehow, his bickering made her feel more relaxed.
Kaiba continued flipping through the channels very much aware of the girl sitting next to him. So far it seemed as though she was starting to feel more at ease around him.
That was good; he had no intentions of ruining his golden opportunity to find out more about her past.
But, how should he proceed?
He concluded that the best course of action would be to simply let the night unfold and not try too hard to get any answers from her.
Besides, he was starting to realize that he genuinely liked spending time with her, not just to get the answers he was looking for but for the simple joy of getting to know her better. For some reason he found her quite intriguing. She wasn't like any other girl he'd ever known before. For this reason he was determined to get as much information about her as he could. But he wouldn't rush it; if the night goes by smoothly, everything he needed to know would inevitably fall right into his lap.
He attempted to keep the conversation alive before the moment could fall away into awkward silence again.
"So should I assume that action flicks aren't you're thing?"
She smiled, glad that he was trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, I guess some of them are ok, but I prefer scary movies."
Kaiba glanced at her, surprised by her answer.
"Scary? You? The girl who gets a heart attack every five minutes?"
She couldn't help laughing.
"What? Are you trying to make fun of me?"
"Of course not! Whatever gave you that idea?"
His teasing, sarcastic tone was enough to convey his point.
Tea looked at him as he continued flipping through the channels, so at ease with himself.
She couldn't believe how effortless it was to talk to him sometimes. Who would've thought that he had such a great sense of humor? Come to think of it, she never actually sat and talked with him like this. It was almost as if they were really good friends.
She smiled at his response, feeling her body finally letting go of the tension.
"Hey, I resent that."
He finally stopped flipping, supposedly finding something interesting.
"…But that's good though, I was expecting you go all chick flick on me."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with Romantic movies, I never said I didn't like them."
"True, but it wasn't the first thing you said now was it?"
She smiled again, impressed by his response.
"Hmm, I guess you're right."
Tea noticed that the movie he had chosen was a horror flick. She found it sweet that he was trying so hard to make her comfortable.
She hesitated before asking, but decided that it was the polite thing to do.
"Are you ok with watching this, or would you prefer something else? I wouldn't mind if you wanted to watch a game or something."
Kaiba scoffed, clearly amused at her inference.
"And what makes you think I'm into sports?"
She felt herself turning pink again.
"Well, I just assumed you were, most guys are into that sort of thing."
"Yeah well, I'm not most guys."
Tea smiled to herself at his words. She always found his over confidence somewhat appealing; side effect of being a girl she assumed.
She was glad that the movie was one that she hadn't seen before; she didn't feel like sitting through another re-run.
As the opening credits played through, Kaiba couldn't help noticing that the both of them were sitting fairly close to one another. There were two other couches in the room, yet they both ended up on the same one at such an intimate proximity.
He tried in vain to focus on the movie but found that he was distracted.
Was it the fact that she smelled like soap and vanilla?
Geez, get a grip!
He forced himself to stop thinking like a teenager.
The minutes seemed to pass by with ease.
Despite Kaiba's occasional bickering over the movie's supposedly pathetic storyline, they both watched the opening of the movie in pleasant silence; each secretly aware of the other.
After approximately fifteen minutes, a small knock on the door alerted them of the diner they had seemed to have forgotten all about.
Kaiba stood up to open the door.
The hotel attendant happily pushed a small cart of food into the living room.
The young man seemed star struck in Kaiba's presence.
Tea noticed that he was staring at her as if he was trying to figure out who she was.
She concluded that he must think she was a public figure as well and was trying to match her face to someone.
She couldn't help feeling amused at his assumption.
She watched as he organized the dishes.
Kaiba was digging into his pocket, retrieving his wallet so he could pay the tip.
Tea couldn't help feeling out of place. The entire situation seemed so unreal.
She wondered if Kaiba was feeling the same way she was.
She glanced at him.
Why did he have to be so gorgeous? As if his personality wasn't intimidating enough!
But somehow being alone with him like this was starting to make her more curious about him.
When they were back at high school together, she never really gave much thought to the fact that he actually had a personal life. His over-confident, head strong personality only served to demolish any assumptions anybody might have about what he might be like underneath; So much so that most people forgot that he was just a regular person. – An insanely rich, powerful and not to mention good-looking regular person- but a person nevertheless.
Spending so much time with him was somehow making her see him under a different light. He seemed more, human to her now.
Her thoughts were having a field day inside her head and she wondered if anything she was thinking about actually made any sense at all.
But there was one thing she was certain about. She was definitely starting to enjoy to his company; maybe a little bit too much for her own good.
She watched as Kaiba saw the attendant out. When he was gone, he closed the door and started toward the diner cart.
Tea, kept silent, not knowing what she should do next.
Luckily Kaiba was the one who made the first step.
He returned to her side on the couch, and pulled the cart toward them.
Tea noticed that along with the assortment of dishes there was also a bottle of white wine resting inside an ice bucket filled with ice and cold water.
She guessed it must have been complimentary; however uncanny it may seem, they were staying in a couple suite after all.
For a brief moment her checks suddenly turned pink.
She also noticed that along with the main course, there were also a few appetizers and a small tub of strawberry ice-cream for desert.
She couldn't help feeling pampered at the sight of it all.
Kaiba looked at her, with an amused look.
"You know, you don't have to act so shy all the time, I know you're hungry, so just eat already."
"Well forgive me for being polite, I was just waiting for you."
Kaiba acted as though her words had no effect on him.
How could she be so damn oblivious to the fact that she was so cute!
He continued setting up the dishes as his mind drifted off into a world of contemplation.
Okay so far so good.
Despite his annoying habit of noticing trifle details about her, he'd say that his night with Tea was going by much smoother than he thought it would; Of course, the night was still reasonably young – and there was still the pressing matter of their sleeping arrangements…
His pulse quickened without warning.
The thought of sharing a bed with her was a bit too much for his brain to comprehend without thinking thoughts that shouldn't be there.
His feelings for her were definitely going to pile a hundred pounds of pressure on his shoulders.
He knew he wasn't the type to lose his composure for something like this but for some reason he wasn't a hundred percent trusting of his own actions around her.
It was more than likely that he would have to sleep out here in the living room. He couldn't risk it. He lost control with her once; who's to say he wouldn't do it again.
He glanced at her for a brief moment. She was pouring salad dressing over one of the dishes.
He knew that her heart was still wounded by whatever happened to her in her past so he knew he couldn't be careless with it.
This was going to be a delicate process, he knew, but he was patient.
He wanted to help her in any way that he could, and if space was what she needed right now, he would offer it to her with no hesitation.
They both ate in another spell of easy silence, occasionally debating over certain scenes of the movie.
Kaiba of course had no trouble playing the role of the most obnoxious critic alive.
Tea found his bickering quite entertaining.
As expected the food was absolutely delicious. Apparently, she had made the right decision. The beef fillet main course was one of the best meals she'd ever tasted.
As she finished the last of it, she noticed that Kaiba was already finished, reclining onto the couch, looking satisfied.
She blushed to herself, trying to get over how attractive he looked.
She'd never seen this side of him before.
When she was finished she put her fork down next to the plate. Her hunger had been dealt with.
She looked at the tub of ice-cream, wondering if it would be alright if she had some. She had always seemed to have a weakness for ice-cream, especially strawberry and chocolate flavored.
She pursed her lips together, reluctantly forcing herself to look at Kaiba.
Her eyes seemed to draw his to hers. He looked back at her, immediately understanding her question without her saying anything.
"You don't need my permission you know."
Tea forced herself not to turn pink again
"Sorry, but I really like ice-cream."
"Well I don't, so you can have it all if you want."
"What? You don't like ice-cream?"
He scoffed, folding his arms, looking stubborn.
"Yea so what?"
"Well…its ice-cream, it's too good not to like."
"I don't do sweet! Besides, it's completely over rated!"
Tea looked at him, studying his expression.
He was such a little kid sometimes. For some reason it warmed her heart.
"Tell you what, how about I give you some of mine, if we share, you won't have to eat a whole helping by yourself."
She waited for a response.
He looked at her, clearly amused.
"You expect me to share with you?"
She shrugged, looking as innocent as ever.
"Sure, I don't see a problem with that."
Kaiba looked at her, feeling himself being overwhelmed by the way he felt about her again.
Why was she making this so hard? Did she have to be so damn sweet all the time?
The fact that he was alone with her was making it hard enough!
He used most of his inner strength to push his roaming thoughts back in their proper place before responding.
"You're crazy if you think I'll do something as stupid as that."
Tea smiled, feeling a challenge in his voice.
For some reason she was feeling much more comfortable around him.
She turned to the diner cart and proceeded to scoop out a serving of ice-cream into one of the glass cups.
"You're hopeless Kaiba…"
She finished her task and turned to face him again, holding the serving in her hand, sticking a small spoon into the creamy pink desert.
"But…."
She outstretched the bowl to him, with a warm smile on her face.
"…If it's the last thing I do, you're going to have a taste of this ice-cream."
Kaiba looked back at her, feeling his heart warming up to her. She had no idea what her little gestures of kindness were doing to him.
If only he could tell her.
But he had a role to play. The king of jerks sure as hell didn't eat ice-cream.
But somehow, he knew his mask would eventually fall away. He couldn't hide himself from her. She seemed to be the only girl or person for that matter who could break through his walls without a single effort.
Why was she making this so difficult for him? Couldn't she tell? Couldn't she notice what was happening?
He looked at her, his expression somber.
"There's no way you're making me eat that."
Tea noticed that his tone was a bit softer than it usually was.
She kept her eyes locked onto his.
"Is that so?"
Tea had no idea where her new found courage was coming from, but at that moment she somehow felt as though she had the upper hand for once.
She waited for him to respond but to her surprise he looked away. He stared at the floor as though something was bothering him.
"..What's the matter, are you ok?"
"I'm fine."
With that said he unexpectedly rose from his seat.
She looked up at him, feeling a lump building in the back of her throat. She watched as he headed to the pantry.
She suddenly felt a pang of guilt wash over her.
Oh no! Did she do something to upset him?
She held the cup of ice cream on her lap, feeling worried.
Kaiba walked into the pantry trying to regain his grip on reality. He needed to get away from her, if only for a minute.
What the hell was going on?
This wasn't like him?
He yanked the refrigerator open looking for something to drink.
He grabbed the last can of soda from the shelf with aggravation.
Tea turned her attention back to the movie that they seemed to have disbanded all knowledge of.
She played the moments back over in her mind, trying to find the part where she might have said something offensive. Unfortunately she couldn't seem to put her finger on anything.
Maybe he just had a special kind of loathing for ice-cream.
Before she had a chance to think about anything further however, Kaiba had returned to the living room.
She bit her lip as she watched him take a seat right next to her again.
He looked back at her with a smirk.
"I told you I don't do ice-cream, this will do just fine."
He deliberately held the can of soda up, taking a sip.
Tea smiled; relieved that she had miss-read his reaction.
"You know if you wanted something to drink, there's a perfectly good bottle of white wine right there.'
"You're the alcoholic, not me, remember."
Tea shook her head, as she turned her attention to the movie again, helping herself to a spoonful of delicious strawberry ice-cream.
"Kaiba, you are hopeless."
The night progressed the same as it did before, easy and in good company; and so they managed to get through the rest of the movie without much interruption.
Despite Kaiba's teasing about her being addicted to alcohol, Tea had helped herself to a few glasses of wine and had fallen into much higher spirits by the time the ending credits rolled up. The uncanny predicament of sharing an apartment with Seto Kaiba was now turning into a regular night spent with an old acquaintance.
Kaiba, never having touched an ounce of alcohol for the duration of the night however, was still very much aware of the situation they were in. His feelings were still there but her lightened mood made it much easier for him to hide them.
As the ending credits rolled up, Kaiba decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands.
"Ok, I think that's enough wine for you tonight."
Kaiba gently pulled the glass from Tea's hand, ignoring her pout of disapproval.
He rose from his seat pushing the diner cart away from them, wine and all.
"Hey I wasn't finished."
"Well you are now."
He headed into the pantry to put the glass and the wine bottle into the refrigerator.
When he was finished he returned to the living room, only to find Tea lying on the couch on her tummy as if she had passed out.
His amusement got the better of him.
He walked over to where she was lying. He took a comfortable seat on the floor in front of her so he could see her face. She was resting her head on one of the fluffy throw pillows, looking at him with a pout on her face.
He couldn't help smiling at the sight of her.
"What's the matter with you?"
"I think I drank too much."
"Well that's a surprise."
She continued staring at him with something meaningful behind her eyes.
"Why are you still being so nice to me?"
Kaiba held her gaze.
"I shouldn't be?"
"You're always so mean to everyone."
"That's because everyone gets on my nerves."
"So I don't?"
He smirked mischievously.
"Not all the time."
She managed a small smile, despite her lousy state. She felt her checks turning red again, but at that point she didn't really care.
Kaiba continued looking at her. If only she knew how beautiful she looked, lying there hugging that pillow.
He decided that, he should use this opportunity to his advantage. He needed to find out; he needed to know more…
"And what about you? You still haven't told me what happened to all that cheerleader spunk."
She smiled at the question.
"Too many…negative things have happened to me since we last saw each other."
"Negative things?"
"Yeah…"
She trailed off, sadness washing over her face.
Kaiba noticed right away but decided that it was best to push forward.
A direct approach would be the best one.
"So are you ready to talk to me about it?"
She kept his gaze, holding it seriously for a few seconds before responding.
Finally after a brief internal struggle, she came to her decision.
"Yes…I'm ready."
Her response caught him completely off guard. He was expecting her to dodge the question completely, like she did last time. He studied her expression. She seemed unusually calm about it. He couldn't help but grab at the opportunity to finally grasp the truth.
He lowered his voice as he responded, letting her know that he was ready to be her shoulder to cry on.
"Ok, I'm listening."
Tea took a deep breath so as to gather the strength to delve into her past again.
She wanted him to know, he had earned her trust, all of it.
It was time to let him into her past…
And so… she told him.
She told him everything…
(FLASHBACK)
Domino City
Sunday 10:35am
Tea forced herself to walk through the heavy down pour of snow; her hands freezing inside her knitted mittens.
The Kame Game shop stood just a few feet ahead of her.
Her mind was racing and she hoped to God that she could somehow make things right again.
She had made her decision and she knew without a single doubt in her mind that it was the right one.
This was the second time she'd seen Yami since she found out that she had been accepted into Julliard. He seemed so distant the last time she had shown up at his door. She hoped this time he would be willing to hear what she had to say.
Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she approached the front door of her destination.
Just then, a familiar face, popped out from behind the door.
It was Yami's Grandfather Solomon.
He smiled brightly as he spotted her approaching the shop.
"Oh Tea, Good morning."
She smiled warmly at the sight of him.
"Hi Mr Mutou, Um is Yami home?"
Solomon replied with a sort of worry etched across his brow.
"Well no he's not, I thought he was with you, he's been acting a bit strange for the past few days, as if something was bothering him, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."
Tea suddenly felt as if someone had dropped a heavy bolder of guilt onto her shoulders.
"He's been acting strange?"
"Yes, he seemed really upset about something…are you two alright?"
His question made her heart hurt. But she swallowed the impulse to burst into a full confession.
"Well, we… got into a little fight the other day, but it's nothing serious…"
She finished lamely, not knowing what else she could say.
Solomon seemed to be studying her expression.
"Oh Alright, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Um, do you by chance know where he might have gone?"
Solomon scratched his head; supposedly trying to rake his mind for a plausible answer.
Unfortunately, he seemed to come up short.
"I'm, sorry Tea, I haven't the slightest clue. The only place that comes to mind is the new dueling station just a few blocks from here, but, it's Sunday so I doubt very much that…"
His words seemed to stop at 'I haven't the slightest clue', everything else simply merged into muffled blur of empty words.
She let the cold air engulf her. It felt as if her life had suddenly become a kingdom of ice and she, the queen of a frozen world.
Where could he have gone? It was snowing and the dueling station was closed.
She half halfheartedly listened to Solomon's empty ramblings until she felt the air around her becoming heavy with a feeling she couldn't identify.
"…Thanks Mr Mutou, But I think I'll just come by later….."
She didn't mean to cut into his response, but somehow she was starting to feel more upset than she was before.
She flashed a fabricated smile as she waved politely at the old man standing before her with a smile on his face. She turned in the direction of her uncle's house again, feeling her shoulders slump with worry and reluctance.
"Thanks again"
She managed a small helping of courtesy before heading out onto the snowy road once more.
When she had walked about half of the distance, she pulled out her cell phone from her pocket.
She ran her thumb over the frosted display screen. She hesitated for a few seconds before making her decision to call.
She dialed the number and put the phone to her ear.
All she heard was the empty ring of a call she knew would not be answered.
She swallowed hard as she canceled the call.
He wasn't answering.
Her body felt heavy. As if the wind was somehow pushing her backward.
Why did this happen? She wanted him, she needed him by her side.
But he didn't know. He didn't know about the decision she had made. He needed to understand, she had to talk to him.
She forced herself to continue heading for her uncle's house, the place she would never truly call 'home'.
When she turned the knob to the front door, for some unexplained reason, she felt a sort of tension in the air. She didn't know why so she ignored it.
There was no one in the living room and she was grateful.
The house seemed a bit quiet, much like they say in the movies - 'a little too quiet'.
She walked further into the house, routinely pulling her gloves off in the process.
She visually scanned her surroundings, hoping not to see her uncle's face.
Luckily he wasn't anywhere in sight so she continued upstairs.
She walked to her room feeling exhausted with worry.
She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the last person she was expecting to see, standing at her window, looking out.
It was Yami.
At first she couldn't seem to find her voice.
He turned to look at her. She noticed right away that his eyes were different. They weren't the same pools of comfort she had come to know and adore so much. They were…cold…and desolate.
"I'm sorry, I came by, your uncle told me that you would be back soon and he told me I could wait for you here."
Tea listened intently. Despite the guilt and worry weighing on her heart she was glad to see him.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words failed her.
She tried again, as he remained silent.
"…I…I went to the shop to see you, Mr Mutou told me you weren't there…so I came back."
She let her statement hang, not knowing the right words to say after that.
She waited for him to say something, shutting the door behind her.
"Tea we need to talk about this."
"I know we do."
She kept her back to the door, not wanting to move an inch. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked at the man she loved so much.
"I've been thinking about certain things…."
Tea listened intently, not wanting to miss a word.
"..and I've realized that, we…can't continue seeing each other."
His words were like instant poison shot directly into her veins. She wasn't expecting such a blatant response from him.
She intervened immediately.
"But Yami, I told you none of this was my decision!...how can you say something like that?"
Her voice quivered and she hated the sound of it. But it couldn't be helped now. She was upset and she wasn't trying to hide it anymore.
He looked at her and she could see that he was struggling within himself over his decision- but his eyes…his eyes were still empty, as if something had died within them.
It hurt her to see such a thing.
He sighed as he blew out a breath of frustration.
"I haven't told you anything about this before Tea but…ever since your parents died, you've…you've become a different person."
What? Why was he talking about her parents at a time like this?
Tea felt the memory of the horrible car crash flash across her mind and her heart. The pain of that day seemed to be gushing back.
Yami was the bandage she had used to seal it away, and now…
The thought scared her too much to finish it.
She spoke through the discomfort
"What do you mean?"
She watched as he sat heavily on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, looking reluctant to say anymore.
After a few short moments however he found the strength to look back at her.
"I…I didn't want to say anything before, I knew you wouldn't understand…but now…"
He let the statement die, as if the unsaid couldn't be put into words.
Tea felt the first swell of a tear welling up in her eyes.
"What are you talking about? I thought all of this was about Julliard, why are you making this bigger than it is?"
Her voice was still quivering and even more so by then.
Yami continued as if she hadn't said anything at all.
"I've been patient all this time, waiting for you to come back to me, the real you…and what do I get at the end of it all?...a push to the sidelines…just to make room for your precious little dream…"
Tea remained silent, trying to grasp the words coming out of his mouth.
What in the world was going on?
Was all of this true?
How long had he been feeling like this?
And…
Why?
Why didn't he tell her?
How could he keep all these feelings bottled up for all this time without saying anything?
Her heart was full to bursting with the confusion building up inside it.
She felt more tears welling up in her eyes. She was determined however to keep them from falling for as long as she could.
She couldn't understand or believe what she was hearing.
"How can you say these things to me? After everything we've been through…I never once pushed you aside Yami…"
"You haven't?..."
His voice reflected the cold in his eyes.
"…That's not the way it felt to me."
Tea continued looking at him, her eyes quivering with hurt.
Despite herself, she allowed him to continue.
"You thought it would be okay for you to burden me with all of your problems and then run off to dance academy like it was nothing?..."
Tea pressed her back against the door, letting her bag drop to the floor as she listened intently to his relentless assault.
"It's not ok anymore, It's not ok for you to be so god damn weak all the time!"
Her breath caught in her throat at the word.
'Weak.'
Is that all he saw when he looked at her?
Is that what she had become?
She held her hand to her chest as she broke eye contact with him, looking at the floor, but seeing only the mist of her tears filling her eyes.
Yami watched her in silence, seeing the first tear drop fall out of her eyes.
He rose from the bed and walked toward her. She looked up at him, trying to stop herself from crying but found that it was a futile effort.
To her surprise he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.
She didn't hug him back, not knowing if it was the right thing to do.
He spoke to her softly.
"Tea, I'm sorry and I love you…but…I think it's time for us to go our separate ways."
She managed to find her voice again.
'How could you Yami?..."
She pulled away from him, finding the strength to stop her sobbing if only for a moment.
"They were my parents…I loved them so much, they were all I had….how could you be so cold hearted?"
Tea looked at him deliberately wondering what he was thinking.
His words had cut a deep hole in her heart; one that she knew would never completely heal.
She looked away feeling helpless.
"This was never about Julliard was it? You were just using it as an excuse…."
She looked back at him, allowing her tears to roll down her checks.
"…an excuse to get away from me."
Yami couldn't seem to hold her gaze. He looked away, as if averting the responsibility of a plausible response.
They stayed in heavy silence for a few seconds longer until Yami's voice pierced it's way through.
"I…I'm leaving tomorrow."
Tea stared back at him, perplexity replacing some of the pain in her eyes.
"…Leaving?"
"Yes, I…decided to take the position at the dueling station."
Tea forced herself to hold back her tears for the moment.
"..But, there's a branch in Domino?"
"I signed up for the main office in Tokyo."
His words were sharp, and void of emotion, although she could see the discomfort in his eyes as plain as the morning sky.
No…
This couldn't be happening?
She couldn't let him leave….
She had to tell him….
Maybe there was still a chance…
His words interrupted her thoughts.
"Tea, it's better this way…this way both of us can start over ….."
Tea felt a rush of panic flow through her body. The pain in her heart was overwhelming.
She had to tell him, she had to tell him now.
She closed her eyes as she slowly pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket.
"..But Yami…I already…."
She held the folded letter tightly between her both hands.
"…I already declined my acceptance…"
Her fingers trembled as she forced herself to continue.
"…I quit dancing for good and…I'm not going to New York….that's why I went to see you….to tell you that I choose you over everything else."
Her voice was still quivering under the pain but at that moment all she could think of was the man standing before her.
She waited for him to respond. She waited for him to take back what he had said…for him to say that he was wrong and that everything would be ok again.
She waited for him to take her in his arms and make the pain go away just like he always did.
She waited…but all she could hear was the silence of a man who had now become a stranger all in matter of seconds.
Yami looked back at her, something different in his eyes, but the difference wasn't enough to diminish the cold that had come to find a home there.
"…I…I'm sorry Tea…"
He reached out to touch her face, wiping a tear away from her eyes in the process.
"…But I've already made up my mind."
Tea felt as if someone had suddenly reached into her chest, to squeeze the life out of her heart.
She couldn't seem to find a single word to say.
She stayed silent as he walked past her and opened the door.
She didn't even bother to turn around.
He stopped as he looked back at her from the doorway, a sadness reflected in his eyes that she didn't see.
"Good bye Tea, I hope you find the happiness you deserve."
She felt his words pierce through her as she let the rejected acceptance letter slip through her fingers and fall lifelessly to the floor.
And with a gentle shut of the door, he was gone...
Present Day
Coral Reef Hot spring Resort
Kaiba and Tea's Room
10:45pm
"And just like that…he…well I guess you can fill in the rest."
Her words resonated with him; His memory soaking up every last detail.
He studied her expression as he felt his heart reaching out to her. He had no idea that she had been through so much since the last time he saw her.
She had finally opened up to him. She had told him everything; the car crash that claimed the lives of her both parents, her uncle's abuse and finally her break up with Yami.
He felt as if she had suddenly placed a huge weight on his shoulders. The burden of her past was a heavy one to carry indeed…one much heavier than her heart should have to bear.
Yet as heavy a burden as it was, it was one that he knew he could carry with ease. He understood now, Yami had abandoned her…
He watched as she hugged the throw pillow, looking a bit reluctant to look at him.
She bit her lip before responding.
"I'm sorry.."
Kaiba looked back at her, and although she wasn't looking back at him, he could sense the hurt in her voice.
"Sorry? Why?"
"For boring you like that…"
She looked at him finally, a small smile on her face.
Kaiba responded, trying to mask his feelings the best that he could.
"You didn't. I'm glad you told me.'
Tea looked back at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
She studied his eyes, but none of the emotions she had been expecting were there at all.
There was no resentment, no pity.
She looked away again, feeling as if her heart was just now starting to feel the after effects of jumping head first into her past.
"I know how I must look to you …'
Kaiba listened to her intently, a bit surprised by her words.
"What do you mean?"
"You must think I'm so pathetic…"
He could practically feel the emotion emanating from her body. They were real…how could she think so little of herself?
He allowed her to continue, feeling the locks he had placed over himself slowly fading away.
"…I don't blame him you know…He was right, I am weak….and I was wrong to ever think I could find comfort in him."
A single tear rolled down her face and fell onto the pillow.
She closed her eyes as if closing them would somehow take everything away.
Kaiba felt as if he was suddenly losing himself in her pain. He felt so close to her now that he had to keep reminding himself that she wasn't his….that she didn't belong to him…
But his mind was already made up…
… He was still determined to be the comfort that she needed… so, if just for tonight, he would pretend that she was.
He brought his hand to her face, parting her hair away from her eyes, causing her to open them.
He saw weariness reflected there, and he wished he could say more.
"No, I don't ever want to hear you say that again…"
His voice was so laced with empathy that for a moment she had forgotten what they actually were.
He could see her struggling not to cry anymore, but he knew that it would be too much for her considering the kind of strength she must have gathered to open up to him.
"Tea, I know what we are to each other, and I know I'm in no position to be saying these things to you…but, I need you to understand that I…"
He hesitated for a brief moment, stopping himself from revealing all that was in his heart.
"…I care about your feelings…"
Tea felt her breath catch in her throat upon hearing his words.
She looked back at him, only now noticing how sincere his expression was.
She allowed him to continue.
"You need to let go, you don't deserve this kind of pain."
Tea felt herself getting lost in his eyes. For some reason, they were deeper than they were before.
How could Kaiba be having such an effect on her with just a few words?
How is it that he seemed to know exactly what to say to make her world seem so much better?
She couldn't respond. She was too afraid of what might come out.
She closed her eyes again as she sobbed into the pillow.
Kaiba stopped stroking her hair, allowing her to cry.
She had finally opened up to him, and now, all he wanted was more.
This was only going to get more difficult with time, but he knew as he looked at her that he was willing to do whatever it took to protect her from all this.
The dim lights around the room, accentuated her beautiful features and all he wanted was to take her into his arms, but he knew he would only complicate the situation further.
For now he would let her wash away the memories with her tears.
He stayed seated on the floor by her side for a few more minutes, his back against the couch, his mind deep in thought.
All this time he wanted to find out, he wanted to find out maybe to convince himself that his feelings were probably based on nothing but mere curiosity.
But now that he finally understood…
There was no denying it anymore…
He wanted her…
Not only to protect her but…
He stopped his thoughts, sighing softly as he looked up at the ceiling.
How was he going to deal with something like this? There wasn't a single girl in his past that ever came close to making him feel this way.
This was going to get more complicated, he was sure of that now.
But there was one question that was starting to eat away at him again.
Just how did she feel about him?
Did she feel the same way?
Or was she still too much in love with Yami to even look in his direction?
He blew out a breath as he tried to come to grips with himself.
As time passed he noticed that her sobbing had gradually stopped.
He turned to look at her again.
It seemed as if she had cried herself to sleep.
He quietly stood up from his seated position, turning to face her.
He knew he couldn't leave her there and he didn't want to wake her either. He decided that he had no other choice.
Without any hesitation he slipped his hands under her body and gently lifted her into his arms, bridal style.
He felt her stir only for a short moment as he did.
Tea felt herself slipping in and out of sleep as she felt Kaiba's strong arms lifting her from the couch. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings but she was too miserable, and not to mention intoxicated, to care.
She allowed him to carry her to the bedroom, feeling herself slipping into sleep once more.
As she did she couldn't help thinking… how good he smelled….
….and how strong his arms felt under her body….
….and how perfect it felt being held this way…
…and how glad she was to be with him and not anyone else…
Her thoughts lulled her to sleep finally, content with the fact that the man holding her was now the only person running through her weary mind.
Kaiba made his way across the living room toward the bedroom door.
He opened it quietly and stepped inside.
The lighting was even dimmer than the living room outside and the scent of the room was painfully romantic.
He ignored the inappropriate atmosphere as he gently lowered her onto the bed being as careful as he could not to wake her.
She stirred again but she didn't open her eyes.
He knew he couldn't be with her now despite the fact that he wanted to be.
He pulled the covers over her, making sure she was as warm as possible.
She had been through a lot and he admired her strength to keep going.
How could anyone simply walk out on her like that?
His anger toward Yami however would have to wait for now.
He knew that she didn't realize it yet, but she wasn't alone anymore, he would be there for her now, of that he was certain.
When he was satisfied that she was sleeping soundly he reluctantly left the bedroom, keeping the door slightly ajar.
He sighed a sigh of frustration as he headed toward the couch, knowing that sleep would definitely be the last thing on his mind for the remainder of their night together.