Yugi called his friends and Tea's parents. When Yugi and Kaiba had gotten to the hospital, they were surprised to find Joey and Tristan were already waiting by the ER. Tea's parents arrived about 5 minutes later and they were all ushered into a waiting room.

Kaiba looked Tea's parents over and could see the resemblance. Tea's father had her dark brown hair and blue eye color. He looked to have an entirely different personality however, his eyes looked to be filled with anger and hatred. Her mother had the same slim but athletic figure but other than that bared little resemblance. From the way she was calming Yugi's friends, he could tell she had a loving and caring personality like Tea.

The doctor came in and asked, "Are you Tea Gardener's parents?" Mr. and Mrs. Gardener stood up and nodded. The doctor then asked, "Can the people you brought with you be updated about her condition, or would you her information remain private?"

Tea's father screamed out, "These scum are the ones who got her in this condition. They shouldn't even be allowed to be in the hospital."

Joey stood up enraged, but Tea's mother grabbed his arm gently. She then turned to her husband and said, "Now Ralph, these are Tea's friends. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean they are bad people. And you know they didn't have anything to do with her accident. Knowing Tea, she saw a dog in the middle of the road and swerved to avoid it."

Kaiba saw her holding Joey's arm talking about a dog, and forced himself to bite his lip, 'Not the time or the place,' he reminded himself.

She then confirmed to the doctor, "I will allow them to be in the room for her diagnosis." She then nudged Ralph and said, "My husband would also like to give his consent." Ralph crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

The doctor shivered and said, "Well, as I am sure you can tell, she is pretty banged up. Her left leg is broken and is being put in a cast. She has a large gash on her forehead from where her head hit the steering wheel. She is conscious right now, but scared and slightly disoriented. You may see her in a few minutes if you like.

Selena Gardener nodded and the doctor left the room. Yugi then spoke up, "Kaiba don't you find it odd that there were bricks all down the road she was found on."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, truth be told he didn't notice. He was focused on making sure she was alive. He didn't bother investigate their surroundings. Kaiba shook his head and admitted, "I didn't look at my surroundings while trying to help her. But, it is odd. We need to find out what happened."

A nurse walked in and announced, "Ms. Gardener is ready to see you now."

They followed the nurse to room 32a and found Tea sitting with her leg elevated in the bed. There were bruises across her face, arms, and what they could see of Tea's other leg. Tea smiled when they entered, "You guys came," she said rather weakly.

Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Kaiba were the first to enter. She smiled even brighter when Kaiba walked in. Her mother and father then stepped in the room and Kaiba noticed fear flash before her eyes. He didn't know why but he definitely wanted to find out.

She then sat up slightly straighter and said, "Hey guys, would you mind giving my dad and me a moment to talk?" She didn't want him to make a scene in front of her friends.

They nodded and started to file out the room, all except for Kaiba. He wanted to know what happened and didn't trust Ralph. She was hesitant, but pled, "Please Kaiba, I will let you know everything about the accident. Please, just give us a moment."

Despite his better judgement he stepped outside, but he left the door slightly ajar so he could listen.

Her father stepped closer to the bed and she started to squirm, he got in her face and asked, "What were you doing out so late?"

She answered honestly, "I was showing Kaiba how to candle chicken eggs."

He asked with venom, "Are you sure this accident wasn't punishment for a sin you committed? With all these boys you hang out with, I am positive your body has been tainted."

Before she could answer, he smacked her across the face. She gasped as he came in contact with and already bruised area.

Kaiba heard the slap and her yelp. He slammed the door against the wall surprising everyone inside and outside the room. He then grabbed Ralph and pushed him into a wall. Selena shrieked and the guys tried to get Kaiba to drop Ralph. Kaiba looked Ralph in the eyes and said, "If you ever touch her like that again, I can assure you that you won't see the light of day."

Kaiba dropped her father from the wall. Ralph straightened his coat and said, "Well it looks like I have found the serpent." He then walked out of the room. Selena followed him out, but before she left she mouthed, 'thank you' to Kaiba.

He turned to Tea and saw she had tears streaming down her face. She looked away, part of her felt ashamed. She had never wanted her friends to meet her father and now that they had, she felt embarrassed by his behavior. Kaiba gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at him.

Hesitantly, she looked him in the eyes and saw a mixture of sorrow, anger, and disgust. He was repulsed by the idea of hitting a woman. When he had the company, he supported several battered women shelters. A red hand print covered the right side of her face. He could see a new bruise forming over the one that occurred at the accident. He gently brushed his thumb over her bruise, causing her to flinch. "Sorry," he muttered as he backed away to the corner of the room. He gave her time to talk with her friends.

Her friends looked on at the scene that just occurred in awe. Joey looked both surprised and angry. Tea was supposed to be with Yugi. Couldn't she see Yugi was crazy about her.

Tristan wasn't upset, he was simply shocked. Other than Mokuba, he had never seen Kaiba concerned over anyone.

Yugi though he didn't show it on the outside, he was crushed.

Kaiba broke the silence in the room and asked, "What happened?"

Tea shut her eyes, trying to recall the events of tonight and said, "I was heading home, when I saw a truck with his bright lights on…they were blinding me. As they got closer, I saw two men wearing some sort of cloaks. That was when I saw a brick flying towards me. I tried to avoid it but I lost control and…. the last thing I remember was them driving past. They were still throwing bricks, but they yelled something peculiar."

"What was it?" Yugi asked.

Tea answered, "Duel Disk 66. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

All the boys looked over to Kaiba. His face blanched as he explained, "Duel Disk 66 was the project I was going to release to pull my company out of bankruptcy. I had the plans drawn out on my desk. However, the day I was going to pitch the idea to my other shareholders, it was stolen."

Tea sat up and reached out for him. He refused to move so she placed her hands in her lap and said, "This isn't your fault Kaiba. These people have probably been tormenting you ever since Mokuba went missing. You had no control over this!"

Tristan asked, "Do you think they are the ones who took Mokuba?"

Kaiba grasped the sides of the hospital bed. His knuckles were turning white and his breathing began to get heavy. His heart started to thunder in his chest. "Yes. While I searching for Mokuba, I had several clues that lead to an underground organization, but I could never pinpoint which one."

At this point Kaiba looked like he was going to fall out. Joey asked, "Hey money bags, are you feeling okay."

Kaiba shook his head and said, "Gardener, I don't want to see you anywhere near me or my farm anymore. I am more than capable of taking care of myself and I don't need you."

He was about to step out the door when Tea spoke, "But, we were having fun. I even thought we were becoming friends."

Kaiba stopped and built up another wall in his heart. His face was void of emotions as he replied, "Friendship is for fools. The sooner you learn this, the better off you will be. Stay away from me Gardener."

He shut the door and leaned against it. He heard Tea crying softly and her friends trying to comfort her. He felt guilty but thought, 'It is better this way.' He stood up straight and started his trek home.

….

The rare hunters had filmed the accident and then hacked the hospitals system and found the camera inside Tea's room. They could watch her live on camera. Marik started to laugh when he saw the heartbreak in Tea's eyes. Mokuba watched the whole scene in horror screamed at Marik, "Not only did you break down any trust they might have begun to have towards each other, but you could have killed her with that stunt! You told me why you want revenge on Seto. But why would you harm Tea, she has nothing to do with the millennium items, dueling, or Kaiba Corp."

Marik sneered and replied, "She got in my way. Now shut it, before I get annoyed and decide not to feed you today."

….

Joey was furious. Not only did he believe that Kaiba had some form of relationship with Tea. He also believed that he used her and broke her heart. He screamed, "I am glad Scrooge finally decided to go home. He is no good for you Tea. Why do you keep trying to be friends with the guy?"

Tea didn't answer, the truth is she wasn't sure why, but she knew something had always drawn her to him. Deep down she always knew he wanted a friend. He was just too afraid to let someone get close to his heart. But now she wasn't so sure. After all that progress they were making, why did he just stop?

While trying to comfort Tea, Yugi realized that Kaiba had come with him and didn't have a ride home. He excused himself from the room and promised to return in a half an hour.

Yugi got in his truck and saw Kaiba down the road. He pulled up beside him and said, "It's dark out. Why don't you let me give you a ride?"

Kaiba felt sick to his stomach. He thought to himself, 'This is why Gozaburo told me emotions are for the weak.' Reluctantly he entered the truck and shut the door.

A few minutes down the road Yugi asked, "Why?"

"Why what?" Kaiba asked irritably.

Yugi continued, "Why would you push Tea away. You were so distraught when you ripped the door off of the car to get to her. You were so gentle with her before you left the hospital room. Why are you running away from this? I would kill to see Tea look at me, the way she looked at you after you defended her today."

Kaiba frowned, and simply said, "It is better this way?"

Yugi was not going to accept that answer so he pushed further, "Why?"

Kaiba held the bridge of his nose, he felt a migraine coming on and answered, "Everyone I have ever cared about in life is either gone or they threw me aside like yesterday's newspaper. These guys are after me, and they will go to extreme lengths to hurt me. They know that they can't really attack me directly at this point, that's why they took Mokuba. I can't let them get Tea too."

Yugi was shocked when he heard Kaiba say her first name. But, it gave validity to what he had said and he believed him.

They reached the house and Kaiba was about to exit the car when Yugi said, "They already know that you have feelings for her. Even if you avoid her, they will still come after her. So, you might as well apologize to her."

Kaiba then asked, "Why are you telling me this? I thought you were crazy about her?"

Yugi's grip tightened on the steering wheel and he replied, "I am, but more than anything, I want to see her happy."