A hammock was stretched across between two trees. It was a warm summer
night, and in the gathering darkness you could just make out the two
figures that occupied the hammock. Seto Kiaba and Tea Gardener. Seto had
his arms rapped loosely around Tea, and her head was rested on his
shoulder. She let loose a sigh of content, and for one of the many times
that past year a smiled played on Seto's face. He had never been this
happy before, something about her made him happy, and made him forget all
his worries and troubles. Tea was running her fingers through his. "I love
you." He whispered in her ear. Tea smiled, so many times he had told her
that. Those exact same words repeted again and again. 'It's just because
he doesn't want to wake up and find that this is all one wonderful dream.'
She thought, remembering something he had told her a few weeks ago. She
turned over carefully and looked deeply into his eyes. She softly brushed
her lips over his, then kissed him. His hands snacked up her back and then
into her hair. Her arms curled around his neck. They finally broke their
kiss when they heard a yell from up at the mansion. "Seto! Where are
you?!" Mokuba called from the porch. His brother hadn't said where he was
going and he wasn't in his office. "Seto!" Mokuba yelled again. Tea
sighed. She got up from the hammock and was soon followed by Seto. They
walked into the light that escaped from the windows of the mansion. "Oh
hello Tea, I didn't know you were here. I'm sorry." She smiled down at
the child. "It's alright Mokuba." "Mokuba you should be in bed by now."
"Sorry. I just was wondering were you had gotten to. You weren't in your
office or anywhere." "Come on Mokuba, let's get you into bed." "Ok. Good-
night Seto." He took Tea's hand and walked into the house.
A few minutes later Tea walked into Seto's bedroom where he was hard at work on something. She snuck up behind him and lightly draped her arms around him neck. "I think I should be getting home soon." He stopped typing and spun his chair around so that he could look at her. "Aw. Do you have to go so soon?" He pouted, as he pulled her down onto his lap, his arms rapped around her waist. Tea giggled. "I'll see you again tomorrow." Seto sighed, but he finally gave in. "Do want a ride?" She turned slightly and grabbed a hold of his shirt. "Oh yes. The dark is so scary when I don't have my Seto to protect me." She said in a teasing kind of voice. "Well then, I guess I have no choice." He jokingly said as he lifted her up in his arms. "Seto!" Tea laughed. She held tighter to him even though she knew he would never let her fall.
Tea waved to him from the door of her home. He watched her walk inside before he drove away. She walked quietly through the dark house, her parents were already in bed. She got to her room and flopped down on her own soft, warm bed.
Kiaba was working on his laptop when an e-mail popped up. "What's this?" He wondered. As he read the letter his eyes widened. It read: I know your secret. I'm going to make you and all your loved ones miserable. Especially the girl. He checked for a return address but there was none. 'What the hell was that supposed to mean? Probable just some prankster.' But that night as he lay in bed he just couldn't sleep. He kept thinking back to that mysterious e-mail. 'Especially the girl.' 'That freak had better not mean Tea. But just incase he does, I'm going to keep my eyes on her at all times. I swear I'm not going to let anything happen to her.'
~Next morning~
Kiaba woke up early that morning. He when downstairs and made some coffee. Every now and then he would look at the clock, 8:00. Tea would be coming soon and he still hadn't decided whether or not to tell her about the e- mail. "If I tell her she could be in danger, if I don't tell her she could be in danger. Either way." He couldn't finish the sentence, he just didn't want to think about it. He heard the door open, but he stayed where he was. "Good-morning!" was heard through out the household. She walked into the kitchen and found him with his head in his hands looking frustrated about something. Concern spread over her face as she walked closer towards him. "What's the matter? Is everything alright?" She touched his shoulder with her hand. He quickly grabbed her hand and held onto it. 'Something's wrong. He's usually not this quite.' "Seto, please tell me what's wrong." He thought for a moment. "I.I can't." She stood in front of him, took both his hands in hers and looked strait into his eyes. "You can tell me anything." He didn't want to meet her gaze, but he tightened his grip on her hand. Finally he said. "Come with me." In a very low voice. She followed him obediently. Once they were safe in his room he said. "Tea I.there's something, something that I need to tell you. But I'm not sure if I should because I don't want anything to happen to you. And I'm also not sure that not telling you will keep you any safer." "Seto what are you talking about?" Unknowingly she took a step away from him. 'This is really freaking me out! What's going on? What is it that he's not telling me?' 'I don't want to loose her. But I also want her to be safe.' "Come here." He walked over to his computer, sat down and pulled up his e-mail box. The message was still in there. Cautiously she walked towards him and looked at the screen. "Read this." He pointed to the e- mail. Tea read it. She didn't understand it at first but then she knew what it meant. She gasped. After a while he said sadly "I understand if you want to leave." "What?" He stood up and turned around so that he could face her. "You have a chance for a better life Tea. Away from the things you have to put up with, with me. I've seen you. I've seen how you look longingly at the couples who are allowed to show their love to the world. Who don't have to worry all the time about whether or not someone knows about them that shouldn't." Tea tried to look into his eyes, but he looked away. Then suddenly he felt her lean her body against his and cling tightly to him. "Oh Seto." She whispered quietly. "I wouldn't have any life but this one. I don't care what I have to go through to be with you." He held her closer to him, his arms tightly around her. "Why?" He asked sadly. "Because I love you. And I'm willing to stay by your side no matter what." Kiaba let out a sigh of relief as he nudged his head into her neckline. "I was so worried that I would loose you Tea." "You will always have my love Seto."
A few minutes later they came back down to breakfast. They had taken some time to recover from that previous moment's excursion. Mokuba was cooking something on the stove. Whatever it was it smelled good. "Good morning Seto. Good morning Tea. When did you get here?" "Oh a couple of minutes ago." "Well sit down and help yourself to some of this. It's my new recipe so tell me how you like it." He put a stack of pancakes on each of their plates. While everyone was eating Tea said, "Oh by the way my parents are going out of the country on a business trip in Africa for a week, starting today. I was wondering if I could stay with you guys again. "That would be fun! Can she Seto?!" Mokuba pleaded. "Why not? I'll come by your house later to pick you up." "Thanks." Tea smiled at him and was then drafted into a long discusion with Mokuba of what they were going to do that week. 'This is just as well now I can keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble.'
After breakfast Tea went home to pack. Kiaba was sitting in his office thinking about the letter again. 'I wonder who it's from? Could it be Togin? No. He's still supost to be in jail isn't he?' Kiaba sighed and sank down in his chair. The looked at the clock, it read 2:00. 'Time to pick up Tea.'
A few minutes later Tea walked into Seto's bedroom where he was hard at work on something. She snuck up behind him and lightly draped her arms around him neck. "I think I should be getting home soon." He stopped typing and spun his chair around so that he could look at her. "Aw. Do you have to go so soon?" He pouted, as he pulled her down onto his lap, his arms rapped around her waist. Tea giggled. "I'll see you again tomorrow." Seto sighed, but he finally gave in. "Do want a ride?" She turned slightly and grabbed a hold of his shirt. "Oh yes. The dark is so scary when I don't have my Seto to protect me." She said in a teasing kind of voice. "Well then, I guess I have no choice." He jokingly said as he lifted her up in his arms. "Seto!" Tea laughed. She held tighter to him even though she knew he would never let her fall.
Tea waved to him from the door of her home. He watched her walk inside before he drove away. She walked quietly through the dark house, her parents were already in bed. She got to her room and flopped down on her own soft, warm bed.
Kiaba was working on his laptop when an e-mail popped up. "What's this?" He wondered. As he read the letter his eyes widened. It read: I know your secret. I'm going to make you and all your loved ones miserable. Especially the girl. He checked for a return address but there was none. 'What the hell was that supposed to mean? Probable just some prankster.' But that night as he lay in bed he just couldn't sleep. He kept thinking back to that mysterious e-mail. 'Especially the girl.' 'That freak had better not mean Tea. But just incase he does, I'm going to keep my eyes on her at all times. I swear I'm not going to let anything happen to her.'
~Next morning~
Kiaba woke up early that morning. He when downstairs and made some coffee. Every now and then he would look at the clock, 8:00. Tea would be coming soon and he still hadn't decided whether or not to tell her about the e- mail. "If I tell her she could be in danger, if I don't tell her she could be in danger. Either way." He couldn't finish the sentence, he just didn't want to think about it. He heard the door open, but he stayed where he was. "Good-morning!" was heard through out the household. She walked into the kitchen and found him with his head in his hands looking frustrated about something. Concern spread over her face as she walked closer towards him. "What's the matter? Is everything alright?" She touched his shoulder with her hand. He quickly grabbed her hand and held onto it. 'Something's wrong. He's usually not this quite.' "Seto, please tell me what's wrong." He thought for a moment. "I.I can't." She stood in front of him, took both his hands in hers and looked strait into his eyes. "You can tell me anything." He didn't want to meet her gaze, but he tightened his grip on her hand. Finally he said. "Come with me." In a very low voice. She followed him obediently. Once they were safe in his room he said. "Tea I.there's something, something that I need to tell you. But I'm not sure if I should because I don't want anything to happen to you. And I'm also not sure that not telling you will keep you any safer." "Seto what are you talking about?" Unknowingly she took a step away from him. 'This is really freaking me out! What's going on? What is it that he's not telling me?' 'I don't want to loose her. But I also want her to be safe.' "Come here." He walked over to his computer, sat down and pulled up his e-mail box. The message was still in there. Cautiously she walked towards him and looked at the screen. "Read this." He pointed to the e- mail. Tea read it. She didn't understand it at first but then she knew what it meant. She gasped. After a while he said sadly "I understand if you want to leave." "What?" He stood up and turned around so that he could face her. "You have a chance for a better life Tea. Away from the things you have to put up with, with me. I've seen you. I've seen how you look longingly at the couples who are allowed to show their love to the world. Who don't have to worry all the time about whether or not someone knows about them that shouldn't." Tea tried to look into his eyes, but he looked away. Then suddenly he felt her lean her body against his and cling tightly to him. "Oh Seto." She whispered quietly. "I wouldn't have any life but this one. I don't care what I have to go through to be with you." He held her closer to him, his arms tightly around her. "Why?" He asked sadly. "Because I love you. And I'm willing to stay by your side no matter what." Kiaba let out a sigh of relief as he nudged his head into her neckline. "I was so worried that I would loose you Tea." "You will always have my love Seto."
A few minutes later they came back down to breakfast. They had taken some time to recover from that previous moment's excursion. Mokuba was cooking something on the stove. Whatever it was it smelled good. "Good morning Seto. Good morning Tea. When did you get here?" "Oh a couple of minutes ago." "Well sit down and help yourself to some of this. It's my new recipe so tell me how you like it." He put a stack of pancakes on each of their plates. While everyone was eating Tea said, "Oh by the way my parents are going out of the country on a business trip in Africa for a week, starting today. I was wondering if I could stay with you guys again. "That would be fun! Can she Seto?!" Mokuba pleaded. "Why not? I'll come by your house later to pick you up." "Thanks." Tea smiled at him and was then drafted into a long discusion with Mokuba of what they were going to do that week. 'This is just as well now I can keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble.'
After breakfast Tea went home to pack. Kiaba was sitting in his office thinking about the letter again. 'I wonder who it's from? Could it be Togin? No. He's still supost to be in jail isn't he?' Kiaba sighed and sank down in his chair. The looked at the clock, it read 2:00. 'Time to pick up Tea.'