Chapter 1: Seto Kaiba and the Cheerleader

Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own Yu-gi-oh So please don't sue!

(A/N) I am curently revising all of my chapters ...

Tea (17 and a half) Seto (18 and a half) Mokuba (11)

Dance.

That one word defines a lot. Well...a lot about me, that is. I am a dancer...was a dancer.

Until the day that my dreams were shattered.

I danced my heart and soul out for the audition. I paid all of the expenses while hanging onto the false dream that I would get into the world famous school for dancing, Julliard.

Even after that, after all of that hard work, this is the result: "Tea, you have potential, just not enough to reach the expectations of this school. Try again when you are more experienced."

Each word was a needle piercing in my heart again and again. I had nothing left to do and was in a state of depression for sometime. Trying and trying to apply for jobs, but it seemed that the only talent that I had was dancing.

Téa closed her diary and sighed. It was 8:30 am and she had to start another day of job interviews. She was being interviewed to become some little boy's babysitter (probably being a snotty rich-boy), and a maid on the weekends. But the bonus to this job was that she got to stay in the mansion until the time that she resigned or got fired.

She slipped out of her nightgown and put on a plain pink blouse and a rather short white skirt, then pulled her hair in a ponytail. Her hair had grown a lot in the last few years, now reaching past her shoulders, tickling them whenever a stray wind waved the brown locks in the air. She turned off the light and slipped on pink high heels, then turned off the last light left on and walked out of her apartment.

Though it was very windy outside, she assumed that she didn't need a jacket. How very wrong she was...

Seto Kaiba was sitting in his obviously expensive limo, the driver perhaps taking him to his office to do work, perhaps to spend some quality time yelling at his servants-uh, I mean employees. But despite that cold, emotionless facade on his face, it was clear that he was far from happy. His brother's babysitter, one of his many rabid fangirls, had tried to weasel information about him from Mokuba. The memory made him sigh in frustration. He rubbed his forehead in aggravation. How many had he gone through in the last month that had done the same thing? Not only that, but one of his personal maids had been leaking information to one of his rival companies. She was punished severely, of course, what else would you expect from the him? But regardless, he had lost two of his employees in one day. And that was not a good thing.

He turned his head and looked out the window absentmindedly, and was he surprised at what he saw. There, wandering the town, in nothing but a blouse and skirt, was Tea Gardner.

Flashback

Kaiba was standing on the ledge of Pegasus's tower. Yugi was staring at him, lost for words.

"If you attack again, you'll take my life in the next round. I'm willing to die in a duel," Kaiba says flatly, gazing at Yugi, who still had nothing to say. He continued.

"And if I were you, I'd push my enemy to the bottom of the mountain without hesitation."

Yugi seemed to be having an argument inside himself. The geek squad waited in suspense. Finally, it seemed as if Yugi forced himself to cry, "Celtic Guardian, attack!"

The monster raced forward, its sword raised...

"Yugi! Please stop!"

The scream shot through the air like a bullet. Tea was running towards Yugi.

"Yugi, please! This isn't right!"

Yugi stopped the attack. The Celtic Guardian slowed down to a halt, then retreated back to its spot on the board. Yugi fell to his knees.

"Blue Eyes, attack Yugi's Celtic Guardian with White Lightning!" Seto roared. The Blue Eyes reared its head, and sent a devastating bolt of lightning over to his enemy, obliterating it completely. Yugi's head was down, but Kaiba knew that he was crying. He smirked.

Yugi's friends ran to his aid. Just like them, Seto thought with a sneer. Just as he was about to leave, however, Tea stopped him.

"Yugi has friends. Yugi has US! But what do you have at the end of the day, Seto Kaiba? Tell me!"

"I have what I need!" he snapped, walking off, trench coat flapping behind him.

End Flashback

"Yes...if I do remember clearly, that's the girl that saved my life...not that I asked her to anyway."

He saw her shiver.

"Hm...my suspicions are confirmed. That girl is insane. It's below freezing out there-not that I care, though," he assured himself. "I mean, if she dies, that's one less of Yugi's friendship legion to worry about."

'But it's about eleven degrees out there.'

'Huh? Who's that?'

'Your conscience. Go help Gardner, she'll freeze to death if you don't!'

'Who cares?'

He and his inner self battled, but the more reasonable side won, much to his fury.

"Driver, stay here." Kaiba ordered.

"But Mr. Kaiba, it's below freezing-"

"It's talking back to your employers like that that gets you fired," he interrupted icily, getting out of the limo and slamming the door.

Téa shivered again. Maybe she did need her jacket after all. 'Too late now!' she thought miserably. She kept on walking. "Ugh, at this rate I'll be an icicle by the time I get to my interview!"

"Next time, think about what you wear before you leave the house," the icy words froze the already chilly air as they cut through it like a knife.

Téa turned around to see...

"Seto Kaiba! What are you doing here?" she demanded, receiving nothing but his signature smirk.

"Last time I checked, we were in a free country. Or do you not know your geography?" She ignored this comment.

"If you'll excuse me, I have an interview to go to," she snapped. Kaiba's smirk grew wider.

"Hm, looks like the cheerleader finally parted with her pom-poms, huh? I guess Yugi finally fired you and found somebody easier on the eyes."

Tea felt the anger boiling in her veins. "Shut the hell up! My life is none of your business. But...if you must know..." she had a faraway look in her eyes before she continued. "I applied for Julliard, but I didn't get accepted, so I'm looking for a job." 'Why am I telling Kaiba this? I think I'm going senile.'

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect an answer like that. In fact, it was as if he almost felt sorry for her...

'WHAT? What the hell is wrong with me today?'

"Never apply for a job without a back-up plan, idiot."

Tea was about to snap back, but felt something warm being placed on her shoulders. The KC symbol expertly stitched on its front was conspicious. Turning around to acknowledge him, she saw the door of his limo slamming shut.

"That man..." she said to herself, shaking her head. "I will never understand him. One minute he's insulting me, the next helping me out..."

At Starbucks Coffeehouse...

"My babysitter better not be an old lady!" Mokuba huffed, stirring a cup of hot cocoa to its doom. Seto sighed at his brother's immaturity.

"And if they are...?" he teased. Mokuba gave him an evil glare.

"I'll never let you live it down."

Shaking his head, Seto checked his watch. 'Tch, they're late. They should know that tardiness does not look good on job interviews...I sincerely hope it's a girl. God forbid that I get a male servant like last time...' just thinking of that horrible memory made him shudder.

As if on cue, the door to Starbucks opened. revealing (to Mokuba's relief) a young applicant. A very familiar young applicant, in fact...

"Tea?" Mokuba said incredulously. Seto's face resembled something like this: (O.o).

"Gardner?" Seto did NOT want her to be here at this present moment in time.

'Don't tell me she's applying for the job! Wait...' his horrified expression was replaced with an amused one. 'I may be able to have some fun with this...'

"What are you doing here Gardner?" he demanded coldly. Tea stared at him, surprised.

"Last time I checked, KAIBA, this was a free country. Or do you not know your geography?"

Déjà vu, huh?

"Let me rephrase the question for your tiny brain to process. What the hell is your reason for being here?" he asked, voice still frozen ice-cold.

"I already told you earlier. But in order for you to comprehend, guess I have to say it again. I have an interview today with someone. Something about being a babysitter."

"Well, it just so happens...that I have to interview someone today..." Kaiba smirked evilly. Tea looked confused, then quickly grasped the meaning of that statement. Her face was nearly chalk white in a matter of seconds.

"You mean...that you're...but...how...?"

But in her head, she was saying, 'Guess I should have paid attention to the initials in the corner of the flyer...oops.'

"Yes. So, it seems that I have to interview you today, much to my dislike," Kaiba replied disdainfully. Biting her tongue to refrain from saying words not meant for an eleven year-old currently present to hear, she plopped in the seat across from the pert blue-eyed boy. Tea realized now that the chances of getting this job were lower than getting struck by lightning...after getting maimed by a shark...twice.

"So tell me, what are your talents, Miss Gardner...if any?" he finished with a cold sneer.

"Cooking, dancing, watching kids, cleaning, if you can call that a talent, and singing," she responded robotically, as if programmed to say that.

"Hm." Despite the uninterested look on his face, it was obvious he was impressed.

The waiter arrived, carrying a tray that held a single cup of strong, bitter coffee.

"Here is your coffee, Mister Kaiba sir," she said in a high, breathy voice. "Would you like anything, miss?"

"Well, I guess a shirley temple, two slices of strawberry cheesecake, two pieces of choclate swirl, a hamburger with a side of fries, and a small lemon ice cream, please," she turned towards Mokuba. "Anything for you?"

The boy gaped at her. "I thought that you were ordering for the both of us!"

She sighed. "Ok, another Shirley Temple for the young man," she replied to the rather bedazzled waiter. "I'll share with Mokuba."

Seto was shocked. All of the girls that he had interviewed in the past were obsessed with counting calories and with what they ate. She didn't seem to care. As an added bonus Mokuba seemed to have a history with her. After all, she WAS the one that saved him at Battle City...

Apparently, he was so amazed, he didn't realize that she had poured cream and sugar in his coffee until she handed it back to him cheerfully.

"Here, drink up!" she peppily said to him, receiving only a stony glare for her reward.

"Thank you for ruining my coffee, Gardner. I drink it black." But in spite of that, he took the cup and took a long gulp. Though not wanting to admit it, he didn't mind it this way. Much less bitter than the usual way he drank it.

The waitress came back with their orders (with quite a bit of difficulty).

"Let's see...a shirley temple for the young Mister Kaiba and lady, two slices of strawberry cheesecake, two pieces of choclate swirl, a hamburger with a side of fries, and a small lemon ice cream," she said, looking rather proud of herself for this major accomplishment. She looked at Seto. "Would you like any thing else, Mr. Kaiba?"

"..." He wasn't really hungry.

"That's ok! He'll share with me," Tea told the waiter, who walked away, extremely envious of the girl that would share lunch with her heart's desire.

"How did you know that I didn't want anything, Gardner?" Kaiba asked her. She glared at him fiercely.

"Because you should have said something, and I didn't want to be rude!" she exclaimed. "Here Mokuba, you can have one of my pieces of cheesecake." She said.

"But I..."

"Well, If you want some thing to eat you can call the waiter back or share with us! Choose one." she snapped angrily. This wasn't about getting the job anymore. This was a battle, and she was going to win.

He growled. "Fine, have it your way!"

He got a spoon from the counter and dug his spoon in the lemon ice cream. Coincidentally, Téa was digging her spoon into the ice cream at the same time, in the same exact area. Their hands touched. As if she were burned, Téa snapped her hand back and pushed the bowl over to Kaiba. Her hair covered her face just enough to hide flushed cheeks.

After they were done with their meal, Seto took out his roll of hundreds and paid. Tea got up to leave, but Kaiba grabbed her hand, giving Tea another blush.

"Where are you going, idiot? You haven't even heard what I decided." Tea gave a tired sigh at this.

"I know...I know I'm not the person you're looking for, since I'm Yugi's friend. You don't want anything to do with me." She quietly said.

"Actually, Gardner you're hired." Kaiba said curtly. "You will come home with us now and I will send someone to your house to get your belongings. Your job starts at 6:00 am sharp every morning."

"Whoo hoo!" Mokuba cheered, jumping up and nearly upsetting a thankfully empty glass. Tea, however, was a bit more surprised. 'He surprises me every day, but that's Seto Kaiba for you...'

"Thank you very much, Kaiba!" she exclaimed, giving a 1000-watt smile, causing a great many cars outside to swerve and screech to a halt and create a large traffic jam.

'...What the hell did I just do?' Seto thought in dismay.

Tea sat on her bed. Her room was pink, and her bed a four poster with off-white satin sheets. Her room was conveniently placed next to Mokuba's room for easy access to him if something happened, a TV and computer on either side of her, and even having a bathroom connected to it as well. The movers had taken all of her material possessions from her apartment and brought them to the mansion. She had played with Mokuba for a while, but now was waiting for him to finish his bath. There was a knock on her door followed by a muffled "TEA! I'm done." Sighing, she opened her door and went into Mokuba's room, finding him already in bed, donning dark blue pajamas, hair still damp.

"Well, I guess it's time for you to go to bed," she said to him.

"I don't think I can sleep," he replied, staring at her. She sat on the end of his bed.

"Want me to read you a bedtime story?" she playfully teased. Mokuba's nose wrinkled at that.

"No way! I'm not some kind of baby!"

"Alright alright, I won't read you a story. Do you want me to sing to you then?" she asked him. Mokuba thought about it, then shrugged.

"Well, I guess that's much better than a bedtime story." Tea scooted closer to him, and started humming a song softly, then singing the words. Her voice was a wind blowing gently through a forest, untrained, but very pleasant nonetheless.

Mokuba was asleep by the time that she was done singing. She tucked the bangs falling over his face and sweetly smiled at his deep slumber.

"You have an rather endearing voice, you know."

Shocked, Tea jumped up, then realized that she may have waked Mokuba up. He stirred, but turned over, still dreaming sweet dreams. Turning, she saw the familiar smirk of Seto. Tea tiptoed out, followed by him. After safely making it out without disturbing Mokuba, she turned around and faced the CEO.

"Wow...the Seto Kaiba giving me a compliment? The world really is changing every day."

It wasn't very often that he gave compliments. And those who were lucky enough to receive them just said thank you. Kaiba stared at her, not pleased, yet not exactly angry.

'Gardner is a fool. But I suppose that now I have to teach her to pick her battles more wisely.'

Smirking, he took a step towards her.

"I'm assuming that you know you are going to be a maid during the first three hours that Mokuba goes to school," he said to her, swiftly placing his cold mask over his face once again. She nodded dumbly, obviously not knowing where this conversation was going.

"Yes...then I'm trusting that you also know that you are also appointed as my personal maid, correct?"

"...YOUR WHAT?"

You like? You Hate? Give me feedback! Andi-chan