Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

...

"Where are you taking me Marik?" A young woman with shoulder length, chocolate brown hair, asked a man with purple eyes and sandy blonde hair. He had blindfolded her so she couldn't see where they were going.

"Don't worry Tea. I am not going to knock you off a cliff. Don't you trust me?" Marik joked.

"I do. But this is weird. Come on. Just tell me." They had been walking for a few minutes now, and the noise level had reduced as they had progressed. Tea was getting curious and slightly appprehensive.

"We are almost there anyway. So be patient." Tea just pouted. He led her to a small house. Then he removed the blindfold. She just stared at it.

"Is… is this your house?" She asked him.

"Yeah. It's nothing like your mansion but—." Marik said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarassment, but she cut him off with a quick hug.

"It's beautiful marik. I love it. Can I go inside?" She squealed.

"Of course." He replied, slightly surprised and hugely relieved at her reaction. "Let's go. There is someone inside that I want you to meet." He informed her as they entered the small house. She curiously looked around, while Marik led her into a small bedroom. Tea turned her attention to the person lying on the bed. It was a woman with black hair and blue eyes. She looked pale, and was coughing when they entered.

"Ishizu. Look who I brought." Marik said to the girl. She looked up weakly from her spot on the bed, her eyes widening slightly at the other person in the room.

"Is it her Marik?" Ishizu asked. "Is it Tea?"

"Yeah. Tea, this is my sister, Ishizu." Marik said. Tea walked over to Ishizu and sat beside her bed, on a chair.

"Hi. How are you?" Tea said with a gentle smile.

"I am fine." Ishizu replied, supressing a small cough. "Oh my, you are even more beautiful then I expected. Marik always talks about you, all the time. Now, I've finally met you." Ishizu smiled.

"Really? He does?" Tea looked slyly at Marik who blushed slightly.

"Yeah. He doesn't stop praising you. But you really are worth it. I am glad he is with you." Ishizu said. Then she started coughing again.

"Okay Ishizu. That's enough talk for today. You should rest now." Marik said and led Tea outside. Once outside, Tea started asking questions.

"Marik. Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?" She said, pouting.

"Does it matter? I might not have a sister for long anyway." He looked sad. Tea's hand rested on his cheek, as she gazed into his painful eyes.

"What is wrong with her?" She asked.

"She has some rare heart disease." He replied. "She had been bed-ridden for years now. We tried many therapies, many drugs, but nothing worked. The only other option left if a heart transplant with the hope that her condition might improve after that."

"I am sorry." She said sincerely.

"No, don't be." He sighed. "It's not your fault. Besides, I am working day and night to earn enough money for the operation." Marik said.

"Maybe I can help." Tea offered. Immediatelt, Marik stiffened and she regretted having offered.

"That's why I didn't tell you." He said. "You are the daughter of a rich businessman. The amount of money is nothing for you, but I can't take money from you."

"But I am not some stranger. I am your girlfriend. I love you and I want to see you happy." She argued.

"Then drop this topic. I want to prove to you and to myself that I can take care of my family. I want to assure myself that when I marry you, I will be able to meet your needs." Marik said, determination shinning in his eyes.

"Oh Marik. That is so sweet. No wonder I love you." She said and hugged him.

"And I love you too." There lips met in a blissful kiss.

"When are you gonna ask my father for my hand? You already know I want to marry you. All that is left is a formality of asking my father. Why won't you just meet with him? I can't stay away from you anymore." Tea said.

"Marry you? Now why would I do that?" He said slyly, playing with her.

"Shut up." She playfully hit him on the shoulder and he chuckled. "But you should meet with him as soon as you can, and talk about your interest in me. My father is a very traditional man. He won't take the news me just telling him of a wedding date kindly. He would prefer if a man spoke with him and formerly displayed his interest in me." Marik looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze as he replied.

"I can't."

"Fine." She huffed angrily. "Don't ask him. Just wait and watch someone else take me away."

"I want to do it. I really do. But I am still an ordinary office clerk, an insignificant insect compared to your father. I want to be something before I confront him." Marik said sighing.

"But I don't care. I am the one marrying you, not him." Tea said. "Besides, once my father meets you, he'll see what an honorable man you are. He will like you. Besides, he won't deny his only daughter the love of her life. Don't be too intimidated by him."

"Don't worry. I will ask him soon and make you mine." Marik assured her. "Besides, there is no one else in this world that can take you away from me. No one." He added confidently.

"You are the one Seto, believe me." A teenage boy, about 17 years old, with thick black hair and blue eyes said to a young man with brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Mokuba, you are out of your mind." Seto said. He was sitting in his home office, trying to get some work done, but his brother was proving to be a bothersome fly that just won't go away. Minutes ago, he had barged into his office, telling him of his desire to see his older brother happily married. Seto had laughed at the absurd notion, thinking Mokuba was joking, but his brother had come prepared with a proposal.

"Why is that?" Mokuba demanded, glaring at his older brother.

"I have never had a girlfriend in my entire life. Hell, I never even acknowledged the presence of the female species. And now, you want me to marry?" Seto said, hoping his younger brother would understand. Seto's whole life had been devoted to Kaiba Corp. and his younger brother. He had never given any though to relationships or marriage. He couldn't just agree to it out of the blue because his brother had gone insane all of a sudden.

"What's wrong with at least seeing the girl? I am telling you, she is drop dead gorgeous. I have seen her." Mokuba said with a dreamy smile on his face. "Trust me Seto, you'll fall for her the moment you see her."

"Maybe she is beautiful. But what makes you think she is single? A girl like her probably has a boyfriend, a handsome one too." Seto said in a logical tone.

"I confirmed from her father that she is single, and your age too." Mokuba replied with a smirk on his face. He had done his research before coming to Seto. The girl was not just gorgeous, but very intelligent too. Mokuba had seen her at her father's company, not knowing who she was at that moment, but he had fallen a victim to her beauty right away. Within a minute, he had learnt about who she was. He almost hadn't believed his luck because he was about to meet her father, the president of the company, for a meeting in a few minutes. And immediately after the conclusion of the meeting, Mokuba had talked to her father about his interest in her. Her father had been an intimidating man, but in the end, it had turned out okay. They had both agreed that she should meet with Seto, with the hope that they would fall for each other.

"This is not going to happen Mokuba so stop dreaming." Seto said with a tone of finality.

"I don't care. We are going to dinner at her house tonight and you are going too." Mokuba replied in the same tone.

"But… but." Seto thought of an excuse.

"No buts. We are going. That's final. Don't worry big brother. I have a very good feeling about it." Mokuba assured him. Seto just sighed and went back to work.

Tea kissed her boyfriend goodbye and entered her mansion. She was a rich girl, the only child to one of the biggest businessmen in the country. But she had fallen in love with a low class, poor gangster. She didn't care about Marik's less than ideal status, but she knew her father wouldd. That's why she hadn't told him about Marik… yet. She had decided that once Marik found a good job, then she would tell her father. Unfortunately, finding a good job wasn't very easy. After months of trying, Marik had to settle for a low paying, clerical job. It wasn't something that Marik was proud of, and she knew her father wouldn't appreciate it either. And so her relationship with Marik had remained a secret. But recently, she had gotten hints from her father about marriage. She knew her traditional minded father wanted her happily married, and had asked her about her love life, but she had to lie and claim to not have a boyfriend. Her father had let the topic go, but she had seen his thoughtful expression, and hoped he wasn't planning something for her.

She found her dad in the living room, waiting for her.

"Tea, where were you? I tried calling you but got no response." Her father said in a worried tone.

"Oh yeah, I was busy hanging out with my friends. Sorry." Tea lied.

"It's fine. Just keep your phone on in case I want to reach you. I was worried that something had happened to you." She smiled and hugged her father.

"You worry too much." He smiled fondly and kissed the top of her head.

"I am your father. It's my job. Now get ready. We have guests over for dinner." He informed her.

"Your business friends? Dad, why do I have to be here? They are your friends, probably some old men. What am I going to do?" She whined childishly.

"These friends are not old. They are your age." Her father had a smile on his face.

"My age, and business men? Who are they?" She asked even though she had a slight idea.

"The Kaiba brothers." Her father said.

"Why are they coming? Last I checked, they were very anti-social, at least the older one, Seto Kaiba was." Tea said, confused at the news.

"You will not greet them with the same attitude." Her father scolded her. "They are my partners and I want you to behave nicely when they come. I want you to be at your best, especially with Seto Kaiba."

"Why me and why with him?" She said, not liking the tone of this conversation.

"You ask too many questions. Just get ready. Wear the clothes I picked for you. They are on the couch." Her father said sternly. Tea went to get it and was surprised. It was a red dress, with one strap that went over her left shoulder. It came up to her knees and had a lot of pearls and diamonds at the hem. She rarely wore dresses like that, ever at her father's business parties. She was much more into jeans and tank tops. She stared at her father in surprise.

"Do I have to wear this for a small dinner?" She whined.

"Yes. Now get ready. The hairdresser will be here any second. She will get you ready for the dinner." Her father said. She was even more surprised and confused.

"Why do I have to do all that for a small dinner? A hairdresser? You never asked me to do all this for the big office parties you make me attend. What is so special about this dinner?" She asked suspiciously. There was something going on and her father was deliberately hiding it from her.

"You are a grown up woman now and it would be better if you acted your age. You are a beautiful lady and I want everyone to see that. Now get ready." Her father said and left, but she knew he had completely avoided answering her. She sighed and went to her room.

'I don't want to do this. This dinner is going to be a pain in the butt.' She thought. Unknown to her, someone else was having the same thoughts.

"Mokuba. Why do I have to wear this?" Seto asked his younger brother as he held up a black tuxedo.

"You are such a kid. You are going to meet her for the first time. You have to give a good impression. Show her how handsome you are." Mokuba said.

"I've never worn a tuxedo in my life before, for anything." Seto informed him.

"Well, there is a first time for everything." Mokuba smirked.

"I … you… forget it. I'll just wear this ridiculous thing, but don't expect me to have that ridiculous tie on." He frowned and walked upstairs, the same thoughts as Tea running through his head.

Tea viewed herself in the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly. Her hair were up in an elegant bun, with a few strands in front. She had light make up on because she wouldn't let anyone cover her like a clown. She looked beautiful, breathtaking as the dresser put it. But she didn't care. Something about this wasn't right. She had a very bad feeling about this, though she couldn't explain why. She walked downstairs and sat on the couch. Her father was barking orders at the servants. He rarely ever raised his voice. This dinner must be big deal...but why?

The doorbell rang. Tea didn't move an inch, but all her attention was focused on it. A maid opened it and Tea heard a gasp from the maid.

'Must have realized that our guests are the heartbeat of millions of girls all over the world, the Kaiba family.' She thought. Her father motioned for her to follow him as he went into the living room to greet the guests. Tea sighed, put on a smile, and followed him.

Seto and Mokuba entered a mansion, much like they're own, but slightly smaller. Seto already looked bored. Despite Mokuba's enthusiasm and pep talk, he considered this visit a waste of time. Whoever this girl was couldn't possibly deny him. If his marriage to her was so important to Mokuba, he would have just sent a proposal and gotten an agreement without going through this utterly unnecessary procedure of meeting. But Mokuba maintained that she was different. He wondered how much information had gotten on her to be so sure of her likes and dislikes. If all of it came from her father, then it might not be so accurate. Besides, he doubted any girl would want to meet a potential boyfriend under the supervision of her father. He knew that this dinner was to impress and satisfy the traditional man her father was, not her. The father of the girl came and greeted him. Seto knew him as Mr. Gardner. He had seen him on a couple of times before for business meetings, but they had rarely interacted. Hell, Seto didn't even know his first name.

"Mr. Kaiba, Mr. Mokuba. Welcome to my house. I am glad you came." Mr. Gardner said with a welcoming smile.

"You invited us. How could we say no?" Mokuba smiled at the man. He didn't sound like a teenager at all, but much more mature.

"That's your kindness. Please, meet my daughter, Tea." Mr. Gardner said and moved a bit to reveal a young woman who stood there with a pleasant smile on her face.

Seto's heartbeat stopped after a look at the girl before him. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot. Top models wished to be known by him and tried different antics to get his attention, but this girl beat all of them in beauty. Her creamy skin was covered by her silk dress, which exposed her beautiful, long slender legs. She had bright blue eyes, twinkling like two bright stars. She was simply gorgeous. He couldn't take his eyes off her. This visit may not be as bad as he had feared.

Tea slowly walked up to the Kaiba brothers. She had to admit they were very handsome, especially the older one. 'No wonder all the girls die for him.' She thought as she approached the older Kaiba first.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand for Seto to shake. He accepted it. His hands were large but soft, not like Marik's at all. She also noticed that he was taller then Marik as well, and probably well built as well. She turned to Mokuba and extended her hand again.

"The pleasure is all ours." Mokuba said with a charming smile and a wink. Tea smiled widely at him. They entered the living room and sat down. Tea sat in a love seat, and so did Seto. Mokuba and Tea's father sat on a big sofa and started conversation. They weren't talking about business so Seto wasn't participating, and they surely weren't talking about anything Tea was interested in so she stayed out as well. Tea's father noticed that and spoke.

"You look bored Mr. Kaiba. Tea, why don't you give Mr. Kaiba a tour of our house?" Tea was surprised at her father's suggestion, but nodded and got up.

"Please come." She said. Seto followed her. When they disappeared, Mokuba and Tea's father smiled brightly.

"I think it's working." Mokuba said.

"I am very honored that you chose my daughter." Her father said.

"And we will be honored to have her with us." Mokuba said and they continued talking.

Tea and seto had been walking in silence, Tea talking once in a while.

"And here is my favorite place in the whole house, the balcony." She said.

"Interesting choice." He commented.

"I love standing here, reading a book or listening to music. It's so peaceful and natural here because it's away from the city noise. It also has a clear view of the sunset." She informed him with a smile.

"Yeah. Sunset is probably the best sight in the world." His hand flicked to his collar. Tea smiled.

"You are uncomfortable wearing this suit, right?" She said knowingly. He shot her a quick look before smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah. How did you know?" He asked her.

"Your actions are of a man who is nervous. But I can't imagine you being nervous talking to me, keeping in mind that you talk to hundreds of people every day. And besides, you have been doing that ever since you entered our house." She finished smiling at him. He smiled back.

"Observant, aren't you. I have an observation of my own." Seto said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah. What?" She playfully asked.

"You don't wear dresses like this often. Am I right?" Her wide mouth said it all. He continued.

"You have been acting as if your actions will damage your dress. You have been too careful and cautious in your movements, paying too much attention to it. I am guessing you are more comfortable in casual clothes." He finished with a superior smirk.

"It seem that you are very observant as well." She said with a chuckle.

"Much like you." He said and Tea smiled at him.

"They are not back yet. I think they are enjoying being together." Mokuba said.

"One way to check it." Mr. Gardner said. He turned to the maid and said, "Go upstairs and find Tea and our guest. See what they are doing but don't let them find you." The maid nodded and walked upstairs. She found Seto and Tea talking in the balcony.

"I told him to just leave me but he wouldn't. He thought he was irresistible." Tea told an amused Seto.

"All the girls at the university were dying for him and he figured I must be too. He flirted with me and tried to seduce me in front of the whole class. I was so angry at his attitude. So to get my revenge, I pulled a prank on him with my friends. We all really humiliated him. He didn't come to the campus for a week. It was so much fun trying to put him in his place. But I got hell from dad for that. Apparently, he complained to his dad about my evil ways and evil friends, and you can guess the rest. My dad was so annoyed with me and he blamed my friends for my actions. He wanted me to have friends of my status and everyone I know of our status is a self-centered jerk, and I told him that. And you know what, my dad agreed." She finished with a laugh. "Tell me why don't you have a girlfriend. You are so cute." She said casually.

"I have never been called "cute" before." He commented. "But to answer you, all the girls that displayed interest in me were after my money or after my status. They wanted me for what I am, not who I am. I didn't find them worth my time." He finished with a shrug.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find a very nice girl soon. You are very intelligent and nice, and very easy to talk to, despite what your reputation is." She said. "Any girl with half a brain will be a fool not to want you. You just need to be patient and keep your mind and eyes open."

The maid went back and told Mokuba and Tea's father what she heard and saw. They smiled in relief.

"I knew it. They are perfect for each other. And now that Tea has met him and likes him, we can proceed further." Mokuba said.

"Definitely. I will be honored to have Seto Kaiba as my son-in-law, and I am sure Tea will be the luckiest girl to have him as her husband." Her father said.

"Then it's final. I will confirm with Seto and you can confirm with Tea, though I am sure we will have no objections from them. We can then talk about the wedding and setting a date."

...

That's all folks. Please review and let me know if it's worth updating or no.