Chapter 22 - Past Friendships end

Past Friendships end



When they arrived the next day in Sakura's kombi, Kaede immediately ran down the mansion steps to greet them.

`Hi guys, welcome to my new second home,' she said, hugging Sakura, how was the first out of the kombi. `I am seriously thinking of moving in permanently.'

From most of them she got hugs and smiles, but as soon as Honda saw him glaring at her. Kaede bit her lip, and as she was showing them through the front steps, she whispered to Tea, `Um, why is Honda mad at me?'

`Because you didn't invite Joey,' Tea answered knowingly.

`Of course I didn't invite Joey, do you know how awkward that would be?' Kaede hissed. She still hadn't forgiven Joey for what he said about her to Mai.

`But it wasn't really a lie,' Tea hissed back. Kaede had to look away at this. Although she had not told this to Joey or any of the other guys in their group, she had told Tea, Sakura, Ana and Yuula about what had happened the night and morning before she broke up with Joey.

`That's different.'

`How was it different?' Tea said loudly, but Kaede shushed her so she brought her voice down to a whisper again.

`Joey was actually going out with Mai when we split up, but there was nothing going on between me and Seto,' Kaede whispered.

`Yeah? And what was that about you and Seto in the park together the night the Ishtars and Joey stayed at your house?' Tea demanded.

Kaede ignored her. She couldn't have replied anyway because they had entered the main hall of Seto's house. All of them gazed around his awe at it, the marble columns, the white marble floor, the HUGE chandelier. Kaede grinned as Seto looked at their faces, unsure whether to be pleased that they were admiring his home or disturbed by Yuula dancing around insanely. Kaede ran over and stood next to him and he whispered in her ear, `Um, is there anything wrong with Yuula's mental health?'

Kaede had to bite her lip to stop herself laughing. `No, there's nothing wrong with Yuula that wasn't there when she was born.'

Seto nodded, trying (and failing) to look reassured about this lunatic running madly around his home. Together they showed everyone to their rooms, and told them that laugh was about to be serve, and if they couldn't find the way to the dinning hall then they could call Seto's personal receptionists and ask them for directions.

Whilst Seto went to the kitchen to check on lunch, Kaede went to see Mokuba and Tenshi. She knocked on Tenshi's door first and when there was no answer, let herself into the room.

It was just the cutest little room Kaede had ever seen. Ever since she had first discovered it the first time she came to Seto's house, she had begged him to furnish it for a little girl. Inside it was pink, blue and extremely fluffy. Kaede looked around, then out of the beautiful bay windows onto the balcony. Tenshi was standing out there, talking to somebody invisible. `Tenshi?' Kaede called.

Tenshi turned around to see her, smiled, then turned back to the person she was talking to. She smirked and said a fairly unpleasant goodbye to the person she was talking to, before coming back into the room.

`Hello Kaede,' Tenshi said, smiling kindly now. Kaede didn't know if this was genuine affection or something Mokuba had told her to do, so she was always fairly wary when it came to Tenshi.

`Hello Tenshi, lunch is almost ready for us now, do you and Mokie want to eat with us, or do you want the chef to make you something different for you?' Kaede crouched down to Tenshi's level, hating to look down on her.

`We'll eat with you please,' Tenshi beamed. Kaede bit her lip, still unsure about Tenshi. She stood up and gave her one last all over look, and then went to see Mokie.

`Heya Kaede,' Mokie said, jumping up from his bed.

`Hey Mokie,' Kaede smiled at him. `Why aren't you and Tenshi hanging around together?'

`Oh, we're in separate rooms, so we thought you and Seto didn't want us hanging around together.' Mokuba looked down as if hurt.

`No, we want the two of you to have fun together, just not to sleep in the same room,' Kaede said, sitting down on his bed.

`But you and Seto do!'

`That is very different!' Kaede grinned at Mokie and ruffled his hair. `Lunch is being served now, and Tenshi asked for the two of you to eat with us, is that okay?'

`Sure, we'll be down in a minute,' Mokie said and went to change. Kaede left him and returned to the dining room. All of her friends were already there, so she sat down in the empty chair nearest to her. As soon as Mokie and Tenshi arrived the servants appeared carrying multiple of trays. They served the first course of the five course meal. Kaede looks down at her plate and saw to her dismay Seto had managed to forget she hated fish, because there was a chunk of tuna on her plate.

`Seto?' she said from where she sat.

`Yeah, what's the matter?'

`What exactly will we be eating?'

`Well, first tuna, then some smoked salmon, and after that some swordfish stake, than sardines on a plate of lettuce, and the some anchovies to finish it all off. Why?' Seto suddenly looked worried.

`Seto, have you forgotten what I told you earlier this morning?' Kaede's eyes flashed dangerously.

Seto's skin broke into a sweat. His hand began to shake so violently that he had to put his fork down.

`Don't worry, there's nothing you can do now,' Kaede said, turning back to her plate in a manor that suggested that he did have something to worry about. Seto swallowed as Kaede played around with the food on her plate, eating the salad, but not touching anything that was close to the fish in anyway. The next courses came and they were all fish. Kaede looked up and down the table, noticing that none of her friends were eating very much. She shook her head at Seto and vowed to have a word with him later.

After their lunch Tenshi and Mokuba went back to their rooms and Kaede told everybody to go and get their swimming costumes, which she had instructed them to bring. She went to Seto's room and opened the chest of drawers that he had set up in his room for her. She opened the top drawer and pulled out her gorgeous black bikini. She had wanted a pink one, but thought it clashed too much with her hair and skin, so she thought maybe black would suit her physique better, and it did. She slipped it on quickly and tied a light-weight black sarong around her hips. Adding the silver frame, blue lenses Oakleys that her grandparents had given to her at Christmas and grabbing her towel, she strolled out of the room and jogged down to the outdoor pool.

She sat down on one of the sun beds and lay out her towel for when she came out. She took off her sarong and Oakleys and hid them in case some idiot (Honda/Duke/Yuula) found them and broke them, and walked to the side of the pool. She could feel people's eyes on her, which she hated more than anything. She hated the thought of people looking at her body, especially when in a skimpy bikini, but she sighed, putting up with it, and dived spectacularly into the pool.

She surfaced and swam a quick few lengths and then climbed out. The jacuzzi was her preferred hangout at Seto's house, and the put on her Oakleys as she passed by and then climbed into the warm water of the hot tub. Leaning back, she listened to the commotion around her as her friends yelled at each other and dragged each other into the pool.

She had her eyes closed but opened them when someone else climbed into the hot tub next to her. Directly opposite her was Honda, still glaring at her and looking as if he was about to yell at her.

Sighing, Kaede leaned back again. `What the hell do you want?' She said, closing her eyes again.

`Why didn't you invite Joey? I thought it everything was cool between the two of you,' Honda demanded.

Kaede almost laughed. `Not very observant are you? Things haven't been “cool” between me and Joey since I found out he told Mai that I had two timed him, even though he was the one cheating on me.'

`No he wasn't. He said you were the one who was cheating on him. Ever since that ball Kaiba held you have been with him, and Joey went out with Mai to try and get over you,' Honda said viciously.

Kaede stared at him. What happened to him? She knew that the old Honda was completely gone, the one she got on well with and had funny chats with in the lessons they had together. He was the one who had helped her most to get over the death of her family, and persuaded her to enjoy her life. But now he was so different, so cold and strange. Kaede wasn't sure she wanted to have anything to do with him anymore.

Kaede said nothing, but stood up and climbed out of the hot tub. She turned back to Honda as she went and said coldly, `Honda, we used to be friends, but don't make the mistake that anything that existed between us then exists now. You're only here because of Ana, and don't think it is anything else. I don't know what happened to you, but if the old Honda comes back, let me know, because the new one sucks!'

Turning away, she went and lay down on the sun bed with her towel on it, letting the sun slowly dry her skin and forgot about everything except the warm rays of the sun.

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