The White Rose

Chapter 1: Shock and Aftershock

A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

By: Mazakai

Started: 8-20-05

Completed:

Posted:

Disclaimer: First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba! Also this was the first major story I have ever written, so please be nice.

Warning: This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death. May cause tears.

Lightning flashed and the thunder gave a deep, drumming roll. Hailey sat up with a yell in their bed. Seto still wasn't in bed yet. He had been working when Hailey had gone to bed and he had promised that he would be in bed no later then midnight. As another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, she looked around, her blue eyes widened in fright and wonder. "Where are you Seto?" Hailey asked aloud to the room, hoping for an answer. None came.

She could no longer see the dim blue light of the alarm clock on the other side of the bed. A shiver ran through her spine as the rain began to patter the window. Hailey's mind raced with fright and half imagined things in the dark. Then her mind fell on her greatest comfort. She grabbed at the gold oval locket hanging around her neck.

Hailey's breathing slowed. That was all she needed. To think of her husband. Strong, confident, brave. She arose from the bed, cool, collected Hailey Kaiba once more.

The floor was cold on Hailey's bare feet, and it creaked slightly as she walked out the door and down the hall to Mokuba's room.

Mokuba Kaiba was however in his room, sound asleep, curled up in his orange comforter. Hailey heard a crash downstairs, startling her out of her moment of silence. She smiled slightly, concluding that her husband had gotten mad and thrown something. But a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach welled up and Hailey suddenly became worried.

"Mokuba! Mokuba wake up. I need your help." Hailey whispered as she gently woke her brother-in-law from his deep slumber. She really wanted someone to walk down with her down to the main floor of the mansion. After a few seconds of vigorous shaking, the youngest Kaiba awoke from his sleep.

"Hailey, what's the matter. Why are you so pale?" Mokuba asked as Hailey turned on the light that was beside his bed.

"Seto's hasn't come up to bed yet, and I think I just heard something downstairs. Mokuba, I'm scared," came Hailey's shaky response.

"Big brother probably just got mad at something he was working on, there's nothing to be worried about," Mokuba replied sleepily but comforting.

"Please just come down with me to check on him!" Hailey pleaded, fright clear in her azure eyes.

"Alright, I'll come," Mokuba replied as he pulled himself out of bed and onto the cold wooden floor of him room.

"Thanks, Mokuba," was all that Hailey said as they left his room and headed towards the marble stairs. They carefully walked down the marble staircase and turned into Seto's study.

Nothing could have prepared Hailey and Mokuba for the site that awaited them. The large study was lighted by the soft glow of an old kerosene lamp. Seto's desk was upturned; his papers littered the floor. Hailey gasped and stepped in to the room, but she jumped back seeing the glittering remains of one of Seto's beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon statues. Mokuba waited outside the door too shocked to move any further because of what he saw in the middle of the room. A body lay on the floor.

Hailey looked down and stared into the lifeless blue eyes of her husband. A puddle of blood surrounded Seto's head.

Hailey stumbled forward, tears running down her face, and fell to her knees where Seto's body lay and began to whimper. "No…Seto…no…come back," came her pleading cry. "Come back!" she whispered. After a few minutes of just staring at the dead body of her husband, Hailey turned her face up to the ceiling and…then there was a piercing scream of agony and anguish. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! SETOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And that was the end of the young and innocent Kaiba family.

Five Years later…

A young, raven haired woman stepped out of the dark gray limo labeled with the Kaiba Corp. insignia. Few people these days would have recognized her as Hailey Kaiba, the feisty young women who had been seen smiling at the side of her husband in all of the magazines.

Right behind her followed a young raven haired man. Even fewer people would have recognized him as Mokuba Kaiba, the hyperactive little child who had once kept his brother running ragged, without his frequent appearances in newspapers and magazines as well.

In fact, it was coming up on the five-year anniversary of the murder of Seto Kaiba. And the chance for his murderer to ask for an appeal. There was no way that would happen though. Seto Kaiba had been sitting in his study and he had been shot in the head. Looking back, Hailey remembered that some sound had woken her up. She had dismissed it for thunder, and she sat abed while her husband's murderer made a stealthy escape, but no before trashing Seto's office and destroying one of Seto's Blue-Eyes statues.

And within the next year, people began noticing a startling change in both Hailey and Mokuba. Certainly, the stress of running a multi-billion dollar company would weigh heavily on anyone's shoulders, especially those of a grieving nineteen year old girl and twelve-year-old boy, but the change became more than much more than grievance or owning a company. By age twenty, Hailey could always be seen in a trim and fit business suit, and the occasional trench coat, but they were always black, and she always wore her hair up a tight knot on the back of her head, and she always had her briefcase, laptop, and cell phone. For she had taken on the role of Kaiba Corp CEO after Seto died. Then by age twenty-three, she had her husband's cold attitude and a piercing cold look in her eyes, just like her deiced husband. Hailey Kaiba was feared by many, but she was also admired. The same changes awaited Mokuba Kaiba as well. By fifteen, Mokuba no longer had any friends, and by his seventeenth birthday, Mokuba was also feared by many. He stood six-foot-four with sharp facial features, neatly trimmed raven hair, and piercing steel-blue eyes. Mokuba had grown into the looks that tended to run in his family: tall, dark, and incredibly handsome. Mokuba not only looked like his brother, he also began to act like him. He had no personal life and very little social time unless it was spent at company balls. He spent his nights tinkering with gadgets, writing reports, and creating complicated mazes and intricate puzzles for video game systems. He even began wearing long, dark, billowing trench coats.

Together Hailey and Mokuba Kaiba had become the perfect business associates in all of Japan. They were a killer team in the board room and in the real world. While Seto Kaiba lived, no one ever messed with the Kaiba family, and now was no different. You did not mess with Hailey or Mokuba Kaiba. And now like every other day, Hailey and Mokuba had to face the stupidity of the rest of the world and the pains of losing the one they loved.

Hailey Kaiba was sitting in her high-backed, leather chair on the 67th floor of the Kaiba Corp. building. She now sat in the long, spacious executive office once occupied by her husband. She was playing with graphics on her computer for a new video game she was designing, when a buzz came over the intercom.

"What?" she said crossly into the intercom on her desk.

"Mrs. Kaiba," her secretary answered timidly. "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"A Mr. Mouto. He has an appointment, ma'am."

"Send them in," Hailey grunted. The door opened but the CEO did not stand to greet her guests.

Yugi Mouto walked in. He had grown quite a bit though his hair was the same pointy shape. He wore a black, pin-stripped business suit.

'He finally gave up the fairy tales,' Hailey thought, noticing the absence of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck.

Behind Yugi, a woman had entered. Her auburn hair rippled around her shoulders, and as she smiled at him, her azure eyes glittered. She wore a black skirt, and a pink shirt. Hailey thought that her stomach bulged slightly.

Yugi smiled as well. "Hello Hailey."

Hailey did not. "Yugi."

"I believe you know my wife, Tea." Hailey nodded curtly at her. Yugi gently placed his hand on her stomach. "We're expecting." He said. Tea blushed slightly.

"I see," said Hailey, making an adjustment on her computer screen. "Why are you here, Yugi?"

Yugi's smile faltered. "We thought we'd stop by to see how you were doing." Hailey noticed a small head peeking out from behind Tea's leg. Yugi held his hand out to her and she hurried from behind Tea's leg into his arms. Hailey saw a mass of bushy, brown hair as she buried her head in Yugi's shoulder. "This is Cecilia," he said, indicating the mass of fluff in his arms.

Hailey was fighting the powerful urge to make them leave. She hardly needed old connections interfering with her work. She stayed silent hoping they would catch the message.

"Yugi's a lawyer now," Tea said, trying to break the silence.

"Is he now," said Hailey in a bored way, barely paying attention.

"Down! Down!" said a child's voice. Yugi set Cecilia on the ground and Hailey watched her out of the corner of her eye. She had the Millennium Puzzle around her neck. She began to totter toward a large statue of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in the corner of the room.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at it and Hailey noticed the color. A deep, piercing blue that changed with every thought in her little head. The color, shape, and even a strange wisdom reflected in her clear eyes hit Hailey very near what was left of her heart. She gasped. In this tiny girl, with dazzling blue eyes, Hailey saw a reflection of her husband.

The grief of loosing Seto rekindled inside Hailey, giving way to fury. She rose quickly, a fire burning in her eyes. "Leave."

"Hailey, wha..." Yugi began. Hailey cut him short.

"GET OUT! NOW!" Cecilia, startled by Hailey's loud voice, gave a cry and abandoned the statue she was admiring and ran to hide behind her mother. Tea quickly backed out of the room.

Yugi didn't move, but stood looking at Hailey. "I thought I told you to... "This time it was Hailey who was interrupted.

"I heard you quite well," Yugi stated. "But don't think we're finished here, because we're far from it, Mrs. Kaiba. Good day." Yugi firmly closed the door behind him as he left.

Hailey returned to her seat shaking with rage. There was another knock at her door. "Mrs. Kaiba, your two-o-clock is here."

"I want all of my appointments cancelled for the remainder of the day."

"But Mrs. Kaiba! Sasuke Uchiha is here to discuss..."She stuttered as Hailey interrupted her.

"If Mr. Uchiha wishes to continue to do business with Kaiba Corp. he can reschedule." She yelled.

Her secretary closed the door and Hailey could hear her apologizing profusely to the man outside. Hailey knew she was showing bad business, but at the moment, she could have cared less. The last thing she needed was a nervous breakdown. Hailey quickly packed up her things and picked up her office phone to call Mokuba.

"Kaiba here," Mokuba answered when he picked up the phone.

"Mokuba, I'm going home now, I'll take the cycle and you can bring the limo back." Hailey replied curtly into the phone. She knew Mokuba wouldn't question her about her decision.

"Sure. I'll handle the two meeting we have to today. Go home Hailey." Mokuba replied. It was on these few occasions the Kaiba family acutely softened their heart. The bond Hailey and Mokuba shared wasn't as strong as the one Mokuba had with Seto, but they did soften their attitude towards each other when they talked.

"Thanks Mokuba," Hailey answered and they both hung up.

Hailey had planned to ride the motorcycle home anyways, so she had brought an extra pair of cloths that would be more appropriate for riding the cycle. Seto would have been proud of her wardrobe. Tight black leather pants, a form fitting black t-shirt, tall black boots, and her favorite black leather trench coat. Grabbing her helmet and donning her trench coat, Hailey walked from her office, and down to the garage, where her husband's precious "Dragon" bike waited for her. Pulling the helmet over her head, Hailey gunned the engine, and sped out of Kaiba Corp, driving into the setting sun.

When Hailey got home that night after her abrupt departure from Kaiba Corp., she set to work on the project, as not have been able to work much at the office. She needed something to cool her nerves down after that encounter with Yugi. She had never thought she would see those eyes again in this lifetime.

Hailey toiled around in her office for awhile, before Mokuba got home around eleven thirty. He came into her office briefly, pecking her on the check and telling her not to work too much later into the night. As he left the office, Mokuba wished her a good night and headed up to bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.

Suddenly her work didn't interest her as much as it had earlier. She was getting annoyed and it was eating at her nerves.

"Great, now what am I to do?" Hailey mumbled saving her work and getting up from her chair. "Come on Kaiba, get a grip. You need to distress."

Hailey walked out of her office, shutting the lights off behind her and headed up stairs. A nice cold shower seemed to be calling her name, so Hailey headed down the left hallway to the bathroom.

Quickly taking off all of her clothing, Hailey stepped into the shower and turned the water on and kept it on cold. The icy blast shocked and numbed her body from the moment it hit her skin. Though Hailey didn't notice the temperature at all. It felt good and it lifted the grief from her heart. Taking cold showers was Hailey's way of relaxing. She stood under the freezing water for a few more minutes before she came back to reality and remembered that she needed to clean herself. Attacking her hair with shampoo and nails, Hailey desperately tried to wash away the memory of the little girls piercing blue eyes. As she stood rinsing out her hair in the cold water, tears began to slowly make their way down her check, blending in with the water. She cried silently for a few minutes, but then she lost control. Hailey let out a blood curdling scream that pierced the air around her. She fell to her knees in the shower and grabbed her sides as she began to sob uncontrollably, this time her cries echoed through the bathroom.

"Seto…come back…I need you! Come back…come back!" Hailey sobbed as she looked up to the ceiling, trying to make him hear her pleas for him. She missed him so much, and it was in these few moments that she ever showed how much she missed him. In the safety of her own home she could show how she really felt. She and Mokuba had these moments together a few times over the last five years, particularly right after Seto's funeral. She hated remembering that day. She never thought she would make it through that day.

Flashback

Hailey and Mokuba arrived in a black limo at exactly eleven o'clock, a few minutes before the funeral was to start. This was going to be hard on both of them. She emerged from the vehicle first, head bowed to the ground even as she stepped forward, dressed entirely in black. Mokuba followed right behind her, silently crying even before the funeral started. He was wearing a black suit and tie, were as Hailey was wearing a black skirt and shirt and a black leather trench coat that hung loosely around her knees. She had a black scarf tied around her neck reaching down to the small of her back. Her long black hair was pulled up into a tight bun on the back of her head.

The color didn't suit them; Hailey and Mokuba had always represented optimism and hope, and wearing the darkest, most foreboding color possible only seemed to highlight (in an ironic manner) the fact that the Hailey and Mokuba they all knew and loved so dearly wasn't ever going to be the same.

Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion were already at the graveyard when they arrived, all in black themselves.

Mai, too, was there, also wearing a formal black outfit, presenting a very different woman than the one that usually wore violet garb. She stood a slight distance from Yugi and the others, watching with a sad expression as the Kaiba's walked forward, keeping their eyes on the grass. Their eyes all followed Hailey and Mokuba as they walked to the front of the memorial.

Most of the company present were business associates of Kaiba Corp. only there to heighten their own company's image, for showing up to the funeral of the most respected business figure out there. It would be good publicity for their companies if they were seen showing respect to the one person that stood in the way of their companies own success.

Though many adults were there to mourn the loss of an admirable young man, who had been generous to many unfortunate people throughout his short life time. And to give their condolences to Kaiba's now widowed young wife, and his brother.

Hailey and Mokuba occupied the first two seats in the first row of chairs lining the area before Seto's grave, and their friends were quick to seat themselves beside them, with Marik, Ishizu, and Odion on Mokuba's immediate right, followed by Mai, Serenity, Duke, Yugi, Tea, and then Tristan at the end of the row.

Mokuba looked up to Hailey as she silently looked at the dark mahogany coffin in front of her. She felt his gaze on the side of her face and turned to face his, she faked a smile, and her lips trembling as she did so. Mokuba took this as a sign, and wrapped his around her waist, hugging her for all she was worth. Hailey hugged the small boy back, softly crying into his shoulder even as adults and her own friends looked on.

The service dragged on slowly, especially for Hailey, who couldn't take her eyes off the coffin. She had chosen it, and she had chosen the flower arrangements. She had chosen white roses, Seto's favorite flowers. They accented the coffin nicely, not that any of that mattered. She just wanted to get this day over with. She had a thorn less white rose clutched in her hand.

The smell of the flowers, even in the cool, damp morning, was sickening, almost choking Hailey. She tried to avert her eyes from them -and the coffin- and glanced around at company. Many of the faces were unfamiliar adults, employees for her husband larger corporation that she had never met. But, to her surprise, in the back, there were a few faces she knew well.

'Weevil Underwood? And... Rex Raptor?' The two younger boys had both been beaten soundly by Yugi and Joey a number of times, and Hailey didn't understand why they were there-- let alone dressed just as formally as anyone else present.

Curiosity sparking her, Hailey glanced around further, allowing Mokuba, who now sat in her lap, to shift. In the rear, she caught sight of Kenshin Himura and Mako Tsunami, recent additions to the small group of friends Hailey had hung around with. She wondered why they weren't up front, but it was possible that they didn't like funerals very much either.

'Who would? Probably only that Bonz kid...' Hailey thought to herself. She swallowed, trying to focus on the sermon that the minister was giving, and after that, the words of several employees.

She was dazed and cold, not realizing until the minister kneeled before her.

"Mrs. Kaiba, do you have any last words for your husband?"

Somehow the minister's words made it sound like she was about to get executed, and Seto was there to watch. But such wasn't the case at all.

But none of Hailey's "what ifs" could bring her beloved husband back. She knew that. And it stung. It stung, and it was bitter. It was bright, and it was sharp. So many sensations for a single word --loss. Utter, total, and complete.

Hailey rose on shaky feet, depositing Mokuba on the chair that she'd once sat in. She walked hesitantly up to the coffin, swallowing the rising bile in her throat a she glanced into the casket.

Seto had always been pale, but the paleness that came with death was painfully obvious. Seto Kaiba didn't look like the man Hailey had recognized as 'husband' for two years. She wanted to scream and shout that this was wrong, that this had to be a mistake, that this WASN'T her husband. It couldn't be. He had promised not to leave her alone in the world, but here she was alone, terribly alone.

But in Hailey's heart of hearts, she knew it was. Morticians weren't gods; they couldn't make the dead look alive again. Hailey knew, just as well as anyone else, that he wasn't simply "sleeping." She reached out a trembling hand and grasped her husband's hand-- it was cold. Heavy. Lifeless.

With a gasp, Hailey let her husbands hand go, watching in acute horror as it flopped back down to his body with a soft thud. Hailey's own hand flew up to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

"He.., he will be missed," Hailey mumbled out to the crowd. "I loved him so much…I know he knew that. I know that he loved me and Mokuba with all of his heart. Seto Kaiba was a great man. He was the greatest husband I could have asked for. I can't…I can't believe that he's actually gone. I…I…I…miss him so much." Hailey choked out as she stood behind Seto's coffin, looking out into the faces seated before the coffin.

Whether or not they'd all heard her, it didn't matter, for Hailey collapsed to the soft, moist dirt in front of the coffins, crying her heart and eyes out.

Yugi (as the Pharaoh) was the first to rise to his feet, but not the first to arrive at Hailey's side-- rather, Mokuba was there first, kneeling beside Hailey. Violet eyes met with cloudy blue ones, reassuring one another that they both had the same idea in mind. Hailey need the comfort both boys could offer. So Mokuba hugged Hailey, while Yugi wrapped his arms around the two remaining Kaiba's, crying silently with them. The three friends stayed like this for a few minutes until their tears were under control and they could stand without losing their balance.

Yugi shifted away from Hailey, giving her a brief and slight reassuring hug, knowing that she needed to be with Mokuba more than anything at the moment. Mokuba looked up at his sister-in-law and gave her a big hug before he went back to sit down. Hailey stood beside the coffin and just looked down at the ground with a dull look in her eyes, like she had lost the will to live, but she was still alive.

Everyone who attended the funeral got up and walked in a solemn line past the coffin and said goodbye to Hailey, who was still standing at the foot of her husband's coffin. She accepted the hugs that where given to her, and said "thank you" to those who gave their condolences to her and Mokuba.

When all was said and done, Yugi, Serenity, Duke, Mai, Ishizu, Marik, Odion, and Tristan were the last ones left amongst the damp metal seats, staring at the place where Hailey was standing. They all got up and stood in front of Seto's still open coffin. They each moved in front of him and said a few final words, and then moved to Hailey and Mokuba and gave each of them a big hug. Yugi, Ishizu, Marik, and Odion where the last ones to leave the funeral. The Ishtar all crowded around the two remaining Kaiba's all gave the two a group hug. Yugi stood a few feet away wanting to give the family some space.

"Hailey, you know that if you need to talk, you can come home any time. You to Mokuba." Ishizu said as she squeezed her younger sisters

"Thanks, Ishizu," Hailey answered her voice hoarse from crying.

Marik came up to his twin sister and gave her a big hug, and kissed the top of her head. "Hailey, be a strong like the wolf, but do not become a loner like the wolf." the teenage Egyptian said as he pulled away from their embrace. It was an ancient proverb that the priest had taught them back in Egypt. Marik also knew that the wolf was Hailey's favorite animal and that she found strength in the magnificent creature.

"Mistress Hailey, I am terribly sorry for your lose. You can come home whenever you like and talk to me," Odion said as he hugged his young mistress for all she was worth.

"Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me," Hailey whispered as she looked at her family through glassy eyes.

She watched the Ishtar's leave the cemetery, and after they were out of view, Yugi approached Hailey and wrapped his arms around his grieving friend.

"Hale, the gang and I are all sorry about what we said about Kaiba in the past. We were probably the closet thing he had to a best friend before you came along, and all we did was give him grief about how stuck up and selfish he was. Now I, at least, wish I hadn't," Yugi said in a chocked voice. He knew that if he didn't get away soon he would be the one crying, not Hailey.

"I know Yugi, I know." Hailey said against her friend's chest. All she wanted to do was curl up on the ground next to Seto's grave and die alongside her husband. Though she knew that Yugi would never let her to do something like that, not in a million years.

"Let me take Mokuba home for you so you can really say your last words to Kaiba. I know that's what you want. I'll tell your driver to wait." Yugi said as he pulled away from their tight embrace.

"Th…thanks Yugi. You're the best friend a girl could ask for." Hailey said as she bent down to her little brother-in-law.

"Mokuba, do you have anything else you'd like to say to your big brother before Yugi takes you home?" Hailey asked as she looked the young boy in the eye, seeing tears well up once again. "Come here Mokuba." Hailey said opening up her arms for the younger boy. Mokuba fell forward into her waiting embrace and hugged his "big sister" with all his might. Truth be told, Mokuba was so scared to even walk up to the open casket, let alone talk to his dead brother, but he knew that he had to say goodbye to Seto. So pulling away from Hailey, Mokuba stood right beside his brother's casket and prepared himself for the things that he had to say.

"Big brother, you where the best friend and brother I could have ever wanted. You were like a father to me through the hardest time of our lives. And now that your gone, I don't know what I'll do with out you…I need you big brother, more now than ever, I love you big brother. I promise to take care of "big sister" Hailey for you. Good-bye big brother. I'll miss you." Mokuba chocked out as he turned and ran back to Hailey and her warm embrace.

"Good job, Mokuba. I'm proud of you," Hailey said into the little boy's ebony hair.

"Come on Mokuba; let's leave Hailey alone for awhile. I take you home and stay with you until she get back." Yugi said as he put his arm around Mokuba's shoulders and led the small boy to his car.

"Thanks, Yugi," Hailey whispered as she watched the two walk away, then she turned back to the casket that held her dead husband.

"Seto…I don't know where to begin. First off, I love you…with all my heart and soul. I'll take good care of Mokuba for you. I know that I won't have as strong of bond with him as you did, but he's all I have left and I'm he has left. We'll need each other more than ever now. Second, I'll make sure Kaiba Corp. is run the way you would have wanted it ran. I've watched you work these last few years, and I know how you work. I won't disappoint you Seto. Kaiba Corp. will not fall. Not now, not ever." Hailey said as she knelt near her husband's coffin. Then suddenly she burst out. "Why did you have to leave me? You told me the night we got married that you would never leave me, but you've left me. Alone and afraid for what might come. Damn you Seto, why did you have to leave me. I need you…I need you," she whispered the last part.

One of the pall bears came up and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am, we need to close the casket know."

"Yes, of course. Just a moment though" Hailey replied stiffly. She bent down and placed her lips on Seto's deathly cold ones in one final kiss, before placing the white rose she was holding into his cold hand. "I love you Seto Kaiba, now and forever. Good-bye my mighty dragon." She whispered as she lifted her body away from his. She then turned and walked away from the sight, a crystalline tear sliding down her cheek.

End Flashback

As Hailey remembered that day she cried even harder, but then remembered the promise she made to her husband before she left him 'I won't disappoint you Seto'. She remembered those words the clearest and realized that she was breaking that promise at the moment. Seto wouldn't have wanted her to be so weak. He would have wanted her to be strong and get on with life. So Hailey stood up, turned the water off in the shower and wiped the tears and water from her face.

'I won't fail you Seto. Not now, and not ever,' Hailey thought as she pulled her clothes back on. Even the trench coat. She was so accustomed to wearing it that she left it on when she got home. She exited the bathroom and stopped.

Her bedroom was to the right, but her eyes followed a pathway to the left hallway. That was the way to her's and Seto's old room. She had moved into one of the other rooms after Seto had died, not being able to stay in that room after Seto had gone. It was too much for the young woman.

Then half against her will she moved toward the left. Three doors she passed and then...their old room. She reached for the doorknob, her hand shaking slightly; her mind was racing. 'What the hell am I doing?' But she couldn't fight the urge to enter into their old room.

The faint glow of starlight entered through the open curtains. Hailey shivered, for the room, was deadly cold against her face and hands.

Everything was exactly as she had left Seto's stuff. The cologne, combs, and towels were arranged neatly on the desk covered in a thick layer of dust. The dresser and show rack followed suit. And the bed, in the center of the room, lay untouched, the navy sheets and comforter neatly folded. A mirror sat in the corner, still tilted from its last use. Hailey walked towards the bureau where the mirror sat

Hailey reached a hand out to the long, round mirror in front of her. She wiped a thick layer of dust from it. Azure-blue eyes looked back at her tiredly.

She wiped another stripe of dust from the reflective surface. She looked and saw something reflected there that shouldn't...couldn't be there.

She turned form the mirror, her eyes wide. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath was coming in short gasps. But it wasn't there... no one was there...nothing.

She looked back to the mirror. There they were again. "No," she whispered.

Panic flooded her and she fled, slamming the door behind her. She ran down the hall and into her bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed, shaking. But she didn't fall asleep for a long time. And she couldn't get them out of his mind.

Those eyes...

Those dead blue eyes...

The next morning

Hailey dozed restlessly that night. She frequently awoke to the sound of the chiming clock with her dreams haunted by the dead eyes in the mirror.

She awoke to the "Beep, beep, beep" of an alarm clock next to her bed. 6:00 am.

"What the fuck?" she murmured, forcing herself up. She looked at the beaming sunlight blearily. She stood up and stretched. 'It should be illegal to have work this early,' she thought, pulling off the trench coat.

After another extremely cold shower, she was still incredibly out of it, having tried to put her pants on well...her head. Which is not a Hailey Kaiba type of thing to do at all. (A/N: come on the girl just had the holy living crap scared out of her at twelve o' clock in the morning, what would you be doing? Having coffee and reading the morning paper?)

Yet even more out of whack was what happened when she got to work.

She pulled up in her dark blue limo. After having successfully managed to dress herself properly, she had chosen to wear a deep maroon trench coat. Mokuba had gone to an important meeting in Tokyo early that morning, so Hailey was going to have to manage headquarters all by herself, which was kind of weird since she was president of Kaiba Corp., where as Mokuba was vice president and he was going to an important meeting, instead of Hailey. Though at the moment Hailey was glad that Mokuba had agreed to go to the meeting in Hailey's place, she didn't want to deal with stuffy old CEO's at the moment. All she wanted to do was work on her new project in her quiet executive office at the top of the Kaiba Corp. building. Though quite was the exact opposite of what she got when she arrived at headquarters.

When her limo pulled up to the front of the building, her usual group of reporters stood waiting in front of the headquarters. There was a new development going on at Kaiba Corp. and they wanted to know what was going on.

'Oh for the love of Ra!' she thought, seeing more reporters than usual standing at the gate. She stealthily climbed out of the limo, hearing the usual: "Hailey! Hey Hailey!" "What's going on up there, Kaiba" and "Kaiba, Mrs. Kaiba, will you answer this question?" accompanied by several soft thuds and some paper being thrown at her.

Then there were the typical jeers and threats when she reached to middle of the crowd. "Hey, pretty girl! Come here and we'll tell you what we think of your company." "Hey Kaiba, why don't you go jump in a ditch" and her least favorite "Hey Kaiba seen any good blood spills lately?"

But Hailey ignored these a) being her usual little unmovable, unemotional self and b) she heard very few of the comments anyway.

She just kept walking, paying no attention to the mass of reporters following her like hungry dogs, and entered the Kaiba Corp. building for another day of work and the stupidity of the people who worked for her.

Her shoes clicked against the white tiled floor. The walls were white washed, everything was tidy and clean. And Hailey hated it desperately. She stopped in front of a door, labeled "Kyla Johnson: Psychologist."

She shuddered as she took the cold, brass doorknob in her hand. The door opened easily and inside was yet another white room. The difference was that the occupant, a cheery looking auburn haired woman, seemed to have hung poster after poster across the bare wall.

"Can I help you ma'am?" she looked up smiling, but she saw her visitor and her entire outlook changed. Hailey recognized her as Serenity Wheeler. Her hazel eyes turned cold and her mouth drew into a thin line. Hailey remembered then that Joey had been arrested because he was one of the key suspects in the case of her husband's murder. His chance for an appeal case was coming up in a few months. 'Oh joy! I had hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with that anytime soon.' Hailey thought quickly. 'Oh well as long as he's behind bars than that's fine with me.'

"I want to see Miss Johnson. Now." Hailey said, standing tall and proud over the angry looking woman.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Doesn't exactly look like I'm going to need one, now does it?" It was true for the room was empty.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Serenity said through gritted teeth. "You'll need an appointment."

Hailey leaned down on the desk, her face barely inches form hers. "You do realize," said Hailey threateningly, her voice a deadly whisper. "That I could have you fired, right here, right now."

"Yeah I do," Serenity spat boldly back. "But it wouldn't be the first time you ruined mine or my family's life, Kaiba."

They sat motionless, staring coldly into each other's eyes with unblinking hatred. A door shut somewhere, but they took no notice. A set of heels came walking toward them. "Hey 'Ren," a voice called. "Think we should close up early?" The woman paused seeing her secretary motionless, eye locked with a raven-haired woman leaning on her desk. "Um...am I interruptin' somethin'?"

Serenity blinked and turned, the momentary spell broken. Hailey stood up, an arrogant smile across her face, the kind she usually wore when firing someone. "You're not going anywhere, Johnson." She said coldly, turning her gaze to the other woman.

Kyla Johnson smiled forcibly. "Why don't you go into my office, Hun? I'll be there in a minute." Hailey turned sharply and walked through the door. Kyla shook her head and turned to Serenity. "Gee 'Ren, I don't remember having such bitch scheduled for today."

"Walk in." Serenity mumbled.

"Walk in got a name?" Kyla asked, grabbing some forms. She moved a pair of gold framed glasses off her straight dirty blonde hair and settled them on her nose.

"Yeah," scoffed Serenity. "Hailey Kaiba."

Kyla looked at her secretary. "The Hailey Kaiba? Last time she was here was after her husband got shot, and she wasn't nothin' more than a kid then." Kyla paused. "You O.K. 'Ren?"

Serenity nodded. "I...I'll be fine."

"Why don't you go home, Ren? I won't make ya deal with Kaiba again." Serenity nodded and began to pack up her things. Kyla turned to her office.

She walked through her door and Hailey turned away from the bookshelf in front of her. "Teach your secretary some manners," she sneered coldly, returning a book to its shelf.

"She's got 'em." Kyla replied. "She just ain't gotta deal with the man who put her brother in jail very often." She gestured toward the couch. "Have a seat please, Mrs. Kaiba."

"I prefer to stand," Hailey replied, absently running a hand through her hair.

Kyla raised a brow. "I believe you were told to sit. My office; my rules."

Hailey pursed her lips, but walked over and sat silently. Kyla smiled.

"So," she said, taking a seat across from him. "How you doin' Hailey?"

"Cut the casualties, Doc."

Kyla blinked. Hailey had not been so blunt the last time they had met. She had been a troubled young lady, looking for something after she lost the only comfort she ever had. "Hailey--" she began. She cut her short.

"I'm not a child anymore, Kyla, and I didn't come here to have a lovely little visit with an old 'friend', so spare me the pleasantries."

"They ain't," she coughed. "Aren't pleasantries. I haven't seen you for several years and I need to know--"

She interrupted her again. "I'm Hailey Kaiba, age twenty-three. I own a multi-billion dollar company. What else do you need to know?"

She looked at her evenly. "How many friends do you have, Hailey?"

"One."

"Who?"

"My brother-in-law. And I'm his only one too."

"Mokuba! Hailey he's just like you, you both don't have any friends!" She looked away. "Hailey...do you know who you're acting like?" She stiffened. "Hailey... answer me!" She shook her head. "Hailey you're just like--"

"SHUT UP!" Hailey leapt up.

"Sit down, Hailey." Kyla said in a soft commanding voice. "We ain't...aren't finished. Why did you even bother to come if you weren't gonna stay and talk to me? Tell me what freaked you out."

"I...I saw him... his eyes, I mean." Hailey said quietly, returning to her seat. She ran a hand through her hair again.

"Where?"

"I...I was in our old room last night...and I ...I was looking in the mirror... and they were there..."

Kyla nodded. "What were you doing before that, Hailey?"

"I was working on a prototype of mine and finishing up some papers."

"How many hours have you worked this week?

She shrugged. "Seventy or eighty."

"Seventy? Hailey, do you even breathe?"

She scoffed. "That's what it takes to run my company." She let it pass.

"Had you been thinking about your husband at all before the incident?"

"Yes," Hailey replied after a moment's pause.

"Hailey," Kyla said in a business-like tone. "I think that you're working too hard and becoming an insomniac. It's gonna make you mentally unstable and more prone to these hallucinations. You can bet that they will be pertaining to your husband's death because that was the most dramatic event in your life. I suggest," she said, scribbling something on a piece of paper. "That you start taking this." she handed her the paper.

"And this is?" asked Hailey.

"A prescription for Valium (which I do not own nor do I have any knowledge of.) It's an anxiety pill." Hailey eyed her disdainfully. "I suggest you refrain form working late into the night and to get a social life."

Hailey scoffed at her silently. Let her talk, but no way in hell was Hailey Kaiba going to get a social life. And she couldn't really stop working.

Hailey entered the door to her office, slamming it shut behind her. After the press conference for the Duel Disk IV, Hailey drove straight to Kaiba Corp; hoping work might take her mind off...this thing. She also knew that if she went back to the mansion, she wouldn't get any work done.

On the other hand, she hadn't hallucinated in the last few weeks. The prescription from Johnson lay in a crumpled ball on the floor of his study. 'What foolishness,' she had thought, throwing it to the ground. 'I am not taking this. I don't need it.' So there it sat.

Hailey sat quietly in her chair. Putting her fingertips together, she signed heavily. She looked around the office. She sat behind a rounded, redwood desk. Two redwood chairs sat in front of her. To the right, there was a long, tall bookcase, the shelves piled with books. There was a professional cappuccino machine on a small file folder. In front of her, there were two leather sofas, a rounded between them, and a large entertainment center with a large TV. In a far corner sat the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. One of Seto's most prized possessions.

Flashback

Seto smiled. "Don't worry, Hailey, I'll never leave you..."

End Flashback

"But you did leave me, Seto." Hailey ran a hand over the crystal Blue-Eyes' head. "All alone." She whispered to it. Her hand began to move toward the sapphire eyes. They were the same color Seto's eyes had been when she found him dead in his office, though the sapphires had a bit more light reflecting out of them than Seto's did. The memory of that night rushed over Hailey as she walked over to the window behind her desk. After looking out of the window for a few moments Hailey bowed her head, bangs hiding her eyes, and a single tear traced down her cheek.

Though she was shocked out of her reverie when her phone began to ring. 'That weird, usually the secretary buzzes me when I have a call.' Hailey thought as she picked up the phone.

"Kaiba."

"Hello Mrs. Kaiba, how are you on this lovely day?" the voice asked. It was thick with an unfamiliar accent. Not even strange for the young Egyptian.

"Who are you?" Hailey asked annoyed.

"Well you don't know me, but your husband knew me, he…he knew me quite well." The voice answered again.

"What do you want?" Hailey asked her voice icy now.

"Did you love your husband; do you miss him?" the voice asked.

"My personal life is none of your business." Hailey replied sternly.

"Fine, next question. Do you care deeply for your brother-in-law?" the voice asked again.

"Not that its any of your business, but yes I do care a lot for Mokuba, he's all that I have left of my family." Hailey replied coldly.

"Well that's good, it will hurt even more then," the voice replied slickly.

"What on earth are you talking about, what are you going to do to Mokuba?" Hailey nearly cried out as she looked around frantically. All the reply she got was a chuckle from the mysterious person on the other end of the line.

"What the hell are you going to do to him? Answer me." Hailey cried out angrily into the phone.

"Good day Mrs. Kaiba."

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Okay so this was sort of a long chapter, full of detail and information that will come in handy in the next few chapters. Can you guess who our mysterious caller is? Well you'll just have to keep reading to find out now wont you. Please read and review!

Mazakai