"What's your name kid?"
Mai Valentine stared down at the beat-up girl in front of her. The girl was small and slim, her large bosom and wide hips
covered only by torn and ragged slips of cloth, as pure white at her long, once-luscious hair. Though she was pale, the
contrast of her milk-white hair and off-white skin made her look almost tan. She growled at the question Mai posed to
her.
"I have none. After the actions of my father, I refuse to acknowledge the name he gave me." Mai knew very
well for herself the actions of the girl's father, Maximillion Pegasus. The blonde bombshell wrinkled her nose.
"So you have no name? That won't work! Stand up, girly; I'll give you a name." The dirt-spotted girl at Mai's
feet looked up at her with large, bright cerulean eyes, then slowly drug herself up, first on her knees, then on her wobbly
feet, using her blonde companion's leg and then shoulder for support. She looked Mai in the eye strongly before
collapsing back onto the ground, her legs weak. Mai grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back up.
"Come on. You're coming with me." And she began to drag her away.
"W-wait, where are...we going?" She asked feebly.
"My house. You're going to be staying with me now."
"Wh-what?!" Mai only smirked at the other girl's surprised and impetuous tone.
"Oh, and girl," Mai looked at her. "You're my sister now. Your name is Valentine. Faye Cerulean Valentine."
~**~
"Faye Cerulean Valentine." She repeated the name over and over again aloud. "Faye Cerulean Valentine."
"Yeesh girl, don't wear it out already! You just got that name!" Mai tousled the girl's thick, milky hair. The newly
named Faye looked up
"Mai!" She blushed.
"Didn't I tell you to call me 'Big Sister?" Mai winked. Faye felt her cheeks flush.
"Big...Sister..." Faye repeated. "Big...Sister"
"Uh-huh! You're my Baby Sister now!! I'll teach you everything I know!" The blonde woman sighed. "I always
wanted a little sister. Ever since I was younger. And now I have one!" She smiled warmly at Faye, whose former name
was Trinity. "I think we're going to get along great, you and me. Can you duel?" Faye scoffed.
"Are you crazy? My father created the game! I could be a professional!" With a slight blush she added "Just
like you....S-Sister...." Mai found her blushing to be adorable. She hugged her new sister.
"You are just the cutest thing! We need to get you a boyfriend!! Oh! And we'll go shopping, and I'll get you
some killer outfits and..."
"Yeah," Faye managed to croak from her position in Mai's arms, being strangled by the slightly older lady's
fierce hugging. "We're gonna get along just fine."
Seto Kaiba walked along the streets of Domino City. He passed the girls that stared at him without a glance.
He was used to popularity, being that he was young, strong, confident and powerful. And maybe attractive. He didn't
care either way. He just wanted to prove that he was strong. The strongest.
From a few feet away came a loud giggling, accompanied by a nervous voice. He followed the source of the
giggling, intrigued, and saw a duelist he once met, Mai Valentine, with a stunning young woman. She was tall like Mai,
though shorter, with long, straight platinum-colored hair. With a gasp he remembered his younger brother Mokuba telling
him about a girl who used to talk and play with him while Pegasus had him trapped.
"A tall, pale girl with straight silver hair, like Pegasus'. She was his daughter. Her name is Trinity." Mokuba had
said, and then begged Seto to do a search for her. He had set out a search party, but had found nothing. Perhaps this
was the woman he was looking for?
Damn, he thought as he approached her. Mokuba didn't tell me she was drop-dead-gorgeous too. He
blushed slightly, but shook it off. What is wrong with you? Get a grip, Seto! He thought to himself urgently. He stopped
in front of her. Mai glared.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Seto Kaiba. What brings you here?" Seto ignored her. "What is your name?" He asked the
girl at Mai's side. She looked up at him with stunning crystalline eyes.
"Tr-err, Faye. My name is Faye Valentine." She looked down. "Not Trinity Pegasus." She scoffed under her
breath. Seto became anxious.
"Do you know a Mokuba Kaiba?" He asked. Faye's eyes widened and sparkled.
"What about Mokuba? Is he okay?" The urgency of her questions betrayed her deep love for the little boy she
had cared for so many months ago.
"He's looking for you." Seto told her solemnly. "He misses you badly. He would very much would like to see
you, Faye." He told her, holding her gaze as strongly as possible so she would know he was serious. Faye let out a sigh
of relief.
"So he's okay." She put a hand on her chest and took a deep breath to calm herself. "And he wants to...see
me." She smiled. "This is almost too good to be true! Mai, remember when I told you about caring for the little boy my
father had locked up? Seto is his brother! The boy was Mokuba KAIBA!" She exclaimed. Mai stared at her for a long
time, and then sighed.
"I guess you want to see him." She breathed.
"More than anything." Faye finished, her eyes pleading. "Please, Mai." Seto stepped forward.
"You both may come. I don't care, as long as Mokuba gets to see Miss Faye." He said directly to Mai. The
blonde sighed again.
"Alright, if it'll make you happy, Faye-Chan." She finally agreed. Faye jumped onto her, wrapping her pale arms
around her older sister's neck.
"Thank you so much, Mai! I'll never be able to repay you!"
"Just be happy, kid. That's all I ask." Mai told her softly. Seto looked the other way.
"Let's go. Mokuba will be very pleased." The tall man smiled slightly, then looked over at one of his two guards
and gave him a card.
"Go pick up my package for me. Give them this. They'll know I sent you." The guard nodded then began a brisk
walk down the mall. Seto sighed and shook his head as the man stopped to talk to a pretty girl. Faye smiled.
"Isn't that beautiful?" She breathed. "Budding love..." Mai and Seto both scoffed. Faye wheeled on them. "Hey!
It's true!" she reprimanded. Neither Mai nor Seto wanted to upset the pretty girl, so they both settled for silence.
Seto walked into his large house quietly, a rare smile draped across his attractive features. Faye stood
behind him, nervously holding on to her older sister's arm for support. Mai snorted, looking around at Seto's showy
house.
"Mokuba," The teenage leader called. "We have a visitor I think you'll like." Mokuba raced down the stairs
happily at his brother's call
"Big Brother! You're home!" The 10-year-old grabbed the long, twisting railing of the gigantic staircase and
jumped the last 9 stairs. Faye and Seto both winced at the "Thump!!" his landing made, though he landed perfectly on his
feet and then sprinted up to hug his brother. The boy then stood back.
"Who's the visitor, Seto?" He asked anxiously. Seto's rare smile graced his face again as he stood back to
reveal Faye, who opened her arms and smiled widely, almost in tears.
"Mokuba," She cried. "You look beautiful!" Mokuba's eyes widened and his own smile did as well.
"Trinity!" He yelled, running up to her and hugging her with all his might. He lifted his head out of her stomach
to look at her. "YOU look beautiful! You cut your hair! It looks all thick and healthy now! And you're wearing a skirt and
leggings! Pegasus always made you wear dresses!" He talked excitedly, elated by seeing her again. She ruffled his hair
a little, her hand lingering on his head.
"You look much better, Mokuba. You've been eating well again, and your clothes are all clean. Not that I would
expect anything less from your amazing brother." She looked up at him and smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. "Thank
you for bringing me here, Mr. Kaiba. I really appreciate it." Seto was speechless. Normally, he'd say something like "It
wasn't for you, it was for Mokuba." Which it was at first, but he couldn't seem to bring him to say that, now he'd met
her. She seemed to deserve that happiness almost as much as his Mokuba did.
Seto brought himself back to reality as Faye was leaning on her knees, down to Mokuba's level. She looked
him in the eye and carefully put her hands on his shoulders.
"There's something you should know though, Mokuba. My name isn't Trinity any longer."
"It isn't?" Mokuba was puzzled. "Then what is it?"
"It's Faye, Mokuba. Faye Cerulean Valentine." She repeated for him the name she had said to herself time
and time again.
"Faye." He repeated, as she had. "Faye." Finally, he looked up at her. "That's a pretty name! Faye...Now
you're Faye!" He hugged her again. She smiled and hugged back, a single tear dripping off her porcelain face.
"You're both very welcome to live here. In fact, I'd prefer it that way so I can assure your safety." Seto looked
back at Faye as he led the Valentine Sisters down one of the long hallways in the Kaiba Mansion. "If anything were to
happen to you, Miss Faye, my brother would be crushed. I can't have that. And if Miss Mai were to be hurt, I'm sure
you'd be crushed. So I'd prefer that you both move in as soon as possible." He continued to walk, but Mai stopped.
"Hold up, Kaiba. You just want us to pack up and move in, just like that? Did it ever occur to you that maybe
we LIKE where we live? That maybe we'd like to STAY where we are?" The truth of the matter was that Mai hated the
little house her parents had left her. It was too old and too small with too many memories, but she couldn't bear to sell
the house to anyone. It had belonged in her family for generations. It had been built by her great grandfather. She didn't
want to leave it alone. Seto surveyed her reaction carefully.
"I see your point. If it is the house you are worried about, I will buy it from you and keep it safe. If it is the
strains of moving, I can have a crew in to clean the place out and bring everything here in less than 2 days. Is that
satisfactory? I cannot let you two go back to living so far away from my brother and my security systems." And me.
The tall teenager thought with a grimace. He barely knew Faye, yet he didn't want her out of his sight. What was the
matter with him? Did he love her? Impossible!
His thoughts were interrupted by the tapping of Mai's feet as she thought it over. Finally, she sighed.
"Well, if you're going to be THAT persistent. Fine. We'll move in. But only temporarily. I don't want to be living
off of you forever. We can take care of ourselves." She held out her hand and Seto shook it.
"I'll send someone to get your things right away. They'll be done by tomorrow." And he walked off to get
everything arranged.
~**~
"So what do you think of Mokuba?" Faye asked her sister as they explored the winding halls of the Kaiba
Mansion. Mai looked down in thought.
"Adorable." She finally admitted. "Cute as a button. But I hate that cocky brother of his." The blonde duelist
made a face. Faye frowned.
"Seto seems to me a very kind man. Maybe egotistical and selfish on the outside, but the way he cares for his
brother...he must be kind on the inside somewhere, right?" Mai scoffed at her hopeful reply.
"If that's how you want to think."
"It is."
"Fine by me." The two continued to walk for a while.
"Mai?" Faye finally asked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think Mr. Kaiba is...attractive?" The younger girl questioned sheepishly. Mai laughed loudly.
"He's a little cocky for me, sugar. But he is quite the hottie." She looked sideways at Faye. "Do YOU think he's
attractive?
"Very." Faye admitted. "I'm very attracted to him, even though I know it's silly because I could never have him.
He's too....powerful...too wealthy...too attractive." Mai stopped her.
"Hold it, girly! He is NOT too attractive for YOU! YOU are drop-dead-gorgeous! You are waaay to beautiful for
HIM!" Faye was surprised by her enthusiasm.
"But still...I....could never make him love me...I keep telling myself I'm only going to get hurt, that I shouldn't be
attracted to him...but I can't help it! Every time I look at him I want him more!" The platinum-haired beauty cried. "What's
wrong with me?" Mai didn't know what to say.
"I don't know, Faye." She said finally. "I know it'll hurt, but you're going to have to try to make him love you. It's
your only chance." Mai looked down. "The same thing has happened to me." Her mind flashed with images of her blonde
love-object. "As stupid and reckless and cocky as he was...I couldn't help but love him. But he loved someone else..."
Tears welled in Mai's eyes. "But you've got to try. It's...your only hope..." The tears came down her face as Faye held
her.
"Shhh, Mai. Everything is alright."
"So Seto, what do you think of Tr--Faye." Mokuba scampered along at his brother's side as the two walked
back to their room. Seto clenched his teeth to keep himself from saying how gorgeous he though Faye Valentine was.
Instead, he replied,
"I can see why you love her." He hated to lie to his brother, but that wasn't really a lie, so it was okay. Still, he
couldn't help but feel guilty over the jealous way he thought about the attention Faye showered over his kid brother.
Mokuba saw right through him.
"You liiiiiiike her," He leered playfully, jabbing his brother in the side of the leg. "You loooove her. You want to
kiiiiiiiiss her." Mokuba laughed, and Seto could not be angry with him. The teenage powerhouse smiled too. All too soon
though, Mokuba was more serious. "Actually," he said, "It would be really cool if you married her. Then she'd really be
my sister, ya know?" With any other girl Mokuba said this about; Seto would smile and reply "It would be cool for you, but
no." Yet, he really did like the prospect of marrying the beautiful woman. He stared into the distance, images flashing
through his mind's eye of kissing her, holding her, making love to her...images that pleased him immensely, though he
knew they shouldn't. He was silent as he tried to force his swiftly rushing blood away from its downward descent.
Mokuba noticed his uncharacteristic quiet with slight worry.
"Seto? You...okay?" This snapped Kaiba from his reverie. He turned to look at his brother, a slight blush
creeping into the pale cheeks.
"Yes, Mokuba, I-I'm fine." He chose not to address Mokuba's comment about his marrying Faye Valentine.
Mokuba noticed this as well.
"What's the matter, Big Brother? Normally you'd be all 'yeah, but no.' and spoil my fun, but you'd never lead me
on. I like that. What's the matter now?" His curiosity weaved through voice. It was gentle, concerned. Seto wasn't sure
what to say, so he clenched his fists together and led Mokuba into his room, which they had only just reached. He
leaned down.
"Mokuba...I'm going to tell you the truth, but you have to promise to never repeat this. Got it? It could ruin me
forever." He looked into Mokuba's eyes very seriously, and Mokuba returned his gaze with determination, promising
never to repeat the words. Seto sighed before continuing.
"I have never seen a more beatuiful woman in my entire life, Mokuba. And I mean it. I would be.....h-happy to
marry her. I would, and it scares the hell out of me. She is so amazing, and I barely know her! She's beautiful and kind,
smart; reliable...She's just...perfect." He sighed the last word, lost in his thoughts of her. Mokuba listened intently, waiting
for a "But," When it did not come, he was rather surprised.
"That's...it?"
"Of course that's it!" Seto shot back incredulously. "If that got out, I'd be ruined! Ruined, do you understand
me? That woman could destroy me in a second, and how do I know she won't? How do I know that won't be used
against me?" He sighed at the nature of the world. "Love is weakness. If I married, my wife would be kidnapped in a
heartbeat to get to me. And if she rejected me? I'd never recover."
"But what about me?" Mokuba interrupted. "Isn't our love strength? That was the first time I was ever taken,
and it ended with you meeting Faye! It's fate, Seto! You'd do anything for me and now I'm sure anything for her, too. And
how do you know she doesn't love you? I'll watch her, I won't say anything about you but I'll talk to her, and I'm sure
she'll turn out to be just as in love with you. You can videotape us." He turned, walking toward the doorway, and smiled
at his kneeling and broken-looking brother, Seto's face etched with disbelief. Mokuba winked.
"Because that's the way fate works." He promised, and scampered out of the room.
~**~
Shopping was more fun with Seto Kaiba.
Both Mai and Faye decided this as they scampered through the mall, the abused Seto trailing behind. They ran from store to store, debating, discussing and most of all, laughing together as sisters do. Seto walked behind them, sometimes carrying things, with as much dignity as he could manage, but it was hard for him. The Valentines thought it was the girliness of the shopping that was bugging him so badly, but really it was all the men staring at the beautiful sisters. By this time they were both used to it and didn't even give a thought to it, as the two were famous for being ravishing. Men came to the mall daily just to see if they could catch the sisters doing something together.
Mai and Faye were used to the attentions, but it was really bugging Seto how many men were staring at the butt of a woman he really considered to be his, for all intensive purposes. Mai and Faye had no idea, but he was going to snap very soon, and Mokuba was not there to warn him.
It finally happened when a guy got a little too close.
To Be Continued...
