A/N: Oh look, another one-shot featuring Seto as a dad...with a baby OC that was inspired by an RPing friend. -_- xD Serophia's a toddler here. :3 And I'm trying my hand out at blueshipping again. This fic is going to be fluffy at some parts, so I'm warning you now. ;)
DISCLAIMERS: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or FFVII Advent Children. They belong to their respective owners. :3
Baby's Day Care
The air was clear, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, bunnies were frolicking, flowers were blooming, trees were smiling; everything screamed 'Spring' in general. Yes, the day was wonderful. Nothing could ruin it, right? Wrong!
Well, he wouldn't go so far as to say it was really that ruined. The situation was just...a tad bit uncomfortable.
Earlier today, some circumstances had pushed him into his current predicament. Yes, he loved his wife very much, but this instance was just another one of those moments when he was slightly peeved about Kisara's ability to convince him to do just about anything—even if he didn't think it was a brilliant idea, and even if he knew it was for his own good. He hated himself too—for being susceptible to her sweet requests and her irresistible smile. Just how did all of that even happen?
Kisara's freelance career had required her presence to the agency she worked for, and she really could not turn down the offer. Make no mistake that Kaiba was indeed a busy man himself, but chances had granted that today was his day off—of all days, and this had to happen. Why was Fate so cruel and why did she hate him so much?
It wasn't that he loathed spending time with his two-year old daughter, he wanted to, in fact, be around with his little family for as often as he could, but everyone knew that was hardly possible. That did not mean he stopped trying his best to, at least, be home by seven to help Kisara take care of the baby. His family's source of livelihood often snagged his precious time, and if he could, he would avoid it. Alas, such instances were inevitable for a hotshot twenty-one-year old CEO whose gaming corporation was at the very top of the industry. Overseas business meetings and conferences, and gaming tournaments always managed to snatch his valuable time and he had no choice but to show face in all of them. Mokuba was finishing off his senior year in high school, and that meant his little brother couldn't be around Seto as often as he had been used to, and that made the brunette even busier.
This day off during Mokuba's Spring break was a minute reprieve that he was all too happy to acknowledge. He was a parent for two years already, and he was still unsure about how being a father actually worked. Sure, he was there and he was watching his daughter grow up, and he had aided Kisara in nurturing the child, but there was still something missing—a piece of something he couldn't quite figure out yet. And that was annoying.
He had woken up this morning to see his wife coming out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. She mentioned something about going out today to a gathering that required her presence. It was for work, so of course, Seto relented. Kisara was a sociable person, and he hated for her to be cooped up in a fortress of a house when she could be out doing something productive and admittedly good for her well-being. His wife was a wonderful mother, and she deserved a break. Wasn't that why children were often required to have parents? Two people to support one another in aiding another vulnerable person to learn the workings of the world they constantly moved around in.
He planned to do a little bit of work, and a nurse could probably take care of the toddler for a while. He figured as much, but then Kisara had to mention that most of the workers around the house were at a day-off too. He had almost forgotten about that. The house was clean enough for one day, so basically, there was no one around today—save for the master of the mansion, his vacationing little brother, and the security force (that mostly stayed outside the house).
Kaiba had dearly hoped that his wife wouldn't suggest what was flying around in his suddenly overactive brain, but she had. She did. She had broken the news at breakfast.
"So who cooked since the household staff went on a break?" Seto inquired quietly as he sat on one of the bar stools stationed close to the kitchen islands.
"I did." Kisara chirped as she went around the kitchen fixing a healthy breakfast meal for the toddler who was exuberantly waving her arms around happily on the high chair at the very end of the kitchen counter.
The baby's gurgles and noises were easy to place in the background as Seto watched his wife intently while she was mixing a bowl of baby food on the counter.
"I'll be gone for most of the day." Kisara spoke as she finished with the food and was now shaking a baby bottle full of warm formula milk. "But I won't stay out too late. Might be home by seven." She smiled at him.
Kaiba only nodded, still watching as Kisara took her place in front of the toddler who was now eager to have her fill. It was entertaining to watch toddlers while they were being fed; mainly because it was adorable, and adults were required to be silly while doing the feeding. He was barely able to restrain an amused chortle at the scene unfolding before him—even if it did happen every single meal time. Kisara was currently pretending that the spoon was a Blue Eyes White Dragon jet—her actual words, and Serophia was laughing as she reached for her mother's hand with two tiny hands. Oddly enough, the baby spoon was indeed shaped like a Blue Eyes. That was mainly Seto's doing.
Mother and daughter finished the feeding session moments later. It was at that moment that Mokuba came in, a huge grin on his face as he greeted them all a pleasant morning.
"Where are you going, Kisara?" Mokuba inquired happily through a mouthful of chocolate cereal as he took notice of the silver-haired woman's attire.
"Something for work." Kisara beamed at the other Kaiba as she tenderly wiped Serophia off of any stray food blobs left around her cute face. "And since I'm gone, I guess you two would be busy with our little angel today." She smirked, addressing the brothers whose reactions varied. The younger Kaiba had an excited grin plastered on his face as he finished the last of his meager breakfast, and the older one seemed shell-shocked—a reaction that Kisara would deem priceless.
The toddler laughed again—for no particular reason.
"I had better get going." Kisara huffed as she finished washing her hands.
"Roland would drive you there. He'll be around so don't worry." Kaiba spoke resolutely in his no-nonsense CEO voice.
"Down!" Serophia shrieked cheerily, and everyone turned to see that she was peering over the edge of her high seat—as far as her secure confinements would allow.
Seto smirked, Mokuba snickered, and Kisara smiled sweetly as she lifted the little girl from her seat. Seto watched as his wife planted a soft kiss on the tip of her daughter's nose, making the baby gurgle out another laugh—again.
"Sero, Mommy's going out for a bit. Your Daddy and your Uncle Mokie will be around to play with you, okay?" She smiled as one hand smoothed out her daughter's rumpled mass of soft brown hair.
Serophia's face was full of inquiry. "Mommy go?" The toddler asked with beseeching crystal blue eyes.
"Mommy will come back." Kisara assured the girl. "I need a kiss before I go."
They all watched as the toddler kissed her mother's cheek loudly and giggled.
"Down!" Serophia shrieked again.
And once she was firmly set on the floor, the little girl took off in a silly fast hobble—her version of running—that had Mokuba jumping out of his seat to chase after his niece—just to make sure nothing bad happened to her. The toddler hobbled around a lot already, and from what Kaiba observed, was determined to explore every inch of the mansion if she was given the chance. Kisara watched the entire thing with a brilliant smile on her face, turning to her husband to see his reaction.
"You're not serious." Seto muttered in a flat tone, clearly exasperated at what the day began to entail.
Kisara rolled her eyes. "Mokuba will be around. Sero won't wear you out that much." She smiled mischievously before pushing herself to the tips of her toes to kiss his lips. "I know you won't let anything happen to her. Consider this as Sero's little play date with the most important men in her lives."
Seto relented with a sigh. He had to try, right? "I'll see you tonight." He kissed her lips sweetly before he walked her to the grand double doors that would lead her outside.
And thus, the CEO of Kaiba Corporations' latest predicament. He really couldn't believe that he was babysitting.
vVvVv
"Seto, your daughter needs to have her diaper changed!" Mokuba called out from the hall as he approached his brother's home office.
The CEO grunted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had left Serophia with his little brother earlier so he could finish a little bit of work, but that plan was beginning to prove futile—especially if the little girl demanded his attention. At this rate, he knew he wouldn't get anything done today. He had promised Kisara that he would spend as much time with his daughter as possible anyway, so why bother? He might as well get over the whole babysitting ordeal as soon as possible.
Mokuba appeared at the doorway a few moments later, holding the fussy toddler in his arms. Serophia always got restless whenever something in her physique bothered her, and at the moment, it was the excretion that had collected in her nether region.
Serophia had her face scrunched up in discomfort as Mokuba passed the little brunette over to her father who took her carefully in his arms.
"Why can't you do it, Mokuba?" Seto grumbled under his breath.
"Because she is your daughter." Mokuba retorted, rolling his eyes. "And besides, I'd have the diaper stuck to me instead of her again." He smiled sheepishly.
"Why does something tell me that you did that on purpose?" Seto quipped with narrowed eyes, clutching the baby closer.
"Stinky!" Serophia wailed in protest, burying her face on Seto's chest.
Kaiba sighed after glancing at the toddler and proceeded to head for his bedroom. Yeah, he definitely needed to change her diaper.
"It's a number two." Mokuba commented, snickering behind his hand.
Kaiba scowled. "Shut up, Mokuba."
The teen laughed.
A couple of minutes later, father and daughter emerged from the master bedroom, Serophia still clinging to her Daddy as her head swerved around, searching for something it seemed. He could easily smell her distinct baby scent assaulting his nostrils as she moved around in his arms. It was the hour of lunch, and it was about time he and Mokuba ate and Sero to have her meal. He was heading for the dining hall, and Serophia passed the time by singing with lyrics that only babies would really understand while tugging on the various parts of Seto's anatomy—his hair, the corner of his mouth, his ear, even his nose.
Mokuba was waiting at the dining table, two boxes of pizza sitting on top.
"I took the liberty of getting us lunch." He smiled when Serophia reached out for her Uncle.
Seto carefully passed his daughter to Mokuba while he went about preparing the baby meal. He was sure about it. Any of his business associates who could see him at this moment would have probably laughed. Imagine the great Seto Kaiba—a cruel and icy business man, a tyrannical leader over those who worked for him, an indomitable persona, an icon of power and wealth—standing in a kitchen preparing a meal meant for babies. Even he had to admit that it felt odd to find himself stirring formula milk and preparing the baby food.
It wasn't even seconds later when he found himself in the same position as Kisara was in earlier this morning; feeding the baby—with a Blue-Eyes shaped spoon—and trying to be silly. Keyword: trying, and Seto knew he was failing miserably, but Serophia didn't seem to mind. He had a slight suspicion that she was laughing at him instead of nothing in particular.
vVvVv
Seto was currently sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor of the mansion's nursery—which had been converted to Serophia's playroom ever since she could hobble. Honestly, he couldn't believe how fast his own daughter's skills developed. (There was a side of him that always insisted that she had gotten that from him.) She began speaking with baby words at one and a half, and then she resorted to crawling, that eventually led to hobbling and crawling. She used both as a means of transportation. He knew for a fact that if the little girl was too lazy to get on her own two feet, she would resort to crawling, and sometimes falling asleep in the process. (He caught her sleeping on a random patch of the floor once.)
Serophia, on the other hand, was muttering words that only babies would understand while the movie Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete played in the background. After lunch, Mokuba had suggested watching something and brought out the selection of DVDs in the toddler's playroom. His little brother had spread them out so Serophia could choose and she chose that. The movie was hardly for infants, but for some unknown reason, Serophia was fascinated with it—and Seto had Mokuba to blame. And speaking of the younger Kaiba who had introduced his daughter to a movie for teenagers, Mokuba had left father and daughter for a moment because he had to take a call from his friend from school.
Well, at least, for a brief moment, Seto didn't have to worry about entertaining the toddler without Mokuba. Serophia was intrigued with the film enough. She even actively participated in the scenes—as if she were a part of the story. She commented on the movie, speaking in an odd mix of legible human language and baby speech—even though Kaiba highly doubted his daughter could understand what was really going on.
The characters were currently fighting each other in a sheer show of violence and deadly conviction. Well, Kaiba would be lying if he ever said the movie lacked artistry. The CGI was well-mastered, and the fight scenes were as real as they could get in a Final Fantasy franchise. The sword-clashing was over the top, but it was highly commendable and interesting, and had a lot of blood shed too—which a two-year old girl shouldn't even be watching.
"Sephy mean!" Serophia screamed at the obvious villain of the movie as he stabbed Cloud Strife in the air again and again, spreading blood and letting it rain on the battlefield.
Serophia had seen this film more than once. Maybe he should be alarmed at the fact that his daughter wasn't even asking questions about the obvious attempt at murder happening before her eyes.
Shortly after Cloud had recovered and Sephiroth was banished back into the Lifestream, leaving his Remnant, Serophia had lost interest in the film and resorted to stacking a couple of building blocks scattered around the crib—which Serophia had never slept in.
Seto watched his daughter began to make a single tower by stacking one block on top of the other—trying to add some style into it in her own way. It was becoming too tall and eventually toppled over in a heap. The frustration was clear in the toddler's eyes and she kept it up for several seconds more before her last attempt crumbled again and she huffed, kicking the block with her tiny feet.
"What are you making?" Seto finally asked, amused at his daughter's stubbornness even if she kept failing at creating her own magnificent tower.
"Tower." She replied, concentrating really hard.
"You seem to be having trouble." Seto pointed out, gesturing to the heap of building blocks that had crumbled yet again.
Serophia shook her head as she pushed herself to her slightly wobbling feet. Seto instinctively reached out to steady her as the toddler began picking up the blocks again to stack them high—unperturbed even if she failed without realizing that she was really doing it the wrong way.
Seto huffed and brought himself closer to his daughter's miniature building site.
"Can I help you build your tower?" He asked, trying to keep his voice at a leveled tone—so as not to sound too impatient.
Serophia looked up at her father with wide crystal blue eyes. One block still in hand, she blinked up at him. "'Kay."
Seto smirked at that before he pulled the two-year old over to have her sit on his lap. He took her small hands in each of his own, gently maneuvering them to build a tower that would stand tall and strong.
Mokuba returned moments later to see his older brother placing the last block on top of a nicely built structure that Serophia was staring up at in complete childish awe. Seto was on his feet, Serophia held securely in one arm as he finished his daughter's creation. The little girl clapped her hands happily.
"Tower!" She cheered, laughing gleefully before pushing against her father's chest, wanting to be let down.
"Your Uncle's back." Seto pointed out.
"Mokie, look!" She turned to him, laughing as she pointed at the pile of building blocks that closely resembled a tower—a sturdy tower that reached Seto's chest.
"Wow!" Mokuba exclaimed, feigning absolute wonder. "Did you do that all by yourself?" He grinned, hands on his knees so he could face the toddler grinning up at him.
"Yes." She nodded.
"No help at all?"
"Daddy." She admitted.
"Oh I see." Mokuba glanced at Seto who had joined them after switching the television and DVD player off.
Serophia squealed with laughter as the tower toppled over in a rain of building blocks when she rammed into it with her little body. It came crashing down around her and scattered around Seto's and Mokuba's feet—both of which were staring incredulously at the added mess and the crumbled construction.
"Sephy!" The name left his daughter's lips instinctively as she broke the tower down.
Seto's eyes narrowed considerably at that. Mokuba's jaw was dropping.
"She created a tower only to destroy it." Seto shook his head.
"Godzilla right there." Mokuba chuckled, folding his arms across his chest as Serophia continued to frolic around in the ruins of the tower, trying to rebuild it only to destroy it again.
"She just declared she was Sephiroth." Seto frowned, irritated that his mind actually dared to acknowledge a movie character as the main influence on his daughter's current behavior.
Either case, that wasn't good. It meant the events that had played out in the movie had been internalized, and Seto wouldn't have that. Serophia could watch all the gory parts of entertainment that she wanted if she was at a legal age, and at the moment, being two didn't constitute as legal.
Mokuba looked suddenly sheepish.
Seto folded his arms across his chest, standing imposingly. "If she begins pretending that she's 'stabbing' you because you're Cloud, you have yourself to blame, Mokuba."
His little brother rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "She wouldn't be stabbing anybody anytime soon anyway." Mokuba insisted. "You wouldn't let her." He looked up at the brunette.
The CEO smirked, almost cruelly. "You're damn right that I wouldn't, and don't think you're off the hook either."
Mokuba gulped nervously at the dark promise in his brother's imposing words. No video games for an unsure amount of months. Maybe he should have thought twice about convincing Serophia to watch Advent Children in the first place.
vVvVv
The mansion was eerily quiet; too quiet for a place where a two-year old toddler would normally wreak havoc. He had just come out of his office in search of his brother and his little girl; only to find that something was oddly missing and extremely wrong.
"Mokuba, where's Serophia?" Seto didn't waste time beating around a bush when he found his brother rounding a corner, rubbing his eye.
Mokuba immediately snapped to attention, blinking profusely to rid himself of the cloudy haze that surrounded him. "I—"
"Wasn't she with you?" The older Kaiba asked, unnervingly calm.
Mokuba knew that telltale sign. The stance itself was a warning. His eyes demanded answers, glimmering fiercely in the afternoon light that seeped through the mansion's windows. Seto wasn't angry—not yet, just bordering on the edge of seething with wrath and incredible concern.
"She fell asleep, Seto." Mokuba explained, equally feeling anxious. "She dozed off first, and then me. I'm sorry—"
Mokuba looked up when an assuring hand was laid on his shoulder. Seto shook his head, fishing a phone out of his pocket and then speed dialing the head of security's number. Mokuba was only vaguely aware of his older brother barking orders into the phone. He knew as well as his brother did that little Sero would and could explore the mansion if she really wanted to; too stubborn for her own good and dead set on fulfilling her goal—no matter how silly it seemed to an adult. Sometimes, Mokuba even figured that Serophia was too much like her father for her own good. The little girl was a perfect mix between his brother and Kisara, but the attitude was strangely leaning more towards Seto.
"What did they say, Seto?" Mokuba asked quietly, taking a seat on one of the couches stationed in his brother's home office.
"They'll find her." Seto reassured his brother. "She couldn't have gotten far. Several grown men with common sense are faster than a two-year old toddler who hobbles."
Mokuba blinked—completely unsure. "I'm gonna go help them find her." He declared.
Seto watched his little brother leave the room before he himself got up and began a search of his own. If Serophia had left Mokuba while the latter was still asleep, then the toddler could be anywhere by now. It was only safe to say that Sero was somewhere in the ground floor—since she didn't seem to fancy climbing stairs on her own, Kaiba knew that. That fact made things easier, but this feat was not going to be a five-minute venture.
Two Hours Later...
After looking through every nook and cranny—literally, Seto checked everything inside the house while the others worked outside in finding his wayward daughter, the wearied CEO finally found the devious little toddler hobbling her way for the grand staircase—for reasons he was about to find out.
The search hadn't been easy, he had to admit. The man had to swallow his own pride as he demoted himself to searching every inch of the house in a manner that was strangely comparable to that of a desperate boy trying to locate his favorite toy—only, Seto wasn't looking for a mere possession. He was frantically searching for his own flesh and blood—who might have ran into trivial, yet dangerous, trouble if he had not found her in time.
After promptly calling off the search and stating that Serophia had been found, Seto approached the toddler who was tentatively crawling towards the foot of the stairs. He immediately picked her up, much to the tiny girl's protest. She was moving too much in his arms, being restless—a sign that she wanted to be put down.
"Down." She protested, using her hands as leverage to push herself away from her father's hold.
Seto subtly glared at the little girl whose hair was in short messy pigtails—a likely result of her rebellious adventure. Serophia looked up at him with eyes that could barely comprehend but were fully aware. She knew if she was being chastised—whether it was a look or a stern word.
"Are you being stupid?" He narrowed his eyes at the little bundle of brown hair in his arms. He would never tell anybody, but this little girl had him worried—for the first few hours of an unfruitful search. Who knew what could have happened to her?
Serophia's eyes were glistening with tears upon hearing the tone of which her father had spoken, and upon seeing the emotion brewing hotly in his blue eyes. With a thoroughly chastised face, the corners of her small lips turned down uncontrollably as salty tears rolled down her cheeks. Her face was turning red.
"Down." She whimpered, slamming her tiny fists against his forearms in protest.
Her efforts were in vain as Seto began checking her over for scrapes. Her dress was rumpled and stained and the edges were a little frayed. A light film of sweat covered her neck too. He could only guess where his daughter had ventured to. He really didn't care to know anymore. Satisfied that he could find no sign of injury, he kissed her little fist as he wiped stray tears from her cheeks. A sob racked her little body and he began rocking her gently—the same way he saw Kisara do whenever Serophia had a fit or was in need of being comforted.
"Sorry." He murmured under his breath. "I just don't want you getting hurt." He rubbed the little girl's back.
The tiny brunette calmed down in a few moments before she began tugging at his mouth to get his attention
"Book?" She mumbled, looking up at him beseechingly.
He allowed a small rare smile on his face as he nodded at her. "Okay, we'll read a book." He shifted his hold on her. "But you need to get cleaned up first, and then we need to change your diapers."
Seto made to climb the first step of the stairs to start their way for the mini library when she began pushing against him once more, urging to be let down. The disgruntled father relented—albeit reluctantly—placing Sero carefully at the foot of the stairs. The toddler was laughing again, pointing upwards as she slowly crawled on the first step. His brows furrowed, having a slight idea of what the baby was suggesting, but he was too hesitant to even consider it as a possibility.
Serophia looked up at him with an imploring gaze before she ascended to the second step—quicker about it this time. She turned to him again with huge pleading crystal blue eyes. She pointed to the very top of the landing, her mouth stretching to form a grin.
"Up!" She laughed.
Kaiba could not look away from that pleading stare. He swallowed thickly. "I don't know what you mean, Sero."
A thoughtful look crossed her adorable face and she giggled, tapping her little palm rapidly against the stone steps, still fixing him with that beseeching stare that he knew he could not withstand for another moment longer. His iron will could crumble at the sight of that...that... Whatever it was. Mokuba did that often when he was younger too. Oh, he wasn't clueless about what his daughter wanted. She was practically asking him to do something with her—in her own way, and he found the act a little too degrading.
"Up!" She repeated in an insistent tone that demanded his compliance.
Oh great. This adorable little creature that was borne out of his and Kisara's union had a power that rivaled his own. At this age, Serophia knew what she wanted, and she would make sure she would get it. Why oh why did that signature trait of his had to be passed through his genes? And into a charming little angel for that matter.
"Sero, I cannot do it." He wasn't backing down from a challenge, was he?
Serophia looked unconvinced. She smiled at him—a disarming smile that had mischief and irresistible charm laced into it; a cunning maneuver for persuasion. A combination of him and Kisara indeed.
"Daddy, up." She giggled, wiggling her little butt like a puppy about to play.
She could ask him for any toy she wanted. She could demand that he carry her all day. She could beg to watch Advent Children over and over again. He would comply with those kinds of demands. He would grant those incessant wishes, but this... This was demeaning! Not to mention embarrassing if anyone caught him. But those eyes...that smile...that adorable little face.
'Damn it, I hate cute.' He thought to himself resentfully. 'It's a challenge.' He sighed inwardly, trying to console himself from the shame that he already felt. 'I don't back down from a challenge... Even if said task was issued by a conniving two-year old little smooth-talker.'
And thus, it was through the persuasive tactics of his devious little daughter, did the indomitable Seto Kaiba get down on his hands and knees to climb the long staircase. Now that they were at the same level, Serophia blinked at him and tittered adorably before she proceeded to ascend the stairs.
"Race!" She cheered, climbing faster.
Kaiba swore under his breath as he began crawling up the stairs too.
'Easy for her to say. She's tiny! I stand at a height of 6'1.' He huffed, muttering verbal profanities at his ill luck as he climbed. Serophia was doing her task with ease, but of course she was. She was a toddler! Kaiba was a grown man.
Just this once, and he was never doing it again. It was only to appease his daughter's feelings anyway. He had been a bit rough when he had reprimanded her earlier—with a glare and some really not nice words.
He had won the race—only because he took advantage of his height and the length of his limbs. He took two steps at a time at least—or three if the situation warranted it. He had reached the top landing, winded and disgruntled with a laughing toddler crawling around next to him...and a pair of blue and white sneakers directly at his field of vision.
'Wait, what?'
Seto looked up to find his younger brother standing there, gaping at him incredulously. Mokuba's face was torn between laughing or feeling sorry for his brother's expense. Well, after being persuaded by another—and much younger—Kaiba, nobody could really blame Seto if he felt disconnected from reality at the moment. He couldn't even believe that the entirely insane fiasco just happened.
He had crawled his way up a set of stairs in a race with a toddler. Whoa...
"Big brother, are you all right?" Mokuba inquired carefully, forcing the laughter down his throat. His brother was growling like a caged animal already.
"You saw that." Seto forced through gritted teeth.
"Ummm..." Mokuba was unsure.
Seto climbed to his feet, stretching himself out to his full height. He brushed himself off and fixed his attire before staring down at his younger brother.
"Tell no one."
Mokuba watched wordlessly, a fit of quiet laughter shaking his insides as he watched the CEO of Kaiba Corporation stalk off with his daughter in tow. Well, at least Serophia had been found...
vVvVv
"Prologue:
"The chilly winds howled across the busy Lucian metropolis, chilling everything it touched with its icy fingers. Winter was on the horizon, and the inhabitants of the Crown City of Insomnia was on the verge of freezing due to the extremely low temperatures. Men and women alike huddled in their coats for some much needed warmth. In this weather, a thaw would have been the most welcome. Nobody wanted to be outside of the comfort of their homes, but none of them really had a choice—not when there were errands to run and agendas to finish; not when you had hungry mouths to feed.
"She clutched the lapels of her gray fur coat, tugging them closer with one of her gloved hands. The scarf wrapped around her neck helped keep some of her body warmth in, but it didn't really help now that the snow began to fall. Busy bodies jostled into her as she stopped walking. Pedestrians didn't break their stride as they rushed eagerly for home, but she stopped walking; not because she suddenly had the urge to be melodramatic, but because her senses had picked up something forthcoming. Someone was watching her.
"She craned her neck around to get a better view, but whatever progress she could have made would have been halted anyway. There was no way of getting a good view point from her location. She was at a disadvantage. Huffing, she buried her chin further into the confines of her the rolled up scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. She stuffed her gloved hands into the pockets of her winter coat, and tried her best to quicken her pace. Running would give her away. Walking would put her at risk, but she had a slight chance of making it out of there, and she would take that chance—no matter how slim it appeared.
"She stumbled amid walking; a likely result of a heavy man's body ramming into her. She caught a splash of red out of the corner of her eye. Someone murmured a husky apology in her ear before a breath of cold air rushed into her mouth. And she was falling... Falling as if in slow motion. Her brain was too muddled with foreign pain to even understand what was happening. There was a heavy thud, and then a shrill scream, and then a flurry of movement everywhere.
"Puffs of white and gray and icky brown covered her vision. She could see the bare tops of trees looming over her, quivering in the chilly wind that huffed across the city once more. She could hear the wails of an ambulance in the distance, and faces appeared—scrutinizing her. And then darkness consumed everything."
Seto turned the page, having just finished reading the prologue aloud for the little girl to hear. After she was cleaned up, Seto had brought her to the library to fulfill the promise of reading a book to her when she had asked him to. So after presenting her with books ranging from various genres—mostly fairy tales, she had made her choice.
Serophia was curled up against the mound of throw pillows on the cream suede couch in the mansion's mini-library, a comforter wrapped around her tiny shoulders. She had tucked herself against her father's side, staring at the crisp page filled with words she could barely understand, but was intrigued to hear.
Kaiba himself, really could not understand his daughter's way of thinking. He could have read her a simple book filled with graphic illustrations and majestic tales, but out of all the piles of books he had brought for her to read from, she had chosen the book he had picked out for himself. (He had plans to read since Serophia would doze off any moment). And since she was a toddler with an iron will, he obliged her. Perhaps it was good that she learned huge words in advance.
He had finished reading the prologue aloud and when he turned his head to check, the vibrant little girl had fallen fast asleep—breathing softly amid the warmth and the coziness of her throw pillows.
Refusing to move for fear of disrupting her much needed slumber, the man merely sighed and continued his reading in perfect silence.
vVvVv
Kisara had arrived home to the sight of Mokuba descending the stairs. A smile broke out unto her face as she caught sight of the younger brother, beaming at her with welcome cheer.
"Hey Kisara!" The teen greeted her happily, tackling the last set of steps in a couple of swift moves.
"Hi Mokuba!" She smiled, thanking Roland when he had graciously assisted her in removing the cardigan she had worn today.
"So how was it?" The younger Kaiba asked conversationally.
"Pleasantly uneventful." The silver-haired woman replied with an amused smirk. "Have you had dinner yet?"
Mokuba shook his head. "I was heading down to grab some. There's some pizza left over from lunch, I was thinking of reheating it." He remarked, poking his thumb towards the archway that led to the dining hall.
"Good idea." Kisara agreed, unwinding her scarf as she closely followed in his heels. "Where's Seto?" She asked curiously.
Mokuba shrugged. "Not really sure. Last I saw him, he was making for his bedroom." He remembered the events that had happened earlier today and couldn't help but feel amused. He itched to tell Kisara, but he knew that wouldn't sit well with his brother. Might as well let the toddler give off the signs of Seto's momentary self-humiliation.
"And Serophia?" Kisara prodded.
"She's with her Dad." Mokuba replied with a fond smile—as if that should be plainly obvious.
"So he did take my advise." Kisara mused to herself under her breath. "Did you guys have fun?"
Mokuba laughed. "Oh, we had a lot of that." He confirmed, eyes glittering with so much amusement that she almost regretted leaving for the day and missing out on everything that had happened in her own home. "Seto did say something about a library earlier today."
"I should probably go check on him, real quick." Kisara suggested, depositing her phone inside her bag as she began to turn, heading for the library.
"Sure thing." Mokuba nodded. "I'll fix dinner."
The hallways that led to the library were quiet. It wasn't eerie or disturbing, but it was just...quiet. The chandeliers that lined the very halls shone down upon her warmly, like the glow of Spring earlier this morning. Being as silent as she could, Kisara gingerly pressed down on the door handle, freeing the threshold of obstruction as she peeked inside.
The library wasn't very spacious. It was a room occupied with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and lined with various genres of reading materials. The daily subscription newspapers were brought in here for future research and investigation purposes, and just like any room in the Kaiba mansion, it was neat.
This place was normally empty, save for the few times when one of the household members would feel the need to come in here to check something from the archives. But it wasn't so devoid of people now.
She stepped into the room quietly only to find a most endearing sight. Her husband sat on one of the couches, head propped up with a closed fist, a closed book on his lap with a bookmark sticking out of it. Serophia was awake and pulling on her father's closed eyelids, prying them open so she could peer closely into his blue eyes to study them. Kisara bit her lip to keep from laughing as Seto grumbled something indignant and shoved the toddler's wandering hand away with a light swat of his own.
"Daddy?" The little girl prodded him with an insistent finger. "Book." Sero whispered loudly.
The little brunette climbed onto her father's lap without much difficulty. What followed was the cutest and possibly the most hilarious display Kisara would ever remember.
Serophia stood on her short legs, planting her feet firmly on his thigh as she pulled on his eyelids some more, opening both of them at the same time only to have Seto grumble something intelligible and fall back to sleep. He was that exhausted, but it didn't perturb their daughter. Serophia poked his mouth next, twisting his lips at bizarre angles with her curious fingers—exposing his teeth and gums at the ministrations. When that didn't seem to work, Serophia tried a different tactic. This time she tried blowing on his ears. Seto only tried to bat her face away.
Kisara was shaking with silent laughter as she watched quietly, trying not to disturb the moment. Where were cameras when she needed them? Their little angel was probably wondering why Seto wouldn't give her the attention she wanted from him. He was asleep. Frankly, Kisara was amazed that her husband was still nodding off hazily what with all the interruptions Serophia was probably making. Kisara knew for a fact that she would immediately jolt to awareness if someone began tugging at her facial features like that. Anyone would, she figured, but it seemed as if Seto was simply ignoring it, tuning it out, like he would do if he were awake.
Serophia then proceeded to squeezing the tip of her father's nose, pressing down on it as if it were a horn meant to be honked.
"Sero." The man growled in his sleep, his tone close to being immensely irritated at being bothered.
"Daddy, book." The girl insisted, holding his face between her tiny hands.
She squeezed his cheeks together, making Seto's face pucker up, all the while still trying to get his attention about the book. The little girl began pulling at his ears, and then she began messing up his hair, giggling like a mad woman.
The book had been forgotten. She only wanted her father to look as silly as possible—in his sleep.
Kisara chose this moment to step out of her hiding spot. One hand was held over her mouth, trying to stifle the giggles that had risen while she watched the comic display. Serophia lost interest in her father at the sight of her mother. The toddler instinctively reached out to her, wanting to be held.
"Mommy!" She cried, scrambling off of her father's lap, diapers crunching.
Kisara fluidly picked up her daughter and brought her close for a hug and soft kiss on her round cheeks. Seto had awoken, and he was rubbing his eyes furiously. He looked up only to be greeted with the sight of his wife smiling down at him and Sero who was still prattling on about the book in her baby speech. The door creaked open, and the small family of three turned to it only to catch sight of Mokuba on the other side.
"Dinner anyone?" Mokuba asked amiably. "There's pizza." He smiled.
"Mokie!" Serophia screeched, holding her hands out to her Uncle.
With a smile, Kisara lowered her daughter gently to the floor. Serophia immediately hobbled over to the teenager standing in the hallway.
"We'll be right there." Kisara assured her brother-in-law at the same time when Seto shot Mokuba a knowing look; a look that told him to take care of his niece for a while because Seto was going to be taking care of something else.
Mokuba gave a thumbs up in understanding and a suggestive wink that had Seto jerking his chin towards the side, signaling for his brother to leave.
It was just a precaution on Kaiba's part. He didn't know if his actions would exactly lead to that, but that didn't mean he wasn't hoping. He missed his wife too much today, and she wasn't getting away that easily. He deserved a prize for holding up his end of the bargain.
Without another word being said, Seto snagged Kisara's wrist, pulling her into the curve of his body, his lips easily finding hers. The fire raging beneath the connection wasn't suppressed for even a second. It was out of control, and they both knew it. Lips locked as tongues entwined as hands sought the touch of bare skin.
Kisara pulled back gently—only for an inch—to take a much needed breath. Seto wasn't so keen on stopping. His mouth wandered to her neck, sucking bruises and marking her skin as her fingers tangled in his thick brown locks.
"What about dinner?" She whispered hoarsely, through gasping breaths thick with longing.
"You and I are going to have something else for dinner tonight." He whispered huskily into her ear.
"I hope it's pleasant." She teased knowingly, bringing his lips up against hers once more. She needed this...badly.
"It'll be more than that."
A/N: Not the first time I ended a family fic in a scene like this. But that's how it is. :) The 'Prologue' that Seto had been reading to his daughter is actually an excerpt from a Final Fantasy XV fanfic of mine that I haven't posted yet. [Just saying in case you're wondering.] And there are way too many Final Fantasy references in this one-shot. xD My bad.
I'm still saying that I'm not good at writing Seto—even if I had written a couple of one-shots for him already. It's gonna take a while.
So, tell me what you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one-shot. Well, I don't know where my imagination will lead me next. You'll see me around, so bye, and thank you so much for taking the time to read. :)