"Once upon a time Winter fell into a deep slumber, he slept so peacefully for so long that the villagers questioned wether he would ever let Spring overcome him once again."

Some believed that extraordinary things did not happen to people in the most mundane of settings. But recalling the first time he had met her, would only prove to be a rare occasion that his intuition was incorrect. She was mundane enough, long dark hair that fell in tamed waves, earnest brown eyes that were always wide with surprise.

He didn't understand what the woman was doing in his home, and further did not understand why Mokuba insisted that she become his new nanny. It was only at his request and persistent pleading did he appoint her the position. Much to her bafflement, the confused look seemed to permanently crease her face in his opinion as the door shut in her face, her mouth parted as if she had something important to announce.

And slowly the winter that plagued the Kaiba household slowly began to wither, if even only a little, everyday she arrived with the endless warmth that she offered. At first he paid no mind to her, she left whenever he arrived and arrived when he left, offering little to no time for friendly chit-chat. Not that Seto Kaiba might even offer that much to the relationship. It was only on a day when he arrived from work unusually early did he witness it.

A lovely spring full bloom within the kitchen, the sound of laughter floating into the hall. Something that he questioned had ever occurred with the nanny's he hand picked for his younger brother. He found the two at the kitchen counter, her eyes held a bright twinkle and a relaxed smile arched onto her lips. Her elegant hands set thick pieces of fudge onto a mint green plate. Fingernails coated with a thick red polish un chipped which brought a faint image of a hand curled around the stem of a champagne glass filled with the topaz colored liquid.

"You two seem to be having fun." He coolly commented, snapping himself out of his dazed expression. As soon as her eyes fell onto his figure she resumed the flustered persona she seemed to revert to in his presence. She rambled about for a few minutes, before leaving quickly. The flowers closed once again, regressing into their armor of buds to protect from the cold chill that filled the home once again.

"You shouldn't do that Seto." His younger brothers eyes were cast down as the words escaped in his soft voice. He had replied with a simple 'I don't recall doing anything wrong.' And Mokuba simply sighed. "She'll think you don't like her." His mouth quirked up into a smirk as he ruffled the younger boys hair affectionately. No words were exchanged as they basked in each others company.

The next time he saw her was in a rush, it was very late. And she was only required to stay until midnight, any more hours and she would fall under company insurance in Kaiba corp. Though he did succumb to his brothers wish, he didn't want to supply the the flight risk per say when he knew so little about her character.

"Mokuba!" He shouted, his voice echoing as he was sure that Mokuba must be barely awake in front of a flickering television screen, his mind ran through all the possible things that could have caused harm to his brother in his absence.

"He's upstairs asleep in his room." Her voice was raspy as she called out to him from the living room, her own eyes dimmed a bit in what appeared to be exhaustion. A thin coffee cup in her hand as she took a sip. His eyes were wide as her usual bewilderment seemed to have bounced from her to him. Observing his expression for several over ripe moments her eyebrow quirked up.

"You weren't just expecting me to leave him where you?" Her words were soothing as they reassured him everything was fine. "I mean after all with all the weirdos in the world, I couldn't just leave him here to fend against a sumo wrestler turned cat burglar." He doubted she could have done much more than Mokuba in that situation, and then he questioned how a sumo wrestler would even be able to get into the house undetected. And for just a moment his cool and calm expression broke showing his confusion, her laugh sending summer heat waves throughout he home as she caught his expression.

He offered her the guest room, as it wasn't safe to be driving in an exhausted state so late at night. Though he insisted that it was only because Mokuba would be devastated. But he only received a a bright smile in return as she refused.

"I'm thankful for the offer but Peter gets lonely if I don't come back home." He wondered why he would even imagine that she didn't have a lover, it was no wonder she was always so eager to leave. But no matter what he thought, he could not deny that she had impressed him, leaving slightly larger boots for her replacement when she quit.

And so the days slowly passed, becoming warmer with each. The chilly wind still lingered accompanied with an occasional bitter thought about Peter. He found her so much like a child, that he often questioned wether or not she should be taking care of anyone other than herself. Though the two seemed to enjoy one another enough to dissolve any real worry that she could be a threat to his safety.

It was about a week later that she stopped him at the hallway.

"I was wondering if it would be alright to attend an interview for a professor position at a university tomorrow." He should have expected it, she was overqualified for this position in the first place, and had probably only accepted upon Mokuba's insistence. And it would seem that Peter would not settle for some trophy house wife, he wanted a wife who could hold her own. And despite her assurance that if he didn't agree with the idea she would not attend, he told her it was fine.

He assured himself that it was no concern of his what she chose to do outside of her job. Though the smallest corner of his heart screamed, it begged him to lurch forward and tell her that he didn't want her to do that. That was what surprised him the most, not that he held concern for this woman, but that somewhere deep down he still possessed the ability to make selfish, childish, and overall irrational requests from others.

She came tomorrow acting as if nothing had even ever happened, treating Mokuba with her usual kind smile as they did various activities together. And he would flash her a smile that was equally as bright as hers, as warm as the hottest day in the summer.
It was some days latter that he came home early, his corporations latest need our had gone successfully and she happily clapped her hands together, preparing tea to go with something sweet she had made.

He wasn't quite sure how it had gone over when he thought about it in his head, all he remembered was seeing her wince as he bare hand made contact with the hot kettle. Skin turning an alarming red, before he even knew what he was doing himself he grabbed her arm.

"Are you stupid? No one's going to marry you if your hand is covered in burn marks." He hissed, almost instinctively leading it towards the sink where he turned the water pressure on full.

"Seto," her voice soft like the lullaby his mother sung him to sleep with, eyes so warm it reminded him of the richest earthy tones. But what brought on his wide eyes, was the fact she had referred to him in his first name. "The waters boiling hot!" Her voice came out in a shrill squeal.

It seemed that our Hero seemed to have turned the wrong knob in his rage, and his tight grip allowed no escape. And so he found himself sitting across from her on the kitchen counter. His hand gently placed around her wrist, bandages slowly encompassing the area. Tough he was comfortable with the silence, he was next to sure she wasn't.

"You shouldn't do that Seto, she'll think you don't like her."

"How did your interview go?" His voice stood out amongst her surroundings just as her now swollen red hand did. The question itself seemed an appropriate ice breaker, but the furrow in the corners of her mouth would prove otherwise.

"It was fine," his quirked eyebrow informed her that by her blank tone it wasn't simply 'fine' as she put it. "They said I was qualified, but too young to actually gain any respect from my students." The words erupted out of his mouth, tongue dancing an unfamiliar tune before he could even fully comprehend what he was saying.

"Thats idiotic, if I were to deny you of a job it wouldn't be because you're too young." His tone was so defiant she wondered where this was leading. "I would deny you a job because you feed children too much sugar and fail to increase his learning abilities in the time you spend together." He was surprised when he heard her laughter. Despite having heard it multiple times while around Mokuba, it brought an entirely different experience.

"I think I understand why Mokuba loves and respects you so much." Her smile made his heart squeeze, so full of happiness that her eyes were almost shut. "It might look on the outside like you couldn't care less, but it's actually the opposite isn't it?" Each word so soft and comforting, like a mothers soft caress of the forehead amidst a child's cold.
"That's all you can do, care. You care so much, I find it hard to believe anyone could even think of disliking you in the slightest." He wanted to snap, and tell her flattery would get her no where, that she was just wasting her breath.

But somehow this girl who seemed to have spring hounding at her heels constantly, brought a bit of spring in his own personal winter. The snow melting into water as small sprigs of grass shot up from the ground. Unknown to himself, was that flowers were already beginning to bud in the depths of his heart. And he wished to do nothing but embrace the heat, as if he were a plant himself, striving to claim his birth right to bask in the sun. His red face poorly hidden by his nest hair.

But Peter did not fail to leave his mind, as with everyday there connection grew stronger, so did his hatred for Peter. He wondered how he could find himself detesting a man he had never met. Over something as frivolous as a woman. He questioned wether or not Peter felt strong feelings towards him as well. Surely having his lover at the Kaiba estate Constantly would ignite jealousy in even the most trustworthy men. He always found a smirk on his face whenever he thought of Peter with his mousy features -hardly even a man at all- inflamed in his own jealousy as he thought about the overwhelming good qualities of Seto Kaiba.

"Seto, Seto did you hear me?" His head snapped up, it seemed his fantasies had distracted him from the real object of his constant attention. His blank stare caused her to exhale loudly.

"I'm taking Peter to the vet tomorrow, so I might be a little late." All he heard was Peter and his internal tangent went on once again, of course she had to take Peter to the vet, as if the poor simpleton couldn't go- and then he truly heard her.

"The vet?" Taking his confusion in the complete opposite direction she continued to speak.

"Yes, I hope you don't mind, he's been completely miserable lately and he's a purebred so his health risk is much higher, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if he had heart worms or cancerous tumors and I just let it escalate." And finally Seto Kaiba put two and two together -which everyone had expected had already happend what with his cunning intellect.- but just to be sure...

"What animal does Peter's veterinarian specialize in?" She raised an eyebrow, as if the answer should be obvious.

"Dogs of course."

And so he let the last bit of winter melt away from his heart inviting spring with open arms. Allowing her in completely, the potential to be loved as well as to be hurt.
And gradually he began to fall in love with her, so much so that her smile caused him to smile as well.

But even spring, despite it's livelihood, must end.

She stood in front of them, hair hiding her eyes, a faint smile illuminating her face as she told them her piece.

"So don't worry I'll be fine, and I'm sure there are people capable more than I of being Mokuba's nanny." He, never in a million years, would believe that the interview he allowed her to attend would turn into a successful opportunity. After so many rejections he was sure she felt the same. He could not deny that it was nothing short of a miracle that she had stayed as long as she had, whatever university had picked her up had been intelligent enough to see the obvious worth she held. And so without another word she left, her goodbye to Mokuba had been done a few days before, only agreeing to leave permanently if he allowed her to do so.

But what about him? What about his closure? What about the pain he would feel?

Somehow he found the strength to stand, and soon after the power to walk arrived as well. With each second passed becoming more stable and enveloping until he was in a full sprint.

"Seto where are you going?" He hear Mokuba scream after him, his eyes glassy as well.

"To get our Nanny back!" He growled, the low tones shocking the younger of the two in paralysis.

She was twenty feet away from her car when he grabbed her arm. She flinched from the sudden contact. Body stiff in posture.

"I want you to stay." That was the first thing that left his lips as he met the other in a warm gaze. Sapphire blue meeting brown.

"Se-"

"No, I don't want to hear anymore of this there are Nanny's more capable than me crap," his eyes and tone so fierce that she was forced into obedience as she patiently listened. " because Mokuba and I don't need a Nanny, we need you." Before she could even provide an adequate response he engulfed her in a tight embrace. Her own slowly encircling him as well.

"Me too, I want to stay too."

"And so bit by bit Winter began to fade, but unlike what the villagers thought: he did not disappear but turn into spring himself, so she and his brother would never be alone ever again."