Familiar Stranger
By Lindsay R. Honosky
Chapter Two: I Knew You When
Oh man, I have readers! THANK YOU READERS! I was so worried that no one cared about this series anymore that I almost didn't post this story. But since I got your wonderful reviews, I have been motivated to keep it going! Thank you all, and I hope you like this chapter too! (Any feedback would be wonderful, it lets me know someone is reading it, lol).
"You. . .!" It was the only word that came from him, followed promptly by the most awkward silence she had ever experienced in her life. He just kept staring at her, with those unblinking, breath-taking blue eyes. She knew she had to be blushing, but then she started to get a little angry with him. She stayed quiet for another minute, and then crossed her arms.
"You know, a picture would last longer."
That seemed to work, because Seto's eyes seemed to come back into focus, and he blinked, "Huh? Oh!" Standing abruptly, he almost shouted, "It wasn't what you were thinking--"
"Uh-huh, sure. Anyway, you're Seto Kaiba, right?" She extended her hand, "I'm Kisara, your newest employee." For a moment he hesitated, as if one touch would make her crumble into dust and blow out the window. When he did grab her hand, it was very gently, and he barely even shook it. She smiled at that, "What, would you rather I had given you a high five or something?"
He didn't smile, something told her he rarely did. Instead, he put a hand on his hip and looked away, "No, I just don't normally get such a forward greeting from a maid. How long have you been working here, again? Miss--?"
"Kisara," she laughed slightly, "and today would have been my first day, if I hadn't gotten lost."
He seemed surprised, "You 'got lost'? Didn't whoever hired you give you directions?"
"Um, well, yeah. . ." She looked away, to embarrassed to face him.
Thankfully, he didn't laugh in her face. Instead, she heard something of a relieved note in his voice as he said, "Well, if you hadn't have gotten lost, Mokuba would be in danger now. So I guess I can excuse your mistake just this once."
"Seto!" Mokuba said, sternly, "She saved my life! And all you can do is warn her about not screwing up in the future?" Seto was about to say something back, but the younger Kaiba broke him off, "We are both very grateful to you, Miss Kisara; you put your life on the line for me, and for that we are both eternally grateful." He shot a look at his older brother, as if daring him to say something back.
Only an amused smirk traced his lips, "You're right, Mokuba, how rude of me." And just like that it was gone, replaced by such a cold mask it sent chills down her spin. She wondered what happened to give him such a frigid, hateful face at his age. His eyes changed to the windows, the setting sun turning them almost a black color. Without a word to anyone, he picked up his cell phone and began to dial who Kisara assumed was another employee of his. She couldn't make out what the voice on the other end was saying, but she heard what Seto said all to clearly, "I'll be taking the new girl home tonight. . . Yes, if you wouldn't mind, make sure he get's to bed by ten--"
"Ten?! I'm not eight anymore, Seto--"
"Yes, ten o'clock. . . No, no, I'm sure of it. I haven't been driving in a while and I've been meaning to look into something. . . Yes, you too. . . Goodnight." The phone made a quiet beep, but to Kisara it sounded like a thunderclap. Seto looked up at her, simply saying, "Come."
"What?" She just stood there, a little more than shocked. Is he really going to take me home? She smiled at the ludicrous situation of it, Seto Kaiba is going to take me home? She started to giggle, a little at first but then into full out laughter.
Seto turned, seemingly unfazed, "Is something wrong?"
"No, no," she gasped, "just, well. . ." She took a deep breath and straightened herself, "Don't you have anything better to do than take me, a maid, home?"
It was hard to tell in the light of the setting sun, but for a moment she thought she saw him blush, "Would you rather walk home?"
"Huh? Oh!" She started waving her hands, her smile quickly vanishing to a more worried look, "I didn't offend you, did I? I wasn't laughing at you, per se, it was more at the thought of some millionaire hot-shot driving a girl like me back to the slums--"
"You're not helping your case," Seto said flatly, "and I'm only doing this because you saved Mokuba, and right now I'm not really in the state of mind to trust anyone outside of this room."
"But you just called someone to put him to bed at ten that clearly wasn't in this room--"
"Alright, walk home." He started for the stairs.
"Oh wait! I was just teasing!"
The both stopped when they heard Mokuba laughing. He was practically on the floor, gasping for breath. It took him a while to notice they were staring at him. Seto raised an eyebrow, "What?"
Mokuba wiped his eyes, "What do you mean, 'what'? Don't you see what's going on?" They both stared at him with blank expressions, "Oh forget it. You know, bro, you might be a genius, but when it comes to certain things you're almost as clueless as Joey." When he continued to just stare at him, Mokuba sighed, drooping his shoulders, "Nevermind. Anyway, Kisara, I'll come too, so you don't have to worry about anything."
"What did she have to worry about in the first place?!" Seto shouted, his face growing visibly crimson.
"Eek!"
"What?!" Both Seto and Mokuba screamed, both changing their attention to the girl in the middle of the room.
This time she was blushing, "Um, that's my roommate," she laughed. The vibration of the phone had scared her so badly Kisara had screamed, and now she was probably being thought of as an idiot. The phone range several more times until she finally answered. Putting her back to the two Kaibas, she whispered, "What?!"
"Where the hell are you? You said you'd be off at before nine, and it's already nine forty-five! Are you still at work? Do I have to come get you?" Mahad screamed over the phone. She worried if they could hear him.
Kisara attacked back, "So what if I did get off at nine? I'm not a little girl anymore, I can go to other places besides work!"
He was silent for a second, then his voice darkened, "Kisara, did something happen today?"
"N-nothing happened. I mean it's not like I was going to get raped or anything! God! What kind of dark, twisted mind do you have, buddy? I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to move in with you--"
"Something did happen!"
She paused, surprised, "How did you know that?"
He laughed, a note of annoying cockiness to his voice, "Because whenever something bad happens, you try to cover it up by rambling like a moron. Anyway, where are you? Do I need to come get you?"
"No, I mean, wait," she turned around and looked at Seto, "Um, are you going to give me a ride?"
"Only if you promise not to say anything."
"Done." She went back to her phone, "Yeah, I have a ride. I'll be home in about an hour or so."
"Alright, I'll keep the door unlocked then."
"Why?"
He laughed again, "Guess what you forgot this morning." With that, the phone bleeped once more, and the call ended.
Reluctantly Kisara reached into her pocket, but already knew it was empty. So what, she forgot her house key, it's not like should couldn't stand outside all night banging on the door until he opened up.
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Like she promised, Kisara was quiet during the ride. It was driving her insane, but she was trying. Seto made it a point to not even turn the radio on. The city was spectacular at night, the road they were on causing it to look as if they were flying through the night sky. The ocean was a vast stretch of black, like an endless abyss of darkness that threatened to swallow the tiny city of lights entirely. Of course, the building with the huge KC logo was the most prominent of the buildings, what with its two enormous spotlights. She rolled her eyes, then looked over at her driver.
His eyes never moved, his arms were rigid, like if he made a simple motion their lives would end right then and there. She guessed she was staring at him, because he sighed and asked sharply, "What?"
"Why did you say 'you' when we first met?"
He laughed, a tint of sadness in it, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"Remember your promise?"
"Yeah, I'm not good at keeping those, so spill it. What, you some sort of weird stalker on MySpace or FaceBook or something?"
"No, nothing like that!" He shouted, then he saw that impish smile on her face and realized she was joking. Is she really that girl? They were so similar it sent chills up his spine, however the girl he had seen in that dream was very soft-spoken and seemed gentle. Nothing like the woman sitting in his passenger seat. And there was something else, too, but every time he tried to recall it his head began to hurt. Realizing that she wasn't going to stop bothering him until she answered, he simply said, "I dreamed about you, or someone who looked like you."
She stared at him flatly, "You 'dreamed' about me? How is that any better from being a stalker?"
He shrugged, "Believe what you want to, but I told you the truth. Now," Seto turned his attention to an upcoming corner notorious for crashes, "why don't you have a last name? I checked on your file before we left, and it only said 'Kisara'."
He saw her eyes unfocus, and she visibly receded into herself, "I don't have a last name."
"You're an orphan?"
If looks could kill, Seto would have died at least twelve times. Quickly, he said, "Relax, so am I. Mokuba and I lost our parents when I was twelve; I don't remember my last name either."
"Y-you are?" No way. . .! Her heart started beating as if she had just ran ten miles. Tears came to her eyes as she looked at the man before her, but she dare not let them fall. How could it be him? Was fate really so twisted as to bring them here, under these circumstances. Restraining everything she had in her, she asked, "Was it a co-ed orphanage? Or, well, what?"
The brakes squealed as if they were alive and being torn in pieces. Luckily she had her seat belt on, or she would've flown right through the windshield. She would've screamed at him, followed promptly by a punch to the face, until she saw that his hands were shaking. In fact, he looked down right ill. Sweat beaded down his forehead, and for a moment Kisara thought that he was going to kill over. Instead, one extremely shaky hand when to his face, slid down it, and stopped long enough to cover his mouth. For a long time they just sat in the middle of the road, nothing making a sound.
Seto looked at her, and it was as if something had unlocked inside his mind, as if a dark fog had cleared and there he was, standing with a little blond girl, watching the leaves fall from the nearest oak outside of the orphanage. He didn't trust himself to speak, however he managed to say, "We went from place to place, and had to leave one. . . One that was an all male orphanage, save for one little girl." This was to insane, to improbable. How could some girl he'd known as a small child be sitting here, right next to him, and no less the one girl who he owed everything to.
The girl that told him of the Blue Eyes.
A knock on the window startled them both, as noted by their simultaneous leap of five feet inside the car. Breathing hard, Seto rolled down his window to reveal a policeman standing outside, a concerned look on his face, "Is everything alright, sir?"
"Y-yes," he said shakily, even though it wasn't alright. The cop shined his flashlight into the car, spotting Kisara.
A know-it-all smile crossed his lips, and he lowered himself to eye-level with Seto, whispering, "Hey, don't get me wrong, kid. She's a beauty, but let's try to make it home before getting busy? You could've been blocking traffic."
"That's not what--!" Biting his tongue, Seto simply said, "Yes, officer. Sorry about that, we'll be on our way."
"You have a nice night, ma'am," he said to Kisara, before whispering once more to Seto, "and give her some time to breath, kid; she's gasping for air over there."
"Good night, sir," Seto growled before slamming into the gas. He had to refrain from going over the speed limit; he couldn't image what he would've done to that cop if he'd pulled them over again, but he knew it would've ended with him in prison, or worse.
Once they were well out of range of the policeman, Seto (more gently this time) pulled over and stopped the car at a scenic view that overlooked the harbor. Boats bigger than any building in the city were linned up side-by-side, awaiting their next destination for trading countless goods between countries. He knew that most of them were probably carrying his goods, though they were to far away for him to distinct any specific one. Pine trees lined the area to their left and right, along with a few decorative boulders to give the place a more mountainous look. Despite all that there was plenty of white paper bags from countless fast food restaurants to ruin the illusion.
They sat in silence for the longest time, neither one either brave enough or able to speak at the moment, until Seto finally said, "Why are you here?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you here?" There was more worry in his voice than anger, "After all these years, after, after everything. You just suddenly show up out of nowhere, and are, are working for me?! Don't you think that's just a bit to, to--"
"Convenient?"
"No, not that--"
"Creepy?"
"No, not--" He stopped, once again finding her smiling. He was to tired and to confused to fight back. One word just kept playing back and forth in his mind: why?
Kisara, sitting back in her seat, shrugged, "How do you know I'm the same girl?"
"Because you brought it up."
"Fair enough, so we knew each other. Why does it have to be some conspiracy? Why not just plain dumb luck?"
"Because it doesn't exist."
"Right, well," she turned and smiled at him again, so sweetly that for a moment Seto thought she was making fun of him again, "I'm not here because I was sent here, I'm not trying to get anything from it, and if truth be told, I had my doubts about who you were until I saw your face, so stop staring at me like I'm going to turn into a dragon or something."
A dragon, he thought, a smile on his face, she just had to say a dragon. . . Memories of a sunny afternoon on the swing set played into his mind:
She stopped, dust flying up from her feet as she slowly lost speed. Seto followed, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Lets run away together, Seto! You and me, and Mokuba too! We don't need this place, we've got each other!"
"Um. . ."
"Just kidding," she said, giggling. She looked up into the sky, her eyes almost taking the same hue as the heavens above them. Her face grew more serious than he'd ever seen her, "Hey, Seto."
"Yeah?"
"You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you? You and Moki, I mean, to that new place in the city."
His head dropped, "Kisara. . ."
"Promise me something, okay?"
"Okay."
"When you become rich and famous, make sure you get all those Blue Eyes cards."
It took him a second to realize what she had said, "W-what? Why the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"
Something lit up inside her, "Because if you have those, nothing bad can happen to you! You'll be the strongest person in the universe, Seto!" She laughed, blond hair dancing in the wind, "Then I won't have to worry about you when you're gone away from me."
"Kisara, how do you know I'll even be famous--"
"Promise me!"
"Okay, okay!" He said, laughing while dodging her tiny fists, "I promise."
"Seto?"
He was lost in thought, so she shouted his name, "Seto!"
"W-what?" The face he was looking at now was just somewhat older than the one from his memory, but all the more breath-taking. She had been his first friend, if not his only friend, before Gozaboro had adopted them. And now here she was. Right here. Next to him.
"Seto, you're staring again."
"Sorry, it's just--"
"I'm glad to see you again too, Seto, but," she laughed, "if you don't take me home soon, my roomate'll kill us both."
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It was late. Really late. At least after one in the morning. She hoped Mahad was still awake, though she didn't have to worry to much because once she topped the stairs she saw his slumped form in front of the door to their apartment. Rolling her eyes, she walked up to him, gently tapping him on the shoulder, "Hey, I'm home."
His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment he didn't know where he was. Then it all hit him and he shot up from the floor, nearly knocking her down, "Kisara! Where have you behmmphf!?"
Shhing him, and removing her hand from his mouth, she said, "Come on, let's get inside. You'll never believe the day I had."
"Where's your ride?"
"He had to get home," she lied. In fact, she had told him that she wanted him to go and check on Mokuba, fishing for anything to make him go home. Otherwise they more than likely would've been under the wrathful eye of Mahad, Big Brother and Paladin of Suspected Love Interest.
"He? Is this the same guy who made you where that stupid uniform?"
She sighed, exhausted, "Inside. Now."
"Alright, alright, but you better tell me everything," an arrogant smile on his lips, "I'll just find out anyway."
"Yeah, yeah, you're all powerful and all that jazz. But I'm tired, I know you are, so it's time for bed. Now unlock the door."
"Uh. . ."
"Don't tell me?"
"Yeah," he laughed sheepishly, "I forgot the key inside."
As many colorful words escaped her lips, Mahad watched Kisara march down the hallway to the owner's room, thankful that she had atleast made it home in one piece.
