The rain crashed recklessly onto the soaked pavement, drumming its fury into the Earth's entrails with every rush of lightning that poisoned the white sky above. The wind ran around her with a crazed passion that seeped into her waving hair, spitting it against the cold of her pink cheeks, against cold, swollen lips.
Her honey smeared eyes peeked out from beneath the umbrella fortress that kept her hidden from the rain's rage, scanning the empire that stood before her, its tip long lost in the depths of the city sky, its bold name releasing heavy drops that collided harshly with the world beneath.
As her gaze returned to the gleaming entrance that awaited her arrival, her lips stole a fragment of the fierce wind shouting around her, hoping to feed the skittish courage that she knew she would need to talk to the man waiting inside.
His stale voice had commanded only three stiff words into her ear when he called earlier that morning, not bothering to say hello, not bothering to say goodbye, but leaving the dead tone of the telephone line as a palpitating warning if she were not to heed his orders.
"Get over here."
So here she stood, cold, anxious and alone.
Not wanting to stay outside, yet not completely wanting to go in, for the harsh weather she now stood prey to, she knew, would not compare to the chill that would overwhelm her inside.
As the knot in her stomach grew tighter, and the thunder above louder, the imposing digital clock that guarded the main entrance flashed as yet another minute melted away into the pending storm, reminding her that time was of the very essence.
With one last breath full of bravery she made her way in as the sliding doors slithered open to receive her, to deposit her in the dragon's den.
As the doors behind her closed, the rampage of noises outside immediately stripped down to only the click of her heels on the marble floor as she advanced further into the luscious lobby of the Kaiba Corporation.
The glow that lit the room was one of sheer elegance, oblivious to the wreckage outside, discreet yet imposing, quiet yet loud.
Just like him.
As she gathered nervous stares from the surrounding employees it seemed confidence leaked, fleeing from her every pore, despite her best attempts at freezing it unto her skin like the mask that was signature of a Kaiba.
One foot in front of the other, she strode her way towards the elevator, head held high, gaze held forward, ignorant to the whispers and looks stemming from the people around her.
As she stepped closer, her heel wavered before finally stabbing the carpeted floor of the lonesome elevator, depositing her in an eerie silence as the doors quietly slid shut, confining her only to the nervous squeal of her veins as they squirmed inside her, shifting and turning with every push and tug of the elevator as it meekly ascended to the top floor.
It seemed the chill of her cousin's ego spilled unto the entire building, for even in the confines of the elevator her bones felt their delicate lining crust with ice.
She didn't visit very often and scarcely glanced at the building when she drove by, she felt the menacing vigor of her relative protruded even onto the blackened street below.
A tinge in her heart felt angst at the simple thought of having to work in the corporation, of performing tasks under his harrowing gaze, his heavy pressure. She scarcely mingled with him when at home, which frankly he wasn't very much, without considering the thought of having to spend the majority of your time encircled with his ice.
A sorrowful sigh escaped her lips while trembling fingers clutched at the coat that clung to her body as the final chime rang threateningly in her ears.
The doors once again slid open, the brightness that immediately stung at her eyes willing them closed, for the office walls were naught but infinite extensions of glass, letting in the pale emblem of winter, the unfathomable white sky.
For an instant it felt as if the elevator, that now slid discreetly back downward, had deposited her not in the posh lobby of a hushed office, but in a faraway fragment of the sky, of heaven perhaps.
The thick fog of the bleary day was the only thing surrounding the Kaiba Tower, the only thing visible no matter how hard her eyes strained to see the city she knew slept below the volatile blanket.
The androgynous light gave the office an even more boundless feeling, one of complete blankness.
She forced a gulp down her throat as she willed her long legs forward into the powerful stench of the CEO's office.
A mourning silence lingered 'round the room, broken only by the constant clashing of a woman's nails with the keys of a keyboard.
Her shaky steps no longer emanated any sounds, for the dark carpet beneath her muffled any sound that dare disturb the divine peace that filled the lobby.
Her breaths seemed few and far apart, her thumping heart reminding her of the daggers the man sitting behind the wooden door, was able to inflict.
His secretary had long since stopped questioning her visits, her identity, for her cousin had done the sensible thing and recognized their familiarity when he considered it most convenient, a move impulsed by brain rather than heart, no doubt.
Now, only a solitary and pitiful gaze was directed her way, for many a time the woman had seen her emerge with tears in her eyes, with pain in her brow. She knew the things she'd heard, the shouts, the venom.
Burying the memories in the depths of her mind, she took the final steps toward the door, raising her clenched fist, noticing for the first time the white hue that had stained her knuckle, one that matched the sky she seemed to hover on.
Killing her hesitation once it began to irritate her, she let her fist clash with the hard wood, again and again until she heard the familiar response come from the other side.
"Come in." He said, distant and void. His tone of voice wise to her identity.
Her slim hand slid down the wood until it reached the cold metal doorknob, gripping it like her last lifeline and turning it.
Glass walls, soft carpet and impeccable furniture greeted her quivering eyes. Had he not been sitting at the front of the long desk she would have thought the office inhabited.
His long fingers danced on a keyboard like a musician on a piano, his gaze fixed on the screen that reflected its contents upon his pale blue eyes. Strands of chocolate grazed hair teased at his lashes, though he seemed anything but bemused, for a frown as dark and deep as the sea stretched across his face, nothing new for the young man sitting atop an empire that bore his very name, for the young man that had taken in an even younger, vulnerable girl when she became an orphan, a few years back. The same girl that now stood before him, nervous gaze hardening to mirror his.
For short seconds that felt like long dreary hours, a still silence hugged the two in a freezing embrace, broken only by his constant typing.
For a mere second, the thought to turn around and flee crossed her mind, but her Kaiba imprinted pride kept her bolted to the floor beneath her.
He merely gazed at her then the seat in front of him, no words needed to communicate his intention.
Trying to anchor calmness into her facade, she directed her body forward then into the chair, being cautious about her every move, for she knew the predator that lie inside her cousin, the one that picked up the slightest hint of fear, of hesitation, then used it as a weapon for his anticipated attack.
She felt him wait for her to settle into her seat, she felt the premeditated words sitting upon his closed lips heat up, like a machine ready to fire.
As she willed her spine to stretch until it could no more to hide the coward she knew would eventually come afloat as it always did in the presence of her relative, his slim lips began to part, as he drew a stealthy breath to further ignite the growing fear inside her.
"You need to move out." He finally rasped.
Her body stood still as it digested the words that had fired from his lips, as the turbulent waters of her mind tried so desperately to still themselves after the stone he had so carelessly dropped into them.
For his words were not a question, not a recommendation, they were a command.
"You have inherited the entire dynasty of Kaiba Banks and Hotels from your deceased parents and have done absolutely nothing with them over the course of this year. I refuse to continue supporting you, financially and in any other way you may require." He continued upon receiving nothing but silence.
"I give you one month to find another place, to begin work in at least one bank and leave the house."
His fingers slid an awaiting folder across the desk, leaving it to the mercy of her widened eyes, searching him for any sign of hesitation he might have upon the words he was now pronouncing.
"I've told you before, the death of my parents, the sudden move, it's all been too much, I couldn't possibly hand-" She began, interrupted by his piercing words, swooping in rapidly as the stench of their conversation took a familiar turn.
"Save it. I gave you more than enough time to at least begin looking into reactivating the banks, tell me, have you read any of the files I have sent you?" He asked harshly, leaning in to further aggravate his question.
She gulped as her breath fought for a way out of her lungs, the answer burning at her tongue.
"You would turn your back on your own blood? On your ow-"She began yet again, though her words resulted in yet another futile attempt from her behalf.
"I've heard it before Diana." He cut in as easily, like an eagle swooping down for his meal. Slowly his icy orbs twisted from her face back to the screen in front of him, ending the short conversation.
Her eyes digressed unto the scenery behind him, as if the answers that now felt vital to her existence were to somehow be found far far away from her.
"Thank you." She finally whispered hoarsely, somewhat in sarcasm, somewhat sincerely.
With more pride than she had ever wanted to muster, she stood from the chair, taller and stronger than she felt inside.
With secure steps she rushed out of the office, rushed past the secretary sitting in expectant silence, rushed down the countless floors of the damned building and hurried out to the pouring rain.
She let the world bathe her, let the clouds drop unto her the weight she felt constricting her, stealing her of every last ounce of will she could contain. Her bitter tears soon protruded from her glossy eyes, eager to mingle with the raindrops streaking rapidly down her face.
Numb fingers weakly signaled for a cab, feeling like transportation was only one of many needs that now would burden her, feeling like she was signaling for much, much more than that.
At once a bright yellow cab halted in front of her, giving her the temporary shelter her life had always been comprised of.
As she slammed the door shut and turned her gaze to the rear view mirror that held aloft a pair of expectant green eyes, she felt her body begin to tremble, from the cold or the tears she did not know.
As a shaky breath danced upon her lips, she began to utter the one word she always did when the world began to weigh far too much for her feeble strength.
Home.
Before the thought condensed into words, reality so shockingly settled in. She no longer had a home, or perhaps, she never truly did.
"The Kaiba Manor." She solemnly said, hearing the obedient purr of the engine respond as the car pulled away, further from KaibaCorp and into a direction she no longer knew.