The White Rose
Chapter 2: The First Encounter
A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction
By: Mazakai
Started: September 29, 2005
Completed: November 13, 2005
Posted:
Disclaimer: First off, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did I wouldn't be writing this, I would be sitting on the beach of my private island with my own personal Seto Kaiba!
Warning: This is story about the death of the new Kaiba Patriarch and the life of his now widowed wife and his brother after his death.
Recap from chapter one:Okay so Seto Kaiba is no longer of this world and his wife and little brother now run Kaiba Corp in the same way Seto did. Hailey starts to hallucinate, the death of her husband is now coming back to haunt her. Well his eyes and cold laughter at least. After a press conference, she receives a call from some maniac who tells her something bad is going to happen to Mokuba. And now the story continues.
"Kaiba! Open this door!" Angry fists pounded the door to Seto's office.
The door flew open and an angry looking aqua haired man stood there. "Why Dartz, what a pleasant surprise, I thought we had settled our little matter today in the board room."
"I not here for pleasantries, Mr. Kaiba," Dartz's voice rose through the hallways. "Why the hell did you do what you did?"
"I did what I had to do to insure my companies name wasn't marred by any of the companies that I involved my company with. I found out what you where doing behind my back and under my company's name. I will not keep such ties with someone or something like this" Seto replied smoothly, like he was discussing the matter over a brandy at the country club.
Dartz's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have no idea who and what you're messing with Kaiba."
Seto laughed. "I think I do." He said. "If you knew of half the things I could and probably will do to someone who did what you did to my company, you wouldn't have even thought of the idea to do such a thing. I suggest that you leave it at this and get on with your life. You can always start over again, but that doesn't mean much really, Kaiba Corp. still could out run your pathetic excuse for a company"
"Take that back! My company is just as good as yours is!" Dartz yelled, anger flickering in his multi-colored eyes.
Seto chuckled. "Your company never has compared to Kaiba Corp. and it never will, so get out of my face."
Dartz snapped. He launched himself at Seto, punching every inch he could reach. It took a few minutes before Seto could comprehend what was happening, and then he fought back, however, and Dartz was panting on the floor, clutching his stomach.
A small trickle of blood slowly ran down Seto's chin from the corner of his mouth. "Get the hell out of my house, Dartz! Never come near me, my family, or my company ever again!" he yelled, drawing his sleeve over his chin.
Dartz stood up. "I'll leave, Kaiba, but this isn't the last time you'll see me. I will get my revenge for this Mr. Kaiba. You have been warned" He slowly limped out of the room.
Hailey awoke with a yelp. She had worked a few more hours after that mysterious phone call, but that voice kept coming back to haunt her work. She had to get a way form Kaiba Corp. so she drove around Domino on her cycle and stopped at the park, trying desperately to clear that call out of her memory. She had decided not to tell Mokuba about it. He might think that she needed to go back to the therapist, and that was the last thing that she wanted. So she left the park and drove back to the Kaiba mansion.
When she got home she immediately went to her office, and just sat in the dark for awhile, letting the stress of the day seep out of her and into the darkness. At about eleven Mokuba stopped by her office and came in to tell her that he was going up to bed and not to work herself to late into the night. He kissed her on the top of her head, and left her once again in the dark.
Though at eleven thirty, she decide that she would rather fall asleep in he nice soft bed than at her desk, so she trekked her way up stair and stopped out side of Mokuba's room, and found him sound asleep, curled up in his comforters like he had been the night Seto had died. He almost looked like that rambunctious little boy that she had met seven years ago, except for the fact that he was now about six foot five, and he had Seto's hair style and looks. "Good night Mokuba. I love you." Hailey had whispered as she closed his door and went down the hall to her own room. She quickly changed into her pajama pants and a black tank top, and went to sleep instantly.
And now here she was, awake at three o'clock in the morning, after having one of the weirdest dreams ever, about something she had never witnessed. 'What the hell was that about? I never remember meeting that man. Though he seemed familiar in some way. Oh well, I need to go back to sleep, nice big meeting in the morning.' Hailey thought as she walked around her room trying to understand her dream, but she got nothing, so she climbed back into bed, and fell asleep again, her mind undisturbed by strange men beating up her husband.
Okay so now we're going to change direction, and where going to see some of this story from Mokuba's point of view. This just needs to be put in here.
Mokuba woke up at five that morning and went down to his office, trying to clear his own head after having a strange dream about something he had almost totally forgot about. The day Seto got his three Blue Eyes Cards.
FlashbackMovers were hustling back and forth. Out came a desk, an entertainment center, and a large computer. A fourteen-year-old Seto watched the movers with triumphant blue eyes, a small smirk across his face.
Mokuba crept up to his older brother and looked at him with curious steel-blue eyes. "Seto, what are you doing?"
"I'm rebuilding an empire," Seto said turning his gaze on Mokuba who gave him a quizzical look. "Everything that Gozaburo created has been thrown down into the dirt where it belongs. And I will raise it up, better then it was before. With greater technology, better business, and more than that man ever dreamed will be accomplished." Seto laughed. "Come here, Mokuba, I want to show you something."
Mokuba followed Seto out of the building. He noticed that many people already skirted out of the young CEO's way as he led them down the sixty-six floors to the ground level.
He paused and addressed a man at the door. "Has the building of the new level begun yet?"
"No sir," the man answered quietly. "The plans were just completed and need your approval." He held out a blue print and Seto snatched it up. He looked it over for a few minutes. Then he threw it back to the man, and sneered coldly. "I want it done in two week, understand?"
"Yes sir," the man barely had the words out before Seto was out the door.
Mokuba ran to catch up with his brother and tugged on his coat. Seto rounded to him, a furious look on his face. It softened instantly as Mokuba's eyes filled up with tears. "Sorry Mokie," he said pulling the child closer. "Come and look at these."
Mokuba nodded and followed his brother, wiping his eyes. "Wow!" he suddenly exclaimed as Seto led them up the back of a moving truck.
In front of them, were three identical statues made of pure crystal, and sparkled like diamond. "Blue-Eyes," murmured Mokuba, astounded as the sight. "Where did they come from, Seto?"
Seto's brow furrowed. "A gift from Maximillion Pegasus for the corporate takeover of Kaiba Corporation," he said quizzically. "But what you really should see is this." He ran a hand over the head of the crystal dragon. He pushed in on its sapphire eyes and the crystal mouth slowly opened. Seto removed from the open jaws a crystal box.
He leaned down to Mokuba and opened it. Mokuba was speechless. Seto pulled out two other identical boxes. They all held a treasure: A Blue-Eyes White Dragon Duel Monsters card.
"But...how?" Mokuba whispered, gently lifting one of the cards form its velvet and crystal casing.
"Pegasus owns Industrial Illusions, the company that makes Duel Monsters cards," said Seto.
"But why?" Mokuba looked at his brother in amazement.
"I was wondering that myself," Seto mused for a moment then nodded and laughed coldly. "Oh, I remember. I met Pegasus a while back when he was trying to trick Gozaburo into a business merger. I remember that wacko eye thing at any rate. I wonder how he knew I wanted Blue-Eyes..." Seto trailed off and pulled a note from inside the velvet box. He read it aloud.
"'Dear Mr. Seto Kaiba,
I am so sorry to hear of the untimely demise of your dear stepfather. I do hope these will show my sincerest condolences. Though I am sure, you are rather pleased with the charge of such a successful company in your young clutches. Do enjoy it.
Oh, and Kaiba-boy, three down, one to go!
Maximillion Pegasus'"
Seto looked at the card with disgust. "Kaiba-Boy? Oh that's original," he spat. He stood and turned to a pair of movers outside the open door. "Hey!" The men jumped and dropped the food they were carrying.
"Y-yes, M- Mr. K- Kaiba?" they stuttered.
"I want one taken to my house and carefully placed inside my office. Am I understood? The other two will go into my new office when it is built."
"Yes, sir." They quickly began to gather their things on the ground.
"And no more goody breaks. You have work to do."
Mokuba sighed but he knew there was no getting around ignorant employees.
"Let's go, Mokuba," Seto said, leaving the truck with the two crystal boxes. Mokuba ran his hand over the crystal head one last time.
"Coming, Seto," he turned from them. "Just don't leave me."
Seto smiled. "Don't worry, Mokuba, I'll never leave you..."
End Flashback
Mokuba had known that Seto had treasured his statues of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons, enough to bring one home and have it "guard" his home office. That one had been smashed to piece on the night of Seto's murder. The other two where still in the president's office at Kaiba Corp., Hailey hadn't had then removed when she took control over Kaiba Corp.
'But big brother, you did leave me, us. You said you never would, but you did.' Mokuba thought as he got himself a thing of coffee. He quickly scribbled a note to Hailey saying that he went into work early and to come and see him when she got in.
With that he headed to the garage, and pulled his old bike helmet off the wall. It was his turn to drive the cycle to work, and to look like the late Kaiba.
Okay so now where going to switch back to Hailey's point of view.
As Hailey made her way down stairs to the kitchen, she noticed that she didn't hear the morning news on in the den, like she usually did. Mokuba liked to have some noise in the background when he ate breakfast, or read the paper.
"Mokuba, are you there." Hailey called as she looked into the room. She suddenly remembered the call that she had gotten the day before, and went into panic mode. One of the maids hurried out of the kitchen with a note clutched in her hand.
"Mrs. Kaiba, your brother-in-law left this for you." The maid said as she handed Hailey the note. It read 'Hailey I went to work early today. I need to see you when you get into work today. –Mokuba' Thank goodness. He was alright and safe and at Kaiba Corp.
"Thank you Julie, can you have my breakfast brought in to my office?" Hailey asked the young lady in front of her. She had no idea how she knew the girls name, but some how Hailey knew she was.
"Right away, ma'am." Julie said and left her mistress to what ever she had to do in her office this early in the morning before she went in to the office.
Hailey sat behind her computer, fingers flying over the keyboard as she researched companies that had once worked with hers and her husband, but were dropped suddenly. Though this was easier said than done, there where about one hundred and fifty companies that had been let go by her company. Though a lot of them where small and unimportant. She decided that she was looking for a big, somewhat well known company. She came up with five. Paladius, Lector Inc., Valmor Industrious, Saladiun Corp., and Wesley Enterprises. 'I'll do some more research on these when I get to work.' Hailey thought as she e-mailed the information to her computer at work.
She quickly finished the orange juice that she had been drinking, and headed out for the limo that was waiting for her at the front of the mansion.
As Hailey rode to Kaiba Corp. it started to rain, and when she finally reached the company headquarters, it was storming quite nicely. It matched the young CEO's attitude and mood perfectly. She loved to watch the storms roll by her windows in her large office at the top of the Kaiba Corp. building, seeing the lighting come down a few feet away from her window. It was exciting, though no one knew that she liked this and actually relaxed during that time. And no on would ever know.
She ran to the doors when the limo pulled up and didn't really mind that she got a little bit wet, which was an understatement; Hailey got soaked. The lady at the front desk was shocked when she saw her boss run in through the front doors, her hair and coat, well all of her, drenched from the storm. It had been raining harder than Hailey had thought as she got out of the limo, and as she had turned down the umbrella from the driver, Hailey had gotten quite drenched in her little jog.
"Good morning, Mrs. Kaiba, would you like me to get you anything to warm you up from the cold outside?" she asked when her slightly frightening looking boss walked over to her.
"Have some coffee brought up to my office in twenty minutes. Is my brother-in-law busy right now?" Hailey asked only sounding slightly annoyed. She wasn't as callous as she usually was when she didn't have a good night's sleep.
"Mr. Mokuba Kaiba arrived about an hour ago, would you like me to call and tell him you're here?" she asked as Hailey looked down upon her with a slightly angry look in her cold blue eyes.
"Yes. Thank you." Hailey replied as she walked briskly to the elevator and pushed the up button. As the doors closed in front of her, she heard the secretary talking to the other Kaiba brother. She pressed the button for the sixty-sixth floor of the building where the vice president's office was. She was there in seconds. Hailey had personally made sure that she had the fastest elevators at her disposal at Kaiba Corp. Everything was the best at Kaiba Corp. and Hailey and Mokuba made sure of that.
As Hailey stepped out of the elevator, she was greeted by a tired looking Mokuba; he had a cup of steaming coffee, black by the looks of it. She and Mokuba liked their coffee black most of the time, it gave them an edge that allowed them to put in the long hours of work they did each day.
"Thanks for stopping by, Hale. Can I speak with you in my office for a few minutes?" Mokuba asked in his usual business voice, that he used when he and Hailey were around their employees.
"Sure Mokuba." Hailey replied in the same tone that Mokuba had used.
After they where in the confines of Mokuba's office, Mokuba's expression went from some what cold, to worry as he looked over his sister-in-laws face. She was still as pretty as ever, but there were shadows under her azure-blue eyes, and she had faint stress line creasing her forehead. She looked as though she had the weight of the world riding on her shoulders. Well she sort of did. Kaiba Corp. had become an empire under his late step-father and brother's control over the company. It was mostly Seto who had created it into the empire it was today, but Gozaburo still none the less had created an empire, a tyranny that still lived on today.
"Hailey are you okay, you look really tired, and I heard you wake up last night. Is any thing bothering you?" Mokuba asked, he voice changing along with his facial expression. He was truly worried about her, and she could tell.
"I'm fine Mokuba, I just had a weird dream last night, and I've been thinking about your brother a lot in the last few days. I've been remembering a lot of stuff that I thought that I had forgotten." Hailey replied; her face and voice softening as well. She wasn't going to tell Mokuba about the strange call that she had gotten yesterday, but she decided that he might be able to help her with understanding the strange dream
So Hailey told Mokuba everything that she had heard in her dream, and asked him if he knew who this Dartz guy was. Mokuba didn't know or remember him at all, but there was a possibility that he and his company had worked with Kaiba Corp. on something.
"Thanks Mokuba, you've been really helpful." Hailey said as she picked up her briefcase and walked towards the oak door if the office.
"You're welcome Hale. Oh and don't forget to get me the stats and designs of the project your working on." Mokuba said as he walked with Hailey to the door of his office. "And remember, I want to take you out for dinner sometime this week so clear up your calendar."
"Right, Mokie." Hailey said as she opened the door and stepped out into the lobby on Mokuba's floor. "I'll send the information down sometime this morning."
She walked to the elevator and pushed the button that would take her up to her floor, and the sanctuary of her own office.
As she entered her own waiting room in front of her own office, she noticed that her secretary was desperately trying to stop someone from entering her executive office. Some much for quite this morning.
"Sir, you can not go in there. Mrs. Kaiba is not it right now. I will notify her that you came by and arrange a meeting with her." She nearly yelled as the young man that she was trying to apprehend struggles further.
"You got to let me in lady, this is urgent!" the young man answered as he tried to get to the door knob.
"What's going on here?" Hailey asked cold fury in her voice.
"Ah, Mrs. Kaiba, this young man would like to have a word with you, but I told him that he had to arrange a meeting with you, but then he just stormed past me and insisted that he needed to get into your office." Tsubame answered. She was a young brunette girl, with jade green eyes. Tsubame was petite, but she could hold her own against anyone who bothered her. As for the young man who was in front of her, Hailey had no idea who he was. Then he turned around.
It was Duke Devlin. She hadn't recognized him at first because he had cut is hair, and it now looked something like Noah's hair style, with out the difference in color between the bangs and the rest of his hair. He had started his own company with the help of Industrial Illusions. Then when he had gotten enough of a grasp and made something of his business he had separated from I.I. and work on his own. Then in the last few months Devlin Inc. had been teaming up with Kaiba Corp. to work on a new line of virtual game pods. With both companies combined technology they had made a lot of startling improvements to the holographic gaming world.
"What do you need Mr. Devlin. I told you that Kaiba Corp. would be sending you the reports on the pods in three weeks. Do you not think that we would keep deal with you?" Hailey asked her voice dripping with icicles and anger. She had not wanted to deal with much today, and now she had to deal with this.
"I needed to give you the latest information on the game pods that my company has come up with. We have made some changes in the technology that was combined and I was hoping that you would look at it to make sure that it was also up to your standards as well as Mr. Mokuba Kaiba." Duke said hurriedly as he pulled a small disk out of his coat pocket. He handed it over to the young female CEO, who took it with a sharp flick of the wrist.
"Mokuba has given the project fully to me to take care of. He has taken the Duel Disk Four project instead of this. What ever you where working on with Mokuba you are now working on with me." Hailey said smoothly. She looked over to her personal secretary. "Arrange for a meeting with Devlin Inc.'s board of directors on this project with me next Friday afternoon at two-thirty. Is that all right with you Mr. Devlin?" Hailey asked as she walked towards her office door.
"Yes Mrs. Kaiba. That's fine. Oh and can I talk to you in private for a moment before I leave?" Duke said as he made to follow his former friend.
"Fine," Hailey replied as she opened the door to her office and walked into the spacious office with Duke at her heels. He closed the door behind him. Hailey sat down behind her desk and looked coldly at Duke as he fiddled with his thumbs.
"Nice place," he commented, plopping onto one of her seats.
"What ever you want to say you better say it quickly. You have two minutes before security arrives."
He gapped at her indignantly. "Fine, but I did come to help you."
"Help me with what?" she snapped, looking at her watch and counting the seconds. She scribbled a note to herself on a scratch piece of paper: 'Get a faster response team.'
"Your problem," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hailey rolled her eyes. 'One minute,' she thought. "My only problem is that you are sitting in my office, interrupting my work. And that can be remedied easily as soon as you leave. Now would be good."
"Oh," he whined. "But Hale-"
Hailey rose quickly in a towering rage. He shrank back slightly as azure-blue eyes bored into him. "Don't you ever," she said, in a deadly whisper. "Ever call me that."
"But I-"
"Devlin, get out. NOW!"
"But I-"
"GET OUT! I never want to hear from you or any of the old gang for any reason other than direct business with my company!"
His eyes slowly filled with sadness and anger. "We were trying to change you back, Hailey." He took a shaky breath. "We wanted our friend back." He stood and his voice grew stronger, angrier. "We all never wanted it to be like this. And we never thought we'd have to be friends with Seto Kaiba when he was dead." He turned and walked to the door to the door and slammed it behind him as he left.
Hailey sat down at her desk a few minutes after Duke had left. This was just what she needed someone from her past haunting her now, five years after all that had happened. 'I wish it would all just stop. That they would leave me alone.' Hailey thought as she turned on her computer.
The Kaiba Corp. logo popped up and a login screen popped up asking for Hailey's identification and password. Her fingers flew on the keyboard as she went through the layers of her security and procedures. Finally she had her computer connected to the one at her home office. It was a new program she had designed not to long ago and she and Mokuba were the only one's who had access to it. The program made it easier for the both of them to work at home, so if they did anything important at either here at the office or at home they could access it at the other place.
Inserting the disk that Duke had given her, Hailey pulled up the files and diagrams. Pulling out her headset that allowed Hailey to control her computer with voice commands, she turned it on and placed on her head.
"Computer, send this information to my home computer, put a privacy lock on them as well." Hailey said as she walked over to the window and looked out at the storm still raging outside. Her body started to shake involuntarily as she just stood there. She remembered as she looked down at her clothes that she was still wearing the wet clothes from this morning. Hailey reached up to her ear and turned the power off in the headset, and pulled it off of her head. There came a buzz from her intercom.
"Mrs. Kaiba, your coffee's here, would you like for me to send it in?" came Tsubame's voice from the little speaker.
"Yes, and Tsubame, make sure that no one disturbs me for the remainder of the morning." Hailey replied tiredly into the device as she walked around her desk.
The door to her office opened up and a timid looking young man walked in, pushing a tray of coffee in front of him.
"You can leave that over by the couch, please." Hailey replied as she turned away from the man.
"Yes ma'am," the young man replied as he pushed the cart over to where his boss had told him to put it. Bowing slightly as he reached the door, he turned around and nearly flew out of the office.
Hailey walked over and poured herself a steaming cup of black coffee. She noticed by the aroma of the liquid that it was the caramel kind of coffee that she liked. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, Hailey felt her nerves quite down tenfold. Walking over to her bookshelf, Hailey searched the rows of the far right case, looking for something intently. Finding the right book, Hailey pulled slightly at the top of the book and the shelf moved backwards and a closet appeared. Going totally against her usual attire, Hailey pulled out a navy blue wool turtle neck shirt, and a pair of black fitted business pants. Quickly stripping out of her wet clothing and shoes, Hailey pulled the sweater over her head and pulled her hair out from the back. After pulling the pants on, she finally got a good look at herself. Her blue eyes looked tired and she had shadows under them. Vaguely on her forehead she saw faint stress lines creasing her tan skin. 'This is what it takes to run a company.' Hailey thought as she reached for the brush on the shelf to her right. Running the brush through her thick black hair, she saw her Egyptian beauty return to her face. Once satisfied with her hair, Hailey picked out a black full sleeved trench coat, and swung it around her body so she had her arms in the right places.
Stepping out the closet, Hailey turned around and re-hid the closet. Not many people knew that Seto had built a closet in his executive office.
Picking up her coffee again, Hailey walked over to her desk, and brought up all the information and data on the Duel Disk Four project. "I need to get this to Mokuba." Hailey said aloud as she sipped idly on the coffee. Turning on the headset again, Hailey placed it on her head.
"Computer send these files down to Mokuba Kaiba's computer here at work." Hailey said into the microphone.
"Right away, Mrs. Kaiba." The computer replied. After a few moments the computer talked again. "Files have been sent and received by Mokuba Kaiba."
"Good. Can you do a search on the company called 'Paladius' for me and have the results sent to my computer at home as well." Hailey asked.
"Searching. Eleven items have come up during the search. Sending to Hailey Kaiba's home office." The computer blipped.
"Thanks," Hailey retorted as she placed her coffee down next to her computer and started her research.
Hailey worked for three more hours on the information she had found on the company, Paladius.
1... Presidents name: Mr. Ariellus (A/N: I made that up!) Dartz
2... Location: California-Headquarters, other smaller branches around the world, some what like her own company
3... They had worked with Kaiba Corp. for a short time
4… Dartz had done some illegal work under her company's name
5... Seto had broken ties with him after that
6... They worked with technology and gaming tools like Kaiba Corp.
7… Dartz was known to have a temper at times
8... Some of his workers had mysteriously disappeared
9… Paladius had started business about the same time Kaiba Corp. had
10… Kaiba Corp. had become more successful than Paladius over the years, and no one really knew who they were.
As she was processing all of this, she kept recalling the dream that she had last night. All the information that she had gotten seemed to check out with the stuff she had seen last night. Dartz had done some inexcusable things under her company's name, and her husband hadn't like it. So he had let Dartz go.
Hailey got up and started to pace her office. The storm was still going outside her window, which was kind of odd, but it was the time of year when Japan most of its rain. All of the sudden Hailey felt very tired. 'I guess not getting enough sleep is catching up with me,' she thought as she walked over to one of the couches. Changing her mind she walked over to her bookshelf; she picked out a copy of Romeo and Juliet, which she had been reading over the last few weeks.Sitting down on the soft leather, Hailey put the book to her right and put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands, feeling the weight of the stress that rested on her shoulders crash over her. Really with out knowing it, Hailey lay down on the couch and picked up the book and started to read. After about two hours she felt her eyes start to go fuzzy with sleep, so resting the book on her chest she closed her eyes. Within seconds she was asleep.
Seto waited until he heard the front door slam shut, then he slumped to the floor of his office. He had been injured a little more than he had thought he had. He must have been sitting there for a few minutes before he heard the familiar click of heeled shoes on the marble floor in the front hall.
"Seto, who was here a few minutes ago? I heard shouting…what on earth happened to you Seto?" Hailey said as she stepped in front of Seto's open office doors. All she saw was her husband slumped against the side of a couch in his office, bleeding from his nose and the corner of his mouth, and bruises all over his face and arms, and probably by the looks of his shirt, his chest and stomach as well.
"Dartz…he…he came by after he found out that I had dropped my contract with his company, Paladius. He was mad, you could say. One moment we were talking and the next he had launched himself at me, and was punching every inch he could reach of my body." Seto answered in a hoarse whisper. He hadn't opened his eye while he told his story to Hailey and didn't look like he wanted to or was going to anytime soon.
"Well he did a pretty good job on beating you up. Let me guess you got him pretty good as well from the looks of your knuckles." Hailey said as she bent down and picked up her husbands bruised and bloodied hand.
"Yeah, I got him pretty good, I guess," Seto replied, amusement faint in his voice as he opened his eyes slowly. Hailey looked beautiful, worry clear in her azure-blue eyes, and a frown graced her lips. Funny how he found her to be beautiful at that moment, but he did. "Hailey, have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked as he brought his left hand up to cup her cheek.
"Yeah, plenty of times, but it never gets old. You're pretty good-looking yourself, Mr. Kaiba." Hailey replied as she looked into Seto's deep navy blue eyes.
He could tell that she was actually telling the truth. She loved him no matter how bad he looked. "I love you Mrs. Kaiba, always have and always will."
"Same to you Mr. Kaiba. You are the light of my life, my love, now and forever." Hailey replied, gently brushing her lips on Seto's forehead. "Now, lets get you upstairs and in to bed."
"Hailey, I don't think I can make it up the stairs and up to the room." Seto replied as Hailey helped him stand up onto his two shaky legs.
"Oh yes you will, I'm going to carry you up there." Hailey replied strongly.
"Hailey, I know your strong, but, you can't possibly carry me all the way upstairs. I'm heavier than you think." Seto replied shock clear in his voice.
"Do you seriously think that I just sit at a computer and do nothing while you're away at work? Well think again, I've been working out in the gym for the last five months, every other day. I've gotten quite stronger since then." Hailey said as she crouched down in front of Seto. "Now get on."
Seto found out that she wasn't kidding when she said she had gotten stronger. He had carefully gotten onto her back, minding his weight, but when she felt his long legs grip her waist she wrapped her arms under his knee and around his legs and stood up swiftly. He had to quickly wrap his arms around her neck to keep from falling backwards onto the couch.
Hailey walked steadily out of the office, and towards the steps. Once Seto realized that Hailey wouldn't drop him, he rested his head on top of hers and relaxed, making his body go limp.
Hailey at once thought that he had passed out from the pain, but when she asked him if he was still with her, she got a muffled "yes", and this calmed her nerves. She made quick work of the stairs, and was at the top of the case in barely five minutes. "Hey, big guy, do you want to take a bath to help your muscles relax, before you go to sleep?" Hailey asked as she stopped in front of their room.
"Whatever you say, Doctor Kaiba." Seto replied jokingly. Hailey deposited him onto the bed and went into the master bath and turned the water on in the tub. She turned it up to warm so it would sooth and relax her husbands aching muscles. When she had filled it up she went back into the bedroom and found Seto lying face up on the bed, eyes closed.
"Don't go to sleep yet, big boy, you still need to relax a little." Hailey said as she gently touched his shoulder. Seto opened his eyes, and pushed himself up slowly.
"I think I can walk to the bathroom doc," he said when she started to crouch down in front of him.
"I'm only taking off your shoes, socks, and anything else you can't wear in the bath." Hailey answered as she removed one of his boots and then the other, followed by his socks. "Now be a good sport about it and let me help you."
She worked her way up to his belt buckle, the large silver Kaiba Corp. one he wore during Battle City, and undid the clasp. Hailey pulled the belt off of Seto's pants and then his pants followed shortly after. Though instead of removing his boxers next, she went up to his shirt and pulled it off in one fluid movement.
"Mrs. Kaiba, you seem to be an expert at disrobing a person." Seto said jokingly as Hailey removed his card locket from around his neck.
"You should know, I've done this more than once to you, Mr. Kaiba," she replied faking anger in her voice. "Now let's get you into that nice hot bath I prepared for you."
So she helped her almost naked husband to the master bath and sat him down on to the edge of the tub. "Hold on one moment, love, I just need to take care of a few things before you are allowed to relax." Hailey said as she pulled her shoes and shirt off, and then dropped her pants. "I hope you don't mind your help relaxing with you."
"I do mind if my help joins me, but I don't mind if my wife joins me, she's welcome in my bath any time," Seto said as he reached out and pulled Hailey towards him. He took the liberty to dispose the rest of her clothes. He undid the back of her bra and dropped it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. Then moving his hand down to her panties, he hooked his fingers under the band and slid the article of clothing down Hailey's legs and let it drop to the ground.
"Now that I'm all ready for your bath, let's get you all ready, Mr. Kaiba." Hailey said as she stood there, naked in front of her husband.
"Yes let's." Seto replied huskily.
Hailey pulled down his boxers and tossed them haphazardly to the floor. "Now let's start relaxing."
She helped Seto over to the tub and actually picked him up and lowered him into the nice warm water. Once he was situated Hailey slid into the tub beside him. "Are you relaxed yet?" Hailey asked as she started to rub his chest languidly, resting her head on his shoulder.
Seto wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and laid his head upon her head. "Yes, my love, I am very relaxed. Thank you," he replied as he moved her, so she lay across his chest. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Have we ever tried to 'relax' in the tub before?"
"No, why. Do you need to 'relax' more?" Hailey asked trying to sound innocent. It didn't work.
"Yes, yes I do." Seto replied as he kissed her fully on the mouth.
They didn't get to bed until later that night, which suited the couple get fine.
"Hailey? Hey, Hailey are you—," Mokuba hesitantly pushed the flat of his hand against the heavy door separating Hailey Kaiba's office from the rest of the Kaiba Corp. Headquarters. It was late at night, but Hailey was a workaholic if Mokuba ever knew one. Being one himself.
But this night, to his surprise, Hailey was not seated, eyes wide and staring at a blinking computer screen. Rather, her lanky form was spread out haphazardly on the nearby couch, a thick book resting face-down on her chest, her hand still fixed to the binding.
"Asleep?" Mokuba murmured breathlessly. "I guess that's a yes," he finished with a whisper.
He'd never seen her sleep at the office before; actually he had never seen her sleep out in the open before.
She looked so... calm.
This wasn't the same young woman who fought passionately and fiercely in each of her board meetings, the same woman that argued daily with corporate executives and employees, the sister-in-law who walked into every situation prepared, determined, and ready to come out victorious.
The way she was sprawled out on the couch, one would never guess that she was so intimidating during her waking hours. As she was, she seemed so... ordinary.
A relaxed face, with black bangs falling into closed eyes... she slept peacefully, her breathing even, and her face calm and neutral. Nightmares wouldn't haunt her sleep tonight. Nothing really ever conquered Hailey Kaiba...
'I still envy her, I guess...' Mokuba realized, tilting his head as he examined Hailey. There'd never be another chance like this—never again. He was sure of it.
And yet... there didn't seem to be anything pressing on his mind. He just wanted to be there, and stay with her.
Maybe asleep, he could admit what he couldn't say at any other time. Maybe without needing to worry about her reaction, her response, or her feelings (or perhaps lack thereof), he could just... tell her.
"I want to thank you, Hailey," Mokuba began in a hushed voice, just above a whisper. Over the last seven years, Hailey had gone from just his older brother's girlfriend and then wife, to one of Mokuba's best friend, second to his older brother. But in that span of time, their relationship changed so permanently that anything else seemed wrong.
"For everything you've done. Sometimes it's been tough," Mokuba winced, remembering that particularly painful night after Seto had died, no had been murdered, "but we're both so much stronger because of it. During the hardest time in our life, you were there for me."
She remained sleeping. Her breath was warm, as Mokuba discovered in mute silence as he leaned over her face to brush a few stray bangs aside. Worry lines vaguely creased her forehead, sure to become deeper as the years passed—if Hailey Kaiba didn't change her daily regimen of stress and overworking herself.
"We're both crazy, you know that?" Mokuba sighed, flopping down on the floor beside the couch, his hand still running through Hailey's hair. It was surprisingly soft and fine, but it had a warm, almost spicy and sweet scent to it that coiled in the air about Mokuba, which reminded him slightly of his brother. To his surprise, Hailey made a slight noise—of agreement, maybe? It was half a moan and a sleepy murmur, but one that snapped Mokuba from his reverie. Sliding his hand away from her face, he realized Hailey still slept.
'See what you become to me? No, you can't see, even when your eyes are open. You miss him as much as I do, and you probably see how much we've started to act like him. You miss his presence as much as I do as well. Maybe you don't want to see anymore, because it cause you so much pain…so much sadness... but maybe, just for one moment, you could see and realize...that maybe I miss him more'
What a selfish thought.
No, they both missed him as much as the other did. Maybe Hailey missed him more than Mokuba did? She had fallen in love with him right off the bat and only known him for only two years after that. Mokuba had been with Seto his whole entire life, ten years more than Hailey.
Neither of them could breach that barrier between them that made them who they were.
But... if somehow, someway, that changed... then maybe Mokuba would have a reason to why they both changed the way they did. Beyond running the company and watching over Hailey like he had promised, he'd have a reason not to run away, but to face a new challenge head-on, and to...
'Learn to love... again, maybe?'
Maybe.
But until then, Hailey still slept. Mokuba smiled at her, his body warm and he noticed that her cheeks were a vague pink hue. He'd never see her face look like that when she was awake, but... who knew what Hailey Kaiba dreamt?
Mokuba tugged the knit blanket draped over the back of the couch across Hailey Kaiba's frame, up to her hand. Mokuba bent down and gently removed the book from Hailey's hand, careful to bookmark the page she was on before setting it aside on a nearby end table. It was quiet and warm in the office, and Mokuba supposed that it was more of a sanctuary for Hailey than her own bedroom, her own house could ever be. And if she could truly find rest and relaxation in this office, then he wouldn't take that away from her.
"Good night, Hailey," Mokuba whispered, pressing his lips to Hailey's forehead. Moments later, he stepped away from her, willing the ache in his chest to subside. He took one last lingering glance at the sleeping Hailey before flicking the light in the office out, closing the door with a gentle click.
Hailey woke up nine hours later and found out that it was one o'clock in the morning. She had never stayed this late at work. Gathering up her papers and everything else she needed to take home with her, Hailey closed her briefcase, and exited her office. Closing her door she noticed a note on her secretary's desk with her name on it. Though it wasn't Tsubame's hand writing, this was more elaborate and elegant looking. It was also done with a calligraphy pen from what Hailey could tell by the line thickness and thinness. Picking the letter up, Hailey opened it and read:
Dear Mrs. Kaiba,
You might be wondering what I meant in our little chat yesterday. Well here's what I really wanted to tell you:
Your new family has scorned me for the last time and one of the ones you love has already been taken care of.
The others will pay soon enough
And finally you will be left alone in this world with out the comfort of the people you love.
Yes Mrs. Kaiba, I dealt with your husband. So be warned. Your husband was foolish man and he made a foolish mistake, which cost him his life. Hopefully you, your brother-in-law, or your family won't make the same mistake.
Good day, Mrs. Kaiba.
"What…what the hell!" Hailey cried as she read through the letter a few times. Pulling out her cell phone, she started to dial Tsubame's cell number and paused before she hit the call button. It was late at night and Tsubame was probably asleep. This barely crossed Hailey's mind as she pressed the phone buttoned.
"Tsubame, this is Mrs. Kaiba, at Kaiba Corporation. I need to speak to you right away when I get into work tomorrow, right away. It's very urgent. Good night." Hailey said into the phone quickly then hung up. Flipping the phone closed, Hailey turned on her heal, and the note still clutched in her left hand, and left her office. Entering the elevator, and quietly taking it down to the garage of the large building, Hailey kept running that one sentence from the letter through her mind, 'Yes Mrs. Kaiba, I dealt with your husband'. What the hell did that mean? Dealt with her husband!
Hailey was about to enter the garage when she heard the rustle of movement behind her. Ignoring the sound completely, she started to move through the rows in search for her car. Then suddenly someone spoke.
"Freeze! You're under arrest for trespassing after business hours," the guard practically yelled at her as he turned his flashlight on trying to get a good look at her, stunner raised and ready to fire.
"If you value your job here, I suggest that you watch your mouth." Hailey said in a deathly tone as she turned around and face the guard. Her eyes flashed with a dangerous fire, which told the man that he should probably shut up. The light shone in her eyes giving her an even scarier look than what was intended.
"Mrs. Kaiba, I'm sorry. I didn't know that you where still here. Forgive me for my insubordination," the guard stuttered as he quickly bowed his head in embarrassment, realizing that he had nearly stunned his boss. He lowered the stun gun and turned the safety back on.
"Continue with your job, and leave me be," Hailey answered as she turned back around and marched towards her car, trench coat flying behind her like her husbands used to.
'She's almost like the late Mr. Kaiba himself when she acts and walks like that,' the guard thought as he watched his employer stalk away from him.
Hailey drove quickly home after she left headquarters. She just needed to get home and away form the city. Hailey was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't see the car coming from the other direction until it was a mere meter from her. Slamming on her brakes Hailey tried to stop, but it was too late. The two cars crashed into each other. All Hailey saw before she passed out was the blinding light of the other cars headlights and the feeling of a thousand knives pressing into her body. Then nothingness.
Mokuba was awakened by an annoying ringing in his left ear. Finally he realized that it was his cell phone, and he quickly picked it up and flipped it open.
"Kaiba, here. What is it?" Mokuba answered gruffly into the phone.
"Mr. Kaiba, this is Sergeant Kazukai, from the Domino Police Department. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Mrs. Kaiba's been in an accident."
'Oh no, not again. Not her, I can't— I can't lose her. What will I do? What's happened? What can I do? Can I even do anything? Is she—' Mokuba though quickly his stomach turning.
"Mr. Kaiba?" Kazukai's voice came back through the line, sounding a bit concerned. He didn't hear any vocal response— but he could just barely make out the sound of his breathing, soft and quick. He was afraid to ask what he so desperately wanted to know, so Kazukai had to just tell him.
"She's alive, Mr. Kaiba, but…"
"Oh, thank goodness."
The breath Mokuba didn't know he's been holding for the past few moments rushed out of him, and his skin slowly returned to its natural color. "Is she all right? What happened? Where is she?"
Kazukai chuckled under his breath, glad to hear Mokuba speaking again— once again, focused, determined, and above all else, concerned.
"She was in a car accident, I'm sorry to say," Kazukai began. "I know what you're thinking, but it really was just an accident, Mister Kaiba. We had several eyewitnesses, and another driver involved… in any case, Mrs. Kaiba is here at the Domino Prefecture Memorial Hospital. She's alive but she is in very critical condition. The accident was a very serious one, both drivers are seriously hurt."
A thought occurred to Mokuba, and that smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. He lowered his voice to a whisper, afraid of what he was about to ask and the answer he would receive.
"She's not in a coma or anything, right? She doesn't have amnesia, or internal bleeding, or—,"
"Like I said, Mister Kaiba, she's in a critical condition, but the doctors have her in a stable state. You really ought to come in— I think. Just for support since you're the only family she has left in this country (the Ishtar's moved back to Egypt)."
Mokuba sensed an odd sort of implication in Kazukai's voice, but it obviously wasn't the kind of thing the police officer was going to explain over the phone. A brief scene played out in his head, of Hailey throwing everything from an IV machine to a bedpan at any nurses or doctors who tried to approach her, or any police officers that tried to question her, well if she was awake. He sweatdropped, laughing softly under his breath.
Maybe it was a good idea to visit…
Mokuba arrived at the hospital in record time after he had gotten dressed and left the mansion. He had to make sure Hailey was alright so he wasn't breaking his promise that he had made to his brother all those years ago at his funeral.
"Pardon me." Mokuba asked as he approached the receptionist's desk. When she turned, the expression on her face was genuinely surprised.
"I'm here to see Hailey Kaiba."
"Relation?" the receptionist inquired automatically, her voice a dull monotone.
"I'm her brother-in-law." Mokuba replied, fear edging his voice. The receptionist, despite not making eye contact with Mokuba, nodded and scribbled this down.
She shuffled through a thin file on the far end of her desk and looked back up at him.
"Intensive Care Unit, room 1025," was all the receptionist said, and then she turned back around and went back to whatever it was she was doing before.
Mokuba cast an angry stare at the woman's back, but he didn't start a fight for fear that the woman would call the hospital security.
Mokuba turned towards the stark white double doors marked with the simple placard: "Intensive Care Unit".
The halls at the hospital seemed to stretch on forever, an almost endless expanse of white walls and speckled tiles. It was very late at night, and there seemed to be very few people in the halls, and all the doors to individual hospital rooms were closed off and their tiny windows shut; there was no way to know if or when anyone would come out from one of those doors.
However, the moment Mokuba reached the 1000 block of rooms; he knew he was getting close. Mokuba felt a slightly sinking sensation in his stomach as he turned into the hall
Mokuba stared at the room marked '1025' but there was no nearby paperwork or letter board to indicate that Hailey Kaiba was inside. He put his hand on the door with the intention of knocking and then entering, but he nearly stumbled forward when the door opened from the inside.
The young man found himself awkwardly pressed against the rather warm chest of a white-coated individual wearing a long stethoscope. When Mokuba finally regained his balance and his composure, he stared down at the doctor he'd fallen into: a young woman with ebony hair and a perfectly white smile.
"Why, hello there."
"Uh—" Mokuba felt her cheeks burn slightly, but before he could fumble with an excuse for his sudden bout of clumsiness, the doctor shook Mokuba's right hand.
"You must be Mokuba Kaiba. I'm Dr. Mazakai. I'm Mrs. Kaiba's doctor." Dr. Mazakai said as she pulled her hand away from Mokuba's and flipped through her notes. "I was wondering if Mrs. Kaiba was going to get any of her family in here tonight, since the accident happened so late in the night and I didn't know if anyone knew who to contact."
"Sergeant Kazukai called," Mokuba explained, a faint blush still covering his cheeks. "I had came as soon as possible."
"Your sister-in-law?" the doctor asked as she tapped a pen on his clipboard.
"Ah, yes, she married my older brother," Mokuba explained hurriedly, looking around her to the still form of Hailey's battered body. "Could you please tell me what's wrong with her?"
"First off, she was in a very serious car crash. Her right leg and left arm are badly broken, and her left shoulder also received some bad damage, dislocated and bruised severely. Luckily her spine and neck weren't badly hurt. She only slightly sprained her neck, that's the reason for the neck brace. Mrs. Kaiba did receive a pretty bad concussion, and there are numerous cuts from the broken glass from both cars. Luckily as well, there were no internal problems, and she only had to have simple surgery on her leg and arm because of the fractures. Her shoulder just needed to be relocated and wrapped up. The cut's weren't as bad as we originally thought since there was a lot of blood, but even though they weren't bad there are still scores of them all over her body. We've got her on an IV, and are giving her blood transfusions as we speak. Mrs. Kaiba lost a lot of blood, so we need to get more into her body." Dr. Mazakai read off of her clipboard, and them looked up at Mokuba.
"Mrs. Kaiba will need to stay here for several days, but after that, she'll be all yours."
"Thank you," Mokuba replied as he moved toward the chair next to Hailey's bed.
"Well then, I'll leave you and your sister-in-law alone for a while, Mr. Kaiba," the doctor said as she turned and walked out of the door. "Good night."
"G-Good night…"
"Hailey, why did you get yourself into this mess? You were already having a hard enough time as it is. Now you've landed your self in a hospital room for awhile." Mokuba said after a few minutes of watching his sister-in-law. He had promised his big brother that he would watch after Hailey and here she was screwed up and lying unconscious in a hospital bed. "I messed this one up big brother, I'm sorry."
He reached for Hailey's lifeless hand and took it in his warm one. He remembered when Seto had been put in the hospital once, back before Duelist Kingdom. Yami had put him in some sort of comma, and it had taken weeks for Seto to even regain some sort of living signs. Mokuba had been so scared that time, and now that his only remaining family was lying half dead in front of him, and he could do nothing but hope and pray that she would awaken soon.
"Big sister Hailey, how could I have let this happen to you? I should have woken you up when I came into your office tonight. I should have told you to go home and rest there and not let you stay at work and work yourself into this state. I knew that you had been working yourself too hard for awhile now, but I thought that you liked working. I…I…I thought that it would keep your mind off of big brother. I knew that you were still really upset by the fact that he was gone, I know how you feel. You cry at night sometimes, I've heard you before. I wish that I could help you more, but it's just as hard for me as it was, is, for you." Mokuba said as he looked into Hailey's placid face. She looked like she was just sleeping. As Mokuba looked at her face, he saw so much of his big brother reflected in her features. They both had grown into the mold of the Kaiba family. Tall, good looking, and cold as ice. It really didn't suit either of them, but somehow it did.
"I miss him so much. I never told you how much until now. It, well, he still haunts me at time. In my dreams, at work, and even when I'm thinking about something completely different. I wish I could go back to that little kid I was all those years ago and grow up differently, or maybe handle the grief differently. I always looked up to you when I saw how you handled how you felt. Masking your emotions to make me feel better. I watched you at the funeral; you were so brave and strong for the sake of everyone else, not letting your emotions get the better of you. I think that's when I first noticed the change in you Hailey. You were acting like big brother then by not showing how you really felt. I wished that I could have been like you that day." Mokuba whispered as he felt a tear slowly fall down his face.
He reached out and ran his hand over her bruised and cut cheek. She shouldn't have taken over Kaiba Corporation; the company should have gone to the next male in the Kaiba family. Though Hailey had forbidden the company's board of directors to put the grieving twelve year old in charge of a multi-billion dollar company. They had asked who then would take charge of the company, if not Mokuba. There was no one else eligible for the position. She had replied coldly, almost Seto like, that they were forgetting the other member of the dwindling Kaiba family; herself. Finally they had agreed that Hailey could take over the company as the CEO and President, were Mokuba would become the vice president at age fifteen. Hailey had willing given up her freedom to give Mokuba a chance to be a normal teenager, but he had pushed aside that gift and became a cold and reclusive as Hailey had. He had thrown her sacrifice aside like it was a piece of trash. Realizing this Mokuba covered his face with his hand and let the tears that he had been holding back for so long flow from his stormy blue eyes.
"Hailey, I'm sorry for that choice that I made. You tried to protect me from becoming the exact opposite of what I wanted to become, but I threw that chance away. I'll try to make thing better again, for the both of us. We'll get through this, and we'll both be stronger because of it." Mokuba chocked out as the tears flowed rapidly down his face.
Suddenly he saw how close he had come to losing his only family. The crash could have killed Hailey. Mokuba fell forward onto Hailey's stomach and hugged his sister-in-law as tightly as he could without hurting her already fragile form. Sobbing in the bed sheets, Mokuba's breathing steadied and slowed as exhaustion and sadness crashed over the teen. For the first time in along time, he fell asleep as the young Mokuba Kaiba from five years ago, a scared child in a seventeen year old body.
The nurse came in; about an hour after Mokuba had arrived at the hospital, to check on Hailey. What she found shocked her. She had heard and seen that the Kaiba's were a cold and fearful family, but what she saw was an injured and unconscious young lady, and a seventeen year old boy draped over her middle fast asleep with an almost childish calm expression on his face.
"Dr. Mazakai, come quickly!" she called quietly, not wanting to wake the two other people in the room.
"What is it?" Mazakai said as she came into the room, a worried expression on her face.
"Look at them; you would never know that they were so intimidating when they were awake. Do you think we should wake the boy?" the nurse asked as she looked to the doctor.
"No, but we'll have him moved to the bed next to hers, go get some of the guys in here to help me move him." Mazakai replied as she looked at the Kaiba's.
A few moments past before the other guys returned to the room. "Hold on, let me do something," Mazakai said as she stepped in front of the male nurses.
"Mokuba…Mokuba, are you there?" she asked as she gently put her hand on his shoulder.
The young man opened his eyes half way and turned his head slightly to look up at the doctor. He shook his head up and down to show that he had heard her. His eyes though didn't hold the coldness that they once had. He had that child like innocence back in his stormy blue eyes.
"Mokuba, we're going to move you to the bed next to your sister-in-laws, so you'll be more comfortable." Mazakai told the teen as she pulled her hand away from his shoulder and made way for the nurses. They lifted the teen up gently and carried him to the bed next to Hailey's. Mazakai motioned for them to get out of the way, and she walked up to the side of the bed. Mokuba had curled up into a ball on his right side facing Hailey. She unfolded the blue fleece blanket that she had picked up, and draped it over the teen's lanky body. "Sleep well, Mr. Kaiba. Call for me if you need anything." Mazakai said as she bent down and pressed a warm kiss to the boy's forehead. She pulled away and was met with the stares of the nurses in the room.
"Doctor what was that about, you kissing him like you did?" one of them asked.
"He's a scared little boy on the inside, he needs all the comfort he can get. No one seems to realize how much pain and grief these two must have gone through after they lost the late Mr. Kaiba. It's the least that I can do to help one of them." She answered as she walked to the door. "Make sure no one bothers them."
"Yes, doctor."
Several days later Hailey came home from the hospital. She had gotten the neck brace off two days earlier, but still had to wear the wrist and ankle brace for her right arm and left leg. As for the casts, they would come off in about six weeks.
Hailey had noticed a change in Mokuba from the moment she had regained consciousness. He seemed more like the young boy she had met all those years ago. The Mokuba Kaiba that she had wanted to protect five years ago. It was a relief to see that her choice of becoming the President of Kaiba Corporation had been a good one. For a time she had thought all hopes of him returning to normal had been lost, but form the looks of it he was somewhat back to normal. Though she knew that she would never go back to being that innocent and feisty young woman from the past. The change had been permanent for her, no matter how hard she had tried to prevent it, which in all honesty had been a very poor effort.
While at home she had to use a wheel chair, which annoyed to the crap out of her, but mostly she spent all her time lying in bed asleep trying to regain her feeble strength. Though everyday she got stronger than the day before.
In two weeks time she was able to take the braces of her wrist and ankle. All of her cuts had almost healed and most of the bruises had disappeared. Mokuba had set up a place in her room a so she could still work on the designs and mechanics of the game pods she was working on. Though he would only let her work on those for about an hour or so each day. Even though he kept telling her not to work herself into a rut, she still kept trying to work longer each time.
"Hailey, you might over work something if you put to much stress on yourself. Devlin Inc. was informed of your accident and said it was fine if you take a break from the agenda." Mokuba said after an hour of griping with his wounded sister-in-law.
"Mokuba, for the hundredth time, I'm okay. You heard what the doctor said yesterday. My arm has healed faster than what they had thought it would, and I can get the cast off tomorrow. The only thing wring with me right now is my leg, and I don't need that for working on the project, unless I decide to type with my toes." Hailey cried as she wrenched her laptop back from her brother-in-law. She loved that he had gone back somewhat to how he had used to act, but all she wanted to do was work on the project to get it over with.
"Fine, do whatever you want, Hale. It's clear that what I'm saying won't make a difference in you decision. Just don't get to worked up alright." Mokuba said as he threw his hands up into the air in surrender. He bent down and placed a kiss to the top of her head and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Left in the quite of her room, Hailey worked for a few minutes, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Though she suddenly lost interest in her work and turned the TV on and watched the evening news until she fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Hailey went to the doctors to get her cast on her arm taken off. When she arrived she was greeted by the ever hyper nurse, who wheeled her to Dr. Mazakai's office. The doctor was sitting behind her desk, in deep conversation with the man in front of her, who was also sitting in a wheelchair. From what Hailey could see at her position in her chair, the young man had two broken legs and his right arm was in a sling.
"Mr. Wheeler, I told you, I can't take your cast off until later today, I have a private appointment with someone and I can't reschedule." Dr. Mazakai told the man.
Hailey suddenly knew who he was. Tristan Taylor. She hadn't seen him for almost five years. Why was he all was banged up like she was? Was he in an accident as well? His must have happened around the same times of her accident if he was coming in and asking to get his cast removed. Then something clicked in her mind. All she had been told about the other driver was that he had been drunk and had been injured just as bad as she had. No one had told her the identity of the guy who had done this to her.
"You…you were the one who did this to me!" Hailey cried from the doorway causing both Tristan and Dr. Mazakai to look up suddenly.
"Why Mrs. Kaiba I didn't expect you for another five minutes." Dr. Mazakai said as she looked over Tristan's shoulder and at Hailey.
"Were you the one that crashed into me Taylor?" Hailey asked coldly, her eyes blazing with fury while her face remained impassive. Though that only lasted shortly. Her anger rushed forward in waves as she looked at the man who had enabled her crippled for the last few weeks.
"Hailey Kaiba…, is that you?" Tristan asked as he turned his wheelchair around. His look of shock quickly turned into a look of cold hate. Hailey had landed him unemployed a few years ago, and by the looks of it, he hadn't really forgiven her for it. "Kaiba, I have no idea what you're talking about, me crashin' into you. I'd say that you were the one that crashed inta me. Learn how to drive." Tristan retorted in the same hatred filled voice he used to use when he talked to Seto.
Hailey was shock and hurt that Joey had called her by her last name like he had done with Seto. She and Tristan had been friends before Seto had died, but no matter, if he wanted to play games and wound her pride, then she would wound his right back. "I know how to drive, rhino-head. Maybe you should learn that you shouldn't drink and drive, it could get you killed. Though by the looks of it the cost of your medical bill might do that for you." Hailey sneered out as she looked at Joey with just as much fury as he was looking at her.
"Just because you're stinkin' rich doesn't mean we all are, Kaiba." Tristan replied sounding a little hurt that his old friend had called him "rhino-head". He had hated it when Kaiba had done that to him, but now Hailey, it sort of hurt.
"Umm…are you two finished? Cause if not, Mrs. Kaiba I could reschedule your appointment for some time else." Mazakai said as she watched the young man and woman fight.
"No that won't be necessary, doctor. The rhinoceros and I are finish, well at least I am. I really don't like wasting time arguing with people that really don't matter." Hailey replied coldly as she maneuvered her chair to face the desk.
"KAIBA! ARE YOU THAT CONCIEDED? SINCE WHEN HAVE I NOT MATTERD TO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY? I WAS THERE FOR YOU AND MOKUBA WHEN YOU NEEDED HELP! HOW CAN I GO FROM THAT TO MEANING SO LITTLE TO YOU? SINCE WHEN HAVE THE DEAD CAME BACK TO LIFE, BECAUSE I WOULD SWEAR THAT SETO KAIBA WAS SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT ME AND NOT HAILEY KAIBA!" Tristan yelled as he started blankly at Hailey fire burning in his brown eyes.
"What…what are you talking about?" Hailey stammered as tears started to well up in her cold blue eyes. Why wouldn't anyone leave her alone on the fact that her husband was dead? Couldn't they just let her forget about it and him?
"YOU'RE ACTING JUST LIKE KAIBA, DON'T YOU SEE. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIND HEARTED YOUNG LADY I MET ALL THOSE YEARS AGO AT THE START OF THE BATTLE CITY TOURNAMENT? YOU'VE TURNED INTO A COLD HEARTED WOMAN, WHO'S SHUT THE WORLD AND THE FRIENDS WHO LOVE HER OUT. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU HAILEY?" Tristan yelled again, his face red from it and his anger.
"SHE DIED FIVE YEARS AGO TAYLOR. THE HAILEY KAIBA YOU ONCE KNEW HAS BEEN GONE FOR FIVE LONG YEARS; SHE DIED WHEN MY HUSBAND DIED. RUNNING KAIBA CORPORATION HAPPENED TO ME, RHINO-HEAD." Hailey yelled as her eyes turned from heated hatred to deathly cold hatred as she looked at the young man. Anyone else would have cowered away from her at that moment, but Joey was used to that look from Seto from all those years of dislike between them. "AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHO I AM NOW, THAN JUST LEAVE ME ALONE. I ALREADY TOLD THE REST OF THE OLD GANG TO LEAVE ME ALNOE SO NOW I'M TELLING YOU. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Alright, you two break it up. I will not allow this in my office. If you want to continue this argument, take it outside, but you've both already wasted enough of my time. Nurse, please take Mr. Taylor to the front desk and help him get an appointment scheduled so he can come in and get his cast removed from his arm." Mazakai said in a quite but hard voice. The nurse came up behind Tristan's chair and pushed him hurriedly out of the office.
As soon as he was gone, Hailey suddenly burst into tears, not caring that she was crying in front of someone in a public place.
"Mrs. Kaiba are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?" Mazakai asked in now gentle voice. She placed her hand on Hailey's shoulder, but Hailey pulled away.
"I want you to get this cast of my arm and then I want to leave this place." Hailey ground out as she wiped her hand over her eyes and the cold blazing look returned to her eyes, and her impassive expression returned to her face.
Mazakai wheeled Hailey out of her office and into an examination room a few doors down from her office. She helped Hailey onto the examination table and started to swab a place on her arm. "I'm going to numb your arm up before I start to take the cast off." Dr. Mazakai said as she reached over for a needle. Quickly she poked Hailey in the arm and injected the medicine into her arm. After a few moments she felt her arm go numb.
Mazakai picked up a small saw and proceed to saw off the cast that had encased Hailey's arm for so long. About twenty minutes later the cast had come off and Hailey got the first sight of her arm in a long while. It had sort of shrunk and it was the palest Hailey had ever seen her skin.
"Now that you got that cast off we can start you on using crutches. Today might not be the best day for you to start, because you can't feel you arm at the moment, but, I could still send them with you for you to use tomorrow or when ever you want to start using them." Mazakai said as she helped Hailey back into the chair. She walked over to a cabinet, and slid a card through the card reader near the handles. The light turned green and the cabinet doors opened. She pulled out a pair of crutches and walked over to Hailey. "I need to see if these will work for you."
Helping Hailey up once more, she placed the top parts of the crutches under Hailey's arms. Surprisingly, Mazakai had picked the right size on her first try. Hailey started to practice walking around the room for the first time in along time. It felt odd, being upright again, but it was a welcomed feeling. Though the pain shot up through Hailey's wrist and she dropped the crutch in her left hand and stumbled to the bed so she could sit down and rest.
"Doctor, what was that all about, I thought you had said that my arm was fully healed. If so, why then did my arm just feel as though I had just broken it all over again?" Hailey asked a few minutes later after the pain had subsided to a dull throb.
"Well it might be because you haven't used those muscles for a while, and the muscles aren't used to the weight of your body. Or it might be that the bone is still weak and fragile from the healing process, which I'm guessing is the problem. We'll put you in a brace for a week or two so the bones can get stronger and they can get used to the work again." Mazakai said as she took a brace out of the cabinet where the crutches had come from. She walked back to Hailey and firmly strapped the brace around her wrist. "I suggest that you stay off the wrist for about a day before you even attempt to use your arm again, just to make sure that you won't permanently damage the bones or muscles."
"Fine." Hailey answered as she allowed the doctor to wheel her out of the examination room. "If you could just call my driver for me I'll let you have the chair back today. I have enough people to help me get around without that stupid thing." Hailey said as she waited by the front door of the hospital.
Mazakai went over to the nurse's station and told on of the interns to go and find Hailey's driver. With one look at the injured CEO, the intern hurried away.
Five minutes later a black limo pulled up to the front of the building and a muscular man stepped out of the passenger side. He had a dark complexion and an odd tattoo on the right side of his face.
"Greeting, Mistress Hailey. I've come to help." the stranger said as he bowed slightly at the waist in front of Hailey's chair.
"Hello Odion." Hailey replied weakly, looking relieved at the sight of her caretaker. "Dr. Mazakai, this is my caretaker, and dear old friend, Odion. He has watched over my brother, sister, and I from the day of our births. I trust him with my life, so don't worry about him."
"I'll be taking my mistress if you please." Odion said as he walked up to the side of Hailey's chair and bent over her. "Mistress, please take hold of my neck."
Hailey lifted her arms and wrapped them firmly around Odion's tanned neck. He slipped on hand behind her back and the other one under her knees. Standing up, he held Hailey bridal style, and she rested her head against his shoulder, like she had done when she had received the tomb keeper's initiation, like her sister and brother before her.
"Thank you for taking so good of Lady Hailey for me," Odion said as he faced Mazakai, and bowed his head slightly to the stunned young woman. He lifted his head up and turned around and carried the young CEO out to the limo. The driver opened the door for him and he slid in, still holding Hailey
"Odion, thank you so much for coming. I tried calling last week but no one answered the home phone, so I didn't leave a message. I had no idea that you would so quickly. I mean I only called yesterday. Did Mokuba send a jet out for you?" Hailey asked as they drove back to her mansion.
"Your brother-in-law did offer to send a jet for us, but Master Marik declined him. We came on out own private jet." Odion said as he gently stroked her hair. He hadn't held his youngest charge like this since her husband had died. The anniversary of Seto Kaiba's murder was coming up now that he thought of it. Next Thursday to be precise.
"You guys have a jet?" Hailey asked astonishment plain in her voice. She had known her birth family wasn't poor, but to find out that they had bought a private jet just out of the blue shocked her. That sounded more like a thing she would now do.
"We had been saving up for awhile, and finally last year we were able to buy a pretty up-to-date one that even you would be proud of. I think we might have bought it off of one of Kaiba Corps. Sub companies." Odion said as they pulled up onto the drive way.
"Are Marik and Ishizu here as well? I'd like to see them." Hailey asked as Odion as he opened the door and held his arm our for her, helping her out of the limo.
"Your brother and sister are going to be arriving here in about three hours. I had the jet sent back to Egypt to go and pick them up. They wanted me here so I could look after you." Odion replied as he picked Hailey up again. She was lighter then she had been in ages, which was scary for the Egyptian man. His mistress had always been petite, but it was alarming how skinny she had gotten. Minding her leg cast, Odion slid out of the car and brought his mistress with him.
As the two approached the house, Mokuba ran out to meet them, his maroon coat flying out behind him. "Odion, thank goodness you got to her in time!" he cried when he met the two Egyptians.
"Master Mokuba, your sister-in-law was waiting somewhat patiently for me when I arrived, well summoned. I was in the limo when an intern came to get us. Mistress Hailey is allowed to use the crutches starting tomorrow, and not a minute later." Odion replied and said the last part looking directly at the young woman in his arms. "Right Mistress Hailey?"
"Yes." Hailey gritted out, glaring at the ground.
Seeing the disgust in Hailey's reaction, Mokuba chuckled slightly under his breath, though Hailey heard him and glared at him making him back away slightly in fear. Though her glare was broken by one of the largest yawns Mokuba had ever seen. Hailey must have realized this as well, because she turned a fain shade of pink and turned her head towards Odion's chest.
"Come on Odion. Lets get Hailey up to bed; she's had a long day." Mokuba said quietly leading the Egyptian man into the house and up to Hailey's large second-master bed room.
Placing her down on the bed and taking her shoes off, Odion and Mokuba tucked Hailey into bed and told her that she was under no circumstances to touch the game pod project. Mokuba turned the television on and the two men left the wounded young woman to herself.
"Mokuba, would you mind going to the airport for me to pick up Master Marik and Mistress Ishizu? I would like to keep an eye on Mistress Hailey for the time being." Odion asked as he helped Mokuba clean up the kitchen. They had ordered Chinese (A/N: I know that they're in Japan and should be eating Japanese, but I really want Chinese at the moment so they're going to eat whatever I say. Live with it!).
"I suppose. Where are they going to be coming in?" Mokuba replied taking his coat off the hanger by the garage and throwing it around his shoulders.
"Gate seventeen. Their plane should be arriving in about ten minutes." Odion answered, picking up the tray of food they had prepared for Hailey.
"Got it, gate seventeen, ten minutes." Mokuba recited. He took a set of keys off the wall and twirled them around his finger. "I guess this mean's I have an excuses to drive the new Mercedes!"
Mokuba reached the gate just as the two Egyptians entered the terminal. He realized that his brother and sister-in-law hadn't seen him since he was thirteen, so they wouldn't recognize him unless they had seen him on the news, but that had been last year and his hair had grown some since then (A/N: If any of you have seen teenage Priest Seto in the Dawn of the Duel series you know how long his hair was then and that's about the length of Mokuba's hair, only Mokuba's is jet black).
He quickly grabbed a napkin and unfolded it and scrawled 'Ishtar' darkly on it and raced back to the gate. He held his sign up and it quickly got Ishizu's attention and she nudged her brother in the ribs and pointed in Mokuba's direction. Marik turned and waved and Mokuba ran to meet his other family.
When Mokuba reached them, he pulled both Ishizu and Marik into a big bear hug. "I've missed you both so much. You have no idea how bad it is to handle an injured Kaiba/Ishtar. I nearly thought Hailey was going to drive us both insane!" Mokuba exclaimed as he pulled away from the two older people.
"We've missed you to Mokuba, both you and Hailey. How's she doing?" Ishizu replied as she wrapped her arm around Mokuba's shoulders and her other one around her brother's. Mokuba and Marik picked the bags off the ground and the three walked out to the car.
"Well, you sort of have to be around her a lot to know that she's not doing okay on the inside, but on the outside aside from the broken leg and arm brace, she's alright. But I know her better than that. She hates being useless like this. My brother was never out of commission like this and it's killing her that she's weak." Mokuba replied looking down as he said this.
"Hailey always did look up to your brother's work ethic. Even before they hooked up, she worked like him. Determined, concentrated, on task. She was a Kaiba before she even knew it." Marik replied.
"I guess your right Marik, though I wish she could go back to being her old self. I have." Mokuba answered. He was hoping that the Ishtar's had noticed the change in his attitude from the last time they had been together.
"I thought there was something different about you Mokuba. I didn't feel like I was crossing a serious line like before." Ishizu said cheerfully.
"It's good to know that our little brother-in-law is back to being somewhat of himself." Marik joked. "Now all that's left is Project Hailey!"
Mokuba opened the trunk and placed the bags in carefully and then opened the door for Ishizu, being a gentleman. Marik helped himself and opened the passenger side door in the front and climbed in. Mokuba sat behind the wheel and took a deep breath. He had never driven with this many people in the car before, it was scary. But he got them all home safely and in one piece.
Odion greeted them at the front door and took the Ishtar's bags up to their rooms. They all met in the library when he got back.
"Mistress Hailey fell asleep about ten minutes ago. You can look in on her if you want, just don't make noise. I want her to get her rest." Odion told the family as they all looked at him expectedly.
"Of course Odion, we'll only stop in for a few minutes and then, we'll let her sleep." Ishizu said as she led the way up the marble stair case. Marik and Mokuba just looked at each other and watched the older woman make her way up the stairs.
Ishizu had only been in the Kaiba mansion once before and now she was walking around like she owned the place. In any other circumstance it would have been a funny thing to mention, but both men feared that if they upset the older woman she might just hurt them.
"Ishizu, it's the second door on the right hall on the left side of the hall." Mokuba called after her as he hurried to catch up with the Egyptian woman.
Turning on her heel, Ishizu quietly open the door of Hailey's room and peered in at her sleeping sister. Hailey was lying on her back, covered in an almost blackish blue silk comforter, in the center of the bed. Her face for once in along time looked peaceful. A thin scar ran from a about a centimeter or so above her left eyebrow, through the brow, and continued slightly along the far side of her cheek (like Anakin's in the Revenge of the Sith). It kind of gave her a more menacing look than before. Her arm was in an arm brace and her broken leg was propped up at the end of the bed by two silk covered pillows.
"Well she looks a lot better than what I had thought she would." Marik said as he looked down at his twin sister. She still was an Egyptian beauty under the stress of running a company and being in a serious car crash. "Would you two allow me to be with my sister for a moment? Privately?" Marik asked looking up at his older sister and younger brother-in-law.
They both nodded and walked silently out of the room. Marik took the seat next to Hailey's bed and took her hand in his.
"Look what you got yourself into sister. You always said that nothing would get you down like this, but here you are, being what you said you wouldn't become. True I might be older than you by a few minutes, but I always looked up to you as kid and as we grew up. Do you remember the song Ishizu and Odion used to sing to us when we were scared or we couldn't sleep?" Marik said and asked as he remembered the song. Clearing his throat quietly he began to sing.
O mòr henion i dhù
Ely siriar el sila
Ai! Anìron Undòmìel.
Tìro! El eria e mòr
I lir en el luthu uren
Ai! Anìron…
He sang, closing his eyes at the end, and bowing his head slightly. A single tear rolled down his tan face and landed on Hailey's hand. His head flew up when he heard Hailey's voice.
From darkness I understand the night:
dreams flow, a star shines
Ah! I desire Evenstar
Look! A star rises out of the darkness;
the song of the star enchants my heart
Ah! I desire…
She sang quietly, grabbing her brother's hand more tightly when she finished the song.
"I've missed hearing you sing sister." Marik said softly. He gently leaned over and hugged his sister for the first time in along while.
"I didn't know that you still remembered how to speak, let alone sing, in the Elvin tongue. I'm surprised myself that I actually remembered that old song." Hailey said humor in her voice for the first time in a long time, and not cold humor.
"Of course I still remember the Elvin tongue! That was our favorite past time when we were younger. We annoyed father to know end, rattling on in it." Marik said as he pulled away from her, an old mischievous look in his eyes.
"Brother, it's good to see you again. Is Ishizu here as well, I don't see her anywhere?" Hailey said as she lifted herself up from the bed and into a sitting position.
"I'll go get her. I'll see you later sister." Marik replied as he stood form his seat and walked towards the door. He closed it behind him and a few seconds later, Ishizu came bustling into the room, a worried expression on her face.
"I really do hope that he didn't wake you up Hailey. He knows that you need all the rest you can get!" Ishizu cried as she sat down in the chair Marik had just occupied.
"Sister calm down, I woke on my own accord. Though I am glad to see you sister." Hailey answered feebly. She knew that they were all concerned for her health, but it was getting quite old having everyone worrying about how much rest she got.
"As I am to see you. I hope we came at a good time; Mokuba called us and asked us, well sort of pleaded with us to come and visit you. You weren't driving him crazy where you little sister?" Ishizu asked, a little to implying than what Hailey liked to hear from her family.
"Me! Drive someone crazy, nonsense! You know that I would never do something like that sister." Hailey quipped sticking her nose up into the air like she used to do whenever she didn't get her way when she was a child.
"Oh yes you would! Hailey, he's just trying to help you get better. You have to accept it that there are going to people who love you no matter what, but you have to be patient with them," the older Ishtar said as she looked over at her younger sister, who was doing a damn good job on trying to ignore what Ishizu was telling her.
"Ishizu, would you just leave it at that. I suddenly feel fatigued. I'd like to be alone if you wouldn't mind." Hailey asked as she turned away from her older sister, not wanting to face the older Egyptian at the very moment.
"As you wish, sister. You know your brother and I love you; we'll always be there for you no matter what." Ishizu said. She got up from the chair and left Hailey to herself. She didn't see the two crystalline tears slide down Hailey's cheeks.
"Damn…"
Well I think I'll end chapter two there. I put a lot of stuff into this one chapter; hopefully you didn't get bored and stop reading half way through. Today's a good day for me. I got a oneshot called "Mr. Brightside" (Yes it has to do with the song) finished and then I finished this chapter. HECK YES MAN! I hope the next chapter isn't as long as this one because this one took me a while to write. Please read and review! Bye
Mazakai
