Hello to all of or readers! Can hardly believe that I received so much feedback from only one chapter! I am so thrilled. I never expected it would be such a hit, since I had to double check with a friend before posting in fear it would be flamed. Thank you all so much, now let's me just praise you all. Now, let's get on with the replies to the reviewers. Also, must note that the sayings and word in the chapter are real Chinese, not made up by me, just in case anyone was curious, so I don't own the words.

Subaru the Jaguar: The ending may have been evil, but it kept you interested. Thanks for the compliments and support. I do plan to read some of your work, but my reviewing ability is screwed. If you want, I can email you a review if it's not a problem.

amazed! 0: Glad you like it, and I will continue. Thanks a lot.

Blue Dragon99: I thought the new setting would make the events more interesting and original. Hope it met standards, as I know you like the pairing. You'll find out about the sight this chapter, and thanks for the wishes. I'm now 16. Anyway, I'll email a review on your next chapter, and feel free to contact me anytime.

Secluded Sapphire: I adored your chapter and glad you like this story. Tell me what you think of the character I made and thanks, I did try to describe since it was a foreign setting.

Freakster: Glad you like, and thanks. If it weren't for you it would not have been posted at all! Thanks for the birthday greetings, and looking forward to hearing from you through email. Your chapter was fabulous too! Has my reply reached you? If not contact me!

Minor Arcana: Loved your update and I appreciate you like the new location. Tried to make it different and it fits with the plot, since there is so many secrets. Happy you like the description and thanks a million.

Elusia: Hope you don't have problems, but I'm pleased you like it. I did want the rescue to make things interesting, and yes, you will meet my OC this chapter. Hope you approve.

the1koolkitty: Lina may be right, but true, you will discover more about her this chapter. Hope you like it, and glad you do not hate me. Thanks for the support.

Now let's get on with the next chapter, and review please! Of course, I own nothing but my OC's and plot I believe. Love SGCred xxx P.S. Also made a mistake, I'm making Kaiba 18, so Mokuba is 13, okay.

Chapter 2: Differences and Inequality

"Seto? Maybe you shouldn't be staring...Hello? Anybody home in there?" the young teen alerted, trying to get his brothers attention by tugging his coat, but received no response. Kaiba seemed to be in a trance, gazing at the person in front of him.

The figure that held the kids tightly, one on each side of itself, as it drew closer. At least if the children knew this creature it must have been a friendly person. Now it stood in the light after leaving the dark alley. It was revealed to be a young girl, around Kaiba's age and only an inch or so shorter than him. She stared back just as intently, before her face broke out into a smile, soft and gentle on hearing the younger Japanese boy speak.

"I hope my siblings weren't causing you trouble, as I was concerned when the disappeared. I was looking everywhere..."

"Maybe you should keep those kids on a tighter leash!" the CEO raged, now out of his hypnotised state on hearing her voice. He now glared angrily at the girl. "They nearly got killed when the ran onto the road in front of a runaway-rickshaw, plus being picked on but a bunch of street punks. And another thing...Wait, siblings?! These two are your brother and sister?" he asked, now more confused than infuriated.

She nodded as she glanced at the two youngster's cling to her. Funnily enough, the young man found it difficult to contemplate the relation between the two children and this Chinese teenager. It was peculiar, but he couldn't quite place what was wrong with this scene. He never got the chance to think, as the girl spoke.

"Yes, they are my siblings, and I do apologise for what happened. I did see some of the scenario from the alley, and I'm grateful for you both rescuing them. They are thankful of you too, only they don't know any language except Chinese, and can't understand you." she explained, holding the kids protectively.

"But, how can you speak English so fluently?" Mokuba inquired, always willingly to learn about new people he met.

"Circumstances were different when I was little. It was necessary for me to learn, but these two don't need to know any other form of speech but their own."

Neither Japanese boy could grasp the concept of what was so different for this family that only one of them knew how to speak English, especially so well. However, it wasn't their business, so they chose to not ask. While all this went on during the chatter, Kaiba was deep in thought. He was still trying to place what was so strange about this girl, and wouldn't give in until he knew.

"I guess you must have lost them in the marketplace, huh? That area is really crowded." the teen asked.

"Yeah, I turn my back on them for two seconds to pay for my goods and they're gone. I'm so happy you found them for me."

"No problem, glad we could help..." he chirped, before feeling something tug at his jeans leg. Looking down, he saw the native girl, mutter something shyly. Since it was in Chinese, the teen just looked confused, making the older girl laugh as she assisted.

"She said thank you for saving her favourite ball, as well as her brother and herself. She's too young and naive to understand you don't know the language."

"That's okay, just tell her I said you're welcome and I'm pleased she has her toy back." he smiled, seeing the elder girl repeat his message, seeing the child's indigo eyes sparkle.

"Oh, I should making introductions," she grinned, gesturing to each of the children in turn. "This is my nine-year-old brother, Zi-Lin, and my four-year-old sister Jun-Ling."

"And what's your name?" the violet eyed teen questioned.

"I'm Melisanne of the Ting family, and who might you be?"

"I'm Mokuba Kaiba, and this is my big bro Seto." he replied cheerfully. Both Japanese boys watch the girl translate for her siblings, before all three bowed in respect.

"Nice to meet both of you, I only wish I could show my gratitude for your deeds. Perhaps you would like to come home with us, and I can give you a small token of my appreciation."

"Really, that's so nice of you..." the teen started, but was cut off by his brother.

"But we can't. We must head back to our hotel, which is quite a walk from here." Seto interrupted. He didn't want nor need anything from these people, as if they had anything with value in his opinion. Also he wanted to relax back at the hotel, and stop his only family from becoming too friendly with the locals.

"Aww, come on big brother. It isn't that far back to the Sacred Dragon..."

"You're staying at the Sacred Dragon hotel?" Melisanne asked. Seeing the boys nod, the two kids tugged enthusiastically and excitedly at their sister, speaking Chinese at a rapid rate.

"Is something wrong?"

"No Mokuba, it's just that the Sacred Dragon is only a couple of streets away from our home. You can walk with us to the house, then make your way to your hotel."

"Sorry, we would rather make our own way back, come on little brother." Kaiba commanded, but noticed the boy looked hurt.

"Seto, they're only being nice to us and you still treat them like you do people back home. There's no harm, especially since we're heading in that direction anyway."

The raven-haired teen naturally used his trademark puppy dog eyes, pouting cutely which made his brother seethe and weaken. Eventually he had to give in and agreed to walk the family home. He was grumbling viciously to himself sarcastically on the joy of the moment. They soon made their way through the market, Kaiba planning not to make any conversation whatsoever. Unfortunately, little did he know curiosity would get the better of him.

The group strolled along the busy sidewalk, the kids trotting playfully and made up games as they went. They were heading along to the more serene and peaceful part of the city, which soothed the CEO and his throbbing headache from the constant jabber in the market, and downtown area. Jun-Ling skipped merrily while holding Zi-Lin's hand. The youngster was watching his sister protectively with Mokuba sauntering behind, playing along. Despite the speech gap, they were still able to have fun. The older teens waltzed behind in silence. Melisanne tried to glance at him a few times, but he always caught her aimed a piercing glare at her. She turned away abruptly, but finally decided to break the ice.

"So...how long do you and your brother plan to stay here on vacation?"

"We are not here on holiday, I'm dealing with business here and will be staying for a year while I work on matters of the Kaiba Corp Empire. So don't expect regular play-dates, I don't have the time to waste." he replied coldly.

"All that time in a hotel? Wouldn't it be more practical to rent an apartment for the duration of your trip?"

This earned her another sharp stare, as Kaiba hated to be contradicted, more so now, as she had made a good point. It would indeed be cheaper and more logical for them, but the money was not an option, having so much to throw around. Besides, he always had other people do things for him and wouldn't be able to cook and clean for two people on top of his job. Not to mention he found it degrading to picture himself doing the work of a maid! Despite his snarl, Melisanne attempted to make a lighter note in the conversation.

"Your brother is very sweet. Such a cute and happy kid." she commented making a small smile tug on the man's lips. The one part of him that wasn't surrounded by walls and barriers.

"He is, and that's why I care about him so much. I take it you don't know my reputation in Japan, otherwise you would be fearful of making such personal statements."

"Well, your company isn't as popular on powerful over here, but I assume you are here to change that." she added cheekily making the young man grit his teeth slightly, but she continued. "You know, for brothers, you are very contrasting, in appearance and personality."

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, it's just strange. But I can tell you both share determination and strength, also hidden depth that you have yet to discover. You are so close, it's obvious, 'Ru Ying Sui Xing.'"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh sorry, I forgot you couldn't understand. It's a riddling saying, it means, 'Inseparable as each other's Shadows.'"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow sceptically. He wasn't that used to fondling over riddles and pointless antidote's, yet her words did have meaning in them. It was closely related to the truth of him and his brother, and was spoken well in such a mysterious language. He wouldn't say it out loud, but it seemed to him that the Chinese girl spoke made the words contain depth; in other words, very beautifully.

"What exactly did your brother and sister call you when the noticed you in that alley?" he questioned, surprisingly interested in the language, which caught her off guard.

"Oh, well they called me 'Jie Jie', a term meaning older sister."

"And what did you say?"

"I called them 'wu mei' and 'ge'. 'Wu mei' is 'fifth younger sister' as in Jun, and 'ge' is what I named Zi, which is 'brother'."

"Wait, fifth younger sister?! How many are there in your family?"

"Jun is the youngest, so there are five kids as well as Niang." she stated, and on seeing the confused look on his face, she continued. "Sorry, it's a term for mother." she explained, and he nodded commented on how she could take care of four children.

"No actually, I'm not the oldest, I'm the middle child, or 'san mei' third younger sister. Jun and Zi are children, but I have an elder brother as sister as well."

Seto was stunned to say the least, though he didn't show it. Five kids and only one adult, it all seemed peculiar. If Melisanne was only the third oldest, why was she running around shopping and watching over her siblings? Couldn't the older kids do that, and what of her mother? Not to mention there was no word on a father in the family. He didn't wish to enquire on that, as it was too personal and private. Also he didn't want to become involved, it would only complicate matters. Besides, there was another thing that had aroused his curiosity.

"Looks like I'm not the only one different from my sibling."

"I beg your pardon, what do you..."

"While Mokuba and I do share some qualities, you don't share any similarities in appearance with your brother and sister. At least we have build and complexion, which is alike. You are entirely different from Jun and Zi."

Kaiba had a point, Melisanne was very strange looking standing near the children and you wouldn't think they looked related at all. They were both lean and straight, while she was built with a mature figure of curves, unusual for her origin. Also where native Chinese had lightly tanned skin like her younger relatives, she possessed a porcelain complexion, pale and creamy. The children who had dark features contrasted with their older sister. Melisanne's hair was a lighter and more elegant ebony shade with no highlights, and gentle kinks in it. Her eyes shimmered in the light; a sweet crystal colour, which was very bright, compared to the kid's darker orbs.

"Your appearance doesn't fit very well, hard to believe you are related." he claimed.

He had merely been stating his observations, but it did sound pretty harsh coming from him. These thoughts made Melisanne cringe a little. Clearly she was hiding knowledge of why she was so different from her relatives in looks, and it made her upset just thinking about it. He wasn't sure how to react at all towards this, but also had to voice the other trait he noticed that separated her from her brother and sister.

"Is there any reason why you are dressed differently from your siblings as well?"

She looked ashamed, of her attire and herself for letting him see what she had tried to avoid. While Jun and Zi were clothed in finery, made of silk and threads with delicate patterns woven into the garments, the elder daughter was definitely not so well off. She wore peasant materials, a tattered grey skirt, which touched the ground, so you could barely see the worn out shoes beneath. Her pale blue jacket used rope ties to close itself around her body, with the long sleeves hiding her hands. The white top was concealed since the jacket was closed along with the navy scarf wrapped around her neck, so no skin was exposed whatsoever, only that on her face. How she could wear all that in the middle of a summer heat wave was beyond the young mans comprehension.

"Well, all money was spent on clothing for the younger children, so there was not enough for me. I don't mind, I'll just get new ones when we acquire more money." she mumbled uncomfortably, but the CEO could tell she was not speaking truthfully. He was about to push her for answers when he heard Mokuba call to them.

"Hey come on! Jun and Zi have stopped up ahead. Is this the house around here Melisanne?"

After realising where they were, she nodded and went towards the kids standing outside a set of large iron gates. The Japanese boys looked past the bars and were quite amazed at what they saw. This place was as big as their mansion back home, though very different in design. With slated slanted roofs, high holy turrets, ornamental decoration in the front yard and traditional ancient oriental structure, it looked more like a Chinese temple than a house. Orchards of large willows and exotic wild flowers grew everywhere, while a fountain decorated the centre of the garden.

As they headed through the exquisite area by walking along the paved pathways, Kaiba couldn't help but see things a lot more suspiciously.

'How is it possible that anyone that can afford this high-class property be able to provide luxury clothes for infants, yet force another member of the family to wear nothing but scullery rags? Something is not right here; it doesn't seem like this girl is treated fairly. She appears to not be seen as an equal in this household to her siblings. Why is she supposedly looked on as...a servant?'

They soon reached the end of the walkway, and stood before the huge front steps leading to the house. The crystal-eyed girl was about to offer them to come in, when a Chinese shout broke the tranquil atmosphere. Hidden in the shadow of the doorway, a looming figure towered over them, strange slit orbs staring maniacally at them. On seeing this, the younger children rushed up the staircase, standing to attention in front of the person. Bowing in respect, or fear, of the figure they were ushered inside, now completely ignoring their sister for some reason.

Now the slits turned to Melisanne, glaring at her, making her quiver slightly. Glancing at her guests, she appeared to plead with the person with her eyes. The stern voice echoed Chinese, definitely a command from how loud and fierce it was. Sighing she turned to the boys.

"You should go, we'll maybe see you later." she whispered, as if not wanting the figure to hear her. With that she faced the house, and walked up the stairs as both Japanese boys headed for the gate. Before leaving Kaiba looked back to see Melisanne disappear into he house before the door slammed. He could have sworn he spotted the figure pulling her forcefully, but he dismissed it.

However, as they walked down the street towards their hotel, he could not shake the feeling that something was very wrong with the way that scene had acted out.