"Mommy, would you tell me again the story of how I was born?"

The sound of a little girl's voice and the question it had asked hurried Seto Kaiba's footsteps to the open doorway of his daughter's room. What had possessed her 5-year-old mind to ask that sort of question?

"But you've heard it a thousand times, sweetheart!"

Familiar laughter resounded through his ears and it matched the scene Seto found. His wife, Jenna, holding their young daughter, Marisa in her arms as they sat together on Marisa's bed. Seto Kaiba's eyes gradually softened at the sight of his family. Sometimes, he wondered how someone as cold as him could ever have produced a child as sweet as Marisa with a woman as impossible to deal with as Jenna. It just didn't make any sense sometimes.

"Please mommy! Make it a thousand and one times! I promise I'll be good tomorrow!"

Then again, it didn't matter either.

A reserved smile crept upon the CEO's lips and he leant on the doorway with his arms folded across his chest, watching and lsitening in silence.

"Okay," Jenna gave in, kissing Marisa on the cheek, "But only because you're very good. Once upon a time, in a land far, far, far away, there lived a handsome prince-"

"That's daddy, isn't it?"

"That's right, baby. And he was the most handsome prince in the whole entire world. Thousands of girls would line up outside his magnificent castle, hoping that he would fall in love with one of them and become his queen."

"And then what happened?"

"One day, the handsome prince was forced to go to the Royal School by the prince's little brother who was very cute and had magical powers."

Marisa giggled and Seto could not help but smile when she exclaimed, "Uncle Mokie!"

Jenna laughed too, "Yes, baby. Uncle Mokuba made the prince go to school and it was very boring."

Seto shook his head. Jenna had never liked school.

Neither had he.

There was absolutely no point for him to have been there other than Mokuba's wishes for him to be sociable.

"Mommy, is school really that boring?"

"Oh yes, darling. Very, very, very boring. But you see, there was one class that the prince loved. And that class was the one he shared with a very beautiful princess-"

"That's you!"

Seto mentally chuckled at his daughter's cute antics. Sometimes, she reminded him of the way Mokuba interjected into Seto's stories when he used to tell them at the orphanage.

How long ago had the orphanage been?

Shrugging the memories, both peaceful and menacing behind him, the tall man with the chocolate brown hair and famous blue eyes with the cold edge continued to listen in silence.

"That's me. The prince and princess loved each other but couldn't be together because their...two different countries were enemies."

"Were they supposed to hate each other, mommy?"

Here, Jenna looked thoughtful and Seto understood the true meaning of her words, his mind offering him glimpses of what their lives had been like before. Yes, they were supposed to hate each other. And they did.

For a very long time.

"Yes, but you see honey, when love is real, it finds a way. And so the prince and the princess ran away from school and got lost in a great, big enchanted forest where they found the most wonderful treasure in the universe."

Marisa smiled sweetly and she pointed her thumb at her chest. Jenna nodded affectionately and continued with the story.

"They both loved the treasure with all their hearts and knew they couldn't love anything more than their treasure. So they got married and lived happily ever after. The end."

It was the most ridiculous story Seto Kaiba had ever heard in his life, but he knew how stories filled with nonsense entertained young children. Even bright, educated kids like his daughter. Though, he had had previous experience with the way stories like these would light up Mokuba's stormy violet eyes. It was quite amazing if one thought about it.

He watched as his wife gave their daughter a lengthy hug, kissed her cheek and tucked her in bed.

"Goodnight, baby girl. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, mommy."

How had it come to this?

Before Marisa was born and Jenna had come along, Seto had thought he would have only his little brother to love and take care of and that he was doomed to rely on the success of his hard work for happiness and a cheap one night stand for pleasure.

But then one thing and led to the next and all Seto could think about was when he was holding his daughter for the first time thinking there was nothing in the world he could ever love more. He remembered the way Jenna looked at him from her place on the bed she had given birth on. Her face held pure joy and happiness.

Jenna had been a fling.

One that she had instigated.

He never asked for her. She had just happened.

He never wanted her in the first place. But after years of her flirtatious glances, heated encounters and irrelevant outbursts that eventually led to more than he anticipated, she managed to force herself into his life.

And then there was Mokuba. His little brother, Mokuba. All this wouldn't have been possible were it not for Mokuba. Seto closed his eyes. He missed having the little runt around. Except, Mokuba wasn't little anymore. God bless his heart, he was sixteen now and studying abroad.

"You know, Mr. Kaiba, you're allowed to wish your daughter goodnight."

Seto felt a hand gently push him out of the doorway, into the corridor. He heard a soft click as the door to Marisa's bedroom was closed and finally felt his wife's lips press against his cheek. He moved his head and was pleased when her surprised gasp allowed him to kiss her properly.

"Hello."

Jenna smiled at him, "How is it that we can never meet without you putting your tongue in my mouth."

Seto wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, possessively bringing her close to him.

"Let's just say I've got a thing for cheerleaders."

Jenna slapped her husband's chest playfully and pushed him slightly away, "You hated cheerleaders!"

Seto nodded thoughtfully, remembering well the very first time he met Jenna in his last year of high school.

Yes.

He really did hate cheerleaders.

A/N: wow, it's been a long time since I wrote . Reviews appreciated. They'll help me write better chapters for this story in the future. Hope no one minds the OC. Suggestions on how to improve the OC are all accepted and muchly appreciated.

R&R