A/N: Okay, I decided to update early because I made you guys wait so long for the last chapter. And Cauryn, since I'm 2600 miles away at the moment, this chapter goes for your idea with Kaiba. Watered down to make him more IC, that is. ^_^ You'll like it.
Devil at The Door
The air in the room became extremely dry and the silence was deafening. Sonja continued to stare at her computer screen as Kaiba continued to stare at her.
"You found your mother?" he muttered.
She nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Is this what you wanted advice for?" he asked quietly. He understood why she was upset. In a sense, she was an orphan just like he was. But whereas his parents were both dead, hers had been missing since Allan's cronies ransacked her home and been arrested on false drug charges.
"Yeah." She said. Her heard her voice cracking. She was doing everything she could think of not to cry in front of him. It was a noble effort, but he knew that he had to think of something or she'd just break down right there.
"Where?" he asked.
Sonja glanced at him wearily. "A rather peaceful location in Hiroshima." She answered.
"A nursing home?" he ventured.
"A cemetery." She corrected him. His eyes widened.
"She's dead?"
Sonja nodded and shoved the computer toward him. He turned it around and found an article open on the screen. It was an obituary from the Hiroshima newspaper.
Isabelle Maryann GavensEstimated 52 years of age, Isabelle Gavens passed away on November 17th 2008 at Hiroshima Central Clinic of chronic heart failure. She is remembered by friends in Nara and is apparently survived by two children and a husband. The pre-mentioned relatives cannot be reached at this time.
Kaiba stopped there. He glanced up at Sonja. She was busily stripping a dandelion of its leaves and petals.
"I see." He said at last, gently pushing the computer back over. She returned it to its diagonal place on the counter and set the naked plant down on the glass surface, the leaves and petals lying listlessly around the stem. It was a pretty sorry sight.
"So one parent down." She muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know where mom is. Now if I can just find dad." She said. "I've been looking for them for months. I haven't told Sophie because I don't want to get her hopes up."
She turned away and rifled through her messy file cabinet. Kaiba watched her concernedly.
"Sonja," he said hesitantly. "Do you have any idea if your father is still alive?"
Sonja paused in her sorting and stared at the wall, seemingly seeing right through it.
"I hope so. I'd really love to see him again. With every other family member dead, he and Sophie are all I'd have. It'd be great to let him know we're still alive and doing okay."
She fell silent. Kaiba wasn't sure what to say. The fact that she was actually discussing her family was shocking enough as it was. But for someone with as much pride as she had to actually admit how much she missed her remaining parent was unbelievable. He frowned in contemplation.
"I have to get back to work." He told her.
"Okay. Thanks."
As he turned to leave, he heard her go into the back room and winced as a box fell over and she started grumbling.
He was tempted to mention Arika and Daichi, but figured he'd try later. He'd get Sophie to watch the tape again and tell him when she was supposed to arrive if she mentioned it. He wanted to get back to the office as soon as possible.
On the way, he silently cursed whoever invented timed traffic lights.
//ooo//
Ursula had recently returned from visiting her son and his children and glanced up when Kaiba entered the building.
"Good afternoon." She said pleasantly. She was the only faculty member in the building besides Roland who didn't find Kaiba's mere presence overwhelmingly intimidating.
"Ursula, what do you know about first names?" he asked out of the blue. Ursula blinked and cocked an eyebrow.
"You'll have to rephrase the question. I have no idea what you're talking about." She said bewilderedly. Kaiba sighed irritably.
"How common is the first name, 'Damon'?" he asked.
Ursula frowned and scratched her chin.
"Well, Jake and his wife found it in two out of five baby books. It's Greek, meaning 'To Tame'. It's a form of Damian, but it's more commonly derived as—"
All this time, Kaiba had been leaning on the counter with half his face covered by his hand, his visible eye rolling upward until he finally straightened up and snapped, "I didn't ask for the history of the name, Ursula!"
"Well be clear on that next time, smarty!" Ursula snapped back, glaring at him.
"Ursula, if you were anyone else, you'd be fired right now." He grumbled. She smiled innocently.
"How sweet of you to say!" she chimed. Kaiba sighed in irritation.
"Look, I just wanted to know how popular the name was about fifty years ago."
"What do I look like, a seer? Humph. Well, the website and baby books all said that the name has never been the most popular of names because it's other form, Damian and it's various, well, variations, are sometimes translated as the name of the devil. In other words, it's not and never has been a very popular or common name."
"Thank you." He said in exasperation. He turned to head upstairs.
"Why this interest in names, there?" Ursula called.
"Mind your own business, Ursula." Kaiba grumbled as he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.
"Dollars to doughnuts it's got something to do with Sonja." Ursula mumbled gleefully.
//ooo//
As Ursula predicted, the name Damon hadn't been popular for a long time. It was easy to locate the name combined with the unusual last name Gavens to search up two individuals remaining in Japan in the Nara area. After hacking a few websites, he discovered that while one Damon Gavens was two years old and had recently moved to Nara with his family from Hokkaido, the other one was in his late fifties and was living alone in Nara.
It took three hours, but he used an online Japanese phone directory, an online translator and translated every page so he could read it until he found Damon Gavens' address. He also found an old work email address on the site he discovered Damon's living conditions on. He copied and pasted it into a file on his desktop and then opened an email composition. He knew it was a long shot, but it was worth a try. His parents were long dead, but Sonja's father at least was still alive. There was nothing wrong with trying to help her see him again. He started his message:
Mr. Damon Gavens,
My name is Seto Kaiba, of Kaiba Corp. You will very likely wonder why I am sending this to you, as well as how I got your email address. Long story short, my intentions are harmless. I mean only to inform you of your daughters' whereabouts. Sonja is a friend of mine and wishes to see you again.
He kept it simple and as informal as he could manage. He wanted to see what Damon's reaction would be. When he went to send the message, he couldn't think at first of what it should say. Finally, he decided to put Sonja's name on the subject line. He figured that of all things would get his attention if he still checked his email.
He took a deep breath and hit SEND. Then he leaned back and folded his arms, gazing blankly at the computer screen.
All he could do now was wait.
//ooo//
That evening, Kaiba was just finishing up some last minute work when the phone rang on the other line. The ID said it was from the Gavens' sisters and he hoped it was Sophie with information on the wayward visitors they were expecting.
"Seto Kaiba." He said into the speaker.
"Bleh! Hah!"
Kaiba sighed. "Hello, Sophie." He mumbled. She had a strange habit of greeting people she called by making faces into the phone. It sounded like she was going to be sick on the receiving end, though. He figured she likely wasn't aware of this.
"Aww, how'd you know it was me?"
"Lucky guess."
Sophie cracked up. "Nice. Anyway, Arika called this afternoon. She said she and Daichi are arriving tomorrow evening. I figured you'd want to know."
"Thanks." He said.
"No problem. Hey wait'll you hear what happened to Maya today! She—"
Kaiba rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. Sophie wouldn't even notice and would keep jabbering on about one thing or another. That girl was so hyper sometimes it was scary. At least now he knew when they were arriving. He wondered how he should react to this. He decided he'd worry about it when the time came. For now, he was tired.
//ooo//
The next morning, Sonja sat downstairs in the shop playing with a caterpillar she'd discovered munching on her tulips. She let it crawl through her hands and set it on her head to crawl around while she got some dead leaves for it to eat. She fished it out of her hair and set it on the leaves, watching as it chewed a minute hole in the center of one and then curling into a ball, spooked by something. As she scooped it up to set it back outside, she heard the door open and glanced up.
"Freeze!"
Sonja rolled her eyes as Joey the police officer stormed inside, assumed a weird bow-legged stance and scowled around the shop.
"I got a call about a bend of rules here!" he announced.
"Oh, and what bend of ruling would be found here, oh honorable officer of the law?" Sonja asked, dropping the caterpillar into a flowerpot beside her. It quickly burrowed beneath the soil, out of sight.
"For not paying attention to me waving at you outside the window, that's what!" Joey yelled, pointing. Sonja smirked.
"How horribly rude of me. I'll have to ground me for a month." She drawled. Joey rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"Sarcasm. I oughta arrest you for that." He snapped.
"Come on, Joey, be serious. How are you?" Sonja asked, leaning on the counter. Joey sighed, scratching his head.
"Pretty good. I talked to Serenity the other day."
"You make it seem like that's a bad thing." Sonja pointed out in curiosity. Joey sighed again.
"Well, remember that Devlin creep?"
"Duke? Yeah, I remember him."
"Serenity's going out with him now." Joey whined. Sonja shook her head and groaned.
"Joey, what's so wrong with that? If Serenity's happy, shouldn't you be happy too?"
"But I hate that weirdo!" Joey yelled.
"If you hated him so much, why did you spend so much time with him when the Battle City Tournament was going on?" Sonja grumbled.
"Only 'cause the others like him!" Joey snapped, folding his arms.
"So if the others all set fire to themselves, would you follow suit?" Sonja asked wryly.
"Now that's just dumb." Joey growled. "I just want Serenity to be happy." He told her.
"Well, if she seems the least bit unhappy, she'd tell you, wouldn't she?" Sonja probed.
"Well, yeah, I suppose she would."
"And if she genuinely likes him, don't you think you should trust that Serenity knows best?"
Joey frowned. "I…I guess. I just don't want her getting hurt, is all."
Sonja smiled. "I understand, Joey. Remember, I've got a little sister too. If Serenity is unhappy, she'll tell you. So in the meantime, back away a little and give her some space to make her own choices."
Joey nodded and smiled half-heartedly.
"I'll try. But it ain't gonna be easy!" he admitted. He jumped when the radio at his side buzzed in.
"Gotta split, Sonja. Keep it real!" he yelled as he hurried outside to the squad car parked by the curb. As he roared off, Sonja glanced over at her caterpillar and sighed.
She was startled out of her reverie when the phone rang suddenly. She picked it up and cradled it under her chin.
"Gavens' Flower Emporium, Son—"
"SONJA!"
Sonja yelped and dropped the phone, tangling her arm in the cord and pulling the cradle down with her as she fell of the stool in a heap on the floor. Groaning, she listened to Arika's shrill voice screeching into the speaker. She didn't bother to hurry and pick up the phone. With how loud Arika was at the moment, she could hear her from three feet away while she detangled herself from the cord and straightened her work area.
"Listen, listen! Daichi and I are arriving tonight! Isn't that great! Don't bother cooking anything, we'll pick something up for you guys and save you the trouble. I've been taking cooking classes and I have to say that I make a mean meatloaf!"
Sonja made a face.
"Now listen, we'll be there around seven or so. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time. I don't remember if I told you already, but we have a big green suitcase filled with things from your old apartment. It's a little dusty, but it'll wash. I'd have done it myself, but I didn't have time. Mom was anxious to see us outta there."
"Yeah, I'll bet she was." Sonja mumbled. She finally picked up the phone now that Arika had stopped yelling.
"Okay, so what do you like in the food department?"
"Uhh…."
"No wait let me guess. Mexican!"
"Just whatever." Sonja sighed.
"Korean takeout it is then! So, I'll see you later this evening. I want to hear all about how your life has been. I've missed you! Bye Sonni!"
Sonja stared at the speaker on the phone and sighed. She hung up and stared out the window. The sunlight streamed in and provided nourishment for her plants. She got up and went into the back, dragged out three huge bags of fertilizer and then locked up for an hour, too depressed to stay in the shop anymore. It wasn't usually busy on Wednesdays anyway.
Sophie had a day off that day and was upstairs in her butterfly pajamas, eating cereal and watching early morning cartoons. She glanced up at Sonja and grinned.
"Hey sis!" she called. "What's up?"
"I just got a call from Arika. They're coming tonight." Sonja told her. She got out the oatmeal and put a pan on the stove.
Sophie growled and changed the channel to an old I Love Lucy rerun.
"Gag me." She grumbled. Sonja smiled and turned the stove on.
"I don't think I'll work in the shop today." She announced. "I think for once, I'll relax today and watch a movie. How does that sound?"
Sophie gave her a double thumbs up.
"Tubular!" she exclaimed. Sonja grimaced.
"You've been watching way too many old movies, Sophie."
Sophie just grinned.
//ooo//
"Sophie already told me." Mokuba said to his brother. Kaiba was working at home for a change. A sudden migraine had driven him out of the office. Mokuba was convinced it was because he was pushing himself too hard. And as usual, Kaiba ignored him.
But now they were discussing Arika and Daichi's arrival that evening at the Gavens'. Mokuba was concerned from all the stories Sophie had told him about them from when she and Sonja were kids.
"I think we should go over there. You know, for support and that sort of thing." He said. He was sitting over on the sofa and leafing through a comic book. Kaiba ceased typing for the moment and stared at his desk. The truth was, he'd been thinking of doing the same thing. He wouldn't openly admit that he was worried about Sonja. Lately, it seemed as though everything was threatening to bring hers and Sophie's lives down to a grinding halt. After all, his original reason for protecting her was to help Mokuba keep his new friend he'd found in Sophie. Now that Sonja had been a legal adult for several years, there was no real need to protect them, but he still found himself paying a visit now and then.
"Actually," he mumbled, "I was considering that very thing." He said to his brother.
"For real?" Mokuba exclaimed. Kaiba nodded once.
"I don't trust this situation. I also don't trust Arika from what I already know about her. It would probably be best to be there in case the situation gets out of control."
Mokuba grinned.
"Good plan." He said. He chewed his lip in thought. "Sophie said they'd be arriving sometime tonight. Our best bet would be to be there around six or something."
Then it was settled.
//ooo//
That night, despite what Arika had said, Sonja was busy with some chicken curry on the stove. Sophie had gone into their room and hadn't reappeared since. Sonja wondered whether she was hiding or setting up a bomb shelter. When Sophie finally did come back out, she was wearing a crash helmet, hockey gloves, a bulletproof vest and Wellington boots. Sonja could only gape in amazement and horror.
"Sophie, where on earth did you get all that junk?" she exclaimed. Sophie put her hands on her hips (more or less) and glowered from within the crash helmet.
"These are all confiscated items that Joey let me borrow. The vest is actually his personal one that he told me I could keep for as long as Arika remains here."
Sonja covered her eyes and groaned. But she kept her mouth shut and returned to her curry. She let her mind wander while she added what she thought was paprika. She'd taken down a bottle of cayenne pepper and Sophie noticed as she poured some in.
"Uh, sis?" she stammered.
"What?"
"Never mind." Sophie said quickly. Sonja raised an eyebrow and returned to her daydreaming as she added the vegetables.
When there was a knock at the front door, Sophie ran to answer it and freak out whoever was there with her weird costume.
It worked. If it weren't for Kaiba standing right there to grab him, Mokuba would have fallen down the stairs.
"What's with the odd getup?" Kaiba asked blandly.
"Protection." Sophie answered as if it were the plainest thing in the world. The brothers exchanged bewildered looks and followed her inside. Mokuba immediately started bugging Sophie about her costume and Kaiba simply stood behind a table chair, watching bemusedly.
"Quite a pair, I'd say." Sonja mused, coming up behind him. He turned slightly.
"Hn."
"They're only missing Curly Joe and they'd be the perfect Three Stooges." She said.
Kaiba allowed himself to smirk a little at this. Truth was that he was too edgy.
"What's wrong? Are you sleeping okay? You look out of it." Sonja said.
"I'm fine." He grumbled. He turned as Mokuba ran over to the stove, sniffing what Sonja was making.
"Cool! It's curry! Hey, is it ready yet, Sonja?" he asked.
"Almost. You're welcome to have a taste." She said as she went into the back room. Kaiba went over to stand next to his brother, watching as he fished a spoon out of the silverware drawer and took a bit out of the pot.
"Your one fatal weakness." Kaiba teased.
Mokuba stuck his tongue out before popping the spoon into his mouth.
"Mmm." He said. "Try some, bro!"
"No." Kaiba told him flat outright.
"Come on," Mokuba insisted. Kaiba backed away.
"No, Mokuba." He grumbled.
Mokuba scowled. "If Sonja heard this, she'd be insulted." He said.
"Sonja never cared before and now shouldn't be any different." Kaiba retorted. He'd gotten a little wary now. Mokuba had gotten taller in the last few years and this new height gave him more of an edge. This argument could go either way.
"Just try it." Mokuba insisted.
"No."
"Come on, just try it!"
They glared at each other and Kaiba realized that neither one was willing to back down. This could go on for awhile so he figured he'd be the one to end it.
"Fine." He growled.
//ooo//
Sonja was busy arranging the bedroom for Arika and Daichi. She and Sophie would use the pullout bed in the sofa. As he was taking the sheets off to wash them, she heard a metallic clanging coming from the kitchen and loud voices.
"Oh boy. What'd they do this time?" she mumbled, dropping the sheets and heading for the door.
She found a chaotic mess in the kitchen area with Sophie in her assorted junk costume trying to break up a heated argument between the brothers.
"Come on, cut it out you guys!" Sophie yelled.
Sonja hurried over and got in between them, pushing Kaiba backward while Sophie got Mokuba into a wristlock.
"Okay, what happened?" Sonja snapped, glaring at the crock-pot on the floor with the ruined curry strewn about the linoleum. Mokuba was the first to speak up.
"I tried some curry and it was good, Sonja. I just wanted Seto to try it too."
"Oh no." Sophie muttered. "Mokuba, Sonja added a lot of cayenne pepper in by mistake. What's tasty to you is often poisonous to the rest of us normal people." She admonished irritably.
"You don't have to tell me the rest, I can figure it out." Sonja said. She glanced over at Kaiba who was standing a few feet away with the weirdest look on his face. He was trying very hard to salvage his dignity and ignore the fact that he clearly wanted some water. Sonja noticed this, rolled her eyes and quickly shoved Mokuba and Sophie into the next room with the orders as Mokuba's punishment to make the beds for Arika and Daichi when they arrived.
"Sorry about that." Sonja said as she got a glass down from the cupboard and filled it with ice water. She handed it to him and shook her head. "I added it by mistake. I'd better clean up this mess."
He sipped the water as the burning began to subside.
"Thanks." He said.
"No problem. Never a dull moment here, I tell you." She said as she swept the curry mixture into the dustpan and then got the mop out after she threw the stuff away.
"Hm." He just said.
Sonja finished cleaning up and sat down at the table, tracing the wood patterns with her finger. Kaiba slowly moved over and sat down a few feet away, watching her carefully. She noticed.
"What?"
He didn't answer. He looked away and pushed the glass a few inches away from him.
"Hey." She mumbled. "Why'd you guys come here anyway?"
Kaiba listened to make sure Sophie and Mokuba were still out of earshot.
"I didn't want you to have to face them alone." He said quietly. Sonja froze up and then looked away.
"That wasn't necessary." She said coldly. But he could see she was grateful for the support. He knew she that was scared, but that she'd rather cut her tongue out than admit it to anyone. He slowly reached his hand out and placed it over hers, surprising her. But while she refused to look at him, she didn't pull her hand away.
Seven was rapidly approaching. Mokuba and Sophie had finished with the sheets and were sitting on the sofa flipping through channels. Neither one was really watching anything. Sophie kept looking at the clock. Mokuba elbowed her gently and smiled at her.
Sonja kept staring at the table. Her face was beginning to betray how nervous she felt. Safe within her own mind, she was glad that he was there.
Finally, they heard it: The sound of a car pulling up and doors slamming, the sounds of people climbing the steps and finally, the sound of knocking on the door. Sonja glanced at Kaiba who gave her an encouraging nod. She got up to answer the door. He got to his feet as well and picked up the glass again.
Sonja cautiously opened the door. She stared outside and blinked.
"Arika?"
A red blur exploded inside and crashed into Sonja, sending them both sprawling.
"Sonni! It's so great to see you, I've missed you guys like you wouldn't believe!" Arika shrieked, perched on Sonja's chest and beaming down at her poor stunned captive. Kaiba rolled his eyes and went over to the sink for some more water.
"Arika, get the heck off of me!" Sonja growled. Arika leapt up, pulling Sonja to her feet and clapping her hands.
"Sorry. Got a little excited there." She said, running her hand through her long red ponytail. Sonja spotted Daichi coming up the steps with the suitcases. He glanced up at her and nodded.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey yourself." Sonja replied. She looked down at Arika's three large suitcases.
"Is uh, this everything?" she asked.
"Yup. That big green one is filled with things we salvaged from your old apartment!" she exclaimed. "You can open it whenever you feel like. Oh, we also brought home some roast beef sandwiches we picked up at the store!" she shrieked, holding up a plastic bag.
"Uh, I don't really eat meat much anymore." Sonja said. Arika gaped at her like a fish.
"Weirdo!" she gasped. She straightened up and turned to look at Sophie and Mokuba. She let out a shrill squeal when she saw Sophie and hurried over.
"You're so freaking adorable! I can't believe how big you got! We simply must go shopping for you!" she gushed.
"But I have clothes." Sophie said for Sonja's sake. That comment had to have embarrassed her big time.
Arika's face took on a sly expression when she spotted Mokuba.
"And who do we have here? A little boyfriend?" she teased Sophie.
"No!" Sophie exclaimed. "Yuck!"
"Double-yuck!" Mokuba gagged. "We're friends."
"Mm-hmm. Sure." Arika mused. She turned back to Sonja. "Okay, that's taken care of."
Kaiba turned away. He really didn't trust Arika. He took another drink from the water.
"Now," Arika said. "Introduce Daichi and me to your boyfriend, here."
Sonja jumped as the sound of choking coughs could be heard from behind her. She cast a sideways glance at Kaiba who had put the glass in the sink and was glowering in their direction.
"You okay over there?" Sonja asked warily. Kaiba just sighed heavily and leaned against the counter, folding his arms.
Sonja looked back at Arika, almost laughing at her confused, bewildered look.
"Listen, Arika. He isn't my boyfriend. We're only friends who enjoy visiting each other."
Arika shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Who is he, then?" she demanded.
"His name is Seto. He's a good friend." Sonja answered. Arika's jaw dropped.
"Wait. Seto, as in Seto Kaiba? The technical genius who revolutionized the game of Duel Monsters as we know it?"
"Uh…." Sonja stumbled on her words. Kaiba just looked away, slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"This is unbelievable! You're friends with the infamous Seto Kaiba! How awesome is that!?"
Sonja cast a quick glance at him and then laughed nervously.
"Okay, uh, why don't you and Daichi go into the bedroom and get yourselves situated?" she suggested.
"Best idea I've heard since microwave pancakes!" Arika exclaimed. She heaved her suitcases up, leaving the green one and stomped into the bedroom with Daichi close behind. Kaiba glanced at Mokuba and tilted his head to the right.
"We're going to get going." He told Sonja. Mokuba shook Sophie's hand and then barreled down the stairs. Sophie, sensing that Kaiba had something important to tell Sonja, slipped outside and proceeded to trip on her own feet and tumble down the stairs after Mokuba. They heard him yell as she apparently landed on top of him.
"Listen," Kaiba told her quietly, "If they give you trouble, call me. Okay?"
Sonja nodded.
"Thanks, but I should be fine." She answered. She glanced over at the hallway and he knew she was lying. She was remembering all the things Arika had done to her over the years and thinking of what she might be capable of now.
"Remember, I get by on very little sleep." He said as he started for the door. In his talk, she translated that to mean that she could reach him at almost any hour.
"I know," she said. "And thanks."
He shut the door behind him and paused at the bottom of the stairs to break up a hair-tug-of-war between Sophie and Mokuba, gently pushing Sophie toward the stairs and dragging his brother away by the arm. He knew Sonja could handle herself, but he was still concerned. He wanted to know why Arika had decided to find Sonja and Sophie again after all these years. He wanted to know what they wanted.
//ooo//
Sonja watched as they drove away and then closed the window. Whenever he was around, she always felt a little safer. She supposed that was why she trusted him so much. Excepting the first few months they'd known each other, she'd always felt safe with him. She knew the reason he'd come over before Arika and Daichi arrived and she was extremely appreciative. If he hadn't been there to back her up if necessary, she might have had some trouble.
But this still left her concerned about what the future would hold.
Crash!
"Sorry!" Arika called. "I hope that wasn't some priceless family heirloom, or something!"
Sonja sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. Yup. This was going to be one interesting rest of her life.
A/N: Okay, I hope you liked that teensy little bit of fluff I threw in. Note the two genres this story is set in, now.