Chapter 4-Woe to the Blue Eyes

7/9/08

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh. I do own this plot, Laura, Seiji, and whatever necessary OCs I introduce in this fic. I've been thinking about seizing Yu-gi-oh copyrights because I want to make all that money from those children's card games. However, they have not replied to my e-mails yet. So, when they reply to 1 of my 999 e-mails that I sent and accept to sell for 1,000 yen (around 10 American), I'll let you know. And if you actually believe any of the crap above, as Seto Kaiba would so eloquently state, "You're an idiot." Just kidding. I know (hope) you guys are smarter than that. With the current sad situation that is American economy, my offer is probably worth even less.

Notes: Thanks to loveroffics, Stephan Cardin, Chickanooka, and KasumiCho for reviewing. Your comments motivate me to write better. Also, I'd like to thank all of you who faved/alerted me, and any shadow readers for reading my story. I can only hope that this chapter won't disappoint. Someone was reading my story (without knowing anything about its YGO background) and told me that whatever I do, don't kill off Seto. Thought that amuse you. Now onto the story…

Seto latched onto his mother's leg tightly. Peering curiously from his mother's legs, he stared at the strangers in the unfamiliar room. When they returned his glances, he hid again behind his mother's leg. Seto was not usually shy, but the sheer number of the unfamiliar people made him squirm uncomfortably. He did not like their stares. Everything about the environment was completely new to him.

Laura looked at the scared boy. The boy's grip was extremely tight, as his small fingernails dug tightly onto her right leg. Laura was tense about her situation, as she noticed herself and Seto receiving blatant stares from the several occupants in the room. Although Laura was used to unwanted attention easily due to her beauty, Laura tried to draw attention away from her. Yet no quiet behavior could stop these stares. She was in Japan. She and Seto were the foreigners; their unusual blue eyes and brown hair warranted the attention.

Seiji's father had passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Precisely, after Seiji had received the phone call from his mother, he arranged with his boss to take the week off to attend the burial ceremonies. Laura insisted on going with him, stating that he needed some emotional support and did not want to leave him alone. Despite Seiji's protests, Laura packed her luggage and joined Seiji with Seto in her arms at the airport. The whole trip had been uncomfortably silent; the only noise came from Seto's occasional bursts of boredom from being cooped on a plane for so long. Currently, they had attended all the burial ceremonies and were in the Nakamura's small house. It was a small, middle-class traditional Japanese home, bearing a thatched roof, low ceilings, and dark wooden floors. Crowded with several people, a quiet Seiji comforted his sobbing mother at one end of the living room. Relatives and well-wishers leaned onto the wall, looked to each other sadly, and examined the foreigners who stood in the other side of the room. They had heard that Seiji had married a foreigner, but many of them had never had a chance to meet her. They were even more curious on the little specimen of a boy that he had produced with this American stranger. This half-blood boy who hid himself by his mother's leg.

Although Laura barely knew a few words of Japanese, she could sense that they were talking about her child. Some whispered in rapid Japanese discretely, while others, ignoring such courtesy, openly gawked at Seto. The room's atmosphere was mingled with curiosity, shame, and disapproval. Her initial response was to scream at them, but she would have to be on her best behavior if they were to be accepted. It was part of the reason that she had joined Seiji to Japan. Her optimism gave her hope that their relationship and their son would be accepted after all these years if they were seen in person. Seiji had suffered tremendously because he did not have his family's support. Although he never openly stated these thoughts, Laura could tell from his actions. When Seiji saw other children playing with their grandchildren, sadness would enter his eyes. When he passed an elderly Japanese person, there was a look of sorrow. Seiji desperately wanted Seto to be in touch with his Japanese side. He would teach him the language, laughing at Seto's mispronunciations of words. There was a certain excitement in him that Laura only found when he worked on his future plans for his amusement park.

There was one thing that Laura could never give Seiji. Despite her efforts she could never replace the emptiness in his heart. She attempted to help Seiji some familial happiness by trying to improve the relationship between her own family and him. With more communication and connection, she foolishly hoped that he would not feel so lonely. Although she realized that this might be futile, she hoped that Seiji could feel less homesick. She wanted nothing than to take away his sadness and make him feel full again.

"Okasan, it's okay. I'm here now." Seiji comforted his sobbing mother in Japanese. "I'll take care of you. You're not on your own."

His mother continued to wail. The short elderly woman's hair had grayed significantly since their last visit. Her thick hair, normally dignified and tied back in a traditional Japanese bun, was loosely tied back messily. There was a loss of hope and look of desperation upon her countenance.

"Please, okasan. I know that otosan would not want you to be like this. Just talk to me. Please."

"Who's fault do you think this is? Whose FAULT? It's you! YOU KILLED YOUR FATHER! YOU KILLED HIM!"

Seiji looked thunderstruck. In that moment, the other inhabitants turned their attention away from Seto and Laura to this sudden outburst.

"You were always selfish, choosing your ridiculous dream over your family. Did you ever think about us? Did you ever think about anyone?"

No one spoke as they stared animatedly. Seto started to cry as he saw his father getting yelled at.

"Then, you had to marry that American and produce that child!" The elderly woman shuddered at this. "Do you think about anyone? Even your child? Is it always what you want? Is it always about that stupid dream? You dishonorable son!"

The silence continued. The only other sound was Seto's sobs.

"I have no one! No one! I'm on my own now! What will become of me? Your father, Mokuba, he took care of everything! I don't know how handle anything! I'm better off dead! No one cares about me. No one needs me!" The woman started to break down further, hiccupping as she sobbed more fiercely than before.

"Okasan," Seiji pleaded. "Don't talk like this. I need you!"

The woman continued to sob as she turned away from Seiji.

"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I am a dishonorable son. I know this, but only take it out on me. Don't take it on Seto. Don't take it out on your grandson. Who else but you will give him that good onigiri? Who else but you can teach him about being Japanese?"

After a moment the woman appeared to stop hiccupping. "Seto? You named him Seto?"

"Didn't you get the letter? I suppose otosan never…" Seiji paused for a moment. "Yes. After Grandpa. Your father. He was my favorite grandparent."

"He used to buy you sweets. He's the one that took you to that amusement park when you were eight. Ever since then, you've had that foolish dream."

"Seto's your blood, okasan." He hugged his mother tightly as she tensed. Turning towards Laura, he motioned towards her to bring Seto. Laura held Seto's arm and pulled him towards Laura.

She turned to the child, who she did not acknowledge for the whole time that he was there, looked at him. The boy was crying on his mother's leg. As the old woman stared at the child, Seto whimpered and turned his body towards his mother.

"He looks like one of them. An American," the stout woman spat disgustedly.

Seiji looked as if he had punched viciously. Did Seto have to suffer for his sin? Would Seto be forced to suffer his father's burden? Seiji's sin? What was his sin? His sin was to fall in love with an outsider. His sin was to marry her. His sin was to dare do something different from what traditional Japanese submissiveness taught when he came to America. The product of his sin was Seto, an innocent three-year-old child who knew nothing but love and affection. Would it destroy him?

Laura, understanding none of the woman's words, bent herself towards the crying boy. "Seto, this is your grandma."

"Gwandma? But Gwandma wives somebere else. Her house don't wook same."

"That's Mommy's Mommy. This woman is also your Grandma. This Grandma is Daddy's Mommy. Daddy loves Grandma very much."

Seto, hearing his mother's comforting words, stopped tearing. Laura gave him a confident smile, got up from her knees, and outreached her hand towards the woman. "Hi, Mrs. Kotoko. I've met you before. Seto's only uncomfortable because he's surrounded by all these new people."

Kotoko slapped her hand and turned away in disgust.

"Laura," Seiji quietly stated. "It might be best if you left us alone."

"It's my—"

"No," Seiji interrupted her. "This is my problem to solve. I'll call you a cab for the hotel."

...

As the cab drove towards the hotel, Laura sat in the back seating, fuming in anger at the world and herself. She hated that Seiji insisted that the grandmother would be easier to handle without her presence. She hated that Seto was left alone with those people who barely considered him as one of their own. Most of all, she hated herself for being utterly useless for the situation. In the end she was the outsider. These people would never accept her as family. She slammed the car's seat with her fist in frustration, causing the driver to mutter "Weirdo" in Japanese. However, Laura could not understand, and if she could, would not have brought herself to care. She wanted nothing more than to get a chance in some level of acceptance. She admitted that she did not fit the ideal persona of a Japanese housewife. Perhaps, she was overbearingly competitive. Perhaps, she was extremely impulsive, such as the time she had been burned her pot roast. Laura had been distracted by a football game on the television. When she returned to the kitchen, she returned to find that it had been a burned crisp. Perhaps—

"We've arrived, ma'am," the driver spoke in his thick Japanese accent. Laura nodded and paid the driver with the yen that Seiji had given her.

Laura left the cab to head towards the hotel that Seiji had chained. Seiji had taken lodge at a hotel room in Domino City, a young westernized modern city near his hometown. If she had been happier, she would have enjoyed the city's scenic beaches and beautiful view. As she headed towards the hotel room, a dark-haired man with thick glasses brushed past her nervously with a heavy file filled with papers. As he briskly walked, she noticed a small paper slip from the file. Laura picked up the paper from the ground.

"Excuse me. Excuse me!" Laura exclaimed. The young man did not seem to notice in any capacity as he continued to briskly walk away. "Hey, you! You with the file! " She rushed to him and tapped him roughly on the back. At this gesture the file fell to the ground, scattering papers on the sidewalk.

"Ugh! I'm going to be late, ma'am! My boss will kill me. I can't talk to you right now!" He bent down and started to pick up the fallen papers.

"Well, your boss would probably fire you if you went because you dropped this paper." She motioned a document towards him. The dark haired man's eye widened. He snatched the paper from her. "You know, it's only polite to say thank you."

"Oh, I'm s-sorry! Th-thanks for everything! My b-boss—he'd have k-killed me. And I only finished college l-last year t-too."

"You got a name, Mr. Stressed? I'm Laura."

"Roland," the man hastily answered. "I'd like to properly thank you, but I'm really in a hurry. C-can I buy you a tra-treat or s-something?" He started to search through his pockets for his wallet.

Laura shook her head. "I hardly think that's necessary. Hurry and go to your boss." The man sighed in his relief and bowed. He hurried away.

What a nervous man, Laura thought. I wonder who his boss is. Her eyes trailed to young man who seemed to be heading towards a limo. From his distressed expression, he seemed to be getting scolded. The man nervously handed the papers towards the person in the vehicle. After a few moments, a tall Japanese man left the confines of the limo. The man might have been an inch shorter than Seiji. Bearing decidedly thick brows and thick dark sideburns, there was an intimidating and greedy air about this man. His expression was snarling in anger, as he barked at his assistant.

"But Master Kaiba, these are last files from the case that Nesbitt has given me. He says that it's the prototype for the new weapon."

"You better figure out where those last files went, or it's your job that's gone, Roland!"

"Y-yes, s-sir!"

The man turned towards Laura's direction. As the intimidating man turned, he saw Laura gaping towards him. The mustached man smiled sensually to Laura, eying her body from head to toe. Then, he headed towards a tall intimidating skyscraper with the letters KC attached. As he turned away, Laura shuddered.

...

It seemed that Kotoko had finally accepted Seto as her grandson. The woman, at first uncomfortable with the blue-eyed child, noted that his eyes were shaped like her father and his jaw structure like her husband's. After a couple of days, she could be seen buying Seto treats and toys. Seto, who at first disliked the old woman, happily obliged her by accepting these gifts and playing with her. After a day he even allowed her to pick him up, though he would quickly go to his father when he had the chance. However, despite her acceptance of Seto, it seemed that Kotoko still held a grudge towards Laura. The American woman was still seen as the seducer who stole her son. When Laura visited the Nakamura's house again, Kotoko ignored any attempts of friendliness from Laura's part. Disregarding her presence, Kotoko silently battled with Laura as though to demonstrate that she still was not welcome as her family.

On the last day, she wailed when Seiji and his family headed towards the airport.

"Why are you leaving me? Stay here in Japan."

"Okasan, I have work. I'm sorry. I can't."

As they boarded their plane at Domino Airport, overwhelming sadness filled Seiji's heart. He paused for a moment by a window, staring at a view of Domino City. Guilt crept inside him for leaving his lonely mother. He had made arrangements with some relatives to take care of her, but his heart would not let go of her feelings of abandonment. In the end, despite any disagreements, Kotoko was his mother. She was a weak woman, unlike strong-willed Laura, highly submissive, and highly dependent on others to take care of her. His father, who had the very stereotype of a Japanese patriarch, easily dominated his meek wife and controlled her. How would she be able to handle being by herself?

When they reached America, they were bombarded with the results of the police report on their home. A policeman disinterestedly informed them that a local group of white supremacists had attacked their home. The policeman had arrested these individuals, stating that these people were no more than harmless thugs who had too much drink. Evidently, one of them thought it would be a fun prank to destroy the local Japanese guy's home. Despite this fact, Laura's parents continued to pester Seiji to move into a better neighborhood with a different demographic. None of these details entered their mind.

When Laura went to look for something that she misplaced in Seiji's desk, she found a crumbled paper. When she inspected it more carefully, she discovered it to be Seiji's plans for his amusement park.

Notes:

Okasan- mother

Otosan-father

Onigiri-snack of Japanese formed into triangle or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori (edible seaweed) (I got this from wikipedia. Check it for a pic)

Anyone recognize the assistant? He's Roland, Kaiba's top executive and referee from Battle City Finals. He seems to actually be loyal to Seto Kaiba, unlike the infamous Big Five. I didn't use the Japanese name because I didn't want you guys to be like WTF is that?

I think Gozaburo would be an absolute womanizer. There are fanfics in which Gozaburo sexually abuses Seto Kaiba, but it has never been stated in the actual story (as far as I know). I'll leave the imagination to some other fanfic writer. I think he would be the type of man who would see beautiful women as objects, and Laura would be no exception.

You probably hate Kotoko. I wouldn't blame you if you did. (She's personally different from my grandma who went on a crazy rollercoaster when I was 3. Even my mom won't ever go on any rollercoaster, unless my brother and I trick her…which we are guilty…heehee.) However, one thing that I want to come across is she is a weak-willed woman from an extremely male-dominated society. The woman's role is supposed to be a housewife. The Japan that she grew up in is obviously quite different from the current one. In the Japan that she grew up in, American soldiers were stationed there after World War II. It was quite common to have a lot of dislike towards foreigners because the Japanese felt that they were meddled with. In fact, even now, there is still some prejudice to foreigners. There are some places that only serve Japanese people and refuse service to foreigners.