From Out of Nowhere
Chapter 4: Close
The next day was much like the last, only Kaede managed to wake herself up before Mokuba could.
He excitedly chattered through breakfast (omelettes today), listing off the things he wanted to do. They went out on her motorcycle again, this time going to the arcade where Mokuba challenged her to nearly all the multiplayer games in the building. They went out for a late lunch afterwards, Mokuba regaling her with stories about Kaiba's old duels, and how he used to be a world champion. Kaede tried her best to be excited about that, for Mokuba's sake. It had only been a few days, but they had become fast, close friends, and she already knew she was very attached to the boy. So she put up with annoying stories about big ugly boss man and his ego.
Once again, Mokuba made sure they were home by dinner time. Kaede was anxious to see if Kaiba would show up after last night, and if he did, she was a little apprehensive of having to face him.
As it would turn out though, Kaiba was once again a no-show. The disappointment was obvious in Mokuba's eyes, but this time they didn't discuss it.
Kaiba got home late that night again, this time around 11, just as Mokuba and Kaede were finishing up a round of Left 4 Dead.
He tiredly walked into the room, briefcase in hand, ignoring Kaede, going towards Mokuba. Mokuba dropped his controller immediately, and jumped up to greet his brother, joy and surprise evident in his face. Kaede discreetly slipped out of the room as soon as Mokuba was distracted to have time with his brother - she doubted Kaiba would want her around at all, and to be honest, she didn't want to listen to his annoying voice either.
It was still very late, but at least he went out of his way to spend some time with Mokuba, which judging by the young boy's reaction, was a rarity. She smugly walked upstairs to the bedrooms, though she wasn't fully satisfied. She would give him 2 more days to show up for dinner and spend a night with Mokuba. Then she'd take matters into her own hands.
For now though, it would have to do. She stayed up until she heard Mokuba enter his bedroom beside hers, yelling a goodnight to his brother, before she let herself settle in for the night as well. Before she could though, there was a soft knock at her door. Surprised, she crept up to it, and opened it just a crack. There stood the infamous icy-eyed CEO himself, in all his mean-looking glory.
Before she could work up a scowl and come up with an appropriate insult, Kaiba thrust a hand at her.
"You should be using this for expenses such as taking Mokuba out like you did today," he said, as she cautiously took the item from his hand and realized it was a Kaiba Corp business credit card. Before she could reply, he pushed another item at her: a set of car keys.
"Navy Porsche in the garage. Stop taking Mokuba out on that death mobile of yours," he said coldly, quickly dropping them into her hands, and turning to quickly stride down the hallway. Completely taken aback, Kaede just watched him go, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"There's nothing wrong or remotely death-y about my motorcycle," she finally grumbled at his back, carefully closing her door behind her.
;
Kaede glared at the empty chair.
It was her fifth day with Mokuba, her fifth day of settling down to dinner at the table set for four, when there was only two of them. Her fifth day of seeing that familiar disappointment in Mokuba's eyes appear briefly every time they arrived home to a Kaiba-less mansion. And it was a Saturday for goodness' sake. Kaede had enough, and Kaiba's time was up.
"Hey, Mokuba… I have a great idea," she announced to the younger boy before he could sit down and eat. His eyes lit up as he faced her with a smile.
"What's up, Kaede?" He asked, fidgeting with his chair, wanting to sit down and dig into the soup with bread and cheese spread laid out on the table.
Kaede dramatically spread out her arms, gesturing to the meal in front of them, giving Mokuba a mischievous look.
"Remember the other night when I said we'd come up with a plan to get Kaiba to be home for dinner more often?" she asked slyly. Mokuba's face lit up with excitement as he nodded furiously.
"Well… I've been working on it. You know how Kaiba hates me, right?"
"Yep! He thinks you have a big mouth and you're as bad as Joey!" Mokuba replied happily. Kaede deadpanned. She was not as bad as Joey. She'd have to fix that issue with Kaiba another time though.
So instead, she grinned evilly, "We… are going to pay dear old Captain Bossman a visit," she announced devilishly. Mokuba looked at her, eyebrows raised, looking a little concerned.
"Think about it Mokuba! Hear me out… we go visit your brother whenever he's not home for dinner. We'll even bring him food, saying it's for his own good. And then… we'll annoy him so much he'll be too scared to work late, fearing we will come and be noisy and annoying! It's brilliant!"
Mokuba eyed her like she was a crazy person before bursting out into laughter, "Kaede! Seto will kill us! But… it's worth a try. Even just visiting him more would be fun! Let's pack up this dinner and get going!"
She plastered on a fake look of deep concern, "Oh, of course. Poor Kaiba has not been taking care of himself at all. Not to mention my dear older brother is stuck with him as well. That pair is working themselves to death! I'm just so concerned about the both of them," she said, finishing with a downcast look. Mokuba howled in return, already running to the kitchen.
"Yeah, you're right! Let's pack some of this up and take it to them!" he agreed exuberantly. Kaede inwardly cackled as they rushed around for some containers. If Kaiba wouldn't come home for dinner… she would bring the dinner to him. Mokuba would be happy, Kaiba would be pissed, she'd actually get to see Hiroki… everyone goes home happy. Mostly her.
It took just a few minutes for them to pack it all up and haul it to the blue Porsche that Kaiba had given her the keys to a few days prior. Kaede had only used it once, one, because she didn't like listening to bossman, and she and Mokuba took her motorcycle out anyways. Two… she was afraid she'd break it. It was a new, sleek, shiny model that must've cost more than her yearly salary. However, Kaiba had about 3 more fancy cars like it in the garage anyways. Stupid rich boy.
Kaede climbed into the driver's seat and Mokuba took shotgun, his excitement tangible in the air.
"I haven't' gone to visit Seto at his office for weeks! I hope he's hungry!" he said exuberantly, a touch of an evil twinkle in his eye. Kaede gave him a fond, approving smile as they raced out onto the roads of Domino. She really liked this kid.
Even though she had only been to Kaiba Corp a handful of times with her father, everyone in the city knew where it was. She sped off, and they arrived a few minutes later.
The towering business building loomed over them in the light of dusk, and while the normal person might be a little intimidated by the sight of it, Mokuba practically skipped to the doors.
"Hey, Mokuba, slow down, some of us are carrying dinner for four!" Kaede called, lugging 2 plastic bags of soup containers, bread, cheese, and cutlery behind him. He laughed a little at her, but did stop and wait for her to catch up.
It was about 7:30pm, so no one was at the front desk to greet them, and the building seemed mostly empty. Mokuba led the way to the elevator and pushed the button for the very top floor, and up they went. He was bouncing on the heels of his feet, which was enough to make sure Kaede didn't second guess her plan. As long as Mokuba was happy, she was confident Kaiba would play along and not scream at her and fire her. Probably.
Exchanging a devilish grin with Mokuba as they elevator doors dinged open, the made way for the huge double oak doors that ran floor to ceiling. That had rich boy CEO written all over it. They quietly crept to the door in unison… and Mokuba stepped backwards so Kaede could hip check the door and unceremoniously burst in without knocking.
"Kaiba darling, we're here~!" she sang, dancing in with her arms laden with food. Hiroki, who had been sitting on a couch reading a book let his jaw drop and his eyes open like saucers as she entered. Mokuba came in behind her bending over with laughter as Kaiba shot her a dangerous glare.
"Erizawa, what in the world do you think you're doing?!" He demanded harshly, slamming his hands on his desk. Kaede quickly nudged Mokuba forward with her foot, making the boy clear his throat and stop laughing, immediately putting on the puppy dog eyes. 'Just like we planned, Mokuba, that's it…'
"Seto! We brought you and Hiroki dinner! You've been working such long hours, and it's really good, Anna's squash soup that we like so much… me and Kaede thought you could use the break!" he said, flashing his brother a pleading (and winning) grin. Kaiba's eyes softened slightly, though he did slip Kaede a dirty look. She waggled her fingers at him, smiling innocently.
Hiroki paled in his seat, sinking down. What did he do to have a sister with such little sense of self preservation?
Mokuba made his way forward, plunking himself down in a chair in front of Kaiba's desk, "come on bro, it's been forever since we've had dinner together, and you haven't been taking care of yourself or eating properly! And, poor, poor Hiroki…" Mokuba started, sending his brother's bodyguard a pitiful look, "he's probably starving too. Aren't you Hiroki?"
Hiroki gaped at Mokuba, speechless, while Kaiba raised a slender eyebrow at him. This was the sort of behaviour he expected from Kaede, but not-
He glanced over at her, to find she had placed her bags down and was doubling over with silent laughter. It was pretty clear who the mastermind behind this scheme was.
Mokuba turned his pleading eyes back to Kaiba after Hiroki failed to do much more than sputter a little bit. "Please, bro? We brought all this food…"
Kaiba let out a lengthy sigh, closing his eyes, internally swearing, and shut his laptop closed in front of him, "Very well."
Mokuba excitedly laid out a spread for him and Kaiba on his brother's desk, while Kaede shuffled a container of soup and some bread over to her brother on the couch, where they sat and conversed quietly, while Mokuba loudly regaled Kaiba of the stories of the past few days with Kaede.
"He's going to kill you, you know," Hiroki grumbled at her, taking a spoonful of soup. Kaede's eyes flashed as she shrugged, following suit, stealing a glance at the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba was glowing like she hadn't seen him do before, and Kaiba… well he wasn't even frowning. In fact, as he watched his brother talk, Kaede could swear there was nearly a ghost of a smile dancing at the corners of his mouth.
She turned back to her own brother with a knowing grin, "He can try. He makes some mean faces, but I don't think he minds… that much. Besides, it's what Mokuba wanted," she said, shrugging again. Hiroki sighed, shaking his head at his much more care-free sibling.
"Seriously, you don't want to push his buttons too much, Kaede. I don't know what you did a few days ago, but he's already grumbled angrily about you under his breath a few times. For most people here, that means they've already been fired," Hiroki whispered seriously. Kaede's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Really? Wow, I really got under his skin then. And he didn't fire me?!" she put her hands to her mouth in glee, "He likes me. Oh my gosh. I've saved his brother's life and now I'm too valuable. Oh my gosh, endless possibilities."
Hiroki deadpanned, giving his sister a concerned look. This could only mean trouble. He had to change the topic before she got any further in her scheming.
"How's it been with Mokuba? It feels like I've been working for Mr. Kaiba forever, but it's only been a few days. I mostly get to do my own work on my laptop or read, so it's not hard though," Hiroki started, snapping Kaede out of her thoughts.
They ended up staying for upwards of an hour before Kaiba finally demanded they leave so he could finish his work, then more softly assuring Mokuba he wouldn't be much longer.
Mokuba and Kaede collected everything to bring back to the mansion, but after Mokuba bade his brother goodbye, before they could leave, Kaiba's voice stopped them.
"Kaede. I will need to speak to you when I return tonight," he stated (not asked). Kaede was ready to fire back a retort, but paused.
He called her Kaede.
She threw a look over her shoulder to present him with a knowing smile, only to be met by a cold stare.
Okay, maybe that wasn't meant to be as friendly as she took it. She grumbled, turning back around, and ushered Mokuba out of the Kaiba Corp office to return to Kaiba's loaned Porsche.
;
It was just past 9 when they got home. Kaede and Mokuba immediately went to the kitchen to look for some dessert, celebrating jovially when they saw that one of the maids had made Mokuba's favorite: chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. Cutting themselves some very generous slices, they went to go play video games, with Street Fighter being the entertainment of choice for the evening.
Kaede tried to stay cool for Mokuba, but her mind was silently chanting out, 'DOOM DOOM DOOM DOOM DOOM DOOM,' to her. Maybe Hiroki was right and she was pushing Kaiba's buttons too much. The guy did work hard, and have a tough past, and stuff…
But it was just so hard to cut him a break. Now Kaede was dreading seeing him when he got back.
Unfortunately, true to his word to Mokuba, Kaiba was not far behind them, and he was home less than an hour after they were. Hiroki approached the gaming room, hands behind his back, straight backed and serious faced. He entered the room and looked at the wall as he spoke in his professional voice, "Kaede, Mr. Kaiba requests your audience in his office. In the meantime, I will be here to stay with his younger brother."
Mokuba and Kaede exchanged a look, then both of them rolled their eyes.
"Loosen up bro, I'm going. Hey, tap in and play for me while I'm gone, don't let Mokie crush you too badly," she said, carelessly tossing him the controller. She gave a silent goodbye salute and a wink to Mokuba before leaving the room.
Mokuba. Mokuba wouldn't stand for her getting fired! He was her job security. A little more confident, and smirking now, she threw her hands behind her head, and let herself into Kaiba's office without knocking.
He was already sitting there, looking at her with his fingers crossed in front of his face. Like he knew she was just going to let herself in. She scowled at the thought of him already being able to predict her moves, she would just have to becoming so wildly Unpredictable that he wouldn't have a hope of-
"Are you going to sit, or are you going to stand there with that stupid expression on your face all night?" Kaiba coldly remarked. Kaede recoiled, putting on a deep scowl, "Why, you-"
"Sit, Erizawa," Kaiba interrupted. Kaede growled at him, striding right up to the 2 chairs facing his desk. She then chose a better course of action and sat right on the desk, turning to face him. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, but he didn't move his eyes off her or say anything.
So she put on a cheeky grin and waggled her fingers at him. Kaiba regarded her with his glare for another moment, then lowered his hands with a sigh, leaning back into his chair instead.
"Your visit to the office today was noted. I can't tell if you were trying to be so unpleasant and annoying that I be dragged home or if that's how you are all the time," He stated monotonously. Kaede switched back to growling at him.
"Listen, buster-"
Kaiba put up a hand to silence her. She was ready to jump on his desk and breathe fire at the gesture, but something stopped her.
His eyes. They weren't angry. They were tired. Wary. Worried. Alone. She had never noticed how blue they were, and how they pulled her in like the waves of the ocean. His fire was gone, and so was his frustration.
Looking at him curiously, she got off the desk, and slowly lowered herself into a chair to face him. This wasn't the Kaiba she was used to. For once, she saw him as a man, a man who's life has been threatened, as well as the life of his most important person. A man who worked early to late every single day and was probably several years into sleep deprivation. Somebody who was stressed, and concerned about their safety, and didn't have any friends or family to support him or lend an ear to his problems.
Kaede sat. Maybe she really had been giving him too hard of a time.
"Your visit was noted. I will be here on weekends, and will come home for dinner twice a week. Once a week, you can bring Mokuba to Kaiba Corp and stay for one hour to eat," Kaiba said with a nod at her.
Kaede, completely stunned, just looked at him.
"Tomorrow, you and Hiroki have the day off since I will be here, and will ask someone to stay in the mansion. This will not happen often, so I would suggest you take advantage of it," he finished. Kaede was still looking at him. When he was like this he was nearly… dare she think it, nice.
Another minute passed until Kaiba gave her a bit of a glare as he sat up, "You can go," he said, voice a little sharper now. Kaede nodded silently, slowly standing up. Taking everything in, she frowned as she turned and went to the door. She paused with the door open to look back at him, to see him looking at her too.
This was the man her father died for. She may have been taking a little bit of her anger out by trying to annoy him. She needed to remember her vow: that now, she would protect the Kaiba brothers and carry on her father's legacy. This was a man she was supposed to be protecting, not tormenting.
Maybe she'd cut down on the torment. A little bit. He still needed some torment to keep his life interesting. For now though, she gave him a small, real smile. The first one she ever had.
"Goodnight, Kai-…. Seto," she said quietly before walking out and closing the door behind her.
Kaiba crossed his fingers and looked at the door thoughtfully.
;
For their Sunday off, Kaede and Hiroki decided to spend time together. They went out for lunch, took a walk through Domino park, and then went to a florist for a bouquet of flowers.
They went to visit their father's freshly marked grave.
Sad looks on both of their faces, they stood over the mound of dirt that wasn't even properly settled yet. They stood there silently for a long time, taking their time to grieve. Neither of them had much time to focus on it while they were with the Kaiba brothers, but… now their father's death was right in front of them again.
Hiroki threw a strong arm around Kaede's shoulders, and drew her in tightly, "Hey… I think Dad would be proud of us. For not getting scared and backing down. For taking his place and moving forward. For everything we're doing now, even with the way he went… it's what he would've wanted," he said softly, in his deep rumble of a voice. Kaede let out a quiet sob, and leaned on her older brother.
"I think you're right, bro," she said, letting a few tears fall.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! I wanted it up 2 days ago... so today, after my last lab, I went home with a mocha and a mission.
As always, all feedback is welcome! I hope you are enjoying the story. Thank you to those who have been following and reviewing, it's greatly appreciated, and makes me want to spend more time on this to get these chapters out to you!
-Nyx