Three days later
"Mokie, how can you eat that shit? It's purple and green and....what the hell are these squishy
things?" Joey examined Mokies cereal with an expression of distaste.
Seto had long ago given up on getting Mokie to eat "real" food before noon.
"They're marshmallows! Don't you know anything! How can you eat meat this early in the
morning?" Mokie eyed Joey and Seto's plates with equal distaste. "Eggs, bacon, cheese. You'll
ruin your digestion eating heavy food this early."
Joey was recovering nicely. His powers of recuperation were nothing short of amazing. All he
would say was, "I'm used to it. You think I get a day off from school just because I have a few
cuts and bruises." He was up and around though not moving very easily. He insisted on getting
up saying that laying in bed made him feel worse. He hadn't gone far, just from his bed to the
couch in the rec room, the one in front of the big screen tv.
Ginnie hadn't hired a nurse, she was one. So she had given Joey his medicine and tended to his
cuts. Seto had told her that he was afraid Joey wouldn't enjoy his attentions nearly as much. In
fact at all.
Mokuba gulped the last of his cereal. "Seto! Run with me today! Please! Come on." He pulled on
Seto's arm, but Seto shook him off gently.
"No, not today, I'm really going to sit in front of the tv today. After the board meeting and all
those e-mails and such; I have finally convinced the people I trust to run the company that I really
mean what I said. I'm taking six months off and doing what I want to for once. Too bad I still
have to go to school."
" Joey! Are you Ok! What the hell is wrong with you?" Seto patted the choking Joey on the back.
"You....you're taking six months off? " Joey gaped at Seto like he had turned pink. "What
brought this on? You finally see what you're doing to yourself? "
Seto just nodded, "Yeah, and to Mokie. I don't have the time for him that I'd like. Or at least I
didn't. Now I have time for him and for some of the other things I enjoy doing."
Mokie finished tying his shoes and looked up. "Will you take up piano again? Please, I really
liked it when you played for me. Why did you quit? Did ...oh....that bastard....I remember now.
I'm going running. Bye!" Mokuba ran out the kitchen door and disappeared down the hall.
"What was that about? What did he mean?" Joey got a good look at Seto's face, drew his own
conclusions and shut up. They had been getting along fairly well and he didn't want to be the one
to start anything.
Seto examined his finger nails for a few seconds then said sourly, "Gozabouro delighted in
finding out what Mokie and I enjoyed and taking it away from us. Mokie can't stand the idea of
having pets because Gozabouro caught him with a .....I don't remember what it was. All I
remember is Gozaburo killing it in front of him. To make a man of him,....teach him not to get
attached or love......" Seto clammed up and hurried out of the room. Going to the rec room he
turned on the tv and stared at it.
"Well, I put my foot in it that time. He's nearly as messed up as I am. Only I know I need help; I
don't think Seto even knows there's any help out there. No wonder he can be such a bastard. I
wonder what he's gonna do wit' me."
"Maybe he'll lend me enough money t' go t' a boardin' school or somethin'." Joey shook his
head. "Talk to yourself; Wheeler." He put the bowls and plates in the sink and walked out to
watch tv with Seto.
Willow sat in "her" tree and thought over the things she had overheard, Seto was getting more
than the usual threats, he had hired a bodyguard, and her "voices" kept telling her to "protect the
boy" . "Well, isn't that just peachy. Which boy you baka oni? Try regular channels. Tell the Hag
what you want me to do."
Being only slightly psychic was a real pain. She didn't really hear voices, she just had strong
hunches; which led her into problems from time to time. They were useful in battle, causing her
to duck just in time and so on but when it came to helping her figure stuff like this out, well, less
said the better.
The people she worked with had resources and called her on her cell phone to give her
assignments or clear up what her feelings were trying to tell her. This time they were at a
complete loss. Her contact had told her that all they could figure out was that Seto Kaiba and/or
his little brother had some important part to play in the shadow wars. "Thanks awfully! Find out
something! Get back to me. See if you can't convince him I'm not completely crazy."
She had admitted to the contact that she hadn't made a very good first impression and she had
replied, "Mistress of Understatement, if you wanted to get on the bad side of Kaiba-sama that
was the best way possible. We may not be able to fix this. Why do you always have to lose your
temper at the worst possible time?"
"Luck?"; she'd replied and hung up.
So now here she sat, in a tree. Cold, dirty and hungry. She'd been living on what she could catch
for the last three days. She hadn't had a bath, clean clothes or a decent drink of clean water. She
wasn't complaining much. After all she'd brought this on herself. If she'd only kept control of
her temper instead of losing it because a spoiled rich boy had stuck his finger in her face and
shouted at her. She really would like to sleep in a bed once in a while. However; the squirrels
were plentiful and easy to catch, she only wished she could cook them. It wouldn't do to start a
fire here though, it might set the grounds on fire or attract undue attention from the guards. She'd
finally started hiding from them as she was tired of cutting their belts and stealing their guns.
"Hey! What are you doing? I want to talk to you." Willow looked down from the branch she was
sitting on. The Black haired boy was peering up at her though the branches. "Come out where I
can see you! How long are you going to hang around? Don't you know that we could have you
arrested? Why don't you go home? Oh. Yuck! What are you eating?"
Mokie tried to get a good look at the Crazy Girl. She was sitting on a branch half way up an oak
tree, eating something red.
Willow looked down at the small boy, hopped down to a lower branch and offered him part of
her catch. Make friends with him "Its squirrel. Here, you want some?" Willow held out a
bloody fore quarter to Mokie. "Its pretty good. A bit gamey, but if you take small bites and chew
hard, it's......."
Mokie turned green and gagged.
"Hey! What's the matter. Don't run you'll just...."
But it was too late. Mokuba leaned over and vomited.
Willow dropped the rest of the way to the ground and grabbed Mokie by the shoulders so that he
wouldn't fall over. After the spasm passed she scooped the boy up and ran. One look at what he
had thrown up convinced her that he was poisoned. Purple and green wasn't anything she had
ever seen outside of some pretty exotic poisons.
Seto jumped up and headed for the crash with Joey right behind him.
Willow stood in the entryway in the midst of his shattered front door shouting his name in a
voice that shouldn't be coming from that small a body; "Kaiba!! KAIBA! WHERE THE HELL
ARE YOU. KAIBA-CHAN IS SICK!!"
Seto grabbed Mokie out of her arms and carried him to a couch. Joey stood between her and both
of them.
"Boy, get out of my way. On your best day you couldn't stop me." Willow jumped over him and
reached for Mokie's hand. "Let me get a good look at him. If it's a common enough poison I can
make an antidote."
Joey blinked and craned his neck trying to understand what he had just seen.
Seto snarled "Touch him and I'll kill you. What did you do to him?"
Willow withdrew her hand; now was not the time to loose her temper even though she was sorely
tempted; he was wasting precious seconds while he questioned her.
Mokuba sat up and yelled, "I'm not poisoned! I'm just grossed out to the max! Oh! Gag me!!
Blah! Ick! Yuck!. You wouldn't believe it. Ack! Look at her " Mokie pointed at Willows face.
Joey moved around so that he could see. Seto and Mokie were also gaping at her like fools.
"Baka! What are you looking at?" Willow was puzzled., also relieved. She could see that Mokie
wasn't poisoned, not yelling like he was.
"Seto, I got sick because she's eating squirrel. RAW. That's got to be the most disgusting thing
I've ever seen!"
Seto gave up. Anyone who would sit in a tree for three days Yeah he had told guards to keep a
discrete watch on her watching a house because she was supposed to protect someone in it
deserved a chance. After some intensive research.
"You've got blood all over your chin. You look like hell. Were you really eating raw squirrel?
Why didn't you cook it? Do you really mean to hang around the grounds harassing my guards?
Trying to protect me from some illusory danger? Do you have a resume? You know I've hired a
body guard? He should be here today." Seto went on the offence. If she couldn't answer, he
would be justified in putting her out. And this time she'd stay out.
Willow took each question and remark in turn. "I know. Yes. Didn't want to start a fire. Yes Yes.
Yes. Yes. I'm the bodyguard."
"Good grief. Could you get any more literal! Or curt. What are you? Pre-verbal?" Seto glared at
Crazy Girl. " And what the hell is your name. I can't keep thinking of you as Crazy Girl and
when was the last time you took a bath? You stink. you aren't my guard without someone telling
me how good you are."
Joey clamped a hand over his mouth to hide a smile. Removing it he said, "Uhnnn! Seto?! Could
ya get any more rude? I mean it's ok ya treat me like shit. I'm used t' it. But ya shouldn't talk t'
someone with a sword like that. She's likely t' do somethin' that ya won't like."
Willow managed to blush slightly. "Kazi no Kizu, Onmitsu Doshin. No. Willow Kenshin. Four
days ago. Am, too."
Willow's phone rang. "Moshi-Moshi No. Call him. In the house. Not a chance. Mutt's still here.
Bye."
Seto's phone started ringing while Willow was still on her phone. " Moshi, Moshi"
"Mr. Kiba, Sir. This is the head of Domino PD. I have received a request from an organization
called I. D. D F. (Inter Dimensional Defense Force). They are one of those organizations that are
so top secret that it's burn before reading. Heh! Heh!"
"I don't think it's a laughing matter when I have someone called Willow Kenshin hanging
around my house, harassing my guards. Get to the point."; Seto snarled, his voice deepening.
"Y..y..you've got Kenshin on the case. I didn't know that they considered it that important. If
you have her in your house you don't have anything to worry about. She's the best. In fact, when
you asked me to find you a 'man' I sent word to see if I could get her. She's absolutely
dependable. She handles all the "wet" work....... Huh! Oh! OK! Excuse me Mr. Kaiba I have an
emergency. Just trust her. She'll do a great job." The Chief hung up hurriedly.
Seto hung up his phone and then looked at it for a moment Handles all the wet work? Why
don't I like the sound of that? "Well, you're in. The Chief just gave you a 'glowing'
recommendation. I think! First things first. Ginnie, find her a room" Seto glanced at Willow.
"Never mind, I'll do it. I suppose you want to be as near us as you can get." At her nod he
continued; "Ok. Joey in the Brown Suite, put her in the Lady's Guest suite. And find her some
clothes. She can't put on those dirty ones again. Also, find Joey something to wear. I sent one of
the men to get his stuff. Everything he owns is only fit to polish floors, if that." He started off at
his usual brisk pace.
"Hey! When did ya send someone t' my place? If Pop was there, it could cause trouble. He
knows where I am he's sure t' come for me. And my stuff isn't that bad. Is it?" Joey scrambled to
keep up. He was still stiff and some of the cuts on his back tended to pull uncomfortably.
Joey looked up the main stair case, way up. It was one of the wonders of modern architecture. A
flying stair, no visible supports. Wide and three stories high it. It led to the upper stories in a
graceful arc.
"Wow! That's amazing. Kaiba, you're so lucky. I've seen hotels less magnificent than this. Is my
room up there somewhere? Am I near someone else? I kinda' think I'll need a guide. Maybe one
a' the servants I'm near can help me find my way 'round. 'Kay?"
"Wheeler, once I get her cleaned up and settled, we need to have a serious talk. Ah! Here's your
suite." Seto opened the door to a room near the end of the hall on the third floor. "I hope you like
it. If you don't you can choose your own."
The room was decorated in shades of brown, tan and gold. The drapes were chocolate brown
with gold colored fringes and cords. The rest of the room was equally resplendent. Polished hard
wood floors were decorated with two Auboson rugs. One on each side of the room. On one side
of the room a desk stood in front of an empty built in bookcase. On the other, a couch and two
luxurious easy chairs stood in front of an enormous fireplace with a gold flecked dark brown
marble mantel and surrounds. Several tables stood around the room decorated with nick-nacks
and orchids.
"Ok, Kaiba I appreciate a joke as well as anyone else but I'm kinda tired. So if ya don't mind I'll
just go back t' my old room and lay down for a while." Joey turned to leave.
"Wheeler, what are you babbling about now. If you think I'm going to leave you in the infirmary,
you're nuts. We might need it for someone else." Seto tugged on Joey's shoulder, turning him
around.
"I may be a chump. But I'm not that stupid. There's no bed. Unless that couch is a roll-away."
Joey couldn't manage to hide his disappointment. "And here I thought ya really meant t' help me.
Well, I guess the joke's on me........again."
Seto just ground his teeth. "Wheeler, it's no joke. And there isn't a roll-away in this whole house.
This is a suite. This is your private sitting room. That door across the room is the door to your
bed room. There's a walk in closet and a bathroom off to one side of that. If you don't like the
color, we'll look at some of the other suites. That's what a suite means. A group of private
rooms."
Seto caught Joey by the arm as he sagged. Willow put her arm around him from the back.
"Joey, you're too weak for this foolishness. Get in bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Nah! That ain't what's wrong. I'm ok. It's shock. Ya really mean t' put me up in a suite. And I
know what a suite is. I just kinda' forgot. I like the color. It's bigger than Pop's whole apartment.
" Joey turned red. "I meant... Uh!...Oh, shit. Never mind..I like it. Thanks."
Willow smiled slightly. Kind. When no one's looking "If you would show me to my room,
please? I'd like a shower."
Joey wrinkled his nose. She was still holding him from the back and he was wishing she
wouldn't. "Yeah, Kaiba-sama could ya show her t' her suite. She kinda' stinks."
Seto snorted. "Please come this way. You are across the hall. In the Lady's Guest suite"
At Willow's questioning look Seto pointed; "Mokuba is in there with me. We share the Master
Suite. Two bed rooms across a sitting room from each other. They span this whole end of the
house. But I bet you already know that." At Willow's grunt he pointed. "Get in there and get
cleaned up. I'm tired of smelling you. The setup is the same. All the suites have the same floor
plan, just different colors."
Willow entered her rooms going directly through the sitting room. The bed room was
approximately two thirds the size of the sitting room. Turning right she opened the first door to
find an empty walk-in closet the size of a small bed room. Seeing another door she went through
that and into a bathroom. And what a bathroom. It had everything anyone could want. Shower,
bathtub, vanity with special lighting.
She ignored all the luxurious appointments and stripped off her clothes, dumping them into a pile
in the middle of the floor. She didn't know what she was going to put on but she would wrap
herself in a towel and walk around half naked before she would put those filthy clothes back on.
"Miss, are you in the tub already?" Ginnie was embarrassed. There was nothing in the house that
would fit the girl. Servants uniforms were out of the question and there were no women's clothes
to fit her. She was so small that every thing available would swamp her. "Miss?"
Willow opened the shower door just enough to call; "I'm in the shower. I need some time to get
my hair clean. Can you find something for me to wear. My clothes are so filthy you should burn
them."
Ginnie entered the bathroom to see only a silhouette on the steamed up shower door.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I can't find anything for you to wear. Nothing fits you. You are so small that
the only things you could possibly wear are some of Mr. Kaiba's cast offs and he would have a fit
if you showed up in his old clothes. I don't know what to do."
Willow turned up the hot water. "Don't care if it's only a yakuta, as long as it's clean."
"Oh. If you don't mind traditional stuff. I know just what will fit you. And show off your pretty
hair and eyes. I'll go get it right away. I'll just put it on your bed so you can find it. Be right
back." Ginnie knew that what she had in mind would fit and look very good on the young lady.
"Oh. What do you want me to do with this sword.. I'll just put........"
"DON'T TOUCH IT!! LEAVE IT WHERE IT IS!!" Willow didn't shout but she made it up in
intensity. She took a deep breath; "No one is ever to touch that sword. You understand. That
sword never leaves my reach......... Sorry! Didn't mean to be rude."
Ginnie mentally smacked herself. She knew better than to touch someone's weapons. The
security men were just as bad about this. Never touch their guns or move them out of reach.
"Dear me, Miss. I know better than that I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry. I'll just
run and get your clothes."
Willow went back to enjoying her shower. Clean hair, clean body. Clean clothes Maybe this
wouldn't be so bad after all. If she could handle that stuck up Seto Kaiba. Wheeler wasn't bad
and Mokuba was as cute as he could be. But he was a puzzle. He seemed so much older that he
looked. She went back to shampooing her hair. She'd figure it out later. Right now hot water and
soap, shampoo and wonderful, steamy showering occupied her mind.
Wrapping one towel around her dripping hair and slipping into the warm fluffy bath robe she
headed out to see what clothes Ginnie had found for her.
"Here you are! I waited to see if you needed some help"
" All I could find for you is an old Halloween outfit of Mr Seto's. It's a............." Ginnie stopped
talking as Willow smiled.
She had found a Hakama set. Which included hakimashita, hakama, and under robes. As well as
a fundoshi. Willow picked it up with two fingers. "Sessha doesn't need this."
The nagajuban was of cream colored silk. The hakama and hakamashita were both of a blotchy
green cotton. The tabi were old style kid skin with metal fasteners on the back. Willow was very
pleased, she liked hakama. She had worn them more than she had worn jeans or any other
modern clothing.
Ginnie picked up the short draw string pantalets. "I know this isn't traditional but I thought you
might be more comfortable with them. Would you like me to help you get dressed?"
Willow eyed Ginnie for a minute. "Don't think so. I think I can manage" She reached for the
clothing.
After dressing Willow returned to the bathroom and removed the towel from her head. She
caught a good look at herself in the mirror. She really needed to do something about her hair. It
looked like a hay stack.
A few moments of rummaging resulted in every hair care product and device you could dream of.
Willow made good use of a brush, comb and finally put her hair up in a pony tail high on the
back of her head. It still reached almost to her waist.
Seto, Joey and Mokuba were drinking tea in the small rec room. Joey noticed Willow standing
uncertainly in the doorway first.
"Un. Seto? Who's that lady with the hakama and the sword?"
'Wheeler, you moron that's Crazy Girl."
"Seto that's not nice; apologize right now. She's liable to take off and you won't have a body
guard." Mokuba poked Seto in the arm. He didn't have much faith in the regular bodyguards. He
had hacked Seto's computer he was after all a Kiba. and this guy didn't sound like your garden
variety nut.