From Out Of Nowhere
Chapter 7: I Know You Care
Kaiba rolled his eyes and Mokuba giggled a little. Relief within her, Kaede got up to her feet again, this time without Kaiba's sturdy support.
She met his eyes next. They were dark and unreadable, but he did steadily meet her gaze. It felt like they were sharing a moment. They had shared so many of the same emotions in the past few hours, and the morning had been so crazy. She nearly felt closer to Kaiba after the experience, and she felt satisfied and happy having managed to save Mokuba from such a close shave. As her whole body started to relax, and she more acutely felt the pain she was in, she spared a grin for the CEO who was driving her up the wall just a few hours ago.
"You look like you got hit by a truck, Erizawa."
She quickly dropped her smile for the CEO who was always driving her up the wall, always, he was the worst human ever.
"Kaede! Are you alright?" Yugi and Tea approached next, looking worried for their friend. Kaede tried her hand at a reassuring smile, but it just made her bleeding lip hurt more.
"Looks worse than it is, I'm sure. I can probably just fix myself up at home though, it's fine-"
"Actually, I took one look at you and called an ambulance. You'll be letting a paramedic assess that," Kaiba sharply interrupted, glaring at her. Kaede shot him a resentful look, making Mokuba snicker and Tea's eyes widen.
She decided to be the bigger person (only metaphorically), and ignored him, turning instead to Yugi and Tea properly.
"Thanks guys. Especially you, Tea. We would have never got to him in time without you. First, you were the one who noticed him to be taken, and you and Yugi were the ones to find him again," she said sweetly. She felt Kaiba shift uncomfortably behind her.
"… Thanks," he grumbled.
;
The day was a mess after that. The man Kaede had taken down was immediately shoved into a police car and taken to the station for questioning. An ambulance did show up, and paramedics looked at Kaede and Mokuba. Mokuba was cleared and didn't need to see a doctor, but he ended up going to the hospital with his brother anyways to accompany Kaede getting two stitches on her top lip, and another two over her eyebrow, which she also managed to cut open, apparently. She got to leave after being told to take it easy, on account of her mild concussion.
Then there was questioning. Talks with the police, Kaiba calling his lawyer, Hiroki arguing with the commanding officer about what was to be done with the man they caught. It took quite a few hours, and after it all, it was Kaiba who said they were all going back to the mansion, and had Hiroki hunt down the car Kaede had left downtown to drive them.
When they got there, Kaede noticed the telltale signs of security being tightened, but she paid it no attention, Mokuba carefully ushering her into the mansion, and to one of the living rooms as Kaiba disappeared, and Hiroki went to make arrangements for an early dinner, as they had all missed breakfast and lunch with the events of the day.
They ended up doing something very different, and Hiroki ended up sending one of the guards out to get an absurd amount of Chinese takeout. Instead of eating at the elegant dining table, they all stayed in the living room together, Mokuba and Kaede playing Mario Kart together, on a low volume, so as to not disturb Kaiba, who had tucked himself in the corner of one of the couches on his laptop, catching up on the work he had missed during the day, occasionally, turning his screen to Kaede to accept a comment on chunks of code he was looking over.
Hiroki sat by himself to the side in a loveseat, reading a very dull looking book on economics, but he seemed content enough.
Kaede took it all in, filled with relief that everything had worked out, and content that they were all just around each other. Mokuba seemed especially delighted, though she wasn't sure if that was with the situation, or if he was just glad he was no longer kidnapped.
They were all tired out from a long day, and ended up heading upstairs early. She was in her room, brushing her teeth in her bathroom, donning her magnificent bunny pajamas when a knock came at her door.
She poked her head out of the bathroom towards the bedroom door, "Come in!" she said, muffled by her toothbrush, thinking it was just Mokuba challenging her to lose another duel before bed. She went back in to finish off her routine, and was extremely shocked to find not Mokuba, but his much taller older brother sitting at her desk with his arms crossed and eyes closed, no longer wearing his trademark swoopy and imposing Kaiba jacket, but instead just in simple black pants and a black top.
She stood in the doorway, waiting for him to look up. When he didn't, she started to feel apprehension bubble inside her. What had she done to deserve another lecture? Was this about her asking Mokuba to come to the office? Was he going to blame her for what happened like she blamed herself? Did she get a scratch on his fancy car?
Scowling, she shuffled over to her bed and sat herself down across from him, and only then did he open his eyes and face her.
He didn't look angry.
"Erizawa, for how annoying you are, and how much frustration you bring to my life, you have become a very reliable and trustworthy person," he said quietly, piercing her with his blue eyes. Kaede's breath caught in her throat. That wasn't what she was expecting at all.
Kaiba pulled a chain that was hanging around his neck, and pulled it out from under his shirt. It was… a duel monsters card necklace. Kaede nearly rolled her eyes. What a geek.
But then he clicked it open and revealed it was a locket, and showed her the picture of a young Mokuba that was inside.
"You did the right thing today, acting as fast as you could. Mokuba is always top priority, even if it means leaving me without a word. It occurred to me you might have been unsure of how I would react to having you abandon your post and steal my car. Mokuba is always the first priority, and frankly, if you hadn't done what you did today, I'd fire you." He closed it, and slid it back under his collar.
"We've all relaxed too much. Me included. You or Hiroki will always be by his side, what happened today cannot occur again."
Kaede dumbly nodded, trying not to let her jaw drop to the floor. Kaiba was acting particularly out of character, and it was weirding her out.
He stood up from the chair, Kaede's eyes following him.
"I'm sure you'll agree with me staying home from work until Monday, just while things settle down. For this to happen, your… assistance may be needed. While I can't give you important or very difficult work, you've proven to be an effective engineer who can understand software implementation for unfamiliar hardware. It's nearly a shame you didn't continue pursuing programming, you would have done well."
This time, Kaede's jaw did drop. Kaiba had opened up to her, and complimented not once, but twice? She was tempted to glance out the window and check for hellfire or flying farm animals.
He gave her a respectful nod, and strode towards the door, pausing with his hand on the handle to say, "Goodnight… Kaede. Thank you."
Kaede actually did get up to pull open her curtains and check outside.
;
When Kaede woke up, it was nearly noon. She peered blearily out of her sleepy eyes towards her alarm clock and promptly leaped out of bed, doing her best to ignore the head rush it gave her. Mokuba always got her up by ten. Did something happen?
She burst through the double doors of her room and ran next door to Mokuba's room, throwing open a door without knocking to find Mokuba with piles of duel monsters cards around him, blinking owlishly up at her.
"I, uh, panicked when I saw it was lunch time and you hadn't gotten me," she said sheepishly, letting her whole body relax. Mokuba laughed at her, and jumped to his feet.
"I thought you could use the rest after yesterday! Well, actually, Seto said I shouldn't wake you up. Come on, you should get dressed and eat something, then I think my brother wants to see you!"
Kaede's head was spinning. Kaiba was being, dare she say… nice to her? Maybe he had a fever or something.
Mokuba escorted her to the kitchen and instructed her to sit down while he got down a mug for her coffee. She snickered, and took it from him, hitting the fancy coffee machine buttons herself.
"I appreciate your concern, Mokuba, but really, I'm alright. You don't need to make my coffee for me or anything silly like that. I had a good night's sleep, and I'm as perfect as ever!" She said with a sloppy smile and a big thumbs up. Instead of laughing at her enthusiasm like usual though, Mokuba hesitantly bit his lip.
"But Kaede, it's just… you could've gotten really hurt because of me yesterday. For a while, I really thought you were, that guy was a lot bigger than you. You were really awesome and stuff! But, I mean, you did split your lip and get a concussion…" he said, looking guiltily down at his feet.
Kaede furrowed her brows, evaluating how to pursue this gently without going on an angry tirade. Mokuba was feeling bad… because she needed some stitches… after he was the one kidnapped, gagged, and smacked around. If she ever saw that big guy again, he'd stop breathing. "Listen, Mokuba… That's kind of my job. This is what I signed up for. When I agreed to be your full-time babysitter, I knew it wasn't an ordinary babysitting gig. My only regret is that they even had a chance to snatch you. If I ever get hurt, it's my fault, because I wasn't fast enough, or better yet, their fault for being the violent ones in the first place! Don't ever feel guilty, or worried, or anything for me. It's me who's supposed to be worried about you," she said proudly, putting a hand on his head. At that, Mokuba did manage a weak smile up at her.
"Go get me some Tylenol though, concussions do hurt."
;
"You called, darling?" Kaede drawled, entering Kaiba's home office without knocking, Mokuba trailing behind her with a big grin. He shot her a withering glare as if all his kindness from the day before had never happened. She wondered if she had dreamed or imagined the whole interaction.
"Erizawa, put the smart mouth away. It's about time you got up. I thought you were brain dead and I was going to have to take you to the hospital again," he said sharply.
Kaede just smiled sweetly, unceremoniously dropping herself in a chair across from him, "It's so sweet you would take me yourself, Kaiba. I'm touched. My whole heart is melting," she sang at him. He scowled back, looking marvelously unimpressed. Mokuba seemed to be enjoying himself, seated beside Kaede.
"I'm pretty sure the sarcasm isn't in your job description," Kaiba snapped back. Kaede sneered at him in return.
"Sorry hon, it's a package deal, comes with the bodyguarding and on demand programming assistance, you unthankful little-"
"You're quite one to be calling anyone 'little', Erizawa."
"While your total body volume is more than my own, Kaiba, I can make an educated guess about certain anatomy. With all the jets, planes, stadiums, and general overcompensating, I can't help but wonder about certain reproductive accessories."
"While I appreciate the concern, please keep the fact you think about my reproductive accessories to yourself, thanks. I'm not flattered," he shot back without hesitation. Mokuba's mouth dropped open and Kaede looked like she'd been slapped, though her eyes were sparkling with mirth.
The room was silent for a moment, before Kaiba gestured for her to move over beside him, pushing one of his screens towards there.
"Error checking and code clean up. Don't forget to include your name in the documentation. After that, some idiotic engineers are puzzling over a design detail. I don't speak moron, so I'll need you to translate my instructions into a language they'll understand," he said unconcernedly, turning back to his laptop as he let her take over the desktop after she dragged her chair over. She scowled at him again, but was out of snarky remarks after her stunning defeat in their sass battle.
Mokuba had taken to looking over them with amused eyes, pulling out one of his handheld game devices, and sat in the room with them, clicking away at his video game.
;
They worked like that until dinner time, Mokuba occasionally leaving and coming back with a new activity to keep him occupied, seemingly pleased with just being able to be in Kaiba's company during the week, like he was never able to.
Dinner was another adventure though. Apparently, Mokuba had spent time scheming during his silent activities during the day. Kaede was so proud, she could have wiped tears from her eyes.
"Hey, Seto, can I ask you something?" is what Mokuba opened with over beautifully plated steak and potatoes. Kaiba glanced up and gave him a short nod, locking eyes with him.
"Can Yugi and the gang come over tonight for a bit?"
Kaede choked on the sip of water she had just taken, and started coughing; Hiroki just looked up, startled. Kaiba narrowed his eyes into small slants and crossed his fingers in front of his face.
"Mokuba… why on earth would you want to bring the geek squad here? I'm worried it's contagious. Erizawa is especially vulnerable to being converted to the dweeb side," he said suspiciously. Kaede couldn't respond, she was too focused on getting air down her throat.
Mokuba smiled sweetly at his older brother, something Hiroki observed in horror, recognizing the expression the younger Kaiba wore very easily. Kaede was a horrible influence.
"Well, you see, we were planning on seeing them today, but you kept Kaede working. Besides, they're all worried and want to check on us! I guess Kaede could just drive us over after dinner, but I don't think she should really be out driving… who knows how bad her concussion is. The doctor did say she needed to take it easy…"
Kaiba's mouth became a very thin, unhappy line and his eyes darkened as he cast a quick glance at Kaede. She didn't even need to pretend to be innocent; She had no part in this particular plot to annoy Kaiba. She did, however, try to look like she wasn't holding in a large bout of laughter.
Air slowly released itself from Kaiba's nostrils. Mokuba held his serene expression as he held his brother's gaze. It took a minute, but Kaiba finally sighed, and released his hands.
"… Very well. Just keep them away from me, and don't make it a regular thing. After Kaede's better, I never want to see them on my doorstep again."
Kaede choked again, this time on air, rapidly spinning her concussed head to look at a resigned looking Kaiba, who didn't even seem angry. He evenly met her eyes, and Kaede's jaw would've hit the floor if it were physically possible. He was worried about her. Better yet, Mokuba knew it, and was taking advantage of it. Even better yet, Kaiba was not stupid, and he definitely knew that Mokuba was taking advantage of the situation. He was letting it happen anyways, because he really didn't want her out driving.
Kaede just gaped at him, and continued gaping at him as he started ignoring her and went back to his meal as Mokuba enthusiastically thanked him.
An hour later, Yugi, Joey, Tea, Mai, and Tristan were at the front door, taking in the sprawling mansion in awe.
"Hey guys, come on in, thanks for coming!" Mokuba greeted them enthusiastically, letting them in.
"Whoa, dis place is huge!" Joey smartly commented, earning a sigh from Mai. They all wisely chose to ignore him, while Mai drew Kaede into a tight hug.
"I'm glad you're okay, hon. Yugi and Tea told us everything, and I've been worried sick! I hope Kaiba's been taking it easy on you." she exclaimed into her shorter friend's hair. Kaede laughed nervously and hugged back before they let go.
"No need to worry Mai, you know it's hard to keep me down. It was just 4 stitches, no biggie, you've watched me get way worse," she said nonchalantly. Mai rolled her eyes, but said nothing, just nodding, while Yugi and Tea agreed.
"Yeah, you look a lot better now, it was scary at the time with all the blood though!" Yugi remarked, making Kaede shrug again.
"All aesthetic damage. Come on in guys, we've been waiting for you to have dessert!"
;
Kaede sat between Yugi and Mai while Mokuba and Joey dueled for the last piece of chocolate cake - Mokuba's favorite. However, to the younger boy's dismay, despite recent improvements to his deck, he lost, and Joey rejoiced in the extra dessert. They all relaxed and played games together well into the night, all of them leaving around midnight, advising both Kaede and Mokuba to be careful and take it easy, and they bade their friends goodnight, both tired, yawning, and ready for bed.
However, as they turned to head upstairs to bed, Kaiba channeled his stealth ninja abilities to noiselessly approach them, giving Kaede half a heart attack.
"Finally, I thought they'd never leave. I want you to look at something, Erizawa," he quickly demanded, arms crossed. Kaede rolled her eyes, but it was Mokuba who protested.
"Aw man, Seto, come on! It's after midnight, Kaede's tired and needs to rest. We did stay up later than I meant," he started, shooting Kaiba the pleading eyes.
Kaede shrugged, rolling her eyes again, getting ready to turn towards and follow Kaiba, who had stopped at Mokuba's words, and was carefully evaluating her.
"It's alright, Mokuba, it's late, but Kaiba probably needs it done-"
"Actually, you're right Mokuba," Kaiba said, relaxing his stance. He turned on his heel, and went back the way he had come, "It can wait until morning, Erizawa, just come to my office when you're up, the engineers responded to the instructions you sent them, and I have another chunk of code I want you to clean up while I work on other things. Goodnight."
Mokuba and Kaede exchanged a bewildered look at Kaiba's change in heart and relaxed attitude, neither one knowing what to say.
"I… Is your brother okay? Should we call a doctor, or maybe… check if the weather network has any emergency postings about the temperature of hell?" Kaede asked carefully, looking nearly a little afraid. Mokuba wordlessly shook his head, watching his brother with a curious look on his face. Kaede just shook her head, following his eyes, watching Kaiba's retreating back with a sigh before continuing on her way to the bedrooms.
Mokuba glanced at Kaede, and back at his brother, a knowing smile making its way onto his face.
;
I am both inspired, and very sleepy. A four-day update, a new record! I hope you enjoyed reading and like the direction this story is taking. All feedback welcome, I'm really trying to improve this story as I go, and any suggestions or critique are greatly appreciated. As much as writing this is a (guilty) pleasure activity for me, it's also an exercise in trying to actually finish a story, as well as improve my own writing style for future stories.
It's university reading week! I won't have much of a break because I'll be picking up extra working hours for that $$$, but I'm hoping to have more time to put into this before classes start again next week.
See you next time!
-Nyx