Chapter 07: Beginnings

"Sir, we are very sorry to inform you that there are no more rooms available," the hotel personnel apologized from the other line as Kaiba looked up at the ceiling in growing frustration. The hotel personnel was about to talk again but he quickly slammed the phone down to its cradle lest he gets more frustrated. He then started to walk back into the bedroom to get his things, his mind already set on transferring into another hotel. He stepped inside the room to find Rian gone but he couldn't care less about her. His cold blue eyes roamed around the room for a moment and caught sight of a folded paper on the floor. He picked it up and noticed some writings on it. Curious, he began to read what was written on it.

(skip)

Rian took a very cautious peek from the door of the bathroom before stepping back into the bedroom. She came out already dressed up in a pair of cotton blue pajamas and stepped up beside the bed. Noticing that the door of the bedroom was half open, she could hear her so-called husband's voice coming from the living room.

"I don't care if you can't find me another hotel to stay in!" she heard him shout on the phone. "Listen, if you don't do anything about this…"

Shaking her head upon hearing his colorful threats, she could only imagine the reaction of the poor person that her husband was talking to on the phone. She then heard him slam the phone down that got followed with his loud footsteps as he made his way back into the bedroom.

"We need to talk," Kaiba said as he appeared from the doorway and she just eyed him indifferently.

"What's there to talk about?" she asked coolly and took notice of the crumpled letter on one of his hands. "You know what? I'd really appreciate it if you give me back that crumpled paper you're holding right now."

"Oh? You mean this?" he asked and raised the crumpled letter up for her to see. She arched a cynical eyebrow for an answer as a smirk appeared on his lips. "I don't think so. You see, I have a better use for this." He then stepped up into the window and opened it then threw the crumpled letter out. He turned back to her and received a deadly glare for what he just did.

"And you thought you could get back at me by doing that, huh?" She stated coldly and crossed her arms on her chest.

"No, but it certainly felt good when I did that," he replied sarcastically as he made his way to the side of the bed opposite to where she was standing.

"And so what are you going to do now?" she asked casually.

"I'm staying," he told her flatly and looked her straight in the eyes.

"You can't."

"And why is that?"

"Are you blind? There is only one bed around here."

"And so?"

"I'm sleeping on the bed."

"Who says you're sleeping on the bed?"

"Says me."

"No you don't. And where do you think will I sleep?"

"I-don't-know." And I-don't care! She thought and gave him an annoying look.

"Yes you do."

"No. I have no intention whatsoever of sharing this bed with you."

"Oh? But you should. Didn't you read your father's letter?"

"I read it but didn't get to finish because you came barging in earlier and you just threw it out the window, remember?"

"I did but I'm the one making decisions around here."

"Since when?"

"Exactly four days ago. I'm your husband and you are my wife or do I need to spell that out for you?"

"No need. I heard you loud and clear." And I just noticed you're abusing your status, she thought. "But it doesn't mean I'm letting you have it your way this time."

"Listen," he began in a really tired voice that almost threw her off. Is there something wrong with my ears or did he just… "I'm tired and I really need to rest and that is all you need to know," he said dismissively as he turned around and made his way to the bathroom. Her eyes followed his tired form in growing sympathy but she quickly shrugged those feelings off thinking, why should I feel sorry for him? I know that it's probably my dad's fault to begin with as to why we are stuck together right now. But then again, Seto and I sleeping in one bed…?

(skip)

"What the hell is that thing doing in there!" Kaiba asked her hotly after seeing the rolled up blanket placed strategically in the middle of the bed to separate it into two equal sides.

"It's uh… let's just say, a borderline," Rian answered wryly and sat herself down.

"What for?" he asked with one brow arched in cynicism.

"Nothing. I just thought it would be good for the two of us to have our own separate territories."

"Nice try but it will be useless if you can't keep yourself from rolling over to my side of the bed," he seemed to accuse as she threw him a short glare.

"Don't worry, I'm a very disciplined sleeper but I don't know about you," she stated dryly.

"Dreaming, aren't we? Like I would roll over to your side."

"Really now? I'll just have to be on the lookout then."

"I should be the one on the lookout," he paused and sneered at her then added, "Who knows what's running in that head of yours?"

"Aargh! You really don't know when to give up, do you?" she scowled at him and he returned it with his signature smirk.

"I was waiting for you to do so," he said coolly and it took all of her will not to jump on him. He noticed her clenching and unclenching her fists on the bed sheet as he enjoyed looking at her flushed face.

She felt like screaming something along the lines of "Oh yeah? Go to hell!" to him but she restrained herself from doing so. If I say one more word, I'm very sure that this argument will continue all night long. I can't believe it! And he just said that he was tired but he still had the energy to argue with me! "Fine!" she finally said and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips. Tilting her head arrogantly away from him, she laid herself to bed with her back turned against him. She grabbed the only extra pillow near the rolled up blanket and covered her head with it. One day, I'll get back at you for sure, you annoyingly arrogant bastard! She swore mentally as she let herself easily drift off to sleep. Somehow, arguing with him actually drained all her energy.

(skip)

Finally! Kaiba thought victoriously after she gave up to him. Watching her back coldly, he prepared himself for bed and cleared his mind. He had already changed into a pair of dark blue silk pajamas, a definite contrast to the ones she was wearing, as his eyes never moved an inch from looking at her back. His impression of her changes as the days go by but he's certain that it isn't developing towards the good side. She's stingy… too stingy. Prick her temper and she already has an arsenal of stinging retorts to get back at you, he thought and took his eyes off her back. He then laid himself to bed and prepared to sleep but he noticed that the lights were still on. What the hell! He thought grumpily but decided to swing out of the bed to turn the lights off. The switch was located beside the door and he lazily made his way to it. He switched the lights off in a haste and stalked back towards the bed.

But before climbing up the bed again, he took notice of her so-called wife lying just a few centimeters away from the edge of the bed. A mischievous idea came into his mind as he purposely threw his weight down onto the bed and saw her body almost bounce off because of the force he created. No reaction? He thought and waited for her to move. She didn't moved an inch as some sort of force kept her body from not falling off the edge of the bed. He strained his ears for her breathing and heard that it was even. I can't believe this! She easily fell asleep just like that? Shaking his head slightly, he extended an arm to her side and pulled her not too gently back into place. With that done, he laid himself down and prepared to sleep… for real. But he just had to notice another missing detail: Damn it! There's no blanket!

(skip)

"Hey, Rian! What have you been doing lately?"

Rian took her eyes off from the book she was reading to find her friend, Mio smiling down at her. She was lying quietly on the soft grass under the shade of a big old cherry blossom tree facing a large field of flowers. Pulling herself up into a sitting position, she returned her smile and answered, "Not much. I'm just reading this book." She flipped through the next page and continued reading as Mio took a seat beside her.

"Right! What are you reading?" Mio eagerly asked, her beautiful emerald green eyes beaming at her.

"How To Survive A Fixed Marriage," Rian told her flatly as a frown appeared on Mio's beautiful face.

"What kind of book is that?" she asked. "Wait a sec, did I just hear you say fixed marriage?" Rian nodded as Mio's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "No way! I can't believe this! You're already married?"

"Yeah," Rian answered and pulled herself up into a standing position. Mio also stood up from the ground and caught her eyes in a steady gaze.

"Do you remember… what I said to you before?" Mio asked in a seemingly haunting tone as Rian took her eyes off of her friend's gaze.

"I do," Rian answered as she focused her eyes straight ahead. "You said that I could never be happy as long as I'm causing pain to somebody, right? And it rhymes, doesn't it?" she asked and felt a pair of arms capture her body in a tight embrace from her back.

Mio managed to rest her chin on her shoulder and whispered, "Uh-hmm. You know, I don't have the right to feel pain anymore but Seki does and I hope he'd feel the same kind of pain that I did."

"You hated him, didn't you?" The way Rian said these words were more of a statement rather than a question and heard Mio stifling a laugh.

"In a way, yes. I did hated him," Mio answered. "But… I couldn't hate him for long coz you see…" she paused to near her lips to Rian's ear the continued, "it's you that I hate the most in the world…"

Rian automatically pulled herself up in a sitting position as she woke up from that haunting dream. The cream colored walls of the bedroom greeted her as she took a very deep breath to shrug the memory of that dream off her mind. She then looked out the window and saw that the sun is almost rising. Too early… she complained mentally and laid herself back down. Jeez… I haven't dreamt anything about Mio these past few years so why now? She asked herself and turned to her side to face the window but it was her husband's face that greeted her albeit the presence of the rolled up blanket in between them. A frown appeared on her face as she stared at him sleeping oh so peacefully and thought, just great! I just woke up from a bad dream only to come face-to-face with my worst nightmare! But those thoughts of hers banished completely as she took notice of the serene expression on Kaiba's face. His cold blue eyes were closed into a seemingly blissful sleep and for the first time, she actually found herself being drawn to him. Her hands felt itchy to trace the fine lines of his face but she held back the urge to do so. You can look all you want but no touching! What if he suddenly wakes up and bites your hand? She scolded herself. But still…

(skip)

Kaiba slowly woke up from a dreamless sleep when he felt someone was looking at him. He kept his breathing even so that whoever was looking at him wouldn't notice that he was already awake. But he doesn't need to guess who the perpetrator is because there is only one he could think of. He opened his eyes as quickly as possible and caught his wife staring at him all right!

"What are you looking at?" he snapped at her. She was caught by surprise with his question and made a quick retreat towards the edge of the bed. Doing this made her lost her balance and she fell down hard on the carpeted floor. A smirk appeared on his lips as he propped one of his elbows up to rest his head on it and waited for her to recover.

"Ouch… what the hell!" she muttered after pulling herself up from the floor. Her queer colored eyes met up with his cold blue ones as she noticed his annoying smirk intended exclusively for her. "Happy now?" she asked in mild sarcasm while brushing some imaginary dust off her pants.

"I will be once I get my hands on your father," he answered lazily then sat himself up. He received a piercing glare from her but he ignored it and walked straight into the bathroom on the other side of the room.

"Arrogant bastard!" her words tailed after him but got blocked off when he slammed the bathroom's door close.

(skip)

The island of Nevis is separated from St. Kitts by a narrow channel and riding a ferryboat is the only option available to get across. Rian did just that and was on her way to visit that sugar plantation owned by one of his father's business acquaintances. She had brought all the necessary things she would need: a map, a bottle of water, some cash and a newly bought laptop, all packed up in a regular sized black knapsack. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt, khaki-colored walking shorts that fall midway to her thighs, a pair of white sneakers and a white sun visor to protect her eyes from the sun. She knew she doesn't look professional but who would dress up in uptight clothes in this kind of place anyway?

Her ferryboat trip lasted around forty-five minutes or so as she finally spotted Nevis' capital, Charlestown. She noticed that a crowd was starting to gather on the waterfront and she could only wonder what was going to happen. The boat finally reached the dock and the crew started unloading the wares they had shipped from St. Kitts. The passengers were then lead into a separate platform where they wouldn't get involved with the crowd interested with the unloaded wares.

Rian then hired a taxi and said her destination to the cabdriver. The trip didn't take that long as the taxi pulled in front of a plantation inn, not a sugar plantation as what her father had told her. She paid her fare then started walking towards the entrance. A small, balding man of fifty or more wearing a simple off-white shirt paired with black slacks and leather shoes welcomed her. The man introduced himself to her and she did the same. She was then ushered inside as she discovered the real purpose behind her trip.

(skip)

Meanwhile, back at the hotel…

The sound of his fingers typing on the keyboard and the gentle roar of the sea coming from outside the window were the only sounds that Kaiba was hearing as of the moment. Rian had been gone for three hours already and he was hoping—no, was wishing that she wouldn't come back. When he thought he could get away from his crazy married life for one long week, he was wrong because she was here and they even slept in one bed! Not that he was complaining or anything but in fact, he was INFURIATED! If there was one thing he wanted to happen right now, it would be for her to disappear or swim back home to that old bastard she has as a pathetic excuse for a father.

"What the hell!" he castigated himself for getting out of focus yet again from thinking about her. When she had left the hotel earlier, he found himself a spot on the living room and began reading on the reports that was sent to him via email regarding that hidden military research facility. So far, he had crossed out numerous locations that were making it hard for his agents to find its real location. He just needs a few more data until he hits the jackpot and then he can go back home to Mokuba. It's already the third week of December and his younger brother would definitely celebrate the season but he has no plans whatsoever of doing so. He has so many important matters to take care of and it includes a brewing vendetta for his so-called father-in-law when he gets back home.

(skip)

Back in Domino, at Kozou Kayama's study…

"What did you managed to find out?" Kozou asked in a formal tone to the private investigator seated across from him.

"Mister Kayama, sir, the information I have here will answer all of your questions," the investigator said and handed the old man a thick folder. Kozou opened it and started scanning its contents. As he read the information further, a frown slowly appeared on his old face as a look of total disbelief crossed his eyes.

"Are you certain that it was him who was behind the rumored coup in KGC?" he asked, the look of disbelief still in his eyes.

"A hundred and one percent certain, sir. He has a very good reason to do so."

"And that is?"

"Vengeance."

"Very well," the old man began. "It seems it was my fault to begin with so I will take the necessary actions and stop him myself."

(skip)

The dinging sound of the penthouse's elevator stole Kaiba's concentration away from his laptop for a moment as Rian stepped out from it. He threw her a short glance and went back to what he was doing earlier.

"Ugh! My legs are killing me," he heard her complain as she disappeared into the bedroom. She came out a moment later wearing a baby blue sleeveless shirt and the same shorts she had on earlier. She then walked past by in front of him and found herself a spot to sit on by the window. Hugging her legs close with her chin resting on top of her knees, she gazed out into the sea as if in very deep thought.

Kaiba leaned back on his seat and started rereading the information in front of him but something or make that someone was getting his attention away from his work… her. Frowning slightly with this realization, he stared at her carefully from his position and wondered what was happening to him.

Her hair of dark but not-that-dark blonde color that falls just below her shoulders, was being slightly blown by the sea breeze coming from the half open window. Her confusing eyes that he thought as blue and still does, was now green from his point of view. Her bare arms and long shapely legs seems to invite him to run his hands on them and…

What the hell am I thinking! He asked himself after darting his eyes away from her. He then tried his best to stay on focus but some kind of force was making his eyes look at her again and again.

Author's Notes: My deepest apologies to all of you, dear readers, for not updating early. You see, I have to attend to so many school projects because the semester will be ending soon. If you're wondering what's with the (skip) thingy after every part, the editor doesn't want to cooperate so I placed that instead of the usual dash I use. Anyways, here's the shout-out portion for the people who reviewed the previous chapter:

mc – you're back in action as I see it. Teehee… I know it was kinda stingy for Kaiba to call Rian that word and it seemed you got the meaning. THANKS!

Pararillusion – eh… about that "…being horny" (blushes) it's kinda like that. And if he's starting to fall for her… "maybe" would be my answer. Anyways, THANKS!

Chika of the high Mts – "things are really heating up!" (blushes yet again) Maybe… (winks mischievously) THANKS!

Josephine Jekyl – I'll agree to that one. Kaiba, for me, is the epitome of meanness (and sarcasm as well). THANKS!

SukiLovesAnime – yay! Yet another new reader! THANKS for your review!