Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything to do with the franchise. This fanfiction is merely for entertainment purposes and not my own profit.
Author's Note: I have been so excited to write this chapter since I started. I really wanted to upload one more chapter before the end of year, though this maybe cutting it close. Sorry it's late, but it took me forever to get this chapter right. It usually takes me two to three weeks to write a new chapter and edit it to where I feel it's good enough for publishing. Consider this chapter my late Christmas present to you guys, my fantastic readers. I have read my share of KaibaxKisara fics, so I hope I can do this particular pair justice. They are my favorite, but that doesn't mean I'll leave other couples in the dust. But for now... All you KaibaxKisara fans, I wrote this chapter with you in mind. Enjoy XD
Chapter 9: Meeting Again for the First Time
Mokuba was sitting in the living room, getting up every five minutes to look out the window. If he wasn't looking out, Mokuba was checking his phone to see if it was on vibrate or silent or off. He was getting antsy waiting for Alice to arrive. After calling her yesterday, Alice had suggested they spend the day together as they had not seen each other in a while. Mokuba was looking forward to this as he had become very fond of Alice in the short time he had known her. Because Mokuba lived far from the city, he thought it was best for Alice to come to the manor for the day. Mokuba had, of course, asked Kaiba if he could have a friend over. At first, Kaiba thought his younger brother meant Yugi and his band of friends, getting angry at the idea of having the overly-optimistic teens in his house.
Mokuba saw this, and was quick to say that this friend was new in town, and that he wanted to hang out with her to get to know her better. When Kaiba heard the noun "her", he presumed Mokuba was talking about a new girl at his school who he may have a crush on. He was partially right. So, without thinking anything else of it, Kaiba gave Mokuba permission to have his new friend over. However, Mokuba had already told Alice it was okay to come over before asking his older brother. Kaiba was well aware of this, but it was very considerate that Mokuba had come to him to warn him about it, in his own special way. Mokuba couldn't wait for Alice to arrive. Kaiba, on the other hand, was fast asleep in his room. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he had gotten home Saturday afternoon and collapsed onto his bed.
Kaiba had only woken up to get something to eat, showered, then fell sleep again. Mokuba guessed Kaiba had finally realized how hard he'd been pushing himself. He left his big brother alone, knowing Kaiba deserved the rest. Mokuba made sure to inform the staff to be quiet and careful when passing Kaiba's room, as not to disturb him. As Mokuba turned on the T.V. to pass the time, he was startled by the loud screeching of a car coming to a halt and screams of panic coming from outside. He jumped off the couch, ran through the foyer, and out the front doors.
"What's going on?" he asked as one of the guards from the front gate was running up to him.
"S-Sir, th-there is someone a-at the front gate f-for you," the guard stuttered, looking rather shaken up.
"Um, okay, let them in," Mokuba ordered the man, who ran back to his post to tell his colleagues.
"Dude, you have a walkie-talkie," Mokuba muttered dryly at the guard's ignorance of the obvious.
A few minutes later, a blue sports car drove up the pathway to the manor. It looked expensive from what Mokuba could tell. It could be one of his brother's business associates paying a visit. However, that thought vanished once he saw Alice step out of the car. She was wearing a long light-beige sweater and dark brown shorts with black thigh-high socks and dark brown boots. Her hair was left over her shoulder in a long, slightly loose braid, held together by a fair pink ribbon. She clutched her shoulder bag as she stood up straight.
"Hello," Alice waved happily.
"Alice!" Mokuba exclaimed with glee as he ran up to Alice and swung his arms around her waist in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"
"Me too," she smiled back. "Oh, let me introduce you."
Mokuba let go of Alice and watched her walk back to the car, a young man with dark violet hair stepping out from the driver's seat. He stood at Alice's side, the young girl beaming with pride.
"This is my older brother, Michael. Michael, this is Mokuba Kaiba."
"Hello, very nice to meet you," Michael said as he extended his hand for Mokuba to shake.
"Nice to meet you too," Mokuba said, shaking hands with Michael.
Looks like Alice isn't the only one whose had etiquette lessons, Mokuba thought. There was something about the young man that impressed the boy, a certain air about him. He looked quite familiar as well.
"I would love to stay and chat, but I have to get going," Michael said turning to his sister. "I have a meeting with my editor. He's starting to bother me about the new volume."
"That's okay. You'll pick me up around 7:00?"
"Of course. Have fun and be good," he said, patting her head gently before walking to his car.
Alice and Mokuba waved bye to Michael as he drove away. As the front iron gates closed, Alice twirled around with a big smile on her face.
"So, what do you have planned for today?" she asked.
"A ton! I hope you're ready to have loads of fun," Mokuba said energetically.
Mokuba led the way back inside, starting with a tour of the house, or part of it, as it was so big. He showed her the foyer, the living room, and the kitchen. They moved onto the second floor where Mokuba showed her the library, which Alice absolutely loved. She thought it was so cool when people had their own private library. Mokuba had to drag her away from there since he didn't want to spend all day reading books. He already did that in school.
After Alice had settled down, Mokuba decided to show her his room. However, they had to be very quiet as they first had to pass the hallway where Kaiba's room was. Alice tried her best not to laugh, the situation being too funny for her. Here they were, crawling on the floor, trying to stay as quiet as possible without getting in trouble, in Mokuba's own home no less. It was a hilarious sight to see. They managed to crawl halfway down the hall, but when Alice got to the front of Kaiba's door, she let out a small giggle.
She immediately clasped her mouth with her hands, not moving an inch. Mokuba, a few feet in front of her, looked at Alice with a look of utter fright. He didn't want Alice to get yelled at by Kaiba because she had accidently woken him up. Alice stayed perfectly still, her ears honing in on any sound coming from the room next to her. She heard the rustling of bed sheets and soft mumbling as Kaiba moved in his sleep. She took the chance to crawl as fast as she could.
When she reached Mokuba, the two took off their shoes and lightly ran all the way to his room. They fell to the floor, laughing hysterically. After their laughter had died down, Mokuba showed Alice his room. It was huge. Aside from the bed in the middle of the room, there was a dark green couch and two chairs near a small fireplace on the left side of the room. Posters of Duel Monsters and sports hung on the walls. To the right side of the room was Mokuba's personal bathroom.
"Impressive," Alice said, looking around his room.
"Thanks," Mokuba said. "My brother's room is bigger."
"No way!" Alice giggled in disbelief.
Mokuba nodded with a grin.
"Okay, not that I don't love your room," Alice said playfully, "but is there any place here where we can have some actual fun?"
"Oh yeah," Mokuba smirked. "Follow me."
They walked out of Mokuba's room, careful not to make too much noise. Luckily, wherever it was that Mokuba was taking Alice, it was further away from Kaiba's room. Mokuba walked down another hallway, Alice following along while humming a happy tune. By mere chance, Alice glanced at the windows adorning the hallway, her eye catching something of interest to her. Mokuba was worried she wasn't paying attention when he stopped in front of a particular door. He was proven wrong as Alice came to a graceful stop next to him. Mokuba beamed at her before opening the door. Once Alice stepped in, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She squealed with joy as she gazed upon the game room. Before Mokuba could ask her what she wanted to play next, Alice had already dashed away to the nearest game.
Kaiba was sleeping soundly when he thought he heard something. The house was strangely quiet, no doubt Mokuba's doing. The young boy was worried about him and who could blame him? Kaiba hadn't felt this tired in a long time. He had become so accustomed with all the work and stress that came with his job, that the moment he started to make a change, his way of handling work took its toll. He was half-asleep, eyes not wanting to open, when he heard what sounded like a girl's giggle, right outside his door. He waited to hear more, and when he didn't, Kaiba tried to go back to sleep. Then, he heard the rapid shuffling of feet. There was definitely someone outside his door.
Kaiba grumbled as he sat up in his bed. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at his alarm clock that read 12:00. He decided to get up. Just because he'd decided to take the day off, it didn't mean he was going to waste it by sleeping in. He got out of bed and walked to the door. He opened it and looked out into the hall. There was no one there. Perhaps he was imagining things. Kaiba went back inside his room, walking straight to his bathroom. After a quick shower, Kaiba put on a dark green shirt, leaving the top buttons undone, and a pair of black pants. He only combed his hair with his hands, decided he didn't care if it was left unruly, then walked downstairs to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," one of the older maids greeted him as he sat down at the table.
"Don't you mean, 'Good Afternoon'?" Kaiba corrected her.
"My apologies, sir," the older maid said, not realizing her employer was joking. "Would you like anything in particular to eat?"
Before Kaiba could answer, Mokuba burst through the kitchen door.
"Seto! You're awake!" Mokuba said in an astonished voice.
"Clearly," Kaiba said flatly. "You're looking especially chipper today. Why is that?"
Mokuba walked over to his brother, his eyes shining with a spark of mischief in them.
"Did you forget? My friend came over today."
"That's right, you're new girlfriend," Kaiba said indifferent.
"She isn't my girlfriend!" Mokuba protested embarrassed, his face practically red. "She's older than I am!"
"By what, three weeks?" Kaiba said reading through the newspaper the maid had handed him.
"Nooooo," Mokuba drawled angrily. "By a couple of years, Alice is 17. She's in the same grade as Yugi and the others."
"Alice?" Kaiba quickly looked up from the newspaper at the mention of that name.
"Right, I forgot to tell you that," Mokuba said nervously, thinking Kaiba was mad at him for not bringing up the fact that Alice was in high school. "Alice goes to school with Yugi and the gang. I met her when they were showing her around Domino. She's really nice and cool and pretty…"
Mokuba trailed off as he thought about the fair-haired beauty. Kaiba noticed this and cleared his throat. It worked as Mokuba blinked, coming back to Earth. Meanwhile, Kaiba wondered if this Alice was the same girl he had seen a few weeks ago. It couldn't be. Alice is a very common name. Mokuba could be talking about a completely different person. Still, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head. Kaiba had to make sure.
"Mokuba," Kaiba said, getting his little brother's attention. "Where is your friend now?"
"Alice? She's outside in the garden. She thought we could have lunch out there since the weather is so nice today."
Mokuba turned to the older maid, asking her to have lunch brought out to the garden. As the boy told her exactly what to make, listing off a number of things, Kaiba took the opportunity to sneak away unnoticed. He moved briskly down the hall, making his way to the garden. One of the younger maids was carrying a load of laundry as Kaiba nearly bumped into her. She quickly apologized and hurried away to the laundry room. Kaiba stopped her, asking the young woman if there was anyone in the garden.
"The garden? Oh yes, Master Mokuba's friend. I saw her there not five seconds ago. She was very kind to me. She saw me with this load and asked if I needed helped. And so beautiful, that long white hair. I wish I could get my hair like that," the young maid sighed, excusing herself afterwards.
Long white hair, Kaiba thought. Maybe it was her. He started walking again, his pace picking up, faster and faster with each step. Soon he was running, ignoring everything around him. His heart pounding so loudly, he thought it was right next to his ear. He felt something as he ran. It wasn't fear, it wasn't panic. It was excitement. He was actually excited to see if it was true. Kaiba slowed down as he reached the glass doors that led to the garden. Just a few more feet. He tried to compose himself. He took a deep breath as he reached for the handle and slowly opened the glass doors.
Alice had been busy exploring the garden. She always was so inquisitive. It was beautiful, spanning for what seemed like miles. The lawn was freshly cut, the fragrance of blossoming flowers filled the air, and well-kempt trees and hedges rustled in the wind, dewdrops shimmering in the sunlight. Alice was returning to the house, making her way for the steps that led up to the glass doors, when a sudden gust of wind took her by surprise. She stumbled for a bit, looking back at the trees. Where did that come from? Alice was a little rattled, wondering what had caused the sudden change of weather. As she looked at the scenery before her, Alice felt odd, like someone was watching her. She turned around as a soft breeze blew past her.
Kaiba couldn't believe his eyes. She was standing right there, her long silk-like hair dancing gently in the wind. She looked up at him with those dazzling blue eyes, her cream-pale skin appearing to glow. He didn't say anything. He just stood there, wondering if she was real. Alice, on the other hand, took the initiative and approached him first. She smiled warmly at him and Kaiba averted his gaze elsewhere. He felt the heat emerge on his face. Was he blushing? He didn't blush, especially because of a girl he didn't even know. But her smile was so warm, it made his heart skip a beat.
"Hello," she said. "My name is Alice Nightingale. I'm a friend of Mokuba's."
Kaiba stared at her as she curtsied. He assumed that she must come from a very affluent family if she greeted people in such a formal manner.
"I'm Seto Kaiba, Mokuba's older brother," he introduced himself with a bow, trying to be courteous.
"Nice to meet you," Alice giggled airily, noting how stiff he was. "I'm sorry for intruding, but I saw the garden from upstairs and I wanted to get a closer look."
"It's all right," Kaiba said, walking down the steps. "Mokuba said you wanted to have lunch out here."
Alice nodded with a big smile.
"I hope you don't mind, but if you do—"
Kaiba put his hand up.
"I don't, go ahead," he said, trying his best to not stare at her.
"Great!" Alice beamed.
She turned her attention back the garden stretching before them.
"Your garden is amazing. It's not too extravagant that would it throw someone off, but still…there is something…regal about it that just takes your breath away," Alice said, closing her eyes as she relaxed.
Kaiba didn't say anything, just taking in what she had said. Her manner of speaking, her choice of words, as far back as Kaiba could remember, he had not heard someone talk that way in a long time. It wasn't only how she looked, but also how Alice presented herself that called to him. He had a sense that Alice could be someone with whom he could a genuine conversation with. Alice inhaled deeply, her body relaxing out any tension she had. She loved tranquil places like this. With everything she had to deal with, from school to Exia, Alice relished the opportunity to relax herself. Her life could be so chaotic; it was good to take the time to collect her thoughts before the pressure of it all came hard on her.
"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Alice asked kindly.
"No, thank you," Kaiba replied, though he wanted to say otherwise.
"Are you sure?" Alice said, involuntarily looking up at him with big eyes. "I don't mind, and Mokuba would love it if you stayed."
Kaiba felt his heart thump at the sight of her sparkling eyes, his throat suddenly dry. What was this? Was he… nervous? It was a foreign emotion to him. He had never felt this way before. The new feeling disappeared as fast as it had appeared. Alice was waiting patiently for his answer. Just then, he heard footsteps running toward them from the house.
"I hope you're hungry, Alice!" Mokuba yelled as he stepped outside, his eyes searching for her.
"I sure am!" Alice said with a clap of her hands.
Mokuba's eyes soon fell on his brother.
"Seto, what are you doing here?"
"What? I can't walk around my own property as I want?" Kaiba said offended.
"Sorry, big brother. I just thought you'd gone back to your room," Mokuba said in an apologetic tone, hoping Kaiba wouldn't stay mad at him.
"It's fine," Kaiba said, ruffling Mokuba's hair.
"Hey!" Mokuba whined playfully.
Kaiba could never stay mad at Mokuba for too long. He was quick to accept his younger brother's apologies every time, knowing that Mokuba was still a kid. Kaiba had no qualms with that. He wanted his little brother to enjoy his childhood for as long as he could. That was why Kaiba worked so hard, why he pushed himself all the time. Mokuba was well aware of this, and did his best to be there for Kaiba every step of the way. It was the way they supported each other that had kept them so close through all the ordeals they had faced growing up. Alice watched with amusement, the brothers bringing back memories of Michael and how he was always there for her. She adored him, the very thought of ever losing him bringing a great ache in her heart.
"Alice, you okay?" Mokuba walked over to her, realizing she had been quiet and saw the distant look in her watery eyes.
"I'm okay," Alice said, drying her eyes, "just getting lost in my thoughts."
Her response was cryptic. Mokuba swore he had seen a glint of sadness in her eyes. He would have asked more, but he didn't want to upset her.
"I'm fine," Alice said, noticing Mokuba was not convinced.
She gave him a big hug, wrapping her arms gently around him, trying to ease his worry for her. It worked, as a light blush appeared on Mokuba's cheeks, smiling and hugging her back. Kaiba watched from a few feet away. He decided to leave them be and go to his study, walking back up the steps to the house. He was taken aback as he felt a strong tug on his arm. Kaiba looked down at Mokuba, who stared back him with puppy-dog eyes.
"Seto, won't you stay?"
Alice awed, feeling a tug on her heart strings watching Mokuba make that sad puppy face.
"Please?" Mokuba asked with as much cuteness as he could muster.
It took everything Kaiba had to maintain his cool. On the outside, he was calm, stoic. On the inside, a rush of guilt washed over him. Mokuba just wanted to spend time with his big brother, there was nothing wrong with that. Kaiba did have the day off, so he had nothing to do. He finally sighed exasperatingly, relenting to Mokuba's cuteness.
"Fine, I'll stay," Kaiba said as if he had no other choice.
As far as Mokuba was concerned, he didn't.
"Awesome!" Mokuba exclaimed in victory.
Alice silently stood by, letting the two of them to talk amongst themselves. A gentle breeze blew from behind her, her hair swaying in the air. The leaves swished lightly in the wind. A shiver went up her arms, Alice wrapped them around herself. Why had it gotten cold all of a sudden?
"Alice!"
She looked up and saw Mokuba calling her from the top of the steps. Kaiba was standing by the glass doors.
"Come on, we're having lunch inside instead," Mokuba said.
"Aww, really?" Alice said disappointed, walking up to them.
"Sorry, but it looks like the weather took a turn for the worse," Mokuba explained, pointing up at the sky.
Alice looked to the grey clouds, spreading across the sky, hiding the blue hue above. Flocks of birds flew away from the incoming storm, the air becoming heavy with scent of rain. Alice loved that smell. There was something so crisp and fresh about it.
"I do love the rain," Alice said quietly. "Oh well, another day, I guess."
Alice walked into the house with Mokuba right behind her. She took one quick glance at the sky above.
"The weather can change fast, can't it?" she asked, mainly to herself.
Kaiba answered her anyway.
"Yes, you better be careful when that happens."
"I always am," Alice said coyly.
He smirked at her. She had sly side to her, he liked that. If anything, it made her even cuter. Wait, what did he just say? Kaiba regained his composure by the time they sat for lunch in the dining room. Alice and Mokuba did most of the talking, Kaiba sitting back in silence, staring at particularly nothing. His eyes always wandered back to the white-haired girl. Once they were done eating, Kaiba went to his study for some alone time. Mokuba eyed him suspiciously, mentally asking him if he were going work. Kaiba assured him he wouldn't. Mokuba knew his brother was being honest, so he let Kaiba go to his study.
As Kaiba walked off to his study, Mokuba and Alice went into the living to relax and watch some T.V. Mokuba ran into the kitchen to make popcorn while Alice flipped through the channels looking for something interesting. They ended up watching an anime show, which coincidentally was one of Michael's works. It was a paranormal mystery that centered on a young boy named Shiro with special powers, chased by evil forces. Mokuba sat on the edge of his seat, wondering out loud what would happen next. Apparently, Mokuba was a huge fan of the series, and creator of the show, and was absolutely thrilled that they were showing new episodes. Note to self, get Michael to autograph some of his works for Mokuba, Alice reminded herself.
"Whoo-hoo! Go, Shiro!" Mokuba cheered as the main character was currently fighting a horde of enemies.
"Calm down, Mokuba," Alice said, gently pulling his arm. "You're going to fall off the couch."
"Sorry, but I love this show!" Mokuba said with his arms in the air. "It's so awesome, and Shiro is one of my favorite anime characters."
Alice listened as Mokuba went into great detail about what made Shiro great and who else he liked in anime. Thus far, Michael was his all-time favorite writer and artist. He brought up a few more names, saying what made them great and why they should be considered the best, but no one could ever come close to her brother. As they continued discussing what made anime so "epic", outside, the clouds had completely covered the sky. Like a blanket of grey cotton, the clouds hovered at a snail's pace now, weighed down by the water they had absorbed. A single drop fell, resoundly hitting an outstretched leave with sharp splash. Than another fell. Then another. Soon enough, the water came pouring down heavily from the heavens, creating sheets of rain everywhere you looked.
"It's really pouring now," Mokuba said as he looking out the window.
"I know, and it was so nice a minute ago," Alice said, resting her head on the windowsill.
They watched the rain in silence, until a commercial on T.V. caught their attention. It was about the new Duel Monsters tournament. Mokuba looked back at Alice, who had turned back to watching the rain.
"Alice, have you registered for the tournament yet?" he inquired, remembering her duel with Joey.
"Oh, that. I completely forgot about it," Alice said with a laugh.
"WHAT? YOU FORGOT?" Mokuba nearly screamed.
"Whoa, calm down," Alice said, standing up and walking over to him. "It will be all right. I still have time."
"Not much," Mokuba added. "The announcement was in early March, it's already April. The tournament starts in May. You have to do it now, or else you won't be able to compete!"
Mokuba went running at a great speed, yelling about how his brother could help out. Alice ran after him, trying to calm him.
Kaiba sat in his study, staring at his computer screen. He had called Roland to see how everything was going. According to him, everything was right on schedule, no need for Kaiba to show up and fix anything. That was all fine, but now Kaiba was bored out of his mind. With no work to preoccupy his mind, he honestly didn't know what to do. He certainly wasn't going to sleep, he'd done enough of that the previous day. For the moment, Kaiba was left with nothing more than his thoughts. He closed his eyes; the first image popping into his mind was Alice. Why was he thinking about her? He had only met her not an hour ago, and already he couldn't stop thinking about her.
"What's wrong with me?" he said in a low voice. "That 'Memory World' wasn't real. Those people weren't real. Kisara wasn't-"
He couldn't finish that sentence, the word refused to come out. Why couldn't he say it? It was only one word. Except, saying Kisara was fake, a false memory implanted in his mind as a cruel joke, was more painful than Kaiba would admit.
"Who are you?" he whispered, looking at the ceiling, the sound of the pounding rain the breaking through the quiet.
Kaiba sat back in his chair, lost in his thoughts, trying to figure it all out. The door opened with a slam, breaking Kaiba from his trance.
"Seto."
Mokuba was panting heavily, holding onto the door as he tried to catch his breath.
"Mokuba, what is it?"
"Alice… she needs help," Mokuba said through ragged breathing.
Kaiba became stiff, his heart dropping.
"What's wrong?" he said trying to be as calm as possible.
Mokuba took a deep breath before he spoke at a very fast rate.
"Alice hasn't registered for the tournament yet! She said she was going to think about it, then she dueled Joey, and she won, she was so awesome by the way, but then she forgot all about it and now we need to hurry before she misses the deadline!"
Mokuba bend down to catch his breath again.
"Okay, so Alice needs to register before it's too late, I get that," Kaiba said, trying to piece together what Mokuba had told him. "What does Wheeler have anything to do with this?"
"Alice wasn't sure if she wanted to enter, so Joey thought a duel would change her mind," Mokuba said at more normal rate.
"Alright then, go have the limo ready," Kaiba said as he stood from his chair.
Mokuba immediately perked, energized by his brother's words.
"You got it!"
"Got what?" Alice said as she came running up to Mokuba. "This place is enormous! I got lost after you got that head start."
"Sorry, but I have to go get the limo ready," Mokuba said running back the way he came.
"What? Ah come on," Alice whined with no clue as to what was going. "Did he have too much sugar this morning?"
"Probably," Kaiba said, walking over to her. "Mokuba told me you want to compete in my tournament."
She stood there, blanching, hiding the disbelief she felt at the moment.
"That's why he came rushing up here?"
"Yes, it seems he really wants you to sign up. You must have some skill if he's so excited to see you duel," Kaiba said rather arrogantly, walking down the hall.
"Some skill?" Alice stood upright, walking much faster now. "I could duel circles around you, Mr. Kaiba."
He could see he had clearly challenged her skill as a duelist. The fire in her eyes was proof of that. She had some nerve if she believed she could beat him so easily.
"I doubt it," Kaiba scoffed confidently as they reached the foyer.
"Guess we'll have to wait till the tournament to find out, huh?"
"I don't know about that," he muttered watching Alice gallop down the steps gracefully, greeting Mokuba at the front doors with a smile.
It was still raining hard as they made their way to the Kaiba Corp. building. Mokuba sat between Kaiba and Alice, making friendly chit-chat with Alice about things like school and his friends there. Since befriending Yugi, Mokuba had become more sociable, making quick friends at his new private school and becoming quite popular among his peers. Of course, Mokuba never let that go to his head; he was too good of a kid to let that happen. Kaiba stared out his window, listening in on their conversation. He stifled a chuckle as Mokuba told Alice about the "accident" with the mysterious gas at his school. Alice burst into a fit of giggles, holding her stomach. Kaiba chanced a side glance at Alice, noting how warm her laugher was. He found himself staring at her, looking away before anyone noticed.
The ride to Kaiba Corp. went by fast, as they soon pulled up in front of the building. The rain had let up by now, only a small drizzle falling from the gloomy clouds. The chauffeur walked to Kaiba's door, holding an umbrella up for him. Kaiba dismissed him, telling him to give it to Alice instead. The chauffeur did as he was told and walked over to Alice as soon as she stepped out. She herded Mokuba close to her so the two could share the umbrella. They saw that only a few people were standing outside the building now, most having gone to nearby stores once the rain had begun to pour down. Kaiba led them inside, the few bystanders outside gawking at him as he walked past them. Inside the lobby, the lines were shortening, the last of the people outside walking inside as the receptionist finished with those up front.
"Cool, so this is what the inside looks. I always wondered about that," Alice said, looking around like child on a field trip. "It's… cozier than I expected. No offense."
She made an apologetic gesture which Kaiba just shrugged at.
"Okie-dokie then, now that we're here… What do I have to do to register?"
"You have to give your name and some form of identification to the receptionist," Kaiba said as he walked ahead of everyone else in line.
One young man was about to walk up to the said-receptionist when Kaiba stepped in-between. The young man was about to yell at him, but once he realized that he was talking to Seto Kaiba, the young man decided he liked breathing far more than his place in line. Kaiba glared at the young man, who shrunk away into the background. Kaiba looked over at Alice and gestured for her to join him. She practically skipped to him. She saw the young man sulking away a few feet from them. She walked up to him, much to Kaiba's surprise.
"I'm sorry, you're next in line. Go ahead, I can wait," Alice offered the discouraged young man a truly sweet.
A blush that covered his face appeared as he looked at the beautiful girl addressing him. He counted his lucky stars that someone as stunning as her was even talking to him, let alone being nice to him. Her lovely smile sent him into a dizzy.
"Oh no, you go ahead," he said, waving her offer away as kindly as possible, admiring her as she looked at him with kind eyes.
"Are you sure?"
The young man just nodded with a nervous smile. Alice took it as the "okay" and walked over to Kaiba. Kaiba was impressed that Alice could handle herself so well, on the downside, he didn't like the way the young man had been looking at her. Kaiba sent him a menacing glare and the young man cowered away to the line. Kaiba could hear the people in line talking in hushed tones.
"Who is that girl?"
"Is she with Kaiba?"
"She's so pretty."
"Is that her natural hair color?"
"So cool."
"Wish I could get a girl like that."
"She's so nice."
Kaiba grew tired of their ignorant gossiping and turned to the receptionist as soon as Alice reached him. He addressed the young woman behind the desk, instructing her that Alice wanted to register. Alice gave the young woman her name and her school I.D. The receptionist went hard at work, typing up Alice's information. Afterwards, she handed Alice the guidelines and procedure of the tournament, as well as an electronic bracelet. Alice thanked the young woman and walked away to where Mokuba had been, who was now gone. He had gone to the cafeteria to get a sundae. Kaiba followed her, glaring at anyone who even looked in Alice's direction.
"Is something wrong?" Alice asked when she saw the scowl on his face.
"Yeah, I just have a headache," he lied.
Kaiba didn't want Alice to get the wrong idea if he told her he was agitated by the looks she was getting. He hardly knew the girl. At the same time, Kaiba couldn't help seeing how similar to Kisara she was to. She was considerate, polite, caring… like Kisara. Wait, what was he thinking? She wasn't Kisara, she was Alice. She was real, with a family and friends, with her own life to live, with no ridiculous past-life dictating her destiny. What happened in the past was going to stay in the past. Alice was a normal girl who deserved to live a normal life, free from the pressure of memories from a life that may or may have not really occurred.
"Big brother!"
Kaiba snapped back to reality at the sound of Mokuba's voice. The young boy was walking up to him holding a small sundae in his hands. Alice turned to face Mokuba as he came up to her. He offered them some of his sundae. As much as Alice wanted to, she declined, saying she was still too full from lunch. Kaiba told him no thank you and walked towards the doors. Alice was looking through her papers, glowing with excitement as she read on.
"This tournament is going to be so awesome!" Alice said in gleefully. "I can't wait. So many of the best coming, the duels there'll be!"
"I wonder if Joey will have the chance to have a rematch with you," Mokuba added, remembering the duel so vividly, blown away by Alice's talent in the game.
"I hope so," Alice said, putting the papers and the band inside her bag. "He has been going on about how he's devised the perfect strategy to beat me. I'm looking forward to it."
Kaiba looked back at Alice, the devious tone in voice was surprising to him, but he liked it. He held the door open for Alice and Mokuba as the two passed him. Alice opened the umbrella, the rain falling heavier again. Mokuba, by sheer amazement from Alice's part, had finished his sundae and threw the plastic plate into the nearest trash bin. Alice extended her arm, signaling for Mokuba to join her under the umbrella. He was more than happy to do so. Mokuba held onto Alice in an affectionate embrace. Kaiba could tell Alice was good with kids from how she acted around Mokuba. She was… maternal in her actions, but at the same time, she was a fun friend to Mokuba; a perfect combination of both.
They drove only for a feet when the rain began to cascade from the melancholy sky.
"I wonder if Yugi and Joey were able to register this morning," Alice said to herself.
"They haven't registered already, either?" Mokuba said incredulously.
First, Alice, now Yugi and Joey too?
"Yeah, we've been busy," Alice said with a sheepish smile.
Mokuba was about to ask more, but Kaiba told him to drop the subject. He could see that Alice didn't want to talk about. He wanted to know what kept Alice so busy too, but he felt he didn't know well-enough to pry into her life like that. Alice stared at the passing scenery of blurry buildings and people, hoping Yugi and Joey had registered with no problem earlier that day. Her eyes were getting droopy, feeling the weight of sleep on them. Mokuba was slumped on her arm, drowsiness overpowering the boy. Alice smiled tiredly, smoothing his hair as Mokuba started to fall asleep. He must have woken up early as he wanted to spend as much time with Alice as he could. Once more, Kaiba found himself looking at Alice from the corner of his eye every now and again. She appeared to be as sleepy as Mokuba, her eyes struggling to stay open.
"You can fall asleep if you want," Kaiba told her as she looked over at him. "I'll wake you up when we get to the house."
Alice smiled thank you and closed her eyes, making sure both Mokuba and she were comfortable. Once he heard the soft breathing of slumber, Kaiba looked back at Alice. She looked so peaceful. A strand of hair fell across her face. Kaiba reached over and pulled it back, an electrifying pulse running from the tip of his finger to the rest of his body as his finger finely traced her soft forehead. He hesitantly pulled back, trying to convince himself it was only his imagination. He praised the heavens as they drove up to the manor. He reached once more to Alice, snugging gently on the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, Alice let out a yawn as she woke. They tried to wake Mokuba up, but it wasn't happening.
Kaiba carried Mokuba up to the house, placing him on the couch in the living room. He was going to take Mokuba up to his room but Alice thought it would be better if he let Mokuba sleep in living room for now. It was then that Mokuba stirred in his sleep and woke up. So, they were all sitting on the couch while watching a fantasy movie, much to Kaiba's luck. Alice and Mokuba, on the other hand, were completely content as the movie played. Mokuba was leaning on Kaiba's arm, eating potato chips from a large purple bowl. Alice, who was right next to him, reached in bowl for some chips, only to be grabbing at air.
"Mokuba," she said astonished. "You ate all the chips!"
"Oops, sorry," Mokuba said with small smile. "I'll get go more."
With that, Mokuba pulled free of the blanket and jumped off the couch, making his way to the kitchen. Alice laid back on the couch, her eyes still weary from sleep. She had gotten plenty of rest after her last mission; Michael had made sure of that. Perhaps staying up late to talk with Tea, while she was still recuperating no less, probably didn't help either. Alice inhaled deeply as she soon led out a long yawn, rubbing her eyes of the grains the Sandman insisted on sprinkling on her.
"Are you still tired?" Kaiba asked.
"Yeah," Alice gave him a drowsy smile. "It's okay, all I need is a really good nap."
"I know that feeling," Kaiba said as he had taken a long himself the day before.
"Hey, Mr. Kaiba…um, uh," Alice looked like she was struggling with her words.
Nevertheless, she had Kaiba's undivided attention. He smiled at her, a real smile.
"Yes, what is it?"
Why did the sight of his smile make Alice light-headed?
"I'm sorry. I feel weird calling you 'Mr. Kaiba'," Alice said fidgeting with the blanket.
"Then call me Seto," Kaiba replied without a second thought.
Truth be told, he wanted to hear her say his name. Kaiba wondered if his name sounded as sweet as it had when Kisara had said it. Alice looked over at him with an unsure expression. She waited a few seconds. Why was she nervous? It was just a name. One word. Two syllables.
"If you're sure about it…" Alice said, taking a breath before saying it, "…Seto."
Kaiba was certain his heart stopped for a split second. The way his name sounded coming from her soft lips was as wonderful as before, if not more. She had said it with great care, trying to pronounce the name as perfectly as she could.
"Are you okay?" Alice had said after Kaiba hadn't responded, thinking she had done something wrong.
Kaiba blinked out of his trance, looking back at her, suddenly feeling a loud thumping in his chest. Alice had moved to closer him out of concern. Kaiba couldn't stop himself from staring into her eyes before quickly looking away.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said, his brown fringe hiding the nervous look in his eyes.
What's taking Mokuba so long, Kaiba thought, anxious for someone to break the awkward moment between Alice and himself. Like he were reading his mind, Mokuba came back with a mound of various snacks and drinks.
"I forgot to ask if you what you wanted, Alice, so I brought what I could," Mokuba said setting down the snacks on the long coffee table in front of the couch, then turning back to Alice with a smile of pride.
His smile fell halfway as he saw Alice sitting up straight, her hands in her laps and looking down. Kaiba was still looking to the side, trying desperately to keep himself from glancing back at Alice.
"Did something happen while I was gone?" Mokuba asked confused.
"No, nothing at all," both Alice and Kaiba responded at the same time, in perfect synchronicity to boot.
They turned their faces around, their eyes locking on one another. Did that just happen? For what seemed to last forever, they stared at each other in awe of what had occurred. A moment later, Alice's lips curled into a kind smile, her face glowing with warmth. People always said Kaiba had a heart of ice. If that were true, then the vision of Alice's sweet grin made the cold melt away from his heart. Soon enough, he was smiling too. Alice started laughing, as she always did whenever there was an awkward moment.
"That was weird," Alice giggled.
"It sure was," Kaiba chuckled lightly.
What this really happening? Mokuba stood by the coffee table, dumbfounded by what he was seeing. Was his brother actually smiling? As it finally hit him that was he saw was real, Mokuba couldn't help smiling, inside and out. Kaiba really was changing, if only a little.
"Mokuba," Alice said as her laughter had seized. "Can you pass me those lime-flavored chips?"
She pointed to a white and green bag, the logo Lays stamped on the front in bit yellow letters. Mokuba grabbed the bag, ripping it open before handing it to Alice. After eating a chip, Alice held the bag close to Kaiba, shaking it like she were asking him if he wanted some. Kaiba courteously waved the bag. Alice tilted her head slightly to the side, this time nonverbally asking him if he was sure. The look on her face was adorable, Kaiba finding it hard to turn her down. He didn't like those chips, they were too sour for him. But he could felt that he couldn't possibly say no to her. He took one and ate it as fast he could. His lips puckered a bit. Mokuba handed him a drink, which he opened and nearly chugged down.
"Slow down, Seto," Alice said. "If you don't like this flavor, you could have said so."
"I didn't want to be rude," he said once he had finished the last of the soda.
"Since when?" Mokuba blurted out without thinking.
Kaiba glared at Mokuba angrily, though he was more embarrassed than angry. The young boy gave him an apologetic look, his eyes oh-so-innocent. Alice let out a small laugh, they were so cute.
"Come now, Seto," Alice said. "He didn't mean to. Besides, it's the younger sibling's duty to embarrass the older sibling. It's tradition."
Again, when she had said his name, a wave of calm came over Kaiba. In any case, he would have forgiven Mokuba, but the fact Alice had defended the boy made him feel…tranquil.
"Alright," Kaiba sighed.
"Alice," Mokuba said, after Kaiba had forgiven him, realizing it at last. "Did you call my big brother by his first name?"
Alice crumbled the bag after she had single-handedly eaten the whole thing. The expression on her face was one of amusement.
"I sure did."
"But Seto," Mokuba turned to his brother, "you don't let anyone calling you by your first name."
Kaiba just shrugged at him.
"I made an exception."
Mokuba opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of music. Alice rummaged under the blanket until she pulled out her phone.
"Alice."
"Hey Drake, what is it?"
"You need to come home. Now."
The urgency in his voice made her heart drop. What was wrong? Had there been a Mischief attack? Was someone hurt, or worse?
"Is everything okay?" Alice held her phone like it was her lifeline.
"No, it isn't," Drake sobbed. "Michael, he…he…"
Her breath was hitched in her throat. Not Michael.
"What is it?" she demanded.
Kaiba and Mokuba saw how upset Alice had gotten. They wanted to know what was wrong too.
"Michael saw me drinking his special coffee blend and now he's not talking to me! It's horrible! I don't know what to do!" Drake cried dramatically into his cellphone.
Alice felt a chill run down her spine. He did not do that, Alice grimaced inwardly, anything but that. This was going to take a lot of work to fix.
"Alice, are you okay?" Mokuba asked her when she hadn't said anything.
She simply nodded.
"Drake, how could you let that happen? You know better than that," Alice said in a delicate tone.
"I know," Drake agreed, sounding supremely depressed. "It was a mistake. I was tired and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. By the time I did, it was too late because Michael walked in the kitchen and saw me. What do I do to remedy the situation?"
"Do nothing," Alice said, already formulating a plan. "I'll take care of it. Just hang in there, okay?"
"Okay," Drake said, sulking away in a corner in his office.
Alice hung up and looked at the time. It was almost 7:00. Michael was going be picking her up soon. She would wait until they got home to talk to him about it. Alice turned to Mokuba, who looked worried.
"So, what happened?" Kaiba asked in place of Mokuba.
"Nothing I can't handle," she answered shrewdly.
Kaiba dropped it. It was none of his business. As they began to relax again, one of the maids came in, telling them someone was at the gate. Kaiba asked who it was and the maid said it was someone named Michael. Alice looked at phone, the time was 7:00 on the dot.
"Wow, Michael is punctual," Mokuba said also noting the time.
"Looks like my ride is here," Alice said as she stood.
Mokuba awed sadly, surprised at how fast the day had gone by. Alice gave him a big hug which he returned.
"I had fun today," Mokuba said brightly. "Thanks so much."
"It was my pleasure," Alice said in a jubilantly. "I had tons of fun today. Hopefully we'll have another day like this soon."
Mokuba cheered in agreement. With one more hug, Mokuba waved bye to Alice as Kaiba walked her to the door.
"Thank you for coming," Kaiba said as he opened the door for Alice.
"It was no trouble," Alice smiled. "I guess I'll see you around."
Alice skipped to her brother's car, Michael waving at Kaiba in recognition from his seat. Alice was about to sit in when she spun around to face Kaiba.
"I look forward to our duel at the tournament, Seto," Alice said playfully.
She then got in and closed the car door. The blue car drove off at a comfortable pace, much to Mokuba's surprise as he had expected Michael to tear off like he had that morning. Kaiba stood at door frame, his thoughts on one person.
"The tournament, huh?" Kaiba grinned with anticipation. "I think we'll see each other sooner than that, Alice. Much sooner."
His spirits were high as they never had been as Kaiba walked back inside and shut the door.
I finished this chapter. Hallelujah! It just wouldn't let itself be written. I had to re-type it three, four times until I got it close to where I wanted it. I didn't realize how hard writing fluff was. I didn't want Kaiba to seem too OOC, at the same time, I did want to show some change in his character, particularly around Alice. Yes, Kaiba will still insult Joey like usual, but he won't be as much of a jerk as he was portrayed in English dub. How could they mess up his lines like that, really! Sorry, it just makes me so mad to think about. Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Year's Eve.
Please review, because you guys are awesome and I value your opinions!
Preview: Bakura comes home and the gang celebrates. Party XD !