Chapter 7: A Secret Revealed
I own nothing but the plot and OCs. This story is © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007.
Author's notes, over five years later: There wasn't much to change in this chapter except phrasing and section breaks.
While Doctor Lisa Hammond slept on into Friday afternoon, Seto, Mokuba and Roland relaxed and played card games (except for Duel Monsters—Mokuba insisted). "Mokuba, I'd really like to check my stocks…"
"No, Seto, you're not supposed to work."
"Roland, I really need to go to my office…"
"Sir, I can't let you do that. I'm under Dr. Hammond's orders."
"But I…"
"Seto," Mokuba said clearly, "no. You're just getting better, and Lisa's right. If you work too soon, you'll just get sick again."
The teen CEO, looking his usual surly self, scowled and said, "I've clearly lost this argument, haven't I?" The two others in the room nodded.
"Roland," Seto asked, "could you check my temperature? I imagine the doctor would like to see how I'm doing."
"All right, sir." Roland took an ear thermometer and checked. "You're just about normal, sir. Your temp is at 99.2°. I think you're on the mend."
Seto seemed on the verge of arguing that he could get back to work, but seeing the expression on his brother's face (Roland wisely kept an impassive expression) made the teen realize that forcing the work issue was not an option. "Maybe we should order some dinner."
"Good idea, sir," the security guard answered. "Oh, the young lady had a jacket cleaned, and it's ready to be sent to its owner. Shall I take care of it?"
"Hold on, whose jacket is it?"
"Joseph Wheeler's, I believe."
Seto remembered the other night and the beat-up green jacket his brother had been wrapped in. "Yeah, send it to him."
"Yes, sir."
Mokuba, however, barely remembered his trip to the bathroom. "Big brother? Why is Joey's jacket here?"
"He used it to keep you from getting a chill on Tuesday night. Oh, and Roland, thanks for going above and beyond what you had to do. Take the next 24 hours off and be with your family. We'll be okay."
"Thank you, sir. Good night, sir. Good night, Mokuba."
"Good night, Roland."
"Night, Roland."
As soon as Roland left, Seto looked at Mokuba. "What should we get for dinner?"
"Think you could handle Thai food, Seto?"
"One star spicy, maybe. But does Lisa like it?"
Mokuba gave Seto the "I knew something before you did" look that only younger siblings can give their elders. "I googled her name on the Internet after we hired her. She has a webpage that tells all about her. And she loves Thai food."
"Are you sure you got the right Lisa Hammond?"
The little boy only rolled his eyes, and answered, "Yes, Seto; it had her picture and her birthday, and some information about her family."
Seto couldn't help being impressed with his brother's investigative work. "Nice work, little brother." And so they called the Hansa Thai restaurant and ordered some food to be delivered.
Lisa finally awoke at six PM. "Urmph…" She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at the clock. I slept for eight hours. Was I that tired? Of course you were. You've been up late two nights in a row! She got out of bed, headed into the bathroom, then changed into some pink silk pajamas. The nightgown she'd chosen to sleep in was too revealing to go check on her patients. What the—? She noticed the beautiful vase of roses on her nightstand. There was a card sitting next to the vase, and she opened it. "To Lisa," it read. "Thanks for taking care of us. Seto and Mokuba." She could sense Seto's presence most strongly around the flowers. Great, he saw me, she thought, cheeks reddening. Then… He saw me, she thought with a wicked grin. She pulled on a pair of pink ballet-style slippers, and headed down the hall.
"Hi, Lisa! Seto's better," Mokuba greeted.
"Good evening, Lisa," Seto added. "Mokuba can vouch for me. I haven't worked."
Lisa smiled. "But you thought about it, didn't you?"
"Mea culpa," he admitted.
"Thanks for the roses, boys, and… thanks for covering me up, Seto."
Seto nodded curtly. "We ordered dinner while you were sleeping. Is Thai food all right?"
"That'd be great. You didn't order it too spicy, did you?"
Y
At 7:00, the two teens and little boy ate their dinners in the spacious kitchen. "You guys could use a change of scenery," Lisa said, "and the staff can freshen up the rooms."
"Can we watch a movie later?" Mokuba asked his brother and Lisa.
Seto nodded. "If it's okay with Lisa, we can."
"Sure," she answered, "why not?"
"You pick, Lisa!"
Lisa thought a minute. "How about Spirited Away? Would that be all right?"
"Yeah!" Mokuba answered.
"Spirited Away it is then," Seto said.
"So, Lisa," the teen CEO asked as they ate pad thai with prawns, "do you play any games?"
"Oh, not that often. I know a little bit about Duel Monsters, obviously, but I highly doubt I could hold my own in a duel. I'm not really into TCGs. But I do play video games."
"Which ones?" Mokuba wanted to know.
"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask," she answered.
"How well can you play?" Seto asked, his right eyebrow raised.
"I've beaten both games about, oh, ten times," she answered, smiling mischievously. "What about you guys?" Seto admitted he only played when Mokuba wanted to, while Mokuba launched into a detailed description of some of his favorite video games.
"How about music?" Lisa asked.
"I like most of the same stuff Seto does," Mokuba answered. "We both like Evanescence, Linkin Park, some Nirvana and I like some J-pop. You, Lisa?"
"Oh, you guys'll think I'm boring, but I like movie soundtracks by Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, and I like Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, the soundtrack from Moulin Rouge, and there are a few others."
Seto snickered. "Barry Manilow?!"
"What can I say? I was raised on 'Copacabana.'" They continued to talk for a few minutes more, and then headed up to Mokuba's room to watch the movie.
Seto, Lisa and Mokuba started Spirited Away at 8:00. At first, Mokuba was bright-eyed, but before Chihiro met Lin for the first time, the child had fallen sound asleep.
"Aw, Seto, look," Lisa whispered, smiling fondly. Seto also smiled, his face illuminated only by the light of the TV screen.
"He never makes it through a movie after a long night." The two teens watched the movie to the end, then quietly slid off the bed and left Mokuba's bedroom.
"Your temp is normal. I think you're better," Lisa said when she finished checking her boss's vitals back in his bedroom. "How do you feel?"
"Better, but…"
"But?" she asked.
"I'm a little nervous," he admitted, his calm, almost emotionless mask showing some cracks.
"Why?" she asked.
"Lisa…" His voice rose an octave and he forced it down. "Lisa, I was talking to Mokuba while you slept and… I know this is probably out of line, but I asked him before I asked you; would you like to see me in a social way?" He forced the last part out fast, and it took a second before Lisa realized he was asking her out.
She looked up at him, and though his eyes betrayed his nervousness, the rest of his face was the usual mask. But thanks to her senses, she could also tell he really wanted this. He actually likes me, but will he like me if he knows..? She hadn't told anybody besides a select group of people that she had her powers. Can I actually trust him, and will he consider me a freak? She trembled, and he noticed.
"Lisa, what is it?"
"I know a secret of yours. But can you handle one of mine?" She looked straight into his eyes, and what he saw surprised him. Lisa had struck him as very confident, but right now, she was… afraid.
"What are you afraid of?" he asked gently, wanting to put his arms around her but not daring to as they were now sitting on his bed. "Did somebody hurt you?"
"No, no. But what I'm going to tell you… you'll think I'm a freak."
Something told him to reassure her. "Even if you have webbed toes, I won't call you a freak." He means it, she realized.
"Okay." She held out her hands toward the door. Seto couldn't tell what was happening at first, but then a rose from the bouquet he'd gotten for her in her room came floating toward Lisa and into her hand.
"How… how did you…?" Seto was staring in disbelief, and yet couldn't deny the evidence in front of him. "You have telekinetic powers?"
She nodded. "But that's not it. Ever since I was a baby, I've had these powers that make me… well, like a Jedi."
"Jedi? You mean like Star Wars?"
He believes me. "Yeah, like Star Wars. I can sense people."
"That sounds more like… um…"
"Who?" she asked.
"You're going to think I'm a geek."
"Seto?"
"Yeah?"
"You are a geek."
"What?!" He actually couldn't believe that someone was calling him a geek.
"It's not a bad thing," she pointed out, laughing a little. "Think about it. So am I. Bill Gates is a computer geek. And even though it's clear you actually use your weight room and you're in better physical shape, you're a computer geek. You're also a gaming geek."
He saluted her, expression having gone from neutral to slightly annoyed back to neutral. "Point taken. Well, you sound like Counselor Troi."
"You watch Star Trek: The Next Generation?"
"Yeah. You do, too?"
"You bet. So, do you still want to go out with me, knowing that I have abilities and am a decided geek?" The teen boy pulled the girl into a hug and she didn't fight it.
"Would I do this if I didn't?" He tilted her chin up and kissed her slowly.
Breathe, she reminded herself.
Seto pulled back. "Have you ever been kissed before?" he asked curiously.
She was blushing a shade of deep pink, and she shook her blonde-brown head. "Nobody ever wanted to before."
"Can I do it again?" he asked suavely.
"Okay."
"Just relax." He kissed her again, and this time she relaxed into it. His lips were firm against hers, and the rest of him was that way as well. Her hands pressed against his shoulder blades as his arms around her tightened. Oh, my goodness, I didn't know it could be this good, she marveled. It was the kind of kiss that seemed to go on forever, but of course, it couldn't.
When they broke apart, Lisa's heart was pounding. So was Seto's. "How—how far do we want to go with this?" he asked, sounding as if he'd run two miles.
Lisa, equally breathless, said softly, "I'm… not ready. If you want to go where part of me's wanting to go…"
"Would that be so bad?" he asked softly. Seto didn't want to press her into doing something they might both regret later, but he couldn't deny his hormones were getting control right now.
"You'd…" She trailed off.
"I'd… what?"
She took a nervous breath. "You'd… be my first. And I'm not going to give that up to anybody. The first and only person I want to be with is the man I'm going to marry."
"So," he asked, "you'd have to at least be engaged?"
"That's right," she answered, blushing even more deeply.
"That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. He was smiling a little, but there was sadness there. She didn't probe into his mind to find out why he was sad. "And… I can live with that, Leese. And maybe someday…"
"Yeah…"
"Good night, Lisa. See you in the morning."
"Good night, Seto."
Y
The next morning, Mokuba woke up at 7:00 to watch his Saturday morning cartoons which were a collection of DVDs. He had every bash 'em-up slugfest cartoon from the 1980s which, in Mokuba's opinion, were a lot more fun than many of the current offerings on TV which emphasized non-violent solutions to problems rather than blasting the bad guys to smithereens. At 8:00, the little boy went to see if his brother and doctor were awake. Mokuba hadn't learned Lisa's sleeping patterns yet, so he wasn't surprised to see her still sleeping. But his big brother, who was usually up long before he was, was still sleeping. So the nine-year-old went down to the kitchen, fixed himself some Cocoa Puffs, then headed back upstairs and got himself ready for the day.
Seto and Lisa slept until 9:30. Both staggered into their bathrooms, took showers and got dressed. Seto got down to the kitchen five minutes before Lisa did because she had to blow dry and style her hair. When Lisa got into the kitchen, Seto was already sitting at the table, eating a bagel with cream cheese and drinking a glass of orange juice. Lisa went to the fridge, grabbed some cranberry juice and then got a glazed doughnut. She sat down next to him, and said, "Good morning, Seto."
"Morning, Lisa," he returned. "Sleep okay?"
"Yeah," she answered.
She quickly took his temperature and smiled. "You're back to normal. I think you'll be okay."
"Could I convince you to stay the weekend, just to be safe?"
"All right, then. Seto…"
"Are you okay with what happened last night?"
"We didn't go too far. So neither of us has a reason to feel guilty. You still don't think I'm a freak?"
Seto stood, pulling her into a hug. "No way. I think you're amazing. One question: Could you handle it if the press finds out about us?"
Lisa thought for a minute, and Seto could feel her nod against his chest. "What about you?" she asked softly.
"I can and I'll be glad to. But let's not rush that."
She pulled away slightly, a smile on her face. "It might be a little more fun that way. Now, I had an idea for today."
"Yeah?"
"You two could use fresh air and it's a warm day. Maybe we could go to…"
"The beach?" Mokuba yelped excitedly.
"Yeah, Mokuba. Your brother said it was okay, and I thought both of you could use a little fresh air since you've been cooped up in the house for four days," Lisa confirmed, smiling.
"Little brother, do you think you can be ready in, say, twenty minutes?" Seto asked.
"Yeah! I'll be back!" Mokuba tore up the stairs to his room to get ready.
"What about you, Lisa?" he asked, laying his hand on her shoulder.
"Give me half an hour. I hope you didn't have your people pick out bikinis!" With that, she sauntered up the stairs with him. Seto headed to his room, while Lisa headed to hers.
In fifteen minutes, Seto was down at the bottom of the grand staircase, wearing dark blue swim trunks with silver stripes down the sides and a white T-shirt along with some dark flip flops. Mokuba came down the stairs a minute later, wearing red swim trunks with blue stripes down the sides, along with bright red flip flops. He hadn't put his white T-shirt on yet because he needed Seto's help to get sunscreen on. "Where's Lisa?" Mokuba asked as Seto slathered on his sun block.
"She's upstairs getting her stuff on."
"Why is she taking longer than us, big brother?"
"I think it's a girl thing, Mokie." Seto then noticed his little brother really smiling. "What is it?"
"You called me Mokie again. You haven't called me that since…"
"Yeah," Seto said and both their expressions sobered. "Well, let's just enjoy the day, okay?"
"Okay, big brother." I'll smile for both of us, Mokuba thought, seeing that his brother remained serious.
Several minutes passed, and finally… "Sorry to keep you waiting," Lisa said, coming down the stairs.
Oh, man, Seto thought. Lisa was dressed in a red halter-top one-piece swimsuit and jean shorts that came less than halfway down her thighs and a pair of red wedge open-toed sandals. "I had a little trouble with my sunscreen."
"Lisa, you look awesome! Doesn't she, Seto?" Mokuba asked.
Seto nodded. "You look… amazing."
"Good."
Y
The teens and little boy arrived at the beach at 11:30. Seto had selected this beach because he knew it was virtually deserted, and he, Lisa and Mokuba wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming to take pictures of them. "So, what would you like to do first, Mokuba?" Seto asked.
"Bury you in the sand," Mokuba answered with a devilish grin. "Lisa, can you help?"
"You're on, kiddo!" The nine-year-old ran on ahead of the teens, and Seto took the opportunity to take Lisa's hand so they could walk hand in hand.
"Hey, Seto?"
"Yeah, Lisa?"
"You're okay with getting buried in the sand?"
"Yeah. Mokie hasn't done that since I was nine. It was the last time we went to the beach with Dad." She let go of his hand and slipped her left arm around him and he put his right arm around her.
"You might want to take your T-shirt off," she said, taking her shorts off. He took a deep breath.
"I… haven't done this in a long time… I mean… I haven't taken my shirt off outside the mansion without being able to change into something else quick."
She took a deep breath and reached out with her powers. "It's okay. No one's here but us."
"I keep forgetting. You can tell." So he pulled off his shirt.
Mokuba was waiting a few yards away and stared in surprise. "Seto?" he called out.
"It's okay, Mokie. No one's here but us."
"How can you tell?" he asked as they got closer.
"Mokuba, little brother, Lisa has something she wants to tell you." And so, as they dug the small trench, Lisa told Mokuba about her powers. He accepted it easily, and watched as Lisa used her powers to lift a bucket of water from the ocean and surreptitiously dump it on her boyfriend. "Lisa!" Seto shouted, chasing her down.
After Seto was buried in the sand and quickly escaped, the three kids built a sandcastle, then had fun collapsing it using buckets of water. "Sandcastle, you're going down!" Mokuba said, mock-wickedly, dumping his bucket of water.
"I play Tidal Surge," Seto grinned as he poured.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Lisa shouted from a distance, blasting down the rest of the castle, controlling the water with her powers.
"Lisa, wasn't that a Sailor Moon attack?" Mokuba asked, looking confused, as did Seto.
Lisa blushed. "I like Sailor Moon. Just don't ask me to imitate Sailor Mars." After that, they went for a swim in a little cove, then headed back to the limo and got a picnic basket. They ate their lunches, and then the boys partially buried Lisa in sand, making her look like a mermaid. Again, the three swam in the surf and then decided to head for home.
"Big brother, can we come back here again?"
"Sure, Mokuba. I… actually had fun today," the older boy admitted.
"Can you come with us, Lisa?" the younger boy asked. The teen CEO looked at his girlfriend as she answered.
"Of course. I'd be glad to join you two."
"Guys?"
"Yes, Mokuba?"
"I'm hungry." And so they stopped at a Taco Bell drive-through and picked up dinner. The teens and boy headed home, took hot baths, got their pajamas on, ate dinner, and then settled into Mokuba's room to watch Kiki's Delivery Service. Mokuba fell asleep only ten minutes into the film and Seto followed ten minutes later. I'll get up in a few minutes, Lisa thought, resolving to get up and head to her guestroom, but she was so heavily fatigued that she fell asleep thirty minutes after they started the movie.
Roland, having followed his employer's edict to stay with his own family for twenty-four hours had returned to the mansion at 9:15 PM. He went upstairs to check on Seto and Mokuba, and saw the two boys and Lisa sound asleep, the little boy asleep between the teenagers. The man smiled at this, then tiptoed into the bedroom. He turned off the movie, grabbed a huge blanket and laid it over the kids. He noticed that the young doctor looked a bit flushed, but didn't worry. He walked quietly to the door and turned off the bedroom light. Good night, kids, he thought.
I know, I know. Seto Kaiba has just gone out of character. I'm assuming that with the right person and having to face certain things, he would start to come out of his shell. I know it was a little weird to see Seto acting cordially toward Yugi and his friends two chapters ago, but he knows how to behave when he has to.
I'd love to see some more reviews, folks, and thanks to all of you who are reading!