In Denial
Chapter ten: Making Arrangements Part II
(Sunday Morning. Kaiba Manor. Simultaneously happening with Chapter nine and eight. So, when Chapter nine and eight was happening, this was happening as well.)
"Minase!"
Minase, one of Kaiba Manor's five butlers, quickly ran to Seto, who was in one of the balconies, typing vigorously on his laptop once again. "Yes, Master Seto?"
"Call Saeki, tell him I sent for him." he ordered him as he stopped. "I want him in Japan by tomorrow. I need a rush making of a few designer dresses and shoes, and I want it by Wednesday,"
"Right away, Master Seto," he left the balcony in a hurry to call the clothes designer. One of the best and most expensive. As always. He came back with the designer on the phone.
What's the matter with you, Kaiba?! What's the occasion that you want me with a set of designer dresses and shoes in ten days?!
"It's my daughter's birthday Thursday next week," he said plainly
It's the little Kaiba's birthday? He asked, daring to believe it. But after a few seconds, he did believe it. How old she? So I can guess her measurement and the size of her shoes! This is exciting!
Seto rolled his eyes. When it came to him, everything was always exciting. "She's turning one; I'll pay you double if you get them here by Wednesday,"
Really?! Now, Kaiba, hang up so I can- Seto hung up. With Saeki… "Well, not that fast!" the gay man screeched. "I didn't even get to say 'So I can get started on your angel's clothes!' I wouldn't do this if you weren't so damn sexy and hot!" he went to his shop and got to work on his designs.
By wireless internet, Seto ordered five huge teddy bears, five different sized plushie of both Blue Eyes and Dark Magician and three of the biggest Barbie Mansions and Barbie's for Noriko's surprise birthday presents from one of the most expensive toy stores in the world. And it promised it will deliver the toys in three days. He even told them to wrap it in a birthday wrapping paper. It might look like much, but Seto would've wanted to give her more. However, he thought Yami might not approve of him spoiling her. So, five bears, ten plushies, and three Barbie Mansions would do it. Barbie mansions and Barbie's? She probably wouldn't like it. Maybe he'd set it aside first. Already bought, yes, but maybe she won't like it. So, if she won't like it, he'll donate it to the Domino Orphanage, where he and Mokuba came from. That would make the nuns there happy. Especially the little girls. Wait. How about jewellery? Just earrings. She won't like wearing bracelets, rings and necklaces. She's just a baby! How would she know that these things were valuable? Hair accessories? She probably won't need them. Her hair gets up that way naturally anyways. So why order custom made hair wax and all those other stuff and hair pins? Yami'll only end up giving them to the orphanage as well. A laptop? Sure. Nobody's too young or too old to learn how to use a laptop or a computer. He's gonna buy that tomorrow, at the mall. Then there's that spoiling thought again. Sigh.
Spoiling? SPOILING?! He hadn't seen her for almost a year! Maybe it was natural to spoil your daughter with gifts after not seeing her for ages. Wasn't it? He had bought everything Mokuba wanted but he wasn't spoiled. Well, not everything. And not everything he ever wanted. He had bought him every console that was out there, including giving him one of each every one of the consoles he developed for Duel Monsters. He had the PS1, the PS2, the PS3, the Nintendo Wii, PSP, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy SP, Nintendo DS, the Xbox, the Nintendo Gamecube, and who knows what else he bought him!
And he doesn't seem to be using them anymore. He was busier studying now. Well, after what they have been through, why wouldn't he indulge himself in his studies like he would indulge himself in his work? That explains a lot. That explains that they really were brothers. That would explain that they really were Kaibas. Since Gozaburou did the same thing when he didn't want to see them when he got home or when there was another company that wanted to pull him down.
He sat there, thinking about what else he would do for his daughter's birthday. Cake? Nah, too traditional. But it'll do. He'll have one made. A four layer one.
A ring. He could buy a ring! A ring that's for Yami of course. What if he could surprise him as well! When he gets there, where ever there is, or he could have Yami escorted here by one of his bodyguards, and say whatever he has to say, then propose. Wait. He had to have flowers! And chocolates! The most expensive ones! Criolo would be perfect! Yeah, right. Easier said than done. Now, what to say?
He exited his FireFox and saw his desktop wallpaper. It was Noriko. He opened his Microsoft Office Word 2007.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap, tap, tap went his fingers on the table as he thought about what he was going to say to Yami before he was going to propose to him and as he stared at the LCD monitor of his laptop.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Why can't he think of anything, dammit! He so needed him right now.
That's it!
He started to type.
(You'll get to read the proposing speech in the chapter where I decide to write it. But not to worry, dear readers, the proposal speech is done! You'll get to read it LATER. Wakata? Domo! Why? Well, for suspense!)
Now, all he had to do was memorize it. Again, easier said than done since he had no time to memorize this piece of shit (to him). He thought it sucked. Yami would never fall back in love with him with this piece of crap (to him). Maybe he'd write this on a piece of index card and read it when Yami finally steps into the manor? Yeah, that'd be great. Handwritten, just to be sure because when Yami grabs the index, he'll know he made it by himself. And he had to make it with lots of purposely made erasures so that it'll be convincing.
Then there it was again. The thought of the things he bought weren't enough (in his opinion, of course). Why not have a room get renovated for her? The only problem is: what her favourite colour? With him not knowing his own daughter's favourite colour, how the hell was he going to renovate a room?! Seeing as her eyes are amethyst, why not purple? Dark purple. A good colour on her, he must say. But he doesn't even like the colour. His and Mokuba's room were both painted blue. Blue, like the colour of his eyes, and Blue Eyes. Then dark purple it is. Or maybe different shades of purple but most definitely not lavender.
"Minase!" he called him once again.
Minase ran hurriedly to the balcony. It was a good thing he was only assigned to the floor where Seto was, or else, he could have been taking a lecture about punctuality by now. "Yes, Master Seto?" he asked, trying hard not to let Seto hear that he was panting.
"Call Shiraki, too," he told him. "I want to order a few things,"
"Yes, sir," he ran again to the phone and dialled the interior house designer. Oh, Shiraki was best interior house designer in Japan. Only Seto can get her to rush a design. Simply because she had an extra for pay. He ran back again to Seto to let him talk to her. "Sir,"
Seto got the phone and pressed it against his ear. The phone was still ringing. Then, Kitami Shiraki, interior house designer!
"Kaiba," he said in a monotonous voice, as always.
Ah, Mr Kaiba! Long time no talk! What can I do for you today? Have a room you don't like? She asked flirtingly
"Shut up, Shiraki, I don't need your idiocy, and it's a waste of time talking to you like this,"
Well, well, well, someone's a bit grumpy! She said again, flirtingly. So what do you want? Her voice suddenly changed. A voice sounding like she only wanted business, not the body and the face of six years and still running hottest bachelor and richest business tycoon under thirty in Japan. Whoa. He was a dream, wasn't he?
"I want you to renovate a room, one four poster king sized bed, with purple curtains for the posters and for the windows and the walls, have that in a shade of purple as well. Make everything purple. The bathroom tiling, the tub, the shower, the carpet, the vanity, everything, and that covers the bed sheets, pillows and towels. You decide what shade you think is appropriate for that particular part of the room and the bathroom,"
You mean I get to go wild?! She shrieked
"Yes, Shiraki, you get to go wild. Of course, there are the things you need, the clock, brushes, everything you see in a common room."
This is going to be fun!
"And I want it done by Wednesday-"
Wednesday?! Are you insane?!
"I meant next weak. You and your workers get to have extra pay because this is a rush. Tick, tock, Shiraki, time's going by fast! Go buy the things now! And I want you here tomorrow with the things. And get started."
Kaiba- but Seto already hung up. With Shiraki… "Bastard!" she yelled on the phone. "I wouldn't do this if you weren't as handsome and as sexy as a god!" she slammed the phone. "Well, shopping like nuts for me!" she went in her car and went to Domino's most expensive furniture shop.
"Bitch," said Seto giving the phone back to Minase. "Tell Shiraki the room to be renovated is the room to the left of mine," 'That room should be big enough,' he added in thought. 'And there's a balcony there,'
"Yes, Master Seto," Minase left with the phone in hand.
He saved his proposal speech and put his laptop on sleep. He went downstairs to the kitchen to tell the chefs what to do next week.
"Quick! Everybody!" Minase assembled every servant that was in the kitchen when he saw Seto coming in the dining hall. "Seto's coming in!"
The servants: ten maids (who knows where the hell in the manor other twenty five maids were???) and two of the five butlers that were in there, and three of the six chefs, lined up by the door. When Seto had entered, they sucked in their stomachs as if they were about to salute. "Ohayou gazaimasu, Kaiba-sama!" they said in unison
"What do you think I am?" said Seto. He caught them lining up. "A general that's about to shoot your heads off when I don't see you in line? You must have lost your sanity. But by the way I see you right now, lining up before I enter is pretty impressive. You really know your positions and you keep it in your head. Now, at ease," the servants gave a big exhale. "This is the first time I have been down here; I have to say it's very humid." He had to rate the things in there first just because. "Try to put a fan there by the corner and turn on the exhaust fan," he gestured a maid to do what he said. She turned on the exhaust fan and went back in line. "Seems to be clean," he roamed around the, yup; once again, we just had to say it, the abnormally large kitchen. He was now behind the lined up servants. "About why I came down here," the servants 'about faced' so that they see Seto. Maybe for respect. And they did it simultaneously! It was like it was they practiced it! "Chefs,"
"Yes, Master Seto?" the three chefs chorused.
"I want all six of you to work on a four layer cake for Noriko for her birthday Thursday next week," he ordered. "Purple coloured frosting, you decide on what shading is appropriate for the nooks and crannies of the thing, and also the design, have Dark Magician on it,"
"HAI!" they chorused
"That will be all," he left
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Seto-sama!" they said in accord as Seto left. They were awfully respectful, weren't they?
Seto sighed as he exited the kitchen. It really was the first time he went in there. And it was pretty hot, too. So, to relieve the heat, from the kitchen and from the season, he unbuttoned half of all the buttons of his polo, exposing his bare chest, making him look even hotter than he already was. Going back up to the balcony, he past by three maids.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Kaiba-sama!" they bowed.
"Ohayou," he replied monotonously, entering the French doors leading to the balcony. As he sat down on his chair to get back to the day's unfinished work, he heard the girls' disappearing squeals. "Just my voice leads them to insanity," he sighed once again.
Why did this face, body, success, voice, hair, eyes and brains ever land on him?! Sometimes it made him wish that he never made that bet with Gozaburou. But, sometimes, he was thankful for it. If he hadn't made that bet, he couldn't have given everything Mokuba wanted, he had never had Mokuba go to school, or in Mokuba's real case, home studied, he had never met Yami in the duel tournaments he hosted and in Duellist Kingdom. If he had never met Yami, he had never had a beautiful daughter. Sigh. And he thought he should never have had that 'Noriko's not mine' thought get the best of him. If only he wasn't so over protective! The fact that he was, it lead his once blossoming relationship to disaster. And it was time for him to fix it.
Fix it? Sigh. Again, easier said than done. What could he ever say to get Yami back? That proposal speech? Pf. Puh-lease. Like that would get Yami back in a sinch. Maybe he should re-write it. Work can wait. His love can't. Can't it? Sigh. Maybe he needs some help. From who? Heh, from whom else? His brother. And it was also time to tell him…tell him…tell him… tell him that he's…he's…he's sorry.
Whoa! SORRY?! This was confounding! Who would have thought that Seto Kaiba! THE SETO KAIBA! Would say sorry! SORRY! Well, it would be ok. It was only going to be Mokuba. It was considerable.
But before that, he's gonna do a little work first. Since when did he spend a day without working?! Maybe he'll just do it for five hours or so…
Five hours later, around twelve pm…
"Master Seto," Minase called Seto's attention as his Master typed on the keyboard.
"What?" he didn't even turn his head around to look at his servant.
"Ms Shiraki is here with the furniture for the new room in a moving truck outside,"
"Good," he saved his work and put the computer on its KC screensaver. Seto stood up and buttoned his polo up, leaving the one on the collar undone. He went downstairs to make business with the flirty woman. As he went down the grand marble stairs to the Manor entrance, he saw Kitami Shiraki enter with arms wide open, ready to pounce on the young billionaire.
"Don't you dare touch me, Shiraki," he threatened as Minase made a barrier using his arm in front of the young father, and the designer. "I can have you imprisoned for harassment,"
"You don't have to be so mean!" Minase stepped out of their way
"I naturally am," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I have finished the design of the room and the bathroom!"
"Only the room, I didn't tell you to change the design of the bathroom," he said. "You're just going to replace the things in the bathroom, the tiling, the tub, the sink and other things, with the purple ones,"
She sighed. "Fine. But I have bought everything! Look!" she pointed outside to the furniture being unloaded from the truck by Shiraki's men. "As you've said, the four poster, king sized bed," one her men went in and put down the bed sheets and the pillow covers, another with rolled up purple carpets, and another with the purple contains. "You see? Everything's in a shade of purple! As you said!" she said happily.
"Have your men remove the furniture in the room to be renovated," said Seto. "Minase,"
"Yes, Master Seto?"
"Lead Shiraki to the room, left next to mine,"
"Yes, sir,"
'So, it's next to yours? I'm so raiding your room,'
Seto turned around and whispered to Minase's ear. "Lock my room, and for lunch, just make me a sandwich. I'm not in the mood to have a decent lunch with her around. Deliver the food to the balcony," he left.
"Please wait here, Ma'am," he told her. "I have another matter to attend to another matter before I lead you to the room to be renovated," he bowed and went upstairs.
"Take your time!" she said, a scheme going in her head. "I'm so breaking in your room, Seto Kaiba!" she whispered to herself.
Minase went in the kitchen. "Oi! Seto just wants a sandwich for lunch! Hurry!" he went to the kitchen using the stairs, where Shiraki can't see him, and locked Seto's room. After that, he went back to the manor entrance to Shiraki. "Ma'am, are you and your men ready to have the furniture upstairs removed?" he asked
"Why wouldn't I be?" she smiled
"Let us go then," he led her to the room
"You're quite the handsome man, Minase," she flirted with him.
"Thank you Ma'am," he opened the door of the said room. "This is the room you shall be renovating, Ma'am. Shall I assist your men on where to put the now useless furniture in this room when they are moved out?"
"Oh, do help!" she entered the room and examined it. "A big room! Who's it for?"
"That remains confidential, Ma'am."
"Why?" she asked flirtingly as she held Minase close to her. Minase was feeling uncomfortable. "Did Kaiba tell you that? Hm…you look cute when you're all mysterious…"
"I shall be back in a moment," he took her off him, left and went to the balcony where Seto was.
"What is it?" Seto asked, again, as he typed on the keyboard.
"Permission to speak informally, Master Seto," he asked
"Yeah, sit down,"
"She's driving me nuts, Seto," he sighed as he sat beside his young boss. He was twenty years older than him.
"Flirted with you?"
"It was like she wanted to pin me down on the bed there!"
Seto chuckled. "Know why I wanted you to lock my door?"
"Isn't it obvious?! Hello?!? Earth to Seto! She has already lost her sanity over you!"
Seto just smiled. Then they heard, "Minase-kun!" from Shiraki's awful mouth. "Looks like she wants to seduce you," said Seto. Minase looked at him and Seto gave back the look. "Well, get your ass out there! What? You want me to fill in her sexual desires? Huh, I don't think so. Do you think I'd fall for her meaningless words?"
"You have a point," he nodded lightly. "I think I'll go for cold me," he left
A maid then entered the balcony to give Seto his food. "Your lunch, Master Seto," she put the plate with the sandwich on it on the table.
"What's in it…uh, what's your name, girl?" he totally doesn't know who she is. But he saw her often.
"I, Master Seto, am Siera Mimori, from north Tokyo," she made a curtsy to show respect.
"What's in this, Mimori?" he took it to his mouth and ate
"Paprika Lyoner, pepper, lettuce, mayonnaise and mustard, Master Seto,"
"So it's the usual? You may leave,"
"Thank you, for your time, Master Seto," she left, and after she had exited the balcony doors, "OH. MY. GOD!!!" she ran down the hallways as if she had just shook hands with a famous Hollywood celebrity.
Seto rolled his eyes. What did he even do?! He just asked the girl her name! Leaving the matter, he continued eating the sandwich as if he didn't his maid squeal and fall for him.
"Minase-kun!" Minase heard Shiraki calling his name. This day was going to be shit.
Five hours later, Shiraki heard Seto barking on the phone. She approached the French balcony doors and opened it slowly. He entered without a noise.
"You're all useless! I can't leave the company for one day! Do I always have to do everything?! It's just a stupid generator! Can't you tell the workers to be more careful?! It's just a fucking generator! How many men are working on it right now?" there was a pause. "See?! Only twenty people! I don't care about the shipping of the other one! I can take care of that later! I want to know what happened to the generator their installing right now! Shut up! I have more important matters to attend to! By tomorrow I want that fixed! Tell them to overtime until that thing is fixed!" he hung up.
Just as he was about to call the President of Uniforge Integrated Steel Technology Corp, the company who's business was installing generators, he said, without even bothering to turn around, "Shiraki, I'm not in a good mood right now, get the fuck out of this balcony, or I'll have security drag you out of this manor."
Shiraki crossed her arms. "Tch. Ok, ok, fine,"
"OUT DAMMIT SHIRAKI!"
Shiraki ran out the door as Seto made another call.
Uniforge Integrated, good afternoon! The lady on the other line answered cheerfully
"I need to talk to Paul Martin,"
Sorry, Mr Martin isn't here right now. May I have your name please?
"Seto Kaiba,"
I shall inform Mr Martin you called, Mr Kaiba. Or, if you have his mobile number, you can contact him there. Is there anything you'd like to leave?
"No, thank you," he hung up and made another call.
What? A man on the other line answered.
"Mr Martin,"
Who're you?
"It's Seto Kaiba, Mr Martin,"
Ah, yes, Mr Kaiba, let me guess, my workers?
"It's a good thing you know, Mr Martin. Let me inform you I don't have time to make mistakes like your hap hazardous men. I want that generator done by tomorrow. Send replacements for these incompetent fools. I'll pay you double if you get the second generator done in three weeks, and I want you to go to the site personally to know if what your men are doing is right, I'll take care of your flight,"
Thank you, Mr Kaiba. When shall I come?
"The plane will arrive this evening, so that by tomorrow you have already arrive here,"
Thank you, Sir.
"This matter is dismissed," he hung up. "Fifty thousand dollars," Seto breathed out and put the phone down on the table beside his laptop. He sighed. The room. He went to the room in the west wing. 'Fuck. First the generators, now Shiraki's just given me a headache,'
Seto entered the room, and he was impressed, impressed that in just five hours, more or less, Shiraki and his men had transformed the room from a boring beige coloured room into the shadow realm. Beautiful.
"Kaiba!" Shiraki shrieked and ran to the CEO. "So, do you like it?"
"Good, the bathroom?" he said
"We're going to get started on that tomorrow morning, it's already 5pm," she informed him.
"Then go," he said with an 'I-don't-care-about-you' tone and left the room.
"Bastard!" Shiraki stuck out a tongue at him.
Seto sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the portrait on the wall. It was a portrait of Noriko, copied by a painter from one of the pictures he had taken of her before he kicked her and Yami out.
If he wasn't so selfish, this would never have happened. He really shouldn't have had the 'Noriko's not mine' thought get the best of him. And why-o-why did his mouth always go overboard when he gets angry at someone? Even at the person he loved! Rude, cold and unloving words escape his mouth like crazy. Like he was angry at one of his clients or employees. If he had only Yami kicked out, he could have been a single father. That would be way better than being over with Yami and Noriko with him, than being over with Yami with Noriko with Yami.
Next week, Noriko was already turning one and he wasn't gonna be there. He wondered how Noriko had already looked like. He wondered if she could already speak, walk run…he admitted it. It was his fault. He stood up and went to the balcony. As tears escaped his eyes, he hit the wall. If he wasn't so selfish, Noriko would've been here. He would've been teaching her how to count, read, write. He would've have been playing the games she wanted to play with her, he would've been teaching her how to swim and use her computer, he would've been tucking her to bed, he would've been taking her to work with him, even if it's only in the main Kaiba Corp building or a business trip in another country. He would've been buying her clothes, shoes, perfumes…nothing's gonna happen if he just mopes there.
Good, bad, or just plain horrible? Please review! We're going to be with Yuugi and Jou in the next chapter! And it;s still going to be simulatenously happenning with the said chapters. Next Chapter! Chapter Nine: Big Confessions! Coming soon! I hope!