Family Ties-Chapter 10
(Kaiba's POV)
My sister's life must have been pretty dull according to the information I found about her. She was adopted by the Moto's, she was top in her high school class, she never went to college and she's never had a real job. I thought her life would be a little more "exciting" but I guess I was wrong.
The only thing that stood out to me was the name of her husband, James Anderson. I remember that man very well. He had started out working for Gozaburo as an intern but I kept him as the head of programming after I had taken over. He had shown his skills to me one day and I took that into account when promoting him. He didn't agree with Gozaburo's methods and I respected him for openly stating so. He was bold and that was what I liked in an employee. Even when I treated him harshly, he would never take it to heart. He would just shrug it off and act like it never happened. James was always there to help me when I needed it. He was the closest thing I had to a friend, almost like a brother. Now I know why he did all those thing, he was my brother.
The day of the accident still haunts me to this day. I knew that it wasn't actually an accident, someone had sabotaged the plane. Who ever did it wanted to get rid of me. The entire thing had me shaking, even if I hadn't seemed that way. In truth, I wanted to stay at the hospital with James, but I couldn't. I was afraid that whoever caused the crash would go after Mokuba next, just to get at me.
I wasn't aware of it at the time, but Marianne was there. I looked right at her, but I didn't know it was her. She had changed a lot since I had last seen her, and I really didn't remember much about her. I didn't want to remember her. If I had known it was her, I would have started yelling at her for leaving us. She shouldn't have left us. I can't imagine why she would want to leave us alone, right after our parent's death. It aggravates me whenever I think about it, but why do I even think about it in the first place? I want to forget about everything but I just can't, it's a memory that will not fade.
(Normal POV)
Days had gone by very slowly, but after about a month, Marianne was released from the hospital. She was told to take it easy for awhile, but she could go home. Brendan was happy to know that his mother was finally coming home. He had visited her whenever he could and would only leave when the visiting hours were over. Brendan had enjoyed staying with Yugi, but he really wanted to go home with him mother.
"Hey Mama, can go over to Chris's house, he invited me over," asked Brendan. Him and Marianne were at home at the moment, relaxing. Even though Brendan was young, he was very independent and often went to his friend's house.
"Sure, that's fine," answered Marianne, smiling down at her son. "Let me get ready and I will walk you over."
"Thank you Mama," chirped Brendan.
Marianne didn't really have to do much except put on her coat. When they did exit, Brendan was always ahead, calling back to his mother, telling Marianne to hurry. Chris's house wasn't that far from there own, but Brendan was very impatient. When they finally reached the house, Brendan knocked excitedly on the door. Chris's mother answered the door and welcomed Brendan in. He ran in and went to go and play with Chris. Marianne had a short talk with Chris's mother, but didn't stay long. Marianne said her good-byes and left the house.
She took her time walking home because she didn't really want to go home. It would be lonely without Brendan in the house and she wanted to clear her mind. She's been thinking about a lot of things since her accident. Yugi had told her what Seto had said about her and at the time she didn't think much about it. She still thought that it was best if she distanced her self from the boys, but now she was not so sure. Mokuba had visited her a lot in the hospital and she realized how much she missed the both of them. She wished she could just talk to Seto, face to face, heart to heart. She wanted to be a family again.
As if her prayers were answered, she heard someone from behind her shout her name. She turned around to see Mokuba waving at her while at he ran toward her. She thought he alone but then she saw Roland following him. He had been with Mokuba when he had come and visited Marianne, so she was aquatinted with him.
"Hey Marianne, what are you doing out here," asked Mokuba when reached Marianne.
"I'm just taking a walk, what about you?" replied Marianne.
"Same as you," said Mokuba. "We were heading home now. Hey, maybe you could come over?" asked Mokuba, his eyes shining up at Marianne.
Marianne pursed her lips and answered "I don't know Mokuba."
"Aww come on, please," begged Mokuba. "Seto won't be home so it will be fine if that's what you were worrying about,"
"Alright, I'll come," said Marianne after a moment of hesitation. She was actually hoping that Seto would be there so she could talk with him but it might be better that he wasn't.
"Yay," chirped Mokuba. "This is going to be awesome!"
Marianne had trouble keeping up with Mokuba, who kept running ahead of her and Roland. He was happy that he could finally spend time with his sister when she wasn't in the hospital. Seto would probably be angry with him if he saw Marianne at the house so Mokuba wanted to get home quickly. Seto was supposed to come home late tonight but Mokuba didn't want to take any chances.
The Kaiba mansion was a bit of a walk from where they were so it ended up being a 30-minute walk. This was the first time Marianne has ever seen the mansion, but her face wasn't like the other people that had seen it. Her mouth was shut and her face gave away no sign of surprise. Titles and large possessions didn't impress her and this was no exception.
Mokuba led them to the front gate and punched the code into the security box. When the gates opened, they followed the long path to the mansion's front door. Marianne was actually stunned by the beauty of the place. There were large paintings that decorated the walls of the main hallway and many exotic plants that rested in antique vases. The hallway itself was a bright white color and the floor tiles were cerulean. A chandelier hung from the roof and it looked like it was crafted from diamonds. In the back, Marianne could see a swirling staircase that was made of a white wood and the steps were covered with a light blue fabric.
After she was done with her sight seeing, Mokuba led Marianne into a room that she suspected was the living room. It was just as breath taking as the hallway. The room had the same color scheme as the hallway but it also had splashes of a lighter blue on the carpet. There were two large couches that faced each other in the middle of the room and both of them were white. A coffee table sat in between the couches and a large armchair, which was a bright blue color. An 80' flat screen TV rested near the couches and faced the armchair. On the other side of the room, a white grand piano brightened up the already bright room. Just like the hallway, paintings and vases decorated the room.
Mokuba sat in one of the couches and Marianne sat in the on opposite to it. Mokuba started talking about different things and Marianne just listened. Most of the things he talked about were nonsense so Marianne just laughed. He didn't take that to heart and kept rambling on. Marianne smiled nearly the whole time, just enjoying the company of one of the brothers she had lost.
The day at the office had been surprisingly quick. Kaiba didn't have a lot to do today and he had finished early. He decided to go home early and surprise Mokuba. He wrapped up the last thing he had on his agenda and headed to the elevator. When he reached the ground floor, he ignored people saying greetings like "Good evening Mr. Kaiba," or "How are you Mr. Kaiba," and got into the limo that waiting outside for him. The ride down didn't take long and soon Kaiba was on his way home.
As soon as he reached the house, he quickly gathered his things and entered the mansion. Apart from the occasional noises that came from one of the maids, the mansion was usually quiet. When Kaiba entered the mansion, he could tell that something was off. He's been living there for a long time so he could tell when something was out of the norm. Kaiba walked around the house, searching for the disturbance. He stopped when he heard laughter coming from the living room. He recognized one of the voices as Mokuba's, but the other he didn't know. Whoever it was, they would have to go because Kaiba wanted to spend time with his brother. He opened the door and what he saw on the other side made him boil with rage.
"What are you doing here," growled Kaiba, surprising Marianne as well as Mokuba.
"Seto, I didn't think you would be home early so I invited Marianne to talk for a little while," said Mokuba hesitantly. He knew his brother was angry and it was in Mokuba's best interest to not make him angrier.
"I wasn't talking to you Mokuba," said Kaiba, his glare centered on Marianne.
"I came to talk to my brother, is that so bad," replied Marianne, sarcasm brimming her voice. She stood from where she was sitting and turned to look Kaiba right in the eye.
"If I were you I wouldn't talk to me like that," cautioned Kaiba, ice hanging from his words.
"First of all, you aren't me and secondly, I can talk to my little brother any way I want," chided Marianne.
"The day you left us was the day you were no longer my sister," snarled Kaiba, venom dripping from every word.
"Well fine, if that's what you want to believe," said Marianne, who was hiding the hurt in her eyes. She gave a quick nod to Mokuba, said her good-bye and left without another word to Kaiba. He glared at her as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. It gave Kaiba a feeling of satisfaction to have won that argument so easily.
"Why Seto," Kaiba heard Mokuba ask him quietly. He was looking at the floor and his fists were balled up tightly.
"Why what," replied Kaiba nonchalantly.
"Why do you have to keep pushing her away," yelled Mokuba. He raised his head and Kaiba could see that he was on the verge of tears.
"She left us alone."
"But she's still our sister."
"She is not my sister," replied Kaiba. He was annoyed with this back and forth arguing with his brother. This is not what he had planned to do with Mokuba today.
"Stop saying that," cried Mokuba, the tears starting to fall from his eyes. "She had a good reason to leave but you won't listen to her. If you just listen to what she has to say, then maybe we could finally be a family again. Why can't you just swallow your pride and help reunite our broken family."
Kaiba looked stunned as Mokuba ran out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He hated when Mokuba got really deep with him because it made him feel guilty. Kaiba didn't want to talk to Marianne, but maybe that would be the best. It would make Mokuba happy and Kaiba could stop thinking about her. Maybe that's why he was always thinking about her, he was guilt about shunning her. It wouldn't hurt to talk with her for a few minutes.
Kaiba sighed and made his way out of the mansion. He needed to think things through before he did anything, so he decided to go to the park to get some fresh air first. It was a bit of a walk, but the city was crowed around this time of day so Kaiba couldn't really concentrate on thinking.
The park was quiet like it usually was when Kaiba entered. The only noises that he could hear were the squeals of happy children playing on one of the playgrounds and their parents. Kaiba walked to the fountain in the middle of the park and sat on its rim. Now he could think in peace, without the stupid press or fangirls bothering him.
What was he going to do when he confronted Marianne again? Would she still be angry with him and yell at him like he had done to her? What if she listens but still rejects him?
'That's exactly what I did to her,' thought Kaiba angrily. Sitting there was doing nothing but anger him more so he got up and continued walking around the park. The park was large and it had two sections, a grove of trees and hilly grassy part that had the different playgrounds on it. While he was walking in the grassy part, he kept his head down, deep in thought.
His thoughts were broken when he heard a shout come from the playground he was passing. He looked over at it angrily and stopped when he saw whom the shout came from.
'It's Marianne's son!' thought Kaiba as he watched the young boy play with his friends. 'Maybe she's here to.' But as he didn't see her as he looked around. Kaiba guessed that Brendan came here with his friends and Marianne wasn't here. As Kaiba was thinking, Brendan ran up one of the hills that surrounded the park and stopped at the top. He was looking away from the park and Kaiba was curious as to what he was looking at. Kaiba followed the boy's eyes and he someone sitting alone in the field. He would have had no clue who the person was if Brendan hadn't shouted out the word "Mama!"
Kaiba watched as the boy ran toward Marianne and couldn't help but be happy. He would have his chance to talk to his sister soon that he had expected. He didn't want to talk to her in her home so it was best that she was here. Kaiba walked over to one of the benches and sat down to wait for the perfect time to talk with her. He could see clearly now that it was Marianne and he was close enough to hear what they were saying.
"Mama," yelled Brendan again as he ran toward her. Marianne looked his way and smiled at him. She didn't get up from where she was and when Brendan reached her, she caught him in her arms and held him tightly. Kaiba couldn't see the boy from where he was sitting but he could still hear him.
"What are you doing here Mama," asked Brendan.
"I'm just here thinking. What are you doing here, I thought you were at Chris's house," replied Marianne.
"Well we asked his mom if we could come to the park and she said yes so she brought us here," answered Brendan. His voice sounded a little guilt, as if thought he had done something wrong.
"As long as you two aren't alone, I'm fine with it," said Marianne.
"Ok," chirped Brendan. "Hey why don't you come play with us Mama?"
"Alright," said Marianne. Brendan jumped out of her lap and started pulling on her sleeve. He obviously wanted her to hurry and come. She turned toward him and said, "Hold on kid." It was then that she spotted Kaiba sitting behind her. Kaiba could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but it didn't stay long. She looked back at Brendan and told him, "You go on, I'll be there in a moment." The boy replied with an OK and ran back toward his friends, who were waiting for him at the top of the hill.
Kaiba took this as an opportune time to speak with Marianne. He got up from where he was sitting and walked toward Marianne, who was waiting patiently. She was still sitting when she asked him, "So are you here to yell at me some more?"
"No, I want to talk," replied Kaiba. "I want to ask you about something."
"Fine, ask away, I don't mind," said Marianne. Her tone wasn't angry but neutral, as if she was expecting him to ask questions.
"What is the real reason you left us. You said that it was because we couldn't get adopted together but I could have made that happen if you had stayed," questioned Kaiba.
"Well at the time, I didn't know that Gozaburo would come. I couldn't take any chances," replied Marianne, her voice a bit distant as if she was thinking aloud.
"That isn't the only reason," said Kaiba. "I can tell that you aren't telling me everything."
She looked up at him with sad eyes, which surprised Kaiba, and started to explain herself. "Your right, that's not the only reason. The real reason is that I blamed myself for father's death. I blamed myself for any harm that happened to you and Mokuba. I know that it's not my fault, but I can't help but feel guilty. People I love always seem to get hurt and I don't want to cause others pain. That's why I had to leave, I couldn't cause you two anymore pain."
Kaiba looked at her as if she had grown two heads. He had no idea his sister felt so much guilt about the past. It made him angry with himself for not listening in the first place.
"I'm sorry for not listening to you sooner," said Kaiba sadly.
She just looked up at him sympathetically and said, "It's alright, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you, it only made things worse. Now I have one question for you, well three actually."
"Alright, ask," said Kaiba.
"Do you remember a man named James Anderson," asked Marianne, her eyes glued on Kaiba.
Kaiba averted his eyes away from her, wishing she hadn't asked that question. He knew that she would ask him about James someday, but he didn't expect her to ask now. Kaiba replied with a sad, "Yes"
"Do you know who he is to me," asked Marianne. Kaiba just nodded and she continued with her questions. "Why did you leave?"
Kaiba looked back at her and he saw the hurt in her eyes. He didn't want to think about that day again, but he had to tell her. He guessed that she had overheard his conversation with the nurse that night. Kaiba sighed and began telling her his side of the story.
"Because the crash wasn't an accident, someone sabotaged the plane to crash." Marianne looked shocked to hear this, but Kaiba continued without any questions from her. "I was afraid that whoever caused the accident would go after Mokuba as well. James always treated me like a brother, and I thought of him as one. I wanted to stay with him, but I needed to make sure that Mokuba was alright."
When Kaiba finished Marianne stood up and looked him dead in the eye. He could see that she was still a bit surprised to hear the truth, but she didn't look mad. She actually looked relieved to hear his side of the story. The last thing she said before she turned to go join Brendan was, "Thank you, it means a lot to me to hear that."
Kaiba watched her as she walked up the hill and disappeared on the other side. It made him feel good inside to know that he had finally talked to his sister. He felt a lot better after telling her the truth about the accident. He had felt guilt about the whole thing, but know he didn't feel as bad now that he's finally told someone. He was happy to know that his sister had forgiven him, even after everything he's put her though.
With his task done, Kaiba decided to head home and tell Mokuba the good news.