Chapter 14

House Rules

Isabella huffed with disappointment as she exited her office and saw that the Neanderthal her father called a bodyguard was still there. As she walked past him he stood and followed her down the hall. She rolled her eyes as she realized he wasn't going to leave her alone. She stopped dead in front of a door and turned to confront him.

"Are you going to follow me in there too?" Isabella gestured to the ladies restroom.

He didn't respond.

"I can tell you're quite the conversationalist."

He just stared at her blankly. Isabella sighed and shook her head before entering the safe haven that only women can enter. After closing the door she paused contemplating her next move. She seriously considered climbing out the window. That might have worked if she wasn't on the fourteenth floor and the windows actually opened. With that option shot down there was only one other way to get rid of the behemoth, she had to see her father.

"Okay daddy, I'm calling you out." Isabella said as she stampeded into her father's office, slamming the door in the bodyguards face. "I have a question and you have the answer."

Seto took off his reading glasses and threw them on the desk before leaning back in his chair. "Office rules or house rules?'

"House rules."

For those unfamiliar with this long standing Kaiba tradition it was a policy initiated when Isabella reached eight and started asking all kinds of strange and sometimes embarrassing questions to her parents. That's when her sensible and way too logical father came up with a suitable question policy. The children where allowed to ask one question, that did not relate to general knowledge or schoolwork, once per month and their parents were sworn to answer truthfully, no matter the issue. There are two degrees of this policy, office rules and house rules. Office rules only allowed for questions related to business and public family affairs. On the other hand, house rules had no boundaries, the question could be about anything, including private and sensitive personal matters. House rules had their benefit, but it also had it's drawbacks. The main frailty being that this question policy also allowed the parents to ask a question of their children in return to which they must answer truthfully. And with house rules in effect, that gives her father the chance to ask anything he desired. But Isabella didn't think about that when she charged into his office.

Isabella sat down in the leather chair opposite her father. They studied each other for a second before she spoke. "Who was that white haired man and why are you afraid of him?"

"That's two questions."

"It's all part of the same question, so stop avoiding it."

Seto stared at the wall for a moment collecting his thoughts, trying to find the best way to explain things. Obviously telling her about what happened three thousand years ago and how they were reincarnated spirits from Ancient Egypt was not the best place to start. He decided the best way was to keep it simple.

"His name is Bakura." Seto began. "He's insane."

Isabella waited for more details, but she wasn't sure he would elaborate. "How do you know him?"

"We used to go to school together, and he was quite a promising duelist. His father was even a curator at the Domino Museum. When I first met him he was meek and shy, almost to the point of being sickingly sweet. But that changed. He grew angry and vengeful. He was possessed by an evil spirit. The two sides of him struggled, but it was the darker side that came out on top. The madness consumed him to the point where it had complete control over him. When I last saw him he was but a shadow of the man he was. He had become pure evil."

"I understand how that would disturb you…" Isabella hesitated. "But there is more isn't there?"

"He attacked your mother."

"…when?…where?"

"It was when you were very young." Seto took a deep breath. "I wasn't there when it happened, so I don't know all the details. And I don't want you asking your mother about this. It's been hard enough on her, she doesn't need to relive it." Seto stared down at his desk, Isabella knew how bad of memory this was for him. It hurt him to even think about it. "We had never been on good terms with your great uncle, so when he died things were…uncomfortable. I told your mother that we should just throw his body in a ditch and be done with it, but she insisted that he have a proper funeral. I was working late when she went to the funeral home to approve the final arrangements. It's not known if he was waiting for her, or if he saw her on the street and followed her, but Bakura was there. He waited until she was alone, then he attacked her. He hit her, beat her to the ground and tried to rape her, but she fought back. Somehow she managed to reach her bag. That's where she kept a switchblade I had given her. I insisted that she carry it when I wasn't around. I thought she could use the extra protection. She got to the knife and she stabbed him with it. Injured and bleeding he limped away." He paused, still staring at the desk. "I was sitting right here during the whole thing. I couldn't have known what happened, but I had a feeling that your mother was in trouble, so I called her cell phone. It clicked on, but she didn't answer. All I heard were these soft sobs. That's when I knew something was wrong. She wouldn't speak with me, so I didn't know where she was. All I could do was go to the last place I knew she was going and hope she was there. When I arrived I found her huddled under a display coffin in one of the parlors. Her face was bruised and bloody, her clothes torn. She was crying uncontrollably. I had to pry the knife out of her hand, I think she was afraid he would come back. I took her home, but it was too late, the event had scarred her. She spent a lot of time in therapy after that. And after seeing him again last week, she's been practically living in her therapist's office. That's where she is now."

"Did you call the police and have him arrested?"

"We didn't have to." Seto's eyes narrowed into angry little slits. "Two days later he threw himself off a cliff. He claimed he couldn't live with what his evil side had done."

"But he didn't die."

"I should have been more careful, I should have made sure. They never found the body. Leave it to that bastard to find a way of surviving."

"That explains why you were so surprised to see him at the party."

"This has all been very traumatic on your mother. It would be best if you don't mention any of this to her. She wouldn't want you to worry about her."

"I understand, I won't say a word." Isabella stood up, her sign that she was leaving. "Thank you for telling me, daddy."

She walked toward the door, but before she could reach it a deep voice clearing his throat stopped her. "Isabella…" She turned slowly and hesitantly. "House rules remember?"

'Shit!' Isabella mentally scolded herself. She hated this part of the bargain. It wasn't so bad when they were kids, they didn't have any secrets back then. The worst her parents could find out was about who broke a vase or skipped school. But now she had bigger secrets, personal ones, and he would ask about them. He would ask about Ryo.

Isabella reluctantly sat back down. Her father's gaze more intent now. He propped his elbows up on the arms of his chair and peered at her from over his folded hands. That's when she knew she was in trouble.

"Has Mr. Marufuji proposed to you?"

"No sir." She said weakly.

"Your mother is under the impression that he did."

"He didn't propose, he asked me to move in with him."

"You know that is completely out of the question." He replied sternly.

"Yes sir."

"It seems that Mr. Marufuji is overstepping his bounds. Perhaps I'll have to remind him of his place."

She stared blankly at the floor as her heart sank and dread set in.

Seto relaxed and put his glasses back on, he was certain he had made his point and won the argument. He was a bit shocked when he heard her speak again.

"But…" She said with more fervor now. "It's a good idea. We practically live together now. Why can't we make it official?"

"You know why." Seto's voice filled with a little anger at the thought of his daughter defying him.

"I don't see what's so wrong about it. We're both adults." Her tone was louder and more persistent.

"You're still my child and I won't permit it!" Seto slammed him palm down on the desk.

"How can you say that? You and mom lived together before you were married."

"That was different."

"The only difference is that you didn't have parents to tell you 'no'!" With that she abruptly stood and stomped toward the door. As soon as she opened it the bodyguard came to her side. Isabella turned sharply and threw a hateful glare at her father.

Seto stood and leaned on his desk. "The bodyguard stays!" He yelled after her as she slammed the door.

Isabella fumed all during the car ride. She was so angry with her father. An event that happened only rarely when she was young, but was becoming too frequent now. Back then she adored him, he was perfect in her eyes, but now she was seeing him in a new light. He was becoming more demanding and controlling. It was if the more she tried to slip away the tighter his hold was becoming on her. And before when they agreed on everything, now she was disagreeing with him on many subjects. The biggest point on which they never saw eye to eye on was Ryo. Her father had never been happy about their relationship, but he tolerated it. Yet the more time she spent with Ryo, the more hatred her father had for him. Ryo loved her, she was certain of that. And she needed that love and his companionship, but her father couldn't see that and it was impossible to tell him. She wanted more than anything to be closer to Ryo and to make him happy, but her father always stood in the way. And now he had made it clear that they couldn't live together, which means that marrying Ryo is off limits as well. She had to think, find some way to keep him without angering her father. Some way to make her father approve.

Ideas flooded through her head as she entered the apartment building. In the short ride up the elevator she made up her mind and set her goals. If this worked she would be able to keep him. But if it failed she might lose him forever. No matter the outcome she had to try.

Ryo spotted her as soon as she entered his apartment. They had exchanged keys a long time ago and it was not unusual for them both to be at one or the other's place overnight.

"I was just about to make dinner. Are you hungry?" Ryo asked.

"Yes!" Bella said as she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately. As she tore off his shirt her father's words ran through her ears.

'It seems that Mr. Marafuji is overstepping his bounds. Perhaps I'll have to remind him of his place.'

Bella knew exactly where Ryo's place was. It was by her side.