A/N: There are no words. Just no words to how horrible I am. Please try to enjoy and save your irritation at my negligence till the end. -_-;
It All Begins From Here
"Okay, okay, slow down," Sonja snapped, "So you're telling me that this old man who I've never seen before in my life, is my grandfather?" she exclaimed to Damon.
"W-ell," Damon said, scratching his head and glancing at the old man sitting calmly at the table with his hands folded, "Technically your great-grandfather, Sonni. He's my grandpa. I never told you about him because quite frankly, I was sure he was dead," he said in bewilderment.
"So what makes you sure it's him?" Sonja asked skeptically, folding her arms. For the first time, Damon appeared irritated, "Really? You don't see the family resemblance at all?" he grumbled, "Sonja, he looks just like you for Pete's sake!"
"And actually," the old man said, "You have met me before, Sonja. However, you were extremely small, then. Hardly outside of your mommy's tummy,"
"I'm not a kid you know," Sonja grumbled, "I know how it all works, so please don't patronize me. Anyway, who are you? Lets' start with that,"
The old man nodded, clearing his throat, "Of course, of course, my dear. My name is Angus Thunderbird. And no, I'm not Native American. That's just my name. I met you just minutes after you were born. You were so cute and so little. We were all afraid you wouldn't make it, though,"
Sonja, still unconvinced, frowned, "I don't really get it. If you're really my grandfather, where have you been all these years?" she asked.
"Looking for you, of course. I heard about what happened and I've spent years scouring the globe for you. When I saw those reports that some young man out here was, as they say, going out with a young woman with white hair, I knew it had to be you. And here I am," he said, extending his arms outward with a crinkly old smile, "And I see from the band on your finger that I may be just in time,"
"Well," Sonja said, glancing at the ring, "Yes, I am getting married in just a few weeks. But I'm still not sure about you," she grumbled, glaring in Angus' direction. The old man sighed, "All right, I'll prove it. You were born September 12th at 8:32 on a chilly Sunday morning. You were premature with ill-functioning lungs, but you survived with flying colors. Your favorite color was indigo, you enjoyed riding trains, and your favorite song was Sakura Drops by Utada Hikaru, which Isabelle would occasionally play to help you go to sleep at night. Your favorite teddy bear that played the lullaby was donated by me as a welcome home present the day your parents brought you home from the hospital. Anything else you'd like to know? Granted, I can only tell you the things you enjoyed as a child. I've no idea what you like these days since I only just found you again,"
Sonja just stared, mouth slightly ajar before sighing heavily and resting her head on her upraised hand, "Okay, I'll buy that he's at least related in some way," she grumbled in defeat, "But I'm still suspicious,"
"Aw, can't you trust your old man?" Damon whined.
"Dad, you don't have both oars in the water and you know it," Sonja pointed out gently, "In the meantime, what are we going to do with him?" she asked, gesturing toward Angus.
"I was kinda hoping I could stay here," Angus said sheepishly. Sonja sighed heavily, "Why not? Not like five people isn't enough in this little apartment," she exclaimed sarcastically. She sighed again, "Fine, you can stay. But where am I supposed to put you?"
"If you have a spare blanket, I'm good on the floor," Angus volunteered happily.
"You're an aged old man; I can't put you on the floor," Sonja protested in amazement, "Look, I'll take the sofa—again. You can have my room. I'll talk to Arika about her and Daichi moving out soon. Not like I'm going to be here for too long, anyway,"
"Thanks, Sonni," Damon exclaimed happily, "I promise he won't be any trouble,"
Even so, Angus insisted on sleeping in the living room so she eventually caved in, being too tired to argue. Sonja gathered blankets, sheets, and pillows and set up a makeshift bed for the old man on the sofa. However, despite her intentions, Angus pulled them all down onto the floor and rolled up in a shapeless ball, fast asleep in seconds. Damon offered to sleep on the couch instead to keep an eye on him and Sonja headed back to her room. Before closing the door, however, she paused, glancing back at Damon standing in the border between the living room and kitchen.
"Dad, is he really my grandfather?" she asked quietly. Damon eyed her curiously and sighed, casting a quick look at the snoring lump on the floor.
"Sonja, I have every reason to believe that he is in fact my old granddad. Besides, after everything you've been through, I wouldn't do anything I wasn't entirely sure of. Do you understand, sweetheart?" he asked her gently. Sonja turned her gaze to the floor, pondering. She finally nodded, "I suppose so," she answered.
"Don't be so uptight, Sonja," he said, smiling, "You've got your own life to think about right now. I can't have my baby girl getting the jitters weeks before her wedding is even due to start, right?"
Sonja nodded in agreement, bid him goodnight and closed her door. As she laid down on her bed and pulled the covers over herself, she sighed. Her life was weird; that much was certain. It was only natural for a long lost relative to suddenly show up on her doorstep, right? Well...maybe not. In any case, Damon seemed sure, but she just wasn't. Deciding that she'd speak with Seto about in the morning, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
/ooo/
Sonja hadn't slept well that night. Finally awakening completely around four in the morning, she found herself staring into nothingness until the sun finally graced its presence through her curtains. She stumbled into the kitchen and found the old man sitting at the table with Sophie, but Damon nowhere in sight, she became just a little bit confused.
"So you're really our great-grandpa," Sophie said, understandably skeptical. The old man just nodded, grinning pleasantly, "That I am, my dear girl. And I must say, I never expected you to grow up to look so much like your dear aunt Melody. Rest her precious soul; it's a shame the two of you never met her. But Sophie, you are the spitting image,"
Sophie frowned, pursing her lips together and humming at the back of her throat, "You're weird," she grumbled.
"Grandfather," Sonja said in surprise, "Where's dad?"
Angus looked up, squinting in the early morning sunlight, "Oh, good morning, my dear," he greeted, "Your daddy went to go and get everyone some breakfast, my treat. And I'm going out later today to get you a nice wedding present. Oh, and I'll want to meet your fiance later on today too, if at all possible,"
Sonja frowned, "Wow, you don't waste any time, do you?" she mumbled, sitting down beside her sister at the table, "I'll see if I can get a hold of Seto this afternoon. Today's the day I'm going to call the guests and make sure they got their invitations,"
"Who all are you inviting, sis?" Sophie asked apprehensively. She knew as well as Sonja did that most of the guests were people Kaiba didn't like. But it couldn't be helped, as most of the people he knew well didn't like him at all.
"Well, among them are Ziegfried and Leon, Marik, Ishizu and Odeon, and a few others," Sonja said.
"Is Mr. Kaiba okay with Marik being here?"
"The two of us have been penpals for almost two years, now," Sonja answered, "And I want them to come," she said with a shrug.
"Where is it?" Sophie asked.
"We wanted to keep as much media attention away from it as possible," Sonja explained, "And even with whatever Pegasus did to quiet them, they're still going to try to cover our wedding. We'd like as little media attention as possible, so we're actually holding it on the grounds of their current estate,"
"Sounds like a dull garden party," Sophie grumbled.
"That's kinda the idea," Sonja admittedly sheepishly, "Hopefully, the more like a garden party it looks, the fewer sneaks will be busting in. Besides, the place is well armed with security systems, so it should be fairly safe," she sighed heavily, "But I've learned to never under-estimate the media. Or the paparazzi," she groaned.
Sophie nodded affirmation, "Yeah, I expect we'll be seeing candid shots in the tabloids hours after it's over," she muttered.
Angus grinned suddenly, "Not to worry my dear, I'm sure it will be a memorable wedding to say the least,"
Sonja frowned skeptically, but shrugged again, "I suppose so," she agreed.
/ooo/
That afternoon, Sonja had decided to talk to Kaiba for a bit and prepared a few sandwiches to take along. She left Sophie to take care of the shop and to keep an eye on Sandra while she was gone. Arika and Daichi were out apartment-hunting, Damon had gone out to get fitted for a new tuxedo, and Angus was napping upstairs, so she predicted a fairly quiet afternoon ahead of them.
As she expected, she found Ursula hard at work on the ground floor behind her desk with a pen clamped between her teeth and another one poking out from her fluffy red hair. She looked up in surprise when Sonja came in and spit the pen out; "Sonja, what a nice surprise! Come over here!"
"Hi Ursula," Sonja greeted, "How are you?"
"Couldn't be better! My new little grandson just started rolling over! They sent me videos and everything!" she squealed excitedly before settling down a dramatic cough, "So I take it you're here to see your husband?" she said with a leer and a wink.
"We're not married yet, Ursula," Sonja pointed out.
"So? That's just a technicality. Anyhoo, what's in the bag?" she asked, jabbing her pen in the direction of the plastic sack she carried. Sonja shrugged, "It's a little past noon now, and knowing him, he'll probably forget to eat again, so I brought us something,"
"Ooh, how cute! Go on up; don't let an old grandma like me keep you," she cackled in a nasally, elderly voice. Sonja laughed and headed for the elevator.
As she expected, she found him busily typing on his computer while scanning a small stack of documents sitting on the desk beside him. He glanced up as the door opened and his face registered slight surprise, "Oh, Sonja. What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I just came by to visit for a while," she answered, "Is that okay?"
"...Uh, yeah, that's fine," he said, "What's in the bag?"
"I brought some sandwiches for us to have. Would you like one?" she offered.
He hesitated briefly, glancing over at the stack of files and the unfinished stock report on his computer screen. His eyes narrowed slightly and he hummed, "Sure," he said, turning back to her. Right as she smiled happily before moving to drag one of the office chairs over, he knew that making up this work that night would be well worth it. Somehow, he felt as if he'd do just about anything to see that smile.
She sat down and paused to look out the window, "It's a pretty day," she remarked, "I hope it's like this on the big day,"
"Yeah, I hope so, too,"
She pulled a tin-foil wrapped half of sandwich out and handed it to him, "They're kind of plain," she admittedly, "I need to go shopping this week,"
She stared out the window again, "You know Seto, I was thinking about how much you've grown up since the tournament days,"
"Huh?" he said incredulously.
"You were so wild and impulsive. When I compare how you were then with how you are now, it's a little surreal,"
"Humph. You know, you weren't always like you are, either," he backfired, "You were somewhat on the wild side, yourself. That and you had a barrier around you thicker than the Great Wall of China,"
"Very funny," she grumbled, "Anyway, I've about finished the guests. I already spoke with one of them this morning,"
"Which one?" he asked warily.
"Marik,"
Kaiba rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, "I'm really not sure about this, Sonja. You weren't awake to see what he was like,"
"Seto, we've been penpals for two years and you and I both saw him again when Yugi had to go to Egypt. You saw clearly that he'd changed immensely. Besides, every time the subject comes up, he always seems genuinely sorry for what he did,"
Kaiba's eyes narrowed, glaring off into space, "I don't approve, Sonja, and I probably never will. However...I did promise you that you could take care of the guest list. I'm willing to trust your judgment on this one," he said almost warningly. But Sonja knew better. She smiled, "Thanks. I promise you won't be sorry,"
"For both our sakes, I hope you're right," he muttered.
Sonja wisely changed the subject then, "Did I tell you that Serenity is making my dress?" she asked as she picked the crusts off her sandwich.
"No, you didn't. Wait, you don't mean Serenity Wheeler, do you?"
"Yup. She's living in Domino now. She owns that new sewing supplies store down on Front Street. Turns out she's quite the seamstress,"
"Does Wheeler know about this?" Kaiba asked.
"Not that I know of. Of course, if he didn't before, it's entirely likely that she told him, so by now, he probably does," she said, shrugging, "It's pretty funny; he still thinks you blackmailed me into marrying you," she chuckled.
"Why am I not surprised at that coming from that monkey?" Kaiba groaned.
"Give him a break, Seto. He's not as wired as he used to be. He's a police officer now and when he isn't on duty, he duels in local tournaments. He's a good duelist and you know it,"
Kaiba sighed again, "Look Sonja, only to you will I admit aloud that yes, I can see his skills have radically improved since he began. However, I'd sooner go bankrupt than tell him that directly,"
Sonja shook her head, still laughing, "Somehow I knew you'd say that," she admitted.
"If you knew, then why did you ask?" he grumbled.
"Because I knew it would bug you,"
"You're seriously annoying, you know that?"
"Aw, you love me anyway,"
He shook his head in momentary defeat as he finally unwrapped his own sandwich, taking a bite absently. He froze, staring at it in irritation, "Sonja, what is this?" he asked suspiciously.
"Egg salad,"
He rewrapped the sandwich again and went back to typing on his computer. Sonja scowled, "You jerk," she snapped.
/ooo/
Sonja had managed to disclose the information regarding Angus staying at her house during her visit with Kaiba. He'd understandably been astonished and slightly disturbed that yet another lost relative of hers had shown up out of the blue. As for advice, Kaiba was unusually stumped and just told her to keep her guard up. Sonja didn't expect much more than this.
She returned home and placed a few calls out to some of the guests on the list. Because their two families were either A, dead or B, distant and never spoken of, the guest list was pretty skimpy. On Sonja's request, several of their old acquaintances had been added, including Mai, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Yugi, the Wheelers, Katia, and the Von Schroeder brothers Zigfried and Leon. Sonja had also sent invites to Ishizu and Marik, as well as their 'brother' Odeon, via email, since they wouldn't get there in time through snail mail. Sonja knew that the short guest list couldn't be helped. Both she and Kaiba were estranged from most of the people they worked with and he'd told her that his remaining family members were people he didn't care to speak to. She didn't know them, but she could see rather clearly that he wasn't thrilled at the idea of inviting them. She didn't care; she wasn't sure she wanted them there anyway.
"I think I've called about everyone now," she muttered, chewing on the end of her pen, "I still have to call Mai, but she probably already knows,"
She sighed, "I'm really tired. I think I'll call it here for today and get back to it tomorrow,"
The sound of the door opening paused her in the action of standing up. She glanced up and sighed, sitting back down, "Hey Angus," she said limply, "What's up?"
"Sonja," Angus said, his voice raspy, "I was hoping to have a word with you. It's about the guest list and my gift for you for your wedding,"
She frowned warily, but pushed her work aside and motioned him over, "So what's up, Angus?" she asked again, still not comfortable addressing him as her grandfather. Fortunately, Angus seemed to accept it easily enough.
He coughed once, reaching into the pocket of his worn coat to pull a leather-bound box out. He set it on the counter, his wrinkled old eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded to her, "This has been passed down through the women in our family. Unfortunately, I only had boys and it was forced to skip a generation. Had your dear mother survived, she'd have given it to you instead. Go ahead, open it,"
Sonja eyed the box warily as she pulled it closer, unsnapping the latch and opening the lid. Her breath hitched in amazement at what she saw; "Oh," she breathed.
It was a choker necklace made of pearl-colored velvet with a dragonfly pendant. The dragonfly's body was composed of miniscule pink diamonds, its eyes threaded with emeralds, and its sinewy wings comprising of brilliant blue sapphires. Each gem was tiny enough that the article didn't seem gaudy, the colors melding together beautifully. She lifted it out of the case in awe, looking over at Angus in disbelief, "But I can't accept this; it's too precious," she said.
"My dear," he said quietly, "You've rightfully inherited this necklace. All the brides in our family have worn it since before your great-grandmother's time. This is my present to you, as your grandfather, for your wedding. It's supposed to bring luck. You can see that it more than likely works," he said with a cheerful chuckle. Sonja's eyes took on a faraway glaze as she gazed down at the necklace held delicately in her hand. She smiled softly, "I see," she whispered, "Thanks, Angus,"
She allowed him to take the necklace and move behind her, lifting her hair away from her neck as he carefully latched it in place at her throat. He stepped back as she turned around. His eyes crinkled shut as he beamed, "Lovely," he said happily, "Just lovely,"
He squeezed her hand gently, "If only your mother could see how beautiful you've become, Sonja. I'm sure she'd be proud of you,"
Sonja looked away with a sad smile, "Yeah, I like to think she might be," she answered.
/ooo/
Yugi stood up against the outside of the card shop, sorting through his deck aimlessly as a way to keep his hands busy. He'd been called from his houe unexpectedly that morning by a rather unusual visitor. Honestly, he'd been more than a little surprised when he saw who his grandfather had allowed into the house. He was even more surprised when he learned his visitor wished to speak to him in private. It was early evening, so Yugi had suggested they go outside to talk. Now he stood waiting patiently as he glanced up at the man standing a few feet away, wondering when he was going to say something. He cleared his throat, "So uh, what'd you want to talk to me about, Kaiba?" he asked.
However, Kaiba remained oddly silent. He was staring ahead blankly. Now and then, a noise would startle him back to reality, but it didn't last long. Yugi was growing a little bit concerned. Kaiba was acting almost jumpy about something. He couldn't be sure what, but he was willing to bet that it had something to do with his upcoming wedding. After all, it was now only a few weeks away. Time had flown by without them all really noticing. Of everyone who had spent the last half-decade knowing Kaiba, Yugi figured that aside from Mokuba and Sonja, he probably knew him the best. Kaiba was a very determined, ambitious man who rarely opened up to anyone about anything. Yugi was well aware of this. However he also knew that deep down, Kaiba had probably wanted to be more open with people, but could never quite figure out how. He never seemed to get the knack for it, either coming across too strong and sounding obnoxious and rude, or too lightly and ending up quiet and reserved. This was why he could only assume that his odd behavior was due to the approaching event. Yugi found himself completely sure of it; Kaiba was indeed nervous and probably wanting to just talk to someone.
"Your grandfather seems to be doing well," Kaiba muttered suddenly, surprising Yugi.
"Yeah, he is," Yugi answered, "He certainly wasn't expecting to see you on our doorstep. You might have scared five years out of him,"
Kaiba smirked slightly, almost wryly, but it was gone quickly. He seemed absent again, as if his mind were miles away. Yugi frowned; casual pleasantries were not Kaiba's style at all. Normally he jumped straight to the point of the matter. He seemed evasive today, as if he were having trouble deciding where to start.
"Kaiba, is something bugging you?" Yugi asked again, "I know you and I were never best friends or anything, but I like to think that after all this time, you've learned you could talk to me if you needed to,"
"I'm aware of that," Kaiba said quietly. Yugi was surprised. He'd expected Kaiba to snap at him like he usually did.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were nervous about something," Yugi commented dryly.
Kaiba sighed heavily, "For once, you might be right. If only a bit, anyway. However, that isn't the issue at hand,"
He turned fully, looking at him seriously, "Look, I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to say it,"
However, even after declaring this, it still took him a few minutes to get it together enough to actually speak his mind. He sighed again, "Yugi, I'd like you to be my best man at the wedding," he said finally.
Yugi blinked a few times, wondering if he'd heard that properly. Deciding that he had and that he shouldn't make Kaiba repeat himself when he'd had a hard enough time saying it once, he answered hesitantly, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Kaiba replied.
"What about Mokuba?"
"I asked him; he refused to do it for some reason,"
Yugi hummed, "So then why me?" he asked curiously.
"As you said, Yugi, we're not best friends; we're barely acquaintances. However, since Mokuba won't do it, I can't think of someone I'd rather have there,"
The way he said it, anyone other than Yugi might have taken offense. However, the younger duelist simply smiled, "Sure, I'd be honored," he replied.
It was almost funny how relieved Kaiba appeared for a millisecond before reverting back to his normal stoic expression.
"So then," Yugi said, changing the subject slightly, "Are you prepared?"
Kaiba frowned, looking away, "I honestly don't know," he answered, "This was one field of expertise my stepfather never taught me," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Realizing he'd spoken that aloud, his expression warped slightly. He sighed heavily, giving up, "Anything I say stays here, you got that?" he growled.
"Of course," Yugi replied, "And it's fine, Kaiba. So what if you're nervous? I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be,"
"I shouldn't be," he said stubbornly, "I don't get nervous,"
"There's a first time for everything, Kaiba," Yugi said with a shrug, "Or in this case, several things. It's a life-changing thing. No one would fault you for getting anxious,"
"I can think of a few," he grumbled. Yugi chuckled, "I'm assuming Joey's on that list, then?" he ventured jokingly, earning a savage glare. He shook his head, "Believe it or not, Kaiba, I doubt that Joey would give you a hard time about this one. I'm aware he's annoyed you in the past about various matters, but this time is different. This time, you've willingly decided to change your life dramatically by sharing it with another. That's something that even he can respect,"
Kaiba stared at him a moment, processing what he'd just heard. Knowing nothing but grief from Joey all these years, Kaiba was a little leery knowing that Sonja had more than likely invited him. Sonja had seemed extremely excited to invite these people and he wanted to respect her wishes on the matter, but he couldn't let it go so easily.
"Tea told me you've put Sonja in charge of the guests," Yugi pointed out, startling Kaiba badly. He looked away, "Yeah. I figured it couldn't hurt and she was right; there won't be very many,"
"Why not?"
Kaiba just scowled, not meeting his gaze, "She pointed out an interesting fact recently. Most of the people I know are enemies. You and your little ragtag group of pals are just a few who don't outright hate me these days,"
"It's taken a lot of work on my part, Kaiba," Yugi boasted jokingly. To this, Kaiba had to smile just a little bit, wryly thinking that Yugi was entirely correct. He sighed, "Always the peacemaker," he muttered.
"Someone had to be since you were always willing to reignite arguments,"
"Point taken," Kaiba grumbled, "I have to get going. Later,"
He turned, heading off. He got about eight or nine feet away before pausing. He glanced back at Yugi warily, eyes narrowed. He turned halfway, stopped and then sighed again, "Thanks," he said quickly before leaving abruptly.
Yugi headed inside, hoping that he'd been able to calm him down, if only a little. He was glad he understood Kaiba's jargon. That simple word as he hurried off told Yugi a bit more than what it implied. In the way it was said, not harshly, not coldly, just...simply, Yugi knew that maybe, just maybe, Kaiba had started to open up to the idea that this so-called 'ragtag group of pals' were now his friends.
/ooo/
That night, Kaiba stopped by the apartment to talk with Sonja about the arrangements. He was also curious about this so-called 'grandfather' of hers who'd showed up literally out of nowhere. As he turned onto the street she lived on, it hit him suddenly that this was one of the last times he'd ever drive over to the shop to see her. Even though the wedding was now only a few weeks away, it still hit him once in a while that his life was very soon to change. He brought the car to a stop at the curb, shutting the engine off and stalling. It was true, though he'd only admit it to himself. He was indeed nervous. Yugi was right after all; he'd never done anything like this.
He shook his head, regaining his composure. He got out of the car, taking with him the folder of information given to him by the planner he'd hired. He'd managed to find someone willing to keep the entire affair as quiet as possible for not too much extra. After the media scare almost six months ago, he knew that both he and Sonja wanted it quiet. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to make a big deal out of this. All he wanted was a quiet ceremony with the scant number of people they could actually invite safely, and the knowledge that for the first time, the girl he knew he'd fallen in love with would soon become his wife. Compared to other ambitions in his life, he didn't see this as too much to ask for.
Sonja must have heard the car door slamming because he looked up to see her standing halfway down on the steps, her long hair done up in a shimmering braid over her shoulder. She looked tired, but happy to see him as she approached, smiling wearily, "Hey Seto," she said, "What's up?"
"Long day?" he ventured.
"Yeah. I'm doing all the flowers for the wedding, so I've been pouring through catalogs all day, trying to find good ones,"
She motioned with her head over to the shop, "Lets' go in there to talk. It's kind of hectic upstairs right now,"
She unlocked the door and he followed her inside. The sound of footsteps hurrying all over the place could be heard above them. Sonja watched the ceiling a moment and sighed, "Angus has everyone learning how to cook since I won't be there much longer. Actually, the only reason I was able to come down here without anyone noticing was thanks to Arika covering for me,"
She headed into the back storage area and switched on the ceiling light. The bulb wasn't strong, so the room was a bit dull from the weak light. However, Kaiba could see in the coolers all the flower arrangements she'd put together already. He'd seen her do some impressive work before, but this layout made him pause and stare. In the cooler closest to him, he could see an arrangement of roses outlined in various greenery, wrapped tightly in white plastic and tied with flowing scarlet ribbons.
"I've asked Serenity and Tea to be my bridesmaids," Sonja explained, "And Mai is my maid of honor. Those bouquets are for them,"
"Will they keep that long?"
"They should, provided no one messes with them beforehand," Sonja said. She pulled a couple of chairs and a folding table from against the wall, "Here, sit down,"
Kaiba moved over and took one of the chairs she'd offered him, placing the folder on the table and glancing over at her as she sat down. She noticed him staring, "What?"
"Nothing,"
Sonja blinked and then shrugged, "It's kind of surreal, isn't it? Just a few more weeks to go. Are you all prepared?"
"I was just asked that earlier today, actually," he said thoughtfully, "I like to believe I am. You?"
She smiled weakly. He could see her hands shaking and immediately knew that he wasn't the only one nervous.
"Sure," she said, "I have most everything in order. I've also starting packing things I don't need right away,"
Kaiba opened the folder, "That reminds me," he said, "Neither one of us have had time to search, so I pulled up a few possibilities for you to see,"
He slid the papers and photos over to her for her to look at. Sonja scanned through them slowly, eyes widening as she realized what she was looking at, "This is for the house, isn't it?"
He looked away, slightly uncomfortable, "Yes. To simplify things, I found these in-depth photographs for you. If you see something about them that's appealing, we'll go take a look at it in the next day or two,"
Sonja examined each of the photographs of the different houses he'd found. Her expressions wavered, sometimes amazed, sometimes downcast. Kaiba was having a hard time reading her while she looked through them. She blinked slowly, "They're expensive, Seto. I mean, they're not far from here, maybe three or four miles at most, which is understandable given our work, but still—"
While she spoke, not really paying attention, he started to reach toward her, hesitated and then grabbed her hand, shushing her. He stared hard at her, refusing to let even an ounce of his own anxiety creep into his eyes. She was nervous enough as it was; knowing he was in the same state would only make it worse.
"Sonja, I don't care about that. This will be something we both decide on. Aside from that, it'll be my job to take care of you, like I promised Damon,"
He laid down the bait, knowing she'd take it.
She took it. Her eyes flamed slightly, "Don't say it like that, Seto. I'm going to help, too. Like you said, this is something we'll both decide,"
He smirked just a little bit. Fortunately, her slight naivety was one of the charming things about her. After knowing him this long, you'd think she'd realize when he was saying something stupid on purpose just to get her riled up. In any event, she wasn't as nervous as before. He browsed through the files on his own while she searched the other half. Every now and then, one of them would point something out about one of the houses listed, only for some common factoid to shoot it down, such as distance or, as Sonja continued to insist, pricing. Kaiba honestly wasn't too worried about pricing, but he knew that Sonja was conservative in more ways than one.
Finally, there were only three folders left. Sonja pulled one over to her and opened it up, scanning through it. She frowned, "Seto, what about this one?" she asked, sliding it over to him, "It's only a mile from here along the coastline,"
He took the file, looking at it closely. She was right; it was only a ten minute drive at best. Also, he saw that the house, while nice, wasn't too expensive at all. He hummed thoughtfully, "What do you think of it, Sonja?"
To his surprise, she actually blushed slightly and shrunk down a bit, not looking at him, "I like it a lot," she said in a small voice, "I really like that it's close to the water. And it's not far from here, so the commute is easy for both of us. What do you think of it?"
Adorable. One word Kaiba never once thought would become part of his vast vocabulary had just been added. She looked so cute shyly admitting she liked the house that it took him a second to realize he couldn't find any negative points with it. He went over the figures, the condition of the house and the finer details. It wasn't too large, a little smaller than the one he and Mokuba currently lived in. It was a two story situated along the northern bluff of Domino city, close enough that the city itself could be seen from it. There were steps out back that led straight down to the water which could be seen from the back. It was simple in design, yet elegant. It was also situated by itself along the road running beside it. There were other houses in the wide angle shot, but they were a good distance away. Since they were doing everything they could to avoid more media attention, Kaiba found the solitude appealing, at least until the public got bored with them.
He smiled slightly, looking up at her, "I see nothing wrong with it," he announced, closing the file and setting it aside from the others. He watched as her face lit up in excitement, "You like it? Really?"
He nodded once, "Yeah," he said quietly, "Why don't we go look at it tomorrow? We can know for sure this way,"
Sonja smiled, "Sure. Sounds good,"
She got up and moved her chair closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder and opening the file again to read more. Kaiba, having already read it through, watched her out of the corner of his eye. In truth, he didn't care much about what the house looked like, where it was or how much it cost. Seeing her so excited over something so simple was what clinched the deal for him. He shifted his arm, wrapping it over her shoulders as he rested his head against hers, enjoying the scent of lavender coming off her hair. All the noise and clamor from upstairs didn't bother him much. He listened as now and then Sonja would point out something interesting about the house, such as how much room there would be for a garden and how the floor-plan showed a spacious room he could use for his study. After so many years spent creating all kinds of insane ideas and publicity stunts like Battle City, he was glad he'd finally discovered how nice the occasional peaceful moment could be. He supposed he owed it to her.
True, now that he thought about it; he owed Sonja quite a bit for all the good she'd brought into his life.
A/N: Okay, since I don't even know how long it's been since my last update, I'm just going to say one thing; I cannot even begin to apologize. To you, my readers, to Sonja, my character, to Cauryn for whatever I might have done...seriously. However, I've finally gotten back on track with the story. I actually put all of my fanfictions on hold so I could concentrate on my novels of my own work. That's all fine and good, but I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to do both, so I'm going to try. There is no excuse for my lateness and I sincerely apologize.