"You need a new dress for expo," Kaiba said three days before the Kaiba Corporations Expo. It was one of the largest things Kaiba Corporations put together, as it featured a lot of other innovations from other companies, as well as previewed releases for upcoming games. The Expo was in Tokyo, and Kaiba rented out the Tokyo Dome for a weekend just for the expo.
"Nah, I can just wear the one you bought me for the demo," she said with a smile, flipping through a magazine. She had been staying at Kaiba's more often than he stayed at her apartment, so much so that he had bought her a little vanity for her to store her clothes and other belongings and kept this vanity in his room.
Between work and school, Kisara thought she wouldn't be able to see Kaiba as much, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays he took a half-day off and spent the afternoon at home with her and Mokuba. Mokuba was out now, however, somewhere with Rebecca. Kisara never really saw the kid anymore, and she wondered if they were still talking.
"But you have already worn that dress before," Kaiba said, sounding a tad bit confused. "Women do not prefer to wear the same clothing more than once, is that not correct?"
Kisara laughed, swatting his shoulder. "Oh, come on. If I lived like that, I wouldn't even have money to eat crackers. I can just waer that dress again, I don't have a problem with it."
"I want you to sing," Kaiba said, and Kisara looked shocked.
"What?"
"I want you to sing at the expo for the opening. You will need a new dress."
The light that Kisara's face emitted upon hearing this was completely worth every penny Kaiba would spend on a new dress. She smiled sweetly at him. "You want me to sing for your expo?"
"I literally just said that," Kaiba sighed, rubbing his temples.
She flung her arms around him, hugging him and shifting her body so that she was sitting on his lap and could, therefore, hug him as tight as humanly possible. She pulled back, still smiling. "I'm so happy. You really like my singing?"
"Well, that café hasn't fired you yet so I suppose you are sufficient enough for the expo," Kaiba said, but Kisara just decided to take that as a yes. While Kaiba was a tad bit nicer, he still did not hand out compliments very easily. Throwing in a sarcastic remark was his way of saying he cared and Kisara was thrilled. "Is three days enough to prepare?"
"Yes! You're wonderful! Thank you so much!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. She leaned down and kissed him brushing the brown locks from his face as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Kisara began to move her lips down his neck, gently kissing the sensitive flesh and Kaiba's internal alarms started blaring.
"Let's go find you a dress before the shops close," he said immediately, gently pushing her off him before he allowed himself to be tempted. Those three seconds felt way too good for his liking.
"Okay," she said with a giggle, swinging herself off his lap and gathering her bag. She began dancing and singing a theme song for the day – which was basically repeating 'It's a shopping day today!' – and following Kaiba out of the penthouse doing her little jig. Kaiba sometimes hated that even when she was being stupid as hell, she was still the single cutest person on the face of the earth.
He drove them to one of the boutiques at the trade center, and Kaiba could see her eyes sparkling as she entered, surrounded by beautiful dresses. "Good evening, Kaiba-sama," the workers greeted.
"We're here for a dress," Kaiba said, gesturing to Kisara.
"Wait," she said, holding her hands up to the young CEO. "Are you buying me a dress?"
Kaiba narrowed his eyes slightly. "I just said that five seconds ago, Kisara. Do you still not listen when I talk?"
She laughed. "No, I was just asking. Can we go splitzies on it?"
"No, we most certainly cannot," Kaiba told her. "I will be paying for it. Now go and choose one."
"Well, I want to buy it," she insisted. "So that you don't know what it is."
"What are you talking about?" Kaiba sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I want it to be a surprise. You surprised me with letting me sing at your expo, I'll surprise you with an awesome dress."
"You barely have the money to pay for anything, ever," Kaiba sighed. "I already said I would be buying you a dress. If you do not wish for me to see it, then I shall not look. Alright?"
"Hmmm," she said, squinting her eyes at him. "Promise?"
He sighed. "Yes, I promise. Now will you hurry up? I'd like to eat dinner some time today."
She laughed. "Okay," she said, and then called over one of the workers. "Make sure he doesn't peek, okay?"
Kaiba glared at the worker coming towards him. "Take my word or I'll have you fired. I do not need to be babysat."
Kisara laughed from somewhere in the shop. "Stop being so mean."
"Stop being retarded."
"I'm not," she laughed, sounding like she was taking several dresses from the racks. "I'm gonna go try them on," she told one of the employees, who followed her into the dressing room.
After some time, Kisara emerged with a black dry cleaner bag and headed to the cash register. "Congratulations," Kaiba told her dryly. "I am now five thousand years old."
She giggled and pushed him playfully. "I didn't take that long."
"I waited for an hour."
"That's not long!" she said.
"Is that the dress you want?" Kaiba asked, holding his hand out. She pulled away, hugging the bag and Kaiba sighed. "The tag. Give me the tag so I can pay for it and we may eat dinner."
She dug out the piece of paper from her pocket and hesitated for a moment. "Can we please split for it?" she asked again, not giving him the tag. "It's really expensive but I really love this dress. It's the cheapest one out of the ones I liked; I don't know why you had to come to such an expensive place. I want to help pay for it."
Kaiba snatched it away and handed it to the cashier without even looking at it. Kisara shut her eyes as the price came up on the register. Kaiba scoffed. "You wanted to split 450,000 yen? That's my pocket change, Kisara. Do not worry about it."
"B-but—"
He patted her gently on the head, his tone softening ever so slightly. "Don't worry about it," he said again, sliding his credit card over to the cashier. Kisara moved closer to him and slipped her hand in his, lacing their fingers together.
"Thank you, Seto," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
He swept the bag off the top of the counter and folded it over his arm so that he could hold hands with Kisara and carry the dress. It felt a little bulky and the young CEO prayed that she did not buy something she had seen on television for American proms. He would probably pop a blood vessel if he had spent 450,000 yen on a dress reminiscent of Cinderella's.
Kaiba glanced down at the woman at his side and she offered him a cute, sweet smile. Well, he supposed he didn't care as long as Kisara was happy.
Kaiba shifted his suit jacket slightly. Kisara was taking an oddly large amount of time to get ready this evening; she was normally quite quick but she had started early and was still in the bathroom. They were at a penthouse in a five-star hotel down in Tokyo for the weekend.
Mokuba's tie was still undone and he was watching the Friday evening anime while eating some crackers. The younger Kaiba was dressed in a deep green dress shirt under a a black vest and black slacks. Why Mokuba never wore jackets and preferred vests was completely beyond Kaiba.
"You look like a waiter," Kaiba told his younger brother, who laughed.
"You look like you're getting married."
Kaiba was clad in a white suit jacket over a black dress shirt and vest and black pants. His tie was a pearly white with a blue dragon snaking up it, the tie Kisara had bought him for his birthday. Kaiba scoffed. "You've obviously never been to a wedding."
"I bet Kisara looks super cute tonight," Mokuba said with a grin.
Rebecca scoffed. "As if," she sighed, rolling her eyes. The younger girl was dressed in a sleek emerald green halter dress, her blonde hair swooped up into a fancy bun with jeweled clips. Mokuba didn't even acknowledge that she had spoken. Even for Mokuba, Kaiba thought that was a bit odd, but he didn't know a thing about relationships, so he kept quiet.
The door opened and Kaiba glanced towards the bathroom. Kisara was dressed in a pearly white formal gown, the strapless neckline decorated in silver jewels. The pleated bodice hugged her curves and the front of the dress went down to her thighs and cascaded down her legs, falling to the floor in a slight train. The underside of the dress was the a light cerulean blue, and there were white fabric flowers on the front of the dress as well in a gradient of white to blue, pulling the color from the underside out. Her silver hair was curled over her shoulders and she was wearing the rose headband that Kaiba had bought her some time ago. Her heels were silver, but they were simple, only about three inches tall and didn't distract away from the dress. From her.
"Ta-da," she said, breaking the silence that filled the room. Kaiba was stunned into silence and Kisara looked down at herself, confused. "Does it not look okay?"
"You're beautiful," Kaiba heard himself say before he could stop himself and Kisara, Mokuba and Rebecca seemed surprised. Kisara smiled sweetly, actually seeming a little embarrassed. Oh God, she was cute.
"Thanks," she said, scooping her purse up from the couch. She had bought a blue clutch just for tonight to match her dress. As Mokuba and Rebecca turned to head to the door, Kaiba moved towards Kisara to kiss her lips gently. He turned and caught her hand in the motion, leading her towards the door where he stepped into his shoes and headed out.
Downstairs, there was a limousine waiting for them and the four piled into the vehicle, heading towards the Tokyo Dome.
"I'm nervous," Kisara admitted, wringing her hands together. "I've never performed for something so big and in front of so many people."
"You'll do fine," Kaiba assured her, taking her hand. "I wouldn't have asked you if I knew you were the type to crack under pressure. Don't prove me wrong."
Kisara smiled at his attempt to try and make her feel better. "Thanks."
The Tokyo Dome was already bustling with paparazzi as guests from all over the world entered the Tokyo Dome, as well as a few invited guests and those with enough luck and money to purchase tickets to enter the expo. The sky was a little dark and the air slightly humid, as though expecting rain, but it was still a rather clear evening. Kisara took a deep breath as the limousine door was opened, Mokuba left without waiting for Rebecca, the younger blonde needing to hustle to catch up to him.
"Are you ready? After we enter, you will be going backstage to prepare and I will need to stand around and look interested in other people," Kaiba said dryly, making Kisara laugh.
"I'll be back to rescue you after the opening," she said, stepping out of the limousine first, followed by Kaiba. He took her arm and started down the path towards the entrance of the dome. Kisara glanced around. "I feel like I'm famous," she said, the bright lights of the cameras flashing around her rather distracting.
"You are famous," Kaiba sighed. "You're my lead programmer, remember? Inventor of the newest multi-purpose gaming project my company is pushing out next month?"
"Oh yeah," she said with a sheepish grin. "It's crazy being famous."
"Get used to it," Kaiba told her as a matter of fact, and she just smiled. They entered the dome and he led her to the back of the main stage. An ivory grand piano was resting in the center of the largest stage in the dome for the opening and Kisara could feel her heart racing. Kaiba sighed and rubbed his temples. "I apologize, I have to leave and pretend like I care about whatever these people say to me. Why every single person in this dome thinks that I care about their thank-yous is completely beyond me. They just need to sit down and advertise their shit."
Kisara giggled. "I'll come find you after I perform. You're gonna watch, right?"
"Of course," Kaiba said, like this was supposed to be obvious. "The expo continues tomorrow as well. I want you to have a chance to enjoy the games other designers have brought, even if I think they are all pieces of shit, so you will not need to perform tomorrow night."
"Okay," she laughed, toptoeing to kiss him. "Now go out there and try not to be mean to everyone. I go on half an hour, so just wait for me."
Kaiba just grunted in response, but turned on his heels to let her prepare. Of course, upon walking around for some time, he did hear his name being called by Yugi. That tiny man seemed to always spot Kaiba no matter where he went.
"Yugi," Kaiba greeted flatly as Yugi and Anzu approached Kaiba.
"Thanks for the invite, this looks like a lot of fun," Yugi said with his characteristic bright smile.
"Yeah, this is my first time at something like this. I normally don't like games, but this looks really awesome, Kaiba," Anzu added. She was matching Yugi's red tie with a red cocktail dress. "Where's Kisara?"
"You'll see her soon," Kaiba told them. He had mailed out VIP invitations to Yugi's group and debated sending one to Jonouchi. He figured if that make-inu wanted to come then he would probably find his way in somehow, as Kaiba had invited Kujaku Mai. What an older woman like her saw in a hound like Jonouchi, Kaiba didn't understand.
"Oh," Anzu said, sounding a little confused. "Did she not come with you?"
"She did," Kaiba sighed. "She is elsewhere at the moment, however. You will be able to see her soon." Kaiba turned towards the stage as the dome lights in dimmed, the stage lighting up. Kisara was sitting at the piano with her hands on the keys. She took a deep breath, parted her lips, and pressed down with her fingers.
A sweet sound filled the air as her voice carried out through the entire dome, silencing everyone as every single person turned to stare in awe. Kaiba had expected this reaction, but he still did find her singing amazing. Although he would never flat-out tell her that, he figured that she knew already. Yugi and Anzu seemed wildly impressed as well, listening intently for the entire time Kisara was singing.
It was a short performance, but it was something that everyone would have burned in their memories. Kaiba thought that now more than ever, Kisara would have tons of men pouring over her. Otogi was right, in a way; Kisara was talented, smart, and beautiful, and it was natural that men would covet her affections.
For one of the first times, Kaiba felt like a lucky man to have been the one who had won that woman's love.
"I didn't know that she could sing like that," Yugi said in awe. "That was a really nice way to start things off, Kaiba. You asked her to perform tonight?"
Kaiba nodded once. "I did," he said. "Now if you will excuse me." He headed off towards backstage to meet up with Kisara but when he showed up, she was checking her phone, looking panicked. The performance had gone well, so he had to ask, "What happened?"
"I got a missed call from the hospital and they left me a message," she said, sounding frantic. Tears were welling in her eyes. "It's raining in the country and my parents got into a car accident. Mana is in the hospital."
"Let's go," Kaiba said with no pause, taking her hand and pulling her out. She followed, slightly stumbling with Kaiba's long, quick strides and her confusion as to what was happening.
"Where are we going?" she asked but Kaiba didn't stop to explain, exiting the Tokyo Dome. He was already on his phone.
"We can make it to your family's in half an hour with my jet," he said to her, and then turned his attention back to the phone, seeming to be calling the airport to prepare for the flight. Kisara paused, taking her hand back and stopping suddenly, causing Kaiba to look back.
"I couldn't possibly ask you to skip out on your expo for me," she said. "I'll get a taxi there."
"That will cost a lot of money," he told her. "And I don't want you to take the taxi for two hours alone. Your family is important to you. We will make it there faster if we take my jet."
Kisara was still hesitating. "Seto—"
"The expo runs the whole weekend, I don't care about missing one night," he said, sounding impatient. He started walking away, and glanced back, as she wasn't making a move to leave. "Will you hurry up?"
Kisara lifted her dress to walk a little faster after him. A billion thoughts were running through her head; she didn't know what to do or what to think, or how to act, but Kaiba kept a firm grip on her hand, keeping her on steady ground. One of the workers stopped Kaiba for a second.
"Where are you going, Kaiba-sama?" the worker asked, looking confused. "You are supposed to open the expo in five minutes."
"Tell Mokuba to do it," Kaiba said. "There has been an emergency and I may not return for the remainder of the evening. Now, move." The worker immediately stepped out of the way and Kaiba continued to the street, still on his phone about something. As a black car pulled up, Kaiba shut his phone. He pulled open the door for Kisara and she slid in first, Kaiba following.
"Isono-san," Kisara said with surprise upon seeing the driver.
"Get us to the airport where my jet is. Don't stop at any red lights," Kaiba said as Isono pulled away from the curb.
"Please stop at red lights. I don't want to be killed," Kisara pleaded. She turned to Kaiba, kissing him. "Thank you. Thank you so much, I don't even know how to repay you, Seto. I'm sorry that you have to miss your expo for me."
"It's fine," he assured her. "Isono, on the way back, make sure to have the plane stop in Domino. Have your family come to the expo for the rest of the weekend. I have already made arrangements for them to be picked up and I have arranged a room in our hotel in Tokyo for them to stay at."
Kisara smiled at Kaiba's generous offer and even Isono seemed a little confused. Kisara realized that was probably what Kaiba was doing on the phone, as Isono would be taking time to drive them to the airport."T-thank you, sir," he said, without questioning the young CEO at all. It was best not to do that in case Kaiba changed his mind.
"But don't forget that this expo is by invitation only, and if you breathe a word about me doing anyone favors—"
"Of course, Kaiba-sama," Isono answered, chuckling inwardly to himself. While Kaiba did seem to have his moments of kindness, Isono knew that there was no possible way he was totally changed yet; he still covered those acts of kindness with sarcasm. It fit him well.
At the airport, Kisara lifted her dress again to try and keep up with Kaiba's long strides. He swooped past the attendant and Kisara frowned at the stairs. She didn't want to get her new white dress dirty or torn so she carefully stepped up each one before making it into the plane. The hatch shut prompty behind her.
"Have you tried to call your father?" Kaiba asked as the plane started.
Kisara swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah, probably should have done that before take off."
Kaiba did his best not to look disappointed and roll his eyes and Kisara appreciated the effort. The young CEO even tried to lighten up conversation on the half an hour plane ride, trying to have her think about anything but her sister in the hospital. He wondered how severe it was, since the hospital did not try to contact her again. But he decided not to bring that up; even if injuries were minor, Kaiba knew that Kisara truly cared for her family and would want to be at their side.
A worker down in the countryside picked up Kaiba and Kisara from the airport, speedily taking them to the hospital. Upon crossing through the sliding doors in the small facility, the two of them received odd looks because of their rather fancy attire.
"Ryusei Mana's room," Kaiba demanded of the receptionist, who glanced at her computer.
"R-room 607," she said. She pulled out some papers from a drawer in the desk. "I'm sorry, but visitors need to fill out these forms—"
"Go ahead, I'll take care of this," Kaiba told Kisara, nodding towards the elevator. Kisara hurried to the sliding doors and slipped in before they shut. She threw herself out of the sixth floor elevator and shot cursory glances at all the door numbers as she swept by. 604, 605, 606…
"Mana," she breathed, shoving her sister's door open with a bang.
But to Kisara's surprise, Mana was just sitting in her bed, playing the adjustment remote in one hand and eating a stick of cheese with the other. Her mother was reading a book and her father was watching the Kaiba Corp Expo coverage on the television mounted on the ceiling.
"What are you wearing?" Mana asked, raising an eyebrow. Kisara glanced at her sister to see that Mana's arm was just in a sling.
"I got a call from the hospital, they said…you—TOU-SAN!" Kisara cried, stamping her foot at her father. She realized that the voice on the phone was a man's voice, and was most likely her father trying to disguise his voice over the hospital room phone. This was just like her father to play something like this.
Takeshi shrugged. "What? I thought you were just going to call us or something! I didn't know you were going to come down here!" he said, holding his hands up.
Kaiba entered the room then, holding a small bouquet of flowers from the store downstairs, and also seemed confused at the current situation. "I thought Mana was in the hospital," he said to Kisara.
"I am in the hospital," Mana piped but she went ignored.
" Tou-san," Kisara mumbled, rubbing her temples. "I thought this was serious! You're the worst!"
Takeshi pointed at the television. "Aren't you supposed to be at the expo, Kaiba?"
Kisara didn't give Kaiba the chance to answer. "That wasn't funny, Tou-san. I was really worried about Mana, and you made Seto leave his expo for me to come here! You could have just told me that she just broke her arm!"
"But Mana said—"
"Hey, hey, I didn't say anything! Don't try to blame me, Tou-san!" Mana said, holding up her good hand. "And I did break my arm but I have to just see my MRI results later because I kinda blacked out an they just wanted to check to make sure everything's still good with my brain so that I can beat Kaiba in chess later."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes at that, and Mana just laughed.
Kisara turned to Kaiba, looking upset. "I'm sorry, if I had known that my dad was just being stupid then—"
"It's better that you came even though it was nothing serious," Kaiba said. "It's fine, I already said I don't care about missing one day."
"Oh, yeah, I saw your perform, Kisara," Mana said with a smile. "It was really good!"
"Thanks," Kisara said, sounding a little exhausted.
"Also, I hope those are for me," Mana said, pointing at the arrangments of flowers that Kaiba was holding. She held out her good arm, reaching for it. "I love flowers."
Kaiba handed the flowers to Kisara and Mana pouted. "You don't need them. She performed excellently tonight so they are for her." Takeshi and Kumiko laughed while Mana blew the hair from her face.
A man in a white coat entered the room, seeming surprised that Kisara and Kaiba were here. He spoke to Kisara's parents. "Ah, well, I just dropped in to let you know that everything is clear. There's no evidence of brain damage; just keep that cast on your arm on for about six weeks and you should be fine."
"Great," Mana said with a grin. "Thanks."
The man left without another word, seeming busy. Kisara sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. Kaiba turned to her mother. "How is your car?"
Kumiko laughed slightly. "Not drivable. We were going to call a taxi home."
"How far is your house from here?" Kaiba asked.
"Not very far, maybe about fifteen minutes," Kumiko answered, sounding confused. "Why?"
"My driver will take you back. It will be pointless to head back to Tokyo tonight, as there are only a few hours left, but tomorrow, you will all accompany Kisara and I back to the Tokyo Dome for the Kaiba Corporations Expo," Kaiba said, surprising Kisara. "We will need to make a stop in Domino on the way back, however, as my colleague's family will be waiting to attend the expo as well."
Mana, Takeshi, and Kumiko exchanged glances as Kaiba made a move to leave. "Well?"
"Y-yeah, okay, let's go," Mana said, swinging her legs off the side of the bed.
"We have to pay for everything at the front first," Kumiko reminded her husband as they filed out of the room. "I wonder how much all of this is going to cost, they used the MRI machine."
"I took care of everything," Kaiba said, pressing the button on the elevator. Kisara's family was thoroughly surprised. Even though they had known Kaiba for a few months, they did know that the CEO did not dole out favors, but he seemed to be feeling extra generous tonight. "I thought that it was serious, as they did list the MRI on the charges, but it is fine as long as there is no permanent damage."
"Seto," Kisara said, taking his hand. "Thank you so much, I can't even begin to express how much this means to me and my family."
"It's fine," he told her. He did not tell her that for the first time, it actually felt good to do things for others. He had all of this money and all of this power and before, he used to use it only for himself and selfish purposes. But after meeting Kisara and getting to know her family, he learned that there were other places that money could be invested, and that it was Kaiba's money and power that could make a difference in the lives of others. He always said that it was 'fine' and that was the truth; he actually liked helping others, especially Kisara. He also felt indebted to Isono, who had stuck by him as his right-hand for over a decade. It was finally time to pay back the people who were important to him.
"That's a really nice dress, Kisara," Mana said, poking her sister's back, where the corset was laced. "Are you renting it? How much was it?"
"450,000 yen," Kaiba answered as they piled into the car. Mana's eyes widened at the price and she took her finger back as though afraid of damaging it.
"Uh, okay, I don't think I can even go to the expo, I don't have a dress that nice," Mana said.
"It's fine, just wear whatever you want," Kaiba sighed. "Kisara will not be wearing this dress tomorrow as tomorrow will be her turn to explore the rest of the expo with you, so it matters not what you wear, as long as it is decent."
"Okaaaaay," Mana said, sounding skeptical. "Thanks for inviting us, Kaiba. I'll be sure to give you a chance next time we play chess."
"We play every other weekend that I see you. I beat you every time. You don't have to give me anymore 'chances'," Kaiba said sarcastically, and Kisara laughed.
"Kaiba-san, why don't you and Kisara just stay the night instead of staying at a hotel?" Kumiko offered. "We can leave first thing tomorrow."
Kisara looked up at Kaiba hopefully. "Sure," he said. "Thank you."
Upon reaching her old family house, Kisara changed out of the dress, smoothing down a plain V-neck over her slender figure. She patted her belly as she sat next to Kaiba on the couch. "It's scary being in a dress that expensive," she said. Kaiba had changed into some of her brother's old clothes, as those fit a little better than her father's.
"Did you want a different dress? It was under my assumption that you liked that dress," Kaiba said, sounding a little confused and Kisara held up her hands.
"Oh, no, that wasn't what I was trying to say at all! I absolutely adore the dress and I would wear it to every single formal event for the rest of my life. I'm just afraid of damaging it is all," she said, laughing.
Kisara was happy that Kaiba really didn't seem to care that he was missing a night of his expo to be here with her family. He played another game of chess with Mana, and talked with her parents, not once mentioning the expo. She knew that it was important, as Kaiba Corporations gained a lot of partners through it, but she was happy that he did enjoy being here with her as well.
In the morning, Kisara's family gathered in the living room. Mana had struggled into a cocktail dress she had worn for the National Chess Championships awards when she had won first place, it was a simple light pink strapless dress with a pastel blue ribbon around the waist. Kisara's mother was in a deep blue dress with sleeves down to her elbows and her father was dressed in a blazer and slacks. He was also wearing a top hat.
Kisara sighed. "Tou-san, what in the world are you wearing?"
"You don't like my hat?" he asked, pointing at it. Kisara and Mana shook their head.
"You look like a magician, Tou-san. Leave that stuff up to aniki in Vegas," Mana said, reaching to take the hat off her father's head. Her hand was met with a light swat.
"I'm gonna wear the hat," he told Kaiba, who looked completely neutral and didn't say a word to Takeshi about his choice of attire.
"Let's go, then," Kaiba said, sitting up and leading the way out of the house. He picked up one of the duffel bags by the door and assisted in lifting the rest of the bags into the car before driving off towards the airport.
Upon seeing the jet, Mana spread out her good arm, doing a little dance as she sang to herself, "Feelin' so fly like a G6, like a G6," and Kisara laughed while Kaiba rolled his eyes. Mana quickened her steps as to catch up with Kaiba and Kisara and wiggled her eyebrows. "By the way, you should introduce me to Mokuba."
Kisara snorted back laughter at her sister's straight-forwardness and Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I am fairly certain that my younger brother has a girlfriend," he told Mana. "She's a blonde brat but he seems to like her."
"He'd like me more," she said with a grin and Kisara laughed some more.
"Oh, you'd be a much better match for Mokuba-san than Rebecca," she said, tousling her sister's hair. "Let's hook it up, Seto!"
"I'm definitely not about to mess with Mokuba's relationship," he said, shaking his head.
"Oh, you're no fun," Mana teased, shoving Kaiba playfully to let him know that she was joking. "Ah, oh well, it was worth a try. I always thought he was cute, even if I haven't seen the kid recently. We're like the same age, I remember seeing him at Battle City, the Battle City Commissioner? He was so adorable!"
Kaiba merely scoffed in response as the sisters shared a little laugh. They piled onto the jet and the hatch closed behind them. "Ooh, can I grab some snacks?" Kisara asked, standing up for a moment to head to the back of the jet where the attendant kept an arrangement of food.
Mana stared straight at Kaiba, widening her blue eyes. "What?" the CEO snapped, disliking being scrutinized.
"You really like aneki, huh?" she asked gently, smiling a little. Kaiba turned his gaze to the window, not really wanting to answer this question to Mana. He could tell that Mana and Kisara were rather close and he didn't want to be embarrassed. "I can tell, you know. Why don't you just tell her? I know you might not think it's a big deal to say those words but it'd mean a lot to her."
"I can't," Kaiba said simply. "She knows that."
Mana laughed a little, waving him off. "I figured you'd say something like that. Just—I really like you. Not like, in that way, but for aneki. She worked really hard to get to where she is and even though I'm her younger sister, and we aren't related by blood, I look out for Kisara. Just…please don't make her sad, Kaiba."
"I won't," Kaiba said immediately. "You have my word."
Mana grinned widely. "Great!"
"What's great is these soybeans," Kisara said, coming back holding a tray of them. She popped one into her mouth. "You bought these for me, huh?"
"Not everything I do is for you," Kaiba said, half lying.
Kisara seemed to know this and just giggled, swatting his shoulder. She offered him some soybeans, to which he declined, but Mana took a handful when she was offered. "Oh, man, I love soybeans," she said, going through the tiny vegetables with speed comparable to that of Kisara.
The jet took off, with Kisara's mother and father enjoying the sights as the passed over the countryside. Isono was with them as well and Mana tried her hand at talking to Kaiba's right hand man and trying to challenge him to a game of chess. They touched down in Domino for a moment, where Isono's family was waiting.
"Kisa-san," Akira greeted, grinning at her.
"Hi, sweetie," she greeted, ruffling his hair as he giggled and tried to get her to stop by swatting at her. She pulled his hair upwards, making it stick up in all directions. "Ooh, now you're a saiyan like Goku!"
Akira made a fighting pose and pretended to shoot an energy beam at Kisara. "Kamehamehaaaaaaa!"
Kisara clutched her side and feigned being struck, throwing her head back as Akira just giggled. Isono and his wife smiled a bit; Kisara was incredibly good with children because of her high spirits. She picked him up in one swooping motion and helped buckle him in. "Ready to go play games?"
Akira nodded vigorously. "Yeah!"
Kisara jabbed a thumb at Kaiba. "This is Seto, you should say thank you for having him fly you out on his private G6 jet!"
"Thank you for flying me out on your private G6 jet!" Akira repeated and Kisara turned to Kaiba with a grin. The CEO just shook his head, but found Kisara's ability to handle children admirable. Kaiba himself was not a people-person, and he was not a kids-person either; therefore it was extremely attractive that Kisara was.
Kaiba had never seen his jet with this many people but he didn't really care. The person that meant the most to him was sitting beside him and he planned to keep it that way for as long as she would want to stay. He couldn't help but think about Mana's words, however. Kaiba always thought that actions were enough and that his actions appropriately displayed his feelings for Kisara. He didn't even really understand the whole concept behind feelings, but he acted on them as best as he could. Would it really change things if he flat out told Kisara what he was thinking?
Kaiba couldn't do it. How many times had he wanted to say something to her, but he just couldn't? He lost count of all the missed opportunities and he didn't want to make a mistake and then lose her completely. Keeping the dynamic of their relationship the way it was right now was the easiest. He would do it that way until Kisara said that it bothered her, and then he would deal with it when the time came.
"Make sure Tou-san doesn't get nuts," Mana told Kisara as she headed into the Tokyo Dome by herself.
"Where are you going?" Kisara asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.
"Nowhere important," Mana said with a smile that Kisara knew too well. The silver haired woman just shook her head and shooed her sister away as Kaiba appeared.
"Where is she going?" Kaiba asked Kisara, seeming to have known that expression as well. He knew that she was not stupid enough to cause trouble at such an event, but Kaiba still had to ask.
"Dunno," Kisara answered with a shrug, and Kaiba rolled his eyes as Takeshi strolled down the pathway in front of them, tipping his hat off to paparazzi as though he were born for this. Kisara sighed and Kaiba was mildly amused again; Kisara was rather playful but even her quirky personality could be outshined by her father.
Inside, Mana couldn't even believe it was real. The Tokyo Dome was packed with the latest technology and gadgets, as well as rather wealthy, famous people. Kaiba really knew how to throw a party. Mana decided to try out one of the latest first-person shooter games; she played in online leagues and her friends around the world were talking of its release.
"May I?" she asked the vendor, joining a game. It was a new type of virtual reality, where neuro activity was tracked and put on screen as movement and camera rotations. Her nape was taped with three tiny pads she wouldn't have even known was there if the worker hadn't placed them on her. With a flick or twist of her wrist, she was able to change weapons or fire; it was a control-less new FPS game, but Mana wasn't sure how she felt about it yet.
"I've been waiting literally two days to try this out," she heard a voice say and her eyes flicked to the seat next to her. A lean young man in the chair had the same tiny blue pads placed on his neck and a pad on his right wrist as well. His raven hair was slightly tousled, but it was stylish in a teenage-boyish kind of way. He adjusted his vest briefly and grinned at Mana. "Mind if I play?"
"I'm gonna kill you," was Mana's first reaction and she inwardly slapped herself across the face for such a vulgar statement to a stranger, but the man just laughed.
"I'm pretty good at games," he assured her. "I'm sure I'll be the one doing the killing."
"We'll see, pretty pants," Mana said and she literally wanted to punch herself in the gut for saying something like that. But he didn't seem to care, laughing as the game engaged. Mana thought that he was just another gamer that thought he was all that and a bag of chips, but Mana was thoroughly impressed that his skills actually matched up with his talk. His reaction time was fast and so they were fairly matched on all points. It came down to the last kill.
"No screen looking," Mana warned her challenger, who laughed.
"Wouldn't need to screen look to kill you," he shot back playfully, but was answered with a headshot that cost him the game. Mana pumped her fist and cheered.
"Fuck, yeah!" she said, holding up a V for Victory before taking off all the pads and thanking the vendor. She grinned at her challenger. "You're not that bad. What was your name again? I like to know the names of all the kids I conquer to add them to my cry-baby bitch-list."
He seemed surprised that she didn't know his name, but then smiled warmly. "Kaiba Mokuba."
Mana froze. He looked so different than how he did all those years ago that she didn't even recognize him. He had cut that long crazy hair of his and dressed in crisp vests. Holy shit, he was cute. He wasn't yet mature looking like his brother; Mokuba did have that boyish charm and Mana felt like hanging herself. "Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect—"
Mokuba laughed, waving her off. "Nah, it's okay. I don't care about that stuff as much as my brother does. I never got your name, though."
"Mana," she said, still shitting bricks.
Mokuba held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mana. Wanna go play more games? It's 0-1 right now and I'm not a big fan of losing; Nii-sama and I share that in common."
"What's in it for me?" Mana asked, stepping up her confidence. This was what she came here for; to meet Mokuba. She wondered where his girlfriend was.
"Best three out of five and the winner gets ice cream," Mokuba answered, grinning. "The food here's top of the line shit, so it's guaranteed to be worth your time."
"Five out of seven and we have a deal," Mana said, holding her hand out. Mokuba shook it with a grin and they set off to play more video games. It seemed like an easy task, but they were evenly matched in every kind of game they tried; sports, RPG, arcade fighting, every genre that Kaiba Corp Expo had to offer was rather even. They even shared dinner together in between and talked for a bit.
Mana and Mokuba were both at four points by the end of the night and decided to have a rematch at that shooting game again, where Mana dominated once again. She laughed as Mokuba congratulated her with a high five. "You're really good at games. Probably the best girl I've ever played against," he said, heading over to the food section of the dome.
"Thanks. I get it from my brother and sister; they're great at games," Mana said with a smile. "You're not that bad either. Probably inherited from your big brother, huh?"
"My brother's more strategy-based," Mokuba said. "When he used to play games, he was more of a grinder, so he tends to play a lot more tactics games. I like straight-forward kinds of games with just a little bit of puzzles."
"Same," Mana laughed. "Favorite game?"
"Kingdom Hearts," Mokuba answered immediately. "I know it's a little dated, what with all the crap we have now, but it's a classic. I'm a huge fan of Disney, believe it or not. Yours?"
"Final Fantasy VII, duh," Mana said as though this were supposed to be obvious. Mokuba laughed.
"Yeah, that's my second favorite," he answered. He handed her a cone of ice cream and smiled.
Mana paused for a moment, reading the situation. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I thought you had a girlfriend? Shouldn't you, um, be with her?"
Mokuba tilted his head, looking a little confused. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. Rebecca's pretty hesitant about that stuff and it's honestly getting a little unbearable. She's around all the time, like, she even came to the expo with me last night, but she's so afraid of commitment that it's ridiculous. She was supposed to stay the weekend with my brother and I but she dug out this morning; she was mad because I wasn't able to spend time with her because I had to run the demo. My brother left for an emergency and it wasn't like I could just leave the expo, too, to go running around trying stuff; it's my family business and I have to help when I can. It's so frustrating because we've been talking this whole time and feelings have been established, all that yadda but she's so stubborn and frankly, I've really had enough," he said, shaking his head. He paused for a moment and held his hands up. "Oh man, sorry I just said all of that stuff. I didn't mean to unload on you like that; I just had a lot of fun today, and it was really nice because Rebecca can be pretty uptight so it's kind of crazy. I don't really get to relax like this as much; I barely get to hang out with my friends because I'm always with her and it's just hard, is all."
"It's okay," Mana said with a smile. "Glad you had fun. I did, too. And, I, uh, hope things work out with Rebecca. That's Hopkins Rebecca, right? The genius programmer? You guys, ah, match, I guess."
"To be totally honest, I used to think so, too, but things aren't going too great. And actually," Mokuba said, running a hand through his hair. "This may seem pretty dickhead to Rebecca, and pretty, ah, like, straightforward and fast, I guess, but I'd really like to see you again, Mana. I would be totally honored if I could get your phone number or something…" he kind of trailed off, seeming shy and Mana swore that her heart exploded from the amount of cuteness radiating off the younger Kaiba.
"MANAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" cried a voice, shattering the moment and Mana was hugged from behind by a slender figure that tried to lift her off the ground several times, but failed. Mana pulled away before her ice cream could be ruined.
"Kisara," Mokuba said, sounding alarmed. He turned to Mana. "You know Kisara?"
"You know Mana?" Kisara asked Mokuba, releasing her sister. She seemed to piece things together and then smiled at Mokuba. "Mana's my sister."
"Where is Hopkins?" Kaiba asked, coming up behind Kisara. The CEO, however, went completely ignored.
"I swear I didn't know, I'm really sorry," Mokuba said to Kisara, holding his hands up and Mana's alarms started blaring. He was going to take back asking for her phone number because Kisara had ruined the moment! Oh, Kisara was going to get it.
"Sorry?" Kisara asked, looking slightly confused. "Sorry about what?"
Mokuba shifted his feet and shook his head, completely on the spot. "I-I don't know. Forget about it. I'm sorry, Kisara, Mana, too, I didn't—"
Kisara took out a piece of paper from her bag and wrote something down, handing it to Mokuba. "Call her later. She's gonna tell me about what a great day she had with you in about two seconds," Kisara said, flashing Mokuba a grin as Mana's face flushed with her sister's actions.
Mokuba looked down at the paper to see ten digits; Mana's phone number. He smiled at Kisara and then at Mana, tousling his hair sheepishly. "Great. I'll definitely give you a call. You're staying the weekend?"
"Uh, y-yeah," she said. "B-but I actually live in the country, and it's far so I mean—"
"I'm a Kaiba, I have a private jet," Mokuba said with a grin and Kaiba shook his head at his younger brother. "We can talk about all of that tomorrow. I don't need to go to the expo, so let's have lunch? And maybe dinner, too?"
"Okay," Mana said, a little shocked that all of this was happening. "I'm in the same hotel, so like, later, talking, plans, okay," she said as she was being dragged away by her giggling sister.
Kaiba stared at the two Ryusei's. He looked down at his brother. "When was it that I could go ignored?" he asked with a shake of his head.
Mokuba laughed, nodding towards the two girls. "Since them, I guess. It's a Ryusei thing. They're really special girls."
Kaiba sighed, not really seeming to care as he watched Mana trying not to freak out, but Kisara hopping and dancing and pelvic thrusting. He rolled his eyes. "They certainly are."
A/N: I feel like a retard because I forgot that Labor Day was a three day weekend everywhere in the US, so please excuse me, haha. Thanks for all the reads and reviews, someone buy my yugioh figures dammit! T_T Have a lovely weeeeekendddd~