Chapter 26 : The Reformed Scientist

Anzu watched as Irika picked up a metal spoon and stirred the soup before moving on to stirring the rice. The smells of the food rose in the air with the steam, filling the kitchen with a fragrance that made Anzu's mouth water. "You really didn't have to make all this for me…" she noted, glancing across the room at the two pots on the stove.

"It is quite all right," Irika noted, throwing the slightest pinch of salt into the soup. "I plan on serving what is left to Mr. Kaiba later tonight."

Anzu smiled. "Just make sure he eats. I'm noticing a habit where he doesn't do that as often as he should."

Irika chuckled. "Yes, his schedule keeps him quite busy."

Anzu smirked as she took her seat at the bar island in the center of the room. Barstools lined this side of island, while the other side served as counter space for Irika to chop up vegetables and all sorts of other things. Various bowls of fruits, a small flower vase, and several series of utensils were neatly arranged, creating a picturesque kitchen. Across from her was standing Irika, who had her back turned to Anzu and in order to face the stove. Anzu gazed at her appearance; she was still dressed in that stuffy maid outfit. She wondered if Irika ever changed out of it.

Anzu had come home to the manor early in order to prepare for her classes that evening. Seto insisted she get a decent meal before heading out, so he had phoned ahead and told Irika to prepare something for her. "I'll have to thank him as well, I suppose," she muttered under her breath.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Irika inquired.

Anzu blushed. "Yeah… I mean, I was just expecting to get take out or something for dinner."

Irika shook her head. "No need to waste your money, Miss Mazaki. You are quite all right here."

Anzu smiled. "Thanks. And please. Just call me Anzu."

"O-Oh, um… Okay, Miss Anzu."

Anzu chuckled. "Well, it's a step." She watched in curiosity as Irika opened a nearby cupboard and, taking out four bowls, lined them up before pouring two bowls of soup and two bowls of rice. "Guess she's eating her dinner, too." Walking around the island, she set one series of bowls in front of Anzu before bowing and turning to leave. Anzu frowned. "You should sit with me," she said.

Irika froze before slowly turning to look at her. "O-Oh, I could not impose," Irika muttered, her eyes darting to the floor.

"You aren't imposing on me," Anzu insisted. "Besides, unlike Seto, I like having company." Just to emphasize her point, she pat the barstool next to her.

The slightest trace of a smile appeared on Irika's lips, and she slowly took her seat next to Anzu. Grabbing their chopsticks and spoons, the two immediately began to eat, and Anzu's eyes widened in shock as she devoured one of the small dumplings in her soup. "Oh my goodness, this is some of the best soup I ever had!" she exclaimed. "You must have gone to school for cooking or something. Your food is always so perfectly prepared and tastes so good!"

Anzu glanced over to see Irika's face turn beet red. "Th-Thanks…" she whispered before taking a long sip of her soup.

"Did you ever go to culinary school?" Anzu inquired.

"No…"

"Well, your cooking is fantastic."

"I… I could teach you sometime, if you are interested."

Anzu smiled widely at the thought as she took another sip of her soup. It was strange how bothered Anzu had been by Irika when they first met, her monotone voice sending chills up her spine. Now the two were enjoying each other's company. She nodded at the thought of taking cooking lessons from her. "That would be great! I admit, I'm not the best of cooks…" Irika chuckled lightly before taking a large bite of rice. Anzu laughed and added, "Though once I get my new apartment, I'll have to make time for lessons. Hopefully things will-"

"You are not staying here?"

Anzu blinked in surprise and returned her attention to Irika. Irika's small smile had vanished entirely. "I… No, I'm starting to look for an apartment," Anzu replied, taken aback by the hurt in Irika's tone.

"Do you not like Mr. Kaiba's company?"

Anzu's face flushed. "O-Of course I enjoy spending time with him! But I… I don't think he wants me living here with him. I mean, this was only supposed to be temporary."

"Oh, he does not mind you at all," Irika insisted. "If he wanted you gone, he would have told you to leave the second he got his cane. He wants you to stay. I know it. He will never say it, but he loves having you here. You bring something, a charm, to this manor. Please reconsider leaving us. It would devastate Mr. Kaiba."

Anzu merely stared in wonder. Irika had returned to her bowl of soup, her face flushed with embarrassment at the declaration. "He…doesn't want me to leave?" she asked. Irika shook her head no defiantly. "Then why doesn't he say something?"

"It is not Mr. Kaiba's way," Irika answered. "He was taught to keep his emotions to himself. He may be slowly shedding the years of hardship under Gozaburo Kaiba, but some forms of training will never die." She returned to looking at Anzu, her eyes wide and imploring. "But please, do not leave us. Mr. Kaiba… I do not know if it is love, but he cares for you. He does not want to see you go. I know him. I have known him since he was a teenager, when Gozaburo first adopted him. You…you have brought something out of him. You are good for him…" Her face reddened slightly, and she went back to looking at her bowl. "Unless, of course, you do not feel the same way for Mr. Kaiba… Then, please, ignore my comments."

Anzu's lips parted, but all that came out was "I…" "I do care about him. But… I mean…" There was still so much she felt she didn't know about him. She remembered when she had been afraid of his learning about the paparazzi's lies. She thought he was going to be so angry with her; she nearly expected to lose her ability to stay here. Instead, he had comforted her. He had promised her safety. He offered her protection. The memory of the sensation of his arms around her sent a shiver down her spine. "I really care about him… I like the sensation of his arms around me. I like his protective embrace. I like hearing his heart, the heart I never knew he had, beat inside his chest. But… I…"

"I am sorry," Irika suddenly said. "I should not be prying into your emotions. Please forgive me."

"N-No, you are fine!" Anzu answered hastily. "I just… It's funny. Years ago, Seto and I never got along. We were always at odds. Now… I mean, I do…c-care for him. A lot."

"As he does for you."

She slowly looked down at her bowl, then back up at Irika. "Do you…really think I should stay?"

Irika nodded. "You are a wonderful woman, Miss Anzu. If you feel anything for Mr. Kaiba… Just know he would never kick you out of this manor. He cares for you too much to do such a thing."

The two silently returned to their meals. Anzu's mind was racing; she was barely registering the delicious food she was forcing into her mouth. "This woman basically just said that Seto Kaiba…likes me…as more than a friend. But does he? She knows him better than I do…but still…could she be wrong? And should I stay? I feel like I am such a burden sometimes…"

"Irika… You said that you knew Seto since he was a teenager…" When Anzu didn't continue, Irika glanced up from her bowl of rice and nodded.

"Yes, that is correct."

"What was he like, as a teenager?"

Irika smiled warmly, to Anzu's utter surprise. "Creative. He was always full of ideas. I admit, I first did not like him, as he was about to put me out of business. But fortunately for me, I realized the error of my ways before he changed the company from what it was under Gozaburo to how it is now." Chuckling, she said, "He was determined, against all odds, to reform KaibaCorp, and we all laughed at him at the time. No one thought he could dominate Gozaburo Kaiba. But he did…and our groups were broken up. We all scattered. I was fortunate. Mr. Kaiba gave me a second chance."

"What did you do under Gozaburo?"

"I…" Sighing heavily, she answered, "I was a scientist."

Anzu's eyes widened. "YOU were a scientist?!"

Irika nodded. "Some called me a child prodigy. I am not much older than Mr. Kaiba, you see, and always was a genius with mathematics. I was working with heavy military weaponry at a young age, about the age of 15. I suppose Mr. Kaiba and I bonded a bit in that regard. We were both young and intelligent. But I was a child. I thought of those weapons we built as toys, experiments in which I could test my knowledge. I knew they were harming someone somewhere, but it didn't matter to me. I was too busy being treated as a scientist and basking in the glory of youth to worry about morality."

Anzu's jaw dropped. Irika's voice had turned harsh during her narrative, her eyes now slits as she continued sipping at her soup.

"It was a year before Mr. Kaiba took over KaibaCorp that I was brought to an area bombed by one of my latest creations. I was to see the damage firsthand in order to see the…"fruits" of my labor." She swallowed a large spoonful of soup before continuing. "What I saw was not of this world. Buildings burned to the ground. Animals scavenging the remains looking for scraps of food to survive. Children running naked, crying out for their parents. That was not what I wanted to contribute to this world…"

Anzu noticed her shoulders shaking. Placing a soft hand on her shoulder, she watched as Irika looked over at her with an embarrassed expression. "I thought that I had to repent in some way, and suicide seemed the only logical response. I reflected on all my work and realized it brought nothing but suffering. I did not think I deserved to live. I returned home, grabbed a knife, and went to my room with the intent of ending it once and for all. But Mr. Kaiba stopped me right before I did it. He took the knife away and told me I could use my life for something useful, something that wasn't destructive. It was then that he told me his plans of taking over KaibaCorp. He was going to get rid of all the servants Gozaburo kept around once he had taken over, and he wanted me to stay. He knew he could trust me, and he needed people he could trust at that time more than ever. He…gave me a new purpose in life. He showed me I could rebuild, that perhaps I could find repentance in this world for the terrible things I created as a child."

A slight tear rolled down her face, and she swiftly reached up to wipe it away. "I-I-I'm sorry. I should not be—"

"You're human," Anzu interrupted, her voice soft and comforting. "It's perfectly all right to show emotion. And… I appreciate you telling me this."

Irika smiled lightly. "It feels nice having someone listen…" Another tear fell, yet she did not move to hide it. Sighing heavily, she sipped another spoonful of soup before standing from her seat. "I must put this away so that I can prepare it for Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba. Excuse me."

Anzu watched as she walked around the island, turning her back to Anzu in the process, and began searching for something to package the soup and rice in. Anzu began picking at her bowl of rice, which was beginning to get cold from having sat for so long. Silence filled the room, a heavy silence. Neither one knew what to say, but Anzu felt she had to say something. "Just let her go," she finally told herself. "I can't imagine what she's thinking right now… And who knows what I'm thinking right now. A reformed scientist now working as a chef and gardener? And Seto…saved her life…and now likes me? What am I going to do?"

Anzu was beginning to see a pattern. "He took in Yuki, an abandoned cat. He gave Irika a second chance when she was ready to end it all. And he…he gave me a home when mine was broken into." Lifting her spoon to her lips, she smiled and thought, "Perhaps it's time to figure out how Seto really feels about me..."