Author's Note: Well, it's less than a month since my last update, so that's kinda good for me! Ummm, this is most definitely the longest chapter yet at about ten-thousand-plus words and I want to apologise for that; I honestly didn't intend for it to be so long. The KaibaCorp function will be finishing up in the next chapter as it would have just dragged this one on and on. I want to say thanks to my twin sis, Renolvr, who helped re-jig a few things and is my constant Beta-reader for this fic, making it what it is. Anyways, I hope you all like it! XxxxxxxX

Also, to "SeekerofAncientLegend", who asked for more growth between Seto and Kisara, the ending is for you. And the part I told you about in the PM will be coming up soon. (wink-wink!)


"A place to crash, / I got you"


"Naoki, will you get that please?"

Aki was the one calling over her shoulder as she led a number of accountants up the stairs and towards Mr. Kaiba's study. The older maid nodded her head and made for the front door, where the doorbell had just sounded for the umpteenth time that day. A group of KaibaCorp media representatives stood on the doorstep, with another throng of people arriving at the base of the steps behind them.

"Yumi will bring you to meeting room 1 … actually make that 2."

Naoki shook her head lightly as she corrected herself and the business-people filed past her into the foyer, where Yumi was waiting. The mansion housed four separate meeting rooms and they were fast becoming occupied. Hopefully the approaching number of KaibaLand staff would be the last group for a while.

"If you'd follow me to meeting room 3-"

"I've got this one, Naoki. KaibaLand people to room 1 with me, anyone for the budget plan go to room 4; Roland will fill you in until Seto's free."

The middle-aged maid let loose a sigh of relief as Mokuba appeared from the kitchen, apple in hand. How the teenager could be smiling happily was a mystery to her; the mansion was beyond busy today. It was only just approaching the lunch hour and already over a dozen meetings had taken place since before eight that morning. As the clock ticked on, the busy atmosphere only increased. With the big launch only mere hours away the mansion still had quite a number of guests to expect.

Kimiko was on duty upstairs, rescuing any lost visitors and re-directing them back to meetings. The new girl, Hana, was tasked with cleaning the halls and keeping them clear of obstructions. Aki was leading people to and fro from the meetings along with Yumi. Little Akari was on phone-duty all day with Rin, a chore Naoki didn't envy one bit, and the remaining four maids were trying to carry out the normal housework that still needed to be done.

As Kai barked from within the living room, the maid took a few minutes of rest in the now-empty foyer; they had confined the hyper dog in the room earlier for fear she would be stood on. The husky had been quiet for the first few hours with food, water and as many chew-toys as it pleased her to destroy, but it sounded like Kai was getting a bit bored.

Naoki let her mind wander as Kai growled at the door, formulating a mental list of what still had to be done; people from Industrial Illusions were to arrive yet along with a stylist due for Ms. Ashbrook and Rebecca, the limo fleet were to assemble by four and she had to collect meat for dinner, wash her son's football kit and get the house ready for the big count-down tonight to bring in the new year.

The maid jolted her attention back to the present as her home-life chores decided to barge in on her work: Rin had just walked towards the living room and Naoki was too slow to warn her before Kai made a break for freedom. The fast-growing puppy scampered up the stairs in a matter of seconds, barking excitedly the whole way. Naoki merely smiled as Rin shot her an oops look. With a half-hearted laugh, the older maid noticed Kimiko on her way down the stairs; she was young and could run a lot faster than a middle-aged mother of three.

"Kimiko, could you get her please?"

The younger maid nodded her head with a smile; she had been intending to check for any stragglers downstairs, but catching Kai seemed a little bit more fun than leading lost businessmen around. Knowing the little husky and her habits, Kimiko headed for the right-side of the mansion, towards the foyer with the piano; the puppy would head for Ms. Ashbrook's room. It was just a pity that Kai only made it as far as Mr. Kaiba's study; the maid knew one or two shortcuts that bypassed the long halls.

"Gotcha!"

Kimiko laughed lightly as Kai tried to wriggle free and get to her owner's bedroom; the little pup had grown quite a lot. The maid shook her head as she kept her grip on the puppy and headed back towards the stairs. Ms. Ashbrook wasn't even in the mansion today; she had gone into Domino a few hours ago on Rebecca's demand. Passing by Mr. Kaiba's study, Kimiko stopped as she registered the door to be open; Mr. Kaiba was in meeting room 3 right now, due in room 4 straight afterwards. Even Mokuba and Roland were in meetings right now, so there should have been no one in the study unless someone else got lost yet again …

Kimiko poked her head into the room and looked about, ready to find a lost intern or accountant, but none of those people were the ones to be seen in the room. The maid narrowed her eyes as she registered the intruder; the staff weren't allowed into the study unless it was to pass on a message.

"What are you doing in here?"

Kimiko asked the words with a sharp tone as she walked across the room and placed a few documents back into drawers, holding Kai under one arm as she did. Hana jumped as she heard the voice. It took her only a second to look to the floor and wring her hands in a nervous fashion.

"I … I got lost, and I didn't want to call anybody … I'm such a newbie."

The sharp tone in Kimiko's voice disappeared and her eyes softened; maybe she shouldn't have been so harsh. Walking away from the large desk, she noticed how Hana followed her guiltily with a blush; the house was huge and even she and Akari had gotten lost a few times in the past.

"Sorry for snapping, it's just that we're not supposed to be in here unless we have news for Mr. Kaiba. And if you ever get lost again, just give me a shout; I promise I won't tell anyone, okay?"

The friendly smile and slight wink from Kimiko was returned with a happy smile as Hana stood in the hall and the quiet maid pulled the study door closed behind her, just about hanging on to the husky pup. What Kimiko didn't see though was the roll of Hana's eyes and sly smile that crept across her lips; she'd seen what she needed to see in that study.


Rin Sado checked her watch once again; she had checked it about ten times now, but still waited for the larger hand to reach twelve before waking him. Waiting for the minutes to tick by, the secretary glanced out one of the large floor-to-ceiling windows; it had become dark outside about two hours ago, give or take a little, but the media world had lit up in contrast.

Already there were countless photographers and reporters gathered outside KaibaLand's main building. Although it was smaller than the KaibaCorp HQ skyscraper, the building flaunted a much grander function room and had a large landscaped garden to the back, where holograms would be displayed for entertainment. Holding the launch at KaibaLand also prevented any delays that might occur if held in Domino's city centre. At least the weather had held and no more snow had fallen today; the grounds of the Kaiba mansion looked eerily pretty as remnants of the current snowy-spell glinted under a full moon.

The house had finally quietened down over an hour ago and it had been then that Rin had noted her employer's absence. She and one of the maids, Akari, had been kept busy on the phone all day and Rin admitted she was impressed by the small-sized maid; it had taken one particularly annoying reporter for the girl to snap and give him an earful.

In search for the elusive Seto Kaiba, Rin's first port of call had been his bedroom, believing the young man to be choosing play over work, just as he had two days ago. Unfortunately that had been a bust, as Ms. Ashbrook had returned to the mansion just as Rin had begun her search. The girl only had a few seconds to smile in greeting before she was spirited away by Rebecca as a stylist appeared and followed suit.

Another fifteen minutes of fruitless searching had allowed Rin to encounter the new maid; she wasn't sure about that girl at all. It had been the puppy, Kai if she remembered correctly, to lead her to the living room. Any anger she had been feeling at having to play find-the-CEO again abandoned the woman as she located her boss; stealing some sleep on the couch.

Rin admitted that she sometimes forgot how young Seto Kaiba was. If he had banked a few hours sleep last night, he was lucky. She had called at four in the morning with a European KaibaCorp branch manager. Despite the early hour, her employer had answered his mobile phone almost instantly, as though he hadn't even been drowsy. From four until seven-thirty she had kept him busy with calls from different time zones, and then countless meetings had consumed the rest of the day. It didn't surprise the secretary one bit that the young man had been tired; not everyone could live off of a caffeine-addiction like she could.

Registering the larger hand on her watch to be now well-past the hour, the short woman turned away from the window and back towards the couch. It took only one light shake of his shoulder for his eyes to snap open in confusion.

"Rin?"

The woman smiled and nodded before walking to the switch on the wall and flicking it on, letting the darkened room light up in an instant. Unprepared for the bright light, Seto blinked and covered his eyes against the glare, groaning as he did so. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep on today of all days; there was still so much to be done before the launch started. Looking out the window, the company-owner took note of the darkness.

"What time is it and how long've I been-"

The end of the question was cut off by a deep yawn and an excited bark from Kai as she noticed her owner to be moving. Growling, the puppy occupied herself by attacking a discarded shoe.

"You've been asleep for an hour, maybe two and it's just gone seven, sir."

Checking his own watch, Seto Kaiba groaned again and mentally kicked himself; the launch officially started at eight, which meant he had less than an hour left to sort things out and get ready. He had to make sure the limo fleet was ready to go, that everything was prepared at KaibaLand and then to have a shower and give Kisara a heads-up about all the press.

"Shit, Kisara-"

"Has been upstairs with a stylist and young Rebecca for the past hour. From what I heard passing her room, Rebecca is giving Ms. Ashbrook a crash-course on all the paparazzi and what to expect."

Rin hid a smile as she answered; she noticed how his first thought had been about Ms. Ashbrook and not business-matters.

"What about-"

"A spokesperson for Industrial Illusions already called to the mansion on Pegasus' behalf; Mokuba dealt with him."

"The limo fleet?"

"Deployed since six, and everything is ready to go at KaibaLand, sir."

A knock on the door of the living room gained Rin's attention as she flashed her employer a smug smile. One of the maids was standing by the doorframe with a steaming mug in her hands and dressed in casual clothes. Seto missed whatever words had been spoken by the door as he tried to wrestle his shoe from a protective Kai, letting her have it in the end.

"Here, get that into you and go have a shower; Mokuba's almost ready and the girls will be ready in a little while."

"Was that Yumi?"

Seto asked the question as he took the hot cup of coffee from his secretary and gladly drank it, hoping it might wake him up a bit more; he was sure it had been the older maid by the door, dressed in normal clothes; surely the maids should have clocked-out over an hour ago. Rin nodded her head with a smile.

"The maids decided to stay and get a look at the dresses. Well, at first it was just little Akari and her friends, but the rest decided to stay aswell, except for that new girl … what's-her-face?"

"Her name's Hana, and play nice, Rin."

"If she doesn't like cleaning why bother becoming a maid?"

Seto shook his head with a smile as he stood from the couch, leaving his shoe with Kai, and headed for the door of the living room; he should really get a move on and get ready.

"She just needs to settle in; you didn't like your job when you started."

"That's because my boss was a pain in the neck … still is, actually."

And there she was; that was the Rin he knew so well. Even compared to Roland, Rin was the most fearless of all his staff, not afraid to give him an earful now and again. That was the reason Gozaburo had sacked her all those years ago; because the secretary wasn't very good at keeping her opinion to herself and had insisted the old man had been much too hard on his adopted son. After that son had taken over KaibaCorp, Rin had been reinstated in a matter of weeks.

"Seto?"

That made him glance back into the living room with a raised eyebrow; Rin only called him by his first name when she was being serious. Though it was probably the light playing tricks, the young man saw something in his secretary's eyes that he didn't recognise, but it was gone in a second and taken over by the smug grin she sported.

"Don't get too hungover; you're repaying those two hours of sleep tomorrow, boy."

A nod was her only answer as the CEO made his way across the foyer and up the staircase. One or two of the maids flitted past him with excited smiles, all of them wearing normal clothes and Akari in another noticeably too-large hoody. Entering his room after a few minutes of walking, Seto placed the now-empty mug on his chest of drawers and headed for his en-suite, turning on the shower and walking back out into his room. Discarding his shirt on the floor, the company-owner glanced at his bed; still perfectly made since yesterday morning. It was no wonder he had fallen asleep, having pulled an all-nighter partially due to Rin's calls. That said, he had been wide awake when Rin had called at four am. He hadn't slept much in the past two days at all, not since he'd seen Kisara's uncle on the television.

What was he supposed to do? Tell Kisara to be wary of her uncle and when she asked why to tell her about this past life he had once seen and freak her out by telling her what happened? Apart from sounding like he'd lost his mind, he'd sound awfully morbid telling her he had watched her die a few thousand years ago. And there was nothing to say that Jonathon Ashbrook would hurt her; he was her guardian, her flesh and blood. Maybe it was all just a coincidence that he looked so much like that Aknadin guy. But Seto Kaiba had never really believed in coincidences.

Kisara was in Japan, Jonathon Ashbrook was either in Europe or the United States … as long as he stayed there then everything would be fine. Seto stared at his own reflection in the mirror, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the scar above his left eyebrow. He had wanted to get her away from KaibaCorp the day of the earthquake and he was reassured that she had his locket; did those feelings have anything to do with what he had seen three years ago? Shaking his head with a groan, Seto made his way back to the en-suite and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.


A Mystic Horseman charged at a Battle Ox, the two creatures pulling up short and merging to form the Rabid Horseman. In the next instant, a horde of Mystic Elves had appeared, chanting with their hands clasped and eyes closed. A Winged Kuriboh zoomed above the elves, being chased playfully by a Baby Dragon. Almost as though flaunting its superiority to all these other Duel Monsters, a telltale roar and bright flash announced the arrival of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Impressed claps and excited chatter greeted the dragon's appearance, along with countless flashes as photographers clicked their shutters closed and camera-men and women either side of the red carpet aimed their lenses skywards to capture the holograms on film. In contrast to KaibaCorp's trademark monster, a black dragon with red eyes was the next to appear in the sky above the crowd. In a matter of seconds, the cameras had moved from the new monster to its most well-known owner, standing on the red carpet with his blonde girlfriend, whose Harpie Ladies had just materialised in front of the Mystic Elves.

The arrival of a limo at the end of the red carpet reclaimed the attention of the press, the purple rose-decal revealing who the guests were. In a hail of bright flashes, Zigfried Von Schroeder had stepped out onto the red carpet, this time in an ordinary black and white tux, with a young woman only a step behind him. A young girl called for an autograph, all other duelists having signed their names when asked by a fan, but this girl's request went unanswered as Rie Mitsuru decidedly strutted her stuff up the red carpet. The young model stayed in the middle of the carpet, not too enticed to approach the railings and answer a few questions, as everyone else was doing.

Another SchroederCorp decal adorned the side of the next limo, with the younger of the Schroeder brothers appearing on the carpet, an unknown girl by his side, already blushing as Leon spoke words in her ear before moving up the carpet a little and gravitating towards the railings holding back fans and paparazzi. KaibaCorp security stood along the railings at ten-foot intervals, the shaded men and women ensuring that nobody jumped the barriers onto the carpet.

Vivian Wong was the next to appear, dressed in a tight Chinese Cheongsam, the white silk interrupted by red lotus flowers and a golden dragon chasing its way up to the ex-model's neckline. At the arrival of the Chinese woman, the paparazzi pushed in closer to the railings; over the past few days it had become common knowledge that the duelist was good friends with Kisara Ashbrook, the two being spotted out on Domino together.

Following Vivian up the red carpet were the next guests to arrive; the reigning King of Games and his girlfriend. The reporters pushed against the railings yet again in a bid to talk to Téa Gardner, knowing her to be almost as close to the European as Vivian Wong was. Held in place by the KaibaCorp security team, the press soon moved their attention onto the next limo pulling up to the red carpet; the italicized FP design announced the arrival of Fujiwara Pharmaceutical's owner. Cameras zoomed in and flashed as Toshi Fujiwara stood out onto the carpet, immediately moving towards a group of reporters and satisfying them with a few answers.

A Shadow Ghoul appeared in the sky above the gathered people, its many beady red eyes training onto the Baby Dragon, but a Time Wizard was quick in transforming the juvenile into Thousand Dragon. The figure of Dark Magician took care of the troublesome Shadow Ghoul while Dark Magician Girl hung back, watching with a cheeky smile. The trademark Solid Vision holograms were seemingly ignored as yet another limousine pulled up, its decal being an elegantly-written Industrial Illusions.

As the creator of Duel Monsters stood out onto the red carpet, the crowd greeted him with excited cheers; for months now it had been a mere rumour that Maximillion Pegasus would participate in the new tournament and, even when the man himself confirmed it, nobody would believe it until they saw him in Japan. In response to the arrival of Pegasus, the holograms above made room for the appearance of Toon World and the Toon monsters the man was so well-known for. A Toon Archer Girl peeked out from her shell whilst a Toon Blue-Eyes White Dragon stared up at the real Blue-Eyes rather fearfully.

"Oh, wow … they all look so real …"

Seto smirked and nodded his head as Kisara glanced out the window beside him; she was fixated on the holograms in the sky above the red carpet. It had been Mokuba's idea to use their holographic imagery system to generate holograms at the fore of the building; it would keep the guests and press occupied while everyone arrived.

"They'd be better quality if they were closer to the ground; see the stars through the Red-Eyes' feet?"

Kisara nodded her head as Seto indicated the point where the hologram began fading. She didn't care though, being too caught-up by the huge monsters in the sky. Watching the monsters on the television and her laptop was one thing, but it was truly astounding how real they appeared; the dragons actually breathed in and out as she watched them and the Dark Magician blinked and yawned while his female counterpart pouted and sighed.

"We're up next …"

Kisara tore her eyes away from the large white dragon as Seto spoke; Mokuba and Rebecca had just exited the limo ahead of them, being greeted by shouting reporters and fans. She smiled as Leon Von Schroeder approached them, the quiet Suzu by his side. Rebecca was quick in putting an arm around her blushing friend and whispering a few words in her ear. Kisara felt grateful towards the blonde; for over an hour Rebecca had given her a run-down of what to expect at the launch. There would be lots of press and she would have to answer questions, but hopefully Seto would take care of most of that. She had also been told there would be lots of people asking for autographs and that she'd have to pose for a lot of pictures; all the press lined up by the red carpet had paid substantial amounts of money to gain a place by the railing, so questions were allowed, along with photographs.

Rebecca had been a great help in getting ready for tonight, making sure conversation was always kept going whilst the stylist, Rika, worked away. Kisara found she quite liked Rika; the woman seemed kind and laughed a lot, especially when she had seen the glass rose in her room. Apparently the mohawk-girl was her cousin and was studying alternative art in university, with the glass figurines earning the student her weekly income. Upon going downstairs, both Kisara and Rebecca had been surprised to see the line-up of casually-dressed maids in the foyer with Mokuba shrugging his shoulders. Akari had even nodded her head and winked as she saw the dress; despite her initial reckoning the heiress had indeed chosen to wear the corset-dress.

Kisara let loose a shaky sigh as Kosuke pulled up at the end of the red carpet, feeling her stomach knotting itself in seconds. A loud roar from the white dragon above seemed to direct all cameras and eyes towards their limo as Seto reassuringly laced his fingers between hers. A light kiss on the cheek seemed to un-knot her troublesome stomach a little.

"You'll be fine."

She wished she felt as certain as Seto's words sounded, but took a deep breath as he opened the door of the limo and kept her hand in his. Only as she felt Seto's hand pulling her into the flashing lights did Kisara glance at the rear-view mirror, where kindly grey eyes were watching her with a smile.

"Thanks, Kosuke."

And with that smiled thanks, the sanctity of the limo was abandoned and Kisara found herself back in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a red carpet. Cameras flashed in her eyes and shouts emanated from both side of the carpet as the large white dragon let loose another loud roar and a colourless flash of lightning raced by overhead, towards the smaller Toon version. Unable to stop herself, Kisara glanced up at the life-like holograms, still in awe of how realistic they seemed to her novice eyes.

A light hand around her waist drew the young woman's gaze away from the virtual monsters, a blush immediately beginning to creep into her cheeks as reporters shouted from all sides. Kisara felt her stomach knot once again as the limo disappeared from the end of the carpet and she noticed just how far away the doors of KaibaLand's building seemed to be. The knots eased though as she noticed a few friendly faces along the carpet; Téa was smiling her way and Vivian had just winked coyly as she chatted up a male reporter. An excited wave from Rebecca earned a smile from Kisara as she took a few steps forward, keeping right beside Seto the whole time as the reporters behind the railing pushed closer and closer.

"Ready to answer a few questions?"

The enquiry was accompanied by a shift of the hand on her waist as Seto stood closer. Kisara glanced at the countless questioning faces, mind flashing back to the bentō competition and the many journalists that had swamped them. She could surely manage a few answers this time around; there was a railing separating the paparazzi from them and KaibaCorp security lined it too, not like the crush of reporters in Domino all those weeks ago. The young woman nodded her head lightly, answering with an apprehensive smile.

"Only if you stay with me …"

That answer earned a laugh from KaibaCorp's owner as he too nodded his head and walked closer to the railings.

"Don't worry, I will."

Countless cameras flashed as they reached the barriers, with questions being thrown from every direction imaginable. This event was a lot more media-orientated than Zigfried's opening launch had been, but Kisara noticed how her blush didn't jump straight into view as she leaned away from the railings ever so slightly, knowing her fiancé's taller frame would be behind her.

"Ms. Ashbrook, after a few months here, how do you find Japan?"

"I … umm, I'm g-getting used to it now."

She was blushing, Kisara could tell from how flushed her cheeks suddenly seemed to feel. The blush was prevented from deepening in colour as the hand on her hip moved to lightly squeeze her left hand, fingers finding their way between hers once again. The reporters fell silent for a few seconds as they scribbled down her answer. In the midst of the busy journalists, a young girl about Rebecca's age pushed her way to the railings, holding out a pen and small booklet.

"Mr. Kaiba, Ms. Ashbrook! Can I have-"

The youngster suddenly disappeared as the reporters pushed forward yet again, throwing questions about and taking no notice of the girl who had struggled to get ahead of them. True, the girl probably didn't pay money to get to the railings, but she had more than likely been waiting hours at this stage. As a journalist placed a small dictaphone in front of her, Kisara opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to the punch as Seto's hand gripped the railing.

"Could you stand back for a few seconds?"

The female reporter looked unsure for a moment but pulled back her dictaphone and stood to the side, confused by the company-owner's request. A few other questioning journalists also followed suit and stood to the side, all looking confused. It was only as most of the reporters had stood back and to the side that Seto spoke again.

"What did you want to ask?"

The teenaged girl looked about for a few seconds before realising he was talking to her. With a bright blush, the youngster approached the railing again, holding the same black pen and small paper notebook in her hands. Upon reaching the metal barrier, the girl's blush deepened all the more as Seto Kaiba looked down at her.

"C-can I have both of y-your auto … autographs, please?"

Kisara couldn't help but smile lightly as Seto nodded his head and took the pen from the stuttering girl; some of the reporters scribbled down on their notepads as the CEO penned his name in cursive. Writing her own name on the piece of paper was a new experience for Kisara, but one she would definitely become used to as the girl smiled her thanks and disappeared back into the crowd, letting the journalists push forward again, all asking for autographs and quotes.

Dozens more questions were thrown at them as the couple slowly advanced up the red carpet, most of the queries being answered by Seto. Once or twice Kisara answered, though her cheeks became flushed when she did. Compared to the terrified mess she had been at Zigfried's launch, the young woman felt quite proud of herself as she caught Mai winking at her from further up the railing.

"Domino Fashion Weekly, Ms. Ashbrook who are you wearing this evening?"

It took a few seconds for the question to click in her mind that who meant the designer of the corset-dress, something she had declined to investigate before donning the gown.

"I'm n-not quite sure …"

Hoping for an answer, Kisara glanced up at Seto; the dresses had been at the mansion before she had, surely he'd have a clue who designed some of them. A slight shrug was the first answer she received before Seto found the small label just inside the back of the corset, chuckling slightly as he read the name.

"It's a Koriscova."

Why that name sounded familiar as the reporter wrote it down and thanked them for the time was beyond Kisara. A few more questions from the other side of the carpet, along with a couple of photographs along the way; the red carpet finally seemed to be shortening in length as Mokuba and Rebecca appeared beside them, trying to escape a particularly obsessed fangirl who was warning Rebecca to watch her back. Decidedly distancing herself from the fan, the teenager approached her boyfriend's brother and spoke to Kisara with a wide smile.

"I hope that nasty Kaiba is taking care of you!"

The smile and wink seemed to take any bite out of Rebecca's words as the blonde shot Seto an innocent look. The turquoise dress really suited the girl's blue eyes and her pinned-up curled hair made her seem a lot older than fifteen. A nearby journalist interrupted, asking Kisara who her stylist had been, creating her side-slung fishtail plait. The heiress was able to answer the question this time, though with a little help from Rebecca. Finally free of the clingy fangirl, with the help of a KaibaCorp security agent, Mokuba appeared behind his girlfriend a little while later, indicating a spot behind his right shoulder and looking to his brother.

"Talk to the wicked witch yet?"

"No, though Kai would have great fun with that dress."

Looking to the woman Mokuba had indicated, both Kisara and Rebecca swallowed giggles at Seto's answer; Rie Mitsuru's shiny silver dress had an uncanny resemblance to the tinsel that had become Kai's favourite chew-toy in the past few weeks. A few calls from the railing heralded more pictures, the photographers wanting both Kaiba brothers in the shot with their respective partners. More questions, a few venturing to ask about the complicated mechanisms that produced the holograms in the sky. It was only as all guests made their way towards the doors of KaibaLand's building that a new voice entered between the shouted calls from the railings.

"Long time no see, Kaiba-boy."

"Pegasus."

The light smile Seto Kaiba wore as he greeted Pegasus was a heavily-guarded one. Despite once being good friends with the creator of Duel Monsters, the happenings of Duelist Kingdom still hung in the air and he only dealt with Pegasus when necessary, usually via their companies. But the media world was looking and he had invited the man to participate in the tournament, so the young company owner had to play the welcoming host. It didn't take too long for Pegasus' one hazel eye to change target, his smile softening from the aristocratic smirk he usually sported.

"My, how you've grown, Kisara."

"M-Maximillion …"

A small nod with just a hint of a blush was his answer as Kisara pulled closer to young Kaiba, but Pegasus was prevented from saying anything else as one rather stubborn journalist called him over to the barriers for a few last questions. Taking his place to her right was a man Kisara recognised from Zigfried's opening function; he was the CEO of a stock-brokers branch. The obese man looked her way and flashed what was probably meant to be a kind smile, but came across much more inappropriate.

"I must get your e-mail, Ms. Ashbrook; my wife would very much like to meet you."

Kisara nodded slightly and responded with what she hoped was an agreeing smile; why ask for her e-mail when he knew Seto? It was only as the rotund man disappeared to speak with a few more guests that Seto leaned down to speak in her ear.

"Don't give him your e-mail, or your number or anything."

"Why?"

It was another new voice to answer her question, but one she happily recognised as Toshi appeared where the fat man had stood a few seconds ago.

"For one, he has an obsession with Rick-rolling people. Don't get me wrong, it's funny for a while but after hearing Rick Astley a few dozen times too many I'm over the novelty."

Kisara couldn't help but giggle lightly at the answer; surely that internet trick for was teenagers and the like, not grown men. But Toshi wasn't finished answering as he shot the man in question a judgemental look.

"And reason number two, that young lady by his side isn't his wife; she's a company-employee he chose to invite. His wife's at home with four small kids and not glamorous enough to bring onto the red carpet … at least that's what he told me at Schroeder's thing."

Looking over at the hefty CEO, Kisara was quite glad to have Seto beside her and that they were now walking through the doors of KaibaLand's building. Two familiar faces stood sentry by the doors, both men in black suits and wearing dark shades with earwigs in their left ears. Though Isamu kept his gaze trained on the media frenzy to his right, Kisara noticed the small smile Roland sent her way and felt her cheeks redden just a little.


Almost two hours had passed since they entered through the front doors of the building and it was the first time Kisara found herself sitting down. As soon as they entered the large function room, Seto had been dragged from one side of the huge room and back to the other by countless guests. Looking around, the same could be said for Mokuba and Yugi too.

It was only as Téa and Rebecca had waved her over to one of the many tables that the young woman had made her polite excuse and joined them, glad to be off her feet for a few minutes. Feeling arms hug her from behind, Kisara let loose a tired laugh as Vivian half-hugged her and Mai plopped down into the chair beside Rebecca.

"Well, you told us you were wearing pink, you didn't say it was designer, hun!"

At those words from Mai, Kisara could feel Vivian inspecting the label just as Seto had. A small slap to her shoulder was Viv's response as she sat beside Mai and nodded her head, eyes narrowed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Mmmm hmm, she never told me she had Koriscovas in her wardrobe."

"What about your closet of Vera Wangs?"

It was Kisara's turn to fold her arms and feign jealousy as she raised an eyebrow. Vivian had one of the most extensive wardrobe collections she had ever seen; a whole room just set aside to hold the countless ensembles.

"See, they're for when I get married to my rich, high-flying boyfriend and he pays for the wedding, duh."

"And where is this boyfriend?"

Rebecca cast her gaze around the large room with a bright smile as she spoke; Vivian had arrived on her own and had been chatting up various men for the past few hours. The Chinese woman looked about dramatically and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, he doesn't know he's with me yet, but if you see someone tall, dark and handsome point him in my direction!"

"Oooh, speak of the devil …"

The young waiter that approached with a tray of drinks looked rather dubious as Mai spoke and Vivian smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes as she did so. The none-too-subtle wink from the latter sent the waiter walking hastily back to the bar, Kisara giggling as she spoke to her friend.

"You are such a cougar …"

"Am not; cougars only go for young men. I go for any men."

The laughter from their table drew some attention from nearby groups of guests and a photographer made his way over; KaibaCorp had allowed a small amount of reporters and two photographers into the actual function on the pretence that no yarns be spun and no conversations taken out of context. If they broke these stipulations, then they'd be sued for everything and no settling out of court would be permitted. At least that was what Rebecca had told her earlier.

"Mind if I show the readers how beautiful you all look tonight, ladies?"

"Well, when you put it like that …"

That was Vivian answering the young man with yet another flutter of her eyelashes. One flash of the camera and he had disappeared to picture another few guests. It was only as Toshi passed by, and Vivian watched his every step, that Téa questioned the drinks the waiter had delivered. The answer, of course, came from Ms. Wong yet again, this time coupled with a devious smile.

"They're Sex on the Beach!"

The speakers around the room crackled to life as a familiar voice spoke into the microphone, drowning out the laughter from one particular table towards the back, where five young women sat. Roland was talking, welcoming everyone to the event and outlining what would be explained tonight. It was only as he requested his employer to the stage at the front of the room that a hand swapped the red-orange coloured Sex on the Beach in front of Rebecca for a plain fizzy orange.

"Nice try; I need the duelists sober, especially if they're under-age."

"I think you're a little late for that, Kaiba-poo …"

Another round of laughs emanated from the table towards the back of the room as Vivian shrugged and smiled innocently, draining her glass. Another call from Roland prevented Seto from answering back but not before he left a light kiss on his fiancée's cheek, garnering a narrowed glare from Vivian.

"He's using you to get to me … it's all just a plan to seduce me!"

Kisara couldn't help but smile as Vivian explained Seto's master plan and Rebecca set to work on her soft-drink. As the rest of the guests gathered on the dance floor in front of the stage to listen to the announcements, the five girls followed suit.

The tournament commissioners were announced first; these were the people who would act as referees during duels and call violations and penalties when needed. In total, there were about six commissioners, but Kisara only recognised three of them; Roland, Isamu and Mokuba.

After the commissioners had been announced, the invited duelists were called to the stage one by one. As the names were called, Kisara noted how only she and Téa were left standing by the end. Eighteen major duelists, ranging in age and nationality stood on the stage and would constitute the major players in the new tournament. There were also six more places to be filled by amateur duelists before the total of twenty-four places were filled. The last six slots would be decided along the same lines as Battle City; all registered amateurs used their duel-disks to fight it out on the streets of Domino and had to collect five matching tokens to participate in the main tournament. There was a catch though; there were eight different types of tokens and each duelist had to collect five of one type and had only two weeks to do so before the professional tier of the tournament began.

"I'll be back in a few minutes; I just want to make sure Joey doesn't say something dumb; he's a little tipsy and knowing him, he could challenge Seto to a duel here and now …"

Téa rolled her eyes as she made for the side of the stage where the duelists would exit in a few more minutes, ready to stop her friend should alcohol take over his vocal chords. Kisara wanted to say no and ask Téa to stay with her instead of leaving her on her own, but that would be unfair; surely she could manage five minutes standing on her own until Seto finished answering questions.

Looking up to the stage, Kisara noticed how Mai was shooting Joey a look, almost as though warning him to be quiet, but she also noted the small yawn that barged its way from her fiancé's mouth. The young woman smiled lightly; he must have yawned about a dozen times in the limo and, although he had vehemently denied it, she knew he was exhausted. Those dark circles weren't as unnoticeable as he thought they were. Kisara felt her smile growing a little as Seto's eyes found her in the crowd and a smirk lifted the corner of his mouth.

"You two seem well-suited to each other."

"Umm, t-thank you."

Kisara spoke the uncertain words with a slight frown before turning a little towards the new voice; she was unsure if that was a compliment or not. Finding the owner of the voice to be standing just behind her, the young woman hid a cringe; it definitely wasn't a compliment if it came from this woman.

Rie Mitsuru smiled widely as she glanced back up at Seto, her dark eyes betraying nothing. If she hadn't already known better, Kisara would have taken the smile to be a friendly one, but her guard was up and she was blushing already; Seto had warned her to avoid this woman. A flick of her dead-straight locks brought Rie's attention back to the shorter girl in front of her.

Not wanting to invite conversation, Kisara looked back up to where the commissioners had left the stage and each duelist was being introduced by name and accolades. Despite not engaging with Rie, Kisara was still aware of her standing behind her in that shiny tinsel-dress Kai would love. When she spoke again, her tone actually sounded friendly, so much so that Kisara thought she was being a bit too prejudiced against Seto's ex.

"I mean, he's handsome and you're so pretty. He's rich and you're rich. He has a piano and you love to play the piano."

A bitter undertone seemed to bite at the last sentence and Kisara blinked for a second; Rie had been to the mansion and knew of the piano in the upstairs foyer, but how could she have known about her being able to play the piano? Not even the papers knew of that tidbit yet. Lowering her gaze to her hands, Kisara didn't see Seto glancing at her, eyebrows furrowed as he spotted the smirking face of Rie.

"Zigfried tells me a lot. He told me that you play the piano rather well. He tells me anything I ask about … he trusts much too easily. All I have to do is flash that friendly smile of mine and pretend I'm worried about you being in a strange country and he'll tell me all. Natalie would have been what, twenty-five this year? Oh … but she can't age, can she, little Sara? Because you killed her, didn't you? Let's face it, he's only with you because of this arranged marriage deal. What guy would actually look twice at you? You are honestly the weirdest-looking thing I've ever seen and you killed your own cousin-"

Kisara didn't hear anymore of Rie's words; she was too busy pushing through the countless guests around her in a bid to go … where? Somewhere away from everyone, anywhere. The whole function room seemed to be a blurred mess as her eyes flooded with unshed tears. Just as the end of the dance floor came into view and she could see the sign for the ladies' bathroom , Kisara felt her hand being pulled, bringing her to a stop. A tall frame was beside her and slowed her to a walk.

"Ms. Ashbrook, I can't let you run off crying. There are reporters and photographers in the crowd and they would only love a picture of you upset by that woman."

"I-Isamu?"

It was indeed Akari's boyfriend to be standing at her side; he had been on the stage up until a few minutes ago. The tall young man nodded his head and looked about, pointing towards the bathroom sign for no apparent reason.

"Mr. Kaiba saw her talking to you and sent me to intervene, I'm sorry I didn't get there fast enough. You're going to pretend you need the toilet and I'm just walking you in the right direction to anyone watching. Roland and Mokuba are going to take over from Mr. Kaiba."

"I-I'm sorry a-about this …"

It was as she reached the bathroom door that Kisara felt a few tears escaping and running down her cheeks. There was a silence for a few seconds before Roland's second-in-command timely produced a tissue.

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Ashbrook."

The bathroom was mercifully empty as she pushed through the door, letting the rest of the tears fall. Why had Rie's words stung so much? Looking in the large mirror, Kisara took note of her blotchy face, her streaked make-up and her colourless plait. The only reason she was with Seto right now was because of the marriage. Had there been no arranged marriage, why would he have ever taken any notice of a French company's heir?

And Zigfried had told Rie about Natalie. There was another reason Seto wouldn't have come within a mile radius of her. It hurt to be told the truth, that it was all just a lie. It hurt because she had known it all along, since that day in the woods when Roland had found her, and it was just a lot more painful to be told by a stranger.

Kisara jumped as the bathroom door was flung open, a worried Vivian standing in the doorway, her hard eyes softening as she also took note of the running mascara and streak marks.

"Oh, Kisara …"

The sad look and hug only made her cry all the more; Vivian was the only friend she would have if the marriage didn't exist. The bathroom door opened again and a few more familiar faces entered the room as Vivian steered her into a stall. Lowering the lid of the seat, she placed her friend sitting on it and looked over her shoulder.

"Rebecca, make sure no one else comes in; tell them someone's getting sick or something."

The teenager nodded her head and, dragging the quiet Suzu with her, headed for the door of the bathroom. Mai busied herself at the sink, wetting some tissue under the tap before handing it to Vivian.

"What did she say to you, hun?"

Kisara shook her head lightly as Vivian lifted her chin, dabbing under her eyes with the wet tissue; Vivian knew everything about her but Mai and Téa didn't and she didn't want to lose them as friends. If she told them about Natalie, then they'd surely never talk to her again. She wanted to tell someone, but wouldn't they all just agree that the marriage was why she was with Seto?

"She … said he wouldn't h-have looked at me if it hadn't been f-for the marriage …"

It wasn't a stutter to interrupt the young woman's words, it was sobs; it hurt even more for her to voice those words than it had been to hear them. The first to respond was Téa, her blue eyes flashing anger in them at Rie's words.

"Don't you listen to her; she's just a jealous cow. You trust me on this, Kisara, if the marriage didn't exist then you and Seto would have just met up some different way."

The surety in Téa's words didn't go unnoticed as the brunette glanced to the floor for a few seconds; she felt guilty even saying that much about the past. It felt like she was going behind Kisara's back in knowing about the past life she had once led.

"That's not all that's upsetting you, though …"

At that knowing string of words from Vivian, Kisara shook her head, letting loose a rushed blurt of Mandarin Chinese. She told Vivian about Rie knowing of Natalie, of how Zigfried was telling the woman everything and let loose a few more tears as she did so. The door to the bathroom opened once again half-way through the rambled Mandarin.

"Seto, it's a girls' bathroom!"

"I own it, Rebecca."

His answer was called through the swinging door of the bathroom at the indignant blonde. Kisara felt her stomach hit the floor as she heard his voice; he was supposed to be launching a new tournament and yet here she was crying in the bathroom, ruining the night.

Seto frowned slightly as he found his fiancée at last; it had taken Isamu longer than he'd expected to get to Kisara, but he'd seen the look on her face and the satisfied smirk on Rie's. Hearing the rapid Mandarin Chinese, the young man let Kisara finish blurting words into Vivian's shoulder before crouching down to her level.

"What did Miss Piggy say to you?"

The question garnered unknowing and slightly worried looks from Mai, Vivian and Téa, but elicited a half-smile from Kisara before a few new tears ran down her cheeks.

"Seto, I'm sorry for ruining it all …"

"Don't be silly, you didn't ruin anything."

Just like Christmas morning, she hid her face in the crook of his neck. It took a minute or two, but eventually a muffled voice could be heard speaking lowly.

"She said we wouldn't be together if not for the marriage …"

Another few seconds of silence followed the statement, with Seto nodding his head.

"Just like Téa wouldn't be with Yugi if they didn't both live in Domino, or Mai wouldn't be with Wheeler if they hadn't both been in tournaments together. Isamu and Akari are together because they work for me, Emiko and Roland because they met in Russia years ago. All couples hinge on a reason, so don't even listen to Rie; she can't help being a bitch."

That earned a mostly-swallowed laugh from Mai, who decidedly walked away from the cubicle, dragging Téa and Vivian with her to the other side of the large bathroom; they could at least give them a little privacy and the blonde didn't feel at all comfortable seeing Kaiba being so nice. That was most definitely a side of him reserved for his private life and she didn't want to intrude on that.

Kisara looked up as her tears were wiped away, but fidgeted with her plait for a few seconds before somehow finding the courage to speak lowly, gaze fixated on a spot behind Seto.

"Am … am I weird-looking? Would guys look twice at me?"

As soon as she said it, she wanted to run away somewhere where she wouldn't hear the answer. Like texting a question and throwing her phone to the other side of her bed to not see the reply. A small chuckle and hand on her left cheek drew Kisara's gaze away from a faucet through the open cubicle door.

"Come here …"

The young woman blinked once or twice as she felt fingers lacing between hers, pulling her from her sitting position on the closed toilet. Her shoes click-clacked across the tiled floor until Seto stopped in front of the large mirror. At the movement, the three watching women retreated to the swinging door, offering the whole bathroom to the couple.

"Look in the mirror … don't hide behind me …"

Kisara blushed as strong hands gripped her shoulders and placed her in front of his tall frame. She felt too exposed as the mirror bounced back the image of a blotchy face and ruined make-up. She hated looking at herself in the mirror; it was fine when she wore jeans and a hoody, but the gorgeous dress just looked too extravagant to be hers; the breasts were too small, the figure not slim enough, and the face just didn't suit it.

Noticing her gaze wandering down to the sink in front of her, Seto stood closer and placed his hands on her waist. He was slightly annoyed that she couldn't see what he did everyday.

"Kisara, look in the mirror, not around it."

She didn't want to. No matter how many times she did the reflection would stay the same. She made to push away from the granite countertop that housed the numerous wash-hand basins, but strong hands kept her where she was as more tears threatened.

"Seto, I don't want to …"

"Why not?"

"B-because … because it's me …"

The hands moved from her waist to around her arms, hugging her from behind like Vivian had done earlier, only it was a much more protective hug than the fun and laughter at their table. A light kiss to the right side of her neck.

"And what do you see?"

She opened her mouth with a list of things ready to fire out; nervous, crying, blushing, weird-looking, small-breasted, naïve … those were all attributes Kisara Ashbrook allocated to herself, but couldn't admit them verbally for a large lump had formed in her throat and it was all she could do to try and swallow it. Closing her mouth again, the young woman glanced down at the sink.

"Want to know what I see?"

Part of her said yes and the other screamed a defiant no; all her life she had been told what others thought of her and she didn't want Seto to become one of those people. But the other part desperately yearned to see what made him want to be with her. She must have nodded her head slightly, because Seto stood another bit closer and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Intelligence, fun, beauty."

"I'm not-"

"We've already been through this, Kisara, I didn't call you a belle dame for no reason."

Another few seconds ticked by, Kisara actually looking at her reflection for once, if only to glance at her fiancé. Her reflection didn't seem so bad when she looked at it this time; the colourless locks weren't aided by extensions, the breasts weren't made of silicone, the high cheekbones weren't hollowed and the bodice of the dress didn't hang off of size zero frame.

"And guys better not give you a second look or they'll have me to deal with."

That comment earned a full laugh from Kisara as she remembered the second half of her question. A light hand tilted her chin to the right, where lips brushed against hers. It wasn't the steamiest of their encounters but it stood for so much more.

"Come back out and show Rie it doesn't matter what she says, and I swear I won't leave you alone this time."

Kisara smiled lightly as she leaned back into the strong arms that had made her look at herself. She wanted to go back out, to spend the night with friends and with Seto, but the mirror also reflected the mess she had worked her self into.

"Look at the state of me …"

"I think we can help in that matter, hun."

Kisara giggled as Mai's helpful voice called from the doorway. Vivian called outside to Rebecca whilst Mai and Téa approached the black granite countertop and emptied their clutch-bags of any and all make-up. When Vivian joined them, it was with Rebecca and Suzu's handbags too, adding to the collection of foundations and eyeshadows already cluttering the countertop.

"Now, if we could just get all the testosterone out of the ladies' toilets …"

Vivian's raised eyebrow done the trick as Seto took a step backwards away from Kisara.

"I've got to sort something anyway, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Another light kiss on her cheek that seemed to tie up any loose ends to their conversation. Téa couldn't help but giggle as she sorted through the foundations for a light tone.

"Still think he's trying to seduce you, Viv?"

That comment earned a bewildered glance from Seto as he looked back from the door, the girls erupting in laughter as the joke went completely over his head. Even Kisara giggled happily as he left.


A/n- Well, sorry for the reeaallly long length of this chapter and I really hope you all liked it! XxxxxxxX

Note: A Cheongsam is a tight-fitting dress with a high-neck of Chinese origin.

2nd Revision - 8/March/2011