How can this be? Kaiba stared at the girl wildly. Industrial Illusions?
Doesn't that mean...Pegasus was Arielle's GODFATHER?!?! All of a sudden he
had a bile taste in his mouth and he felt his stomach turn.
"You mean," he cleared his throat. "The Industrial Illusions that
produces Duel Monster cards?"
"Yes."
"Your parents owned that?"
"Yes, before it got famous. Geoffrey and Victoria Winthrop. That's
their name." She added, she face falling again.
So she IS the true heiress to Industrial Illusions. Kaiba's brain
screamed. Out of all the orphans in the orphanage, I had to pick an heiress
with a relationship with PEGASUS! Pegasus must have planned an
assassination for the Winthrops to use Arielle as a figurehead. Because
obviously, after Geoffrey Winthrop dies, half of the Industrial Illusions
will belong to Arielle.
"Wait, do you know your godfather's name?" Kaiba forced another
question out of his lips. This couldn't be true. This had to be a
nightmare.
"No, not really." She answered honestly. "But he had crimson eyes and
silver hair." She wrinkled her nose. "He also had some gold thingy over his
left eye."
So it IS Pegasus. Oh God, this is so...so...WEIRD! I actually have an
heiress in my hands. Not just any heiress--an heiress that's related to
PEGASUS! Kaiba tried to calm himself down. Okay, calm down, Kaiba. You
didn't make it through all these years without learning some things. Don't
let a little girl scare you to death.
"What's wrong, Seto?" Arielle's innocent eyes looked up at him. Kaiba
realized that he hadn't spoken for more than five minutes and the arms that
he was holding Arielle with was tense and distant.
"Nothing." He said coolly, ignoring the younger girl's look of
confusion. He knew he was being childish to take his loath of Pegasus out
on Arielle, but he had to find out where he was standing between himself
and her. Not to say adopting her from the beginning was a mistake, but
being related to Pegasus just made this situation much more serious.
Once they got home, Kaiba send Arielle over to play with Mokuba while
he locked himself in his study, working furiously on the VirtualPod to keep
his mind busy instead of thinking about who Arielle's true identity.
Kaiba worked until late into the night. A rainstorm had taken over
the clear midnight sky. As the rain steadily hit the windowpane, Kaiba felt
a wave of peace and tranquility that he's never felt before wash over him.
After midnight, he finally got ready for bed. He usually doesn't go to bed
this early, but tonight, he needed to think. Think things over. Like how
much more exactly can he take from Arielle? Does he really want her? What
was his feeling toward her anyway? And most of all, where does she stand in
his heart?
Kaiba lay in his bed, his arms folded behind his head, as the downpour
outside erupted into a thunderstorm. The house was peaceful. The kids, no
doubt, would be in deep slumber. A lightening flashed outside his window,
closely followed by a blaring thunder.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, but a little whimper was
audible as the next thunder sounded. Kaiba sat up from his bed abruptly.
There, standing by his doorway in her pajamas, stood Arielle.
"What are you doing so up so late, kid?" Kaiba chided as his slender
index finger beckoned the little creature to come closer. Looking closer,
he noticed how pale the girl's face was.
"I'm scared." Arielle's delicate timorous voice floated through the room.
"I don't like thunderstorms. They scare me. Mommy use to let me stay with
her in her bed until the storm passes." She said hopefully. The hands of
Kaiba's clock stood at two in the morning, Arielle stood very still, not
repeating her request but waiting for Kaiba's decision with wide eyes. Her
dark hair was tumbled and her usually eager face was pinched with fear. She
looked terribly vulnerable and childlike in her pajamas.
"Fine." Kaiba said testily, relenting, his voice cool and distant. "Get in
the bed." Arielle didn't need a second probing. She walked over to the huge
bed, dived, and burrowed under the covers. Kaiba lay down gingerly, careful
not to lie on the kid by accident. He knew that there was no way he's going
to get any sleep tonight. The room became quiet once again and the only
sound in the room was the sound of the gentle rain, rhythmically pelting on
the glass window. Kaiba almost forgot that Arielle was in the room with him
until his blue eyes popped wide open as he felt something warm snuggling
herself securely between the crook of his arm and the side of his chest,
hugging him. Kaiba turned his head and stared at the lump under his bed
sheets. With a swift movement, Kaiba flipped up his sheets.
There, under the blinking eyes of Seto Kaiba, lay Arielle. Her
breathing was deep and a sweet smile was curled up at the end of her lips,
as if she was dreaming. Her lips were moving silently, as if she was saying
something in her sleep. Kaiba had to press his ears closer to catch some of
the words.
"I love you, Seto." She murmured. "I want to stay with you and Mokuba
forever."
Kaiba felt a hand squeezing his heart, melting them. He stared at her
bewilderedly. He shooked his head, his eyes never leaving the girl. What's
wrong with himself? Just when does he have feeling like this for anyone
else besides Mokuba? But how could he refuse a helpless little creature
like Arielle? As he stared at the younger girl, he felt his heart opening
up and accepting her. It no longer mattered whether she was Pegasus's
goddaughter or his own sister. Arielle was just another orphan who needs
and craves for somebody's care and love. And not only was she expecting to
be safe and loved, but she was returning the love with her own affections
as well. Destiny and fate had made her part of the family. It had given her
a place in the Kaiba family.
Kaiba turned his body and pulled small sleeping figure close to his
heart. And with his nose buried in the fragrance of her mahogany hair,
Kaiba fell asleep.
"But, Seto," Arielle whined. "Why do I have to wear this dress? Why can't I wear something like yours?" She fidgeted and picked at her dress. It was a rosy cotton gown the shade of peaches at the peak of ripeness, flattering Arielle's ivory skin and auburn hair. "Because they couldn't find a school uniform your size and this is the closest thing next to the uniform." Kaiba tried to tie the sash around her waist for the third time, but the darn ribbon wouldn't cooperate with his fingers to form a bow. He gritted his teeth and gave it a forth try. "Am I going to be the youngest one there?" Arielle's eyebrows creased. "Can Mokuba come with me? What if the kids there beat me up?" She trusted Kaiba to take care of her, but she couldn't help worrying. "Yes, you're going to be the youngest one there. No, Mokuba can not come with you, and if any kids beat you up at school then they'd regret that they were ever born." Kaiba impatiently grabbed his books and ushered Arielle out of his room. "Mokuba!" He yelled. "Are you up yet?" "I'm down here, big brother!" Mokuba called from downstairs. "I'm fixing you and Arielle breakfast!" Kaiba stopped still in the hallway. Mokuba? Alone? In the kitchen? Fixing BREAKFAST?!? One word: disaster. As if to prove his point right, the smoke detector rang, deafening all of them, and something crashed against the floor. "Now, kid." He eyed Arielle sternly. "You'll need to go grab the books I got you from your room, okay? I'll be downstairs." "Why does school start so early, Seto?" Arielle complained as Kaiba ran down the stairs. The kitchen was a huge mess. Kaiba's usually clean, large, bright sun-filled kitchen was attacked with smoke. Kaiba coughed as he made his way to the source that caused the smoke--a pan of charcoal- black scrambled eggs that Mokuba was desperately trying to drench the fire out with using water. A beep was heard as the ashes of the bread popped out from the toaster. Mokuba gave a squeak as one of his sleeves caught on fire. Before he could move, he could feel his older brother's body tackle him, sending them both flying off to the floor from the stool he was standing on. Before he knew it, his older brother had ripped off his shirt to prevent the fire from spreading. A puff of smoke along with a silent hiss was seen and heard as the shirt was thrown under the faucet. Mokuba looked around, looking embarrassed. Just that moment, Arielle chose the wrong time to walk in. She slipped on the spilled jam and butter smeared the floor and Kaiba ran over, catching her just in time before she sat on a glob of batter in her new dress. Kaiba walked over and turned off the stove, the faucet, and unplugged the toaster. "Both of you, OUT now!" Kaiba pointed them out the door before any more accidents could happen. His shoes tapped impatiently on the cold kitchen linoleum. Both youngsters filed out of the kitchen meekly. After they've left, Kaiba looked around his once beautiful kitchen. He groaned inside and sighed out loud. He knew that Mokuba was only trying to help, but isn't there any other way to show his affection than to burn the kitchen with them in it to a crisp? He rolled up his sleeves and began to clean up the kitchen while waiting for Mrs. Percy. Mornings were usually quiet and calm until Arielle joined them. Then, it had been nothing but messes. Kaiba was wiping up the floor, crawling on all fours when a voice exclaimed behind him, "Oh my goodness! What happened in here?" "Morning, Mrs. Percy." Kaiba scrambled up with as much dignity as he had left. "Running a bit late this morning, aren't we?" His dry voice said sarcastically. "Yes, my grandson had the flu and this morning was a jumble." Mrs. Percy removed her hat and rolled up her sleeves. "Now, you run along." She shooed him out of the kitchen. "You don't want to be late for school and you'll only be in my way in here." Kaiba blinked as he was kicked out of his own kitchen. He doesn't know why he would take this kind of attitude from a woman hired by himself, but unconsciously, he had grown fond of the motherly old woman who had worked for him for a long time. Or on the other hand, maybe he just doesn't have the time to interview and hire another housekeeper. As Kaiba stood in the hallway, deep in his thoughts, Mrs. Percy stuck her head out of the kitchen door. "Arielle darling!" She called. The petite girl ran down the stairs and past Kaiba to the elderly woman. Apparently, Mrs. Percy had worked her charm on Arielle also. Kaiba could see that attachment in the kid's eye as she gave the housekeeper a hug. "Here, eat this for breakfast so that at least you wouldn't be going to school on an empty stomach." She handed the kid a Poptart. "Since when did we have Poptarts in the house?" Kaiba asked himself indignantly. Mrs. Percy heard him and informed, "Ever since I have a little angel in the house." She cooed, ruffling Arielle's hair. "I bought a box especially for her." "But it isn't healthy for your body!" Kaiba protested. Not mentioning the sugar. He had his share of the kids' hyperness, especially after the ice cream cones that Yami had insisted on buying for the youngsters that day at Burger Paluza. They got so hyper that night they were both bouncing from bed to bed until he hollered at them go get to sleep. Mrs. Percy sniffed and turned back to Arielle, "That's why Poptarts aren't for big boys like you. Now, honey, here's your lunch for today. Now you have a good day, sweetie." She planted a kiss on her forehead while whispering, "Don't let the first day of school scare you." She winked and pointed toward Kaiba, "Don't let what he says frighten you either. His bark is worse than his bite, for you and you only, that is. Trust him, he knows what he's doing." "Bye, Mrs. Percy!" Arielle called as Kaiba shot her a look of protest and grabbed his briefcase. "See you tomorrow! And eat all of your lunch!" The woman called back as they walked out the door. "Don't let anything Kaiba tells you from eating your lunch!" "I won't!"
After handling the arrangements in the school main office, Kaiba led Arielle to her first class. "Now don't get scared," he was saying while giving curious onlooker students his death glare. "Remember what I told you. You're my little sister and your last name is Kaiba. If they ask you where you came from or anything related to that, give them a glare. And if you need me, I'll be in that building, okay?" "Okay." "Okay, if you're sure." Kaiba looked nervously at the little figure walking beside him. How could she be so sure of herself when even he isn't very sure about himself? Because she knows if anything happens to her, I would be there for her, Kaiba noted with a start, not believing how much trust and faith the kid had given him. "Bye, Seto." Arielle turned around at the door of her classroom and hugged Kaiba's middle so hard that Kaiba was sure he was fighting for his breath. Then, she skipped off. Kaiba swallowed nervously as he watched Arielle find her seat and put her backpack down. He turned to find every student in the hallway staring curiously at him. He gave them all a glare that could have frozen the whole school, then strode off powerfully to his own classroom. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find peace in his own classroom either. He sat down in his seat and immediately, the students who dared swarmed around him. Yugi and his friends were included in the crowd. It seemed that the news of Arielle going to the same school and being related to Kaiba had already passed around the whole school in merely a few minutes. "I never knew you had a sister!" One girl exclaimed, obviously delighted to have this chance to talk to the great Seto Kaiba. "She's so cute!" Another added. "Hey, Kaiba." Yugi greeted eagerly. "What's your sister's name?" A guy asked. This was easy for Kaiba. He ignored all of them as he reached down to his book bag and drew out a black, hardback, thick book. He paid no more attention to them as he began reading and knowing that he wasn't going to talk, the students slowly drifted away. During the next few hours, Kaiba, who was and still is the best student in the whole school, found himself impossible to concentrate. He continuously found his mind drifting off to wonder about Arielle. How was the kid doing? Was she keeping up with her classes? Did she get lost? Are older students ganging up on her? "Kaiba seems to be a different person ever since he's had Arielle." Yami said to Yugi inside his Millennium Puzzle. "What do you mean?" Yugi thought irritably, thinking Kaiba was still the jerk he was. "I can sense it," Yami's rich tone told him. "In a way, Kaiba is happier inside. He doesn't know it, but Arielle is the key to open his heart to the world." "Really?" "Watch him and you will see what I mean." So Yugi did watch Kaiba. He watched him the whole day. In a way, Kaiba was still Kaiba. The obnoxious jerk. But Yugi saw what Yami meant. Kaiba seemed...softer and much gentler in a way that no one can detect. There was a certain warmth reflecting from his glowing eyes whenever anybody in class mentions Arielle. He would look up from his book and his eyes would be far away. This was all very unlike Seto Kaiba. As soon as the school bell rang for dismissal, Kaiba could hardly keep himself from shooting from his seat like a bullet. He gathered his books and sprang from the classroom, barely acting like his old self, stiff backed and narrow eyed. "Guys, is it just me, or is Kaiba acting kinda weird?" Joey sauntered over to Yugi and Yami, who now separated himself from Yugi. "Yeah, he seems to be..." Téa looked like she was thinking up the word to match Kaiba. "Lighthearted and...I don't know, light." "Yeah." Ryou nodded, understanding what Téa meant. Light does seemed to be the only word that describes Kaiba now. All of a sudden, Ryou felt a particular sensation flowing inside of him. He sucked in his breath. Oh no. Not his Yami! With all of his strength, the Albino haired boy fought, but his darker self was way stronger than him. Bakura appeared beside him. "So," he forced himself to smile. "Kaiba is standing in the light now, huh?" "Yep." Tristan nodded, casting Bakura a suspicious look. Bakura nodded, a dark, sly smile shadowing his fine features. With a glow, his disappeared back into the Ring.
"But, Seto," Arielle whined. "Why do I have to wear this dress? Why can't I wear something like yours?" She fidgeted and picked at her dress. It was a rosy cotton gown the shade of peaches at the peak of ripeness, flattering Arielle's ivory skin and auburn hair. "Because they couldn't find a school uniform your size and this is the closest thing next to the uniform." Kaiba tried to tie the sash around her waist for the third time, but the darn ribbon wouldn't cooperate with his fingers to form a bow. He gritted his teeth and gave it a forth try. "Am I going to be the youngest one there?" Arielle's eyebrows creased. "Can Mokuba come with me? What if the kids there beat me up?" She trusted Kaiba to take care of her, but she couldn't help worrying. "Yes, you're going to be the youngest one there. No, Mokuba can not come with you, and if any kids beat you up at school then they'd regret that they were ever born." Kaiba impatiently grabbed his books and ushered Arielle out of his room. "Mokuba!" He yelled. "Are you up yet?" "I'm down here, big brother!" Mokuba called from downstairs. "I'm fixing you and Arielle breakfast!" Kaiba stopped still in the hallway. Mokuba? Alone? In the kitchen? Fixing BREAKFAST?!? One word: disaster. As if to prove his point right, the smoke detector rang, deafening all of them, and something crashed against the floor. "Now, kid." He eyed Arielle sternly. "You'll need to go grab the books I got you from your room, okay? I'll be downstairs." "Why does school start so early, Seto?" Arielle complained as Kaiba ran down the stairs. The kitchen was a huge mess. Kaiba's usually clean, large, bright sun-filled kitchen was attacked with smoke. Kaiba coughed as he made his way to the source that caused the smoke--a pan of charcoal- black scrambled eggs that Mokuba was desperately trying to drench the fire out with using water. A beep was heard as the ashes of the bread popped out from the toaster. Mokuba gave a squeak as one of his sleeves caught on fire. Before he could move, he could feel his older brother's body tackle him, sending them both flying off to the floor from the stool he was standing on. Before he knew it, his older brother had ripped off his shirt to prevent the fire from spreading. A puff of smoke along with a silent hiss was seen and heard as the shirt was thrown under the faucet. Mokuba looked around, looking embarrassed. Just that moment, Arielle chose the wrong time to walk in. She slipped on the spilled jam and butter smeared the floor and Kaiba ran over, catching her just in time before she sat on a glob of batter in her new dress. Kaiba walked over and turned off the stove, the faucet, and unplugged the toaster. "Both of you, OUT now!" Kaiba pointed them out the door before any more accidents could happen. His shoes tapped impatiently on the cold kitchen linoleum. Both youngsters filed out of the kitchen meekly. After they've left, Kaiba looked around his once beautiful kitchen. He groaned inside and sighed out loud. He knew that Mokuba was only trying to help, but isn't there any other way to show his affection than to burn the kitchen with them in it to a crisp? He rolled up his sleeves and began to clean up the kitchen while waiting for Mrs. Percy. Mornings were usually quiet and calm until Arielle joined them. Then, it had been nothing but messes. Kaiba was wiping up the floor, crawling on all fours when a voice exclaimed behind him, "Oh my goodness! What happened in here?" "Morning, Mrs. Percy." Kaiba scrambled up with as much dignity as he had left. "Running a bit late this morning, aren't we?" His dry voice said sarcastically. "Yes, my grandson had the flu and this morning was a jumble." Mrs. Percy removed her hat and rolled up her sleeves. "Now, you run along." She shooed him out of the kitchen. "You don't want to be late for school and you'll only be in my way in here." Kaiba blinked as he was kicked out of his own kitchen. He doesn't know why he would take this kind of attitude from a woman hired by himself, but unconsciously, he had grown fond of the motherly old woman who had worked for him for a long time. Or on the other hand, maybe he just doesn't have the time to interview and hire another housekeeper. As Kaiba stood in the hallway, deep in his thoughts, Mrs. Percy stuck her head out of the kitchen door. "Arielle darling!" She called. The petite girl ran down the stairs and past Kaiba to the elderly woman. Apparently, Mrs. Percy had worked her charm on Arielle also. Kaiba could see that attachment in the kid's eye as she gave the housekeeper a hug. "Here, eat this for breakfast so that at least you wouldn't be going to school on an empty stomach." She handed the kid a Poptart. "Since when did we have Poptarts in the house?" Kaiba asked himself indignantly. Mrs. Percy heard him and informed, "Ever since I have a little angel in the house." She cooed, ruffling Arielle's hair. "I bought a box especially for her." "But it isn't healthy for your body!" Kaiba protested. Not mentioning the sugar. He had his share of the kids' hyperness, especially after the ice cream cones that Yami had insisted on buying for the youngsters that day at Burger Paluza. They got so hyper that night they were both bouncing from bed to bed until he hollered at them go get to sleep. Mrs. Percy sniffed and turned back to Arielle, "That's why Poptarts aren't for big boys like you. Now, honey, here's your lunch for today. Now you have a good day, sweetie." She planted a kiss on her forehead while whispering, "Don't let the first day of school scare you." She winked and pointed toward Kaiba, "Don't let what he says frighten you either. His bark is worse than his bite, for you and you only, that is. Trust him, he knows what he's doing." "Bye, Mrs. Percy!" Arielle called as Kaiba shot her a look of protest and grabbed his briefcase. "See you tomorrow! And eat all of your lunch!" The woman called back as they walked out the door. "Don't let anything Kaiba tells you from eating your lunch!" "I won't!"
After handling the arrangements in the school main office, Kaiba led Arielle to her first class. "Now don't get scared," he was saying while giving curious onlooker students his death glare. "Remember what I told you. You're my little sister and your last name is Kaiba. If they ask you where you came from or anything related to that, give them a glare. And if you need me, I'll be in that building, okay?" "Okay." "Okay, if you're sure." Kaiba looked nervously at the little figure walking beside him. How could she be so sure of herself when even he isn't very sure about himself? Because she knows if anything happens to her, I would be there for her, Kaiba noted with a start, not believing how much trust and faith the kid had given him. "Bye, Seto." Arielle turned around at the door of her classroom and hugged Kaiba's middle so hard that Kaiba was sure he was fighting for his breath. Then, she skipped off. Kaiba swallowed nervously as he watched Arielle find her seat and put her backpack down. He turned to find every student in the hallway staring curiously at him. He gave them all a glare that could have frozen the whole school, then strode off powerfully to his own classroom. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find peace in his own classroom either. He sat down in his seat and immediately, the students who dared swarmed around him. Yugi and his friends were included in the crowd. It seemed that the news of Arielle going to the same school and being related to Kaiba had already passed around the whole school in merely a few minutes. "I never knew you had a sister!" One girl exclaimed, obviously delighted to have this chance to talk to the great Seto Kaiba. "She's so cute!" Another added. "Hey, Kaiba." Yugi greeted eagerly. "What's your sister's name?" A guy asked. This was easy for Kaiba. He ignored all of them as he reached down to his book bag and drew out a black, hardback, thick book. He paid no more attention to them as he began reading and knowing that he wasn't going to talk, the students slowly drifted away. During the next few hours, Kaiba, who was and still is the best student in the whole school, found himself impossible to concentrate. He continuously found his mind drifting off to wonder about Arielle. How was the kid doing? Was she keeping up with her classes? Did she get lost? Are older students ganging up on her? "Kaiba seems to be a different person ever since he's had Arielle." Yami said to Yugi inside his Millennium Puzzle. "What do you mean?" Yugi thought irritably, thinking Kaiba was still the jerk he was. "I can sense it," Yami's rich tone told him. "In a way, Kaiba is happier inside. He doesn't know it, but Arielle is the key to open his heart to the world." "Really?" "Watch him and you will see what I mean." So Yugi did watch Kaiba. He watched him the whole day. In a way, Kaiba was still Kaiba. The obnoxious jerk. But Yugi saw what Yami meant. Kaiba seemed...softer and much gentler in a way that no one can detect. There was a certain warmth reflecting from his glowing eyes whenever anybody in class mentions Arielle. He would look up from his book and his eyes would be far away. This was all very unlike Seto Kaiba. As soon as the school bell rang for dismissal, Kaiba could hardly keep himself from shooting from his seat like a bullet. He gathered his books and sprang from the classroom, barely acting like his old self, stiff backed and narrow eyed. "Guys, is it just me, or is Kaiba acting kinda weird?" Joey sauntered over to Yugi and Yami, who now separated himself from Yugi. "Yeah, he seems to be..." Téa looked like she was thinking up the word to match Kaiba. "Lighthearted and...I don't know, light." "Yeah." Ryou nodded, understanding what Téa meant. Light does seemed to be the only word that describes Kaiba now. All of a sudden, Ryou felt a particular sensation flowing inside of him. He sucked in his breath. Oh no. Not his Yami! With all of his strength, the Albino haired boy fought, but his darker self was way stronger than him. Bakura appeared beside him. "So," he forced himself to smile. "Kaiba is standing in the light now, huh?" "Yep." Tristan nodded, casting Bakura a suspicious look. Bakura nodded, a dark, sly smile shadowing his fine features. With a glow, his disappeared back into the Ring.