"Hey, kiddos, I'm going to be late. It's time for the both of you to get
up." Kaiba said as he tried to climb out of his bed. Unfortunate for him,
there were two stubborn bundles that would not move out of his way.
"No, it's time to go to sleep." Arielle murmured softly, still in her
dream realm.
"It's time to go to school." Kaiba said firmly as he climbed out of
bed.
"Seto," Arielle complained, half awaken by the cold air that just
drifted under the blankets at Kaiba's movements. "You are letting all the
cold air in."
"Yeah, it's cold." He saw Mokuba snuggle deeper into the sheets as he
pulled on his school uniform. "How can you stand not wearing a shirt, big
brother?"
"Because--" Kaiba looked out his window and was interrupted by a
blast of thunder. He could hear a silent squeal and turned around just in
time to see an Arielle figure sitting up in bed, under the sheets.
"Seto!" She wailed, pulling the sheet off. "You're not going to leave
me, are you?!"
"Arielle!" Kaiba said, exasperated. "We've got school today! It's
only a thunderstorm and you're going to be with a bunch of other students."
He reasoned.
"Yeah, Ushiro included." Arielle crossed her arms and said sulkily.
Then, her voice turned into a whine. "Seto." She begged. "Please.I don't
want to go to school today. What if Ushiro makes fun of me again? What if
he calls me a crybaby? What if--"
"If he dares to do any of that, I'll personally escort him to the
gates of hell." Kaiba said to himself menacingly. He then looked helplessly
at Arielle. Kaiba's never missed a day of school, only for the biggest
conferences at KaibaCorp. He never missed a day of school just because he
was sick or because he didn't feel like going. In fact, he was never even
late to school before. But another look at Arielle's big frightened eyes
and pale face with Mokuba's longing gaze, Kaiba cursed at himself for
softening up once again.
"Oh, what the heck." He muttered. "I've got to catch up on some work
at home anyway." But even as he called the school to excuse his and
Arielle's absence, he wondered exactly what the little girl had possessed
to change all the principles he had before.
"Yeah! No school!!!" Mokuba yelled from the background. He and
Arielle immediately were engaged in bouncing on the king-sized bed and
throwing the plump pillows around the room.
"Quiet, both of you!" Kaiba finally commanded the kids to go get
dressed. He himself changed from the uniform to some darker clothes and his
indigo trenchcoat. After a somewhat hazardous breakfast, Kaiba retired to
his office seeking for some peace and tranquility. He had never stayed at
home in the middle of the day before, even his weekends were spent in his
office at KaibaCorp. He actually was looking forward to enjoying a quiet
and cozy day spent in his office.
However, it wasn't even noon when he heard footsteps running in the
hallway, stopping in front of his office door. Then, without a warning, two
hyper youngsters burst into the room.
"Big brother! It's snowing!!!" Mokuba crowed, dancing around Kaiba's
desk. "It's snowing, it's snowing, it's snowing!"
"Yes, Mokuba, I can see that." Kaiba snapped, irritated. He was in
the perplexity of calculating the expenses of the KaibaCorp technology when
he was cut straight through the middle. Now he's got to start the
complicated chain of math all over again.
"Can we play in the snow, huh, Seto, can we, can we?" Arielle was
bouncing up and down on his black leather couch, hyper.
"Yeah, big brother, can we? Can we go outside and play with the
snow?!" Mokuba repeated.
"YES!" Kaiba finally exploded. "GO OUT AND PLAY WITH THE DARN SNOW
AND LEAVE ME ALONE IN PEACE!!!"
Oblivious to his annoyance, the two hyper puppies raced out of the
room screaming, "Me first, me first!!"
"Wait!" Kaiba remembered and hollered by the doorway. "Come back here
both of you! Do you hear me? Both of you put on your warmest jackets!"
"We will!" He heard them yell back.
"Oh, no, you won't." Kaiba muttered as he went downstairs
reluctantly, but he knew better than to trust two hyper children to keep
their words. It turned out that he almost had to wrestle the jackets on
Mokuba and Arielle. The kids were so eager to get out in the snow that it
was an impossible task to ask them to stand still when he was zipping up
their coats and buttoning up their snow boots.
"Okay, shoo." Kaiba was almost exhausted. Almost. But he was also
smart enough to get up and close the Kaiba Mansion door before the snowball
fight began.
Kaiba could hear shrieks of laughter and happy squeals as he
concentrated on his work in study.
"Come on, concentrate, Kaiba." He mumbled to himself. "What's wrong
with you? You're too old to go play in the snow and what will happen to
your corporation if you started acting like Mokuba now?" But deep down,
Kaiba knew he would always have a gnawing thirst for a childhood. A happy
childhood. A childhood worth remembering and bragging about. He had grown
up too fast. Right after their parents died, his happy childhood had died
right with it. Teens his age now are suppose to be having the time of their
lives: hanging out with friends, partying, dating, and maybe even spending
time with their parents.
Parents.
The word sliced Kaiba like a knife through the heart. This was the
period of time when kids need their parents the most, to look up to, for
them to support you, to be there for you.
To love you.
Well, isn't that sweet now, Kaiba thought bittersweetly. Sixteen-year-old
and you're a parent yourself. Running your own company, living in a
mansion, and have your hands full with two crazily insane six and ten-year
olds. Kaiba knew he should be proud of himself, but at that moment, he
wasn't.
He wasn't happy nor proud at all.
I should be out there, he thought regretfully, with a childish longing that
he couldn't help having, as he looked out the window to the thick snow
carpeted landscape. I should be out there throwing snowballs and making
snowmen myself. Then, realization hit him like a slap in the face. I'm only
a kid myself. I haven't grown up at all. I mean, I have the responsibly of
a grown up, but I'm still just a kid in my heart. I'm suppose to still be
innocent and naïve right now, like.
Kaiba turned sharply away from the window. Like Yugi. He thought bitterly.
The thought almost made him throw up. Yugi was probably playing in the snow
with the rest of his loser friends right now. Like he'd ever want to join
that. He would rather die first than to lower himself by playing in the
snow like Yugi and his friends. Who knows, that dork Joey might just be
making a snow Chihuahua right this moment.
He abruptly went back to his work, working furiously on improving his
VirtualPod. I'm Seto Kaiba, he reminded himself as he worked. I'm sixteen
and I'm the CEO of my own multi-international high tech corporation. I'm
the youngest billionaire and the most successful businessman on the earth.
I'm the world champion of Duel Monsters. And I DO NOT play in the snow!
He didn't know how long he was buried in his work, all he remembered was he
looked up hours later. It was all silent. Very silent. But something was
wrong. Kaiba could feel his heart began to pump faster. It wasn't just
silence. The wind was howling and the snow splattered against the
windowpane violently.
But there were no voices. No voices of the children laughing and playing. A
choke was strangled in his throat as he looked out the window.
Outside was no longer a small snowfall. It was a snowstorm. No. To be more
accurate, it was a blizzard.
Mokuba and Arielle.
"Mokuba?!" He whispered, then, "MOKUBA!" He ran down the stairs like a
maniac and threw the door open. "Oh, my God."
The division a foot away from the door was a different world. It was a
world of white, swirling, bone-chilling snow blizzard. The once clear
afternoon sky was now gray and getting darker. Kaiba couldn't see his own
hands in front of his eyes. But right now, it doesn't matter to Kaiba if it
was a different world. He stepped away from the door and walked forcefully
against the screaming wind.
"Mokuba!" He yelled above the howling. They must not have noticed the
serious condition until it was too late to get back home safely, after all,
Kaiba Mansion had a huge landscape, and they could have been anywhere.
"Arielle!" His baritone voice was easily lost in the mist of whirling
snowflakes, which made it a miracle and almost made his heart stop when he
heard a little whisper, barely audible, "Seto."
"Mokuba?! Where are you?!" Kaiba cried, turning around. The directions the
gust was going make it difficult to tell where exactly the voice came from.
"Come on, kiddo, don't loose me now!" He ordered, sounding stern, in spite
of the blood pumping in his ear, hoping it would inspire Mokuba to reveal
where his location was once more. "Answer me NOW!" He barked harshly.
"Here, big brother." Kaiba's head snapped around at the voice of his little
brother.
"Hold on, Kid, hold on." He ordained as he dropped to his knees in the
frozen snow and began digging around the wild head of jet-black hair. His
knuckles were soon bloody and raw from the sharp ice, but he barely
noticed. "Come on, Mokuba," Kaiba shook his little brother as soon as he
was out of the snow. Kaiba's heart sank when he saw his little brother.
Mokuba's lips were blue and his skin was a sickly ashen. "Stay awake!" He
said roughly as he took off his trenchcoat to wrap around Mokuba's stiff
body. "We're almost home."
"I'm s-so c-c-cold, b-big br-brother." Mokuba whimpered as his teeth began
chattering uncontrollably.
"Shhh, I know, just hold on a minute, we're almost home." Kaiba soothed,
hoping that he was going the right way to the door of Kaiba Mansion. As he
staggered in the thigh-height snow, Kaiba suddenly remember.
Arielle! Where was she?
It's too late, Kaiba thought grimly. The blizzard was getting worse and the
sky was darkening into a dark gray by now. Besides there's still Mokuba. He
doesn't know if his brother's life is endangered right now. He couldn't
risk the chance of Mokuba dying to look for Arielle. Kaiba felt a lead
weight settle inside him, suffocating him.
"Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up. Everything will be alright."
Kaiba said, more to convince himself than Mokuba. Everything has to be all
right, it just has to. Kaiba screamed silently. I can't loose Arielle, I
won't! I refuse! He remembered the heart-ripping time when their parents
died. The pain had been so bad that Kaiba almost didn't make it through.
That's one of the reasons why he became distant to the world. The more you
love, the more you would hurt. He silently reminded himself. Remember what
I told you when you first adopted Arielle? Now what are you going to do if
she--
"She won't die!" Kaiba whispered ferociously through clenched teeth,
cutting through the thought. "I won't let her!"
Kaiba busied himself as he built a fire in the fireplace and wrapped Mokuba
in a huge, heavy blanket. As he proceeded in rubbing the blood back into
his little brother's circulation, he looked outside. It was worse than ever
and there was no way in hell that Arielle could be found in this condition.
What do I do now? Come on, Kaiba, you've always had an idea before. You've always known what to do, don't fail yourself now! Kaiba rubbed Mokuba's limp, cold hands viciously and in short time, Mokuba's blood circulation returned to its normal rate. Soon, the only sound in the room was the sparkles of the fire and Mokuba's deep breathing. After checking for the fifth time to make sure his little brother was really okay, Kaiba headed for the phone. "Hello?" He said after dialing a number. "This is Seto Kaiba speaking, I need an helicopter group to search my property immediately." His dark blue eyes snapped as an answer was returned to him. "What do you mean the snow storm is too wild to send a helicopter to air? Listen here, somebody really important to me is missing and I want her found immediately!" He listened for another minute, then slammed the phone down. "They dare to reject Seto Kaiba," He muttered, pacing back and forth. "Well, I'll make their lives miserable as soon as I'm able to move! What kind of team is that that they can't move out in a snow blizzard?" But deep inside of him, Kaiba knew that it wouldn't help to sue anybody. The snowstorm is too big. It was up so Arielle herself. While on the other hand, this was a battle between life and death, on the other hand, it was a test to see exactly how strong her love was for Seto Kaiba.
Meanwhile. "No," a whimper came from a small figure as she battled her way through the snow that's as high as her head. "I'm so tired." She whispered, her teeth chattering irrepressibly. Then, she set her teeth, "I will not fall asleep! In fact, I will not even feel tired!!" She told herself forcefully. But even her small brain could comprehend that she would not last much longer in the storm. If she couldn't find the Kaiba Mansion door, then she'd have to seek shelter. But seeking for a shelter was an impossible task for a six-year-old, especially when she couldn't see an inch in front of her. "Mommy." She whimpered again. "Where are you? Seto, please help me." Then she set her heart again as her vein burned with renewed aspiration at the mention of Seto Kaiba. She took another heavy step, then another, and another. She hadn't gone very far, considering the vexatious snow and her tiny supply of strength, but she was already exhausted. One more step, she silently prodded herself. Just one more step. That one step proved to be the step that inspired her to finish her journey to home. With a cry, Arielle found herself hurled into a deep ditch. She lay there, silently sobbing. She's never going to make it home. Never. She'd never see Seto or Mokuba again. She could just see tomorrow, her stiff body would be found and there would be a funeral, while her soul watches down from the heaven. Finally, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her knee. The tears that were silently falling quickly froze onto her cheeks, making the pain unbearable, like a thousand little needles stabbing her skin. Maybe it won't be so bad, curl up and die. Let the cold conquer her body. "Mokuba." She sobbed quietly. "Seto." As she sat sobbing, she saw a blue flash from the corner of her eyes lying in the snow. She was too drained to dig it out of the snow, but soon curiosity's gravity allured her toward it. She leaned over and dusted the snow off the surface. She stared at what lied in the snow. Blue-Eye-White-Dragon Every since the day Kaiba had lend her the card, she had kept it close to her, never loosing sight of it. Because when the Blue-Eye-White-Dragon was close to her heart, she knew Seto Kaiba was too. He'd never fail her. The Blue-Eye-White-Dragon seems to be challenging her. Challenging her determination to reach home and her love for the Kaiba brothers. "Seto." She whispered breathlessly. New inspiration filled up her heart. Seto was with her. He had been along with her the whole time. He loves her, he would be waiting for her to come home. Her breaths were getting more and more shallow and Arielle could feel herself starting to struggle for every breath. She doesn't know what's wrong, but she knew enough to know that it couldn't be good. Arielle fought to get on her feet. She's going to home. She's going to make it, no matter what. She's NOT going to let Seto down. She's NOT going to loose a family that loves her when she's only found them. She was lucky enough to find them, now she's NOT going to loose them. She's most certainly NOT going to let this chance and opportunity to slip through her fingers.
"Oh Lord, where is she?" Kaiba muttered again as he paced back and forth in the living room. Lines of fatigue etched his finely featured face and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. Mokuba was now awaken and was sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace. Kaiba was sure if Arielle hadn't been missing, Mokuba would have been so content to be spending time with his big brother that he would probably be roasting marshmallows by now too. "Come on, Arielle, you can make it through this." Kaiba mumbled to convince himself. "Seto." He heard Mokuba's small voice from the fireplace. "What?" Kaiba whirled around. Besides being a little cold, Mokuba was fine. Kaiba was just lucky that they'd found each other so quick. But Arielle hadn't been this lucky. She's out there, alone, fending for herself against the vicious and roaring of the monstrous blizzard, which is threatening to split them apart. And the worst part was, He couldn't do anything to stop it.
While Kaiba was inside the house, watching his little brother and worrying, Arielle was walking outside, her strength renewed and adrenaline flooding through her vein, though she was still overly worn out. Besides battling for each breath, she was now also coughing and hacking, racking her small body with harsh coughs. "You're almost there, Arielle." She coached herself as her small figure moved through the deep snow. To her, the storm doesn't seem so ferocious anymore and the sky doesn't look so dark. In due time, she had developed a pattern for her feet. Several times, she fell so deeply that she was almost convinced that she couldn't go on. But every time that happens, she would see the Blue-Eye-White-Dragon card, staring up at her and challenging her love for Mokuba and Seto. Then she would struggle to stand up and go on once again. After tramping around the snow for what seemed like forever, Arielle finally saw the most welcoming sight she's ever seen that she almost started crying. She crawled up the large marble steps of Kaiba Mansion entrance on her stomach because her feet had been so frozen that it was just too painful to walk on. And with the last of her strength, Arielle threw herself against the door, hoping that Kaiba could distinguish her knock from the pounding of the storm. All at once, the door flew open, and a shaft of light fell across Arielle's face. She weakly curled up tighter on the step. Feebly, she felt and welcomed the strong arms drag her across the threshold. When the door slammed shut, blotting out the storm's constant roar, she knew she was safe. "Oh my God, Arielle!" Kaiba gasped in disbelief at the figure curled on the ground. Then, his protective instinct took over. "Let me get her coat off. Mokuba, you bring brandy and blankets and heap more wood into the fire." "A-Arielle," Mokuba babbled. "Is she all right?" He had raced over as soon as Kaiba's long strides reached the door and flung it open. "She'll be fine." Kaiba answered comfortingly, but firmly. "Now, scoot." He hustled gently. He could see and feel Arielle relish the warmth, safety, and love she felt surrounding her. He immediately began to set on drying her. He rubbed her blood circulation from her aching little hands until he could feel them return to normal and he wrapped her in layers of blankets before he left to help Mokuba get the brandy. He returned with the bottle in his hands and dropped to the floor on his knees, pulling Arielle into his lap. Bundled in warm nightgowns and robes, she was seated before the fire, and Kaiba forced brandy down her throat. Arielle sputtered and coughed, but the fiery liquid coursed through her body and down to her toes, warming her. "S-Seto--" She coughed. "I-I love you." Her voice was hoarse and she was still coughing. "Shhh." Kaiba soothed, forcing another sip of brandy down her throat. He felt a lump in his own throat. So close, and she could have been dead. "I almost lost you, kid." He whispered so that it was only audible to his own ears. Arielle fell into a peaceful sleep, but what she didn't know was how guilty Kaiba felt for not being able to say "I love you" back.
What do I do now? Come on, Kaiba, you've always had an idea before. You've always known what to do, don't fail yourself now! Kaiba rubbed Mokuba's limp, cold hands viciously and in short time, Mokuba's blood circulation returned to its normal rate. Soon, the only sound in the room was the sparkles of the fire and Mokuba's deep breathing. After checking for the fifth time to make sure his little brother was really okay, Kaiba headed for the phone. "Hello?" He said after dialing a number. "This is Seto Kaiba speaking, I need an helicopter group to search my property immediately." His dark blue eyes snapped as an answer was returned to him. "What do you mean the snow storm is too wild to send a helicopter to air? Listen here, somebody really important to me is missing and I want her found immediately!" He listened for another minute, then slammed the phone down. "They dare to reject Seto Kaiba," He muttered, pacing back and forth. "Well, I'll make their lives miserable as soon as I'm able to move! What kind of team is that that they can't move out in a snow blizzard?" But deep inside of him, Kaiba knew that it wouldn't help to sue anybody. The snowstorm is too big. It was up so Arielle herself. While on the other hand, this was a battle between life and death, on the other hand, it was a test to see exactly how strong her love was for Seto Kaiba.
Meanwhile. "No," a whimper came from a small figure as she battled her way through the snow that's as high as her head. "I'm so tired." She whispered, her teeth chattering irrepressibly. Then, she set her teeth, "I will not fall asleep! In fact, I will not even feel tired!!" She told herself forcefully. But even her small brain could comprehend that she would not last much longer in the storm. If she couldn't find the Kaiba Mansion door, then she'd have to seek shelter. But seeking for a shelter was an impossible task for a six-year-old, especially when she couldn't see an inch in front of her. "Mommy." She whimpered again. "Where are you? Seto, please help me." Then she set her heart again as her vein burned with renewed aspiration at the mention of Seto Kaiba. She took another heavy step, then another, and another. She hadn't gone very far, considering the vexatious snow and her tiny supply of strength, but she was already exhausted. One more step, she silently prodded herself. Just one more step. That one step proved to be the step that inspired her to finish her journey to home. With a cry, Arielle found herself hurled into a deep ditch. She lay there, silently sobbing. She's never going to make it home. Never. She'd never see Seto or Mokuba again. She could just see tomorrow, her stiff body would be found and there would be a funeral, while her soul watches down from the heaven. Finally, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her knee. The tears that were silently falling quickly froze onto her cheeks, making the pain unbearable, like a thousand little needles stabbing her skin. Maybe it won't be so bad, curl up and die. Let the cold conquer her body. "Mokuba." She sobbed quietly. "Seto." As she sat sobbing, she saw a blue flash from the corner of her eyes lying in the snow. She was too drained to dig it out of the snow, but soon curiosity's gravity allured her toward it. She leaned over and dusted the snow off the surface. She stared at what lied in the snow. Blue-Eye-White-Dragon Every since the day Kaiba had lend her the card, she had kept it close to her, never loosing sight of it. Because when the Blue-Eye-White-Dragon was close to her heart, she knew Seto Kaiba was too. He'd never fail her. The Blue-Eye-White-Dragon seems to be challenging her. Challenging her determination to reach home and her love for the Kaiba brothers. "Seto." She whispered breathlessly. New inspiration filled up her heart. Seto was with her. He had been along with her the whole time. He loves her, he would be waiting for her to come home. Her breaths were getting more and more shallow and Arielle could feel herself starting to struggle for every breath. She doesn't know what's wrong, but she knew enough to know that it couldn't be good. Arielle fought to get on her feet. She's going to home. She's going to make it, no matter what. She's NOT going to let Seto down. She's NOT going to loose a family that loves her when she's only found them. She was lucky enough to find them, now she's NOT going to loose them. She's most certainly NOT going to let this chance and opportunity to slip through her fingers.
"Oh Lord, where is she?" Kaiba muttered again as he paced back and forth in the living room. Lines of fatigue etched his finely featured face and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. Mokuba was now awaken and was sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace. Kaiba was sure if Arielle hadn't been missing, Mokuba would have been so content to be spending time with his big brother that he would probably be roasting marshmallows by now too. "Come on, Arielle, you can make it through this." Kaiba mumbled to convince himself. "Seto." He heard Mokuba's small voice from the fireplace. "What?" Kaiba whirled around. Besides being a little cold, Mokuba was fine. Kaiba was just lucky that they'd found each other so quick. But Arielle hadn't been this lucky. She's out there, alone, fending for herself against the vicious and roaring of the monstrous blizzard, which is threatening to split them apart. And the worst part was, He couldn't do anything to stop it.
While Kaiba was inside the house, watching his little brother and worrying, Arielle was walking outside, her strength renewed and adrenaline flooding through her vein, though she was still overly worn out. Besides battling for each breath, she was now also coughing and hacking, racking her small body with harsh coughs. "You're almost there, Arielle." She coached herself as her small figure moved through the deep snow. To her, the storm doesn't seem so ferocious anymore and the sky doesn't look so dark. In due time, she had developed a pattern for her feet. Several times, she fell so deeply that she was almost convinced that she couldn't go on. But every time that happens, she would see the Blue-Eye-White-Dragon card, staring up at her and challenging her love for Mokuba and Seto. Then she would struggle to stand up and go on once again. After tramping around the snow for what seemed like forever, Arielle finally saw the most welcoming sight she's ever seen that she almost started crying. She crawled up the large marble steps of Kaiba Mansion entrance on her stomach because her feet had been so frozen that it was just too painful to walk on. And with the last of her strength, Arielle threw herself against the door, hoping that Kaiba could distinguish her knock from the pounding of the storm. All at once, the door flew open, and a shaft of light fell across Arielle's face. She weakly curled up tighter on the step. Feebly, she felt and welcomed the strong arms drag her across the threshold. When the door slammed shut, blotting out the storm's constant roar, she knew she was safe. "Oh my God, Arielle!" Kaiba gasped in disbelief at the figure curled on the ground. Then, his protective instinct took over. "Let me get her coat off. Mokuba, you bring brandy and blankets and heap more wood into the fire." "A-Arielle," Mokuba babbled. "Is she all right?" He had raced over as soon as Kaiba's long strides reached the door and flung it open. "She'll be fine." Kaiba answered comfortingly, but firmly. "Now, scoot." He hustled gently. He could see and feel Arielle relish the warmth, safety, and love she felt surrounding her. He immediately began to set on drying her. He rubbed her blood circulation from her aching little hands until he could feel them return to normal and he wrapped her in layers of blankets before he left to help Mokuba get the brandy. He returned with the bottle in his hands and dropped to the floor on his knees, pulling Arielle into his lap. Bundled in warm nightgowns and robes, she was seated before the fire, and Kaiba forced brandy down her throat. Arielle sputtered and coughed, but the fiery liquid coursed through her body and down to her toes, warming her. "S-Seto--" She coughed. "I-I love you." Her voice was hoarse and she was still coughing. "Shhh." Kaiba soothed, forcing another sip of brandy down her throat. He felt a lump in his own throat. So close, and she could have been dead. "I almost lost you, kid." He whispered so that it was only audible to his own ears. Arielle fell into a peaceful sleep, but what she didn't know was how guilty Kaiba felt for not being able to say "I love you" back.