MnS: Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but now that I've had a day off of school, I'm ready and raring to write a nice long chapter!

Seto: Great. Just freekin' great.

MnS: :P Do the disclaimer Seto-kun!

Seto: -_-' Megami no Shi doesn't own Yu-gi-oh.

MnS: Thanx!! ^_^

Seto: -_-'

MnS: Oh, and before I forget, thanx to all of you reviewers. Anya (Dragon Master's Mistress' Yami) thanx much for the kind word!! Oh, and Broken Void-End of Infinity? This chapter is for you, because I DUN WANNA DIE!! ^^;; Lol. Now, Onto the fic!!

Chapter 4: It's the same old routine … or is it?

//

Mother is here, with you forever……

//

When he woke next, it was to the same gentle voice belonging to the young brunette girl.

"Seto-san? Wake up. I know it's a bit early, but you have to get up; we've a big day today." Seto blinked and sat up , completely awake within seconds. He never was a "morning person", but then, he never was an "afternoon person" or a "night person" either, and so, he was in his normal "get the hell away from me" mode. Smiling a him, Sasha lead the way back to Mokuba's room, not that he needed to be shown. She hadn't yet woken the raven haired boy, but soon Seto had that taken care of, and they were off……

……The morning was really uneventful. They sat at a table in one of the kitchens and had pancakes, which Sasha had cooked because she had told them that most of the cooks had off on Saturday and Sunday, save when dinner was made, when each of the four worked one of the Saturdays and one of the Sundays per month.

After they had eaten, they had all taken showers, dressed, and left for the mall in the convertible black Diablo that they had traveled in the day previous. Seto really, really hated shopping anywhere, any time, under any circumstance. He found nothing interesting in it at all, and it was simply a miserable experience of pulling clothes on and off a million times so that one could take maybe a dozen articles home if that. Completely inefficient and pointless if you asked him. But, since we're not asking him, let's get on with the story, shall we? ^_^ (Seto: HEY!)

Getting to the huge shopping complex, Sasha finds a parking space after a few minutes, and parking, lets them all out with a smile. Her sweater today was a pale lime green, and she wore a pair of comfortable looking black slacks with the same comfortable white sneakers she had worn in the winter. Making it into the mall, she immediately steered a course towards JC Penny, in which case she went directly to the boy's department, not window shopping for herself and making no detours. Almost as if she didn't like shopping either. Her pace wasn't fast; Mokuba could easily keep up, but she did seem to know exactly where she was going and she didn't seem to want to do any access looking.

Once there, she told them they could look around as they wanted, and if they found something, to tell her, and she would carry it for them so that they could continue looking. Seto vaguely looked around, though he was bored out of his mind, and spotted a navy colored sweater that he thought was ok, and, rather than make this total trip a waste, went and picked up a medium in it, testing a sleeve to see that it would fit well enough. Carrying the hanger with the shirt on it, he picked up a few more things that he thought looked alright, though he didn't really looking, and he went to find Sasha to see how she was fairing with Mokuba.[1]

Finding the brunette looking thoroughly amused at the little black haired boy, Seto saw that he was zooming around in an insane bought of energy, looking at everything and touching even more. Sasha was holding six pairs of pants and roughly ten shirts, and Mouba added and added and added, more-so ecstatic that he could have new things than that he couldn't live without all of the clothes. An hour later, Mokuba was all energied-out, and by that time, he had exchanged things and added, and taken things away from Sasha and zoomed about, knocking over more than one mannequin because he was just having a great time. It was actually almost comical; Seto had smiled a few times at his brother's antics, while Sasha had openly giggled at his activities.

Then, Sasha went to pay for everything that they had picked out, which totally consisted of 16 pairs of pants, six pairs of shoes, and some twenty-odd shirts. Seto didn't see the price, but because they were in a department store, he could only imagine. Leaving there, the next stop was surprisingly, Lowes. At this, Seto questioned her, and she replied,

"I told you that your rooms really aren't personalized; all they are are white on cherry-mahogany. You can pick whatever you like to decorate your bedrooms, and we'll work on them together; I thought it would be more fun than having someone do it for us." Saying nothing more, they followed her into the store, and then, started off………

…….that was three years ago, and things have gone well since then. Seto blinked slightly awake, and stared at the blue of the pillowcase, reminiscing about the past three years…

This is pretty much how it went every day of the five day week: In the mornings, the three ate breakfast together, sometimes joining some of the other hired help if they were up at six o'clock. Then, Gozobaru took the prompt hours of 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to teach Seto, and so, around 7:00 am was when they showered, and dressed. Then, Sasha, Mokuba, and Seto all went to Gozobaru's study/office/library. From there, Sasha and Mokuba would go to either her small side office that was through a very thin door, or they would sit somewhere out of the way in Gozobaru's workshop, if that's where they happened to be working, and Sasha would teach Mokuba as a tutor, rather than send him off to public school.

For some reason, Seto had noticed, Sasha was always within earshot if Seto was working with Gozobaru, though he couldn't understand why. Sure, the man was callous and strict, but Seto did everything he was told, if only for Sasha to thank her for getting them out of that god-awful orphanage. After lunch at noon, there was more teaching/learning. Then, from 3:00 to 6:30 was do anything you want time.

At this point in time, they were more than sick of sitting still and learning things, and so now as a time to stretch their legs and just plain have fun. Sasha would always stay and hang out with them, letting them do anything they wanted to, no matter what it was, as long as it wasn't dangerous or illegal or something (A/N: ^_^;;;). As far as both of the boys and Sasha were concerned, it was the best time of the day. They did everything from ice skating to swimming, to horseback riding…… in the summer time, they would sometimes go to Sasha's garden; the one that she grew and tended herself, and just hang out under the big shady trees and talked. Most of the time, Mokuba ended up falling asleep, and Sasha and Seto just laid under the tree they happened to choose to sit under and didn't talk; were just content to be among friends. In the winter, when they couldn't really go outside everyday, they'd lay in front of the fire in one of the libraries and read books to each other and had fun, simply making each other laugh and being carefree, as children should be.

Then, at six-thirty was when they ate dinner, though Gozobaru never joined them for any meetings other than Seto's schooling. Then from about seven to eight thirty (unless Sasha had to go to a dinner party with Gozobaru), they would spend time winding down and just relaxing; none of them really watched television, though there were a good number of them in the house. They just sat and talked or read or played a game or did light studying if Seto or Mokuba had some trouble with a particular part of their schooling. From about eight-thirty to nine was bathing and getting pajamas on, and at nine, Seto would read Mokuba's a few chapters of a book before whishing him a goodnight and Sasha tucking the younger Kaiba brother in. Then, Sasha would walk Seto to his room where she would wait for him to get in bed, then pull the blankets up for him. After that, every day for Seto would end with her saying,

"I know I'm not your mother, but someone has to tuck you in, right?" then, she would smile, tap him on the nose, kiss his forehead, and say,

"Oyasumi-nasai, Seto-san. Kokochiyoi yume." And he would repeatedly respond with,

"Good night Sasha." And roll over as she stood, exiting his room and closing the door behind her after flicking off the light. Sometimes Seto would wake up and find her in the same office as always, doing some kind of work, though she always got him to go back to bed before she did, no matter how determined he was to stay awake with her, just to see how much sleep she really got. That was how everyday went for 3 entire years, and every day, Sasha became more and more of a mother to them in any way she could, and both Kaiba boys loved her greatly for it. Today however, we'll see how one small thing can rock the orbit of everything that seemed to be set in stone……

Seto yawned slightly and sat up. It was five-fifty seven; Sasha would be in in exactly three minutes. As predicted, she was, and the day started off as normal. Eat at six. Dress at seven. At eight, lessons. Noon, lunch. And then, the second set of lessons came. For some reason, this afternoon, Gozobaru was more irritable than usual, and for some reason, Seto could not wire the circuitry in the mainframe section that he was building for the new master computer at Kaiba Corp. Finally, after taking out, re-adjusting and wiring 16 times on the same base board plate, the eldest Kiba got fed up with Seto. Considering that he was only 12 (he'd turn 13 the next day), he was doing very well, although, Gozobaru didn't even consider his age; he was absolutely furious.

After yelling at Seto countless times for his seeming 'incompetence', he was about to strike the brunette, as had happened before, and as had always happened, Sasha seemed to appear from nowhere and intervened quietly, this time with,

"K-kaiba-sama? P-please don't. He's trying his very best; he really is. P-perhaps if you taught him complex circuitry a different way -."

"Fine then," growled the looming man, as he always did when he was this fed up with the brunette and Sasha interceded, "You teach him how to." So, Sasha leaned down next to Seto, and 10 minutes later, stood back up and said,

"M-master? May I be permitted back to teaching Mokuba-san?" Gozobaru glared pointedly at her, and she visibly shook, and as always, practically bolted out of the room and back to the small office she was tutoring Mokuba in today. Seto shrugged it off; she usually got there before Gozobaru had a chance to strike him. He had only truly been cuffed by the owner of Kaiba corporation once, and that was because he had refused to listen to Sasha's pleas one day……

Later, around 4:00, while Mokuba and Seto were playing in Mokuba's game room a 2 player arcade game and Sasha was cheering them on, blue turtle neck stretching to accommodate for her jumping up and down, a voice came over the loudspeaker,

"Sasha; East wing office. Now." Gozobaru. Whenever Sasha had protested his teaching methods, Gozobaru had called Sasha down to his East Wing office, Seto thought most likely for a word of reprimand. She stopped what she was doing, said that she was going to be back soon, and then, had left, as always. But today, a few minutes later, Mokuba said to his brother,

"Sasha told me how to work this, but I can't remember." He was holding a new toy that Seto had never seen before; he would need Sasha's instruction on how to work it.

"I'll go find her Mokuba; you can play something else while I'm gone." said Seto, leaving the room. He didn't think Gozobaru would mind that much if he asked Sasha a question while he was scolding her; it would only take a second, and it's not like he'd really be disturbing them. Walking to the East Wing, he decided that that's most likely where Sasha was, because she had only left a few minutes before he had. Making it to the door where he knew Gozobaru's office to be, he was about to knock on the partially open door, when he heard Gozobaru yell in quite an angry tone,

"You're going to wish you never made that deal to accept those boys. And interfering with my teaching again? Will you never learn? You'll again get what he would have had you left us be. I'll finish with you later; midnight as always." SLAP! Icy eyes widening, the 13-year-old looked into the room through the crack of the door that was partially open, and when he saw shocked him to the core. Sasha stood, back to him, but she was not wearing the turtle neck she had had on previously; she wore a thin cotton tank top of the same color as the cobalt turtleneck. But, he was gaping at the skin that he was seeing for the first time ever.

There were scars and bruises and lacerations covering her arms from her shoulders to a few inches below her elbows, and they were all over her neck and what Seto could see of her back. This is why she wore a turtle neck all of the time; she didn't want anyone to know about it. Oh my gods……thought Seto, remembering the many times that she had stuck up for him when Gozobaru was angry enough to hit him. Another hard slap landed on her face, snapping her head to the side sharply. Then, he told her to go.

With that, Sasha picked up her turtle neck from somewhere that Seto couldn't see from his spot and turned as if to leave. Seto was surprised however, that not a tear looked even detectable flickering in her eyes, though he could see red rivers running down her arms in a few places, telling him that Gozobaru had recently assaulted her. He had never, ever seen her cry, no matter what had happened to her.

Then, he quickly ran down the hall and stood around the corner. A second later, the brunette woman re-entered the hallway and walked towards the spying 12 year old, and then, into a door on the opposite side of the hall. When Seto tiptoed past the closed door, blue trench coat billowing slightly (Sasha had given it to him for his eleventh birthday, and it was his favorite coat), he heard the sound of running water and a hitch of breath before he walked swiftly past, making his way back to Mokuba's game room……

……For the rest of the day, Seto was preoccupied with this new knowledge he had acquired, so much so that numerous times, he was asked if he was alright by both Sasha and Mokuba. He had always answered that he was fine, but then, he would always see Sasha looking at him out of the corner of his eye, a concerned, sort of, suspicious look in those gold-hued eyes. Besides that, however, the rest of the day went on as always; until bedtime that is.

"I know I'm not your mother, but someone has to tuck you in, right?" Sasha said in routine, pulling the blue comforter up for him. But, before she could complete the ritual and tap him on the nose, Seto asked,

"Sasha?" A bit startled because he almost never interrupted their nightly ceremony, she blinked her clear gold eyes once before saying,

"Yes Seto-san? What's up" She sat down on the edge of his bed gently, something she had never before dared to attempt, and waited for the 12-almost-13-year-old to finish what he wanted.

"You wouldn't lie to me. Ever. Right?" He asked. He chose his words carefully, so that she wouldn't be able to figure out what he was talking about until he chose for her to become aware of it. She nodded and said,

"Yes, you're right. I'd never tell you a lie or half truth; only the whole truth. What brought that question about Seto-san?" he took a slight breath, trying to figure out how to ask her about what he had seen without her knowing that he had been unintentionally spying on her. Finally, he said,

"I was wondering, why do you always wear long sleeved turtle necks and long pants and skirts? I've never seen you wear anything other than long sleeves, high collars, and long skirts, and I can't conceive why you do that, no matter what the temperature or what we're doing." Eyes dampening, she closed the honey drops for a moment and sighed tiredly, trembling just slightly, almost unnoticeably, and her slim fingers clenched the thick blue comforter slightly. Seto heard her mutter something that he was sure she didn't want him to hear; she muttered almost unintelligibly, 'I knew this day would come…and I put off coming up with how to explain it…' Finally though, she looked up at him and her eyes, though cloudy with a mist of tears, were some how clear, and full of what could be called remorse; sadness.

"I…I can't give you that answer because I will never lie to you Seto. I'm sorry; no one can discover it, and I will not tell stories to explain it. Just know that it is not something that I can tell freely." She said, kissing him gently on the forehead. She left quickly, only a bare utterance of the words,

"Kokochiyoi yume." Was all Seto heard as the room was left empty and the light was left on……

Startling awake, Seto wondered what woke him. Looking at the clock, he saw that it read 12:10. Now, this wouldn't have fazed the child if he hadn't remembered something that Gozobaru had said. "I'll finish with you later; midnight as always." Was what Gozobaru had said to Sasha that afternoon. Then, a strange sound caught his attention. It almost sounded like a yelp, but not quite. Somehow, different. Slipping out of bed, the brunette, forever curious, decided that that's what woke him, and so, wanted to know what it was.

Prowling down the hallway after he slipped on his navy blue trench coat, (he really, really liked it.), he went in the direction that he thought the sound came from. But, when he heard it again, it seemed to come from the other direction, and so, a bit annoyed that his hears weren't as good as he thought they were, he turned around and started in the other direction, passing his room again and taking his digital watch with him on a whim.

Continuing in the Easterly direction that he heard the sound coming from, he turned down the stairs on the South Wing, thinking that it had come from below him when he heard it again. But, as he got there, instinct told him that he had come the wrong way, and so, he went back up the stairs and continued down the hall. By now, it was about twenty after midnight, and he was still a bit far from the sound. Ten minutes later, however, he was on the West wing heading North, and he was very pleased with himself, because he seemed to be closing in on whatever was making that sound. Continuing down the hall a bit farther, and he found himself only a few doors from where he thought the sound came from, when a door opened a small way down the hall and slammed. Diving behind a potted plant that was about twice his size, Seto held his breath as the person walked past his hiding place, and as he kept going, Seto saw that it was indeed Gozobaru Kaiba. Puzzling about this, he continued down the hall and opened the door that the elder Kaiba had come out of, it having bounced back instead of closing from the force of the slam, and it wasn't closed all the way.

Blinking in the darkness that shrouded the room, not helped by the blackness of the hallway he entered from, he had to wait for his eyes to adjust before he could see what was in the room. What he saw however, made his mouth drop and froze him dead in his tracks……

TBC…

Seto: So, what did I see?

MnS: I thought you HATED this story and didn't want me to finish it.

Seto: I do hate it, and I don't want you to finish it, but I do want to know what I saw.

MnS: Nope, not until I get some more reviews!

KnH: R'n'R to find out what's going on!

Footnotes:

1 - See, this is before he's all control-freakish about Mokuba, which does eventually get explained in this fic, you'll just have to wait for it…^_^