- = Chapter 2: Welcome to the Mansion! = -
As the gates of the mansion drew nearer, Serenity felt a feeling of terror. She was shaking noticeably now, and Kaiba could sense she was scared. Still, Serenity said nothing, and Kaiba's sneer only grew wider as they were given passage into the giant building Seto called home. Serenity was escorted out of the car by the kind driver, followed by Kaiba. He waived the man off and he sped away from the mansion. Serenity began to feel frightened with no other presence there, but she bravely entered the large doors of the Kaiba residence.
"Follow me," he said coldly, not even bothering to look Serenity into the eyes. Serenity nodded obediently, following closely behind him. They eventually made their way into a grand bedroom, decorated with velvet curtains and carpentry, but with a small, petite bed that just didn't seem to fit in with the fancy décor.
"You will sleep here tonight," he said, expecting no retort (even though Serenity had half a mind to argue about that), and getting none. Kaiba's plan had already spun into motion..
"Sir, I have none of my sleepwear, or things.." she said slowly, after a long silence had passed.
Kaiba turned his uncaring eyes on Serenity, and smirked his usual evil sneer.
"That isn't my problem, now is it? You will go make lunch now. My brother is at school right now, so need to make for more than one.." Luckily, Serenity had eaten a big lunch followed by ice cream with the gang. She sighed slightly, knowing he had already won without argument, and hurried to the kitchen, her mind focused on her duties. Kaiba's mind, however, began to wander..
'She definitely is one of the prettier ones who have applied for this job.. although that's not saying much..'
Kaiba shook himself roughly, slightly shocked by his own thoughts.
'She's a simple servant, and nothing more.. she will be gone by tomorrow, her will shall be broken into tiny pieces by then.. I can't wait to see her pathetic little tears..'
Strangely, in the 20 minutes he had spent daydreaming (if you could call it that) he already smelled something coming from the kitchen, leaning his head outside the door to get a better whiff of the scent.
'That smells like.. sushi?! How did she know..? My nose must deceive me..'
Kaiba rushed down the elegant crystal stairways, hoping the girl had burned something instead so he could rush his cruel process along. Instead, he was greeted by a warm smile coming from a caring face, setting the table for only him, putting it in the exact order Seto liked, using his favorite plate and placing it by his favorite chair. Serenity ran into Kaiba in her haste to get lunch on the table, and appeared slightly startled.
"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, sir! I'm very sorry to have crashed into you like that.. if you would sit down, sir? It would please me greatly if you did, I don't want to let you go hungry, you know.."
Kaiba was almost in awe by her politeness in response to his cold statements towards her, but said nothing of it, and thought nothing more of it. Before he could even speak, hot sushi was steaming from his dining plate, and a wine glass had been set next to him. A basket of bread was also hot from the oven in front of Kaiba, and she also had made extra sushi if he wanted any more.
"Sir.. what kind of wine do you prefer, red or white? Or maybe some champagne? I picked some grapes from the garden and made some, but I sure you prefer your own to mine.."
'She made wine AND prepared this?! This girl is up to something..'
Kaiba motioned towards Serenity's wine, and she blushed a slight shade of red. She silently poured her wine into his glass, and placed it in his hand.
"Is there anything more I can do for you, sir? Or should I leave you to your meal, Mr. Kaiba?" She looked somewhat nervous when she saw an odd look on his face.
"Oh dear.. is it that bad? I'm sorry sir, I must be a horrible cook compared to what you're used to.."
Kaiba stared at her for a few moments, noticing what an apologetic and nervous thing she was; yet, she spoke with a strong, loud voice..
"You may stay if you wish.. there is nothing wrong with this food.."
'Unfortunately.. this wine is the best I've ever tasted, and it is the same with everything else.. nothing to pick on her about yet..'
Serenity took a seat across from Seto, being very cautious not to stare at him or do anything to insult him. She was used to being submissive; her father abused her, and she had learned to keep quiet and obey her superiors without question. Serenity waited patiently for Kaiba to finish, but she had let her eyes accidentally wander to him and stay glued to his dark blue eyes, losing consciousness from her beatings from her father, as well as the strenuous work she had done preparing the lunch. Seto stopped eating for a second, wondering if she was alright. His eyes slowly gazed to a large, ugly gash on her arm that was open and bleeding, covered up before as so no one noticed it.
'She doesn't look too well.. and neither does her arm.. wait a second, did she just faint?!'
Serenity had thudded to the carpeted floor softly, fainted from blood loss and exhaustion. Kaiba stood up immediately, but moved towards her cautiously and slowly. He didn't know how in hell he was supposed to pick the young girl up, pondering what to do. He knew he had to act quickly however, so clearing his mind of all his thoughts, he picked her up gently, and although having the heart of a fierce dragon, was gentlemanly (if Seto could ever be close to that) in the way he lifted her, touching only her back and legs. She was light as a feather, and he hurried up the stairs ('Damn broken elevator..') into her room, placing her on the bed a bit roughly. He opened the almost empty closet, pulling out a first aid kit that looked like it had been used quite a few times. (Seto Kaiba. Billionaire. Need I say more?) He took out a gauze bandage, and took her arm into his diligent, warm hands. He wrapped her arm up like a mummy, then pulled the covers up to her neck. He closed the door with no further thoughts, leaving the room as emotionless as he had come in.
- -
A knock was heard on Kaiba's door, sunlight splashing across his bedspread as he slowly opened his eyes, ears attuned to the noise at the door.
"Who is it?" he said in a sleepy, groggy voice.
"Serenity, sir, your maid! May I come in?"
Seto managed to mumble a tired 'yes', as Serenity strolled in with a decorated breakfast tray, piled to its brim with food. She set it on his lap, much to his surprise, and took a seat.
"Thank you, Seto Kaiba.. I brought this breakfast to you as my thanks, but it is nothing compared to how grateful I am, sir.."
'Grateful? No one has ever been grateful to me in my entire life...'
Seto said nothing, as Serenity mustered up the courage to speak again.
"My mother told me a story once.. before she died.. she said that there is good inside everyone.. that although it may lay dormant in some, it is indeed there. She even said, if just one person cared enough to show them true kindness.. they would learn to love life.."
Seto drank some of his coffee and bit into some toast, listening closely to the story, for what reason, he did not know. He had never believed in fairy tales.. and yet.. it seemed so real to him. So fitting..
Serenity looked as if she wanted to say something else, but was silent as she put flowers and a vase on Kaiba's bed stand and smiled warmly. Kaiba wondered where she had the strength to do all of this, after the events last night.. She spoke to him as if he would care, not knowing Seto cared about almost nothing; but it meant something to him..
"Where did that gash on your shoulder come from?" he said, his tone still as icy cold as ever. His curiosity got the better of him, but he knew she wouldn't care about his rude manners. Nobody did if they didn't want to face serious consequences.
"My father beats me," she replied simply, dusting furiously around the room now; not wanting to face this man with tears in her deep brown eyes.
If anything struck a chord with Seto Kaiba, that was it. His expression changed from bored to shocked, all in a split second.
"What?" he said, somewhat startled by her sentence. Serenity wiped her eyes (which Kaiba noticed) with her sleeve then turned around to face him with a smile again on her face, although sadness danced through her eyes (which Kaiba also noticed).
"Think nothing of it, sir. Shall I clear away your tray?"
"Yes.. you may.." Frightening thoughts of his own stepfather beating him came across his mind that very second, causing his face to become very angry and full of hatred towards whoever came in the line of fire, which just happened to be poor Serenity. She nearly dropped the tray to the floor in horror of the spiteful look on his face, the man not realizing he had scared the living daylights out of her. She wanted to move, but her feet wouldn't let her. Kaiba slowly got up from his bed, not even bothering to put his cape on, leaving his chest bare and his maid blushing several shades of red, wanting to be anywhere but here at the moment. He walked very close up to her until they were almost nose to nose, causing Serenity to breathe heavily and look very nervous.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked her quietly, his tone calm.
Serenity put the tray down, her hands shaking with fear, as she sat in the leather chair, trying to get as far away from him as she could.
"No, Seto Kaiba.. what makes you think that?" she said, unconvincingly. Kaiba instead advanced further, staring at her with his cold, uncaring eyes.
"You're not very good at lying.." he said softly, closing his glaring eyes. "I ask you again, are you afraid of me?"
"No, I am not afraid of you, sir," she said, a little too bluntly for Seto's liking.
"Tell me the truth!" he said, his voice rising dangerously.
"That is the truth," she said simply.
Serenity felt a cold hand slap across her face very harshly, causing it to bleed. She looked as though nothing had happened, she had sensed it coming; she had felt the fear growing in her heart.
"Yes, Seto Kaiba. I am afraid of you," she stated softly, picking up the old breakfast tray, and stopping at the entrance for a second and turning around, her smile lighting up her kind face.
"Well, is your test over, sir? Did I get the job?"
Seto had an absolute look of horror over what he had done. He had never slapped someone so coldly before, and her reaction was even more mind- boggling. Why had she not burst into tears? Why had she not run away? For the first time in his life, Kaiba wanted to say he was sorry, and sighed, knowing the only thing he could do to redeem himself was to hire her. His look of horror changed to a somewhat apologetic form, the hatred and cold terror leaving his eyes.
"Yes.. you may go home now if you wish.." he said softly, a sorry tone in his voice.
The smile still stuck to her face like glue, and she took a clean rag and started to gently wipe the blood off of her cheek.
Kaiba felt overwhelmed by the current events, a strange feeling slowly creeping into him. He wanted to insult her and degrade her the whole time she was here, yet she simply accepted his rude tone and returned it with kindness. He was angry and flustered that his plan was already failing, although it had just been started into motion.
"Sir.. I called my brother this morning and told him I would be leaving tonight, after you and Mokuba were to bed and taken care of.. I just wanted to make a final impression before I-I..." Serenity looked to the floor sadly, as this was what always happened with her jobs. She always made a mistake, and she was always laid off. She had hoped this job would be better. Seto had too many questions filling his head, and he had to get them off his mind or they would haunt him the entire day.
"Why do you wish to stay here? Why are you not angry? Why..?"
Serenity released a light laugh, walking up to Kaiba and looking up into his deep eyes, almost enticed by the sparkle that existed there.
"You are only human, Seto Kaiba," she pointed out simply. Seto sighed, knowing she was right. He would have to give in for the moment.
"I..have to get ready for work.." said Seto, barely finding the right words to say.
"I will take care of the mansion while you are away, sir.." she said, hints of sadness in her tone. Seto nodded, walking to the bathroom, then stopped suddenly, an odd thought striking his mind.
"You're that mutt Wheeler's sister, aren't you?"
Serenity sighed as he said this, walking towards the exit of Kaiba's room, hanging near the doorway.
"You may not care much for him, sir.. but to me, he is the best big brother in the entire world.. have a good day at work," she said almost in a whisper, leaving to go tend to Mokuba.
Kaiba headed towards the shower, unsure of what to think.. - -
Seto Kaiba straightened his freshly washed coat (courtesy of Serenity) as he stepped out of his room, his heavy silver briefcase clutched tightly in his hand, looking as though it weighed nothing at all. He flew down the stairway, approaching the door and sighing to himself.
'What a morning this has been.. breakfast in bed and now this..'
Kaiba shook his head of his thoughts as he headed out to the limousine, cape flapping in the gentle breeze. He looked slightly surprised as he saw a familiar face waving him goodbye. As the vehicle drove away, a small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his face..
- = End Chapter 2 = -
Shadow: Chapter 3 is coming up soon! ^^ Please be patient. Kaiba: Geez, you made me slap a girl? What kind of cruel, heartless person are you? Shadow: -_-
As the gates of the mansion drew nearer, Serenity felt a feeling of terror. She was shaking noticeably now, and Kaiba could sense she was scared. Still, Serenity said nothing, and Kaiba's sneer only grew wider as they were given passage into the giant building Seto called home. Serenity was escorted out of the car by the kind driver, followed by Kaiba. He waived the man off and he sped away from the mansion. Serenity began to feel frightened with no other presence there, but she bravely entered the large doors of the Kaiba residence.
"Follow me," he said coldly, not even bothering to look Serenity into the eyes. Serenity nodded obediently, following closely behind him. They eventually made their way into a grand bedroom, decorated with velvet curtains and carpentry, but with a small, petite bed that just didn't seem to fit in with the fancy décor.
"You will sleep here tonight," he said, expecting no retort (even though Serenity had half a mind to argue about that), and getting none. Kaiba's plan had already spun into motion..
"Sir, I have none of my sleepwear, or things.." she said slowly, after a long silence had passed.
Kaiba turned his uncaring eyes on Serenity, and smirked his usual evil sneer.
"That isn't my problem, now is it? You will go make lunch now. My brother is at school right now, so need to make for more than one.." Luckily, Serenity had eaten a big lunch followed by ice cream with the gang. She sighed slightly, knowing he had already won without argument, and hurried to the kitchen, her mind focused on her duties. Kaiba's mind, however, began to wander..
'She definitely is one of the prettier ones who have applied for this job.. although that's not saying much..'
Kaiba shook himself roughly, slightly shocked by his own thoughts.
'She's a simple servant, and nothing more.. she will be gone by tomorrow, her will shall be broken into tiny pieces by then.. I can't wait to see her pathetic little tears..'
Strangely, in the 20 minutes he had spent daydreaming (if you could call it that) he already smelled something coming from the kitchen, leaning his head outside the door to get a better whiff of the scent.
'That smells like.. sushi?! How did she know..? My nose must deceive me..'
Kaiba rushed down the elegant crystal stairways, hoping the girl had burned something instead so he could rush his cruel process along. Instead, he was greeted by a warm smile coming from a caring face, setting the table for only him, putting it in the exact order Seto liked, using his favorite plate and placing it by his favorite chair. Serenity ran into Kaiba in her haste to get lunch on the table, and appeared slightly startled.
"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, sir! I'm very sorry to have crashed into you like that.. if you would sit down, sir? It would please me greatly if you did, I don't want to let you go hungry, you know.."
Kaiba was almost in awe by her politeness in response to his cold statements towards her, but said nothing of it, and thought nothing more of it. Before he could even speak, hot sushi was steaming from his dining plate, and a wine glass had been set next to him. A basket of bread was also hot from the oven in front of Kaiba, and she also had made extra sushi if he wanted any more.
"Sir.. what kind of wine do you prefer, red or white? Or maybe some champagne? I picked some grapes from the garden and made some, but I sure you prefer your own to mine.."
'She made wine AND prepared this?! This girl is up to something..'
Kaiba motioned towards Serenity's wine, and she blushed a slight shade of red. She silently poured her wine into his glass, and placed it in his hand.
"Is there anything more I can do for you, sir? Or should I leave you to your meal, Mr. Kaiba?" She looked somewhat nervous when she saw an odd look on his face.
"Oh dear.. is it that bad? I'm sorry sir, I must be a horrible cook compared to what you're used to.."
Kaiba stared at her for a few moments, noticing what an apologetic and nervous thing she was; yet, she spoke with a strong, loud voice..
"You may stay if you wish.. there is nothing wrong with this food.."
'Unfortunately.. this wine is the best I've ever tasted, and it is the same with everything else.. nothing to pick on her about yet..'
Serenity took a seat across from Seto, being very cautious not to stare at him or do anything to insult him. She was used to being submissive; her father abused her, and she had learned to keep quiet and obey her superiors without question. Serenity waited patiently for Kaiba to finish, but she had let her eyes accidentally wander to him and stay glued to his dark blue eyes, losing consciousness from her beatings from her father, as well as the strenuous work she had done preparing the lunch. Seto stopped eating for a second, wondering if she was alright. His eyes slowly gazed to a large, ugly gash on her arm that was open and bleeding, covered up before as so no one noticed it.
'She doesn't look too well.. and neither does her arm.. wait a second, did she just faint?!'
Serenity had thudded to the carpeted floor softly, fainted from blood loss and exhaustion. Kaiba stood up immediately, but moved towards her cautiously and slowly. He didn't know how in hell he was supposed to pick the young girl up, pondering what to do. He knew he had to act quickly however, so clearing his mind of all his thoughts, he picked her up gently, and although having the heart of a fierce dragon, was gentlemanly (if Seto could ever be close to that) in the way he lifted her, touching only her back and legs. She was light as a feather, and he hurried up the stairs ('Damn broken elevator..') into her room, placing her on the bed a bit roughly. He opened the almost empty closet, pulling out a first aid kit that looked like it had been used quite a few times. (Seto Kaiba. Billionaire. Need I say more?) He took out a gauze bandage, and took her arm into his diligent, warm hands. He wrapped her arm up like a mummy, then pulled the covers up to her neck. He closed the door with no further thoughts, leaving the room as emotionless as he had come in.
- -
A knock was heard on Kaiba's door, sunlight splashing across his bedspread as he slowly opened his eyes, ears attuned to the noise at the door.
"Who is it?" he said in a sleepy, groggy voice.
"Serenity, sir, your maid! May I come in?"
Seto managed to mumble a tired 'yes', as Serenity strolled in with a decorated breakfast tray, piled to its brim with food. She set it on his lap, much to his surprise, and took a seat.
"Thank you, Seto Kaiba.. I brought this breakfast to you as my thanks, but it is nothing compared to how grateful I am, sir.."
'Grateful? No one has ever been grateful to me in my entire life...'
Seto said nothing, as Serenity mustered up the courage to speak again.
"My mother told me a story once.. before she died.. she said that there is good inside everyone.. that although it may lay dormant in some, it is indeed there. She even said, if just one person cared enough to show them true kindness.. they would learn to love life.."
Seto drank some of his coffee and bit into some toast, listening closely to the story, for what reason, he did not know. He had never believed in fairy tales.. and yet.. it seemed so real to him. So fitting..
Serenity looked as if she wanted to say something else, but was silent as she put flowers and a vase on Kaiba's bed stand and smiled warmly. Kaiba wondered where she had the strength to do all of this, after the events last night.. She spoke to him as if he would care, not knowing Seto cared about almost nothing; but it meant something to him..
"Where did that gash on your shoulder come from?" he said, his tone still as icy cold as ever. His curiosity got the better of him, but he knew she wouldn't care about his rude manners. Nobody did if they didn't want to face serious consequences.
"My father beats me," she replied simply, dusting furiously around the room now; not wanting to face this man with tears in her deep brown eyes.
If anything struck a chord with Seto Kaiba, that was it. His expression changed from bored to shocked, all in a split second.
"What?" he said, somewhat startled by her sentence. Serenity wiped her eyes (which Kaiba noticed) with her sleeve then turned around to face him with a smile again on her face, although sadness danced through her eyes (which Kaiba also noticed).
"Think nothing of it, sir. Shall I clear away your tray?"
"Yes.. you may.." Frightening thoughts of his own stepfather beating him came across his mind that very second, causing his face to become very angry and full of hatred towards whoever came in the line of fire, which just happened to be poor Serenity. She nearly dropped the tray to the floor in horror of the spiteful look on his face, the man not realizing he had scared the living daylights out of her. She wanted to move, but her feet wouldn't let her. Kaiba slowly got up from his bed, not even bothering to put his cape on, leaving his chest bare and his maid blushing several shades of red, wanting to be anywhere but here at the moment. He walked very close up to her until they were almost nose to nose, causing Serenity to breathe heavily and look very nervous.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked her quietly, his tone calm.
Serenity put the tray down, her hands shaking with fear, as she sat in the leather chair, trying to get as far away from him as she could.
"No, Seto Kaiba.. what makes you think that?" she said, unconvincingly. Kaiba instead advanced further, staring at her with his cold, uncaring eyes.
"You're not very good at lying.." he said softly, closing his glaring eyes. "I ask you again, are you afraid of me?"
"No, I am not afraid of you, sir," she said, a little too bluntly for Seto's liking.
"Tell me the truth!" he said, his voice rising dangerously.
"That is the truth," she said simply.
Serenity felt a cold hand slap across her face very harshly, causing it to bleed. She looked as though nothing had happened, she had sensed it coming; she had felt the fear growing in her heart.
"Yes, Seto Kaiba. I am afraid of you," she stated softly, picking up the old breakfast tray, and stopping at the entrance for a second and turning around, her smile lighting up her kind face.
"Well, is your test over, sir? Did I get the job?"
Seto had an absolute look of horror over what he had done. He had never slapped someone so coldly before, and her reaction was even more mind- boggling. Why had she not burst into tears? Why had she not run away? For the first time in his life, Kaiba wanted to say he was sorry, and sighed, knowing the only thing he could do to redeem himself was to hire her. His look of horror changed to a somewhat apologetic form, the hatred and cold terror leaving his eyes.
"Yes.. you may go home now if you wish.." he said softly, a sorry tone in his voice.
The smile still stuck to her face like glue, and she took a clean rag and started to gently wipe the blood off of her cheek.
Kaiba felt overwhelmed by the current events, a strange feeling slowly creeping into him. He wanted to insult her and degrade her the whole time she was here, yet she simply accepted his rude tone and returned it with kindness. He was angry and flustered that his plan was already failing, although it had just been started into motion.
"Sir.. I called my brother this morning and told him I would be leaving tonight, after you and Mokuba were to bed and taken care of.. I just wanted to make a final impression before I-I..." Serenity looked to the floor sadly, as this was what always happened with her jobs. She always made a mistake, and she was always laid off. She had hoped this job would be better. Seto had too many questions filling his head, and he had to get them off his mind or they would haunt him the entire day.
"Why do you wish to stay here? Why are you not angry? Why..?"
Serenity released a light laugh, walking up to Kaiba and looking up into his deep eyes, almost enticed by the sparkle that existed there.
"You are only human, Seto Kaiba," she pointed out simply. Seto sighed, knowing she was right. He would have to give in for the moment.
"I..have to get ready for work.." said Seto, barely finding the right words to say.
"I will take care of the mansion while you are away, sir.." she said, hints of sadness in her tone. Seto nodded, walking to the bathroom, then stopped suddenly, an odd thought striking his mind.
"You're that mutt Wheeler's sister, aren't you?"
Serenity sighed as he said this, walking towards the exit of Kaiba's room, hanging near the doorway.
"You may not care much for him, sir.. but to me, he is the best big brother in the entire world.. have a good day at work," she said almost in a whisper, leaving to go tend to Mokuba.
Kaiba headed towards the shower, unsure of what to think.. - -
Seto Kaiba straightened his freshly washed coat (courtesy of Serenity) as he stepped out of his room, his heavy silver briefcase clutched tightly in his hand, looking as though it weighed nothing at all. He flew down the stairway, approaching the door and sighing to himself.
'What a morning this has been.. breakfast in bed and now this..'
Kaiba shook his head of his thoughts as he headed out to the limousine, cape flapping in the gentle breeze. He looked slightly surprised as he saw a familiar face waving him goodbye. As the vehicle drove away, a small, barely noticeable smile appeared on his face..
- = End Chapter 2 = -
Shadow: Chapter 3 is coming up soon! ^^ Please be patient. Kaiba: Geez, you made me slap a girl? What kind of cruel, heartless person are you? Shadow: -_-