"Kaiba?" Nadina's eyes widened as Kaiba walked into her room. She had gotten better so well that within the same evening as when she awoke, the doctors decided they could move her to a regular ward. "What's wrong? You have a black eye! Have you been fighting?!"
Kaiba self-consciously covered his right eye with his hand. He was all refreshed, but carried a few battle scars. Including a slightly blackened eye, a nice shiner on his cheekbone, a bandage on jaw, raw knuckles, a very sore arm, and a backache from being shoved against the wall and ground.
"Nothing big," he managed to drawl before scrunching his nose up from the pain that shot up his jaw.
"Oh, Kaiba!" Nadina slipped out of bed and within a flash was by Kaiba's side. She gently shoved him in a chair before brushing away his rich chocolate curls to inspect his eye.
"OW!" Kaiba jerked away when he felt something icy being pressed against his swollen eye.
"Calm down." Nadina commanded. "This is not going to look good for KaibaCorp if you don't keep the swelling down."
At the mention of KaibaCorp, Kaiba moaned. "How can I go to the office looking like this?" He peered into a mirror. "I look like a street scalawag that's been drinking and fighting and I'm suppose to be the president of KaibaCorp!"
"Have you had a drink?"
"Of course not!"
"Just making sure." Nadina said silkily, trying to sooth Kaiba's ruffled feathers.
"It hurts, Nadina." He stated calmly, indicating the ice on his eyes. Inside, he had the urge to howl with pain, but he would never look himself in the face again if he did. "It hurts." He repeated with the same controlled voice. "It hurts, it really does hurt." He set his jaws.
"Scream if you want, Kaiba." Nadina suggested, looking down at him. "No one can hear you from here right now."
"Really?" Kaiba perked up. Nadina nodded. "Okay…" He let out a low moan and bent over, holding his eye. She rolled her eyes heavenwards.
"I said scream, not moan."
"I don't scream."
Nadina sighed. "You haven't changed a bit. No better."
"No worse either." Kaiba reminded.
But Marik's not better off than me…
"Ow! Nanna, you're hurting me!" Nanna paid no attention to Marik's grumbling as she dabbed his bloody lip. Clark and Edward hovered about nervously. The Master has just been beaten up and they're eager to know who's done it.
"I can't believe my eyes, Marik." She huffed, showing not a bit of compassion. "I can't believe my little boy would get into a fight outside of a hospital!"
"It wasn't my fault, Nanna."
"Who were you fighting with?"
"Seto Kaiba." Marik growled. "Remember that obnoxious CEO, Nanna? The one that you offered cookies to?"
"That nice gentleman?" Nanna looked at Marik, shocked. Marik's jaws dropped and he scowled.
"He's not a gentleman when he's fighting, Nanna."
"Neither are you."
"Nanna!" Marik turned around to face the elderly lady. "I thought you loved me!"
Nanna smiled and brushed a curl of his hair from his eyes. "I do, child, but when you're fighting friends…"
"He's not my friend!"
"You're the most difficult child sometimes, Marik, ever since you were little."
"I'm not being difficult!"
Nanna sighed and wonder how long it would take Marik to realize that he had been contradicting himself all this time.
Kaiba reached up and grasped Nadina's hand. She looked down from dabbing the bloody bump on his forehead.
"Kaiba?" She tried to pull her hand away, but he refused to let go and tightened his grip. "Kaiba, what's wrong?"
"I have to talk to you, Nadina." That's when he slipped his free hand into his pocket and pulled out…
…a little black velvet box.
"I want to show you something." He said quietly, drawing her to face him. He was just about to open the box, before realizing what this is beginning to look like. "It's not a diamond ring, I promise!" He said quickly. He flipped it open and Nadina's lips parted with awe.
There, sitting on the black satin, was a shining, pinkish cast pearl. Cool, yet burning, eternally, with its own compressed light.
"Oh, Kaiba." She breathed. "How pretty!"
"I'm suppose to give this to you." Kaiba watched Nadina carefully. "It's from Marik. He wants to tell you how much he loves you and wants you to go home."
Nadina stiffened.
"Marik knew you wanted a pearl." Kaiba hastened to add, but was taken back by Nadina's harsh answer.
"I don't believe you. There no way you went to visit Marik. There's not a chance he gave you that."
"So it's proof you want?" Kaiba narrowed his eyes and reached into his pocket. "Here." He dropped the tinkering earring onto the palm of her hand. She blanched, but didn't back down.
"How do I know it's not the same one you have?"
"So distrusting." Kaiba tsked. "Here. Does this answer your question?" He dropped the partner of that earring into her other palm. Nadina fell silent. Her eyes watered up and a large tear dropped from under her lashes.
"So, Nadina…" he said quietly, reaching for her hand. "What is it that you want? You've got to decide and make a decision. The happiness of your future lays upon this choice."
He wasn't surprised when Nadina threw her arms around Kaiba and sobbed, "Take me home, Kaiba. Oh, please take me back home to my brother!"
"Did you hear the news?" Clark ran up to Edward, who was lounging in the backyard. "Nadina's coming home!!"
His brother sat up so fast that he fell of the hammock. His jaws dropped open as his golden hazel eyes popped wide open. He gasped, "Nadina?!"
"Yes!" Clark pumped a fix into the air and filled Edward with the details excitedly. "Master and that guy—Seto Kaiba—finally convinced Nadina to come back home!!"
"I don't believe it!"
"Better believe it!" Clark pranced off to spread the good news further, leaving his dumbstruck brother sitting on the damp grass.
"Nanna!" Marik's face lit up with the biggest smile. He grabbed his nanny by the hands and danced around the kitchen. "Nanna! Nadina's coming home!"
"Why, that's great news, child." Nanna agreed, but her keen eyes were fastened on Marik. "I've never seen you quite this happy before. You and Nadina must be growing closer."
Marik stopped prancing about at that. He immediately put on a solemn face and cleared his throat. "Yes, Nanna. I miss Nadina, even though she's only visiting her friend for a few weeks. It's still good to have her back." With that, the oldest Ishtar left the kitchen with his hands in his pocket, whistling a lively tune.
"I'll never understand that boy." Nanna shook his head. "Ever since he was a child, he's been a mysterious one. I've never seen a brother so happy to see his sister come home, acting like an intoxicated boy. Well," she smiled and said proudly. "Like I've always said, that mysterious boy is going to be a great man when he grows up. And he's well on his way to be a man."
It was a day of great happiness, it was a day of great fear. It is the day Nadina returns back to her brother and her real home. Marik and Kaiba had finally agreed on a satisfied date of when Nadina should return home. Marik had wanted her to go home right away, but Kaiba's argument won by saying that she needs recover from her stay at the hospital before making a big trip back home. In the end, Kaiba was given two weeks before Marik will carry out his threat, of coming over and dragging her home himself.
"You didn't have to fight with him outside the hospital." Nadina murmured softly as they were on the way to Ishtar Estate in Kaiba's limo.
"Hey, desperate time calls for desperate measures." Kaiba said breezily. But inside, he was feeling miserable. Nadina was leaving him. After surviving all those months together, caring and taking care of each other, she's finally leaving him. He would miss her.
Very much.
…How will he get on without her?
"We're almost there, Mr. Kaiba." The chauffeur said through the intercom. Kaiba's heart ached more than ever.
Nadina's fingers tightened around the material of her skirt. She is obviously shaken. Kaiba admit, it had taken a lot of courage for Nadina to decide to return home.
He sighed and leaned back in his seat, attempt to get the best out of the last few minutes he had with Nadina.
Nadia stepped out of the limo and looked around the familiar property. She smiled with delight despite of herself as she breathed in the ever so familiar fragrance of flowers that had begun to blossom in this springtime. However, she still fidgeted with her dress. It was a rosy gossamer gown the shade of peaches at the peak of ripeness, flattering her ivory skin and golden curls. She looked up…
…and saw him.
Marik Ishtar stood at the top of the steps of the Ishtar Estate, with those familiar pale lavender eyes, that light blonde hair, the tanned skin and that cautious, guarded look on his face. He looked just as uncertain as she does, but she was too distraught to notice. Her courage failed her at the first sight of her stern-looking brother as she gave a soft gasp and took a step back, her hands behind her reaching for the door handle to the car.
Has is only been last summer when Marik came home and I was up where he is now, eager to greet him? She wondered silently to herself. Now, we're switching roles.
Unfortunately, the hand that was looking for the door was blocked by Kaiba's firm broad form that had emerged from the car by that time. As she pressed against him horrified, he gave her a nudge on her back. She walked two steps forward unsteadily.
Marik's eyes were steady on his sister. She looked fragile to him. Her skin pale, like ivory. And she had grown more slender, as delicate as crystal. She was dressed in a lovely peach-colored dress that made her cheek rosy and brought out her dark amethyst eyes. Her hair was brushed until it shone and fell in soft waves. She looked not only beautiful and lovely in Marik's eyes, but also more of a young woman than ever.
The Ishtar siblings locked their gaze silently. Nadina's lips trembled and Marik's eyes misted and filled with tears. Wordlessly he opened his arms to her. Need no prodding, Nadina choked back a sob and flew up the steps and she fell into her brother's embrace, almost knocking him down from her force. She buried her face in the front of his shirt, remembering the familiar scent as he hugged her so hard, she couldn't breathe.
"I thought I had lost you forever." The voice was low and steady, a never-to-be-forgotten voice, gruff with affection. His hands, tan and strong and could easily swallow her own, lifted her face up. "You have grown, Nadina."
"Yes, Marik." Her voice was breathless as a crystalline tear made it's way down softly.
"Marik dear!" A voice came from behind the line of household staff and men. Nadina broke away from Marik and looked behind Clark.
"Marik darling, is Nadina back?" Clark and Edward had big grins plastered to their faces. Obviously, they had grown close to the kind, elderly woman that had taken the time to also treat them like her long lost grandsons and baked them cookies and other yummy treats.
"Is that Nanna?" Nadina's eyes widened. Before Marik had time to explain why Nanna was here all the way from Egypt, Nanna's piercing blue eyes appeared behind Clark's lithe body.
"Nanna!"
"Nadina!" Nanna rushed over and hugged her. "Welcome back home, dear. How was Mimi?"
"Mimi?" Nadina shot a confused look at Marik, who shrugged sheepishly. Nanna went on.
"I have prepared some fudge brownies for you. I know they are your favorites. Also, I've prepared your favorite for tonight—Lamb cooked with rice and broccoli and gravy."
"And dessert?" Nadina asked eagerly. It had been a long time ever since she had a good homemade meal. Her very favorite dessert that Nanna would make is Peppermint Pie, which consisted of a layer of chocolate mousse, whipped cream, a layer of sweet cream cheese, sprinkled with bits of peppermint candy.
Nanna winked, "Guess!"
"Chocolate crème pie with a whole can of light whipped cream!"
"You got it right, my dear girl. Now come along out of this harsh breeze, I want to take a good look at you." With that, she ushered Nadina into the house. Marik sighed, smiling, and followed, carrying Nadina's luggage up the steps into the house.
"Master Marik, would you like me to carry that?" Clark questioned, his eyes dancing with excitement and happiness.
"No. It's okay." The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears, he thought silently. Without a struggle, there can be no progress.
No one in the Ishtar family and staff noticed a lonely Seto Kaiba, his hair and his indigo trenchcoat flowing with the sorrowful howling wind, watching wistfully as Nadina entered her homestead. Then, he sadly got into his limo, and slowly started driving away.
Away from Ishtar Estate.
Away from Nadina.
