* * *
Now here is chapter 8...Hope y'all liked Chapter 7!!! So poor Toria lost her duel, saw her Witch destroyed, and has to spend three days as Kaiba's live- in MAID. How sucky is that? Quite. The first day of Maid-dom, coming right up! Also, loved the reviews, thanx!
* * *
Toria's hands shook from exertion and exhaustion as she rolled into the lower bunk of her bed. The long night had been awful. Her Witch gone, her father's chance at a promotion, and – or at least it would be tomorrow – her dignity, gone. She clumsily switched the alarm to 'on' on her clock. If she was going to be at Kaiba's for seven, she would need to be up at five. That was only in two hours. She pressed her weary head into the pillow, listening to Tea breathe in the top bunk.
"Toria?" whispered Tea quietly. Her heart ached with pity at her new friend's defeat. "Want to talk about it?" By 'it' she naturally meant the loss of her Witch, and also of her new, hideous fate that would be touched by golden morning light.
Without hesitation, with her usual openness, she remarked in her dreamy, half-asleep voice:
"I've never seen my Witch destroyed before. Never. At least, not in cold blood like that. Or do I exaggerate? She is always sent to the graveyard, to summon Gemini Elf. But I know she always comes back. For her sake, I always use my Monster Reborn – just for her. But this time – she wasn't coming back. It felt like...the end." She paused, the still darkness swirling in front of her face, pressing in on her eyes. "And it was the end."
"That Kaiba," admonished Tea, "He shouldn't have hurt your Witch. Not like that. And being his maid! How will you stand it?"
"I will bear as I have always done...with pride and strength. Where it not for my promise, I would not go. But I promised – had I won, I am sure Kaiba would have given my father the technology. Besides, I still have my honor to uphold. And...it is only for three days."
"And two nights," Tea reminded her, trying to imagine Toria washing Kaiba's dishes. It wasn't easy. "What will you tell your dad? He'd never let you go over to a seventeen-year-old boy's house for three days."
"School retreat," answered Toria simply. "My father is very gullible, to be honest. He'd believe me if I said I was traveling to the bottom of the sea."
"My parents don't believe anything I say," she replied ruefully. "I usually need evidence and a lawyer before I'm allowed to step out the front door." Both girls giggled quietly.
"Look, I'd better go to sleep. I've got to get up soon and..." She grimaced. "Go clean Kaiba's coffee machine or something."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. But listen, if we don't hear from you every night, we'll think Kaiba's locked you in a room with mops or something. So call, all right?"
"Yes, Tea, of course. I'll be fine."
And without another word, the two girls almost magically and instantly drifted to sleep.
* * *
Kaiba was not the sort of boy who needed sleep. He often went without sleep for 48 hours, and even then only slept very little. He brewed a fresh vat of his extra strength black coffee and slumped into his rotating CEO chair in his study. The duel had been draining, however late. It had been a struggle keeping up – it was certainly not an easy duel. That Hallowell girl was definitely a good duelist, possibly even one of he best, if she could run with him.
Having second thoughts, are we? said a voice on the depths of his mind. Ever since Kaiba had taken over KaibaCorp, there was a small voice in his head that argued his every principal and decision. His tutors had taught him to always question a problem from every angle, and now he did this without thinking, like a reflex. Mentally debating with himself was an almost constant pastime.
No, he snapped. I play to win, and I won. There is nothing wrong with what I did.
They had to help her to a cab, you know, it whispered. She was shaking too hard to walk.
It's not my fault if she's weak, he snarled. I did what I had to do, and she'll be making up for her rashness in...He checked his watch – three hours.
But you know she's not weak, it coaxed. She's stronger than any girl you've ever seen. Even Yugi is exhausted after a hard duel with you. The fact she wasn't passed out afterwards shows she has more strength than you would have thought.
What's your point? He replied coldly. I don't care anything about her. She's just another faceless loser.
Then why is she coming to stay at your mansion for the next three days? Why did you not kick her out onto the street, send her home in disgrace? To be closer to her? To spend more time with her, to keep her in your house? Your hidden agendas are not so hidden, Seto Kaiba.
You're wrong, he growled.
With a glower, he rose from his chair and angrily poured himself another coffee, draining it. He pressed the button on the intercom module and spoke into it.
"Roland, report to my study immediately. We need to discuss arrangements for our new...guest."
* * *
The alarm sounded far too early for Toria's liking, when the sunlight was just starting to creep over the Domino City rooftops. She still felt weak, as though she was a newly born kitten. But in her years with her parents and the foster system, she had taught herself to ignore weakness and pain. She rose to her feet and steadied herself with the base of the top bunk. Watching the skyline, faintly painted with peach and gold, she realized that only a month ago her life had been normal – living in San Francisco with her father, going to school with her best friend Nicole, and dueling small games during her lunch hour, foregoing stone-hard taters and runny eggs for the passion of Duel Monsters. She would never have been able to imagine Japanese dueling, which was no game to be reckoned with. She never could have dreamed herself dueling the second best duelist in the world, or being friends with the best. Or that she would be living in Kaiba's house for three days.
She reached for her closet, to pack extra clothes. A few dresses, a set of pajamas – three sets of bras and underwear. A pair of shorts, if the weather got any warmer? And a tube top for the heat.
She crammed her things into a duffle bag, and as she reached for her hairbrush saw Tea sitting on the edge of the bunk, yawning.
"Go back to sleep, Tea, my dad won't mind if you stay a little late."
"No, I'm fine," said Tea, hopping down to the floor. "I'll head to Yugi's for breakfast; his grandpa makes great pancakes." She started pulling on her shorts and blouse. "Thanks for having me. And remember, don't forget to call Yugi's tonight. We'll probably be there. It's 490-6621."
"I will. Hey, don't forget about me over there." She gave a smile and winked. She wrapped her silver scarf around her shoulders loosely to chase away the coolness of morning. Then she and Tea, after saying goodbye to Mr. Hallowell, left to go their separate ways: Tea to Yugi's apartment above the game shop, and Toria to Kaiba's mansion.
* * *
There is chapter 8! Chapter 9 will be up after I upload this one, but I wanted to have a nice clean break off. So check back later!
* * *
Now here is chapter 8...Hope y'all liked Chapter 7!!! So poor Toria lost her duel, saw her Witch destroyed, and has to spend three days as Kaiba's live- in MAID. How sucky is that? Quite. The first day of Maid-dom, coming right up! Also, loved the reviews, thanx!
* * *
Toria's hands shook from exertion and exhaustion as she rolled into the lower bunk of her bed. The long night had been awful. Her Witch gone, her father's chance at a promotion, and – or at least it would be tomorrow – her dignity, gone. She clumsily switched the alarm to 'on' on her clock. If she was going to be at Kaiba's for seven, she would need to be up at five. That was only in two hours. She pressed her weary head into the pillow, listening to Tea breathe in the top bunk.
"Toria?" whispered Tea quietly. Her heart ached with pity at her new friend's defeat. "Want to talk about it?" By 'it' she naturally meant the loss of her Witch, and also of her new, hideous fate that would be touched by golden morning light.
Without hesitation, with her usual openness, she remarked in her dreamy, half-asleep voice:
"I've never seen my Witch destroyed before. Never. At least, not in cold blood like that. Or do I exaggerate? She is always sent to the graveyard, to summon Gemini Elf. But I know she always comes back. For her sake, I always use my Monster Reborn – just for her. But this time – she wasn't coming back. It felt like...the end." She paused, the still darkness swirling in front of her face, pressing in on her eyes. "And it was the end."
"That Kaiba," admonished Tea, "He shouldn't have hurt your Witch. Not like that. And being his maid! How will you stand it?"
"I will bear as I have always done...with pride and strength. Where it not for my promise, I would not go. But I promised – had I won, I am sure Kaiba would have given my father the technology. Besides, I still have my honor to uphold. And...it is only for three days."
"And two nights," Tea reminded her, trying to imagine Toria washing Kaiba's dishes. It wasn't easy. "What will you tell your dad? He'd never let you go over to a seventeen-year-old boy's house for three days."
"School retreat," answered Toria simply. "My father is very gullible, to be honest. He'd believe me if I said I was traveling to the bottom of the sea."
"My parents don't believe anything I say," she replied ruefully. "I usually need evidence and a lawyer before I'm allowed to step out the front door." Both girls giggled quietly.
"Look, I'd better go to sleep. I've got to get up soon and..." She grimaced. "Go clean Kaiba's coffee machine or something."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. But listen, if we don't hear from you every night, we'll think Kaiba's locked you in a room with mops or something. So call, all right?"
"Yes, Tea, of course. I'll be fine."
And without another word, the two girls almost magically and instantly drifted to sleep.
* * *
Kaiba was not the sort of boy who needed sleep. He often went without sleep for 48 hours, and even then only slept very little. He brewed a fresh vat of his extra strength black coffee and slumped into his rotating CEO chair in his study. The duel had been draining, however late. It had been a struggle keeping up – it was certainly not an easy duel. That Hallowell girl was definitely a good duelist, possibly even one of he best, if she could run with him.
Having second thoughts, are we? said a voice on the depths of his mind. Ever since Kaiba had taken over KaibaCorp, there was a small voice in his head that argued his every principal and decision. His tutors had taught him to always question a problem from every angle, and now he did this without thinking, like a reflex. Mentally debating with himself was an almost constant pastime.
No, he snapped. I play to win, and I won. There is nothing wrong with what I did.
They had to help her to a cab, you know, it whispered. She was shaking too hard to walk.
It's not my fault if she's weak, he snarled. I did what I had to do, and she'll be making up for her rashness in...He checked his watch – three hours.
But you know she's not weak, it coaxed. She's stronger than any girl you've ever seen. Even Yugi is exhausted after a hard duel with you. The fact she wasn't passed out afterwards shows she has more strength than you would have thought.
What's your point? He replied coldly. I don't care anything about her. She's just another faceless loser.
Then why is she coming to stay at your mansion for the next three days? Why did you not kick her out onto the street, send her home in disgrace? To be closer to her? To spend more time with her, to keep her in your house? Your hidden agendas are not so hidden, Seto Kaiba.
You're wrong, he growled.
With a glower, he rose from his chair and angrily poured himself another coffee, draining it. He pressed the button on the intercom module and spoke into it.
"Roland, report to my study immediately. We need to discuss arrangements for our new...guest."
* * *
The alarm sounded far too early for Toria's liking, when the sunlight was just starting to creep over the Domino City rooftops. She still felt weak, as though she was a newly born kitten. But in her years with her parents and the foster system, she had taught herself to ignore weakness and pain. She rose to her feet and steadied herself with the base of the top bunk. Watching the skyline, faintly painted with peach and gold, she realized that only a month ago her life had been normal – living in San Francisco with her father, going to school with her best friend Nicole, and dueling small games during her lunch hour, foregoing stone-hard taters and runny eggs for the passion of Duel Monsters. She would never have been able to imagine Japanese dueling, which was no game to be reckoned with. She never could have dreamed herself dueling the second best duelist in the world, or being friends with the best. Or that she would be living in Kaiba's house for three days.
She reached for her closet, to pack extra clothes. A few dresses, a set of pajamas – three sets of bras and underwear. A pair of shorts, if the weather got any warmer? And a tube top for the heat.
She crammed her things into a duffle bag, and as she reached for her hairbrush saw Tea sitting on the edge of the bunk, yawning.
"Go back to sleep, Tea, my dad won't mind if you stay a little late."
"No, I'm fine," said Tea, hopping down to the floor. "I'll head to Yugi's for breakfast; his grandpa makes great pancakes." She started pulling on her shorts and blouse. "Thanks for having me. And remember, don't forget to call Yugi's tonight. We'll probably be there. It's 490-6621."
"I will. Hey, don't forget about me over there." She gave a smile and winked. She wrapped her silver scarf around her shoulders loosely to chase away the coolness of morning. Then she and Tea, after saying goodbye to Mr. Hallowell, left to go their separate ways: Tea to Yugi's apartment above the game shop, and Toria to Kaiba's mansion.
* * *
There is chapter 8! Chapter 9 will be up after I upload this one, but I wanted to have a nice clean break off. So check back later!
* * *