Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't posted for a while; I got really stuck on the climax of this story a couple of days ago and I really needed to just focus on it until I got over my stupid Writer's Block! What a coincidence, huh? Writer's block at the most important part of the story!!!! Heh, anyway, I'm kinda on a roll with it, so I stopped to post chapter 8!! Thank you all so very much for your reviews; they make me happy ^_^!!!

8. Kaiba's Mansion~

                "Sweetie, you need to drink this: it's a nice cold glass of water; it'll help you wake up," came a soft voice.

                Kinou opened her eyes to see a cheery-faced, plump nurse hovering over her. She sat up in her bed and shook her head to clear it, but that made her dizzy, so she lied back again. "Where am I?" she asked.

                "You're in good hands, dear," replied the nurse with a smile. "We're Kaiba's finest team of medical experts, in his excellently equipped hospital wing."

                " 'We'?" asked Kinou. "Where's everyone else?"

                "Oh, it's just my shift for now, it is rather late at night and the other staff had been monitoring you for a few hours already," she said, and she began to busy herself with tidying up Kinou's room.

                "Oh," said Kinou. She looked around the room: there were windows to her left that opened up to the city, its beautiful lights shining in. To her right there was a small table with some crackers on a plate, and her stomach gave a lurch. She reached out for one and noticed there was an IV in her arm; she yelled.

                "Why is there a needle in my wrist?!"

                The nurse whirled around and bustled up to her bed. "It's all right, dear, that's just something that helps us keep your health steady."

                "But, I only fainted! Why do I need a needle in my wrist? I hate needles! I hate them!"

                She attempted to pull out the needle with her other hand, but the nurse held it back. "You mustn't take it out! Please, miss, there's nothing to be scared about! Please, calm down!" She held both of Kinou's hands and squeezed them gently. "I promise I'll get that out as soon as I am able, ok?"

                "I want it out now, please, I hate needles so much," Kinou pleaded. Her eyes were glassy with tears.

                The nurse, looked at her for a few moments, then sighed. "All right, but you can't tell anyone I took it out early. Deal?" she asked, winking.

                Kinou nodded, extremely grateful. The nurse hid her arm from view, and Kinou felt something pulling her skin slightly. "All done!" she said, holding up the IV.

                "Thank you so much—uh—I'm sorry what is your name?"

                "Just call me Lonu, dear," she replied kindly.

                Kinou sat quietly, rubbing her wrist where the IV had been, while Lonu straightened up the room a little more.  "Where's Seto?" she asked.

                "Oh, you know how he is; always working, whether or not there's a pretty girl lying unconscious in his hospital," Lonu chuckled, rearranging some flowers in a vase.

                Kinou blushed. "You're so sweet, I don't know how I'm going to make it up to you."

                "Oh, just come down and visit me sometime during your stay here, and that'll suffice," she said, winking again.

                At that moment, Kaiba opened the door.

                "Oh, good evening, Mr.Kaiba, she just woke up," said Lonu, bowing.

                "Good work, Lonu," he said, nodding to her. He turned to Kinou. "How are you feeling?"

                "I think I'm well enough to go and sleep in a regular bed, I suppose, though this one is quite comfortable," said Kinou, stretching out.

                "Well, you can't stay there: it's reserved for hospital patients only. Besides, you already have a temporary room for you to sleep in while the guest suite is prepared; I'll show you to it in a moment."

                "Oh, well in that case, I'll get up," said Kinou, throwing off her bed sheets. She felt a draft, looked down, and realised she was only wearing a short hospital robe. She jumped back under the covers, blushing more than she ever had before in her life.

                Kaiba laughed. "I'll wait for you outside," he said, walking out and closing the door.

                Kinou glared at Lonu, who had been holding in silent giggles until Kaiba had left, and was now wiping tears from her eyes with her apron. "You could have warned me that I was wearing almost nothing! Thanks a lot, now I embarrassed myself in front of Seto!" She folded her arms and looked away.

                "Ohhhhhh," said Lonu, tiptoeing up to Kinou's bed. "Does someone have a bit of a crush?"

                "I didn't say that!" snapped Kinou.

                "Ah, but it's written all over your face, dear; you like him!" Before Kinou could say anything else, Lonu had put her arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear: "I can see where you're coming from; your secret's safe with me. You have more of a chance than I do, for sure! Now, why don't we get you some clothes?"

                She scurried over to a closet across the room from Kinou's bed and brought out her outfit and shoes, along with some shorts, a spaghetti-strap shirt, and a small, woolen shawl. "Those are for sleeping; I didn't think you'd want to sleep in jeans!" Lonu said when Kinou picked them up.

                "Thanks," said Kinou, and she started to get dressed.

                As she buttoned up her pants, something felt different.  Kinou looked down at her left pocket: it was empty. "Where's Emily?" she cried, looking at Lonu.

                "Who, dear?"

                "Emily! My cat! She was here, in my pocket and now she's not! Where is she? Where?" she ranted, becoming hysteric.

                "Oh, not to worry, she's right here," said Lonu, going back to the cabinet and taking Emily out of it. Kinou rushed forwards and snatched Emily out of her hands, holding her close.

                "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't know you had such a strong bond with that little critter," said Lonu apologetically.

                Kinou sniffed and realised she had a few tears running down her cheeks. Wiping them away hastily, she reached out and put her hand on Lonu's shoulder. "It's all right, I'm sorry if I scared you or anything."

                "Not at all, not at all," said Lonu. "Before you go—" she held Kinou's hand up in both of hers, "if you ever have something on your mind, come and find me; I'm always on call, twenty-four hours a day, right here."

                "Thanks you so much, Lonu," said Kinou. She gave Lonu a quick hug, then walked out the door with the extra clothes and Emily in her hands.

                Kaiba was leaning against the wall, looking bored. "What took you so long? I am a busy man, I can't wait around for little girls who don't know where their clothes are." Kinou blushed again and he started walking down the hallway. "Follow me, I'll take you to your room."

                Kinou hurried to keep up with him. A barrier of silence followed them for most of the way, so Kinou looked around at the various hallways and doors they passed. There seemed to be way too many to count, but one caught her attention: a small flight of stairs leading downwards into a narrow hallway. It was dark and dank, as though it hadn't been used in years and no one had bothered to clean it. There was no lighting, but from what she could see, there were carvings of dragons all over the walls, though most were partially covered by moss.  Kaiba took no notice of it as they walked by. After a few minutes of walking, Kaiba looked at the clothes in Kinou's arms and saw Emily clenched tightly in her hand.

                "What is that? A voodoo doll?" he asked mockingly.

                "Everyone says that, but she's not," said Kinou defensively.

                "Where did you get it? It looks like it was thrown together by a six-year-old."

                "I made her!" said Kinou, extremely hurt. "She was the first thing I'd ever sewn together, so you can't judge me or her by that!"

                Kaiba made a noise of contempt. "I'd throw it away and make one that's at least worth looking at; one with at least both of its eyes."

                "She only has one eye because I didn't have another button," said Kinou, holding Emily up and looking at her left eye, which was just an X. "And I'd never throw her away; you wouldn't understand what kind of a bond I have with her."

                "And I thought you were mature for your age," sneered Kaiba. "Playing with dolls is for little children, not for teenagers who feel like making fools of themselves. Here's your room," he said, stopping in front of a door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my work." Without a backward glance, he swept down the hallway and out of sight.

                Kinou turned to her room, threw open the door, and sat down heavily on her bed, looking at Emily. And I thought Seto being a jerk was cool and sexy… it hurts!

                "He doesn't understand, does he, Emily?" she asked her cat. "You're not just some doll; you're family. We've been through a lot together; no matter where I am, you're always with me, and you listen to me more than anyone else will.  I love you so much, and I don't care what anyone says about you or me. I think you're beautiful, and no one can ever change that." She hugged Emily tightly, and placed her delicately on her pillow.

                She looked around her new room. It was also completely white, including the carpet. There were windows across the room from the door, and one small bedside table stood to the right of her bed. There was no other furniture. Bo-ring, thought Kinou.  All rooms seem completely empty to me unless they are really cluttered. Maybe I could sneak a few chairs or something in from another room.

                She stood up again and put Emily in her pocket. Walking out of her room cautiously, she didn't see anyone else around. She walked to the next room over and tried the handle—it was locked. She tried the next door over—it too was locked. All of the doors she tried in her hallway were padlocked or locked from the inside. Why am I suddenly reminded of Bram Stoker's Dracula? she wondered anxiously.

                "Hey!"

                Kinou turned around to see one of Kaiba's guards running towards her. "You are not to go wandering around Mr. Kaiba's mansion!"

                "Why not?" asked Kinou.

                "Strict orders from Mr. Kaiba himself," replied the guard. "Would you like to walk back to your room, or do you have to be escorted?"

                "I can walk, thanks," said Kinou. "Wow, take a chill pill, Robocop." She briskly walked back to her door and glanced back at the guard: he was watching her intently, making sure she went into her room. She stuck her tongue out at him and closed her door, locking it. 

                Well, that's stupid. Why won't he let me go anywhere? I'll get so bored in here with nothing to do. If anything, restricting me will make me even more anxious to explore. That's what I'll do tomorrow. Right now I'm too tired to resent anything… She took Emily back out of her pocket and put her beside her pillow and changed into the sleep ware that Lonu had given her. She climbed into bed and was surprised at how soft it was.  She fell asleep instantly.

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Say, would any of you like to see some pictures I've drawn to illustrate this story? It'll give it some life, I think, so let me know if I should start posting the links to them ^_^!