I can't believe they're really gone...I never would have imagined that my family would be gone altogether at once...
The rest of the day Lily thought about things when she wasn't talking to Kaiba. She spent the rest of the week recovering, and she could move a bit better, but still with pain, although her broken rib would take three to five more weeks to fully heal. The doctors had put a cast on her arm. She still had not told Kaiba about her family situation.
She was actually still confused about how she felt about everything, although she thought about it so much. She knew she was sad for her brother, but her father was a different case. She had thought she didn't care about him, but she couldn't believe he was gone. Sometimes things are taken for granted, and only until they're lost are they recognized. It was strange, because the fact that he wasn't in her life was her life. She convinced herself she didn't need parents, although she lived off his check.
Lily hadn't disclosed the situation to Kaiba because she didn't want to be seen as even more weak. Being restricted to a hospital bed was degrading enough. It wasn't as if she was concerned he'd see her break down; it was the opposite: she didn't want to show that she didn't care for them. She hadn't cried a single tear; she didn't even really know her two male family members to mourn like one who did.
She hadn't been allowed to leave the hospital, and wanted to handle things by herself and sneak out. By taking enough pain relievers, she could walk around. She planned how to go to California without Kaiba's help or knowledge. Before she boarded the plane, she called him to say, "I'm visiting my family; you won't see me until a few days," and hung up before he could respond.
Hours later, she arrived in San Francisco, with two hours to spare before the funeral. She was given an envelope with directions to the church where it would be held. She went shopping to pass the time, and took a cab when it was about time to leave. Facing traffic on the way there, she arrived late, and his best friend was giving the eulogy. An hour later, it was over, and she went with Jenny to the cemetery where they were to be buried. She was disappointed that it was a closed casket ceremony; she hoped to say a final goodbye to them. As they started to lower the coffins, it started to rain.
She was soaked the bare skin as she waited for them to finish. Returning to the hotel, Lily dried off. The next available flight was the next afternoon, so she sat in the room thinking.
Suicide, I don't believe they committed suicide. They aren't like that, but if it were murder, why would he do both at once? Wouldn't that be a bit suspicious? Who was to take over, but who'd want them dead anyway?
With a little bit of research, she discovered that headquarters were located in downtown. She took another cab to get there. Walking into the lobby, she asked to see the president of the company.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"Yes," she lied.
"Oh, what's you name?" she asked as she clicked open a window.
"Uh...::knocking over a vase on her table, sending it crashing towards the floor:: oh, I'm so sorry, I can't believe how clumsy I am."
"No problem," she struggled to stay polite, and left her seat to clean up the mess. Lily glanced onto the screen and it said '5:00 Amy Smith,' "So what did you say your name was?"
"Amy."
"Ah, I thought you'd be white."
"Oh, married one."
"You look rather young to be married."
"Aw, thanks, you've made my day."
"His office is on the top floor."
"Thank you," she asked and walked towards the elevator.
::ding::
Stepping out, she noticed expensive decorations everywhere, paintings, vases, and a whole wall of awards.
"Well, Amy, looks like you've arrived a bit early," the man said, turning around, revealing a glass of champagne in one hand.
"GAAAH! M-mike?? What are you doing alive?"
Chuckling, he replied, "Lily, what a surprise. That's right, I'm supposed to be dead, huh. How was the funeral?"
"This isn't funny. Why did you fake your death? I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Well, guess you thought wrong then, huh?"
"Well, naturally, since someone reported you DEAD," she said, becoming angry.
"So naïve, my little sis, so concerned, so gullible."
"Well, you still didn't answer my question!"
"So?" he said, nonchalantly.
"Is dad dead too?"
"Do you care?"
"Well, he's my father, for goodness sakes!"
"Look who's avoiding questions now."
"YOU! I do care, okay? I cared enough to go to his funeral despite my situation; you know I had to sneak out of the hospital?"
"No, how'd you do it?"
"I drugged the nurse with the sleeping pills she gave me."
"How'd you pull that off?"
"Well, I put the powder in the water, and asked her to play a drinking game with me after I asked for another cup of water. I guess she was pretty dumb to have fallen for that; it was quite lame."
"Ah, well it worked. Not bad Lily."
"Yes, and now I'm here to demand what's going on!"
"Hmm, to tell you, to tell you not. Okay, it's not like you'll be able to stop me anyway."
"Stop you?"
"Yes, I'm getting plastic surgery tomorrow."
"What? Mike, what are you up to?"
"Please, I prefer Nicholas, my new name."
"Your NEW NAME? What kind of bullshit are you pulling?"
"::sigh:: if you must know, I killed dad, the poor bloke, good thing I put him out of his misery."
"You? But, but why? I thought you took up a job under dad because he asked you to."
"He did."
"But he was gonna give you the company after he died anyway."
"I know, so I thought, why not now?"
"But what about school?"
"Hah, school? I gave up that place ages ago, flunked out is what I did."
"What? But you've always wanted to go there!"
"Yup, I did, and then I changed my mind."
"You didn't have to kill him! He never did anything to you."
"He was the source of our pain and horrible youth. Anyway, I disagreed with his business techniques. He depended on luck. I have skill; I have what it takes to make this company succeed, and I will depend on nothing but myself," he started to get roused up.
"Still, he didn't deserve to be murdered."
"He was responsible for the tough times we went through. He tried to buy his way out of everything. He, that bastard, deserved worse than the painless death I gave him. You disgust me Lily, I thought you understood, but apparently not; you're sticking up for him. HE was the source of all our problems. We practically had no father."
"Well, he did send us checks."
"So? That didn't make up for anything."
"Still, it's better to be alone and rich, than alone and poor. We would have been worse off in an orphanage."
"STOP TAKING HIS SIDE LILY; YOU KNOW THAT MAN WAS EVIL!" he pounded his fist onto the table.
"You can't just make him the scapegoat! Killing him didn't make you feel better."
"That's where you're wrong. I did feel good, I feel better than I ever have in my life."
"You're not the brother who protected me before, who made me feel better when I didn't have friends, who played with me, who made me laugh, who was a caring and wonderful person. No, dad wasn't evil. You are! What made you like this? Dad didn't make you like this, you did it to yourself, telling yourself lies! You've lost it! For all I know, YOU'RE the one who killed mom!"
"Don't you dare accuse me of that. I loved her, with everything I had. You say something that insulting again, and next time you'll have more to worry about than a few broken bones. Remember Lily, you won't be able to stop me, so don't try. I'm dead, after all. Now, you know the way out? And by the way, if you drop by again, I'm canceling all the checks, and if you bother me after that, you'll be joining dear father."
"That doesn't surprise me, threatening your family like that."
"Do not try me, Lily, now leave, before you force me to do something we'll both regret."
She exited the building, furious about her stupid family. Okay, so now I'm not even sure what happened to mom, and my brother murdered my father, and my family is so fucking screwed up I'm anticipating something incredibly horrible to happen to me, well, beyond getting raped and beaten from my brother's orders. There has to be something worse out there that life's gonna throw at me. Damn, my life sucks.
Back at the hotel, she wished she had the energy to kick and scream and destroy all the furniture, but she didn't so she watched television until there was nothing remotely interesting to watch.
At 8:30 the following night, she returned to her apartment in Japan and immediately slept. Lily didn't wake up until 11:00 the next day, so she quickly showered and cooked herself a brunch. She received a call shortly after eating.
"Hello?"
"Whoa, you actually answered today."
"Yeah, guess the phone didn't go through in San Francisco."
"You want to get together for lunch or something?"
"I actually just ate, so..."
"Well, how about taking a walk in the park."
"Uh, maybe another time."
"Well, how are you recovering?"
"Fine."
"That's good."
"Yeah."
"So, you want to do something later today?"
"I don't think I'm up for it right now, you know, I don't have too much energy."
"Oh, yeah, I understand."
"Yeah, so how are you?"
"Okay."
"And Mokuba?"
"He's good."
"That's nice. So..."
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not."
"Right, you always turn down eating and taking a walk with me. What did I do?"
"Nothing, it's just...nothing."
"I don't believe you."
"You should."
"Well, after leaving with no explanation, while you're hurt, I find it difficult."
"It shouldn't be. Nothing is wrong."
"We should talk."
"We are talking."
"No, in person. I'm coming over. Don't leave...Hello? Lily?"
Lily opened the door to find Kaiba coming up the stairs. He had started to drive to her place after the call went through.
"Now, if this isn't called avoiding me, then I don't know what is."
The rest of the day Lily thought about things when she wasn't talking to Kaiba. She spent the rest of the week recovering, and she could move a bit better, but still with pain, although her broken rib would take three to five more weeks to fully heal. The doctors had put a cast on her arm. She still had not told Kaiba about her family situation.
She was actually still confused about how she felt about everything, although she thought about it so much. She knew she was sad for her brother, but her father was a different case. She had thought she didn't care about him, but she couldn't believe he was gone. Sometimes things are taken for granted, and only until they're lost are they recognized. It was strange, because the fact that he wasn't in her life was her life. She convinced herself she didn't need parents, although she lived off his check.
Lily hadn't disclosed the situation to Kaiba because she didn't want to be seen as even more weak. Being restricted to a hospital bed was degrading enough. It wasn't as if she was concerned he'd see her break down; it was the opposite: she didn't want to show that she didn't care for them. She hadn't cried a single tear; she didn't even really know her two male family members to mourn like one who did.
She hadn't been allowed to leave the hospital, and wanted to handle things by herself and sneak out. By taking enough pain relievers, she could walk around. She planned how to go to California without Kaiba's help or knowledge. Before she boarded the plane, she called him to say, "I'm visiting my family; you won't see me until a few days," and hung up before he could respond.
Hours later, she arrived in San Francisco, with two hours to spare before the funeral. She was given an envelope with directions to the church where it would be held. She went shopping to pass the time, and took a cab when it was about time to leave. Facing traffic on the way there, she arrived late, and his best friend was giving the eulogy. An hour later, it was over, and she went with Jenny to the cemetery where they were to be buried. She was disappointed that it was a closed casket ceremony; she hoped to say a final goodbye to them. As they started to lower the coffins, it started to rain.
She was soaked the bare skin as she waited for them to finish. Returning to the hotel, Lily dried off. The next available flight was the next afternoon, so she sat in the room thinking.
Suicide, I don't believe they committed suicide. They aren't like that, but if it were murder, why would he do both at once? Wouldn't that be a bit suspicious? Who was to take over, but who'd want them dead anyway?
With a little bit of research, she discovered that headquarters were located in downtown. She took another cab to get there. Walking into the lobby, she asked to see the president of the company.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"Yes," she lied.
"Oh, what's you name?" she asked as she clicked open a window.
"Uh...::knocking over a vase on her table, sending it crashing towards the floor:: oh, I'm so sorry, I can't believe how clumsy I am."
"No problem," she struggled to stay polite, and left her seat to clean up the mess. Lily glanced onto the screen and it said '5:00 Amy Smith,' "So what did you say your name was?"
"Amy."
"Ah, I thought you'd be white."
"Oh, married one."
"You look rather young to be married."
"Aw, thanks, you've made my day."
"His office is on the top floor."
"Thank you," she asked and walked towards the elevator.
::ding::
Stepping out, she noticed expensive decorations everywhere, paintings, vases, and a whole wall of awards.
"Well, Amy, looks like you've arrived a bit early," the man said, turning around, revealing a glass of champagne in one hand.
"GAAAH! M-mike?? What are you doing alive?"
Chuckling, he replied, "Lily, what a surprise. That's right, I'm supposed to be dead, huh. How was the funeral?"
"This isn't funny. Why did you fake your death? I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Well, guess you thought wrong then, huh?"
"Well, naturally, since someone reported you DEAD," she said, becoming angry.
"So naïve, my little sis, so concerned, so gullible."
"Well, you still didn't answer my question!"
"So?" he said, nonchalantly.
"Is dad dead too?"
"Do you care?"
"Well, he's my father, for goodness sakes!"
"Look who's avoiding questions now."
"YOU! I do care, okay? I cared enough to go to his funeral despite my situation; you know I had to sneak out of the hospital?"
"No, how'd you do it?"
"I drugged the nurse with the sleeping pills she gave me."
"How'd you pull that off?"
"Well, I put the powder in the water, and asked her to play a drinking game with me after I asked for another cup of water. I guess she was pretty dumb to have fallen for that; it was quite lame."
"Ah, well it worked. Not bad Lily."
"Yes, and now I'm here to demand what's going on!"
"Hmm, to tell you, to tell you not. Okay, it's not like you'll be able to stop me anyway."
"Stop you?"
"Yes, I'm getting plastic surgery tomorrow."
"What? Mike, what are you up to?"
"Please, I prefer Nicholas, my new name."
"Your NEW NAME? What kind of bullshit are you pulling?"
"::sigh:: if you must know, I killed dad, the poor bloke, good thing I put him out of his misery."
"You? But, but why? I thought you took up a job under dad because he asked you to."
"He did."
"But he was gonna give you the company after he died anyway."
"I know, so I thought, why not now?"
"But what about school?"
"Hah, school? I gave up that place ages ago, flunked out is what I did."
"What? But you've always wanted to go there!"
"Yup, I did, and then I changed my mind."
"You didn't have to kill him! He never did anything to you."
"He was the source of our pain and horrible youth. Anyway, I disagreed with his business techniques. He depended on luck. I have skill; I have what it takes to make this company succeed, and I will depend on nothing but myself," he started to get roused up.
"Still, he didn't deserve to be murdered."
"He was responsible for the tough times we went through. He tried to buy his way out of everything. He, that bastard, deserved worse than the painless death I gave him. You disgust me Lily, I thought you understood, but apparently not; you're sticking up for him. HE was the source of all our problems. We practically had no father."
"Well, he did send us checks."
"So? That didn't make up for anything."
"Still, it's better to be alone and rich, than alone and poor. We would have been worse off in an orphanage."
"STOP TAKING HIS SIDE LILY; YOU KNOW THAT MAN WAS EVIL!" he pounded his fist onto the table.
"You can't just make him the scapegoat! Killing him didn't make you feel better."
"That's where you're wrong. I did feel good, I feel better than I ever have in my life."
"You're not the brother who protected me before, who made me feel better when I didn't have friends, who played with me, who made me laugh, who was a caring and wonderful person. No, dad wasn't evil. You are! What made you like this? Dad didn't make you like this, you did it to yourself, telling yourself lies! You've lost it! For all I know, YOU'RE the one who killed mom!"
"Don't you dare accuse me of that. I loved her, with everything I had. You say something that insulting again, and next time you'll have more to worry about than a few broken bones. Remember Lily, you won't be able to stop me, so don't try. I'm dead, after all. Now, you know the way out? And by the way, if you drop by again, I'm canceling all the checks, and if you bother me after that, you'll be joining dear father."
"That doesn't surprise me, threatening your family like that."
"Do not try me, Lily, now leave, before you force me to do something we'll both regret."
She exited the building, furious about her stupid family. Okay, so now I'm not even sure what happened to mom, and my brother murdered my father, and my family is so fucking screwed up I'm anticipating something incredibly horrible to happen to me, well, beyond getting raped and beaten from my brother's orders. There has to be something worse out there that life's gonna throw at me. Damn, my life sucks.
Back at the hotel, she wished she had the energy to kick and scream and destroy all the furniture, but she didn't so she watched television until there was nothing remotely interesting to watch.
At 8:30 the following night, she returned to her apartment in Japan and immediately slept. Lily didn't wake up until 11:00 the next day, so she quickly showered and cooked herself a brunch. She received a call shortly after eating.
"Hello?"
"Whoa, you actually answered today."
"Yeah, guess the phone didn't go through in San Francisco."
"You want to get together for lunch or something?"
"I actually just ate, so..."
"Well, how about taking a walk in the park."
"Uh, maybe another time."
"Well, how are you recovering?"
"Fine."
"That's good."
"Yeah."
"So, you want to do something later today?"
"I don't think I'm up for it right now, you know, I don't have too much energy."
"Oh, yeah, I understand."
"Yeah, so how are you?"
"Okay."
"And Mokuba?"
"He's good."
"That's nice. So..."
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not."
"Right, you always turn down eating and taking a walk with me. What did I do?"
"Nothing, it's just...nothing."
"I don't believe you."
"You should."
"Well, after leaving with no explanation, while you're hurt, I find it difficult."
"It shouldn't be. Nothing is wrong."
"We should talk."
"We are talking."
"No, in person. I'm coming over. Don't leave...Hello? Lily?"
Lily opened the door to find Kaiba coming up the stairs. He had started to drive to her place after the call went through.
"Now, if this isn't called avoiding me, then I don't know what is."