Chapter 9

The calm before the storm. That was what every day felt like now. Waiting just for something to happen, someone to break the façade of safety.

"It has to be Huto. Huto and his gang along with the younger generation of bullies. Huto Metsukiao's father?"

Kaiba could not pretend he had ever known Rakyo. She very well could have been attracted to someone like the leader of the gang. Still, with her parents the way he had seen them, the entire situation seemed odd. Also, Huto could just be leading him on to make him paranoid. The problem was that it was working.

He walked the halls silently, deciding to go see Metsukiao. When he came to the nursery, however, he was drawn more to the room next door. Kiseira's room. The light was on, shining under the door. It would be easy to knock and stare into her eyes once again, seeing the light of history within them. Then he could…

Kaiba walked into the nursery.

Metsukiao, for once, was not sleeping but lying quietly in the crib. After being in this world about three months, it seemed she had learned to appreciate the silence. Here was a different set of blue eyes he could look in. She gurgled a little, kicking her legs. Her blanket slipped off.

"Don't do that," he said, replacing the cover. Then he just watched her. "You can't choose your parents," Kaiba finally said. "And Mokuba's right; I don't want to send you off to test your luck where parents can truly choose you. What if you ended up with someone like Huto? Like Gozaburo?"

In a nearby room, a pale girl listened to him speak from next to her door. Maybe he would talk to Metsukiao like how he should talk to anyone about his past. Just telling the story once to herwas not enough.

Silent footfalls imperceptible to Kaiba or Kiseira crept down the hallway. Outside the nursery, Mokuba, too, listened.

Both were disappointed. Kaiba fell silent. After a long enough span of time, Mokuba felt it was all right to enter the room. His older brother had left the cradle and instead stared out the window.

"Seto, I think you should see this." Mokuba held out a piece of paper.

Almost snatching it from him, Kaiba muttered to himself in his head. His brother should never have been the one to get this. Now, Mokuba would be worried, for it was, as he guessed, another threat from the gang. And Mokuba had read it.

"Don't do it, Seto. You promised me."

Kaiba was still staring at the letter. "Let's finish this privately. Come to 96th Street at the corner of Ivy. If you don't show in five days at 7:00 pm, we'll burn the house down, track your cars, and experiment with dynamite. Anything that gets the job done."

Having won every confrontation thus far, why would he not win the last? But he had promised his brother.

"You know it won't be fair. They'll have a whole pack waiting to ambush you before you ever get there. And if you come with others openly, then the gang will attack as well. There's no way to win doing it their way. Why don't we get the police to do something?"

"They can't," he said absently. And they might even take Metsukiao away if Huto's claim is good, Seto thought. "All they would do is move us out of here until the threat appears to be gone. That would solve nothing."

Big eyes gazed at him sadly, holding everyone's sorrow, or so it seemed. "I don't want you to go."

Interminable silence followed.

Finally, sighing, Kaiba shook his head. "Then I won't go. I'm sure there's some other way to deal with this gang. I just have to decide which way to do it."

"Thank you, Seto," Mokuba said quietly. Hesitating for just a second, the boy decided to do it. He walked over to his older brother and gave him a small hug. Then, Mokuba walked away trying to decide if his own selfishness was worth it.

Dreams had begun to haunt Seto Kaiba again. But these were not of the past, but of the present and even the future. Still, the subject was mainly the same. Kiseira.

Sometimes he wondered if the Rod was still doing this to him somehow. Yet, his own beating heart and following eyes were proof that he was doing it to himself. Despite everything that had happened to him, in spite of what everyone thought, Kaiba was realizing he was a young man with hormones.

The science of it was easy for him. He understood it exactly. Maybe that was why he had never been a romantic. To him, all those fools falling over each other were victim to the body's chemical reactions. What was romantic about phenylethylamines?

It should have been just as simple to shove the feelings aside. He hardly knew her. There were better ways to spend time than thinking of her. He had a company to run. Most of all, there was no guarantee she felt the same.

"This is stupid. I'm an adult. I am not victim to such whims of chemicals. I need to think of how to beat Huto at his game."

So, Kaiba put his thoughts aside and worked on how best to put an end to things without endangering himself. The note was great inspiration as it sat on his desk. Most of all, Kaiba had his brother and the others to keep safe. Until the threat was over, none of them were allowed to leave the house, which was making Mokuba stir-crazy.

The boy now spent as much time as possible helping take care of Metsukiao. Still, there was a lot of free time in his day. With all the lifeless hours, he buried himself into books or tried to do homework assignments a friend called to tell him about. It just was not easy for him. Mokuba loved to get out and see people he knew. He could not last alone for hours simply working like his brother did. Maybe it was because the boy had friends to see that he could not last.

Whenever Mokuba seemed most likely to go bother his brother for some reason or another, Kiseira detained him with a minor errand. Slowly, it became apparent what she was doing, and he was grateful for it.

Soon, the second day had arrived. There were just three more to come up with an idea. So far, most of his had been dull and would only work part-way. Hiding where he kept his secret computer might keep them safe, but it would not stop any further attacks.

After a small break, Kaiba sensed something was missing from his room. As he looked around, he noticed the Rod, still hidden in a bag, in a slightly different spot. Someone had gone through his things. Most likely, it had been Mokuba searching for something like a piece of paper.

It was when he was at dinner Kaiba realized what had been missing. Huto's threatening letter.

Well, he thought to himself, if Mokuba had been looking for a piece of paper, he had obviously found one. Kaiba said nothing about it. Most likely, it was his brother's way of ensuring Kaiba would do nothing foolish.

Maids were clearing away the dishes and his brother was carrying the baby upstairs. Someone tugged on his sleeve.

"Seto, are you mad at me? It-it feels like you've been avoiding me." Kiseira ducked her head and released his sleeve.

Why had his hands gone cold? "No, I haven't been." Yes, he had. When he next looked at her, he felt like he had hit a puppy. If there was anything worse than lying to Mokuba, it was lying to this other innocent creature.

The light in her eyes faded. "I see." She turned to follow the boy with the child.

"No, you don't. You can't see because I have not shown anyone. I haven't even shown myself." What nonsense was he spewing out now? Whenever she was around, it was like a fissure rent open his being and tried to pour out his mind and soul onto her. He could not control himself. For someone who built his life around control, it was no wonder he had been avoiding her.

Kiseira stopped. "Seto…"

Now he knew why he never let anyone say his first name. He should never have let her say it the very first time. Each time her quiet voice spoke his name, it was like some net cast over him. People believed there was power in names. Now, for the first time, Kaiba was beginning to believe it.

She had turned to face him, and he did not want to try to read her face. This hesitant girl would not take the first step, and Kaiba refused to take the step himself. Still, there had been something he had wanted to do for a long time now. Seeing her long strands of hair falling over her face, he could not resist putting it behind her ears.

At the touch of his hand on her face, the girl almost started. But Kiseira moved one step closer instead of fleeing away as a wild animal would.

"Kiseira, I barely know you," Seto whispered.

She raised her delicate brows. "How can that be? I know you very well. In the feel of the ancient sun shining on my skin, I know you. With every restful sleep which holds my mind's deepest memories, I have learned who you are. As water that nourishes the land and body throughout time, returning once again, so do you. My knowledge of you comes through a lifelong connection to endless cycles. What has once been will always be. And, because I know you, I do not want that to change."

What she had said had ceased the cementing of his body. He dropped away from her and said gravely, "Kiseira, I don't think I understood a word of what you said."

She laughed. "I know you did. But then it sounds like I am riddling again." She glanced over at him.

"I think," he said slowly and very softly, "I am beginning to like your riddles, Kiseira."

A faint blush touched her cheeks like the rising sun on white sand. "I'm sorry," she apologized, putting her hands over her cheeks and leaving the room.

She was too swift to grab as she left, not that he would. All that remained for the briefest of moments was a handful of white hair like threads that the silk worms made, so soft and smooth.

Don't be, he was thinking. It was my fault, and I won't do it again.

The third day came after a night filled with dreams of burning houses and screaming corpses. He was not sure which was worse—seeing Kiseira or seeing dead bodies. Either way, it made for a sleepless night.

A buzzing was coming from a nearby room; Mokuba was getting up as well. This morning, however, the boy came into his room rubbing his eyes.

"Seto, I'm sorry. I made you promise and now it's making it so you can't do what could put an end to this."

Kaiba had thought his brother was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but now he was realizing Mokuba was trying to help keep himself awake. His brother had not slept last night, or at least, not very well. His alarm clock must have been set despite it. This had to have been bothering his brother a lot.

"Mokuba," Kaiba said, placing his brother on his newly-made bed. The boy looked like he had cried during the night despite his determination to go through with being less selfish. "I didn't just promise to make you happy. There was sense in what you said. If I do as Huto says, there is no doubt I will leave with a lot less stability, blood, or even life than I went with."

"But it is still selfish of me! By trying to keep you safe I might endanger others like Metsukiao or Kiseira!"

Out of all the conversations he thought he would have to have with his brother, it was those like this that seemed extremely hard. What right did he have for telling Mokuba this when so many of his actions in the past were based on nothing good—merely selfish reasons? Better for Yugi or another of the annoying dweebs to talk to Mokuba. At least then Kaiba could be certain they would not be living the opposite of the words. But they were not here. He was the closest person to Mokuba and had promised to take care of him, so he had to try.

He forced his brother to look at him. "Mokuba, there are no good answers in a situation like this. If you at least are led by good reasons, then you cannot regret making what decisions you have made." Unlike my own reasons for doing things before. Kaiba could recall too many circumstances where he had been led to act through vengeance, anger, or pride.

"You were led by concern." Kaiba, for some reason, had trouble saying "love." Yet, he had no trouble adding, "Besides, if I were certain nothing good would come of following your promise, I would break it."

Mokuba attempted a smile. "I don't know if that reassures me or not, Seto."

Making a smile of his own, Kaiba patted one shoulder. "That's all right. I'm not sure which it was supposed to do myself. Now try to get some sleep."

After the boy was thoroughly cheered, he went back to his room to get dressed. Something like a wind brushed his black hair back from his face. Mokuba glanced down the hall, thinking he had seen a ghost. In reality, it was just Kiseira quietly passing by. But then, she did sometimes seem like a ghost.

And that, Kiseira thought, is why you are not like your fathers.

Going around the neighborhood and preparing traps, even worse ones than holograms, was out of the question. He was certain one of the gang members was always watching. That was why he even had his security withdraw behind the gates in case there was a mob attack.

Police did drive by twice a day, but it was simple to avoid the cars. No other obvious attacks had occurred, but as Kaiba had noticed before, it was just a waiting game.

His and Mokuba's school were going to send someone over to make them go to school soon. The calls he had not answered, and calling his brother in as ill had stopped a few days ago. Kaiba just hoped no one decided to press it before the next two days.

What he had dreaded, yet did not take seriously, was the threat of losing Metsukiao. However, a goon called in to warn him someone was being admitted to the door.

The bell rang, and by then, Kaiba was there before the old servant who normally did this. Promptly, the door fell open on a middle-aged woman who had seen better days. Still, her clothes were professional and adept at hiding the added weight around her lower middle. Brushing back one side of her shoulder-length black hair, the woman introduced herself as Dr. Yensu.

"I have come to have an update on the care of a certain Metsukiao," she said with a smile.

"Come in," Kaiba said quickly. After being the child who had been placed in another's care, he was not looking forward to this visit. Of course, then, Gozaburo had been an intimidating monster who would beat him if he told the truth to the social worker. Also, it was doubtful the worker would have cared if the truth had been told. Right then, Kaiba vowed not to ever pay off social workers.

As he climbed the stairs to go up to the room, the doctor tried to make some conversation. As he soon learned, this was not just a very educated social worker. She had been sent by a hospital with some important news.

"I think you might have heard, but we have someone claiming to be the girl's father. We took a blood test on him, and I was hoping to be granted permission to take some of Metsukiao's."

Glossing over his shock, Kaiba agreed easily.

"I'm glad you are being cooperative, Mr. Kaiba," the woman laughed. "I have a court order if you wouldn't, but that would make things tense."

He agreed again, face stony. By then, they were at the top of the stairs and going down the left hall. They went by Mokuba's room where the boy was supposed to be sleeping.

"This is her room."

Dr. Yensu looked around and smiled, very amused by all the supplies. But, that was not necessarily a bad thing. She waded over to the crib and looked for the child. Metsukiao was not there.

She glanced back at Kaiba, who quickly realized what the doctor wanted.

"Metsukiao is in the care of a nanny most of the day so that my brother and I can do as is required. The nanny must have her now."

Kaiba went to the next door. This was the first time he was knocking on Kiseira's door.

Her pale face appeared with only a small delay, and she opened it wide on seeing Kaiba and the doctor. As he explained what was happening, the girl blushed a little and apologized for not having stayed in the nursery.

"It's no problem," Dr. Yensu replied.

The doctor was taking the baby and checking her over, but as far as he knew, Metsukiao was as well as she had been on her last doctor's visit. While she was doing that, Kaiba looked around the room a little while.

Nothing had changed. There were only a few clothes in the drawer because Kaiba had seen Kiseira was always wearing the same ragged outfit. Otherwise, all was empty. Her life revolved around other things.

"If you would just hold her still," the woman was saying.

Kaiba glanced over to see the needle out and ready. He was glad Mokuba was in his room, as the younger boy hated shots and anything else to do with needles.

As expected, Metsukiao screwed her eyes shut and tightened her fists as she wailed in mostly shock and a little pain. Kiseira instantly began comforting her.

"That was the main reason I came here." Dr. Yensu looked at Kaiba. "Would you walk me to the door?"

"Of course." He knew what was coming. The doctor was going to say what happened if the one claiming to be Metsukiao's father was truly the one. He already knew. He would lose Metsukiao.

"You understand the circumstances, don't you? Rakyo never told who the father was, so it is just as probable she never told the father he had a child. If that is true and we have found him, he has rights to take the child away from you."

"I understand." He waited until they reached the stairs. "And if the man is an unsuitable guardian?"

"Then she would be returned to you."

Probably in worse shape than when they had gotten the small infant. Legalities and the stupidity of them never ceased astounding him.

"You should get the results in a week." Dr. Yensu stood in the doorway. "Until then, Mr. Kaiba."

He did not answer as he watched her leave with the vial of precious blood.

"Metsukiao's leaving, isn't she?"

He did not turn. "You are supposed to be sleeping."

"I couldn't. Now, tell me."

Sighing, Kaiba stepped away from the door and window, crossing his arms. "Not leaving yet. They are checking if someone claiming to be the father really is. We'll know in a week."

Silence.

"It looks like I have to apologize again. I made you take Metsukiao in, and now after we've gotten used to her, she's going to leave again."

Kaiba's eyes flicked to focus on his brother though his head did not turn. "Not everything is your fault. I agreed. No one made me spend time with her and grow used to her. You can't be sorry for something that brought only goodness while it lasted." Well, not quite all goodness.

Mokuba had the blessing of being one who could not stay down very long. A smile tugged at his lips. "And a few laughs. I still remember you trying to hold her!"

"I think I've improved since then," he said dryly. His brother was laughing anyway. "Besides, you were the one who could not even think of changing her, and now you do it without being asked."

"Goodness," Mokuba said softly. "She brought a lot of stuff, Seto. Even Kiseira."

To that, Kaiba did not answer. Instead, he put a hand on Mokuba's back and began herding him up the stairs to make sure the boy got more sleep.

Vanishing before they could see, Kiseira went back to the nursery to begin feeding Metsukiao.

Almost three hours later, the goons sent through a different message. Someone suspicious was trying to see him.

"Sir, he seems nervous but definitely a thug. I think you should have an armed guard with you if you let him in. We searched him and removed a set of the regular street knives."

Pacing back and forth, the CEO finally decided to let the thug in. Roland waited in the room with him.

On first appearance, the young man had the look of a street fighter. His black hair was mussed and dirty, though not as filthy as his clothing. There were so many holes that it would have been best to use one large cloth to cover them all, but then, that would be the same as getting a new outfit. His nervous expression fit well with the holes. Still, the young man was formidable, looking like he could hold his own in a fight.

Kaiba looked into the man's face and could hardly believe what he saw. Another set of blue eyes. Rakyo's had been brown, the birth certificate had stated. An uneasy feeling started in the young man's stomach as the man held out a hand to shake with. Kaiba ignored it.

"What do you want?"

He gulped a few times to clear his throat. "I first want some assurance that you'll let me speak."

"There's no reason why I should let you."

"I'm a member of Huto's gang."

Tapping his forefinger on his elbow of one crossed arm, Kaiba debated. The passing time did not bother him, but this other man was anxious and impatient, shifting his weight and rearranging how his arms were. Just because of that, he decided to wait a little extra.

"Fine. Speak."

Now that he had permission, the man was hesitant. "My name is Lai. I-I knew Rakyo."

"By 'knew,' I assume you mean you had very intimate relations? You're claiming to be the father of the child?"

The man looked at him a moment before nodding. "Yes, we were going to be married once I got out of the gang. Unfortunately, she did not tell me she was pregnant and her parents had ceased letting her out of their sight. It was a long few months not seeing her but sending notes. Still, we stuck to the plan. I don't know why she didn't tell me. I only learned of her death from one of my friends hearing it from another person. That same person told me about her child."

He paused, looking like he was remembering something. Then, with a breath, he continued, "Huto told me about the baby you had, and I remembered Rakyo once claiming she was related to you. I had thought it was a joke then. But, I tracked the adoption papers. They led to you."

"So, why are you here, now?" Kaiba asked coldly.

"Well, I was wondering if I could just see her?" Lai saw the wintry glare sent his way and withered a little. "I mean, could you just tell me how she is, what she's like? I suppose you know I am being tested for fatherhood."

"Yes, I just learned that today from the doctor that showed up at my door. I don't think I'll tell you anything."

The man made a fist. "I don't understand. I didn't do anything to you. Those threats were by Huto after you made a fool of him in the alley and him wanting to help avenge his younger sister. He just decided to use my new knowledge as another provocation."

Kaiba chuckled darkly. "That's a pretty big word spewing from your foul mouth. Get an education somewhere by mistake?"

Lai stared at him. "I did not choose to join a gang. They kind of recruited me after my older brother went in. But once you're in you're in, unless you got a good place to run to. And I do. That's the only reason I am seeing if this child is mine. I guess I was wrong in thinking you could ever understand. Metsukiao, as I believe her name is, is all I have left. Rakyo's gone, and she was everything that brought me joy. I suppose being a CEO puts you above such things."

Staying silent, Kaiba's narrow eyes looked directly into Lai's light blue ones.

"But if I could have someone to bring me happiness and joy—I know I'll never find another Rakyo—it would be enough. That's all I ask, Mr. Kaiba. I won't be fighting you with Huto. He may think he sent me here to say a little message, but I really came for my own. You put that baby in harm's way, and I will be after you."

Lai stood up, looking from Roland to Kaiba. Then, he walked past both to the door.

"What was Huto's message?" Kaiba asked without turning.

The footfalls slowed to a stop. "Which one do you want to see die first?" Lai left the mansion escorted by a guard, leaving Kaiba to contemplate in his chair.

Author's Note: I love leaving these! (reddens) Okay, that scene up there was very difficult to get through. Sorry if you hate mush. (I do!)
Thanks so much for reading!