"What do you mean I have to go to Domino High?"
"You can't remain uneducated, you know."
"Who are you to tell me I'm uneducated?!"
"You might not be now, but what will you do in four years if you haven't gone to school?"
"But then that means you'll have to pay my tuition."
"Who says I'm going to pay for your tuition? I'll pay for it now, but you're going to owe me."
"And where do you think I'm going to get the money?"
"Work, of course."
"But you just told me Domino High students weren't allowed to work!"
"What do you think I've been running, a secret Greek Letter Society? Those fools on the education board will let you work if I say so."
"And where do you suppose I'm going to work? An ice cream shop?"
"No, you can work in Kaiba Corporation."
"Let me get this straight. You want me to pay you back for the money you spent on my tuition by going to work, but then you go through all the trouble of getting me a school, getting me a job, and getting me a permit to work?"
"Yes."
"Why did you even bother? Then I'd be in even bigger debt than before!"
"That's why I expect you to do a good job."
"Fine. Whatever."
That's settled then. The maids bought your school things, and ordered your uniform. You start tomorrow."
"WHAT?!"
He didn't answer. He just left.
Damn. He was doing it again. Being nice to me for no reason at all. And why did he have go through all that? I would've been happy to wait here in the Kaiba mansion for a few days, gaining my strength, then I would have been out the door and gone forever. But no, I now seemed to have become a permanent part of the Kaiba family. After five hours.
This was frustrating. I didn't know what to do. Why, why was he being so nice?! It was driving me crazy just thinking about it.
The maids came in shortly after that. One had a stack of books in her arms. The other one had a small pile of freshly laundered pink and blue uniforms. They set it down on my bed, then left.
"Thanks," I called after them. I then picked up the uniform to examine it.
It was a typical Japanese uniform. The blouse was long-sleeved, pink, and tight-fitting. A little too fitting, for my taste. There was a blue skirt that seemed short enough to be a belt, and a blue bow tie to match the skirt.
I collapsed backward onto the bed, clutching the blouse to my chest. I was going to be stuck here. I mean, in the course of four hours, I already had a home, education, food, and just about everything. In fact, my life would have been considered quite normal if it weren't for the fact that I barely knew the people I was going to stay with.
It was almost lunchtime. Kaiba was leaving soon for a board meeting. He had just come in to tell me about his plans for me. He should be getting ready now.
Oh, yeah, I bet some of you might be wondering how I got back to my room. My answer? Very slowly.
Anyway, so there I was. Lying on my bed. Doing absolutely nothing at all. Just staring up at the ceiling.
Then I felt the urge to go to the bathroom.
I sat up. The blouse slipped from my fingers. I got up and hurriedly crossed the threshold to the door.
It was only when I pulled open the door that I remembered that I didn't know how to get to a bathroom.
Ergh. The urge was getting stronger. I hurried down the hall and made a few turns.
I stopped. The door just to my right was emitting a soft smell of lemon-scented toilet cleaner. Eureka! A bathroom.
Pushing open the door, I hurried into the room. The walls were covered in jade green tile, and the sink, the bathtub, the soaps and the towels were one kind of green.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some urgent business to do.
-PLEASE STAND BY-
I emerged from the bathroom a few moments later, feeling content and refreshed. I made to head back to my room when another horrible realization came to me… I didn't know anymore where my room was.
Getting slightly worried, I turned a left down the corridor and walked up it. I spotted a picture at the end of the hall. That definitely looked familiar. Now.. did I turn right or left?
I turned left. Then right. Right again. Then left.
Let's face it. I was totally lost now. I decided to try a few rooms.
I opened the first door. Hmm… no one inside. Just a few bookshelves and a map of the world tacked up on the wall.
Carefully closing the door behind me, I tried the next one. Nope. No one there either.
The next room was surprisingly cold. Well, sure, the whole house was air-conditioned, but this room was freezing. I mean, you could practically see the frost forming on the polished oak furniture and the computer on the far end.
Suddenly, I realizes there was someone else in this room. He was familiar. Very familiar. I looked at him. He looked at me.
Seto Kaiba was standing there, without a shirt on, staring back at me like I was some sort of maniac.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
I could only make a gurgling noise.
"What?"
I forced myself to speak. "I got lost."
"Your room is across from mine."
"Oh."
I looked out the door and across the hall. He was right. I had left the door open in my haste. I spotted the heap of books and clothes on the bed.
"Thank you, Kaiba."
"Whatever. Just get out."
I closed the door behind me and dashed into my room. I swept the books and clothes off the covers and flopped down on top of them.
There I lay, my heart thumping wildly, a gazillion thoughts racing around in my head. I thought about what I had just seen. What was I thinking? How could I have gone completely lost like that? What would Mokuba think? Would he laugh at me? Seto sure has nice abs…
I hit myself on the forehead. I can't be thinking about things like that.
"Tsuki!"
Mokuba came rushing in through my open door. He jumped onto my bed and knocked the wind out of me as he enveloped me in a hug.
"Oof! Mokuba.. what are you doing?"
Mokuba smiled up at me, eyes twinkling. "Niisama DID allow you to stay! He just told me!"
I smiled a little. "Yeah. I guess."
Mokuba frowned at me. "What's that supposed to mean? He said you would be here for a long time, so you can't guess. You're gonna be my new playmate!"
I looked down at him, my smile faltering.
His brow furrowed. "Why, Tsuki-chan? Don't you want to stay here?"
I smiled and tousled his hair. "I guess I do. I'm very thankful to you two. I just don't know how to get the message across to your brother."
Mokuba finally let go of me. "Well, you could talk to him. He is just a person, after all. He can understand the human language."
I smiled. "Yeah. I know. I'm just wondering if he can understand mine."
The next day, I got up early, knowing that it would be my first day of school in Domino High. I was excited, sort of, but scared too. Before my dad had… had left, he had kept me schooled in only the most prestigious American universities. I had never been to a public school before.
The new map of the house that Mokuba had drawn for me clutched in my hand, I set off for the nearest bathroom. According to the map, there was one closer to my own bedroom than the one I had gone to the other day. I thankfully found the right room, and began cleaning myself up.
I emerged later in my new school uniform, trying desperately to pull the skirt down as low as it would go. I didn't like this at all…
When I returned to my room, I bent over to pick up my school bag, which was on the floor next to the bed, with my left hand clamped firmly on the back hem of my skirt, trying desperately to pull it down. How did the girls MOVE in this thing?
Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I happened to glance at the clock. 5:30. I shrugged and made my way down to the kitchen.
After only two wrong turns and one locked door, I found myself in a large dining area. There were tapestries hanging on the left wall, and the slim rectangular table ran down the middle of the room. A door to the right led to the kitchen.
The chandeliers that hung above the table were off, but a square rectangular light illuminated the figure sitting at one end of the table. Seto Kaiba.
He looked up at me, then glanced back down at his computer screen, fingers flying over the keys. After two minutes, he hit Enter, then shut his laptop and studied me, fingers laced together, chin resting on them.
I have to admit, his steady gaze kind of freaked me out. I quickly cast around for something to say, but he broke the ice.
"What are you doing down here so early?"
I stared at him.
"School."
He continued to stare at me. "It starts at 7:30."
"Y-yes. I know," I said, voice cracking. Why couldn't he look away? "Don't most schools start at that time?"
He nodded. "But its only… five forty," he informed me.
"Yes. I know," I said, temper rising slightly. Of course it was five forty!
He stood, finally breaking his gaze. I sighed with relief. "We can get there in 10 minutes, you know."
I flushed. I had forgotten. My father and I used to live so far from my old school that I had to leave this early just to get there on time.
I quickly cast around for an excuse. "Uh… I… well, I figured that I had to walk to school. I mean, you aren't going to allow me to ride the limo, are you?"
"Why not?"
"So… you're actually allowing me to ride?"
"Yes. Why not?"
"I dunno. It kind of seems too much."
He came closer to me. I had to squint in the darkness to see him. He stopped just in front of me. My heart began beating faster.
"Its a car. You use it to get around. What's the big deal?"
I was surprised at his logic. "So, you are smart, after all," I couldn't help retorting.
He looked at me, a little confusion showing on his face. "Of course. What did you think I was, a dunce?"
"Well, since you never speak much, I figured…"
"Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know."
"Wow… I never knew you were Taoist."
"I'm not. But it is true."
I smiled more easily at him. He continued to look at me with that steady gaze of his. Okay, fine. He was as unemotional as a stone. I was going to have to get used to that.
"What were you doing up so early, Kaiba?"
"Working."
"Really?"
He rolled his eyes. "For someone who doesn't speak much, you sure don't know a lot. What did you think I was doing on my laptop, playing Solitaire?"
"Work isn't the only thing you can do on a computer, Kaiba, so, yes, why can't I think you were playing games?"
He was silent, and I smiled inwardly, thinking that I had finally won this battle of wit. But, naturally, he prevailed.
"Do I look like the type who would play games?"
I was stumped after that. Silence fell.
Then my stomach grumbled.
I flushed again, but I noticed a small hint of a smile on his face. So! The unemotional stone DID have feelings after all.
"Want some breakfast?" he asked me.
"You cook?"
"No."
"It's a date, then."
We both made our way to the kitchen. As we walked, I began thinking through analogy again.
So… maybe… even people with hardened faces do keep feelings deep inside them. I guess they keep straight faces just to hide their true feelings. Kind of like a mask. You don't want people to know who you are, or what you're up to. I've been wearing a mask a lot lately too. Trying to keep a straight face, hiding the pain I felt inside me, walking forward with my head held high, trying not to crack my mask and show the world what I really felt…
I tripped on the carpet on the way to the kitchen. Seto caught my arm.
"Careful. You might break that nose of yours."
I know, corny ending. Please review! I won't continue unless I get reviews, that's why I lost interest in it. Review if you want me to continue! Arigato!