A/N: Wopteedoo! Haha. I'm feeling very happy today, so I decided to update earlier. Thanks to all those who reviewed—your comments are greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh… But I dream! (grins) By the way, this disclaimer also works for the previous chapter. I kind of forgot to put a disclaimer there. Sorry!

Kaiba: Time…

Me: Right! Presenting, Chapter eight!

Short-lived Dream

"Good morning Miss Erika!"

A very, very happy Mokuba greeted the raven-haired beauty that served him his breakfast. Erika merely smiled and ruffled the little kid's hair, and then went back into the kitchen to retrieve more food for everyone else in the house. This morning, she had prepared waffles, and she included Kaiba in the counting. Of course, Erika still wasn't aware that the CEO rarely ate breakfast—she was about to learn that the hard way.

"I'll be late tonight. Don't wait for me," was the statement Erika heard when she returned to the dining room. She paused to look at Kaiba, who was holding the daily newspaper and his briefcase. Kaiba, having the feeling that he was being watched, averted his gaze from Mokuba to the only female standing in the room: Erika.

"Coffee," he stated calmly, not ready to destroy his morning.

"A-Aren't you eating breakfast? I prepared waffles—"

"I said coffee, so stop asking. Give me my coffee." Mokuba glanced at Kaiba, and then at Erika, and then back again at Kaiba. 'This is not going to be good…' The little boy thought, staring at his brother's miffed expression. Deciding to interfere, Mokuba quickly got up from his seat and ran to embrace Kaiba's waist. This confused the brunette, but Erika got the hint, so she hurriedly went to the kitchen to prepare Kaiba's coffee.

"What is it Mokuba?"

"Nothing. I just want to ask—will you be free on Saturday?" Kaiba paused to think of his schedule. Because of the outbreak of the new Duel Disks, he was quite busy trying to program a new and better project, so he would probably be working on non-stop on Friday, Saturday and Sunday—but wait, wasn't it Mokuba's birthday on Saturday?

"Yes. Where do you want to go?"

"I still haven't thought about it yet… But I'll let you know! Thanks big brother!" Mokuba released him, hoping that he had given enough time for Erika to brew coffee—and to his relief, she did, and she was carrying another package, which meant she was able to add something too.

"Here," she handed it to him, and he accepted, "I also added waffles, just in case you might get hungry. I'm sorry about the delay though, because I really didn't know that… you… didn't… eat… breakfast…?" Mokuba rolled his eyes and shook his head, at the same time slapping his forehead over and over again. He was trying to give Erika the signal to stop her statement, but she didn't get the hint, because he was just in the corner of her eye, so… Mokuba's frantic waving wasn't able to do much good.

"Hm. Now you know."

With that, the arrogant CEO turned on his heel and headed for the door. Erika finally breathed out, feeling relief wash over her in huge amounts. "Thanks Mokuba. I would've been toast, if it weren't for you," she remarked, falling into the seat next to him.

"You're welcome. But don't say sorry every time, Miss Erika. Seto will just have further reason to underestimate and criticize you." Mokuba grinned at her, and she smiled. 'Mokuba really cares… He doesn't want Kaiba to underestimate me, even though he's his brother… And he stalled Kaiba for me… But wait, that reminds me that I have to take Rey to school… and I haven't even waken him up yet!'

"Thanks for the advice, Mokuba. Finish up your breakfast, so we can go wake up Rey together." At this, Mokuba's eyes turned into huge saucers. It was evident that an idea had presented itself to the youngster's mind. "Can we tickle him until he wakes up?" Erika had to let out a laugh at Mokuba's mischievousness.

"Sure."

(skip)

"WAIT! I SURRENDER!"

Rey, Mokuba and Erika all fell on the bed, laughing their hearts out. Rey though, was more flushed than the other two, because he was the victim of the heinous crime. Rey thought that he would wake up to a nice and peaceful morning, but boy, was he wrong. He got tickled until he could barely breathe, yet he found himself enjoying every minute of it. It was odd, but fun nonetheless.

"That… was… fun…" Mokuba tried to say in between quick breaths. Oh, did he enjoy the look on Rey's face when they began to tickle him endlessly. It was simply priceless, and it was enough of a reward for him, but what he got out of the event was much, much more than its worth. He found a certain feeling of warmth he had long found missing, and all that was due to the 'tickling session' that they initiated on Rey.

"It was, but now we have to get up! Up, up, up, both of you!" Erika pulled Rey and Mokuba up, only to have them tackle her to the ground and tickle her. They were extracting revenge alright, especially Rey, who was ruthlessly attacking his sister's side. He knew from experience that that was his sister's weak spot—he had watched his father tickle her before.

"Alright, alright…" Erika tried her best to contain her laughter, but failed miserably. "Stop! I give up! Stop!" Instantly, the two kids ceased their tickling and fell on either side of her, laughing for reasons only they knew. Erika shook her head and sat up, knowing well that if they went on like this, Rey would be late for school—not what she wanted.

"Rey, go and take a shower. You'll be late for class." At the mention of the word 'class', Rey jolt up and dashed for the shower. Mokuba threw Erika a confused look, which she returned. Erika never remembered Rey being so eager for school. In fact, the only time he was eager was when he became sick and then got well, so what was going on?

"I… don't really know what's going on, but I'll try to find out… In the meantime, why don't we prepare Rey's clothes?" A devilish grin appeared on the little kid's face, giving Erika the impression that the pranks on Rey were still not over. 'Oh well, kids will be kids… They'll battle it out in a prank war… I'll just be here to make sure they don't get hurt!' was Erika's cheerful proposition to herself.

(skip)

"I'll see you later,"

"Mhm! Bye!"

Rey waved goodbye to his sister and ran into the compound, just in time for the first bell. Once she was assured that he was safe inside the complex, Erika walked away from the school. 'Maybe I should go and buy the cookbook now… I mean, I don't think I'm needed at the mansion for another hour or so… Yeah, maybe I should just buy it today.' Erika contemplated on, unaware of the fact that she was under the scrupulous watch of a few certain men.

"She's heading for the subway. Get her." Two men stepped out from the alley that Erika had just passed by. Still, she was oblivious, and she continued to walk casually, thinking of what cookbook to buy.

"You're coming with us." All of a sudden, the two men grabbed Erika by either side, making her immobile and unable to relent. All the other people who were passing by ignored her, either for two reasons: one, they were too scared to interfere, or two, they just really didn't care at all.

"Don't struggle—we have your brother under our watch." The moment she heard the word 'brother', Erika froze. She wasn't struggling to begin with, but when she heard about Rey, she immediately paled. Evidently, she was worried with what could happen to the only person left in her life. She couldn't have Rey hurt, or worse—die.

"Get in." The two shoved her into the black Lexus, where they blindfolded her and tied her up, just so she was proven relentless. They had orders to not hurt her, and they would follow it—their boss had threatened to cut their throats if they did otherwise.

"We've got her sir," was their report to the mysterious figure that ordered Erika's abduction.

"Good."

(skip)

"You may leave."

Erika tried her best to distinguish the voice that had just spoken. She couldn't understand what was the use of abducting someone like her, so maybe, if she could identify the voice, she would get a hint as to what they needed from her—but she could hardly recognize the speaker. 'What would anyone want with me? I have nothing…'

"I hope they didn't treat you too roughly, Erika?"

She felt a small tug on her blindfold, making her panic level rise a bit. She was really nervous in the situation she was in. Much to her surprise though, when her blindfold was taken off, Erika saw an office—not the usual place that a kidnapper would take the victim.

"Well, I'm glad to see they didn't."

A tall brunette came out from behind her, and Erika could only guess that he was the one that ordered her abduction. With his shoulder-length brown hair and emerald green eyes, Erika could swear he looked familiar, but maybe she was just imagining things. Maybe she just bumped with him somewhere in the streets, or maybe not. But her reining question was: what did he want?

"What's wrong?" A small smirk formed on his lips, reminding Erika of a certain other brunette in her life. "Can't recognize your own cousin? It's me, Erika, your very own Sekio-niisan… otherwise known as Sekio Yakushi." Now that rang a bell. Instantly, images of a certain brunette and a certain raven-haired girl embracing flashed into Erika's mind, and then words of parting were exchanged, and soon the raven-haired girl found herself alone once more.

"S-Sekio…?"

"It's good you remember, Erika-chan," Sekio grabbed Erika's chin, forcing her to look him straight in the eye. 'Same innocent brown eyes… And the same personality that I despise.' All of a sudden, he slapped her hard, causing her to fall to the floor. 'Still weak, still dependent… What right does a girl like her have to live in this world?'

"S-Sekio… why?" Erika could only ask such a simple question. She couldn't understand why Sekio would do this to her. Before he ran away three years ago, they were in good terms. He even said goodbye to her, and he promised that he would keep in contact, but he didn't. She worried about his welfare, but she couldn't do anything, because he didn't give her any contact number, so why was he mad?

"Why?" Sekio laughed. "You ask why? Jin, remember him?" There was evident bitterness in his voice, and Erika could understand why. Jin was Sekio's father, and they had always fought before. One night, they got into a huge fight, and it ended up with Sekio running to Erika's house and seeking for treatment. Since she was already fifteen during that time, she knew about the basics, so she was able to treat him. But shortly after that, Sekio said goodbye and left, saying that he had enough of his father—that was the last she saw of him.

"I worked hard to be where I am now… I own Yakushi Enterprise, a rival of KaibaCorp., and Jin knows that… So he showed his disgusting face to me and asked money. I refused at first, but he kept coming back. Gave him enough to last for many years, but then I discovered… that he used that money to pay for your school fees!"

"He cared for you, and not for me? How can I not be mad? He used my money to feed you, to enter you into school—you were all that he thought about in the first place! Jin loved your mother more than anything else, so he showed extra care to you and Rey…. But to me, to me, his own son, he did not! You expect me to see you the same way, Erika?"

He kicked her in the side, and she tried her best not to make a sound. 'this is not the Sekio I know… Seki would never do this to me… Sekio loves me… He told me that… No, this isn't Sekio-niisan… What happened to him?' Erika received two more blows in the stomach, making her cough out small amounts of blood. Sekio merely grinned at this, enjoying the way his cousin was cringing in pain.

"Sekio… This is... not you…" Erika whispered, looking up to see her cousin's expression. She regretted her choice immediately. On Sekio's face was a sick, twisted smile, that not even Kaiba could match. Sure, Kaiba would smirk every now and then, but Erika knew that there really was no evil behind that smirk—Sekio was way, way different.

"Not me? Ha!" The brunette grabbed a fistful of Erika's hair, forcefully lifting her off the floor. Erika tried to ease Sekio's grip by pulling on his hand, but he just shook her efforts off. "Stop being so naïve, Erika. The world isn't a place for people like you." He threw her down and walked over to his desk, taking a sip of his champagne to calm down his nerves.

"I'll ask for payment. Jin asked me $500,000. You'll repay me the exact amount within a week. If you don't, there are other consequences—and they include your despicable brother Rey… plus all the other residents of Kaiba's mansion." Erika's eyes grew wide at this. Where was the justice in his condition? He knows that she has no money, and he knows that she's still in school, so how was she supposed to earn money that fast?

"Sekio, you may kill me, but not Rey, Mokuba and Kaiba… Leave them out of this." Erika pleaded, not wanting anyone else involved in this kind of suicidal agreement. She already saw it coming—Sekio would hurt Rey, and as if that wasn't enough, he would also include Mokuba and Kaiba. She didn't want that to happen, especially to Mokuba and Rey, who were still young and had a bright future ahead of them. No.

"You're not in the position to decide. Sleep tight, Erika."

(skip)

"Erika, Erika!"

A pair of eyelids flickered open, revealing hazel brown eyes. At the memory of Sekio threatening their lives, Erika jolt up, only to lie back down again because of the pain in her stomach.

"W-Where am I?"

"You're at my house," a certain albino replied, walking over to the couch Erika was lying in. Bakura had found Erika in a nearby alley, unconscious, so he decided to take her to his house. Thankfully, Marik was away, so Erika wouldn't be seeing any… unsightly scenes transpire when she wakes up.

"How did I end up here? All I remember is…" Her voice slowly drifted away, and Bakura understood that she didn't want to relay her experience at the mean time. 'It must have been bad… I'm just glad that she was in one piece when I found her. And I'm even gladder that no one had violated her yet. She's too innocent for that.'

"Would you like to sit up? I've water in my hands." Erika nodded, and she was assisted by Bakura in sitting up. Fortunately, the pain was already lessening by the minute, and Erika could nearly handle herself. Carefully, Bakura handed her the glass of water, which she accepted. She took a small sip, but that was all there was to it.

"Thanks Bakura… Listen, it's not like I don't appreciate your help—I really do—but I have to get back to the mansion—"

"Mansion?"

"I…" Erika could've sworn she would've slapped herself right then and there. She had just slipped! "Bakura…" She looked into his coco eyes, and she found that she couldn't look away. His eyes were so soft, and they looked like they could be trusted, so she gave in. Besides, Bakura was her friend; he wouldn't turn on her.

"I trust you, so… I… I work for Kaiba as a household keeper… it's for the mean time, because he paid for my hospital bills, and I need the money to pay him back, and—" Erika was silenced by a finger to her lips. Realizing that she was being too panicky about the situation, she tried to breathe in deeply. Bakura smiled and put down his finger.

"It's fine. I'll take you there… But Erika, would you please tell me what happened to you?" It was evident that by Bakura's tone, he was very concerned. He knew about the situation with her Uncle, but she had stopped going to school three days ago, so he was no longer updated. To be honest, he was worried all the time; he just didn't let it show to Yugi and his gang.

"I… Three days ago, my Uncle and I… had a huge fight… It ended up with me being thrown against the cabinet, giving me a concussion… On that same day, I was supposed to start my first day as Mokuba's babysitter, so Kaiba came to my house and… he was the one who took me to the hospital." Bakura would've reacted, but he knew that she needed the silence, so he stayed quiet.

"I was confined in the hospital for two days… Kaiba made a deal with me. I had to work for him so I could pay off my debts. If I've already paid my debt, then he's going to pay me as it is… It's not such a bad deal though, because Rey and I now live with Kaiba, and—"

"You don't deserve that kind of life, Erika."

Erika looked down. She knew Bakura was right. Any normal teenager would be going to school, having fu with friends and whatnot, unlike her. Erika had to worry about her brother's education, their living, and because of that, she had to abandon her studies. It was a harsh reality to wake up to, but what was one to do? She couldn't just lie around and wait for someone to help them—it was like waiting for a fairytale to come true.

"Erika," Bakura took Erika's hands into his, occasionally rubbing the back of her palms with his thumb, "you can live in with us. My father will be alright with it. If he let Marik in, then what more you and your brother?" Softly, he tilted her head so that his gaze was in line with his. Bakura didn't know why he was acting this way, but he did know that Erika was his friend, and any friend of his was important. After that incident with the Thief King Bakura, the true Bakura was closer to his friends than ever and this was just an example.

"I… can't…" Erika whispered softly. She didn't want to disappoint Bakura, but there were too many things going on right now that she didn't want to think about moving. "I still have a debt to pay, and… there are other unsettled matters that I can't tell you about. I'm sorry Bakura, I—"

Much to Erika's surprise, Bakura pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Erika couldn't understand why, but tears just cascaded down her cheeks without permission. It seemed like Bakura's embrace triggered something inside of her, causing her to cry like that. But honestly, it was refreshing for Erika, because finally, someone held her. Someone was exerting an effort to embrace her pain, and for that beautiful moment…

Erika was thankful.

(skip)

"Where have you been? It's been two hours."

"I'm sorry Kaiba. I… went to buy something important. Was I supposed to be at the mansion for something important?" Erika was nervous, that was apparent to Mokuba and Bakura, who were observing her closely. The moment Bakura and Erika arrived at the mansion, the phone rang, and guess who it was? None other than Seto Kaiba himself.

"Hm. You better not be lazing off, Sakiyano. You still have a debt." Kaiba said coldly. He could really fire her then and there, but two things were in his way. One: he would have to set aside time for finding Mokuba another babysitter, which he really wasn't up to at the moment. Two: Mokuba would whine and whine and whine, and it would just annoy him further. He'd consider firing Erika later on, when he wasn't busy.

"Yes Kaiba. I'm sorry. Will you be here for dinner?"

"No. The driver will pass by your brother later. You might waste time again." At this, Erika breathed a sigh of relief. If Sekio's men would've seen her with her brother then Rey was already a sure target for them. She didn't want that to happen.

"Thank you."

"Hm." Kaiba ended the call, practically slamming the phone on her. Erika merely smiled—she was already growing accustomed to his rough ways. Silently, she put down the phone and turned to Bakura and Mokuba, who were both looking worried and concerned about her. But when they saw her smiling, they couldn't help but smile themselves—at least she was smiling they both thought.

"It's going to be fine. Stop worrying, both of you."

It was a happy statement, but it betrayed what Erika was feeling deep inside. She had to gather up $500,000 in a week, because if not, the lives of the ones she cared for would be in danger. Erika would allow herself to be hurt, but Kaiba, Mokuba and Rey were different stories. Quite frankly, Erika didn't know how she ended up in this complicated situation, but there was one thing that she was sure of.

When something's too good to be true, it'll always turn out to be a short-lived fantasy that one will wake up from.

(end)

A/N: Uh-oh… Erika's life is turning for the worst again… Alright, I know it's getting angsty again, but…what can I do? At least I updated, right? I didn't keep you waiting long right?

Kaiba: Let's rejoice. (rolls eyes)

Me: (shakes head) I'm not listening to you. I'm listening to Ryou! By the way, if you're confused as to who's who, the Bakura in the story is the good, sweet, nice Bakura. The Thief King's with me right now, and I'm trying to teach him how to play chess!

Bakura: AND I'M GOING CRAZY! I HATE PAWNS! GIVE ME MY MONSTERS BACK!

Me: (laughs) Anyways, please review. If your reviews make me REALLY happy, I'll update sooner than expected! Teehee. Thanks for reading!