A/N: I was really, really happy with this one review I got, so I'm inspired to write right now. Thanks to all those who reviewed, especially xXAnimeGrlXx. You helped a lot, you know! Hopefully, you continue to read. I'm going to be so happy if you will. And for all the new reviewers, welcome, and I hope you keep on reading! By the way, here's a warning. Slight OOCness ahead!
A Pleasant Dream
"And as Liz listened to Jean, she felt a wave of panic wash over her, and she suddenly stared at the woman who had worked with them for six years and all she wanted to do was scream. This couldn't be happening to them. Where was he? And how was she going to live without him? What could happen to her and her children?"
"All she did in the end was bow her head sob, as it hit her with full force again, like an express train. Her husband had been shot and killed by a lunatic. Jack was gone. And she and the kids were alone now." Erika looked up from the book, "The House on Hope Street", and smiled when she saw Rey and Mokuba already asleep. For tonight, the two had decided to sleep together—well, they didn't really have a choice, because the moment Rey and Mokuba entered the room, they immediately collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
'They look so cute together.' Erika put the novel down and tucked the two in as gently as possible to avoid waking them up. When they were both secured, she kissed them both on the forehead and exited the room, not forgetting to turn the lights off before she went out. 'Kaiba will be home late again… I should go prepare a light snack for that guy.' With that goal in mind, Erika proceeded to the kitchen and began preparing a sandwich for Kaiba.
'I can't believe it… How can Kaiba manage to own a company, go to school, and handle his personal life without going crazy? I only have two things in my hands, one: do my job so I can take care of Rey, and two: pay Sekio $500,000… But the second thing might be very impossible, because I'm not rich, and I'm not even getting paid yet… I could get a job that's a night shift, but I'd need Kaiba's permission, and I'm not even sure if I'll be accepted—ow!'
Erika was forced to let go of the knife she was using when she felt a certain sting in her right index finger. She checked to see what it was, and realized that she had cut herself. 'I'm not paying enough attention. Goodness… I can't keep acting like this, otherwise Kaiba will notice something's wrong. Not that he would really care, but still—'
Erika heard the doors open, and she was given no time to clean her injury. Instead, she grabbed her handkerchief and pressed it against her cut. Erika then ran to the living room, knowing well what to expect. Kaiba would be frowning again, and he would take his anger out on her again because she didn't come home early from taking Rey to school.
"Mokuba."
"He's asleep. I prepared a sandwich for you—"
"I'm eating dinner." Erika was astonished, but she quickly recovered and nodded. Kaiba raised a brow at her, not because of her queer behavior, but because of the mark he saw on Erika's right cheek. It was barely visible, yet he could make out the purplish spot that her bangs were trying to cover.
"Just give me a minute." Kaiba barely nodded and watched as she disappeared into the kitchen. 'She's not stuttering… and she's not looking down as often… Argh. What am I even thinking? I'm drifting. That's not good.' The CEO shook his head and headed for the dining table, where he laid his briefcase and sat down. It might be a wonder for you to know that he actually chose to eat dinner today. Well, things at the company went smoothly today. Apparently, the Yakushi Enterprise had a glitch in their prototype, so their sales went down. Kaiba wasted no time and designed his own original prototype, which was due to come out first thing Monday. For now, he could rest—just a bit.
"Here… Sophia prepared Veal Marengo."
Erika placed the plate in front of him and was about to rush back into the kitchen, but Kaiba called her back. Erika prepared herself for the worst when she was called, and she had to hold in her breath when her eyes locked with Kaiba's cold blue ones.
"Where were you."
"I…" Erika paused, trying to remember what Mokuba had taught her a few hours ago. Yes, Mokuba taught her some things, and guess what? They all revolved around standing up to his big brother, Seto Kaiba. "Learn to be solid with your answers. If you keep on stuttering and keep on looking unsure, you won't convince big brother that you're strong. That's lesson number one Miss Erika. If you can apply it ASAP, then good."
"I had to buy a cookbook," was her determined answer. "Don't elaborate if needed. If you feel the need to apologize, don't. Just apologize if the situation is really drastic, like when you mess up the mainframe of KaibaCorp. If you break something, like a vase, or a picture frame, just apologize once. It's all that you need."
"Hm. It took you two hours to buy a 'cookbook'. Try a better excuse." Erika gulped. "When he doesn't believe you, stick with your statement. That way, you aren't conceding to the fact that you're making up an excuse to hide something. But if all else fails, and he doesn't believe you at any cost, just do a puppy pout. He's susceptible to it." She shook her head. No way was she going to do a puppy pout. The thought of it was too… embarrassing.
"Say it, or you lose your job—"
"I was at Bakura's." Erika said quickly, not even letting Kaiba finish his statement. Kaiba crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, with his eyes trained on the girl standing two meters away from him. 'Interesting… I never thought it was in her nature to lie, but she just lied… But it's clear that she's still too innocent… Tch.'
"You lied."
"I, um…" The raven-haired girl looked down, joining her hands behind her. "Actually, Miss Erika, all you need to remember is to be yourself. I'm sure that he'll like it better if you stop being so meek and shy with him. Besides, big brother needs someone to hold him down—since you're the household keeper, then that includes taking care of him."
"I'm… not sorry I lied…" Erika shook her head, knowing well how lame that sounded. Her clue? Kaiba's brow shot up even higher, and he looked even more skeptical than before. "Well, actually… I bumped into the streets with Bakura. I was wondering why he wasn't at school, so we talked about that on the way to his home… I lost track of time, so… that's what happened." Erika could only hope that she was convincing enough. She didn't want to disappoint Mokuba, because he exerted effort in trying to make her relationship with Kaiba work—she just didn't know the underlying matter beneath his help. (A/N: You'll find out soon…)
"Hm. Did Bakura do that to you?"
"What—oh…" Erika turned silent. 'How am I to explain this bruise? I thought he wouldn't see it… Bangs… Horrible bangs, not working when I need them to work. Now I have to explain the presence of this… this… I should've asked tips from Bakura… Now what was it I used on Mokuba? What was the excuse? I slammed into the wall while reading a cookbook. Lame… I'm talking about Kaiba here!'
"Sakiyano." Kaiba tapped his foot impatiently. The eighteen-year old female looked down, breaking the eye contact she had with the brunette. Obviously, Kaiba wasn't going to let this matter pass by. She didn't know why he was so interested, but she just wished that he would let this one thing pass her by; just this one thing.
"I… got into a fight with Bakura… It's nothing severe really. He just lost control and… he just wasn't the same. I'm really hoping it gets fixed soon." Erika squeezed her arm, hoping to get any ounce of confidence she could. 'It's basically the same thing, except the name should be Sekio—wait, didn't Sekio say that his company was rival of KaibaCorp.? Maybe I should just lose my job so Kaiba and Mokuba don't get involved, but Rey—'
"Don't bring your personal issues into this mansion, Sakiyano. I don't need it." Kaiba retorted calmly, before turning to his food to eat. Though he didn't show it, the CEO was quite interested as to Erika's excuse. 'So that Bakura and her fought… But over what? Quite controversial… I believe those two have been friends from long ago—argh. What am I even thinking about? Why the hell am I dwelling on… on her?' The brunette stole a glance at her, only to find out that she wasn't there anymore.
'I got away… thank goodness.' Erika sat down by the island counter and rested her head on it, and after a few seconds, began to hit her head continuously on it. 'I. Have. To. Learn. How. To. Lie. I. Have. To. Learn. How. To. Lie. I. Have. To. Learn. How. To. Lie. I. Have. To. Learn. How. To Lie—'
"Are you sure Bakura caused you that injury?" Immediately, Erika stopped what she was doing and turned to the brunette arrogantly leaning against the wall. She sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair, just to make sure it wasn't very disorderly. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaiba watched her every movement—he just wouldn't admit it.
"I thought you told me not to bring my personal issues into the mansion."
"I did." Erika smiled and rested her chin in her palm, while her elbow rested on the island counter. She couldn't understand why, but Kaiba was really amusing her as of the moment. First, he acts like he wants to fire her every chance he gets—the next thing she knows, he's trying to pry into the personal details of her life. It would sound weird to others, but his behavior was really starting to make her laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing… Have I ever told you you're quite funny?"
"You must be drunk." Erika laughed, and this was when Kaiba noticed how beautiful her smile really was—'Did I just think that? I must be delusional…' The brunette shook his head, but he just really couldn't take his eyes off her. There was something about her that he noticed now that he really hadn't noticed before—he just couldn't identify what.
"I'd be stupid to drink alcohol and come here—oh, god, wait." Erika turned to Kaiba, a look of shock registered on her face. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't… I didn't really mean to, I just… Oh, wait… Why am I saying sorry again?" Kaiba smirked. Now he knew what was different about her. Her personality was finally coming out, and he was seeing something he liked in that personality—'No! I don't like anything about her. She's based on mediocrity, I can't possibly… Seto, you're arguing with yourself. Stop.'
"You're insane." Kaiba pointed out.
"I…" Erika sighed and looked down, removing her elbow from the counter. "I guess I am sometimes… There's so much to think about. I mean, I have to figure out my studies, how I'm going to budget my salary to pay for Rey's education, how I'm going to budget my salary for my education, and then there's Bakura… Which reminds me Kaiba, how do you manage to be sane with everything you have?"
Kaiba was caught off-guard at that question. Actually, he wasn't expecting any questions from her at all. He had already cleared that yesterday, and yet, here she was, asking him about how he managed his time. "I just do." He answered plainly, not really giving much thought to it. After all, she was just his worker—Erika didn't need a detailed answer.
"That's… really nice. I wish I could be like you… I could handle every problem there was to handle." Erika commented, smiling at him. Kaiba remained stoic, despite the fact that inside, he was struggling to decipher the things he was feeling. It was quite odd, actually, because the only time he felt things like that was when he was out with Mokuba—'Arguing. Stopping. Forgetting. Forgotten. What the hell is going on with you, Seto?'
(skip)
"Rise and shine, both of you!"
Two raven-haired kids rubbed their eyes, but stayed asleep on the bed. Erika smiled and tried to think of a song that would wake the two up. 'Ah, right… a song perfect for the occasion.'
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday… happy birthday to you." Slowly, a pair of onyx eyes opened, followed by a pair of brown eyes. Erika's smile grew wider when she knew that her method was working. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday… happy birthday to you!" Mokuba and Rey jolt awake when they felt a hand tickling their sides.
'Mokuba should be awake—they are awake.' Kaiba stopped opening the door when he heard the laughter from the inside. 'So Rey decided to spend the night in Mokuba's room… Those two are inseparable, really—' "Big brother, help! HELP!" Kaiba took no time to waste and barged into the room, only to roll his eyes at what he saw. Apparently, Mokuba only needed saving from Erika's tickling. He thought he was in actual danger.
"I surrender!" Mokuba cried out, and Erika stopped tickling the two kids. When they were already breathing, Rey went and hugged Erika, while Mokuba ran and embraced Kaiba. Quite frankly, the image was more or less, like a family. One child was in the arms of the mother, and the other child was in the arms of the father—or so Mokuba thought.
"Happy birthday, kid." Kaiba ruffled the younger boy's hair, and Mokuba smiled warmly at him. He couldn't understand why, but he was reminded of Erika's smile for a fleeting second. 'I should stop. This won't result to anything good.' The brunette thought as he stared at his little brother.
"Come on you guys, you better take a shower and dress up. Breakfast is waiting." Simultaneously, the two boys nodded and scurried to take care of their own businesses, leaving Kaiba and Erika alone. There was a moment of silence, but it wasn't awkward silence, rather, a settling silence. After last night, there was sort of a mutual understanding between the two—somehow, a miracle happened, and Erika was able to earn a small percentage of Kaiba's respect, like let's say, a percent out of a hundred. Hey, it was small, but it's a start.
"Where're you planning to go for Mokuba's birthday?"
"He decides."
"I see. Don't worry; I'll take care of the house. Would you like for me to do anything while you're gone?" To Erika, it seemed like Kaiba was staring at her, but actually, he was just contemplating. 'I can have Sakiyano go to school, but her purpose would not be as used… I could hire a tutor, but that would mean additional expenses… Tch. This girl brings more trouble than I could imagine.'
"Kaiba?"
'I would have to personally tutor her, which I can't really do because I don't have the time… But she'd turn stupid if I didn't. And if she's going to be stupid, I can't use her, so… Actually, I have time… If she's eager to learn, then she can learn from ten to twelve in the evening… She wouldn't even dare. She'd be too lazy. After all, she's just mediocre…'
"Kaiba, hello…"
'But if she's really mediocre, she wouldn't bother reading books by Danielle Steel… Plus, the Calculus book was out the other night… She was solving equations before I arrived home… and I also know for a fact that she didn't sleep early last night, because I overheard her practicing French…' Although he wasn't aware of it, Kaiba really was beginning to delve in deeper into Erika's personal business. Despite the fact that he only happened to pass by on her last night, he still stayed to listen for a few minutes, which could count as 'not normal' for a person as disinterested as him.
"Okay… Kaiba…?"
"What."
"Nothing…" Erika shrugged and smiled. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Just because Kaiba's staring at me doesn't mean he likes me… Wait, why the hell did I even think of that? Kaiba and I hate each other… Well, not basically hate, but we just… don't see eye to eye. Right.' The raven-haired girl stood up and began to fix Mokuba's bed, still under the watchful eye of Kaiba. It quite bothered her, but after last night, any awkwardness was lessened to kinship. She was now comfortable with him, even if he would be a pain in the neck sometimes—many discoveries were made last night, don't you think?
"Miss Erika, why are you still not dressed up?"
"Dressed up?" Erika threw Mokuba a confused look.
"Oh, I didn't tell you…" Mokuba slapped his forehead, while gripping tight on the bathroom door so he wouldn't slip. "I want you to come with us today. I mean, it wouldn't be fun without you." Mokuba grinned widely, causing Erika to wonder if that kind of smile was really humanely possible. (A/N: That's my favorite phrase, 'humanely possible'… Kaiba: Who cares?)
"Are you sure?"
"YUP! So will you please go, pretty, pretty please?" Mokuba performed his famous puppy pout, but Erika still didn't fall for it. Apparently, she was quite immune to his pouting… but she would go with him anyway. She loved the kid too much to even reject him on this offer.
"I'd love to."
(skip)
"Let's go to that ride next!"
Erika stared wide-eyed at the tall roller coaster ride. Quite frankly, she was still feeling very sick from the Octopus ride, which they had just tried a few minutes ago. Okay, so maybe now you have an idea of where they went—yup, that's right, the classic: the amusement park. Of course, was an obvious choice, because the amusement park was filled with fun. There were so many prizes to win, and actually, they had won a lot of prizes, like three large stuffed toys and four small stuffed ones—two of which, were won by Erika in a dart game. But then again, the amusement park was also a place for scary rides, like a fifty-foot high roller coaster, and an ultimately fast spinning Octopus ride… and so the list goes on.
"I'd rather not…" Erika whispered faintly.
"Oh, come on, Miss Erika… Please? Rey and I will cry if you don't." Erika looked down at the two kids, who were prepared to cry their hearts out. Kaiba observed her, trying to see what her reaction was. He'd expect her to give up, because that was what she really was. 'Soft-hearted, affectionate, loving… Argh. Stop. Stop. Stop.'
"Alright, fine. But I know I'll regret this." Erika sighed, going ahead to buy the tickets. Mokuba then turned to the brunette standing behind them. He knew he had to convince his brother too—Mokuba had gotten away with the first few rides, and now was another challenge.
"Big brother, you too?"
"No."
"Please?" Mokuba did the puppy pout, knowing well that his brother was susceptible to it. 'I hope it works, I hope it works… If it does, Seto and Erika will sit together, and if Erika's afraid, she might accidentally touch Seto's hand, and then Seto will realize that Erika's his princess… Perfect!' (A/N: There's your clue… Don't worry, many more clues to come:) )
"Fine. But this is the last one."
"I've got the tickets." Erika came back and handed out tickets to everyone, including Kaiba. All of a sudden, Mokuba got Rey's hand and pulled him towards the ride. Erika shrugged and followed after the two, while Kaiba just rolled his eyes and calmly walked to the roller coaster. Shortly after, they got in, and it all went according to plan—Mokuba sat with Rey, and Kaiba sat with Erika.
"I just hope I don't throw up." Kaiba stared at her.
"You better not."
And the ride started. Mokuba and Rey enjoyed it alright. They screamed, they laughed, and they threw their hands up in the air like they were flying. Erika, on the other hand, was having the most uneventful time of her life. Every time there was a dive, she had to hide her head behind (A/N: Ehem) Kaiba's shoulder, just so she could avoid the feeling of falling fifty feet from the air. Kaiba really didn't mind—though he really didn't know why—so he allowed her to do so. Besides, if she didn't hide, she might've vomited. Vomiting was a worse option for him.
So, once the two-minute ride was over, Erika immediately rushed to the nearest bathroom, where she threw up portions of what they ate, while Mokuba, Kaiba and Rey waited outside. (A/N: I won't elaborate on what they ate. Some of you might be eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner…)
"I swear, I'm not going on another roller coaster ride for a very long time." Erika commented once she came out. She was only thankful that she didn't vomit whilst Kaiba was around—that would be morally degrading, not to mention the fact that he would never forgive her. 'I'm just lucky, I guess… And I'm really glad Kaiba didn't mind me hiding behind his shoulder.'
"Oh well! I'm still happy you pulled through. Thank you!" Mokuba beamed at her, and she smiled back. 'Of course… How could I resist you? Your puppy pout might not work on me, but I still love you like I love Rey…' She smiled at Rey, who smiled back and hugged her tight. When Mokuba saw this, he couldn't help but want to hug his big brother too—and he did.
"We better head home," Kaiba declared, and everyone else agreed.
(skip)
"Kaiba, if I knew better, I'd say Mokuba and Rey are brothers." Erika remarked, smiling all the while as they watched Mokuba and Rey sleeping on Mokuba's bed. Kaiba smirked. 'Is this girl trying to imply something? Her thought seems innocent, but…' His eyes traveled from Mokuba's sleeping figure to Erika's angelic face.
"Come on. Let's leave them alone." Kaiba nodded, and the two left the room. "So, what're you doing now?" Erika inquired when they were a good distance away from Mokuba's room. 'I should go and check the progress of the prototype. I'll have to contact Roland… Which reminds me, I should report to the office tomorrow to check the prototype for any mistakes.'
"Okay… So I guess I'll be sleeping now. Thanks for the wonderful day. Good night." Much to his surprise, Erika gave him a peck on the cheek before dashing into her room. Because of her action, he stood there, frozen and confused. 'Did she just…? I should reprimand her for that… But… it wasn't a seductive move, unlike those sluts that tried to get my attention… It actually felt… refreshing.' The CEO gripped his head, feeling a slight migraine coming his way. 'I shouldn't be thinking like this. I can't afford distractions. Sakiyano's just using me for my money, and I shouldn't fall for it. I'm Seto Kaiba, and I can resist any woman I want… But… Why is she so different?'
In her room, Erika's heart was pounding wildly for reasons she couldn't really understand. 'I just… I just kissed Kaiba! The great Seto Kaiba… The great Seto Kaiba! Oh my… I'm just going to get myself fired because of what I did… Stupid Erika, stupid Erika, stupid Erika, stupid Erika, stupid Erika! Goodness… I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have! But then again… it was just to thank him for the wonderful time… But it still wasn't right! I was so stupid—'
"Sakiyano. Open the door."
'Oh my… Should I, should I not?'
"Open it."
'He's going to fire me now…'
"Open. It.'
Gulping, Erika opened the door and came face to face with… a confused-looking brunette. She was relieved he wasn't angry, but she couldn't help but wonder—what could've caused the great Seto Kaiba to look confused? 'You just kissed him on the cheek you idiot. After spending time with him for two days, you kissed him on the freaking cheek…'
"Kaiba, I'm sorry, I really am. I was just—"
"Is it money you want from me?" Erika was quite taken aback by his question, but she quickly recovered and said her honest answer.
"No. I don't—"
"Go sleep." With that, the brunette closed the door, leaving Erika to wonder as to what was going on through the CEO's head. 'This is quite… odd… What was that all about? I mean, he didn't even give me time to explain my actions… He just asked me if what I wanted was money and… Alright, I hate to break Kaiba's smooth record, but what he said just really didn't make sense,' Erika thought.
'She wasn't lying. I know her when she's lying. Sakiyano doesn't want my money… But if not that, then what? What purpose does that… that kiss serve? Was it to confuse me, or was it to show her gratefulness—great. Good job Seto. You missed that tiny little detail. She thanked you for a wonderful day. Weren't you listening? Goodness. You're turning stupid, Seto Kaiba. A CEO can't afford to be stupid. You can't afford to think of someone like… Erika Sakiyano…' The brunette shook his head, finding it hard to erase from his head the smiling image of a certain someone.
A/N: I told you it would be quick… No, they're not yet going to profess their love for each other! I can't imagine Kaiba doing that! I imagine him doing it in a more subtle approach… Knowing him, he won't even admit that he loves somebody, right Kaiba?
Kaiba: I order you to shut up.
Me: No way! Anyways, please tell me your thoughts, comments and suggestions. They're greatly appreciated, so please do review: )