A/N: Not only do I not own Yu-gi-oh but for some stupid reason I don't own my own profile anymore. I can no longer change my setting page...seems someone else has my name and it won't allow me to change a darn thing. So, until this glitch is fixed I can no longer allow anyone to know my update schedule...aggravating as hell it is! I can't even submit for help from FF-their help screen is down! Will my bad luck streak ever end! Oh well...here is the update. I think the next one after this will be in a week to 10 days...if you want me to notify you by e-mail let me know...e-mail me or leave me a request in a review I'll be more than happy to oblige...

Chapter 8

The Best of Intentions

Iolite twisted and turned completely unable to fall into any semblance of sleep. Twice Seto had wrapped an arm around her and tugged her in to a spoon position with him, she guessed it was an attempt to calm her but it had failed. Now she sat at the edge of the bed staring down at his soft features.

In his waking moments he was intimidating, and a bit scary at times, but slumber softened him. She could watch him for hours. This had to be the Seto who Mokuba remembered from before the days of Gozaburo. There were times when she found herself immensely jealous of Mokuba's prior knowledge of a boy who smiled and laughed. He was cold now, but he was also changing. She leaned over and softly kissed his lips, lingering an instant, before she retreated to dress.

Lying in bed and staring at the ceiling was doing nothing for her so she decided it was time to take a long walk. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt, with a fleece pullover for extra warmth she yanked on a pair of gloves and tucked her hair under a fleece hat. She crept quietly out onto the balcony and then down the trellis. Everything was slick with ice and snow, but she was careful and towards the bottom she released her grip and jumped down into the white pillowy stuff. She wished she didn't have to 'sneak' out, but Raine made it impossible to be alone in the mansion. The man had the hearing of a dog. If she wandered past his room at night he would suddenly be quickly on her heels. She had no interest in company tonight. She swept her gloved hands together to rid them of the ice and snow they had collected on the climb down.

The gardens were still glowing from the lights and the silence was unearthly. She took off at a slow walk down the path to the gazebo. She sat where Tea had earlier and smiled, what an amazing proposal. They made such a cute couple and they had loved each other for so long. She looked up at the house and smiled. Maybe Seto wasn't in love with her, but he had danced with her and he had kissed her in front of everyone. He also wore the ring she had given him so she obviously meant something to him right?

Sitting still in the cold was making her notice how frigid the air was. She decided to go for a walk around the grounds.

Kaiba woke up with a start. He had been having a nightmare that he couldn't quite put his finger on; bad images and horrible feelings welled up inside him. It was still dark out and looking at the clock he realized it was an ungodly hour. He looked at the bed beside him and she was gone…He quickly got up, dressed and raced out of the room. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

The sun had barely begun to gray the sky. Raine was sitting on the couch as Kaiba came tearing into the room. He stood immediately.

"Where the hell is she!" Kaiba asked irately.

"Iolite?" Raine asked with obvious confusion. "I thought she was with you."

"She wasn't there when I woke up. I have no idea when she left. Call the guards I want her tracked down immediately before anything happens to her!" He was on the verge of insanity. If anyone touched her they would face extreme retribution.

Raine set out several guards to locate her, he just prayed she hadn't left the perimeter of the grounds. A few minutes passed, Kaiba shrugged on his coat and walked out the back door. He began calling her name as he raced down the steps to join the search.

"There are footsteps under your balcony Sir," one of the guards caught up with him. "I think she must have climbed down the trellis and taken off down the path." It's going to be hard to track her now that the winds have picked up and it's beginning to snow.

Kaiba looked around, realizing that the storm that had been predicted finally arrived. He sighed heavily. She never listened, and she knew what she did was wrong otherwise why climb out this way? The urge to snap her pretty little neck filled him. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the expansive grounds. She could be anywhere.

A call on his com-link caught his attention.

"Mr.Kaiba?" Raine's voice called to him.

"What?" Kaiba snapped as he pressed the logo by his neck.

"Edward is a bit angry and wishes to speak with you…right now."

Great, Iolite's Christmas present was about to rip him apart. He turned from the guards, instructing them to search for her. He made his way back into the house to confront his mad Father-in-law. What a wonderful Christmas morning this was turning out to be. Last night felt like a dream and this morning was the inevitable nightmare that followed every good occurrence. Where the hell was she?

Kaiba walked into the living room to find Edward, the abdicated King, pacing while Raine stood stone-faced near the fireplace.

"What the hell have you done with my daughter Seto Kaiba? I had a feeling you were careless but I never realized you were so irresponsible!" He was practically shouting while Kaiba simply stood there, arms folded eyes narrowed. Who the hell was this man that he thought he could yell at him?

"You better watch yourself old man," Kaiba hissed at him. "I brought you here for Iolite's sake, not my own. Personally, my opinion of you is quite low but she loves you, for some unknown reason… I will not be spoken to like an underling by a man who sold out his daughter and ran like a scared rabbit!" The look in Kaiba's eyes left no question as to his intentions. If Edward stepped the wrong way he would meet with a wrath he was incapable of understanding.

"Why did you marry my daughter Seto Kaiba?" Edward asked through clenched teeth. "Did you fall in love with her!" He asked with a voice loaded with sarcasm. "Or was it because you wanted to become a Prince? Maybe it was because you knew of the power she possessed in the corporate world. I did what I had to in an attempt to save her. I gave up everything to protect her! Would you lose a night's sleep if she disappeared? Leaving you with your title and her raided corporations? Or would you move on to other territories Seto Kaiba? A lowly orphan such as yourself would probably scam another unsuspecting naive girl…" Edward let the comment hang in the air.

Raine moved in front of Edward before Kaiba could grab him.

"Don't waste your energy on him Mr. Kaiba, I assure you he isn't worth it." Raine's gaze remained level with Kaiba's. Edward had just insulted everything about his son-in-law from his childhood to his wife. Raine knew of Kaiba's temper and having a Christmas morning brawl was not on the agenda.

"Seto?" A tired voice asked. The three men turned to see Mokuba standing in the hall, in his pjs, rubbing his eyes. "Why are you angry Big Brother? Who is he?" Mokuba's presence made Seto's features soften instantly, like cold water splashed on a wolf that was baring his teeth.

Seto approached the small boy and knelt to his level, "Merry Christmas Mokuba." Seto started. "This is Iolite's father, her second gift from me." He said it with venom that wasn't detected by the boy, but Raine and Edward heard it clear as day.

"Is she mad at you?" Mokuba asked innocently as he regarded the stranger over Seto's shoulder.

"For bringing her father here?" Kaiba asked sounding confused. He knew Iolite didn't know of Edward's presence.

"Yeah," Mokuba shrugged. "Is that why she slept in your office last night? I thought you might have had a fight after the party."

"She's in my office?" He didn't give Mokuba a chance to respond as he bolted for the steps and took them two at a time. Could it have been possible that she was safe and secure the whole time? God he hoped so, because her in harms way was not an option.

He pushed the door open, it had been ajar probably from Mokuba. There she was cuddled in his chair sideways. Her knees bent, her body resting against the back of the chair, head slightly bowed forward, breathing even and relaxed. A book was open, she probably fell asleep reading it, and his white trench coat was covering her. He smiled as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, locking it.

He approached her slowly and quietly. He stood there, towering above her, not knowing if the feeling he had was elation that she was safe or anger for having given him and everyone else heart failure. He slid the book out from her hands, she softly whispered his name but didn't wake.

Slowly he slid one arm under her knees and one behind her back. He lifted her in one fluid movement. She moaned softly and then slowly her eyes fluttered open. She smiled at the blue eyes that greeted her.

"Merry Christmas Seto," she purred as she buried her face against his neck.

He sat down on the couch with her still in his arms. He squeezed her gently, still not able to believe she was in one piece and quite safe.

"You're in big trouble…wife." He replied gruffly.

"I couldn't sleep Seto." She murmured as she began to kiss his neck, running her fingers through his soft hair.

"So you climbed out the window and went traipsing about in the dark?" He tried to sound cross but was failing miserably. What had she done to him?

"I didn't stay out too long, it was so cold." She caught his mouth with hers, when he didn't respond to her gentle kiss she pulled away to look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry that I aggravated you." She tried to pull out of his arms, but he held her fast.

"What if you had slipped on the ice?" He asked as he tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I didn't" She whispered.

"You could have." He insisted.

"What do you want me to say Kaiba?" She asked, getting a bit aggravated. She hadn't slipped so why bother going there?

"Do you realize you call me Kaiba whenever you get aggravated with me?" He demanded.

"Then I must call you Kaiba a lot, because I find myself aggravated with you quite often." She shrugged and gave him a sly smile.

"Promise me you won't go down the trellis again."

"No," she tried to turn away. "I promised you I would never leave the grounds, which I haven't but I will not promise something I can't be sure I'll never need to do."

"I'll have the damn thing ripped down!" He was getting aggravated with her.

"Then I'll have a new one put up." She smirked at his annoyance.

"You're being unreasonable." He growled.

"Only because I won't let you treat me like an employee. You can't bark orders at me and think I'll snap into line and simply obey." She countered.

"I don't bark." He turned away.

"Like hell you don't Kaiba. I'm surprised you don't snap your fingers when you order people about." She giggled at the picture in her head.

"You're baiting me Highness…" He warned.

"I'll bait you Seto Kaiba but I'll never bow. I also won't make promises I don't intend to keep." She leaned in closer to his mouth, "not even if it means getting on your good side…then again, do you have a good side?"

"If you break your neck climbing down that damn thing..." He shook his head trying to relieve himself of images of her lying broken on the ground. "At least promise you won't do it when it's icy."

"Fine, I won't do it again, while it's icy unless absolutely necessary." It was the best concession she would give.

"There will come a time when your actions affect two lives." Kaiba let the statement sit between them.

"What do you mean Seto? I would never harm Mokuba or you." She looked confused. He decided not to press the subject, so instead he changed the subject. He toyed with the ring she had given him.

"Is this a promise of forever?" He asked as he held up his left hand, clearly showing off the ring.

"Yes Seto, my heart is yours forever." She smiled then blushed slightly. "But with my heart comes my sharp tongue, they're a package deal."

"Just my luck." He rolled his eyes as he stood up, with her in his arms, and then turned to plop her down on the couch.

He walked to the door, "would you like to see your second present?" He asked as he opened the door. She smiled at him, she loved him.

WhenKaiba left the room Edward made an attempt to follow. Raine grabbed his upper arm and prevented him from leaving.

"We have some things to discuss before Iolite comes down to see you." Raine stated simply.

"What do you have to say? If it wasn't for you my daughter would be safe." Edward tried to shrug out of his grip.

Raine dragged the man into the dining room to prevent their conversation from being over heard. He also sent Mokuba into the kitchen as a safety measure.

After slamming the dining room door he turned furious eyes on the ex-monarch.

"I knew it was a bad idea to have you come here, but Mr. Kaiba insisted it would make Iolite happy. I will warn you only once Edward-leave them alone. Visit your daughter but do not harm this union. Or I will most assuredly harm your being."

"You expect me to sit idly by and allow my daughter to stay married to some common piece of gutter trash? She can trace her family back hundreds of years, her blood is true blue. He's an orphan who conned his way into his adopted Father's millions. He hardly deserves her and I'll be damned if I just sit back and let this charade dance on." Edward crossed his arms and raised his chin.

"Alexandra would have loved seeing Iolite so well loved and protected and she loves him as well. Why can't you be happy for her?" Raine bit out with animosity.

"Don't ever speak of MY wife you…servant…" Edward turned furious eyes on Raine. "She was mine! Now I'll insure that Iolite forgets this Kaiba person, who clearly isn't in her league and I'll have her marry someone who can insure her lineage, just as her mother did."

Raine grabbed him by the throat, "Times have changed you piece of filth. Iolite may not be able to see you for what you are, but I do. If you were any decent father you would be happy because she was happy but you can't be can you! You just want power and blood lines. You will not use her as a means to your ends and this marriage is not yours to toy with. I'll rip your heart out if you try anything you little troll!" Raine's violet eyes flashed pure hatred. "Do I make myself clear?"

Edward slowly shook his head yes, terrified of the fury that threatened to tear him apart. Raine was so calm and collected at all times, what had gotten into him!

"Fine, then go greet your daughter, but know I will be watching over her…always."

Edward wearily turned towards the door and walked back into the living room.

Iolite's eyes widened as she saw the familiar figure enter the room.

"Father!" She cried as she ran into his arms, tears slipped down her cheeks as she hugged him tightly. "I've missed you so much! Did Seto bring you here?" He returned her hug with a ferocious one of his own.

"Oh daughter…we have so much catching up to do…"

A/N: This is just the start of the problems...the story should move quite quickly, but don't worry there will be tons of romance...promise! Thanks for all the reviews!