A/N: I do not Own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. I only own my OCs, this fic is purely for entertainment.
Chapter 2
A week after the reading of my mother's will I was taken to the Domino City Orphanage. The setup of the orphanage was nothing like I thought it would be; there were actually two that shared the lot of land, one that housed all boys and one that housed all girls. Meals and play time were shared between the two in a third building, and the whole setup reminded me of a boarding school instead of an orphanage. I was given a room to myself, there weren't enough children currently to warrant doubling up bedrooms which I was grateful for. I was given a day to settle in, and to learn the rules. They were fairly straight forward; the older children, such as myself were to help with the chores and looking after the younger children. Of course we were supervised at all times, and upon seeing the other children's reactions to me I was taken off childcare duty quickly enough.
I had never given much thought to my physical appearance, but it seemed that I was an anomaly amongst children my own age. I was of a much shorter stature than most, but not unhealthy in anyway; that is to say I wasn't undergrown, just petite. I had inherited my father's dark red curls, but my eyes were even darker than my mother's. There was literally no distinction between the iris and the pupil. My black eyes, combined with my pale skin made my appearance rather striking. Add my unusual maturity into the mix and I tended to make others around me uneasy. Adults accepted me easier, but children my own age teased me and seemed to have a lot of fun trying to make me lose my temper. I paid them no mind, knowing that it was a tendency in children to make fun and pick fights with people they didn't understand. I tended to avoid conflict, content to just leave them be and entertain myself with books and the radio. There was no piano at the orphanage, but there was one at the school I had been transferred to. After explaining my situation to the music teacher, he had been more than happy to allow me to practice during my lunch hour, and even helped me learn to play better without charging me his usual tutoring fee.
I wasn't above using other's sympathy to get what I wanted.
Two months passed quickly in the orphanage. Every few days or so, one of the bigger boys would try to start a fight with me but I avoided them fairly well. The most persistent of them was a boy named Toshiro. He had given me the nickname of "Demon Girl" because of my eyes and seemed to have made it his personal mission to make me lose my temper. But I had an extra twenty plus years of life experience on him, and I could take anything the kid could throw at me. Besides, it pissed him off more when I didn't react, which led to him doing something brashly and getting himself into trouble with the caretakers, all without my personal involvement. My days slowly blurred into a routine, and for the most part I was content in life. I stayed at the top of my class in school, and there had even been talk about me getting a scholarship into one of the select high schools in the area; with my current grades it would be a breeze. Domino City had a surprising number of good schools, but I was still unclear as to what direction I wanted to take with my higher education. Something in music appealed to me, but I would need more time to hash out exactly of what I wanted to do. I didn't necessarily like being in the spotlight, preferring to do my work from the sidelines so I was leaning towards music management, maybe even songwriting.
Thoughts of the future filled my head as I was heading back to the orphanage from school, which I refused to call home on principal. I had stayed after to browse the library while the others headed home, and a translation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice waited for me to begin reading in my bag just waiting for me to get back to my room and dig into it. I almost ignored the two boys standing in front of the gated entrance in my haste, but a sniffle caught my attention and I turned to see what was going on.
For clarification, it's not unusual to see children standing in front of the orphanage with suitcases at their feet. In fact, given the location and what the buildings are set up for, it's a fairly common sight. Neither is seeing children of varying hair and eye colors, despite the fact that this is Japan. I still hadn't figured that one out, but I just chalked it up to an unexplainable mystery. But upon closer inspection of the boys, that mystery was now solved; I was looking at the pint-sized versions of Seto and Mokuba, the brothers who would one day become known as Kaiba.
I blinked, fighting hard to keep my face neutral. In reality I wanted to scream at the sky in frustration. I mean seriously, how more messed up could this be? I should have known, what with the city I lived in being Domino City, that I had been reborn into freaking Yu-Gi-Oh.
Now don't get me wrong, I'd been a fan of the anime. Never really played the card game though, which might or might not be helpful now. But I'd enjoyed the show, and even watched the entire series a few times over in my previous life. Doesn't change the fact that my inner self was having a hissy fit over this.
Whoever thought that this was a funny joke, I'M NOT LAUGHING.
Amidst my internal screaming, I amazingly managed to keep my face somewhat blank. Approaching the two, I cocked my head to the side. "New here?" I asked simply, gesturing to the gates which they had yet to go through.
Mokuba couldn't answer through his soft crying, but Seto nodded once with a slightly suspicious look my way. I almost smiled at how mature the kid tried to act, but I also applauded the effort. It was hard to act unfazed and confident when your world had been shattered by a death in the family, especially of a parent. "It's not so bad here." I said softly, at which Mokuba's head peeked up a bit. He shyly looked me over and I gave him what I hoped was a comforting smile. "It's rough I know, but the pain will ease a little every day. Plus, you two have each other; that gives you something no one else here does."
Mokuba looked up at his older brother, visibly brightening. Damn if the kid wasn't absolutely adorable; but I didn't want to get too friendly with them just yet. There was a whole lot of weirdness coming their way in the future and I wasn't sure I wanted to be involved in that at all. Seto on the other hand seemed to be suspicious from the get-go, again making me want to applaud his maturity; I couldn't blame him, and wasn't offended by it at all. "Why would you say that?" Seto said, to which I shrugged.
"Seemed like the right thing to say. Besides," I said, turning to walk through the gates, "I really don't like to see kids crying." I waved a hand over my shoulder, not turning back as I made my way to my room.
Yeah, I'd need to seriously think about being involved in any part of their lives.
Now that I knew where – or more specifically, in what world – I was, I delved into my memories from my first life. I generally tended to push those things to the back of my mind, locking them up tight so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by the lingering emotions I had; the anger, the grief, the loss. Although there were happy memories in there as well, I tended to focus on my current life. Probably not the healthiest option I know, but what else was I to do? I couldn't talk to anyone about my situation without being sent to the loony bin and I wasn't keen on working through it on my own. But I needed to try and remember what I could about this world.
I spent an entire day going through my unsurprisingly vague memories, but couldn't recall the exact details. Although I'd been a fan of the show, I hadn't been obsessive about it. I watched it when I could and browsed through some online information, but that was about it. What I could remember was unhelpful to say the least.
I knew that I didn't want to be directly involved in the plot. That was far too much danger for my tastes, thank you very much. And nothing called the Shadow Realm was something I wanted to mess with, or visit at all. But I couldn't shake the image of Mokuba crying out of my head. I wanted to help, to be a part of getting them through the hard times that would come in the future but what could I do? I was just an eight year old girl in the eyes of this world. There was no way in hell I would be able to weasel my way into being adopted with them, and I knew that they had to be adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba for things to work out the way that they should. As much as I hated to say it, Seto would need to endure the hell of being adopted by that man in order to be who he was meant to. And I would have to watch him become a major ass, all while reminding myself it was necessary.
I didn't go out of my way to avoid the brothers, but I also didn't actively seek them out. We existed in this way comfortably; we spoke civilly to each other when necessary but weren't what you'd call friends. It was a sort of uneasy acknowledgment on both our parts, me acknowledging them for being decent enough kids and them acknowledging me as the first person to give either of them a kind word.
The usual routine of the place picked back up seamlessly. One day blurred into another, and before any of us knew it they had been residents at our lovely locale for just shy of two months. It was a warm spring day, so a majority of the kids had been ushered outside to enjoy the sunshine. Well, most kids did; I kept to the shade of one of the trees in the yard, reading as usual. I was on a Jane Austen fix, and was steadily making my way through the entire collection. I tuned out the cheerful shouts around me and kept to myself, focused on finding out what would happen to the residents of Mansfield Park when one voice seemed to cut through the others. Glancing up, I saw Toshiro gleefully holding a train toy out of reach of a familiar head of wild black hair. Sighing, I looked around for Seto but didn't see him anywhere. Frowning, I marked the place in my book and set it aside, brushing some loose grass off my skirt. There was no set uniform for us kids, but a majority of us tended to wear much of the same thing. For the girls, we tended to wear skirts with blouses or little sundresses. I didn't mind much, but it did bring the possibility of having to take down a bully while possibly showing my underwear to the entire playground. Personal embarassment aside, I couldn't leave the kid to the mercies of a bully, regardless of what I was wearing.
Walking over to the sandbox where all the boys were gathered, I stepped close and placed myself between Toshiro and Mokuba. "Toshiro, give him the train back." I said, crossing my arms across my chest. "Quit being such a bully."
Toshiro sneered at me, and I was actually kind of impressed that a ten year old could pull of so much contempt in one look. "Don't butt in where you're not wanted, demon girl. Just go back to your stupid books and let us have our fun." He said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Look, you're big and bad; fine we get it. But stop being a jerk and give him back the toy." I said, frowning at the boy. "And you couldn't come up with a more creative insult for me, seriously?" I stared him down, as well as I could given that I was smaller than him but I managed. Toshiro had made one fatal error when it came to interacting with me; he had shown a weakness. I knew my eyes made him nervous, and that he hated when I stared at him, which I was currently doing. I watched him squirm under my steady gaze, and I held out a hand, palm up. "Toshiro, give the toy back."
"Shut up!" He yelled, gripping the toy tighter in one hand as his other lashed out, smacking me across the cheek. "Get out of here you freak!"
My head snapped to the side with his hit, and although it hurt I think I was more shocked than anything. I'd never been slapped before, and can say whole heartedly I did not enjoy it. A snarl sprang to my lips and I was half a second away from pouncing on him and clawing his eyes out when a familiar brown head tackled the boy to the ground. I jumped back quickly, making sure to keep myself between Mokuba and the ensuing fight – too many flying limbs made me nervous about the kid getting hit accidentally.
Seto managed to wrestle the train away from the bully, and the boy and his gang of followers took off running. I watched them go with narrowed eyes, seriously contemplating following them and getting revenge but Mokuba tugging on my skirt brought me back to what was happening. "You alright kid?" I asked, looking him over. He hadn't been hit, but I wanted to make sure he was in fact unharmed.
"Thank you for helping." Seto said, his small voice surprisingly serious but I could see a warm gratitude in his eyes. Goody me, I'd earned bonus points by standing up for his brother. I tugged on one of my curls in a nervous way. "Yeah… You did most of the work. I just diverted the jerks attention for a moment." I stilled as Mokuba reached up and gently touched my cheek, checking to see how bad the damage was. "Seriously, it's alright. For such a big mouth he can't really hit that hard."
"He shouldn't have hit you! You were only trying to help me." Mokuba said, obviously more troubled than I was about being smacked. But honestly, it barely hurt now. It was a reflexive action on Toshiro's part, and the intent to actually hurt hadn't been there. I'm sure if he tried he could have hurt me, but as it stood it was really minor.
"Eh, I was kind of courting disaster with that one. I know my eyes creep him out but it was a good diversion tactic. Not without its risks though." I said, shrugging. Mokuba seemed puzzled, his head slightly tilting to one side as he studied me. Given the fact that most people tended to avoid me because my looks unsettled them, to suddenly be studied so intently kind of made me nervous. I blushed lightly, looking away to hide my embarrassment. "What are you staring at?" I asked, making sure not to sound mean.
"I don't know why your eyes creep people out, I think they're really pretty! Don't you think so Seto?" Once Mokuba turned those big eyes towards his older brother, Seto's face noticeably softened and he gave a non-comital shrug. My blush deepened a little more, and I nervously began to kick at the sand. "Uh… Thanks. Your name is Mokuba, right?" His smile widened as he turned back to me, and I knew right there that we had just become friends. I gave him a small smile in return, and the rest of the day Mokuba, accompanied by Seto and I proceeded to become better acquainted.
The three of us fell into an easy friendship. Mokuba was arguably the cutest kid I'd ever been around, and he was so easy to talk to and cheerful that it was hard not to love him. He loved being around his big brother and me, and the three of us formed our own little clique within the orphanage. Seto was more of an observer, although he and I got along fairly well. Both were impressed when they found out that I had been bumped up a few grades, but I downplayed it as much as possible. If Seto wasn't available to help Mokuba with his homework, I inevitably was volunteered to help; not that he really needed it, both he and Seto could more than keep up with me academically. Seto and I enjoyed many bouts of chess together, although he almost always beat me. I didn't mind too much, and encouraged him to play, remembering that their adoption hinged on him beating Gozaburo in a chess match one day. Whenever the two of them used the sandbox to plan out their future amusement parks, I would perch on the side and read, occasionally making a suggestion or two. For the most part, I tried to interfere in their affairs as little as possible, content to be an observer or quiet companion. I think it really went a long way towards Seto accepting me as a friend, because every passing day he seemed more and more at ease with me. My defending his little brother and being so protective of Mokuba probably helped that more than anything.
But as always, all good things must come to an end.
Three weeks before my birthday, the brothers and I came back from school to find the caretakers running around in a flustered way. Seto and I shared a look, wondering what was going on but we shrugged it off and went to the common area, where we tended to do our homework. We only had a few weeks left in the term, but that still didn't excuse us from homework. Especially not for me, looking forward to the middle school entrance exams earlier than they were.
Joy of joys. But still, I'd found a certain kind of thrill in pushing myself to be at the top of my class. This was a big step up from my previous life, where I'd been content for just a passing grade.
When one of the women spotted me, she rushed over just as I had begun unpacking my books. "Oh Reila, today is your lucky day!" I raised an eyebrow at this statement, because nothing good ever seemed to happen around my birthday. Ever since my father had passed away, my birthday had become a day that I dreaded because it normally brought bad news. "Your uncle contacted us today, and he's coming tonight to take you home with him! Isn't that good news?" The woman continued to rattle on about how lucky and privileged I was, but I tuned her out, instead staring at my textbooks without really seeing them, trying to process what she had said.
Of course a part of me had hoped that something like this would happen, but after what my mother told me about her family I wasn't sure that I wanted anything to do with them. Coming from a home that valued love and loyalty to one another so highly, both in this life and my previous one, how could I be alright with a family that shunned one of their own for marrying someone she loved? My mother had said her brother was a good man, and maybe they would treat me better than they had my mother, but I didn't know. And my fear of the unknown threatened to engulf me as I thought about it. Noticing that the woman was still rambling, I tuned back in to her little lecture.
"… And the Sarota family is held in such high regard, and you'll never want for anything! I've heard fabulous stories about the elaborate parties they host, and you'll get to meet so many talented musicians being a part of their family, and we all know how much you love music. Oh this is the best thing that could happen to you! Now make sure you pack up all your things, your uncle said he would be coming at seven o'clock sharp to pick you up." She patted my head fondly and flounced off, gossiping with the other women about how much fortune had smiled on me. I pondered her words for a minute; 'Never want for anything' meant money, and money influenced power, which was something I desperately wanted.
I turned my eyes to the only two friends I'd really had in this life, and my thrill at getting what I wanted dimmed. Mokuba looked ready to burst into tears, and even Seto had a troubled look on his face. The three of us silently made our way to my room, the caretakers allowing them to come with me into the girl's dormitory since it was our last few hours together. Mokuba did his best to put on a brave face, but it didn't last very long. While I slipped into the bathroom to change out of the school uniform, Seto did his best to console his little brother. I held up the pale yellow dress the caretakers had given me and rolled my eyes, but put it on even though I thought the color looked horrible on me. I tended to gravitate towards more neutral colors, but apparently making girls look like dolls when they were taken in by a family was a thing here. I'd long since given up on ever styling my wild curly hair, instead just pulling it back with a white headband. Satisfied that I looked presentable I stepped back into my room, and Mokuba latched his arms around my waist in a fierce hug.
I felt my face soften into a sad smile as I hugged him back, stroking his hair. His crying had quieted a little, but I didn't expect him really calm down until sometime after I left. "Mokuba, please don't cry. You'll make yourself sick if you keep on like this, and I'll be so worried about you." I said, resting my cheek on the top of his head.
"I... I don't want you to go!" Mokuba cried, his hold tightening almost painfully on me. I was momentarily impressed by the strength he showed, but my first concern was calming the boy down. I looked helplessly to Seto, but he seemed just as baffled on what to do as I was. I might be protective of people smaller than I am, but that didn't mean that I had spent a large amount of time around small kids. I wasn't sure what to do to make them happy besides throwing candy at them.
"Mokuba, listen to me." I said gently, pulling him off me so that I could look into his eyes. I held up a finger to have him wait and went into the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and returning to gently wipe his face free of the tear tracks. "We all knew that this might happen. Eventually we would have to go our separate ways as we became adopted. I told you that the caretakers were attempting to contact my family to take me in, remember? It was just a matter of time before they heard back from them. I'm glad it took my family this long though, since it gave me a chance to meet and get to know you two better." I said, putting the washcloth away and speaking as gently as I could.
Mokuba still looked miserable. "I know that, but… Why couldn't they have taken longer? That way we could all stay together a little longer." I shook my head slowly, and Seto seemed to pick up on my thoughts and put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Mokuba, even if it had been a little longer down the road it would still be just as hard, if not harder." He said, to which Mokuba just stuck out his lower lip in a pout. I tried my best to hide my amusement at the sight, but Seto noticed and we shared a smile between us.
They helped me pack up what little I had brought with me to the orphanage before we all went downstairs to wait. I gave the library books I had checked out to Seto, who promised to return them. My textbooks and school uniforms would be returned by the caretakers, so I didn't have to worry about that. The other kids had heard by this point that I was leaving, and some looked over me curiously, some resentfully. Toshiro and crew were obviously part of the latter group, but I paid them no mind. Mokuba, Seto and I sat quietly on one of the couches, enjoying what little time we had left together.
My mind was in turmoil while we sat, idly chatting and anxiously watching the clock as it ticked closer and closer to seven. On one hand I wanted to try and cement a way for us to keep in contact, but on the other hand I wasn't sure if my influence would change things. Even just being their friend might have already changed the course of events to come, and that wasn't something that I had planned for. If limiting my contact with them kept them on the right track… But that was where a war of what is right by my standards and what had to happen was inevitable, and I really didn't want to get into the deep of an internal struggle at the moment. So I did what I did best and sidestepped the situation for now.
At five till seven there was a general commotion coming from the kids who had set up an impromptu watch rotation at the windows. I did my best to ignore them, squeezing Mokuba's hand on one side of me and Seto's hand on the other. Although I appeared calm on the outside, inside I was quietly freaking out. That instinctual fear of the unknown reared up with a vengeance in my mind and it was taking all my willpower to remain outwardly calm. Well, at least to appear calm; Seto's hand tightened around mine in a comforting gesture, since I'm pretty sure he could feel the tremor of apprehension that was making its way up and down my back. Those five minutes of waiting were pretty horrific truth be told, since I didn't know what to expect. Would my uncle be as warm and kind as my mother had been, or would he be as unbending and traditional as my grandfather had been? I couldn't decide and that only added onto my agitation. Mokuba stayed close to my side, both his arms wrapped around one of mine and our fingers intertwined, taking and giving comfort at this point. Seto held my other hand, but our fingers weren't laced. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, and it did help immensely to know that I again had people willing to let me cling to them as I tried to sort through my muddled emotions.
When my uncle did appear in the room, at seven o'clock sharp just as he had promised, I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. For all my own mental hype, he was a remarkably average looking man. Tall, lean, and the same classic Asian coloring that my mother had been graced with he could easily blend into a crowd. But what his physical appearance lacked, his presence more than made up for. Just being near him made you take notice; the way he carried himself and addressed others made it clear that this man was used to giving direction and having others do as he said. But he didn't appear unkind, and his eyes did hold some of the affection that my mothers had. All in all, he seemed like a decent enough man from his appearance. Only time would tell on what his personality was like, however.
When the superintendent called me over, it took a moment to untangle myself from Mokuba's grasp. His eyes filled with tears again, and I made quiet soothing noises as I stroked his hair, helping him calm a little before I made my way to my uncle. He looked me over from head to toe, and I held myself quiet and stood straight under his scrutiny. His eyes lingered on my hair, and one eyebrow briefly quirked up at my eyes, but I couldn't see anything on his face that showed what he was truly thinking; the man had a damn good poker face. "Hello little Reila. It's nice to finally meet you." He finally said, a small smile on his face. That smile did a world of good for making his face seem less cold, and I found myself giving a small smile in return.
"Hello Uncle. Thank you for coming all this way; your kindness is beyond words." I said, giving him a respectful bow. My mother's influence still stayed with me, and my manners were second nature at this point. My uncle seemed to approve, for his eyes crinkled slightly as his smile widened just a little. Turning to the woman beside me, he nodded once and motioned for his driver, who had followed him in to take my suitcase. "We'll be leaving right away to return to the Sarota estate. Say your goodbyes while I finalize the paperwork." I nodded my understanding and turned to Mokuba and Seto, who had made their way slowly to where I was standing.
Mokuba immediately wrapped his arms around my waist again, and I hugged him back just as fiercely. When he pulled away he had tears in his eyes again, but he was doing his best to keep them held back. It almost broke my heart to see how much our parting hurt him, but I wanted him to have good memories of our time together so I kept my own pain hidden from his eyes. Instead I gave him a kiss on the cheek and brushed his hair from his eyes. "Don't be sad, Mokuba. I have a feeling that we'll meet again someday. It might be a while, but we'll find each other again. So just keep your chin up until then, alright? And you'll have Seto with you, so please don't cry." Mokuba nodded solemnly, but did give me a small smile which I returned. I then turned to Seto.
I used the term "friend" to describe me and Seto loosely. We weren't as close as Mokuba and I were, but there was something like it between myself and the brunette. We challenged each other intellectually, and were chess buddies to be sure, but aside from those things I think his main concern over my leaving was for Mokuba's sake. But I didn't fault him for it in any way, as there hadn't been enough time with the three of us to form any deep bonds. What bonds we had were from shared grief and loss, but they were there all the same. But I had grown fond of them both in our short time, and parting still pained me. I held my hand out to Seto, guessing that he would appreciate that more than a hug. He took my hand and shook it, the two of us giving each other small smiles. "Take care of yourself, and of Mokuba." I said, but when I went to take my hand back I was surprised to find he held it fast.
"I will. And be sure to work on your chess game; you leave yourself open to attack too often." Seto said gravely, which made my lips quirk up and a light chuckle escaped me. He was right, I didn't think about defense as much as I should during chess. He outranked me in the "think five steps ahead" department no doubt about it. I assured him I would, and only then did he release my hand. I heard my name called, and turned to leave. Before I'd taken two steps though, an impulsive thought took me over and I turned, kissing his cheek briefly before looking him in the eye, his face a mask of surprise.
"Don't forget about me you two. I won't forget you; you're the first real friends I've ever had." And with one last ruffle of Mokuba's hair, I turned and walked out into the entryway where my uncle was waiting. "Are you ready Reila?" He asked, eyes drifting from me to where I had left the others behind.
"Yes uncle." I said simply, keeping my voice and gaze steady. I would allow myself to mourn the loss of this place and my friends later. For now I knew that I needed to make a good impression on the man who now held my fate in his hands. His gaze on me never wavered, and he held his hand out for me to take. I did so, noting the calluses that he had; for a privileged man, he wasn't above hard work. That little bit of information went a long way to telling me about his character and I felt a little relieved that a hard working man like this would be the one I was to rely on for the foreseeable future.
"You're so young to have dealt with so much in your life. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner to help you more." He said genuinely, leading me to his waiting car. The driver opened the door, and I took one last look over my shoulder. Mokuba and Seto had managed to shove their way to the front of the crowed of children that had gathered to see me off, and I gave them a small wave before following my uncle into the car. Once seated and buckled in I turned my head to my uncle.
"Thank you for your concern uncle, but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love my parents too much to ever wish for other parents, and although losing them has been hard they taught me well and loved me enough that their memories stay with me. They're not really gone, not as long as I keep their memories alive in my heart." I said earnestly.
My response seemed to catch him off guard, and he studied me a minute before smiling. "You are a clever little thing, aren't you?" His face turned serious, and a little saddened. "Tell me, did my sister… Did your mother suffer, at the end?"
I shook my head. "No, she didn't suffer." I said honestly. "She tried her best for me, but after my father's passing… I think that she was eager to see him again, even if it pained her to leave me. But she would be glad to know that I'm going with family instead of strangers. I think she'll rest easier now that I'm with you."
This seemed to be the right thing to say, for we fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in our own thoughts; me of my parents, and my uncle of the little sister he had lost.
The Sarota estate was huge. And looking at it from the viewpoint of an eight year old's body made it seem twice as big as it really was. The estate was located on four acres of lush lawns, with the mansion itself situated near the back. Since the sun had set, it was hard for me to make out details but having come from a small town in my first life and an average household in this life, to say that I was a little awestruck would be an understatement.
At least I managed to keep my jaw from dropping.
My uncle seemed amused by my reaction as he guided me into the house. Although my mother had said her family was more traditional in their thinking, the mansion was built in the "Western style" and was more familiar than a traditional Japanese house would have been to me. My uncle had explained that the house had five bedrooms, three offices, accompanying bathrooms, a formal and family dining room, and housed a private recording studio near the back of the building. He also explained that there was a decent sized library, which made my eyes light up in anticipation of seeing it. When we entered the foyer, I stopped dead in my tracks as I became captivated by the chandelier that doused the area in a warm soft glow. It was by far one of the prettiest pieces of functional art I'd ever seen.
A girl could get used to this. And as someone who enjoyed viewing pretty things, I was in hog heaven.
My uncle seemed more amused than anything by my subtle gaping, and gently led me further into the house before a black blur tackled me in a hug. "You're here, you're here!" A voice cried into my ear, and I had a momentary urge to kick the person holding me so tightly for practically shouting in my ear, but I checked the impulse before I acted on it.
"Hojo, what did I tell you about assaulting your cousin?" My uncle asked dryly, sighing as he detached the young boy from me. He stood taller than I did (not a hard feat by any means), and had the same features as his father, but his eyes were larger and his face more animated. He smiled widely as he clapped a hand onto my shoulder.
"Sorry about that, I'm just so excited that you're finally here! I'm Hojo, your older cousin. Nice to finally meet you Reila!" Hojo was much louder than myself or my uncle, but his face was kind and he did seem genuinely happy about my being here. That was another anxiety of mine relieved, as I had been worried about any children my uncle had resenting the sudden inclusion of an estranged family member.
"Oh, that's fine. You just startled me is all." I said plainly, giving him a small smile. "Nice to meet you too Hojo."
Hojo's mouth twisted into a contemplative expression. "Wow, you sure don't act like an eight year old. Dad, you sure she's only eight? Don't most girls cry or scream when they're startled?" He asked, causing his father to sigh in a blatantly paternal way. I got the immediate impression that Hojo could try even a saint's patience, but he didn't seem bad. Just a little too hyper.
"Umm, some girls do but not all of them. I've always been quieter than other girls my age." I explained, shrugging my shoulders. "I think it has something to do with how I was raised and my life experiences thus far."
Hojo studied me some more before shrugging. "Oh well. Welcome home! I can't wait to show you your room. I wanted dad to paint it pink for you but he said that wasn't a good idea since you might not like pink, so we agreed on a really pretty blue instead. If you don't like it we can always change it, and we'll have to get you some new clothes since you're a Sarota now and we have to keep up appearances… Oh, and wait until you see the grounds! I bet you'll love the gardens, its dark now otherwise I'd take you to see them but that can wait until the morning. And I'll introduce you to all the household staff, everyone's really nice and helpful and I'm sure you'll all get along great!"
Hojo's fast, intense chatter took me off guard for a moment but I quickly caught on. My uncle had explained on the drive to the estate that Hojo was an only child, as my uncle's wife had passed away during childbirth. My cousin tended to get a little lonely at times, with my uncle working as the new CEO of the family business, Sarota Entertainment, so he was absolutely over the moon with happiness that I was coming to live with them.
The way my uncle had explained it to me, he had wanted to come help my mother and I as soon as he received the letter my mother had sent him. However my grandfather had told him that if he did, he too would be disowned and left with nothing to support his son. My uncle hadn't liked it, but he had to obey my grandfather, and shortly after my mother had passed away my grandfather had too; guess heart attacks really can happen at any time. Once the business of transitioning the company into my uncle's name had been finished he'd then began looking for which orphanage had me in their care to adopt me, since my grandfather had intercepted the original message and not told anyone about it.
My grandfather did not rank high on my good list. In fact, I'm pretty sure if I had met him I would have hated him. As it stood though, I just didn't feel anything for him aside from a small amount of anger at him turning his back on my mother.
Bringing myself back to the present I smiled complacently at Hojo. "Your father is right, I'm not a huge fan of pink. But blue is my favorite color." Hojo seemed overjoyed by this, but before he could launch into another mile a minute speech, my uncle interjected.
"I'm sure Reila would like some time to settle in. I'm afraid it's a little late, but if you're hungry we can have something heated up for you." After assuring him I wasn't hungry, he nodded. "Alright then, let me show you to your room so you can get settled in." Walking up the grand staircase he led me down the hallways to my designated room, opening the door and letting me explore a little.
First thing I'll say about my room; it could have fit the room I had when I lived with my mother in it twice over with extra room to spare. I had my own private attached bathroom, a walk in closet that I was sure I would never be able to fill, a four poster canopied bed that was far larger than an eight year old needed, a desk complete with my own computer that would face out to the north and offer a view of the grounds, and a comfortable reading chair set up next to my own fireplace.
It was mind boggling, and for a moment I felt like freaking Cinderella.
My uncle studied my expression, and again he seemed amused by whatever it was he saw on my face. I suppose it would be entertaining, watching the emotions play on an eight year old face as her entire life took on a "rags-to-riches" type of story. I did my best to not look completely out of place and again thanked him profusely for his kindness. He waved off the thanks, stating that family helped each other before leaving me to settle in. "Tomorrow I've taken the day off to help you settle in more, and to take you shopping for clothes. There's nothing wrong with yours exactly, but as my son said you're a Sarota; you'll be expected to look and act a certain way from now on. However we can go into details about that later. I've contacted your school and they've agreed to let you take your exams with Hojo's private tutor, and after that your schooling will be here at the manor with tutors as well. I'm sure you'll have no problem keeping the high grades you have in the past. Sleep well Reila, we've got a busy day tomorrow."
I took my time arranging my small collection of figurines that my father had gotten me on his business trips and unpacking my clothes, almost laughing at how bare the closet looked even with my clothes stored away in it. I unpacked my books and placed them on my desk, and then changed into my pajamas, curling up in the massive bed and going over the past twenty-four hours in my head; another chapter in my life had ended, but this time it was a bittersweet one. I already missed Mokuba and Seto, but I knew that shortly they would be beyond my reach and in the hands of one Gozaburo Kaiba. Given that Kaiba Corp. was currently a weapons manufacturer, and my uncle's company was a recording agency there was little to no chance of us crossing paths in the near future. That saddened me, but it was also a good thing; less interference on my end would mean that things played out like they were meant to. A slightly depressing thought, given the psychological torture that the two would have to endure, but it was a necessary evil in the long run. Their bond as brothers would strengthen and they would take on the world while guarding each other's backs.
Once I'd settled things halfheartedly with my conscience, I eventually drifted off to sleep, eager to see what tomorrow would bring.
Hello all, Panda-chan here! Thanks so much for those who have read, liked, and followed Monachopsis already... You guys are awesome and it totally made my day! Literally, I was blowing up my bestie Sereni the Undead's phone at like 1 am with how excited I was.
This chapter is almost twice the length of the first, and if the trend follows... Yeah I took a look at what I've written so far and the chapters just seem to be getting bigger and bigger =.=; Which is a good thing of course, but once the real action starts there might be a cliffhanger or two. Just fair warning from me so try not to be mad, alright?
Again thank you for taking time to read, it makes me so happy! Please feel free to PM me or drop a review with any questions, critiques, etc. I'll answer them as best I can, and look forward to hearing from you all. Talk at you later!