Thanks for the wonderful 216 reviews! I am sooooooooooooooooooo happy all cause of you! I really appreciate them!
On to the reviews!
Darkhope:Yeah Joey is a piggy...
Cherry-star-aus: Can you tell me what confuses you about the Tea thing? I think I'll straigten the facts out for you if you tell me what part is confusing you.
Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI: Really? Great...about the Joey and Serenity's dad thing, not the parents thing. sorry! I really am. I think the thawing will come into later chapters. Iput a de- oops! gave away something of the chapy. (sweat drops) thanks for reviewing!
StarWolf4: Yah Joey is a piggy. It is ironic huh...She should be considerate...
Amme Moto: Yah she does have to give in.
RoseGoddess874: I want him to be that way. (smiles)
GoldenStar: Uh...not telling. But I bet you already know. Of course Tea is still in this story... (unfortunately) Kaiba know what? Yugi's in egypt remember...I thought I wrote that in the first chapter. I'm glad you liked this chappy.
Svakee2000: Don't die on me just yet...here is the chapter!
xoxoanimematchmakerxoxo: I'm glad you did.
Thanks to everyone else!
Nine Years
Chapter Fifteen: Getting used the surroundings
"Is there a Serenity Wheeler in this hospital?" the brunette asked ever so sweetly. The receptionist looked up at her from behind her tacky glasses and typed rapidly onto her keyboard.
"She checked out yesterday afternoon" she replied, her dry voice hanging onto each word.
"So…you mean she's alive?" the brunette sputtered.
The receptionist gave her an odd look, questioning her almost.
"Nevermind…" she said as she stepped back from the counter, gritting her teeth. Her hands were curled into fists as anger started crossing her features.
'It should have worked! It should have!'
"Where is the bitch…where is she hiding?" she muttered quietly to herself, venom filling her mutters.
Kaiba Mansion…
Belongings were quickly brought to the Kaiba Mansion. Some men from his mansion went to the hotel they were in and brought in their belongings…including Shaila's. She was coming along too, but only because of her persuasive whining, smart remarks, and drama…and so were the rest of Serenity's fellow workers…
Flashback…
"Oh come on Serenity…so not fair!"
"Sorry…"
"Well who will look after Kari then?"
"Mai and Joey…"
"And you?"
Serenity stopped packing and looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" she said as she arched an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean…" Shaila said, a smirk crawling up her face.
"Nooooooo I don't…" Serenity replied.
"Oh come on…are you that dense?" Shaila said as she rolled her eyes while Serenity scowled. She continued, "Your old flame with Kaiba is going to rekindle…sooooooo obvious" she finished. Serenity glared at her.
"Sooooooooooooo not true" she replied with the same tone Shaila used. Shaila rolled her eyes at what she observed. Denial…the first step.
"PLEASE!" Shaila begged and clung onto her leg, the one that wasn't broken of course. This situation was pathetic.
"Goodness Shaila...!" Serenity exclaimed at her surprising behavior. She never expected this from her. Why was she acting like a kid? The thought of her lonely crossed her mind. She sighed as she struggled to pry her off her leg. But Shaila clung on like a child. "…it's not my… decision to make…it's his…it's not MY mansion…" she replied as she tried prying her hands off. "Ouch! Let go! You're gonna break my good leg off"
"She can come…" a cool voice replied. His tall frame was leaning on the doorway, his eyes fixed tightly on them. An amused smirk crossed his lips as he watched the two. Serenity turned her attention to him.
"Ever heard of knocking…"
"The door was open" he remarked honestly.
"Whatever…get off me!" she screeched once more at Shaila. Shaila recoiled and smiled widely at Kaiba.
"So I can come!" she asked, directing the question at him. Kaiba shrugged. She gleefully squealed and brushed past Kaiba. Kaiba looked after her with a quizzical expression just as Serenity had a few moments ago.
"She could be your second daughter…" he mumbled quietly. Serenity glared at his remark while he stood emotionless. "My men are here to pick up your belongings…" he uttered.
"You can't leave Serenity!" Cherie piped in from behind. There stood four more adults, eagerly looking into Serenity's room. Kaiba stepped in fully now, stepping aside from them. He hated when people were breathing down his neck.
"I thought we had the discussion already..." Serenity replied as she stuffed in more of her clothes.
"Well we had a discussion of our own and we think its going to get complicated without you around…" Josh now piped in.
"Why?"
"Because we'd have to schedule this and that and well we were put in the hotel together next door because of a reason" Sharon now spoke. Her tone of voice held venom; it was clear to the whole crew that she loathed Serenity and Serenity the same.
Sharon Kim was the best employee of their department…was. Ever since Serenity entered their department, she was now second best. And Sharon loathed this. SHE was supposed to be top. But this amateur (in her perspective) Serenity Wheeler outwitted her and now was even forced to work with her.
Serenity turned her gaze towards her now and reflected the glare that was sent to her. Sharon didn't flinch. She kept on glaring at her with those chocolate brown eyes of hers.
"But we'll manage…" Serenity replied. "I can still use my hands…" she said as she waved them.
"Even so…it will be tough. This is not some vacation." She said as she put a strand of her dark highlighted hair behind her ears.
"So what do you want me to do? I can't go to meetings, I can only do paperwork. The doctor said to be in bed…" Serenity told as she rolled her wheelchair towards her. She may have temporary on a short height but she looked up anyway and glared at her.
"Well you wouldn't have…"
And so they rambled on and on. Kaiba sighed rolling his eyes. This was worse then him having to deal with some of his incompetent employees. He had a thought in his mind, but realized that once he said it, he would regret it.
"SHUT UP!" he hollered at them. All six pairs of eyes were on him, some glaring and some fearful. But he glared right back. His lips were pursed, holding the words back but he knew he would have to speak them if he wanted to get away from this hotel. "You..." he started gritting his teeth. Nope, no holding back now Kaiba. "…may…stay…in…my…mansion…" he finished as he pursed his lips once more.
All blinked at the same time. A pause…
"What?" one spoke.
"Why?" another spoke.
"We are supposed to be here. Our boss…"
"We don't even know you!"
Again once more…the talking started. He was bombarded with questions.
"Do you even have any room for us?"
The only one who kept quiet were Cherie and Serenity.
Obviously this people didn't know him that well. They might have known his name but not his appearance. Kaiba was getting irritated with this.
"SHUT UP!" He hollered once more. "…there will be arrangements with your boss, there will be hospitality, and there will be enough rooms. Why am I doing this? You won't shut up…"
Now he was the one rambling on and on answering their questions.
Now all were gaping at the mansion all except Serenity, Mai and Joey. They were used to this place. Joey loathed this place. It was Kaiba's evil empire in his own words.
"WHOA!" Matt blurted out.
"We're gonna stay here!" Kari exclaimed as her cobalt eyes turned wider by the minute. "You live here?" she asked turning her puzzled face to Kaiba. He gave a short nod before proceeding towards the mansion. Mai, Joey and Serenity walked along behind him. Joey pushed Serenity gently and when they encountered the stone steps, well let's just say there was a lot of heaving to do, in Joey's part.
"GOODNESS, can't even put in a ramp or something!" Joey commented angrily as he finally got Serenity up the steps. It wasn't that she was heavy, it's the oversized wheelchair. Kaiba ignored his comment.
Serenity's workers also gaped at the mansion, being very careful not to let there jaws drop to the floor in humiliation. But they did anyway and Sharon's was the first one to snap back up, her head returning back to reality also. She didn't like the looks of the place, even if was all glamorous and such.
The grass was cut to perfection, not one single blade standing out above the rest and it was plush, soft. An enormous marble fountain was at the center of the lawn, a carving of two magnificent dragons, back to back with water flowing out of their mouths. Followed was a wide stone path circling the fountain while making two paths that led to the mansion and the gateway out of the mansion. Small yet elegantly trimmed bushes were pushed aside to the border of the mansion and flowers were accompanying them, ones that weren't seen before. The mansion was also made of white marble, stone pillars going across it. Streaks of white gleamed from the pillars and not one smudge was on them. No signs of corrosion were visible either. It's as if it were painted everyday or fixed when there was a crack.
Sharon put this behind her and walked up to the steps, her associates soon walking behind her as well as Kari and Matt.
As soon as Kaiba entered the mansion, he barked orders to four present butlers, commanding them to bring in everyone's suitcases. Serenity rolled her eyes at his temper; it never changed. She looked up at the booming steps not to far front of her. She actually had to crane her neck upwards to see the top. This temporary shortened height was going to take some getting used to.
Everyone had arrived and a maid greeted them. Kaiba spoke a few words and the maid nodded in return, asking Serenity's co-workers to follow her. Her family was left with her and Shaila and she liked it that way. Kaiba motioned them to follow him. They hesitated (Joey did) before following him. At the back of the stairs was an elevator, outlined with mahogany wood and the doors were white. With a press of a button the doors opened with a whoosh and air conditioned air met with there faces. All shivered at the harsh, surprising blast of air except Kaiba. He smirked slightly as Serenity's face turned brightened up with pink hue.
At once they arrived upstairs and he thought he should present them their rooms. Kaiba's was at the end of the hallway (isolated from the maids) and Mokuba's was beside his.
"Alright…you…" he said motioning to Joey. Hey, at least he didn't insult him. "…go there…" he said jerking his thumb towards the opposite wall of Mokuba's room. Joey grunted and lumbered over to it. Mai hesitated.
"And my son…?" Mai asked. Joey stopped also looking at him.
"He could be next to your room, to the left of it. There is a slide in door so you can come to his room from your room" he stated while Mai nodded. The Kaiba mansion had almost every type of room, from a private bathroom to a room with a waterbed.
"I want a room like that…" Serenity piped in. Kaiba gave her a slight smirk. "…with Kari…" she added hastily glaring at him. Kaiba's smirk never faded.
"Fine…" he said as he pointed to a room, a room beside his. Serenity rolled her wheelchair and Kaiba walked towards her but she held a hand out promptly.
"I can do it…" she said. Kaiba shrugged. "Come on Kari, you will be staying there" she said as she pointed to the same room that Kaiba had pointed to moments ago. Kaiba's smirk was ripped of his face and was plastered on Serenity's. She knew his game…just because she was filled with drugs that were given to her at the hospital didn't mean she lost her sense, her common sense.
"Okay!" she said as she opened the door to it, Serenity doing the same with her room that Kaiba later on presented to her. Shaila's was also beside hers.
Kaiba looked as his daughter entered the room. It occurred to him that it didn't matter any more that Serenity wasn't next to him, his daughter was and that was fine enough. He could understand her better. He followed behind her quietly, watching her face explode with awe and excitement.
"This is the best present ever…" she whispered blissfully.
"It is?" Kaiba questioned. She jumped slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you" he added.
"Its okay…" she said facing him. She smiled brightly at him and he found himself smiling back at her. "It is the best present ever…"
"I see…"
"I don't want any birthday presents. This is the best one I've ever received!" she said turning back around, curiosity overwhelming her as she walked over, examining what was behind the doors.
"Birthday presents?" Kaiba asked.
"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you, my birthday is next week!" Kari said turning once more in front of him. Excitement was written all over her face again. "I'm going to turn nine!"
"Really?" he asked letting the statement absorb in his mind.
"Uh huh, mom is letting us stay here extra months, even when her business trip is over. She said we could spend it here in Japanif I wanted to" she explained.
"I see…" he said pondering. He stood silent for awhile processing the information inside his mind.
"Dad?" Kari questioned at his sudden silence.
"Yeah?"
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yes I'm fine. Do you want a tour of the mansion?" he asked extending his hand to her. She clasped it and nodded, following his lead.
As they walked down the hall they saw Serenity's door opened ajar. They could see her standing in front of the window, looking at what was beneath her.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Kari called out from outside. Serenity cocked her to the side wheeling her chair a step towards them. "Doctor said to have bed rest" Kari pointed out staring at her sternly. The adorable personality was set aside replaced with stubborn seriousness. Kaiba grinned slightly, unable to stop himself while Serenity gave a small smile.
"I would, but I can't really" she said as she motioned at her wheelchair.
"I'll help you" Kaiba said pulling Kari with him. Serenity glared as if saying silently 'get the hell away from me'. Kaiba ignored the threatening glare and was over by her side.
"Kaiba…" Serenity muttered with venom.
"Relax…would you" he said rolling his eyes. She stiffened up as she felt one arm support her knees and the other her back. Gently he picked her up and she held onto his shoulders…not really having a choice. Suddenly a click was heard. In Kari's little hand was a cell phone, with a built-in camera. She grinned at the image that was taken. Kaiba dropped Serenity hastily on the bed as he went over to her.
"Where'd you get that?" he asked immediately.
"You…" she blurted out. She gave the famous Kaiba smirk. Kaiba gave her a look of 'why'. "…it was hanging out of your pocket. It begged me to take it" she explained. Kaiba rolled his eyes as he held out his hand. Kari reluctantly gave it back. "Sorry…"
"Let's get back to the tour...?"
"Okay…" she said as she held his hand once more.
Serenity looked as they left her room closing the door behind them. It amazed her of how well they got along. They had known each other for three no four days and they act like they knew each other forever. And she could tell that Kaiba's fatherly act…was not an act. She saw the seriousness and concern in his eyes. She appreciated that but that didn't mean that she would forgive him for what he did to her. She would accept the father ness that Kaiba gave of to Kari. Sighing she leaned back on her plush pillows letting weariness overcome her.
Night soon came and Kaiba was lying down on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He pondered over today's events. He decided that he would sort some party out for Kari. But he wondered what sort of theme it should be. Lots of knowledge was required to knowabout her and he wanted to absorb all of it. He admired her traits; it had Serenity and him inside of her, mostly Serenity.
He gave a proud smirk and extended his arm to the counter of where he picked up his cell phone and started rummaging through it looking for a certain something. He found it and examined the picture, smirking slightly. As he imagined it would be, there was him and Serenity, her blushing slightly.The thought of her blushing didn't occur to him before however. His face was blank but before long, a small smile crept up his face, as thoughts of hope emerged in his dreams.
A/n: Yay I'm done! Finished! I mangaed to sqeeze in some time for this story. I'm so busy! Had a test today..easy. test tomorrow though about math...(groans) and then test on history the next day! Applications of high school has already started coming in...(groans even more) and music performence on friday...if me and my friend make the audition. The last one is what i WANT to do. I shouldn't be rambling about my life here...i can do that in my xanga. XD Please review!)