This chapter took for EVER, but at least I got it done on schedule.
This story belongs to Melzart; the anime belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.
Appearances
by Melzart
. . .
Chapter 5
In the Shadow
. . .
Tomorrow goes by so fast. We're already there without being there. Minutes are sometimes interminable, especially when one sleeps as little as Seto Kaiba during the night.
With a brief glance, he solidified the innumerable daily meetings into his electronic agenda. It wasn't yet eight in the morning. But for him, it had already been quite a while since he had had breakfast and then found himself in his enormous chair, at the breast of the KaibaCorp edifice, managing the masses of journalistic papers which had piled itself as high as Mount Everest on the corner of his desk.
Work. Work always attacked him endlessly. It was a torturer, and he had never known anything else in his life, save the only passion that had found grace in his eyes: Duel Monsters.
Never, in the beginning, would he have admitted that he saw it as a simple game, Kaiba having found skill and strategy within it – another method to prove his intellectual superiority and his insatiable desire to constantly win. As in everything he did, nothing was due to desire – he could unleash his thirst for power, which unfortunately was almost never satisfied.
And yet, that early morning, a wacky idea crossed his mind.
"Sadi!" he said loudly into the intercom.
"Yes, sir?"
"Cancel all my meetings today. I'm not available for anything."
She had clearly almost fallen out of her seat at the instruction. But she kept her words sealed in her mouth, because she knew they would have provoked more than just impatience on her boss' part.
Are you feeling alright, sir?
"Yes, sir, of course," she finally managed to say.
Nobody went up against him. She certainly wouldn't risk it.
"Oh, Sadi. I forgot. Come see me in my office. Immediately."
Something was definitely wrong.
She got up again and opened the door, her lack of assurance evident.
Bending his head, Kaiba was afraid that his "employees" would try to see through him. She only asked respectfully.
"Yes, sir…?" Waiting for more orders.
Kaiba hesitated for a moment.
This is stupid… argh… I've been acting like a complete imbecile for more than a week now.
Bah… at this stage…
"You're a woman…"
She jumped at that express fact.
"Are you not satisfied with my- "
"No. I'm quite satisfied with your work," he retorted, equally quickly.
This infinitively relieved her, though she didn't show it.
"I have something to ask of you," he said, lightly biting his lower lip as though he was already regretting his request.
"Yes, sir. I'm listening."
Kaiba was hanging over his desk, grave, insistent.
"First, what will be said in this office must not leave here. I am counting on you being discrete. Clear enough?"
Sadi had arrived the same day that Seto had been appointed to the position of chief executive officer, seven or eight years ago already. The same day that his adoptive father had passed through the office's large bay window and never could stop his fall. Nobody could have, upon seeing the difference that was between the top floor and the ground below.
But, even though he would never say it, he had a certain respect for her, appreciating her effectiveness as much as her faultless loyalty towards him.
So he thought he could ask her things about women.
"Of course, sir. You can count on me to do anything…"
"Well..." he interrupted.
Kaiba! Stop this right now! You're making a huge fool of yourself!
"Aside from luxury and everything it brings, what do women like?" he asked of her, studying Sadi's reaction.
She blushed violently, eyes boring into her lap, visibly ill at ease about having to respond – or, frankly, more – to the delicate question.
"Do you doubt, sir, that you can be appreciated for who you are?"
She had gotten right down to the real question that tormented him. Doubtlessly. If he hadn't had so much self-control, he would have recoiled so harshly he would have fallen out the window himself.
He forbade himself his sought-after relief, however; she understood that all those who approached him or worked for him were not all among amongst his number of "friends", as they had to be paid to fear and respect him. Sadi had to find something good inside of him. Something he had always thought he repressed.
He would have to thank her if he didn't restrain himself.
"Answer simply, Sadi. As honestly as you can," he dared say again.
"Well, sir, I don't think that all women like luxury, power and money. Some do, certainly, sir. But women are certainly not all as avid about material things."
That's true, Sadi. She doesn't have anything – she's plain… generous… doesn't make an impression… Grr… this isn't the time, Kaiba.
"Alright, I'll rephrase my question," he said. "What would such a woman, as you've described to me, appreciate as a present, let's say?"
"Oh."
Sadi became more and more uncomfortable, as if he were interfering with her private life.
"Don't be afraid. Speak frankly."
She was both shocked and quite happy to give him advice. This was, of course, what he was doing – exposing a real human part to him that had never before been seen in the building they were sitting in.
An intense need to grin with joy tore across her face; she was quite touched by his request. So she chose to make him look even more human, something she had rarely had the opportunity to be able to do since she arrived to work here.
"Oh, Mr. Kaiba," she exclaimed tenderly. "There're so many things that can't be bought but bring me pleasure. So if that's what you want to talk about – "
Kaiba's thoughts were succinctly interpolated by her comment that not everything can be bought. He had based his success on that fact.
"Really?" he emoted, as if he doubted it. "Like what, for example?"
Sadi sighed heavily. She sensed he had to be reassured, given his beliefs. He had never before taken such drastic measures to learn about a subject, although she was more delicate than his secretary. Which suggested that, for the first time in his life, Kaiba wasn't completely sure of himself.
"I'm listening," he affirmed, not removing his blue stare from his secretary.
"Well…"
No. I can't speak about tenderness… I don't know if he'd understand the exact point of what I'd be saying.
"A little can go a long way, sir."
Kaiba frowned. He was amused, naturally, but he was also beginning to grow impatient, the desired response taking just a little too long to come out.
Sadi felt herself lightly oppressed.
"A nice breakfast… a walk through the woods… a small flower… a little thought. Something really simple, and something true, Mr. Kaiba. Something that reminds you of whom you desire, and who she really is."
This is all pretty complicated.
"If she doesn't like anything but diamonds, luxuries, and long soirees, Mr. Kaiba, it couldn't be a woman that you would really take to, I think."
A flower. Breakfast. Dancing. What's so attractive in all that garbage? Gah, I'm rich. She has to work with that. That's part of who I am!
Kaiba stayed silent, but… nothing extravagant could touch Naomi's heart. He was sure of it. So did he have to resort to these sentimental things?
"Yes, I think, sir, that the best way to gain somebody's trust is to not be complicated, and above all, to be yourself."
Myself? Not complicated? Me? Kaiba? Kurami?
He seemed lost, off the beaten track by miles. And Sadi guessed he was reflecting over what she had just told him.
"Is that all, sir? Can I go back to work?"
I lied to her from the beginning. Not myself… what have I done? Of course it's me. But she doesn't even know my name.
She waited for a response, but it took a while before it came.
"Yes, Sadi. You can return to work," he found the ability to say despite his torturous thoughts.
He had the distinct impression he had just missed being right. The strange sensation of still not knowing exactly how to act plagued him. As if he hadn't expected the odd answers that the happy secretary had provided him.
Yet an even more shocking desire had seized him.
Sadi turned on her heels, but stopped just before reaching the door.
"Mr. Kaiba…"
Kaiba did not stand, but kept his gaze fixed on the nape of her neck.
"I sincerely believe she will love you for who you are."
Then she walked out, maybe afraid of an enlivened reaction from Kaiba.
He was, though, contemporaneously troubled with something he had to confess: he had never seriously envisioned the possibility to be loved for who he was, having not shown anything but a narrow-minded, heartless, egotistical side of himself the majority of the time. Too glacial. Too egocentric.
But to show that he knew how to be someone else than all of that was to admit that he was a notch below the line dividing mortals from gods. And above all, it was admitting that he had a weakness.
. . .
Repugnant…
Grr… this is stupid!
Come on, Kaiba! A little more confidence would do some good, I think.
His watch showed him it was already close to nine o'clock.
He was very early to be showing up in front of this door. And he wasn't certain that Naomi had gotten up, or, contrarily, would appreciate being awoken.
Two small dry knocks against the door.
Do you remember me? I'm Kaiba. Now you know. And I'm inviting you to breakfast. I won't take no for an answer.
Grr… are you even listening to yourself? No!
What? It's the way I speak, isn't it?
He had to look completely idiotic with this fucking white rose in his hand.
He had chosen simply what seemed to him to be most resembling of the pretty creature. A rose, because it was beautiful, yet surrounded by thorns; white, because it was simple and pure. And he hadn't taken hours to research its symbolism at the boutique; this flower had simply leapt to his attention.
But what was aggravating him the most was residing in the total powerlessness he felt upon calling on her.
Grr. Open the damn door. I look stupid enough already.
Nobody answered to his recidivism.
Oh, will he never leave me alone?
Naomi had stopped on the other side of the corridor when she saw Kaiba on her doorstep.
Except this time, she didn't want to burst into laughter or to come across as angry by this supposedly undesirable visit.
She had taken a plate filled by croissants, fruits, and cheese; her breakfast.
She ducked her head, resignedly, when Kaiba raised his own and saw her.
With a swift moment, even though Naomi had already seen him, he whipped his hand – the one holding the rose – behind his back, and grew ill at ease. Of course, it really had to be him out there.
She sighed, and approached him, never detaching a warm gaze. Visibly – maybe because it was very early in the morning – she didn't want to seem to fight him off.
"It's kind of early, isn't it?" she said without the slightest provocation.
She wasn't smiling. But something in her tone of voice indicated to him that she wasn't completely disinterested in his presence.
"I'd like to take you- "
But he then saw the plate between her hands.
She, all the same, had the grace to not ridicule him.
"Well, I wanted…" he said again, before he stopped himself.
Grr. Completely stupid!
She didn't respond to his demand or to his thoughts.
Go to hell, Kaiba, you don't have any reason to be here.
As if he had given up, he softly placed the flower on her plate, his gesture chilling.
And without saying another word, he chose to leave.
"I can always leave it out for later," she breathed quietly, talking about her breakfast.
Which stopped Kaiba in mid-step.
What? She wants to…. she… she…
"Give me a minute, okay?" she asked him.
But where did this turn-around come from? Was the fight just over? Just like that?
Kaiba couldn't prevent a sweet smile from conquering him as soon as she had disappeared into her apartment once again.
Maybe Sadi was right.
Oh, be careful, Kaiba, this is too easy… prudence!
That calculating logic always came to the rescue.
Naomi came back out again, wearing a short coat and gloves. It was already beginning to become more cold, though it was still only autumn.
"Ready?"she asked, walking past him.
What are you hiding from me, Naomi?
Nothing for nothing, Kaiba, remember that.
. . .
She chose a very simple restaurant, obstinately refusing to get into the limousine. Kaiba had had to walk all the way there, which actually wasn't all that bad.
Too beautiful. Like the rising sun.
Of course, nothing gave evidence of Kaiba's emotional failure. Nothing in his eyes, the way he moved. But… he would screwed her, there, on the restaurant table. The desire he felt for her was completely maddening. The smell, the touch against him. He would have done anything to lean closer to her face, look into her eyes, and taste her lips.
"You have a brother? I think… I think that's what you said. Is he little?"
"Yeah. A little brother," responded. "Not so small anymore… but…"
She noted, certainly, that he had a certain affection for his brother, due to his spontaneous and gentle smile that had appeared on him just by discussing him; there was a strong family bond that united Kurami to him.
Talk more, Naomi. I like to hear your voice.
What am I even saying? You're really going soft now.
"Thanks… for the flower."
"Oh," he exclaimed, not knowing really how to respond.
"It was very nice. But absolutely unnecessary," she said again.
He couldn't find anything to retort. She seemed to like it. That was enough.
"Let's be clear, if you want to," she claimed more firmly, but without any visual signs of aggressiveness.
He nodded slightly.
"I am not interested in any sort of relationship. I know you poorly, and it's not important whether or not that changes. I have nothing against you personally. But I really believe it would better if we just stopped here."
"Why?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"I do not go after people. I do what pleases me, and I like my life as it is," she responded.
Kaiba didn't take offense. Wasn't he the most patient of men when it came to wanting something he had to take in its entirety?
"One does not necessarily preclude the other," he breathed, ready to fight back any refusal.
She wasn't prepared for that.
What about you, Kaiba? Are you ready to let someone into your life?
Are you sure this isn't some form of amusement you could just pay for?
"Probably," she said softly.
They were interrupted by the waiter who had come to take their order. Naomi immediately, yet politely, requested a coffee.
"You won't eat?" she said upon seeing Kaiba refuse to order anything.
"I already ate."
She seemed offended.
"Fine, I'll eat later. Just a coffee."
Usually adamant about his life plans, Kaiba knew he might have to make an exception if he wanted to make the best of his invitation.
Besides, he was starving.
"Wait," he said to the server. "I'll have the same thing that she is."
Naomi seemed surprised by the turn-around.
Without looking to excuse himself, Kaiba explained:
"There's always a little bit of space left because I only eat light."
He was lying to her. His alimentation was certainly minimal, but it was regulated, as if on a clock. Like everything else in his existence. But he chose deliberately to accompany her, no matter the consequences to his stomach. The moment was too fragile to allow himself to make the slightest error.
She found his intentions quite amiable.
She had definitely thought he was lying, but he kept with his alibi, so she merely contented to smile politely.
It certainly wasn't the type of lie that angered her.
Go on, Naomi. Where were we?
"Why are you always dressed in black?"
Naomi's grin vanished instantly, causing Kaiba to regret his indiscretion.
He knew. He understood also that he had no right to interfere in her private life. Like he had promised himself. Only, with that admiring look, he couldn't help but ask her, especially when he imagined her dressed in other colors that would still manage to enhance her beauty.
He was convinced: everything would suit her perfectly, even just a maple leaf placed in the right spot. She would still be magnificent. *
"It's a color…"
Kaiba felt the weight of her hesitant words; which made him regret again having asked her. He really hadn't had the right.
"… that suits me. Where were we?"
He didn't speak, and continued to observe her.
Could she feel the remorse that stuck in his throat?
"Well, as I was saying," she continued, "I don't have a place for anyone in my life. And I am not ready to make room."
He is attractive, though. I really have to get away from him.
Aside from the charge of electricity that passed between them, mainly caused by their mutual desire, both felt strangely relaxed. As if the worst of the storm had passed. As if they were talking like old friends.
Without a sound, he leaned in towards her.
"I don't believe that." His voice was very sure.
I want you, Naomi. Now. And tomorrow.
Why? God, she's gorgeous…
She visibly moved back from the advance.
"Do you honestly not want to understand?"
"On the contrary. I understand better than you might believe," he dared say, not backing off a single inch.
What does he mean? It doesn't make any sense. He has to leave me alone.
"It's true. I hardly know you myself. My lifestyle leaves me no more open to a relationship than yours."
"Exactly. So, it's better if we- "
"Naomi! What would you lose if you tried? Why are you afraid?"
You don't have to be scared if you're with me, Naomi. Nothing can happen to you.
Naomi sighed, annoyed.
He almost got me with his rhetoric.
"I'm not afraid," she said confidently.
"You're lying, Naomi. I know it. Everyone is afraid of something."
"Just stop," she tried to assure him, shaking her head no.
"I insist."
What does he want from me? Why is he so narrow-minded?
"I thought you already got what you wanted," she ventured, holding back a jeering smirk.
In reality, hadn't she also?
How do you know what I want? You don't even know me. Nobody knows. He avoided looking up at her.
It's odd. The need I have to feel… his body… his lips… has to stop now. But he seems so alone… so solitary… like you.
Their lips had, bizarrely, grown closer together, both of them attracted by the same desire to unite themselves, body and soul, as if nothing around them existed anymore.
If the waiter hadn't come back with their orders, who knows where they would have ended up.
Naomi shivered as she jumped away, as did Kaiba, strongly disturbed by his flaming lack of control.
It really hurt her to keep resisting this man.
"My invitation still extends to tonight," he said without hesitation, having finally regained some of his self-control.
"I don't think so," she said, getting up from the table.
She wasn't hungry anymore, and worse, had judged that the situation had gone too far. Again.
"Wouldn't you like to know who I really am?" he said, standing up in tandem.
"I don't think that matters," she answered, more and more troubled.
She seemed frozen in place, asking herself what she should do.
"I'll send a car to pick you up. It'll take you home."
Say something, Naomi. Say something to me. Anything but no.
Suddenly, she turned away from him.
"…I don't know…"
Then she left the restaurant.
He supposed it was better than a flat refusal. Kaiba believed he had succeeded in persuading her; she didn't seem as resolved to completely reject him.
All that was left was to discover the truth. With as much tact and delicateness as possible.
Which disturbed him, because everything had been part of a lie. An explainable one, luckily.
But why hadn't he told her when they had been speaking so cordially?
It would have been so simple.
Was it because he would like the surprise it would cause?
Of course, the war was not yet won. She hadn't said yes.
. . .
The day up until then had been very long.
Why didn't you just say no? You know, Naomi, a categorical no. He has to think he has it made now.
So I'll leave him with false hopes, maybe. He's grown-up enough to straighten himself out.
Only when he's there… in front of me… do I feel good… It's weird…
He's so strong… so terribly strong. That's probably what's attracting you so much, isn't it? No. I think it's something else. I don't know what. I've had the weird feeling of… belonging to him… ever since I first laid eyes on him. I don't know how to shrug that off… wherever I go, he hasn't left my thoughts since that one evening.
Get over yourself, girl. It's the long time you haven't felt a man's body against yours that's playing games with you. It could have been anyone!
No. Not anyone.
Naomi jumped a bit. She was still shivering.
Well, then, let's decide once and for all. There's maybe only two hours left before that car gets here. Do you want to or not?
I don't know. It's been a long time since… I don't have the right. No right. Even if I like him. Even if it could –
NO! It can't. You know why.
Exactly. Okay. I'll go. But this time, no mistakes. Don't let yourself get bamboozled! He will understand me.
Naomi stepped out of her bath, then got dressed after drying herself off. She was ready. Voluntarily, she took the piece of paper he had given her that had his address. Like normal, she would go there herself. She didn't need a limo.
. . .
A taxi deposited her at the indicated address. She didn't see the driver's worry as she stepped outside in front of the immense home, encircled by a palisade. Before its entrance, a large gated door bore the inscription K. This made her certain that it was the right address; 'K' surely stood for Kurami.
Of course he had some sort of fortune. She had never doubted that.
She stepped closer to the iron bars to see a man, completely in black, moving in her direction; he looked like a security guard. Definitely expectable. A little ways off, on either side of the front door, two other uniformed guards, eyes obscured by black glasses, stood waiting.
Woah. Where am I?
"Hello, ma'am. What may I do for you?"
She sputtered a bit, completely uncertain of what she was doing. Something was fishy here. Despite her instincts, she couldn't figure out why.
"I… I…" she stammered. "I have a meeting with Mr. Kurami. I'm a bit early, but…"
One of the guards lurched forward suddenly.
"Mr. Kurami, you said?" the guard asked, evidently confused.
"Yes, that's right," she said.
"Er… I don't know a Mr. Kurami, ma'am. Let me see the address to verify…"
She held the piece of paper out to him, troubled by the strange scenario.
All of a sudden, the door flew open with a bang! and a young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, saw her from afar. He began to run in her direction.
"Ah," exclaimed the guard. "You're at the right address, but this the house of master Kaiba."
Naomi's heart stopped pounding.
What did all of this mean?
"Hi!" cried the young man as he reached them. With a push of his hand, he opened the gate. "I bet you're Naomi, right?"
He was cordial, bubbly, and very happy.
"Come in, come in, please. Seto told me you would be here a little after six, but I think you're early. But that doesn't matter. Come in!"
"Seto?" she babbled.
"How could I have been so stupid?"
She seemed helpless.
"Something wrong?" Mokuba asked as soon as he saw the thoughts reach her expression.
"You're Seto's brother, right?"
She had begun to tremble. And she wasn't sure whether it was due to the fact of having been deceived, manipulated, and betrayed, or whether it was just blind rage.
What's wrong with her? She looks like she saw a ghost. Is she okay?
"Yeah, I am. I'm Mokuba. Seto's little brother."
She took a step backwards.
You're stupid. Completely fucking crazy. How could I have believed a single word he said to me? He lied to me. From the beginning. Lied!
"Is this Kurami's house?" she dared say again, pretending and hoping with all her heart that there was a logical explanation, or that she had misheard.
Mokuba wasn't sure he understood exactly what was going on, but he had to begin somewhere.
"No… this is our house. You're at the Kaiba's."
She found in the young man's expression a real worry and compassion even larger than her pain.
He lied to me. He was playing with me this entire time.
"Ma'am…? Please come with me."
Gently, he took her arm. She looked at him as if he were an extraterrestrial, fear deeply ingrained into her eyes. She began to drool.
Mokuba brought her into the living room.
"Wait for me here just a minute, okay?"
He seemed to understand what was happening now, and understand very well. What his brother must have done shocked him as much as it disgusted him. He didn't understand it at all.
He passed into another room, and furiously punched a number into his cell phone.
"Kaiba!"
"Seto!" Mokuba screamed, outraged by the incident.
Something wasn't right at home. Kaiba had actually felt it a little bit before the call.
"Are you okay, Mokuba? What's – "
"Naomi's here, Seto. What did you do? She doesn't even know your name!" he shrieked, not exactly proud of his brother at that precise moment.
Grr… no… no! She had to wait for the car! Grr…
"Mokuba, it's a misunderstanding- "
This was not the way she was supposed to learn about this… grr…!
"Misunderstanding!" cried Mokuba, who had lowered his volume when he realized she could probably hear him from the other room.
"Is she mad?" Kaiba pressed him.
Mokuba said, incensed by the goings-about.
"Yes. And terribly disappointed, too."
No! Kaiba thought.
"Okay, I'm on my way. Keep her there at any cost, Mokuba. Do anything you can. I don't want her to leave before I can get there."
"Fine, I'll try," Mokuba said, giving up.
Using a bit of courage, he went to rejoin Naomi, still seated on the sofa, half in a state of shock and half fuming in anger.
"Seto shouldn't take long."
"Never mind," she said, standing, and glancing at him rapidly.
"Please, stay. It would be nice if you joined us for dinner."
Naomi stared at him very severely.
I wonder what they're having, then. A poisonous viper? Is that what they serve at the Kaibas?
He. Lied. To. Me.
"Please. I don't really know what happened, but I'm sure it's all a big mistake," Mokuba confided to her.
Fine. I'll wait. But it's the last time he'll ever see my face!
He. Lied. To. Me!
. . .
After Mokuba had been eager enough to show her inside, she hadn't moved off of the couch, contenting to give the room a single look-over to sate her curiosity. Despite the hauteur of the place, all of the objects within it were relatively unremarkable. Nothing was too exaggerative in the décor; probably as Kaiba himself had wanted it, or Kurami, or whatever the hell his name was now.
Why had she accept the invitation despite the fact she had no obligation to do so? "Kaiba" had insisted that she had had no other choice but to accept, at least so that she could rid of him.
But at least now there was no longer any ambiguity. She didn't have to play fair with the enormous lie he had hung right in front of her nose.
"Seto shouldn't take long," Mokuba reiterated as he came back into the room, eyes riveted on her.
She really was pretty. But she was also distant; the young man couldn't say whether it was timidity or coldness she felt towards his brother, because he had always been around him. Yet she had the best of reasons to feel angry at him.
But Naomi smiled at him gently, breaking the barrier he had felt around her until then.
I think she's reserved, at first, he thought. I have to know how those two even talk to each other!
And he smirked at the sole thought of the two of them, one before the other, finding absolutely nothing in common that they could talk about. Their conversations had to be more than enthusiastic… but Mokuba also felt that he was missing something.
Curiosity began to burn his tongue, and he couldn't help but want to try to understand the attraction that the one could exercise on the other.
"Er…. how long have you two been dating? You and Seto?"
Ha! Dating?
She was lightly irritated by the question, as legitimate as it was, that the protective little brother had.
"'Dating' isn't exactly the right word," she spat, as she found herself highly offended by the older Kaiba's behavior.
She hadn't wanted to come off as rude, but the words had just tumbled out of her mouth.
"Sorry," Mokuba said quickly. "Didn't mean to offend you."
Naomi saw that a change in her behavior was in order, provided the boy's respect.
He didn't have anything to do with this. He was absolutely not responsible for his brother's actions.
"No, I should excuse myself," she answered at the same speed, but with a tender smile. "But it's not what you think it is."
As you've surely picked up by now.
"Oh, I get it," he said, more and more intrigued by their odd relationship. "You want something to drink?"
They were suddenly interrupted by a weak cry, evidence of a woman's surprise, which came from the entrance hall.
Mokuba was quite interested in the noise. He stood.
"I… I'll be back, excuse me," he said, rushing for the front door.
She stood brusquely then, too, on her guard. She didn't understand why, but the strange thought that something abnormal was happening didn't leave her.
Again, she tried by all means to reason with herself. What could happen to a house this large and this well protected? And in the middle of the afternoon? Nah, probably the poor lady just dropped something.
But another more chilling sound came to her. It came from outside. From what she could rapidly figure, she thought she heard a passing whistle. Like a bullet slicing through the air.
"No, let go of me! Let go of me!"
Mokuba's voice was coming from the entrance hall.
Something was definitely wrong.
With silken steps, she moved nearer. She hadn't even got there when an armed man stormed in front of her, threatening with his revolver.
Kaiba only brings me trouble.
"Well, well," he said. "Looks like we've got a little bonus."
. . .
With no sudden movements, Naomi chose to let herself be shown into the entrance hall, just so she could see the situation with her own eyes.
Mokuba was gruffly pinned to the ground by a giant of a man who seemed determined at all costs to never let him escape. Another man had his gun pointed at them – Mokuba and the servant, Marie.
Pushed by her attacker, Naomi quickly found herself between them. But she still was studying their every move.
"Anyone upstairs?" demanded the one with the gun.
Neither Marie nor Mokuba responded to his question.
With a flick of his hand, he ordered one of his companions to climb the stairs to make sure of it.
Naomi nudged closer to Mokuba, taking great care to not be noticed or unnecessarily provoke them. She could take both of them without difficulty. She knew that. But their weapons made her hesitate to do so; she couldn't risk one of them being wounded in the scuffle.
She didn't let the man who was climbing the stairs leave her line of sight. She was relying on the fact that he would be far from them and out of sight before she tried anything.
It was just at the moment where one of the other men turned towards the staircase that she chose to act. Lively and precisely, she shoved Mokuba to the floor and found herself in the middle of disarming the man in front of her. Her fist bowled into his stomach, followed by another just in front of the ear.
In less than an instant she found herself baring his weapon, and baring down on the second man.
He went to open his mouth but she pointed the barrel smack in the middle of his face. He understood he was to be disarmed in silence, without fighting back in the slightest.
"Mokuba, take it! And if you need to, use it."
Frozen in fear, his mouth wide open, he was incapable of saying any meaningful phrase. But, trembling, he took the gun from her.
"Go!" she told Marie, who took no time in hiding herself in some far corner of the household.
She took a look up to the top of the stairs. To her satisfaction, the man had not yet come back.
With a single blow, she slammed her weapon into the disarmed man's head before he could alert the others, and flew to the window to see if other dangers awaited outside.
What she suspected proved to be exactly true when she saw two other 'guards' flanking the door.
"Mokuba, another exit, fast."
"Yeah. Come on," he said quietly, heading rapidly towards the kitchen.
Pushed to his limit and shaking in terror, he was wielding the gun clumsily. Naomi didn't fail to notice, and she lightly put a hand on his arm.
"Mokuba," she murmured. "It'll be alright, okay? We're going to get out. Everything will be fine. Trust me. If you have to use it, do not hesitate."
. . .
Kaiba was zestfully biting his nails inside of his limousine, which was beginning to stall. Lots of things were disturbing his sense of tranquility. It only began with Naomi, who had discovered everything when he couldn't manage her.
What would she think of him now?
Again, a terrible pain grasped his insides.
"Faster," he ordered the driver.
. . .
Nimbly, Mokuba tilted his head, his eyes lost somewhere.
He wasn't reassured at all. But he was sure that this strange foreign woman would be there to protect him. He was scared for her as well.
Apparently his brother was taking his sweet time in getting back to the house.
Across the patio, the one that overlooked the garden annexed to the house, she could perceive another 'guard', which served to curb her hopes. As if he had foreseen the danger, Mokuba picked up a heavy rolling pin, on the wall along with other customary kitchen accessories, and gave it to her.
She smiled, following the young man's lead. He was almost Machiavellian.
At her command, Mokuba crammed himself behind and alongside the door, and she opened it in a flash.
The guard never saw it coming. But his shadow fell to the ground.
It was unfortunately at that precise moment, when they were sprinting outside, that the man on the upper floor alerted his coworkers, who immediately began giving chase.
Naomi had noticed the wall that encircled the property; and it wasn't too far away – less than thirty feet – and not very high. She saw in it the perfect opportunity to flee.
Thus, dragging Mokuba by the arm, she began to run towards the palisade.
"No matter what, run, Mokuba, and don't come back!"** she screamed, trying to distance herself from the house.
She was only a few steps away when an intense pain shot up her thigh, causing her to tumble in mid-stride onto the lawn.
"Keep going, Mokuba!"
But he hesitated, snapping around to look at her. He didn't want to abandon her. Completely horrified by the noise of bullets whizzing around them, he knelt down despite himself to support her.
She got up to try again, but fell again a second later, just at the foot of the wall.
"Go! Jump!" she screamed, standing again, furious that he wasn't listening to her.
Mokuba leapt. But only his arms were suspended on the other side; his legs were kicking madly at the fence, searching a pressure point he could use to throw himself across.
. . .
"Stop!" barked Kaiba to the driver when it seemed to him that he had seen a head just make itself visible on the other side of the garden wall.
Something odd was going on. He could sense it.
Naomi rose, a pillar of support underneath Mokuba, his feet cupped in her bloody hands. She pushed with all her might, before falling squarely on her butt once more.
Mokuba fell over onto the other side, tripping over the grass as if it were ice, just in front of the limousine, which then stopped. Kaiba scrambled out as quickly as he could, hurrying to take his little brother inside of the vehicle.
But Mokuba stayed inconsolable.
"Seto… there are five, six, I don't know how many of them!"
"You're unhurt?"
Mokuba fell in behind him, babbling and acting almost possessed.
"Seto!" he was wailing. "Quickly!"
"Mok-?"
Kaiba grew silent when he saw blood on the floor of the car, exactly where his brother's feet had been.
With a quick glance, he also saw dark spots around his shoulders. But Mokuba didn't seem to be bothered by any apparent injury.
Naomi
His marble face crumbled.
"Where's- "
But Mokuba cut him off, screaming, finally able to control his words again.
"She's injured, Seto! She needs help… in the garden…"
Kaiba's body hardened, blood halting in his veins as he grasped the handle to clamber out again.
"Do not leave this car, understood?"
In a single bound, like a high-jumping athlete, he catapulted over the fence, finding himself on his own turf; Roland was taking the long way to join back up with him.
Instantly his eyes locked on the two guards stretched out on his doorstep. While he lamented the loss, Naomi had control of all of his worry.
He practically toppled on top of her once he found her slumped against the wall, collapsed. He thought of nothing but of both her and of Mokuba's security.
Little mattered. All he wanted was to leave.
She had been trying to stop the copious stream of blood pouring from her leg using a black scarf which had probably been around her neck before rushing from the mansion. But the thinness of her clothes, despite it being near the end of autumn, made him think she must be quite cold. With an instinctive movement, he took off his own black trench coat to cover her as he leaned over. He wanted to support her with an arm under her legs, but she shoved him away, appearing to be recovering rather than in pain.
"I'll walk," she told him, ignoring his concern and tossing his overcoat aside.
This is not the time, Naomi!
It wasn't the time for contradiction, either, so he insisted upon helping her stand, holding her under her arm. This time, she accepted his help with her arm around his neck, while Roland acted as a shield for them, always watchful, always ready.
They got to the car as the police arrived on the scene.
Mokuba flung open the door upon their arrival, and Kaiba helped the young woman slide inside.
"Careful, Mokuba," Kaiba warned as he watched him try to pull her.
"Is it bad?" he questioned, anxious, seeing the blood smeared down the length of her leg.
But she hastened to warmly reassure him otherwise.
"No, no. It's okay, Mokuba. It's okay," she breathed, despite the grimace she tried to hide behind the pain of the wound.
Kaiba took a handkerchief out of a little commode underneath the seat and tried to clean the blood coagulating on her thigh.
Again, she thrust his hand away.
Don't touch me!
"No. I'm fine. Just get a doctor," she said, her voice faltering very slightly.
Kaiba's head tilted back to glare at her coldly. This time, he would not accept being rejected, no longer in any mood to negotiate. And she declared forfeit when he began again, silently, hurrying to gently clean the area surrounding the wound.
Mokuba remained tense before the sight, his worried gaze shifting between his brother and Naomi's injury.
She went to put a hand on his arm, but then held back, for fear of leaving a stain.
"Mokuba," she began again, this time with the sweetest of smiles. "I'm doing perfectly well, I assure you. Okay?"
Kaiba approved of the attention she was paying, even if was directed exclusively at his brother. And his composure, which he always believed he could master, fell apart again at the hand of the admirable woman.
His heart had skipped a beat several times in the past few minutes. But at that precise moment, he fell completely, unhesitatingly.
In the glance filled with pride and gratitude he sent her, she didn't have time to realize the turmoil of her emotions inside of her, as she was entirely focused on helping Mokuba relax.
"Hey, Mokuba," she attempted once more, fighting to forget the pain. "Do you know the proper prenatal technique?"
Kaiba suddenly lifted his eyes to look at her, prey to mad laugh he tried to refrain from making.
He couldn't see the wound clearly anymore.
"Alright, watch closely then," she told Mokuba. "Look. You inhale, you exhale. Very lightly. Like this."
Mokuba was completely taken aback, unable to stop laughing as she tried to teach him how to breathe, under the amused eye of Kaiba, whose own lips held an ephemeral upward curve.
He tried to hide it by bowing his head.
The car door opened again. It was two ambulance attendants.
"Come, ma'am," she could hear them say.
Kaiba helped her out of the vehicle and made sure she was firmly strapped into the stretcher.
"Give her the best possible care. The best you have," he ordered one of the two men who had helped him carry her over to the ambulance.
"Yes, sir," he acquiesced promptly.
. . .
The two brothers stayed inside of the car for a while longer, and Kaiba was trying to clean his hands of what remained of Naomi's encrusted blood.
"Fine. I'm listening. What happened, Mokuba?"
He began to narrate the events, his expression moving from sadness to worry and finally to admiration and surprise. His eyes were shining with the light of a thousand fires.
"Oh, Seto," he cried out. "She's…"
I can't dare to think what could have happened if she hadn't been there… Kaiba repeated to himself, only absentmindedly listening now.
Mokuba stopped for a few seconds, as if he were searching for the exact words to use.
"… extraordinary. She saved me."
Again, he couldn't stop looking at him with adoration, closely aligned with how his brother looked who, despite the fact that he was hiding it, must surely have been feeling also.
If it hadn't been her, they would have gotten away with it. They would have taken my little brother.
"Then," Mokuba was saying, "she kicked their ass."
He shook with a nervous laugh.
"I know, Mokuba. I know."
But a somber shadow had spoiled the picture which had previously been of heroism.
Seto Kaiba remained terrified that it could happen again, because not only would the bandits have taken Mokuba, but they also – and this is what horrified him – they would have gotten away with it. They had discovered Naomi now; would they remember her?
Then his thoughts drifted towards her, there, in hospital.
The same Naomi that had irresolutely rejected him. For whom he felt, he knew now, he would give his world, even though he barely knew her. That beautiful Naomi, proud, courageous… extraordinary strong and formidable…
And probably pissed off, too.
. . .
The door opened noiselessly and Kaiba's silhouette walked in, a white rose in hand.
She couldn't help but notice the irony of it all as she scanned the room and found it filled with the same variety of flower, and all of them from the same sender. She would even bother to throw them out the window just so that they didn't keep piling up.
"You were counting on burying me today, I presume?" she quipped at his expense instead of thanking him for the attention.
A confused smile contorted the lips of the man who was quietly approaching her bed. He stayed taciturn, eyes fixed upon her with an unbearable desire to swoop her into his arms. A desire that had not died down since he had left the palisade behind him; a desire that certainly wasn't completely unknown to him.
"Thanks, I won't forget," he mused, in a tone imprinted with sincere gratitude.
"Oh," she responded, distracted by the vocal inflection he had just assumed.
"… If you need anything, tell me," he said sweetly.
Such words did little to not harm Naomi, who, refusing to let him see her dismay, preferred to tilt her head in the other direction.
Of course, she could tell him that there was nothing he could do to make her forget, nothing that would make her forgive her injury. But her mouth closed once she felt it had opened.
Curiously, Kaiba respected her silence, as if he had read her thoughts.
Stupid, he told himself.
"So…" he said again, as if trying to bury his own pain. "The wound…?"
"Oh, for the third time, it's fine," she responded. "The bullet went in without damaging anything."
"Very good," he sighed with a certain relief.
He breathed with ease now, even though he had known how she was faring since the moment she had stepped foot in the hospital.
"Er… how's Mokuba?"
"He's fine," he responded. "Still a bit out of it, but he'll be alright."
Once more, he appreciated the fact she worried about his little brother, but nothing transpired in the lines on his face.
His feet, and his thoughts, led him towards the window, where his gaze was lost out into the distance beyond.
A strange idea – preposterous, even – sprang without warning into his head.
Without even turning around to look at her, he asked:
"What if I were to give you a job?"
Naomi stared at the back of Kaiba's neck, but he didn't move.
"I'll give you three times your current salary if you look after my brother."
He's making fun of me. This isn't possible.
Kaiba's penetrating glance lingered on her face when he finally faced her, happy somehow that such a thought had occurred at him. This way, he could watch over her at the same time because his other bodyguards would be keeping them – her and Mokuba – under surveillance. He would simultaneously be assured of her almost constant presence and disposal to his whims, all the time, as selfish as that sounded. But he would keep an eye on her at the same time; so that nothing would happen to her.
He wasn't foolish. It had never been, nor ever would be, a question of using her just to protect Mokuba. Even if, he knew, she would probably be the best person in the world to do it.
Naomi gawked at him almost as inflexibly as he looked at her.
Is he serious? What is he thinking? Do I look like easy pickings?***
She didn't respond like he hoped she would.
Accept, he told himself, as if trying to convince her.
"Does this type of… incident… occur at your home often?" she demanded coldly.
"No," he said without batting an eyelash.
She wasn't visibly pressed to furnish him a response. So he began negotiations.
"Five times your current salary."
Now she was beyond irritated.
"I'm not up for auction!" she protested in outrage, eyes wrinkled in fury.
How could he allow himself to buy her like this? With the fact he had loads of cash and could offer her anything?
You're certainly beautiful, Naomi. Even when you're beside yourself.
She was spluttering; she couldn't say for certain if she had clearly heard his intentions of if she had really seen those burning embers inside the ocean that was his eyes that were locked onto her own, but her skin was humming with a delicate shiver.
But why had he come? Why was everything so complicated?
As if he had been following her reasoning until that point, he explained:
"Money isn't important, Naomi. I don't care about that. I'm simply worried about my little brother. Who gives a damn how much I have to pay, give up, or even burn to know that he's safe?"
She found herself speechless. The evident concern that had squirmed its way into his voice convinced her that he was telling the truth. But he was no less arrogant.
"Or maybe a private tutor. He has to learn how to defend himself because I'm not always around," he attempted to reason.
She liked the idea.
"Yes. He has to know how to defend himself. That's true," she said approvingly.
For a second, Kaiba thought he had won.
"It's quite generous of you, I'll admit," she said calmly. "But I have to refuse."
"What?"
Did he not hear me or does he just not take no for an answer?
"What?" she snapped back furiously. "Nobody says no to a Kaiba, is that it?"
Grr…
They were finally there.
Being hit by a train couldn't have hurt any more. Anger clawed at his entire being. But he still attempted to restrain his emotion; after all, he was the only one to blame for the entire situation. He understood that, at least.
"That's not what I meant," he retorted with an urgent need to explain himself.
"No?"
He shook his head.
"No."
His face returned to ice, completely blank.
"I've realized it's quite dangerous to train around these parts. You have lots of enemies, I believe," she continued.
She lowered her voice, and added:
"…and I'm beginning to think I understand why…"
This time, Kaiba felt the blood rising up to his face, while he clutched his fists in anger. How dare she treat him like a vulgar guttersnipe? And if that weren't enough, she seemed to even doubt his word and his good intentions. Even though he hardly used them.
Naomi noticed his vexation, which was readily apparent.
"Don't worry about the criticism, Kaiba," she acknowledged. "Besides, you can't help it if that's the name you carry around. Oh, I know what you go through. More than you realize."
The muscles in Kaiba's face remained strained, ready to debate her next stinging remark.
"Besides, I'm being nice after all the lies… whoever you are. Kaiba or Kurami, whatever pleases you and whatever works out."
She had been harping about his bitterness up until then. But the boomerang effect wouldn't wait any longer.
"Kaiba," he spat, prideful, between his teeth. He was being mocked, and he knew it.
"Who cares? You liked to me the entire time."
"Has that changed anything?" he exclaimed, as if trying to convince himself as well.
He wouldn't have apologized to himself. But it was certainly what he looking for.
She whipped her head around, incapable of honestly replying.
"…I would have stayed far away," she muttered cynically.
Far? Why?
"Believe what you want. I only lied about my name, nothing else. My offer still stands," he dared reaffirm.
"I refuse, as good as your intentions may be."
She… said no? How… could she say no? Admit it… you're not impressing her. Look, she doesn't give a fuck about your power… how dare she… she'll regr-
He wanted to object but she wouldn't give him the time, fatigued as she was from shock and from just having argued with him.
"I want you to go now."
Kaiba stood in place. She remained defiant, as he himself would have been. Just a turn of events?
And then she rejected him again, sending him off as if he were a servant.
No. You can't pretend you're her boss any longer. It won't work. Then again… do you really think you're able to? Yes, I'm capable. I've known things far better and far worse and I have… Admit it, Seto. She isn't like them, you know.
Insolent, he pretended to be proud until the end, just until after he crossed underneath the doorframe once again.
"I hope that you'll find some common sense as fast as possible. For your own sake."
As if she had found something immediately threatening in his words, Naomi looked back to glare at him in her rage. But he had already left, and hadn't turned back.
She would have slapped him if he had gotten close enough.
You'll be mine, Naomi. You will be completely, entirely mine, Kaiba promised as he ducked on in his way into the backseat of his limousine.
* Reference to old nude depictions of Eve.
** Does this remind anyone *else* of the Lion King?
*** Another odd French phrase I actually didn't know. Original: "Do I look like a Chinese buffet?"