Blood & Roses

Chapter 5

Solitude

That was a close call.

Such was Kaiba's tortured thoughts, as he shut his eyes in exhaustion.

A stir from the bundle beside him disrupted his thoughts: It was Mokuba with Kaiba's trench coat draped over him as he slept in the limo on the way back home.

Kaiba didn't want to admit it, but he was incredibly nervous – yet relieved that his brother was safe again. "Seto…" Mokuba muttered groggily wiping his eyes and sat up; Kaiba side-glanced him, "Don't do that again," He said calmly, suppressing his anger. Mokuba was perplexed, "Do what?"

"Acting foolishly – don't you understand stunts like that can get you killed."

"I'm sorry big brother…" Mokuba replied sorrowfully and Kaiba sighed in response.

Mokuba was the first to speak, "Who was that girl?"

"What girl?" he said shortly.

"That girl."

"Ah," He simply said and added, "Kisara Hunter." Mokuba's eyes twinkled with childlike humour, "Ooooooooooh…" he hinted, looking at Kaiba knowingly.

Kaiba sighed, "What exactly is your point?"

With a wary look, Mokuba continued, "Well, you're not exactly out of options…" he insinuated – obviously eager to continue their previous conversation.

"No one interests me at this point Mokuba-" he paused to look at Mokuba and said, "-especially that heiress that puts new meaning in the word 'airhead' – Paris Hilton, or whatever…" Mokuba snidely added, "She brings new meaning into the word 'stalker' as well; remember what you had to do to get her to leave you alone?"

"Restraining orders, snipers… etc, etc… not even my Mafia connections could come through." Kaiba growled, recalling the migraine Paris Hilton had caused him. "Oh and then it was her cousin – Camilla, who thought you were just playing 'hard to get'." Mokuba was thoroughly amused; Kaiba replied, "If it's not one Hilton, it's the next… but Nicole Richie was just flat out desperate. If I wanted to wrap my arm around a skeleton I'd run away with the biology class' Mr. Bones."

Mokuba collapsed on his side laughing, "Seto, you're really funny lately."

"You're late." Kaiba said at lunch time.

To be precise, Kisara had been 2 hours late for school and she didn't turn up for the past 3 days either which really concerned Kaiba because she hadn't even bothered to play her guitar right on top of his building like she usually did. Kisara smiled charmingly, "I know, I just had to catch some… Breakfast." a/n: if you know what I mean o.O Kaiba arched a sarcastic eyebrow and resumed the interrogation, "Why haven't you been at school?"

Kisara had to take a moment to think up an excuse for that. Truth be told, the desire to drink Seto Kaiba's blood had become so strong she almost killed a human with the same A Blood Type; and in order to restrain herself from drinking another human's blood – something that she hadn't done in 50 years - she had isolated herself amongst wildlife on a farm.

But instead of saying all of this Kisara replied, "Food poisoning, I don't think you would have appreciated me throwing up all over your desk, Kaiba." Kaiba nodded accepting this reasoning for the moment – the only problem was that he had come by her house yes, eventually he did find her address by having one of his henchmen tail Kisara – finally his incompetent employees found something they could do without screwing up he had knocked and no one answered; there wasn't even a light on inside. Of course this just meant that she wasn't here … why have I become so obsessed with her? Kaiba wondered.

Kaiba neared closer to Kisara, his tempting scent assaulting her. She gasped softly and her eyes changed from blue to a light purple and then back to blue again… sudden as it was, Kaiba noticed because he was incredibly observant, especially where Kisara was concerned. "What was that?" he asked. "It's nothing," She replied sharply, silently cursing herself for being so reckless.

"Didn't look like nothing." He frowned and glared stubbornly at Kisara for trying to deny what he saw with his own eyes. "Okay, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Happy?"

His smoldering gaze locked her eyes as he breathed, "No."

"Too bad," She said shortly, momentarily rendered breathless which Kaiba noticed as he smirked; he then closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "I always get what I want, Kisara."

When he opened his eyes a second later… she was gone.

She did it again… damn her!

That night

Kisara paused long enough to recount all that she had uncovered about Seto Kaiba.

He was a child prodigy, for one; ran his own company at 16 – inventing holographic technology the works, and had a rough start with his little brother at an orphanage.

"You really are something, Seto Kaiba," Kisara murmured, "Becoming something even though you had nothing; building success when you lost it all. What ambition, determination…"

Solitude.

That was the key word here. Seto Kaiba had been alone all his life; even though he had a loving brother… Mokuba still could not comprehend the isolation that his brother was feeling.

But she could.

"You are your own worst enemy, Seto…" Kisara said slightly louder, so absorbed within the complex thoughts in her mind that she forgot she was trespassing within the Kaiba Mansion.

"No, but I will be your worst enemy if you don't explain to me what the hell you are doing sneaking around in my house!" Kaiba growled, standing in the doorway with a look of pure fury upon his face. "Kisara." He finished as his eyes narrowed, don't tell me I've picked up a stalker! WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?

Kisara turned her head slightly and side-glanced Kaiba, Great, how am I going to explain this one? She thought as her eyes pleaded with Kaiba, to somehow communicate that this was a misunderstanding.

She uttered sorrowfully, "Seto…"

"Kaiba," He corrected; this was the second time she had directly referred to him by that, but now tonight's events eradicated any further chances of a first name basis.

Think, think… I cannot lose him! Kisara thought desperately as she spun on her heel to face him, "I wanted to see you!" she said passionately.

Kaiba paused and cocked an eyebrow, "You could have just called."

She laughed, "Me? Phone the great Seto Kaiba so that I can see him? What do you think that would have looked like…?"

Kaiba's eyes widened, is she saying what I think she's saying…

Kisara's head dropped, she couldn't look Kaiba directly in the eyes. Then he spoke as he took a few steps closer to her, "It would have looked like… you are interested in me."

Abruptly Kisara turned her back to him and uttered, "… like a loathsome fangirl, not?"

Kaiba took one long stride towards her and gripped her shoulder, almost withdrawing from the coldness of her flesh. "No, Kisara! Don't say that!"

Kaiba didn't know why but he had to have her; this desire was not unlike his obsession with the Blue Eyes White Dragon – ultimately, he couldn't lose her especially not now over some misunderstanding. The original reason as to what she was doing in his house uninvited didn't even occur to him anymore; all that mattered was that she was here.

He watched her shoulders quiver from what he assumed was a contained sob and let out a grunt as she withdrew from him. This isn't good… Kaiba's eyes softened ever so slightly.

"What are you saying?" Kisara whispered; all resolution to manipulate Kaiba into her arms was forgotten… could it be that he was genuinely allured by her? Or was it the Vampiric charm that called the prey to the predator?

In the end, that's all Seto Kaiba was – prey; like all the other humans upon this Earth. According to the law that governed the Demon World, he could never be more as much as she wanted it to be otherwise.

"Kisara," Kaiba started, clenching his fists. "I'm saying-"

That you will have to wait until the next part to find out… mwahahahahahahaha…. D