Eiko sat in the back of the limo. She had been looking out the window from the moment she had entered the limo,
"We will be arriving shortly Miss Tsubaki." The driver said politely, Eiko snapped out of the daze,
"Hm, oh good" She said quickly she had been thinking about Seto and what was so urgent that he had to send one of his bodyguards to fetch her. She closed her eyes, she imagined the Seto she knew when she was a kid. Brown hair, blue eyes, cared for his brother… how much had he changed? There were obvious things like height, and he had become less baby faced, and there was that whole C.E.O. of a company thing. Suddenly the limo door opened,
"Here we are Miss Tsubaki, Kaibab corp." he driver said, Eiko stepped out of the limo and stared up at the huge building. It had a big red roof with the letters KC in blue and yellow; it had to be at least 20 stories high.
"Miss Tsubaki," a man dressed in the same attire Izawa was appeared beside her, "Mr. Kaiba is waiting." He started to walk towards the entrance of the building, Eiko raced after him. He rode with her in the elevator and walked down the corridor to Seto's office with here. "Here is Mr. Kaiba office," he said gesturing towards the doors in front of him,
"Thank you" Eiko said opening the door. Seto was looking out at the Domino skylight; he turned to look at her,
"Eiko" he said his eyes hard and cold he sat down at his desk.
"Seto, why did you send one of your body gauds to get me?" Eiko asked,
"Sit" Seto said ignoring her question. Eiko sat in the chair situated in front of Seto's desk, silence.
"So," Eiko said breaking the silence, "you're a C.E.O. now! That's really different from the last time I saw you," she said flashing her smile.
"Why are you here Eiko?" Seto asked his voice emotionless.
"Um, collage," Eiko, said confused,
"I don't mean Domino, why did you come to Kaiba corp.?" Eiko had a puzzled look on her face, before she could answer Seto continued. "I might have asked you here but you didn't have to come. Other than what you did to Izawa you never fought against it, you came willingly."
"Wait how did you know about Izawa?" Eiko said startled,
"I bugged him. Him, your driver, Mizori they were all bugged so I knew exactly what you were doing." Eiko thought about the men, they didn't seem to have bugs. But Izawa and Mizori (the man she assumed walked her to Seto's office) suits were so dark she wouldn't have been able to tell, and she didn't get a good look at the driver.
"Why?" Eiko asked, "Seto you're not making any-"
"And that's another thing," Seto said cutting her off, "you call me Seto like we're friends." Eiko stood up quickly
"That's because we are friends!" she yelled at him, Seto was silent, "have you forgotten all those days at the orphanage!"
"Have you forgotten that that was over six years ago, why are you sticking around? Mokuba and me don't need you anymore. I was surprised that you even remembered our names, but that's probably all you remember isn't it?" Eiko fists were clenched.
"October 25," Eiko said quietly,
"What?" Seto asked,
"October 25! That's your birthday!" She yelled at him, "Mokubas is July 7! You and him would always play chess and build sand castles together!" her voice got low, "you wanted to build theme parks around the word for kids without parents like you and Mokuba." She looked down, "I loved hearing you talk about your dream, and it was so pure and beautiful. It wasn't just for you and Mokuba, it was for the world." Seto couldn't help but be intrigued; he had never heard how she felt about that she had just seemed happy when he talked about it. Eiko lifted her head, "you still think that's all I remembered, your names? I thought about you guys, a lot. I wondered 'are they ok' and 'how are they doing.' I never forgot about you Seto." She looked at him her eyes were sad like she had just heard something she wished hadn't. She started to walk towards the door,
"Where are you going?" Seto asked,
"Its obvious you don't want me here." Eiko said her back still facing him, "I'll just go." She opened the door but stopped midway, "Seto," she said her voice somber, "I know you don't want me around, but if Mokuba dose…" she was silent for a moment, "don't stop him…" she left the room. Seto put his face in his hands,
"God I'm an idiot" he said to himself.
Sophie looked at herself in her handheld mirror, she checked her makeup and made sure her hair looked nice.
"Miss Breen" the flight attendant said, "we will be arriving in Japan shortly."
Sophie closed the mirror,
"Good," she said smiling. She took out a picture from her purse; she was in a red party dress standing next to a boy on a white suit with a blue tie, "I cant wait too see you my cutesy Kaiba!" she said like she was talking to a baby,
"Um Miss Breen, dose Mr. Kaiba know your coming?" the flight attendant asked.
"No," Sophie said smiling, "why?"
"Just asking" the flight attendant said walking away. 'She's crazy just crazy' the attendant thought to herself as she reached the back of the plane. She looked up front to where Sophie was; she was still staring at the picture.
"Cutesy wopsy Kaiba, cutesy wopsy Kaiba." She sang to herself as the plan made its descent.
"Eiko!" Mokuba yelled, "Hay Eiko!" he was waving his hands over his head. It had been a few days since the whole Kaiba outbreak and Eiko was happy that it had not changed her relationship with Mokuba, in fact they had played soccer every day since then.
"Coming Mokuba!" Eiko said dropping her bag and taking off her 'duelist belt' as she had come to call it. She couldn't help but laugh when she thought about it; it had been a gift to her from Jonouchi.
"Eiko," Jonouchi had said just a day or so ago, "you have built your deck, you have played the game, you have beaten me in the game,"
"Only once," Eiko interjected, "and it was a close game." By the end of it Eiko had only 100 life points left but she had still won.
"Anyway, as I was saying. I think its time you get the true sign of a duelist!" he said spreading his arms wide; he reached down into the bag he had brought into the shop with him. "Ta-da!" he said showing her the black leather belt.
"A belt?" Eiko said a bit confused,
"Not just any belt! You hold your deck in this belt so you always have it with you." Jonouchi explained, Anuz gave Jonouchi a look,
"I thought a true sign of a duelist was a duel disk," Anzu said slyly,
"Um, well." Jonouchi said a look of embarrassment on his face, "those are pretty expensive…" Eiko took the belt; she studded it for a moment,
"I love it!" she said smiling
"Really?" Jonouchi said with a happy tone,
"Yah really, do all duelist have these?" she asked attaching the belt to her waist.
"Yah! You never know when you'll have to duel, its good to always have your deck handy with you."
"Its also handy to have a duel disk," Anzu commented,
"Would you please?" Jonouchi said wishing she would stop reminding him. He had tried to buy her a duel disk, but they were so expensive
"I'm sure at some point I'll get a duel disk, but until then this is good." Eiko said admiring the belt.
Mokuba ran to the side of the goal and caught the soccer ball in his hands,
"Nice one!" Eiko said.
"Mokuba?" Eiko turned around, she saw a girl with blond hair and brown eyes, and she was wearing a short tight navy skirt with a bright pink tank top. "Oh my god Mokuba!" she exclaimed running towards him and grabbing him into a big bear hug.
"Sophie? What the hell?" he managed to say even thought his lungs were slowly being crushed.
"Oh Mokuba I'm so happy to see you! I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here I had to explore Japan! Its nothing like America, the people here are so nice-" as she continued Mokuba was able to wriggle out of her bear hug. He gasped for air,
"Um Mokuba," Eiko whispered to him, "Who is she?"
"Sigh, that's Sophie Breen, her dads company is business partners with Kaiba corp." Mokuba explained. "But I don't know why she's here! She never comes on business trips with father." He looked at Sophie who was still taking about Japan and what a fun time she was having, she seemed to be oblivious to the conversation or the fact that Mokuba had escaped her bear hug.
"You talk about her like she's a bad thing" Eiko said looking down on Mokuba,
"Well she's kind of a-" Sophie grabbing him in another bear hug cut him off.
"Mokuba you kneed to bring me to see your brother!" she whined
"Crazy, bitch…" Mokuba managed to say, Eiko was unsure if Sophie had heard him or not but she let him go. Once again he gasped for breath,
"Why do you want to see Seto?" Mokuba asked rubbing his neck.
"We have to talk!" Sophie exclaimed as if Mokuba should of already of known why, she suddenly looked up and turned towards Eiko. "Who are you?" she asked tilting her head to the side,
"Oh, I'm Eiko. Are you friends with Seto?"
"You could say that," Sophie said slyly, "we meet in America about a month ago at duel tournament in Vegas."
"Oh you duel?" Eiko said a bit shocked, she didn't seem like a duelist. But then again Eiko had really only met three.
"No not really, I was at the after party"
"We invite business partners to tournaments to watch and talk business." Mokuba explained
"So, are you Mokuba's nanny or something?" Sophie asked,
"Um, not exactly. I'm an old friend of Se-" she stopped halfway through Seto's name as she remembered what he had said just a few days ago.
"You call me Seto like we're friends." bastard.
"Of Mokuba's." Eiko said her voice grave. Mokuba looked up at Eiko,
'Oh god, what did that idiot say?' he thought to himself as he realized that he hadn't asked Eiko about what Seto had said. But at this point it was probably a good thing.
"Oh ok!" Sophie said as if nothing was wrong, "come on Mokuba, and take me to Kaiba corp." Sophie said smiling.
"I'm kind of hanging out with Eiko,"
"Its ok Mokuba." Eiko said, "I should get home anyways. I still have some unpacking to do."
"Still?' Mokuba said with a 'you've got to be kidding me' tone.
"Hay half the time I've been working and the other half I've been with you!" Eiko said defending herself.
"I think your procrastinating." Mokuba said simply,
"Well that to," she admitted.
"Lets go, lets go, let's go!" Sophie said like an impatient child dragging Mokuba away by his arm.
"See you tomorrow Eiko!" Mokuba said waving,
"See yah!" Eiko replied waving back.
Seto sat at his desk,
"I loved hearing you talk about your dream" 'stop…' he thought,
"It was so pure and beautiful" Seto rubbed his temples. He couldn't stop thinking about that day and what an idiot he had been. 'I should fix this.' Suddenly the intercom turned on,
"Mr. Kaiba," Izawa said,
"What is it Izawa?"
"Miss Breen is here to see you, um she's very eager…" 'Oh shi-'
"Wait no Miss Breen!" Mizori said as Sophie barraged into Seto's office.
"Kaiba-kun!" she exclaimed,
"Miss Breen, what a surprise." Seto said calmly,
"Oh come on Kaiba, call me Sophie! We're not business partners."
"Actually we are-"
"My dad is your business partner," she said in a hard tone, "I'm your friend!"
"That's because we are friends!"
"Anyway," Sophie continued, "I know you're really busy so I'll leave you. But I'll be waiting for you at the mansion, tootles!" she said walking away,
"Mr. Kaiba I'm sorry! I didn't know what to-"
"Its alright Mizori," Seto said cutting him off, "you can make it up to me by doing something for me."
Eiko placed another empty box in the corner, she only had a few more boxes left and she was done. Suddenly her doorbell rang,
"Coming!" she exclaimed walking towards the door, she opened the door to find Mizori, his hands behind his back. "Oh, Mizori, what are you doing here?" a bit confused oh why he was here.
"I have something for you, from Mr. Kaiba." He explained,
"Oh," Eiko said her eyes truing into slits, "what is it?" she asked crossing her arms. From behind his back Mizori handed her a single white rose, "oh," Eiko said her voice light, "tell, him, um tell him" Mizori walked away. "Wait Mizori!" he continued to walk away. Eiko looked down at the flower, the white rose was her favorite flower. 'He remembered' she thought, suddenly what could only be described as a flashback began.
Eiko, Seto, and Mokuba were walking through the small garden at the orphanage, Eiko stopped,
"Oh," she said, "white roses, my favorite!" she said leaning over to sniff one.
"You like white roses?" Mokuba asked standing beside her,
"Yup!" Eiko exclaimed happily,
"Why? They're so plain" Seto said walking over.
"That's how you see it!" Eiko said a bit annoyed, "but I see it as thought the white symbolizes purity, like a clean soul. Its not plain, its beautiful" she said dreamily.
"I like them!" Mokuba said picking one, he placed it in Eiko's hair. The white was even more bright agents Eiko's brown hair. "They look even prettier in your hair!" Mokuba said smiling, Eiko smiled back her special smile.
"They really do," Seto murmured quietly.
Eiko stared dreamily at the rose. She had placed it in the crystal vase her grandmother had given her for graduation.
"It will be good for keeping all the flower boy will send you while your in the city! City boys love country girls, and your so pretty Eiko!" her grandmother had said. Eiko had laughed when she heard that, she had never had a boyfriend. But, maybe her grandma had been right.
Aoi: must get sleep… (Falls asleep on desk, Aika comes over and writes 'I'm obsessed with Seto Kaiba' on Aoi's cheek in sharpie
Akai: hehe, that's what you get for writing for me with out my permission you fool!