[2/26/2016: I updated a line that changes a scene in this chapter. It's in the paragraph just before Kisara reads her first text from Seto. I didn't want to put in any spoilers for those who haven't read the chapter, so I'll leave it at that. It will set up better for the next chapter though.

Thank you all for reading! Please enjoy this chapter!]

Mom, Dad,
I know that you're busy right now, doing good for the world, but I just wanted to let you know that today is my thirteenth birthday!

I don't know if you're coming back this year, but just know I'll be waiting for you!

Today, there was a kind man in the cafeteria who gave me a cupcake! It had a candle on it and everything! I don't know who he is though. I think he was here to adopt another kid, but heard it was my birthday.

It might sound silly, but I pretended that it was Daddy giving it to me. I sang happy birthday to myself and went out to the playground when we weren't supposed to. I thought it wouldn't be a problem since it was my birthday. I watched people passing by and someone stopped and gave me a hair clip!

It was a little pink flower clip! The girl who gave it to me was super nice and pretty! Just like a queen!

I bet you're a lot prettier than she is Mom!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know my birthday wish this year! Even if it's just once… and I know that you're super busy… but…

Can you stop by and tell me happy birthday?

…

I love you.

Your daughter,
Kisara

"Hey! We're over here!" His unmistakable voice called for me.

I almost felt nervous, seeing the blonde man surrounded by a group of people that I had never met before. Other than Serenity and Joey, these people were all strangers to me. They had a look on their faces that I couldn't quite understand It was like they were surprised to see me.

I checked out my attire, making sure that there wasn't a stain or anything that I had been missing. It was slightly warmer out today. The snow was starting to melt in the sunlight, but it wasn't quite warm enough to be without a jacket.

I wore a long white coat and a gray beret. I my jeans were black, and my scarf was red. I didn't really match all that well, but I wasn't dressing to impress. My shoes were gray and white checkered high top shoes. I figured since there was still some snow, I shouldn't chance it getting in my shoes. My hair was tied in a loose pony tail, draping over my shoulder.

Other than a slight rip in my jeans above my knee, I didn't see anything that stood out. I looked back over to the group and took a deep breath before quickly trotting over to them.

Today was the day that Joey and Serenity had picked for us all to hang out. Kojiro was pretty mad that I was spending my day off with people he didn't know. He's been quick to snap at me more recently. I should find a day to spend with him, just to make him stop… Even if I really didn't want to.

"Let me introduce you to the gang!" Joey was eager to show off his friends.

Now that I was seeing them up close, there was one who I did recognize. Actually, two of them.

"This is Yugi. THE Yugi Moto!" He emphasized.

Right. The only duelist to have ever beaten Seto in a duel monsters, other than Maximillion Pegasus. But, he did create the game. So it would be hard for him to lose. Apparently Yugi beat Pegasus too though. He must be a tough opponent.

"Nice to meet you!" He held out his hand to me, a very bright smile on his face.

I smiled, shaking his hand, "A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Moto."

"Please, just Yugi." He laughed a bit.

He seemed innocent enough. "Yugi it is then."

"This is Tea Gardner." Joey showed off one of the girls of the group.

She wasn't familiar in the least. "Hi there! Just call me Tea! I'm so happy to bring you into our circle of friends!"

I wouldn't have gone that far… She was bubbly though, "Nice to meet you, Tea. Sorry if I'm a bit… on the shy end compared to you."

"That's okay! I hope you'll open up soon! I'd love to learn more about you!" She laughed.

I felt slightly intimidated. "I… I'll try."

"And this is Tristan and Miho!" Joey introduced them together.

"They're getting hitched." A man that Joey hadn't introduced said. "I'm Duke Devlin. I own a game shop here in Domino."

Of the three, it was Tristan who I recognized. "Nice to meet you all. I believe I know you though, Mr. Taylor."

He smiled. "I'm glad you remembered!"

"Whoa, you two know each other?" His fiance asked.

"Yeah. I met her when she helped Mr. Fujiyama clean his office." He sighed, thinking of Kojiro. "He can be really strict, so I took advantage of getting on his good side by introducing myself to who I thought was his new assistant."

I chuckled, fond of the memory. "But he didn't expect that we were engaged."

"Oh wow!" Miho was pretty cute.

Though, I couldn't help thinking that she looked a lot like me, but there were plenty of differences. She was taller than me, with long blue hair and blue eyes to match. She looked like a model honestly. Alright, maybe we didn't look alike. The only similarity I saw was how we were both very pale.

"Sorry that Kojiro's so strict." I apologized for him. "He was your superior at Shin industries before Kaiba Corporation bought them out, right?"

"He's still my superior, even after all that." He sighed.

"Alright! Done with the lame-o work talk!" Joey interjected. "We've got a full day of fun ahead of us!"

"Right, but you never even told us what we were doing today, idiot." Tea pushed him.

He gave that famous laugh of his. "I figured we could all have fun at Kaiba land! There's a ton of rides and games!"

"What are you, twelve?" Duke joked around.

"Ah, come on!" Joey insisted, "It'll be fun!"

"Don't you think it's a bit cold to be riding roller coasters though?" Yugi asked sincerely.

"Well, what would you suggest then!?"

"We could all… Get some food and think on it?" Serenity suggested, that sweet smile of hers never failing.

It looked like Duke was blushing at the sight of her. Guess Mokuba has competition?

"Sounds good to me!" Tea stated.

"Me too." Yugi said.

Tristan put his hand over her stomach, "I could never turn down a delicious meal!"

"I have just the place!" Miho joined in, "And it's not that far of a walk!"

I just listened in as they went on conversing. It seemed as though it was all settled, so we headed that way. I was happy that everyone ignored the talk of Kojiro. I really didn't feel like talking about him. As we were walking, I was somewhat falling behind. Joey slowed down to match my pace walking by my side.

"Sorry about before..." He didn't look over to me, as if trying to keep the conversation between us secret. "I didn't tell anyone about… what happened."

"About the affair?" I said bluntly.

He jumped, but tried to keep walking casually. "Y—yeah. About that. So they all think you're still with Fujiyama. I wasn't really sure where things went with the two of you… So I just kept my nose out of your business."

I respected that about him. "Thanks… I live with him, so right now I'm just… playing dumb. Until I find a place of my own."

He was quiet for a second. "I'm sorry…"

I didn't reply, as he was pulled back up by the group. Serenity grabbed my by the arm, pulling me forward as well. They were all so bubbly and kind. It was… Kind of weird for me. The only person I knew to be like this was Momoka. And that was just one bubbly person to be around. A full group was… Well, it was something for me to try and grow accustomed to.

Mom! Dad!
You'll never believe what happened today!

I got accepted into the high school that I wrote about in my previous letter! I wasn't sure if I would pass the entrance exam, but I studied really hard and I made it!

I really hope that you're proud of me!

You know, I want to be proud of you too! I don't know what you're doing out there, but… I'll keep a positive mind that it must be really important for you to have to leave me behind.

Heh… It's childish at this point right? For me to still think you might come back to get me some day… To believe that you're off protecting me from some kind of evil… That you're out there, helping the world.

And yet, I'm still writing to you.

I guess I forgot to write my usual birthday letter to you earlier this year. But that's okay. I didn't really have anything I wanted. At least nothing money could buy me, or something silly like wishing you'd stop by.

Who knows, maybe I'll actually try sending this letter this time instead of just wasting the paper with words that no one will ever read.

We'll see…

Until next time!

Your daughter,
Kisara

"I had no idea you owned a restaurant!" I was in awe, looking around.

Miho's smirk was fierce, "It's not all it's cracked up to be! But I can definitely say that's why Tristan fell for me!"

"Not true at all!" He defended.

"You mean, my cooking wasn't the way to your heart?" She winked at him. "I must have done something real good then!"

Tristan's face was all red. Their bickering was cute. They made a good couple. I could see why the two decided to spend their lives together.

"When you're wedding?" I couldn't help but ask.

"We haven't decided on a date yet." Miho said, flagging down one of the waiters to let them know we'd be eating in. "Oh, and what ever you want is on me!"

"Everyone, right?" Joey was nearly drooling.

She laughed, "Of course dummy! Can't just stop in without your free meal, huh?"

Joey made a fist and jabbed it into the air, excited to be getting free food. All I could do was chuckle. It wasn't long before we were all seated. I just sat by Serenity, on the edge of the rounded booth so that no one else was at my other side. I kept quiet, still just listening in on the conversations. I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something, or that something was out of place.

Maybe I'm out of place? I pulled out my cellphone from my pocket, looking to see if I had any missed calls or messages. I had my phone on silent on accident. I made sure to turn it up slightly, making sure I would hear it there were any calls. But I was surprised to see that I did have a text message.

It was from Seto. That part was more surprising. I could feel the heat building on my cheeks. I opened up the message, thinking of the night that had happened not so long ago.

He hadn't said anything about that night, but he seemed way more surprised that morning when he saw me with his pajamas. I don't know if he was mad about it or not though. I'm pretty sure Mokuba explained the situation to him, though Mokuba didn't really know what had happened. I wonder what all Seto remembered from that night anyway?

"Having fun with the dweeb patrol?"

I was still surprised that he had sent me a text at all, but for it not to be work related really shocked me. I stared at the message for a moment, and looked back up to the group as the conversed. I smiled, making slight eye contact with them before eying my phone again and replying to the message.

"It's not so bad. I'm having a hard time talking though..."

I never had any issues when I spoke with Seto though. I guess that's a blatant lie. I'm always stumbling on my words when we talk about anything that's not work related. He really drives my stomach into a mess of butterflies and messes with my thoughts. Just thinking of the other night—I can't bare sitting still if it pops in my head!

"So where did you go to school, Kisara?" Tea asked from across the table.

I snapped back into the conversation since I had been spacing out. "Oh. Uh, I didn't go to school… I dropped out when I was in high school. I was attending Domino Academy. I finished getting my degree by taking classes online though."

"Man, you must be really smart then Kisara!" Tristan gave me praise, ignoring the fact I told him that I dropped out. "Miho and I were on the student council and went there for some Domino City Schools District Meetings."

"I wasn't that smart..." I blushed a bit, smiling and scratching my cheek, "I barely passed the entrance exam. The classes were a bit hard. I wasn't sure if I'd go to college or anything after high school though. In case I did, I wanted to go to a school that would look well on my resume. But I never aspired to do anything. And it's not really on my resume, since I didn't graduate there."

"Hey, school's just not for some people." Duke noted. "I got kind of lucky just getting sponsored by Pegasus. Otherwise, my shop wouldn't be standing."

"You all seemed to do something worth while after graduating, huh?" I smiled, envious.

"Well, I still work at my grandpa's game shop." Yugi lightened the mood. "He sells all kinds of games and what not. But he's got a ton of good duel monster cards there too. If you'd like, I can show you around. Maybe you can get some nice cards for yourself."

"I… I actually don't… duel..." I felt embarrassed admitting it aloud.

"That's surprising for someone who works at the Kaiba mansion." Tea pointed out. "You'd think Kaiba would have that as a requirement."

My phone buzzed in my hand as I received another message. I looked down at it, reading the small preview of it that popped up on screen.

"Yeah! Kaiba's so stingy!" Joey put his arms behind his head, leaning back in the booth.

I really should be learning more about duel monsters anyway… Especially since I'm going to work at Kaiba Corporation soon anyway. "I'm surprised he hired me without even asking if I played duel monsters..."

"There's no way he wouldn't hire you though!" Joey laughed "After all, you totally look like—"

Tristan elbowed Joey in the gut, cutting off his sentence, "You look like someone who works really hard! I mean, you did go to Domino Academy after all! I'm sure he saw that and was like 'damn, I gotta hire her.'"

Tristan and Yugi gave a pitiful laugh, like they were covering up for something ridiculous that Joey was about to say.

"R—right! That's what I was gonna say!" Joey laughed with them.

I sighed. "I actually didn't even interview… I met Seto at the banquet he held when he bought out Shin Industries and offered me the job. He just gave me his business card and just told me to call him. He just… gave it to me."

"Wow, a first name basis with the CEO." Miho smiled, resting her elbows on the table, holding her hands together and resting her chin on them. "You two must be close then, huh?"

"Miho!" Tristan had a face like his work had all been compromised.

"I wouldn't say close..." I looked down, opening the message on my phone.

"That's funny. You never had trouble talking to anyone at the mansion. Are they just talking about annoying fantasies and card games?"

I couldn't help but smile from the text. "But… I'd like to think that Seto is a friend… Mokuba and Seto have been really nice to me since I started working for them."

Miho's smile looked almost devious. "But enough about me… How did you and Tristan meet? Student council right?"

Mom, Dad,
This will be the last letter that I decide to write to you.

I probably won't ever send these letters to either of you. I wouldn't know where to send them in the first place.

But I'm not writing these letters for the sake of believing you'll come and get me some day anymore. Let's be honest, I stopped believing that a long time ago.
I spent a little over fourteen years in this orphanage. I grew up without you both, and I don't really think I need you any longer.

I think it's better that I never meet either of you… I don't know why you abandoned me. I don't even know if you're alive.

I'm eighteen today. So I'll be leaving the orphanage soon. I've been on my own all this time, so nothings really going to change.

But just know this…

Even without parents, I made it to where I am today. By myself. I made it through the years of being bullied, of spending my days and nights alone. When I could have used you the most, neither of you were there. So indirectly, you did teach me one thing:

I can make it on my own.

Where ever you are, just know that I don't need you. Not any more. So… Thanks for the hardships and lessons.

Take care,
Kisara Hues.

All of our meals arrived, steaming fresh and presented beautifully. Nothing less of perfect food served for the boss and her friends, right? The conversations kept trying to make their ways to me, but I always found away to turn them around. I really didn't want to be the center of attention.

Back and forth, I exchanged text messages with Seto as well, who was neglecting paying attention in one of his meetings. He was telling me when the tournament was going to start up, and that my first day at Kaiba Corp should be relatively easy, considering I'd just be watching over sign ups with him. We joked that it would be a good way for us both to break in our new suits. I hadn't even know he got a new one.

Every time my phone buzzed, I would smile, anticipating reading what he had to say, whilst trying to avoid the thoughts of him feeling me up while he was drunk the other night. I had my phone in my lap as I ate away at the salmon on my plate. I wasn't big on sea food, but I figured I should get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I wouldn't eat salmon any more after this though. Not that it was bad… But I didn't like the texture of fish. It didn't sit well in my mouth.

Everyone still happily conversed, mostly talking about the tournament that was announced over the news several days earlier. It was ironic that they were on that topic while I was talking to Seto of texting about it as well. It was all over the televisions in the restaurant as well. Dueling really was a big thing in day to day life for everyone in Domino. Any kind of games were really.

My phone buzzed again as I took another bite of the salmon. I shivered as I swallowed, but was taken back when I heard my ring tone going off with the buzz. "Huh?"

I caught everyone's attention as they also heard my phone ringing.

"S—sorry..." I wiped my face and picked up my phone.

It was the devil himself, Kojiro.

"You need to take that?" Serenity questioned politely.

"I better." I smiled, though I really didn't want to. "Excuse me a moment."

I answered the call, putting the phone to my ear as I stood from the booth and walked away. I didn't say anything until I was out of ear shot. Just to be safe, I kept walking until I was out side of the restaurant.

"Hello?"

"Honey! I'm glad you picked up on the first call~." He was… being unusually enthusiastic.

I was suspicious of his tone. "Is… everything okay dear?"

That's when he sighed, his tone switching quickly over to a somber one. "No. Actually… There's been an emergency… Do you think you could head home soon?"

"And emergency?" He actually sounded quite serious about it. "What happened? Are you okay?"

I could almost sense the eerie smile he had when he spoke. "I'm happy to hear you're concerned with my health. But it's not about me."

"What is it then?" I wasn't sure if I should be worried or upset.

"Just… ugh.." he was getting impatient. "Could you just come home? Please? I'll explain everything when you get here. I gotta go. Love you!"

"Wait! Kojiro—" but he had already hung up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring down at the phone. I had gotten a text while on the call. I opened it up, trying to get my thoughts together as I did.

"You could always ditch them… It's what I feel like doing right now. Not that I'm able to."

The thought of ditching everything and spending the afternoon with Seto is what came to mind after reading the text. But now I actually have something important pulling me away from the time I planned on spending trying to make friends.

"Actually… something came up. Kojiro said there's an emergency. So I'm headed home…"

I sent my reply and walked back inside, returning to the group. "Hey guys… Kojiro just called and said we have an emergency at home… Do you mind if I reschedule our afternoon for another day?"

I actually felt really bad canceling on them.

"Is everything okay?" Tea perked up. "I can drive you if you'd like."

"It's okay, I can call my driver." I started scrolling through my contacts as I grabbed my coat.

Tea stood up, grabbing hers. Yugi stepped out of the booth to let Tea through. "It's not a problem. We can gossip on the way!"

I felt like I couldn't refuse, even though it felt like she was invading my space. "A—alright then."

Mom, Dad,

Today marks a very special day. I hope you didn't forget about my birthday! I'm going to be 7 you know! I got real good at writing so that I can mail you some letters! The matron said that she would love to send them to you!

I'm gonna write one every day!

So for my birthday, all I want is for you both to be safe! I hope you get lots of rest mom. And dad, don't over work like you always do!

I will keep cheering for you both! I did want to tell you that I'm working hard too! Remember the kids I wrote about last time? They smooshed a bug in my notebook yesterday. I think it was a cockroach… I was really scared!
But I didn't cry! I promised to be strong just like mom and brave just like dad!

I hope this letter helps you all feel better!

I love you!
Kisara

P.S. I'm sorry… I lied. I did cry. But I waited until bed time so no one would see… Get well soon mom!

After a good twenty minute drive and listening to Tea talk over the music she played in her car, we arrived at the Fujiyama mansion. It wasn't much compared to the Kaiba mansion, I can admit that much, but Tea was still taken with it.

"Wow! I had no idea you were living in the lap of luxury!" Tea parked just outside of the gates. "I hope my dance career kicks off so I can make half as much as you and Fujiyama!"

She laughed, but I wasn't too amused. More so with the idea of my fortune only coming from Kojiro. I still smiled though, in hopes that her dance career did kick off though. She was on scholarship at a university for dancing, so she said on the ride over. She'd be graduating this year, a little after Mokuba it sounded. She started attending college a couple years after she graduated high school, taking what sounded like a much needed break.

"I hope your dance career takes off!" I smiled, exiting the car. "Thanks for driving me."

I'm sure she noticed the lack of enthusiasm in my voice at the end. "No problem. Hey, take my number, in case you ever need anything. I can stop by and get ya' when ever you'd like!"

She pulled up her phone, typing in her number and held it up for me to copy down into my own. I followed in suit, pulling out my phone and adding in her number.

"Thanks, I'll send you a text later to let you know my number." I told her, realizing that I had another text message from Seto.

"Sounds good to me!" She slid her phone back into her coat pocket. "See ya' next time, Kisara! Maybe we can double date some time!"

She told me on the way here about how her and Yugi started dating after their trip to Egypt with their group of friends and Seto. It only occupied my thoughts with knowing that she too may know Seto's former love. I felt… jealous in a sense. But, it's better not to bring up things that I had no place in.

"Sounds good to me." I started to wave and walk away, "Be safe on your drive home, Tea!"

She smiled and laughed, waving as she started her car back up and drove away. I started up my long drive way, approaching the manor. It didn't take me long to see that there was a car parked up by the stairs. It wasn't one that I recognized, so I didn't think it would belong to any of our employees, unless it was new. But the closer I got to it, the more beat up it looked. It wasn't "old." Just, older. Maybe early 2000s? I don't know much about cars, but I know when one is older by how beat up it looks.

Passing the car, I made my way up the stairs. Today, I was actually greeted at the door. I didn't know this maid. She was… new? I guess… just another girl to preoccupy my soon-to-be ex-fiance. She was pretty, her hair was long, looking like the color of a forest. She also had eyes of gold and a dark beige skin that stood out.

"Welcome home, Miss Hues." She smiled at me, her personality a lot friendlier than I had thought it would be. "Mr. Fujiyama and your guest are up stairs in the study. Shall I walk you there?"

"N—No. But thank you." I took off my coat and she held out her hand to take it. "I don't believe we've met."

She giggled, as I handed her the coat. "I'm usually in the kitchen helping out the cooks, but since Momoka hasn't been around as much with her son being sick, I've been picking up some of her shifts. I'm Chihiro! I'm happy to finally meet you!"

Had she really always been here? "Nice to meet you, Chihiro. You can just call me Kisara."

"Thank you so much!" She was excitable. "I'll hang this up for you. Anything I can do for you before you head up to Mr. Fujiyama?"

I liked this girl. She didn't call Kojiro "master." It reminded me so much of myself. I hope she wasn't tied around his finger like the rest of the maids.

"I'm okay for now. Thank you Chihiro." I smiled at her as she bowed before heading off to the coat closet.

Now that that was over, I returned to my walk to find Kojiro. I wonder who our "guest" could possibly be? As I made my way up the stairs, I recalled the text message from Seto. I hadn't read it yet. I pulled out my phone, opening up the messages that we were passing back and forth to one another.

"I hope everything is okay… Don't be afraid to come to me if you need someone to lend you an ear. You can always trust in me… You're one of the few I feel like I can talk to anyway. I better get back to work though… Let me know how it goes?"

His kindness always got the better of me.

"Sure thing… Thank you, Seto."

I didn't wait to see his reply as I made my way to the study. Approaching, I could hear Kojiro speaking to someone. I could only hope it wasn't another woman… As I got closer, I could tell that he was actually talking to another man. Perhaps it had something to do with the wedding? That wouldn't be worth calling over an emergency though.

I turned into the room, the door was already opened.

"Kisara! You're home!" Kojiro sounded so excited. More than usual. "I've got a surprise for you!"

I stood in the door way, staring with wide eyes as the man stood from the couch he was lounging on. Silver hair… Blue eyes… Skin as white as a ghost… It was like looking at a male, older version of myself.

"What is this?" I didn't even mean to let the words slip.

"Who, dear. You mean who is this." Kojiro walked over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder before standing at my side, pulling me forward. "Kisara, you know who this man is, don't you?"

I didn't speak. I didn't want to walk forward, but Kojiro guided me closer. The man stared at me, almost as shocked as I was.

"I—wow..." He seemed speechless. "I thought you'd look more like Kimiko..."

"What… is..." Were the only words I could form.

The man scratched the back of his head. "I didn't expect you to recognize me… I tried contacting you with the information I received from the orphanage… I was lucky to get a hold of your fiance. Who knew you'd end up with an even better life than we imagined for you."

"Kisara… this is your father." Kojiro smiled, letting go of me and returning to where he was standing when I arrived.

"It's been almost twenty years now, hasn't it?" He seemed so calm.

So fucking calm….

"Why…?" Was all I could manage to say.

"I know this might be hard..." The man claiming to be my father tried to rationalize. "It's hard for me to be here too..."

"Then why?!" My words turned into anger.

I think Kojiro smirked. Was he amused? "Now now dear, calm yourself—"

"Cut the crap!" I shouted, "Just get to the point!"

"Kisara..." The man quieted.

I couldn't hold it in. I usually could, but there was no filter, "Why the fuck are you here?! After leaving me behind when I was almost four years old!? What could you possibly want from me now after all this time!? You couldn't show up when I was being beaten by other kids? Shoved in lockers at school? Things being thrown at me when ever they wouldn't get in trouble for it?! Where were you when I was sick and had to learn how to take care of my self?! Where were you when I felt hurt and alone?!"

He waited till I was done shouting to speak. "I know… We weren't there when you needed us..."

"No! You weren't! So why the fuck do you show up now?!" I felt tears escaping my eyes as I ground my teeth, trying hard to hold back, but knowing that I couldn't.

"Your mother is sick." He said.

"She was sick when I was little too! I didn't forget that!"

"She's dying..."

"Why should I care!?"

That's when I realized what I had just said. My mother—the woman who gave me life… she was dying. I just said aloud that I shouldn't care if someone is dying? My heart hurt… it felt like I had just been hit by one of the kids from my past… Right in the stomach. And yet, my face still held an expression of anger.

"I know it's a stretch..." He stared down to the floor. "But… I've come to you for help… I don't even know if you can help… It's was my last option..."

My anger mixed with sorrow as I spoke. "Why did you leave me…. Why did you abandon me?!"

"We were still teenagers..." I could hear the regret in his voice. "We didn't know anything about raising kids… Your grandma was taking care of you for us until she passed from disease… The same one your mother has now..."

I didn't want to talk anymore.

"Please Kisara, your mother needs a blood transfusion." He was almost begging. "I don't even know if your blood type would work… But I had to take the chance!"

"So you wanted to know her blood type? She's O Positive." Kojiro spoke for me.

He was quiet. "Kimiko has O Negative..."

"O Positive can be used in a shortage, but it won't guarantee helping anything." Kojiro put in his insight.

Was he deciding things for me?

"I won't make you help… but I am pleading for it..." My father lowered his head.

I stared at him,. He made his way back to the couch, and sat back down. He looked so much like me. He barely looked older than me honestly. He held his head in his hands at this point, probably trying to think if there was anything else that could be done. Without another word or a second thought, I ran out of the room. I made my way to my bed room. Once in, I locked the door behind me.

I didn't know what to feel right now. I never imagined that I would meet my parents again… I never wanted to meet them again… I made that decision for myself… Why did Kojiro allow this? It felt like every time I looked at him, he was either empathetic or… deceitfully smiling. I slid down to the floor, burying my face into my hands and curling myself into a ball. I leaned forward, resting my forehead on the carpet before the rest of my body tumbled to the side.

My body ached with anger, sorrow, and confusion, and yet I instinctively pulled out my phone. I stared at the previous message from Seto, the text highlighted above my own reply. I read the words, over and over. My lips quivered.

"What do I do..."

I typed on the phone, but didn't send it. I just stared at it… I couldn't send it… I never did…

Time passed. It was dark outside. The room itself shrouded in darkness. I still lied on the floor, my thoughts in a whirlwind of confusion. I ignored the different attempts of those who wanted to enter the room. Kojiro knocked several times, asking me to talk to them. I wouldn't though. Some maids asked for entrance to the room, but I wouldn't answer. It got to a point where Kojiro told me that he would be sleeping in one of the guest rooms since I wouldn't open up. He sounded rather angry.

He couldn't understand…

That girl, Chihiro, let me know that my father had left. She called him Shiro. A fitting name for someone like him.

My arm was numb from lying on it. My body now ached from being uncomfortable.

My phone started buzzing. The ring tone played. I didn't want to answer it, so I just let it ring. It rang again. Then once more. This time I picked the phone up off the floor, where I had dropped it when I was tired of staring at the message.

The caller ID read "Seto Kaiba."

There were two missed calls from him. Why was he calling me?

I slid my finger on the screen, answering the call. But I stared at it for a moment before pressing the phone to my ear.

"Kisara?" He said quietly.

"Hmm?" I sounded groggy.

"You okay?" He sounded concerned, but kept a quiet tone. "I didn't hear back from you..."

I took a moment to reply. He called my name again before I spoke, a couple of tears drizzling from my eyes and dripping off the my cheek. "I don't know..."

"Heh..." He chuckled. "Well hey, your mansion is pretty tiny, you know that?"

I rubbed my eyes and sat up on the floor. "What?"

"Your mansion. It's tiny." He reiterated. "And it doesn't look like there's a single light on inside that tiny box of a mansion."

"Why would you know that?" It took me a minute to register.

"I'm staring at it..." He blurted out. "I'm outside, idiot. What else could it mean?"

Somehow, him calling me an idiot made me smile. "Why are you here?"

"Cause I didn't hear from you..." it sounded like a poor excuse. "Are you gonna come talk to me or not?"

I stood up, and walked over to my window. I stared outside, looking around to see if I could spot him. I didn't think that I could, considering this window faced the side of the manor. But, as I searched the ground below, I could see him. He was standing out by one of our ponds in the garden.

"You're lucky we don't have a lot of security like you do..." I slightly giggled, followed by a sniffle. "You'd be in trouble for trespassing."

"Heh..." was all he managed.

I felt my smile return. "I'll be down in a minute."

We didn't say goodbye as we hung up the phone. It felt like some cheesy romance novel. But he was just acting like a friend, right? I could at least imagine that he was rescuing me. Who knows, maybe he really is rescuing me?

I unlocked the door. I left the room. I made my way down stairs. I didn't pass anyone on my way down. I didn't know how late it was honestly, but it was late enough for everyone to have been relieved for the night. I grabbed my coat from the closet and exited the mansion.

I ran to the side of the mansion, to where I saw him standing. He wasn't there when I arrived. I slowed my pace, walking up until I was standing where he stood. I looked around, but didn't see him.

"Seto?" I called out, but not too loud.

"This way!" I heard him call out from a distance.

I looked in the direction I heard his voice. He had his phone lit up to where I could spot him. He was now towards the fence. I smiled, dashing to where I saw him. He was only walking now. It didn't take me long to meet him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Exploring." He went off the garden trail and went behind a tree.

It felt like we were kids, hiding out in the woods. I couldn't hold back my smile as I followed him.

"So… do you wanna talk about it?" He said, not looking back at me, still walking, footsteps crunching in the small amounts of snow that remained in the yard.

I swallowed my nervousness, "I guess… You could probably understand my feelings more than anyone else..."

"Yeah?" He was curious, but kept walking in front of me.

Eventually, we were no longer at the manor, the garden ending where the edge of our yard was. I saw his car, parked off in the distance by the street curb. So, this was the path he took to get into the yard? I guess the fence had a gap that I had never noticed.

"You were an orphan too… So I think you could understand." I explained, and he stayed quiet, holding out his arm to me. I took it, allowing him to usher me as he once had. "My father… My real father came to me today..."

I held my tongue after saying that. I wanted to see if there would be a response from him. It wasn't until we were at his car that he stopped walking, turned to me and leaned back against the car. He crossed his arms, and kicked his foot back, placing it against the tire. He looked like he was trying to be cool in that position. Not that he needed to try.

"He says my mother is sick and needs a blood transfusion… I don't have the right blood type though..." I finally spoke again. "But I yelled at him, before he said anything about it."

"So… he only came to you for selfish reasons?" Was Seto's response.

"Y—yeah. I guess." I stood in front of Seto, looking down at my feet. "I… never wanted to meet them… After they abandoned me."

Seto looked to the side for a moment, thinking before he spoke again. "My parents died in a wreck, so our circumstances are kind of different. I was also adopted a couple years later. I made sure Mokuba and I wouldn't be separated. However… If my parents had just given me up, I'd be pretty pissed off too."

I was glad that he understood. That at least someone did. "I don't know if I should help..."

"You said your blood type doesn't match, so there's no reason for you to anyway." I know it was meant to be helpful, but I was still having a hard time believing it.

"She's O Negative and I'm O Positive. I could help, if there's a shortage..." I started playing with the ends of my hair. "I just… don't know if I should."

"Would they have helped you?" Was the question that Seto posed. "That's what you should be asking yourself."

But how could I know that answer? "Would you?"

"No." Seto was blunt. "If they had abandoned me and never came back when they could have, then clearly they didn't care… Why should you help someone who ruined your life?"

"But… would I have gotten to meet you if they hadn't abandoned me?" Why was that the question that I blurted out? I shut my eyes tightly, embarrassed that I said it aloud. "S—sorry!"

"I have no doubt we would have met either way..." Seto was calm with his words.

It gave me the courage to look back up at him. He was staring to the side again, arms still crossed. I couldn't tell from how dark it was, but I think his face was red. I really need to stop doing this to us…

"But is meeting me something you should be thanking them for anyway?" Seto was speaking logically. "You met me through your own decisions. Not because they left you behind… You are the only one who pushed yourself to today. You're here because of how you lived your life. With or without parents, don't you think you would have ended up here?"

I thought about it… I still could have moved out when I turned eighteen. Who knows? Maybe they wouldn't have been good parents anyway. I could have still worked the same in that kind of time line, still ended up with Kojiro, and still met Seto.

"I… guess." I stuttered.

"But… It's really not up to me what you do." Seto looked back at me. "I wouldn't help… But you're too kind not to help… Aren't you?"

"Probably…" I admit. "I don't… want to be the reason someone loses their life."

"You're not..." Seto reached out, pulling me against him. Was he actually hugging me? "You have nothing to regret if you choose not to help… I'll back you up, 100%."

"Are you..." I couldn't finish my question.

"Yes..." He answered without knowing what I was going to ask.

"Hey Seto..." I felt my cheeks burning.

"What?" He said impatiently.

"Thanks..."

"Yeah..."

What now though? What do I do at this point? Not just the situation with my dad, but the fact that Seto was holding me in an embrace? Should I say something? Or will he just let go when he thinks I've calmed down? I wonder how he knew to come and check up on me anyway… I never sent him any messages. Is that really a reason to come all the way over here?

"So..." I whispered.

Seto quickly let go, making a fake cough into his arm and leaning back against his car. "Well. Since you're up, wanna get some food or something?"

I lost it. I started laughing. It was truly like he didn't even know why he was here either.

"What's so funny!" He demanded an answer.

I smiled, my laughs becoming silence. "You just know how to cheer me up. That's all."

He didn't say anything and started walking to the drivers side door. "Coming or not?"

"How could I say no?" I smiled, opening the door after he unlocked it, and climbing into the car with him.

Re-Uploaded Only to fix some grammar errors.
If you find any, please let me know!

Much Obliged!
~KisaraBlueAshes