Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Arrangement ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

The Arrangement

Chapter Eleven

A soft knock sounded on the bedroom door, causing Kaiba's eyes to slowly drift away from his sleeping wife. He waited patiently, hoping whoever it was would go away.

"Master Kaiba," a quiet voice called through the door.

Kaiba slowly rose from his bed, quietly walking to the door and cracking it open. "What is it Charlie?" he asked his butler.

"There's a phone call for Mistress Selina."

"Have them call back later; she's asleep," Kaiba replied, making a move to close the door.

"Master Kaiba, it's from Domino City Hospital. I think it may be urgent," Charlie interjected.

"Transfer the call to my line." With a swift movement, the door was closed and Kaiba had the phone in hand. The moment it rang, he answered it, hoping Selina wouldn't awaken.

"Kaiba," he said curtly.

"Mr. Kaiba, I've been instructed to call Selina," a feminine voice on the other end said softly.

"What is it?"

"Her cousin, Duke Devlin, was admitted to the ER early this morning. One of his neighbors brought him in," the young woman answered gently.

"What for?"

"From the looks of it, I would say he was mugged. He was released from ER not too long after his arrival, but he won't be released from the hospital until later this afternoon. When he woke up a few minutes ago, he asked that I call his cousin."

"We'll be there soon," Kaiba said coolly, dropping the phone into it's holster. "Selina," he called, walking over to her sleeping form and shaking her lightly.

"Seto? What's wrong?" she asked quickly, her body snapping into a sitting position as her eyes opened wide.

"We need to go to the hospital. Go get dressed," he commanded, not giving her further information. "Be ready in thirty minutes; I'll get the car."

Selina watched him leave the room, confusion etched along her face. "The hospital?" she asked the empty room, rising from the bed. "Why are we going to the hospital?"

~*~*~*~

"What's going on Seto?" Selina asked softly, sliding into the passenger seat of her husband's car.

Kaiba's face remained emotionless as he started the engine and began the drive from the mansion. "Duke was admitted to the hospital this morning," he finally answered, a few minutes later.

"Duke!" Selina gasped, a hand rising to cover her open mouth. "I knew something terrible had happened; I could sense it. Is he okay?" Her earnest expression, and the love and care within her eyes, were almost enough to make Kaiba want to promise her the world.

"The nurse didn't say. Selina, tell me something," Kaiba began, slowing the car as they came to a stoplight. "Just how close are you and Duke?"

A small smile graced Selina's lips as she thought about Kaiba's question. "We would always look out for each other when we were children - more so Duke looking out for me. We were like brother and sister, he and I. We were both an only child, and we lived to close that we saw each other practically every day. He was the first one to discover my father would beat me…" Selina's voice trailed off as memories began to flood her mind.

Kaiba reached for one of her hands, and grasped it tightly, his eyes never leaving the road. "I only hope we'll be that close someday," he said softly, releasing her hand and pulling into the hospital parking lot.

~*~*~*~

"Duke!" Selina exclaimed, rushing to her cousin's side. "What happened?"

"Nice to see you too Selina," he said, his smile lopsided.

"Devlin," Kaiba acknowledged, sitting himself in one of the chairs.

Duke nodded in reply, his attention focused on Selina. "The guy almost got my wallet. But Mr. Wilks heard something and brought his rifle out with him. Scared the man off."

Selina shook her head softly, taking in how her cousin looked. "That's a nasty bruise on your cheekbone," she commented, gently brushing the bruise with her thumb. "What else happened?"

"I think the doctor said I had bruised ribs. And, as you can tell, a broken arm. That man sure knew how to pack a punch," he said, laughing lightly.

"Oh Duke," Selina cried softly, kneeling at her cousin's side and gently taking his hand in hers, careful to not cause him any pain.

"Hey, I'm fine Sel'. No need to worry," he grinned, lightly squeezing her hand.

"You always took care of me Duke. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you," she whispered, a few stray tears falling from her eyes.

Kaiba watched in silence, his eyes taking in every emotion displayed on both their faces. Love, concern, affection; everything he wanted to feel with Selina, yet wasn't sure he ever would. He closed his eyes gently, his thoughts taking full spin.

I worry about her at times…mainly when she's angry or upset with me. I want her to know I do…care about her. Perhaps not in the way she would want me to…but I've never felt these emotions inside me before. I'm not sure I'm ready for this, or even want to feel this.

Selina had turned to face her husband, and was now smiling softly at him. Her smile widened when she noticed Kaiba's gaze meet hers. She slowly walked over to him and took his arm when he rose from his chair. Once more, she glanced at Duke and waved a silent goodbye before leaving the room with Kaiba.

"You look tired," she commented as they strolled through the hospital's corridors.

"Just thinking," he answered, keeping his eyes cool and collected. "How is Devlin going home?"

"Joey and Serenity," Selina smiled, her head finding its way to Kaiba's arm, just below his shoulder.

"I'd say you're the tired one," he murmured, slipping his arm around her waist. A quiet smile placed itself upon his face as he realized for the first time their height differences. She was shorter than him by at least five inches, maybe even more. But, not for the first time did he think her slim frame and energetic eyes gave her, her beauty; yet, not half as much beauty as her personality.

~*~*~*~

The door to Kaiba's office slid open, the sound capturing his attention immediately. No one ever entered his office without knocking first, not even Mokuba. In curiosity, more than frustration at being interrupted, he turned his head.

Selina slowly entered the office, well aware of the acute gaze upon her. Quietly, she placed a steaming mug in Kaiba's hands and smiled. "I brought you coffee."

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking a sip of the warm liquid before turning back to the computer. "You can stay," he stated, his fingers flying across the keyboard at record speed.

Selina stood still, unsure what to do. She knew he was working, and she didn't want to bother him, yet something compelled her to stay. Whether it was just to be with the man she was slowly beginning to care for, possibly even love, or a slight fear of disturbing him more by leaving; she wasn't sure.

"Selina?" his voice called to her, pulling her from her distant thoughts.

"What?" she asked, a slight blush flowing to her cheeks at her embarrassment of being caught in her reflections.

"Sit," he commanded, pointing to the sofa behind him.

Slowly, she eased into the cushions, enjoying the feel of the soft and smooth material. As she found herself growing comfortable, Kaiba's voice began to fill the room.

~*~*~*~

Selina slowly opened her eyes and glanced around the room. Kaiba's voice was still flowing through the air when she found the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed since she had brought him coffee, and he was still explaining how he managed Kaiba Corp.'s money.

Yawning softly, she gently rose from the sofa, careful to not make any noise, and slipped out of the office, unnoticed. Smiling in spite of herself, she glided down the hallway to her room to make a much needed phone call.

~*~*~*~

"And this is…" Kaiba's voice stopped shortly, the feeling of another presence within the room missing. He turned his head, only to find that his wife had somehow slipped out. Shaking his head, he closed the program, wondering how long she had been gone.

Thankful the finances were all in order, he rose from his chair and exited the quiet office, only to be met with equally quiet halls. Unsure of where his wife might be, he headed to his room to page Ichigo. As he drew neared the room, a soft, melodic voice streamed from Selina's. Smirking, her entered his room and listened to her side of the conversation from the open door.

"I don't know Tea," Selina answered truthfully, pacing back and forth slowly.

"I will, but still. You know how he is. Yes, yes I know. Regardless, I'll join you and Yugi. Yes Tea, I will ask him, but is this such a wise idea? Alright, fine. I'll see you in a week. Bye."

It was at the end of Selina's conversation when Kaiba decided to make his presence known. He slipped into her room and slid his arms around her waist the moment the phone was in the receiver.

"What was that about?" he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close to him.

"I'm meeting Tea and Yugi for dinner in a week…and they wanted me to invite you," she shrugged, turning around to look up into his deep navy eyes.

Kaiba nodded. "And?"

Selina shot him a quizzical look before voicing her thoughts. "And what?"

"And do you plan on asking me?"

"Oh…" she answered, somewhat shocked. "Do you want to?"

Kaiba smirked before answering. "Only because you'll be there."

Selina grinned before rising to her tiptoes and planting a warm kiss upon his lips. She was greeted with an equally warm kiss from the one whom is said to have a heart of ice.

~*~*~*~

"Stop complaining, no one made you come!" Selina whispered in exasperation for what felt like the hundredth time that evening as they entered an expensive, but quaint Italian restaurant overlooking the ocean.

Kaiba snorted in reply as they walked up to the maitre-d standing behind a small podium. "Kaiba," he said curtly. He was received with a quick nod as the boy motioned for them to follow him.

As they walked into the dining area, Selina glanced around in awe. On one side, you could see the ocean with the sun casting rays of diamonds down upon it. But when you looked within the restaurant, Christmas was in the atmosphere. Lights and garland adorned the place, and soft piano music was floating through the air. The tables were filled with people of all kinds; families, friends, young and in love couples, and elder couples who still looked at each other with such love and compassion it made you wonder what they had gone through to still love so much.

When they finally reached their table, Selina brought her attention to those nearby. Already there, were Yugi and Tea, who had risen to greet her and Kaiba.

Selina cast her glance over to her husband before turning back to her friends. By the look on his face, something was bothering him.

This is going to be one long night, she sighed inwardly before taking the seat he offered her.

~*~*~*~

The meal had ended and the two males sat in silence, listening to their wives chatting away. Throughout the meal, they had been the ones to do the most talking, Yugi adding a comment every now and then; but Kaiba hadn't said but one word since they'd been seated.

Something was bothering him, she was certain of it. "How's business Yugi?" she asked softly, hoping that some spark of interest would show in Kaiba's eyes.

"It's doing great. We're getting a new shipment of cards in soon, for the Christmas season. I expect them to sell pretty quickly as we're having a pretty big holiday push," he replied, his eyes lighting up with joy.

"I'm glad your business is succeeding," Kaiba finally spoke, his first words of the evening.

Selina smiled softly at her husband. His words seemed somewhat strained, but it was obvious he was trying to be nice. Still, there was something bothering him and it troubled her to not know what it was.

"This is such a beautiful place," Tea commented, her eyes darting out to the ocean.

"It is," Selina agreed completely.

"Yugi, I have a proposition to make," Kaiba began, returning to the previous conversation. "Kaiba Corporations is producing a few new products. I'd like your store to be one of the first stores to receive this product."

All eyes turned to Kaiba, Yugi's more intent than the others. "What product would this be?"

"We're producing miniature holographic gaming systems for Duel Monsters and Dungeon Dice Monsters - based off Selina's original programming. Our plan is to give our product to a few select stores and have them test the product on customers. The customers will take a survey on it, and after a week or so, the surveys will be sent back to Kaiba Corp. for Devlin and I to review. If the product does extremely well, we'll have it out sooner than planned."

"You'll send me the details?" Yugi asked.

"Of course."

"Then it's settled. If you two don't mind, Tea and I need to get home. The store is opening early tomorrow and we've got some inventory to finish," Yugi said, slowly rising from his chair.

"It was nice to see you two," Selina smiled, hugging her two friends and watching them depart the restaurant. Alright Seto Kaiba, what's bothering you?

~*~*~*~

"It's so beautiful out tonight," Selina commented softly as the couple headed towards their awaiting limo. "Can we go for a walk Seto?"

Kaiba nodded hesitantly, allowing her to lead him down to the beach. On their way, she stopped by their limo and left her sandals there, claiming the feel of sand beneath her feet was one of the best feelings in the world. Grinning like a child, she released his arm and ran to the beach, the wind blowing her hair behind her.

"Come on Seto," she yelled back to him, finally stopping when she reached near to where the waves had begun to gently lap against the beach.

Kaiba picked up his pace a little, not liking the idea of his wife on the beach, in the dark, alone. Who knew what kind of creatures were out at this hour. And after what had happened to Duke, who knew what might happen with her. The moment he reached her, he took hold of her, slipping his arm around her waist.

In spite of his attitude throughout the evening, and reluctance to walk on the beach, he couldn't help but feel it to be one of the more romantic moments spent with his wife.

She was beautiful in many ways; not just her outer beauty, but her spirit and personality. He had seen how she acted, how she cared for everyone. Maybe that's why he was beginning to fall for her; beyond what he knew. He'd never been in love, never cared for anyone except his younger brother. This feeling was so foreign, he didn't know if he would ever understand it. But, he had reasoned with himself, annoyed at the voice deep within his head, that you can't understand everything.

He would never understand how at one point, she was growing close to him, and the next, she was terrified of him. And then, he had gained her trust once more, only to break it, along with straining her arm. Their pasts had led both of them to the stony ground of distrust, and yet, it had led them to the pastures of trusting each other. They shared so many common bonds, that most times, it was unbelievable. They were a perfect match, even if they never loved.

Then again, he was falling for her. Hard and fast. But the worst thing about this newfound emotion was that he was unsure as to how she felt about him. How she regarded him. He knew she cared about him; she had shown that every day in her actions. But, was his emotion strong enough to call love? No, he didn't think so. But he did know that with the rate his feelings were going, someday, he would love her. And that very thought was his greatest weakness.

To be in love was to be greatly vulnerable. If he loved her and anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. It had taken him a few months to begin to care about her; a few months to realize it was not just him and Mokuba he had to care for. There was a woman, his wife, who he needed to care for; who he needed to be there for.

She worried about him; he could tell by the way she had cast glances at him throughout their dinner. But he couldn't help but feel irritation. He was dining with someone whom he used to be at complete ends with. Yet, they had both grown up. Rivalries would never dissipate, but perhaps, he could learn to tolerate them. But, that wasn't the point. No, the point was that he could no longer buy things to make everyone happy. Mokuba was happy with a couple days, even a few minutes with him. He loved whatever he was given for his birthday; even though he knew Kaiba didn't put the thought into buying it.

Selina was a different story; a different genre. She was demanding in a sense that she didn't even realize. She had needs, and money wasn't going to fulfill them all. She wanted to spend time with him, not just a few days out of the month, but constantly. And to make their relationship work, he needed to consent to that. And then for birthdays and the upcoming holiday, he knew that unless he got her something that would say "Seto Kaiba spent time on me," she wouldn't be pleased.

She was complex to say the least. He knew she had grown up in a less than fortunate home, and yet, she had always been happy and thankful to have food to eat and a roof over her head. Even when her father beat her, instead of wallowing in self-pity and anger, she became even more caring, more understanding. She was his opposite; and yet, she was his match.

"Seto?" his name was whispered, drawing his eyes from their contemplative gaze to the woman beside him.

They had been walking for quite some time now, and had turned around to return to the limo. The stars were brightly shining in the evening sky and the moon was full and bright, casting its loving gaze upon the quiet couple. The waves reached further in the beach, trying to touch the couple with its magical waters.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered gently, pulling her closer to him. "I was just thinking."

"If you're certain," she replied in an unconvinced manner.

"I'm fine," he said again, gently caressing her lips with his own. "Promise." He smiled down at her before leading her back towards the awaiting limo.

A soft smile found its way to Selina's face, her eyes aglow with happiness. So much had happened in the past few months. She had married a man she only knew from the magazines and television and had grown surprisingly close to him - the world's coldest, most hard-hearted business man.

He was growing in her young heart; more than she could being to describe. Did she love him? No, but she knew deep within her spirit that she was falling for him. He had given her a world she could only dream about. He was her knight in shining armor. After all, he had saved her from her father's beatings and the termite-eaten shack she had called home. He was, in more ways than one, her savior.

~*~*~*~

"Ready to go Squirt?" Selina asked of Mokuba as she pulled her coat tighter around her, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Let's go!" he yelled out cheerfully, hurrying out the mansion doors.

"Slow down," she laughed, following after him.

Quickly, she climbed into the limo they were using for the day's shopping events. Apparently, Kaiba never decorated the house for Christmas. Well, she was about to change that. It was time he started getting into the Christmas spirit.

He'd been somewhat busy the past five days, but she knew it was because the holiday break was coming up. Kaiba Corp. would be closed for the week of Christmas and the following week; except for the few employees who didn't celebrate the holidays or had no family to celebrate with. And of course, Kaiba would be working. Maybe she could change that…

"We're here!" Mokuba shouted, not waiting for Roland to open the limo door before he exited.

Selina smiled, following him into the mega super center they had arrived at. Christmas decorations were all around; for sale and on display. Never in her life had she seen so many decorations for just one holiday. She couldn't begin to imagine what they would sell for Valentine's Day and Easter.

"What kind of lights are we getting? I like these!" Mokuba exclaimed, holding a box of clear icicle lights up.

"How many boxes do you suppose we need?" she asked, taking the box from him to find how long it would reach. "I'm thinking that if we want to cover the outline of the roof with these, we'll need just about every box they have sitting here."

"This is so much fun!" Mokuba cheered, shoving the boxes into the carts Selina, Roland, and he had.

"I just hope your brother doesn't get upset with the bill this is going to run," Selina commented ruefully, moving on to grab a few boxes of colorful lights, clear lights, and rope lights.

"I don't think he will. Seto won't care; he has a lot of money."

Pretty soon, the three of them were walking down the ornament aisle, new carts in tow as the manager had set the carts full of lights aside for them. As it was, one of their new carts was already over half full.

"You've never had a Christmas tree?" Selina asked in surprise, taking the box of a tiny manger scene ornament and placing it in the cart.

"Never. I always got a gift on Christmas day that was waiting in my room, but that was all," Mokuba said, placing a few ornaments of his own in his cart.

"Well, this year, you're going to have more than one. I was thinking we could have a few trees around the mansion, and one giant, real tree in the main lounge. That one will be decorated to look professional so if anyone makes a surprise visit, it'll look nice. The one in your room, well, we'll decide that when we get there."

Mokuba grinned, pushing his cart towards another aisle. "What's garland?"

"Decorations," she grinned, grabbing all the garland from one particular shelf. "I like this thin gold one too, I think I'll put some of it in the lounge to match the tree. And some thin red too. Think we're done yet?"

"I don't know," Mokuba replied, his eyes wide in curiosity. "Are we?"

"One more aisle to go. Why don't you go with Roland to the front of the store where they're ringing everything up. I've got one more thing left to get," Selina suggested, hoping he would consent.

"Okay," he shrugged, happily following the employees who were pushing the last of the carts forward.

Selina grinned and wandered off to the stocking aisle. If Kaiba had never decorated for Christmas, much less, actually celebrated it, then he was in for a surprise. This year, Christmas would exist in full swing in the Kaiba mansion. She would decorate the inside while she would have professionals set up the lights and displays they had chosen a few hours earlier.

Thoughtfully, she grabbed three large red stockings with white, fluffy trim and headed back to her party. She would somehow find a way to sew their names on the stockings, and at midnight on Christmas Day, she would fill the stockings with all different kinds of things. She chuckled, knowing it was more of a childish thing to do; but from what she had learned, Kaiba hadn't had much of a childhood.

As the last of their things were rung up and placed within the truck that would deliver it to the mansion, a thought struck Selina.

Kaiba was a multibillionaire who could afford anything and everything. She didn't know everything there was to know about him; what he liked and didn't like. How was she going to be able to buy a gift for him when she didn't know him as well as she had hoped.

It's going to be impossible! She complained inwardly. Mokuba is easy to please because he is so young at heart, but Seto…how am I going to get a gift that means something for someone who has everything?

~*~*~*~

"Ichigo, what's going on?" Kaiba demanded, a surprised expression upon his face as the limo approached the mansion.

"They're the decorators Sir," Ichigo answered, slightly shrugging his shoulders as he pulled up to the front door.

"What are they doing here? I didn't hire any decorators!"

Outside, fifty people or so were on large ladders placing lights and garland on the house. A large wreath, decorated in lights, hung above the door, between the two pillars. About ten of the people were lining the drive with lights and different decorations he had never seen before. What's going on here?

"Miss Selina did Sir."

Before Kaiba had a chance to respond, Mokuba ran out of the mansion to him. "Big Brother!" he cried out happily, hugging the elder Kaiba.

"Mokuba, where did all this come from?" Kaiba asked, returning the hug and heading towards the doors.

"Selina and I went shopping two days ago," he answered cheerfully. "Let's go shopping now, I know exactly what I want to get her."

"Let me put my briefcase inside Kiddo," he sighed, shaking his head. He had a lot to learn about his wife.

"Are you angry Seto?"

Kaiba shook his head, opening the door to the mansion. He wasn't angry in the least…just surprised. When was the last time he had seen any type of decoration for the holiday in his home? Some of his employees would decorate their offices for the season, but he had always found it a waste. What was the point in putting things up when you were just going to take them down a few weeks later.

"Oh!" he heard a voice cry out from the lounge. "This just won't do!"

Looking around, he could see garland and lights and red bows lining the staircase. There were all different kinds of decorations around the mansion, or what he could see. In curiosity, he entered the lounge, a slight look of surprise finding its way to his face at what he saw.

Along the mantle of the white marble fire place was gold garland, three stockings hanging with their names on it. There was a golden manger scene set up in the center of the mantle, and red candles sitting in golden holders on the sides. There was a velvet red tree skirt sitting on the floor with a box of ornaments and red and gold garland. Another box sat in the middle of the tree skirt marked "Christmas Tree." He supposed she had yet to buy the tree.

"Seto! You weren't supposed to go in there, it's not finished!" Mokuba chastised, catching Selina's attention at the same moment.

She whirled around, her face giving off her embarrassment. "I can take it all down if you'd like," she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

Smirking, he walked towards her, placing his hands gently upon her shoulders. "Now why would I want you to do that?" he asked, a slight twinkle in his eyes. "You've obviously put too much work into it to take it down now. Maybe…after the holidays."

"Well then," she replied, meeting his eyes with hers. "We're standing beneath the mistletoe."

Kaiba chuckled before placing a gentle kiss upon her lips. "We'll do something about that tree later," he whispered, planting one more kiss upon her awaiting lips.