Crush You, or Crush Your Enemies (Part 4)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Kaiba Home

Seto watched the time. He had been in the middle of an agreement when Serenity lost consciousness. Not wanting to take any chances, he took her home and had his personal physicians come over. Mokuba was concerned and tagged along with whatever the other spirits name was again. "What happened?"

"Her eyes for one," the doctor said, "they are losing vision every once in a while. I cannot determine why. It's happening in short spurts. Her previous eye surgery still looks good. It was successful."

"Is my new sister going to be okay?" Mokuba asked himself.

"I don't see why not. This really shouldn't have happened, Mister Kaiba," the eye doctor insisted.

Another physician approached Kaiba. "Her body seems to be undergoing some physical changes. I've been able to reach her current doctor and have looked at her previous information. She had some health issues growing up but they're mainly cleared away."

"What is changing?" Kaiba demanded. "Is she okay?"

The doctor gestured for him to come into the room she was being examined in. Seto went over into it with Mokuba.

The perfect figure she used to have, seemed to be changing. Her nose. Her eyes. She looked a lot closer to the simple woman from Battleship City. Well. The gods wanted perfect attraction for me. They made her some Venus de Milo perfect for my eyes? "It's fine."

It angered him though. Not the fact that she didn't have the perfect body or face, but that they would really go that far.

A proper greeting and a card was all he needed. From there, he could set up marriage and prenup information. Once his business was secure, he could pay for invitro since it would be done by the gods First try guaranteed.

No messy God's Brew or one night stands. That was all inefficient.

He watched as she started to wake up. The doctor talked to her first for a minute and prepared her for the changes.

She looked in a mirror he gave her and touched her face. "I look . . . different."

"You are as you should be, before the gods messed with you," Sero Kaiba informed her. "It was for attraction."

"Blind. I was blind, for just a little while." She trembled. "I remember now. So, I might . . ."

"Maybe." Seto Kaiba shrugged. "I don't care. I don't care about your vision or your physical changes unless it harms you. I doubt they will. I think the gods are just undoing the work they put in because we just reached an agreement to make this happen."

Serenity covered her face. "I could go blind. I'm nothing like I was before."

"It's a shock, I get it, but I want to get this worked out," Kaiba insisted. "If I get Mai Valentine out of her jam, for good, you'll agree to move in."

"No marriage," she muttered softly. "I need to talk to my boyfriend Tristan first."

"Strange. I thought marriage is what women wanted. I'd have to spend time figuring out a strong plan to make sure you couldn't divorce me, and now I don't have to rush that." It wasn't what Kaiba wanted, he was lying to make her feel better in the arrangement. He didn't want a son or daughter that would be labeled a bastard because 'mommy wouldn't marry daddy'. It would have been the best idea for all involved to just get married.

The boyfriend was a nuisance, but no doubt he wouldn't be a problem for long. It was after all, Tristan Taylor. He already had time to look into him. There were ways to make him back off. Depending on how much he was filled with the 'righteousness' of his youth, would determine how far he'd go against him.

Either way, he would keep Azure. At least the woman was smart enough to start giving in. It wouldn't be a nice bedtime story to tell his future child about dragging their mommy to court. Kaiba had the power and money to make sure he won his child, no mistake, no matter how the gods made it happen.

Moving in was a start, a compromise to a future he himself wasn't really prepared for. "Agree. I'll save Mai Valentine if you'll move in."

Serenity was still touching her face. "This is who I really should look like. I was more like this as a kid."

"It's not bad," he said to her.

She put the mirror down. " . . . thanks. I think."

He was still waiting for a reply. She didn't answer with a confirmation so far. "Here, let me help you make up your mind." Kaiba merely held up his phone to her. The name Joey Wheeler was being shown on it. Too bad he'd been restored of all the annoying memories of Wheeler again. It'd be easier to deal with this kind of thing, without having to know Joey Wheeler would be fucking relation to him.

Still, this would move it along. He pushed a button on his phone and started to talk on it. "Hey, Joey Wheeler," he said on the phone. "This is Seto Kaiba of the Kaiba Corporation. I've decided to help you out with Mai Valentine after all."

Serenity could hear the hope of Joey leap out straight over the phone. Just like he wanted from her.

"Really?! I mean. Thanks, Seto Kaiba. I promise, I'll make it up to you! I already found out about your God's Brew too, it came from a guy I used to know named Duke Devlin. It ain't his, it's a mystery connections to gods. That means the kid is probably mine because of Yugi or something. With your help, I'm sure Mai would finally say yes! Whatever it is you want in return, you got it!"

"Hang on a second. I'll call you right back." Kaiba hung up and looked toward Serenity. "Your brother's really helpful. It turns out he was a cop wanting to train to be a detective. I could use that kind of asset. So? What does he owe me, Serenity? Should he owe me anything or do we have a deal?"

Serenity wasn't answering, but it was all written on her face. "I didn't even know about a baby."

Excellent. Extra bonus to make her do what he wanted.

"I will move in with you if you do it," she said softly.

Softly or not, she caved. Good. "Great, and don't worry. I won't tell him yet. We both need some time to digest this . . . news. I'm just securing my investment." He dialed up Joey and spoke on the phone again. "You owe me nothing yet, Wheeler. I have my own reasons for helping. Give me Mai's number and location." Kaiba chuckled on the phone. "What, just hide her while you take on a crime boss? No way. You know reality, Wheeler. You get what you want doing hard things. If you do those same things, you'll end up in prison for life. I'll protect her for so long, until I get Skeezy out of the picture for good. No questions asked. Understand?"

"Wow. I just, I can't believe it. You're really going to do all that for me? For what, I mean why?"

"Don't worry about that right now," Kaiba said to him. "Worry later."

"Yeah. The price, I know I have to pay it later. It's worth it, I'll do it."

The information poured across Kaiba's phone. Kaiba called Mai, told her everything in detail, had arranged for a private jet to pick her up to bring her to Domino City, and had her assigned some of his most trusted bodyguards.

Mai would be staying with Joey so he could protect them both. At first, the moron almost wanted to argue with him, but when he heard he'd be near Mai until Skeezy was taken care of, he eased up.

Now, Joey Wheeler was protected from Skeezy too. Definitely a requirement for a smooth transaction.

"What about Yugi and the others?" Serenity asked him.

Kaiba stared at her for a second. Fine. "Okay, I'll add some guards to watch over them from afar, but you owe me one more favor. We don't have to get married, but you can't deny it either."

What? "What do you mean by that?"

"No one will care about the baby's status, as long as it looks like I will marry you." Which he would, but he'd keep her relaxed for now. "As long as you keep an engagement ring on, and tell everyone we are getting married? We won't set a date." Yet. "The longer it takes, the more extravagant it becomes. Say you wanted a beautiful marriage in Africa itself, that'll be about two years at least."

"Those sound like lies."

"Nah, you can make the actual arrangements. Music. Whatever. Keep sending me the information, so I can make sure everything looks legit." Plus, actually book the things. He'd eventually find a way to make her cave, and when he did, they'd already be ready. Kaiba continued. "I had a business associate that ended up in a similar position. Their daughter is now twenty. No one bothers asking them anymore about the marriage, they are more interested in the daughter's life."

"Really?" Yep, her face said she believed the lie.

"Just make sure you do something each week or month so it looks genuine."

"That could get really expensive. They might charge me up front."

"I don't care about money or price. To a point." He grabbed his chin, thinking. "I'll get you a special credit card to keep you from going money crazy. Spend what is on that limit each day for the wedding or yourself, and you don't have to bother telling me about it. If you want something pricier, then you have to ask."

"That sounds restrictive," Serenity said. "I have my own job and my own money."

"Your limit is 10,000 dollars each day. You don't need your job anymore."

"A day?"

"Yes. If you need more, then tell me why. That simple. It keeps you from bothering me all the time over money. I've got better things to deal with."

"I can't even do the math of that for a year. That's too much."

Annoying. "You're not supposed to spend 10,000 dollars a day, that's just the limit at where I start caring about what you're spending." Ugh. Compromises are so annoying. This all better be over soon. "Work if you want. It doesn't make a difference to me," he added, "but don't be surprised if you start getting hassled at your job, considering who you are supposed to be marrying." No, that wouldn't last long. Others might start to use her for ransom at such an insecure position. Bribing to have her fired would probably work better.

"I can't have my boyfriend anymore."

Perceptivity was a little low. Kaiba should have had more problems keeping Tristan Taylor away than her getting over a stupid boyfriend.

"Could he still be my friend?" she asked. "You're not going to hurt him?"

"Waste of man power." Oh. He caught it after he said it. He should have stuck with the lies, the truth probably hurt there.

"If we are just pretending, and I just have to live with you, than I should be able to go on friendly outings with Tristan," she reasoned.

Serenity Wheeler was someone who didn't want to give in. Forbidding that stupidity would lead to more rebellion. Damn those goddesses. He wouldn't leave his future heir to chance. He just needed to try not to remember Joey Wheeler. His future brother.

Son or daughter, bastardized.

Brother Joey Wheeler.

Abandonment versus Relation to the idiot.

There just wasn't competition. Morons were a part of life.

Serenity just stared at him. "It's just moving in. I'm just getting information for a fake wedding so it looks good. I don't want to move faster than I have to, because things change all the time. Maybe the goddesses will change their mind or something. Plus, I need time with Tristan."

"Fine. For now, you can see him," he stated. "It's not like I own you. Don't let the press catch on to who he is." Hopefully he was smart and just started to stay away.

"If, if it isn't undone. I am not going to-"

"It's modern day, we can use in vitro." He already knew what she wanted to say. "My home is huge. I will make optional appointments to meet, but you won't be required to engage with me."

That seemed to appease her. She was now locked in for the long-term.