Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome to my first fanfiction! I am new to the site so please bear with me if there are a few mistakes here and there, I promise to fix them up as soon as possible. This will be a slightly different take between end of season 4 going into season 5 with a few twists. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged please-if there's anything I can do to improve, or ideas you want to see it's appericated! First chapter is a little slow, but I promise it will pick up in the next few. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of YGO
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not her, not her family. This was the sort of stuff she'd seen in movies, on T.V., the people you watched and pitied because it happened to them. There was no way this was happening to her; her father had to still be alive out there somewhere. It was just the two of them now; ever since her mother died her dad looked after her, raising her on his own. No one else really bothered with them, not even their much wealthier relatives and only family. Her father promised her he'd stay by her side never leaving her, always being there for his little girl.
"If he promised me he'd stay, than why did he leave me?" she thought as the tears trickled down her cheeks. The gentleman in front of her shifted uncomfortably, sorrow in his eyes as he looked at the teenager, miserable that he had to be the one to bring the bad news to the poor kid. "I'm so sorry Ms. Carter," he whispered, doing his best to try to comfort her while still being professional, "He was a good man, a fantastic archaeologist, and…" he trailed off as she looked up at him tears still in her eyes as she tried not to break down, "…above all, I am certain he was an incredible father." The girl closed her eyes and hung her head, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "Yes…yes he…" she stopped and opened her eyes to look up at the man, as a sudden thought struck her, "Wait, you…you said that although there was a collapse on the dig site, his…his body was never found?"
The stranger looked at her quizzically for a moment, than noticed the glimmer of hope in her eyes. Sympathy grew in his eyes as he understood the question, "No, no a body was never found Ms. But you must understand that the massive force alone of the falling rocks could have crushed-" "So he could be alive…" She mumbled, a spark returning to her eyes, "Dad could've made it out. Might have been tough but he always was able to-" "No! Please you have it all wrong," the man interjected, "After the whole tomb ceiling caved in, we tried to look for survivors I assure you. But after we were able to penetrate the rock we realized that there was no alternate way to escape for cover if possible." He shook his head, "He couldn't escape. I'm sorry for your loss Ms. Carter, but William lost his life in that cave in."
"No he didn't." the girl replied, fire in her eyes, "Dad has been there loads of times before on excavations, and never once was there an accident on his watch. The tombs were always inspected before they began to dig, and he wouldn't have gone in if it wasn't safe for him or his team."
Getting slightly frustrated, the man did have to admit he liked her spirit, her determination that William had made it out. But her stubbornness was beginning to take its toll on him, "Look," He sighed, "If he did make it out in any way, there is only the slightest chance of any that he did. There is a 1% chance out of 100 that he escaped from that place. As for safety, those tombs and pyramids are over five thousand years old, obviously it's a danger to go in them no matter what condition they are in. You never know, some structures appear to be sound on the outside, but have tons of problems on the inside that can turn any situation nasty." After receiving a glare from the teen, his temper got the best of him, "And just how do you think your dad made it out? It's nearly impossible to say that he did!"
Raising her chin, she gave him a defiant look and answered, "My father didn't perish in that accident. I can't explain it but I know he survived and made it out." Pausing, she closed her eyes, and fingered a small, gold locket that hung on a chain around her neck. A single eye, carved out of gold rested in the middle of the circular pendant. Her father gave it to her years ago after coming home from a dig in Egypt, explaining that he saw it and "just knew it was meant for her". Ever since that day, it had become her most prized possession. Opening her eyes, she faced the man and continued, "He IS alive. And he WILL come back. Even if it means me flying to Egypt to find him, he will be found alive."
Slightly stunned, the man opened his mouth to counter, than closed it, deciding better of it. Giving a slight bow he replied, "As you wish Ms. Carter. I… hope you have a pleasant evening." She nodded, "Thank you for coming by, I appreciate it. Johnson? Please show our guest out." She motioned to a grey haired butler by the door who nodded, "Please Sir, this way." He gestured through the large double doors. The man turned to leave but glanced back one last time at the girl, "Whatever you do to find your father I…wish you the best. But if you don't…please understand what I tried to tell you today." He stated, than turned back to leave, his footsteps echoing on the marble floors.
As the doors shut, the girl let out a long breath she'd been holding and fell back on the antique sofa. Closing her eyes, she recalled the conversation she had with the man on her father's archaeology team. Briefly, she wondered if his words were true, if her dad really was gone, but quickly shoved the thought aside. "No," she thought, "Dad wouldn't let that happen. He knew that tomb like the back of his hand anyways. If there was a way out, he must've used it. There's no way he is dead."
"Ms. Carter?...Ms. Paige, can I get you anything?" The girl, Paige Carter, opened her eyes and offered a weary smile to the concerned maid that approached her. At 15, Paige was a pretty girl with long chestnut hair that fell to the small of her back, a single white bow holding a few strands of hair away from her face. Brown bangs nearly covered the chocolate orbs that blinked exhaustedly at the servant. "Hmm? Oh, no-no thank you Marie, I'm okay." The maid narrowed her eyes in confusion at her mistress before stating, "But Ms. Paige, you've had a long day, and the news of your father's-"
"My father is not dead." Paige answered firmly, "He is out there somewhere. From now on, no one is to speak as if he is gone. He IS alive." Realizing the battle already lost, Marie bowed to her before leaving the room, resulting in Paige to slump against the couch to reflect on the current events.
"Now what to do," she moaned, "Should I just wait for him to come home? Do I go to Egypt myself and try to find him? But with school…well, screw school, but if my cousins find out...well would they even care?" As she weighed her options, Paige reached for the T.V. remote on the matching antique table. The whole room was covered in floor-to-ceiling French windows with a massive fireplace in the center. A large flat screen T.V sat above the fireplace, flushed with the wall. Countless antique furniture pieces were artfully placed all over the room, offering the parlour space a tasteful and attractive appeal.
Turning on the set, she automatically chose one of her favourite stations, the Dueling Network. Leaning back into the sofa, she tucked her legs underneath her as she began watching a regional tournament between a Rex Raptor and Jameson Reed, wanting to focus on someone else's problems rather than her own for a bit. As the Duel Monsters game proceeded, she couldn't help but yawn occasionally. "Trap card," she called just as Reed sent a monster to attack, only to be stopped by a face-down card set by Rex.
As the poor kid ended up loosing half his life points, Paige felt her heart go out to him. Once, she had been like that, an amateur practising and studying countless weeks to train for regional tournaments, hoping to get the opportunity to duel against the pros. She smiled at the memory of the late nights she spent coming up with strategies and combos to use against potential threats as she progressed in the leagues. But it never was for the money, or, hell, even the glory. Paige duelled because she loved the game-the logical thinking, the strategizing, the thrill, everything. The deck she strove to prefect was one of her most treasured items, put together with careful thinking and planning. All that hard work, and here she was now, one of the top duelists in the world, ranked 3rd if you cared.
Right behind her oh-so-loving cousin and the highly acclaimed "King of Games". Oh her cousin hadn't been too happy at all when he was kicked off the number one duelist spot, but Paige couldn't stop grinning for weeks that someone had finally put the magnificent Seto Kaiba in his place. She'd love to high-five the guy who did that, her role model ever since he won Duelist Kingdom, Yugi Moto.
And yes, for those still initially shocked, Paige Carter was a first relation to the two Kaiba Brothers. Related to the family on her late mother's side, as she was the sister to one of the corporate empire's wealthiest members Gozaburo Kaiba, she left her brother in a furious state when she declared him to be a corrupt man and left to be with her father, internationally recognized archaeologist Dr. William Carter. When her cousins were adopted, Paige briefly developed a close friendship with them, resulting in a couple of fun play dates. But due to the constant stress from all the work her uncle was putting on her older cousin Seto, those days soon ended. Now they barely talked, except for Mokuba, who still opted to keep touch with her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the new regional champion; REX RAPTOR!" declared the announcer on the television. Snapped from her thoughts, Paige watched as Raptor stepped forward to receive his trophy and prize money from the man. "Congratulations Rex!" the man beamed, offering a large grin to the kid. The guy accepted the trophy with a greedy smile and waved to the cheering crowd. As the program ended, she couldn't help but shake her head at the twerp on T.V. "Duel Monsters not all about winning bucko," she muttered to the figure on screen, "It's about playing with heart, honour, and courage." Realizing she just repeated one of her idol's famous lines, she couldn't help but smirk a little at her own comment, "Definitely need to lay off the Tournament shows." She contemplated.
Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned as reality came crashing around her once again. Struggling to come up with a plan to prove her dad's death was in fact, false, Paige deliberated on several schemes that could help her to find her missing father. "I suppose I could try to fly there," she mused, "But we don't own any jets or helicopters…unless I pay for a ticket-but even though we have the money to do so, it's still so expensive to just get to his excavation site. Unless…" Glancing towards a phone on a nearby coffee table, Paige hesitated, "No. No way am I asking him… But maybe…maybe HE might…"
Cautiously picking up the phone, she took a deep breath and punched in the phone number, praying that the right person would answer her call. She held her breath as the phone rang; once, twice, three times, than… "Hello? Kaiba Corps Head Office, Mokuba speaking," relief chorused through her as her unbelievable luck at reaching her relative-or at least the one who was speaking to her. "Hello?" Came the reply, "who is this? How were you able to reach the CEO's office without going through reception?" Releasing the breath she'd been holding, Paige spoke, "Hey Mokuba. Long time no talk huh?"
A quick pause came from the other end of the line, followed by, "PAIGE? Wow, it's been a bit yeah! How've you been?" "Me? Umm not too bad, I've had better days, " she mumbled, smiling slightly at the chance to speak with her relative again, "And you?" A laugh came from the boy, "Awesome! Seto's new gaming technology is selling fast-business is booming!" he exclaimed. "Cool, that's good to hear, glad he's adjusting well to his position," Paige replied as she readied herself to propose her plan, "Actually Mokuba, the reason I called you was to…well, ask a favour…" she began. Silence echoed on the other side as she crossed her fingers, praying he'd comply, "What kind of favour?" came her cousin's response. "Well…have…have you heard what happened to dad?" she stuttered. "Your dad? Nothing, why?"
Paige's eyes grew wide. Glancing down to a picture on the table taken of the two of them two years previous, she quietly recounted the events of the day and explained the situation to him. "So, you see Mokuba, I was wondering if I could borrow one of your jets so I could get to-"
"Never." Came a much deeper voice, surprising Paige, "There is no way I am letting you go on a wild goose chase to Egypt just to find out your father really is dead." Cursing under her breath, Paige replied, "Hello Seto, nice to talk to you again, pleasure as always." Realizing that sarcasm wouldn't help her, she sighed and continued, "Look Seto, I know the two of us hadn't talked in ages but please, I need to find a way to Egypt as soon as possible. Dad's down there somewhere and-" "Save it. I don't have time for your childish games. You're not going to take one of our aircrafts there and that is final." Growled the reply. "But Seto! My father is trapped there, and I need to find a way to get to him fast. You are the only one who could help me to find him. Please!" She begged. An icy silence followed, before he answered, "Your father was lost in that accident Paige. I doubt he'll ever be found; dead, or alive." And with that, the phone went dead.
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