Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to YGO or SM. They belong to their creators, directors, etc, etc. I also do not own any of the songs that might be used throughout this fic. I am not in anyway making money from this and I am only doing this for fun. The plot is of my own idea so please do not steal it. In other words: STANDARDS APPLY!

Author's Note: This is one of my "sketchy idea and run with it" stories. Most times, those end up being my best. And, be forewarned. The couplings for this story are already set as far as Hino Rei, Kaiba Seto, Kino Makoto, and Ishtal Malik go… yes, this is a REI X SETO and MAKOTO X MALIK fic. No flames, onegai? . Arigato, minna-san!

Oh, yeah! Almost forgot! I will be using both Japanese and American influences from both shows. Just thought I'd warn you all. . Arigato!

Always,
Jensea

Now, on with the fic!

RATED PG 13 FOR HIGH CURSING LATER IN THE STORY!

Chapter One

She gasped for air as she dashed down the concrete walk, her fists clenched tight as she ran. The wind blew beads of sweat back into her brown hair, her green eyes filled with exhaustion as she pushed herself to run faster. The people around the teenage girl paid little attention to her as she whizzed by, her green and white jogging suit clinging to her sweat soaked body.

Kino Makoto had become rather accustomed to her morning run, yes, but it still tired her out as she seemed to add more and more onto her route each day. Down from her apartment towards the Crown, through Tokyo park, back through the Juuban district, crossing the tracks down the street from the school she attended, up the temple steps, through the garden, only to end up back in Tokyo park, retracing her steps from the beginning. She never stopped running from the moment she started though. Maybe that was why out of all five of the Sailor Senshi, she was the most fit. She trained herself for battle long before she even met Usagi.

Sighing as she finally reached her apartment building, she looked down at her watch, breathing hard while she waited for the elevator to come down to the first floor. "One hour and ten minutes…. Not bad considering I covered nearly the entire downtown district today…" She thought out loud, dragging her tired legs onto the air-conditioned elevator.

Strangely, the days had become rather warm as of late, which made her runs even harder. Temperatures had sky rocketed to the nineties before ten in the morning all week long. Hino Rei, a friend and fellow senshi, had stated that it was a bad omen.
Makoto snorted. No one other than the senshi of fire, Sailor Mars, would know such a thing. It is in her element, after all.
As she drug herself out of the cool elevator, a familiar voice caught her ear. "Ah, Kino-san!"

Looking up, Makoto smiled at Wanari Aisumi, her across the hall neighbor. Wanari-san was a well-accomplished woman. She had a family of her own as well as worked several jobs to care for them. But, what made Makoto like her so much was how she took the orphan under her wing, treating Makoto as if she were her own. "Konnichiwa, Wanari-san! Daijaibou?"

"Never been better, child… I just wanted to make sure that you received this letter… It accidentally got mixed in with our mail." The woman stated, handing the teenager a pale beige envelope.

Smiling, Makoto bowed to her a little. "Domo arigato, Wanari-san. Tell the family I said hello?" She asked, waving to the woman as she reentered her own apartment.

It wasn't until Makoto was inside her own home that she looked at the return address on the envelope. Gasping, she stared at it in shock. "Kaiba Corporation… Domino, Nihon…" She murmured. Sitting down on her couch, she blinked numbly at the letter before gathering what little courage she could, tearing the letter open, reading eagerly.

Dear Makoto,
I realize that it has been sometime since I have bothered to communicate with you and I hope that this letter and invite finds you in good health. My little brother has brought our lack of keeping in touch to my attention and has suggested that I invite you and a friend to my next duel monsters tournament. I hope that you are able to attend. Phone me once you receive this letter. Sayonara.
Kaiba

Makoto growled. "You haven't even so much as answered my calls in four years and now you want me to come and play some dumb card game!" She crumbled up the letter after yelling at it, throwing it towards the wall.

Sitting on the couch with her arms crossed over her chest, lips pressed in a firm line of anger, she glared at the letter still. Hissing, she reached for the phone, dialing a number she thought she had forgotten years ago.

"Kaiba Corporation: Headquarter offices. May I help you?"

"I need to talk to Kaiba Seto. Tell him it's his so called cousin replying to his letter…" The moment that she heard is stoic voice, she spat, "Who the heck do you think you are, boyo?"

"Ah, Makoto-san." Kaiba Seto smiled, leaning back in his chair a little as two pairs of innocent eyes pealed themselves from the flat screen television along one of the walls of his office. "I take it you received my letter?"

"Would I be calling you otherwise? You only talk to me any more when you want something… Some cousin you are." She snorted, clutching the phone in a death grip.

"I have better things to do than come and visit you, Makoto-san. And since you've put it that way, I should be the one yelling at you for never coming back here to visit us." He growled back, trying to keep his temper under control.

"Why you…"

"Look, Makoto-san. I didn't ask you to call so we could argue. I am sure we'll do enough of that when you get down here." He cut her off once more as she tried to protest. "Do you want to know what this tournament is about or not?"
She growled, glaring at the phone. "Hmph. Figures the only reason why you would want me around is for a dumb card game…"

"It's a tag team tournament, Makoto-san."

"Oh, wonderful! I get called upon to be your lackey because your friends whimped out on you. Oh, gomen nasi. I forgot. You don't have any friends." She spat.

"MAKOTO-SAN! Onegai!" Kaiba hissed. "Stop acting like a child and bite your tongue for once so I can tell you what's going on."

Makoto hissed, growling at him as she heard the voices of her younger cousins trying to calm their elder brother's temper. "You have five minutes. Start talking."