I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did we would have had more time to really get to know Kisara.
Chapter One: Reunion
Kisara stared at herself in the mirror as she wore her new Domino High uniform. The bright pink blazer and blue shirt and bow where not her first choices in terms of color; Kisara preferred more subdued colors. With her long, white hair and even whiter skin, bright colors stood out in comparison on her. Sighing, she brushed her long bangs out of her sapphire eyes, unsure if she should attempt to tie it back. It never seemed to stay in any particular style for very long, usually just cascading down her back in icy waves.
Glancing at the clock on her apartment wall, Kisara gave herself a final once-over before grabbing her bag. I promise to make you proud, Mom, she thought as she began her walk to Domino High School. She hadn't lived in Domino since her mom had died, and Kisara still missed her. It wasn't easy when she lost her job. Then she died in an accident, and Kisara was passed from relative to relative, none of them really wanting her. Now she was back in Domino after years of being away; her latest relative decided to just pay for an apartment for Kisara until she was old enough to access the trust fund her mother had left to her. It was easier than actually dealing with her, and at least this way she didn't have to worry too much about making him like her; as long as she stayed out of trouble, he shouldn't have any reason to care what she did.
Kisara pushed away her sad memories and stepped into the school. She stopped at the office to pick up her class list and went in search of her homeroom. She froze in her tracks when she found the place. Sitting in the front of the room was a brown-haired young man she recognized. Seto Kaiba, her best friend from when she was last in Domino. Kisara didn't think she'd ever see him again. Deciding to push aside any current or future awkwardness, she walked up to his desk. "Hello, Seto," she said. "It's been a long time."
Seto looked up from the book he was reading. His deep blue eyes widened as he recognized her. "Kisara?" he asked. "Why are you here?"
"I just transferred here," she explained, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "I'm surprised to see you here though. I thought you had tutors for everything."
"I have a business to run now and Mokuba to take care of. I don't have time for tutors," Seto glared at her. "What about you? Still reading stories about dragons and fairy tales? Or are you living in the real world now?"
"I'm living in an apartment by myself now," Kisara tried not to let Seto's frosty attitude bother her. He wasn't acting like the kind, friendly boy she once knew.
"Good for you," he said as he got up from his desk and left the room. Kisara was stung by his abrupt departure. What did she do to deserve that? Seto had never been this cold back then. He always made sure she and his brother were having a good time.
"Don't let Rich Boy get to you," a boy with dirty-blond hair walked up to her. Kisara could see the friendliness in his hazel eyes, though it was obvious he didn't like Seto very much. "You're the new girl, right? I'm Joey Wheeler." He offered his hand to her.
Kisara smiled and accepted his handshake. "I'm Kisara White. And yes, I just started today."
"Cool," Joey grinned at her. "If you want, you can sit with me and my friends. It must suck not knowing anyone here."
"Thanks, I'll take you up on that," she answered him. "Although I honestly used to know Seto, back when we were kids."
"Seriously?" her new friend turned to look at her. "You're saying Rich Boy actually had a friend?"
"Yeah, but I had to move, and we lost touch," Kisara glanced back at the door Seto exited through. "This is the first time I've seen him in years."
"Well like I said, don't let him bother you," Joey attempted to cheer her up. "Kaiba's a jerk to everybody." He led her to a group at the back of the room. "Hey, guys, this is the new girl, Kisara."
"Pleased to meet you," Kisara gave a polite bow to the group. She made sure to memorize each of their names. Tea Gardner was the girl with shoulder-length brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a cheerful personality. Kisara was jealous that the school uniform looked so much better on her. Tristan Taylor's brown hair came to a point above his forehead, and his brown eyes were mischievous as he teased Joey to no end. The final member of the group was Yugi Muto, the short boy with amethyst eyes and what he swore was natural hair—spikey and mostly black with magenta tips and blonde bangs. Around his neck he wore a golden pendant shaped like an upside down pyramid.
"That's an interesting pendant," Kisara commented. She felt like she should know it from somewhere.
"Thanks, it's called the Millennium Puzzle," Yugi held it up for her to see. "It took me forever to put it together."
"Hey, Kisara, do you play Duel Monsters?" Joey asked.
She shook her head. "I know of it, and I've seen a few people playing, but I haven't actually played. I remember one of my friends really liked it, and he really wanted to get this rare card. I don't know if he ever did."
"Joey just wants to see if he can find someone he can actually beat," Tristan grinned. "Yugi and Tea beat him all the time."
"Did you have to tell her that?" Joey said glumly. Kisara smiled at his expression.
"I'm happy to teach you if you want to learn," Yugi offered. "I learned from my grandpa, and I get all my best cards from him. He owns the game store in town. Joey's not terrible either; I usually win because my cards are better."
"Thanks, but I think I'll just settle for watching for now," Kisara took a seat at the empty desk.
Before they could get started, the bell rang, and the teacher walked in. "Class, we have a new student joining us today," he announced. "Miss White, if you're here, please come up to the front and introduce yourself."
Kisara did as she was told and faced the class. Seto had returned to his seat at the front; she made herself ignore him. "Hello, I'm Kisara White. It's nice to meet all of you." She bowed politely to the class, and the teacher let her return to her seat. As she rejoined her new friends, she thought her time at Domino might not be so bad.
After class Kisara was getting ready to go home when Joey caught up with her. "Hey, Kisara, we're going to go hang out at Yugi's," he said. "Do you want to come?"
"Sure, if you guys really don't mind," she answered. "I don't want to intrude on your routine."
"Nah, it's fine," Joey grinned. "Besides, Tea's been complaining about not having enough female friends lately. If you come, she can lay off that complaint."
Kisara laughed at his confident expression. Joey was probably the most carefree guy she'd met in a long time. "Hey, you actually laughed," he pointed out. "That's a first."
"I am human," she countered, "and you've only known me a day. Don't be so surprised."
"Sorry," Joey rubbed the back of his head. "You were just so quiet all day, I wasn't sure if you didn't like us or just weren't talkative."
"It's fine, Joey," Kisara brushed away his concerns. "I really appreciate you going out of your way to make me feel welcome. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I came here today."
"Well, if we're being honest, you looked really sad when Rich Boy blew you off," Joey admitted. "I didn't want him to be the only impression you had of us here."
Kisara's thoughts drifted back to Seto. It had hurt to see him act so distant and cold. He used to be so kind, always looking out for her and Mokuba. And he always worked so hard at his lessons, trying to meet his stepfather's standards. Seto made the time spent at Kaiba mansion while her mother worked there enjoyable. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting him to be so different from back then," Kisara said.
"Well, people change," Joey quickly changed the subject, "but enough of gloom and doom talk. Let's catch up with the gang."
The Mutos' game shop was a simple yellow building with a green roof. Joey told her it doubled as their home; Yugi lived with his mom and grandfather. Joey opened the front door and called a greeting, "Hey, Gramps!"
An aged man a little taller than Yugi stood behind a glass counter. His gray hair was just as spikey as Yugi's, though it was tied back with an orange bandana, and he wore green overalls over a white shirt. His gray beard framed his wide grin at their arrival. "Hello, Joey, the others are in the back. You must be Kisara. I'm Yugi's grandpa."
Kisara gave a polite bow to the older man. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Muto."
"Please, just call me Grandpa," he answered. "Mr. Muto is too formal for an old man like me."
"Everyone calls him Grandpa," Joey added. "He's basically a grandpa to all of us. C'mon, let's head to the back."
In the living room, Yugi and Tea were playing Duel Monsters while Tristan watched. They must really like this game. Maybe Kisara should make her own deck. "Hi, guys," she greeted them.
Yugi and Tea looked up from their game. "So Joey convinced you to come," Tea said as she summoned another monster.
Kisara sat down next to her to watch. "Yeah," she answered. "Though, I feel I should ask: is Duel Monsters your guys' main past time?"
Yugi laughed. "Not this one in particular, but I've always like playing games. Duel Monsters is really popular right now though; they have a regional match coming up in a couple months. It's even going to be televised, and the creator of the game is supposed to be there too."
"So this game really is a big deal," Kisara commented.
"I mainly like the different characters in it," Tea added, gesturing to her fairies and angels. "There are so many kinds."
"Do they have dragons?" the white-haired girl asked.
"Yeah, they have all kinds of dragons," Yugi answered her. "Are you interested now?"
"Sure, why not," Kisara answered. "How much are the packs?"
She went to the front of the room and bought enough packs to make her own deck. Fate, Lady Luck, or whatever people wanted to call it must have been smiling on her, because most of the cards were dragons. Kisara grinned at her luck. What were the odds?
"You must really like dragons," Tristan commented on her excitement.
"I've always liked dragons," Kisara admitted. "I didn't have that many friends growing up, so I spent of a lot of time reading. Dragons were kind of like me; they enjoyed company but were solitary."
"I guess that's one way to look at it," Yugi said as he looked through her cards. "Now you're going to want to balance your dragons with some magic and trap cards." He offered her a few suggestions, and Kisara soon had her first deck assembled.
"Alright, let's duel!" Joey wasted no time in challenging the new duelist.
"Okay, I'll give it a try," Kisara accepted.
Kisara caught on pretty quickly, and she only needed a few explanations from Yugi to keep up with Joey. Once she got the hang of it, her new dragons quickly overpowered Joey.
Joey's mouth hung open in shock. "Joey, don't tell me you let her win because she's a rookie," Tristan said.
"I didn't let her win," Joey snapped. "Besides, I'd like to see you do better."
Kisara chuckled at their exchange. "I'm sure I just got lucky," she said as she brushed her icy hair out of her eyes. "You haven't been playing long either, have you?"
"No, Tea and I just started playing a couple of weeks ago," he answered.
Kisara looked at the time. It was starting to get late, and she had to get home. "Sorry, I have to get going. I need to cook dinner and get my homework done."
"Don't your parents cook?" Tristan asked.
She shook her head. "I live alone, so I have to do my own cooking."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean," Tristan started to apologize.
"It's okay; you couldn't have known," Kisara cut him off. "I'm the one who didn't tell you."
"Still, I shouldn't have assumed," Tristan said.
"Don't worry about it," Kisara insisted. "But I really do have to get going." She bid farewell to her new friends and walked home.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
Kisara fell into a routine after that day. Wake up, go to school, hang out with her new friends at Yugi's, go home and do her homework. She really did get lucky meeting them; even though she'd only known them a few weeks, she felt like she'd known them forever. She even started to get pretty good at Duel Monsters. Kisara regularly beat Joey and Tea, though she'd yet to beat Yugi.
She sometimes forgot Seto was in their class too. He almost never spoke, and Kisara didn't see him interact with anyone. Part of her wanted to renew their friendship, but he never reached out to her, and Kisara did not want to be brushed off again. She also wondered how his brother Mokuba was. Mokuba always had to amuse himself when Seto was in lessons; he and Kisara had become good friends during those times. If Seto was being as anti-social at home as he was at school, Mokuba might be even lonelier than Kisara felt moving around.
One day she was watching Yugi and Joey dueling. As per usual, Yugi defeated Joey, but at least Joey lasted longer this time. Kisara chuckled at Joey's reaction to Tristan teasing him again. Joey decided he had enough losing; he wanted to get better cards at the game shop so improve his deck. Yugi suggested they also get Grandpa to show him the ultra-rare card he had.
They went to the game shop, and Yugi managed to convince Grandpa to show them the card. He proudly held his Blue-Eyes White Dragon for them to see. He explained there were only four of them in the world.
Something stirred in Kisara as she looked at the card; it was almost like she knew it. She cautiously touched the card in the velvet-lined box. A light flashed in her eyes, and Kisara saw herself in a different setting. She wore a long-sleeved beige dress, and next to her stood Seto. He was tanned, and he wore the blue and white robes of an ancient Egyptian priest. Above her floated the dragon on the card, hovering protectively over the two humans. Together they faced a dark-robed being. Kisara couldn't tell if he was human. The only features she could make out were a white mask with a golden symbol where the left eye would be. It looked like the eye on Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.
Kisara blinked, and she was back in the game shop, her finger still resting on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Hey, are you okay?" Joey asked, noting the confused look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.
Before she could add anything, bell above the shop door chimed, signaling the arrival of a customer. Kisara was surprised to see Seto standing in the doorway. "Hello, can I help you?" Grandpa asked.
"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me," Seto answered. Joey and Tristan voiced Kisara's wondering of why he was there. "Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card," he snapped at them.
"Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too?" Joey asked. "Hey, this is perfect. Maybe we can all duel together sometime." Kisara suspected Joey was interested in finding another opponent. Though Kisara knew if Joey had only started a month ago, he wouldn't stand a chance against Seto. Seto had been playing Duel Monsters since they were kids, and Kisara suspected he was a lot better than he was back then. Though she hoped Seto would accept; she hated being at odds with him.
"Me, duel you?" Seto sneered. "Please, I'd have more of a challenge playing solitaire." Joey just looked at him in disbelief. "I am the number one ranked duelist in the country, and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters Championship," he explained. "You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me."
"That's uncalled for, Seto," Kisara chastised her one-time friend.
"Oooh, I'm shaking," Joey taunted Seto. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards!" Kisara really hoped Joey wouldn't get into a physical fight with Seto.
"Whoa, take it easy, Joey," Yugi stepped in front of his friend.
"But Kaiba's asking for it," Joey's eyes never left Seto.
Seto ignored Joey and turned his attention to Grandpa. "Now does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" His eyes settled on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in its velvet-lined box. Was this the card Seto and Mokuba had talked about way back then? Kisara knew there was always that one card Seto had wanted. Seto shot forward to get a better look at the card. "Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a dump like this?" Seto continued to stare at it.
"Well enough window shopping," Grandpa closed the box and put it back where he had kept it. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Seto grimaced and took out his briefcase, opening it with the contents facing Grandpa. Peering around the side Kisara saw an assortment of Duel Monster cards. Even though she was still learning, she could tell these cards were powerful. "Listen, old man," Seto instructed. "Give me your Blue-Eyes, and I'll trade you all of these." Yugi, Joey, and Tea also gasped at the cards. Tristan appeared as disinterested as usual. How did he hang out with three people who absolutely loved the game and not get pulled in?
Grandpa looked at the cards with interest but ultimately declined Seto's offer. Seto offered anything Grandpa wanted for the card, but Grandpa refused every offer. He explained the card came from a close friend, and he treasured the card as much as the friend, so he could never part with it. It wasn't the card itself, but the symbol of Grandpa's friendship. Kisara smiled at the sentiment. It must be nice to be that close with someone. Seto refused to believe any form of Grandpa's feelings and stormed out of the shop. Again, it hurt Kisara to see her former friend be so angry and cold.
The next day Kisara walked to the game shop with Yugi and the others. She sensed something was wrong as soon as they walked in. There was no sign of Grandpa, and the door was left unlocked. Even though she'd only known him a few weeks, Kisara knew this wasn't like the old man at all.
Almost as if it were timed for their arrival, the phone rang. Yugi answered it, and on the other line was Seto telling Yugi to come for his grandfather. Knowing he'd somehow been coerced, the gang ran to KaibaCorp.
They arrived and found Grandpa collapsed on the floor. Yugi immediately ran to him, and he weakly answered his grandson. Grandpa explained that he tried to teach Seto about the Heart of the Cards, but he failed. Kisara noticed he was pale and sweating. He needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible.
"How's the old man feeling?" Seto sneered as he stood in the opposite doorway. Kisara had a hard time seeing any real concern on his face. Seto explained he and Grandpa dueled, and each put up their most valuable card as an ante. "But I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool," he finished.
"Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself," Tea chastised the CEO.
"It was fair," Seto insisted, holding up Grandpa's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "And look at the sweet prize I won." He tore the card in half. "Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful, and this one will never be used against me." He tossed the pieces to the side.
A sense of shock and fury shot through Kisara. Seeing the card destroyed felt like her heart was ripped in two, and Kisara was furious at Seto for it. Before she knew what she was doing, she marched right up to him and slapped him across his face. Everyone, including Seto, stared at her in disbelief. "What is wrong with you, Seto?" she demanded to know. "What makes you think you can march into people's lives and take the things that mean the most to them? What gives you the right to destroy what other people care about? What happened to the boy who used to protect me?" Tears welled in her eyes as she glared at him.
Seto said nothing as he stared her down, his left hand pressed against his cheek. While the former friends stared at each other, Grandpa handed Yugi his deck and instructed him to teach Seto about the Heart of the Cards. Yugi was more focused on getting Grandpa to a hospital, and Tea called 911. Seto tore his gaze away from Kisara and goaded Yugi into dueling him too, though Kisara didn't know why. Technically Seto didn't have anything else to gain by dueling Yugi, unless he just wanted to humiliate the Mutos further.
The others pushed Yugi to take Seto down as well, to get him back for what he did to Grandpa. "We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of creepy Kaiba," Joey insisted. "Teach that rich brat what a real duel's all about!"
"For your grandpa, Yugi," Tea added. The tri-color haired teen was still unsure.
"Trust me," Joey encouraged him. "You're like the best player I've ever seen, and you've got the Millennium Puzzle. You can do this, Yugi! I know you can!"
"We all do," Tea insisted.
Yugi nodded and took the deck from his grandpa. "Everyone, put your hands together, and I'll mark us with a special sign," Tea instructed. The guys did as they were told. Kisara held back; she was still a newcomer in comparison to the bond between the other four. "You too, Kisara," Tea insisted, pulling Kisara in between her and Yugi. "You're one of us too." Once she was in, Tea drew a smiley face on them; Yugi, Kisara, and Tea had the mouth while Joey and Tristan each had an eye.
"What gives, Tea?" Joey asked as everyone stared at the marks on their hands.
"It's a symbol of our friendship," Tea explained. "I know the ink will eventually fade, but our bond never will. Old and new friends, no matter what happens, we'll always be there for each other. And no matter how tough things get in there today, Yugi will know we're right there with him."
The sound of the siren announced the arrival of the ambulance. Joey helped load Grandpa onto Tristan's back to carry him out. Kisara knelt to pick up the torn pieces of Grandpa's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Looking at them was like looking at an open wound. When this was over, she promised to find some way to repair it. Grandpa and the dragon deserved it. Kisara followed Yugi and Seto into the dueling arena.
Kisara was amazed by the size of the arena. Is a place this big really needed to duel? Usually all we need is a table. She glanced around the arena, realizing to the full extent how seriously Seto took this game. Seto bragged about how he designed the arena himself as he and Yugi stood on opposite sides of the field, elevated by the rig. "Are you ready to play, runt?" Seto sneered after he finished explaining the parameters of the game.
"Play time is over, Kaiba!" Yugi answered him. The Millennium Puzzle flashed, and Yugi grew taller, or at least Kisara thought so. The blonde in his tri-colored hair stood up more also, and his amethyst eyes were more narrowed and focused. Seto noticed the change as well before regaining his composure. "Now prepare yourself, Kaiba, because it's time to duel!" Yugi's suddenly deeper voice challenged Seto.
Seto took the first move of the duel by summoning Hitotsu-Me Giant in attack position. The arena lit up, and the monster appeared on his field. He explained his virtual simulator brought more life to the game. So this how he beat Grandpa. Kisara couldn't help but feel Seto unfairly overpowered the old man. Yugi answered Seto's challenge by summoning his Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. The dragons' fireball engulfed and destroyed Seto's Giant.
"What? Monsters? Real Monsters?" Joey's voice sounded beside Kisara.
"They're holograms," she explained. "If I understood Seto's explanation correctly, it's a simulator to enhance the gameplay, or at least he thinks it does."
"No wonder Gramps looked so bad out there," Joey commented.
"Big Brother, are you all right?" a small boy with long, black hair wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans ran out to cheer Seto on. Kisara recognized the boy as Seto's brother, Mokuba. She moved so Joey was in between her and the boy. Kisara didn't want Mokuba pulled into the feud any more than necessary, and she didn't trust herself to not lose her temper in front of him. It would be better to not let him recognize her now and see him when everything blew over. Even if she never forgave Seto, she could eventually renew her friendship with Mokuba.
Seto wasn't fazed by Yugi's monster or attack. He summoned his Saggi the Dark Clown and cast the magic card Negative Energy Generator to triple its attack points to 1800. It overpowered Yugi's Winged Dragon and knocked his LifePoints down to 1600. Yugi was forced to go on the defensive as Saggi eliminated every monster he summoned. "You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi," Seto taunted him. "Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather."
"My grandpa is a great man, and a better duelist than you'll ever be," Yugi defended his family. "He entrusted me with his cards, and I can feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba." Seto looked unsure for a minute. "But I believe in my grandpa's deck," Yugi drew his card, "and my faith rewards me with Gaia, the Fierce Knight!" The mounted knight appeared on the field, and with 2300 attack points destroyed Saggi and dropped Kaiba's LifePoints to 1300. "Your move, Kaiba."
"It'll be over sooner than you think," Seto said as he drew. He smirked at his draw. "I call on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The large dragon materialized on Seto's field.
How? Kisara looked down at the torn pieces in her hands. Seto ripped the card right in front of them. She had the pieces as proof. "Surprised?" Seto sneered. "Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" The dragon vaporized Yugi's Gaia. Kisara was torn; she didn't know any card strong enough to take out Seto's dragon, and he destroyed one of the few copies of it right in front of them. On the other hand, something about Seto and the Blue-Eyes together felt right. Maybe it had to do with what she saw when she first touched the dragon.
"Faith or no faith, you will fall before my superior monsters, Yugi," Seto continued to taunt his opponent. "Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers, like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Seto's dragon kept Yugi on the defensive as it obliterated monster after monster. "So what hope do you have against two?" He summoned a second Dragon.
"Don't give up, Yugi!" Kisara encouraged her friend. "Knock some sense into Seto!" As connected as she felt to Seto's dragons, she couldn't let Seto get away with what he did to Grandpa. The only way to prove him wrong was for Yugi to defeat him.
Yugi held off the two dragons with the magic card Swords of Revealing Light. For three turns they were unable to attack. But what else could Yugi do? Kisara could see the gears turning in his head as he thought through his options. "Quit your stalling, Yugi, or you will forfeit the match!" Seto yelled at his opponent.
"I never forfeit," Yugi called back as he drew and summoned a monster.
Seto smirked as he drew. "My dragons may be frozen for another two turns, but my new monster is under no such spell—the Judge Man with an attack power of 2200." Seto's monster appeared and slammed his mace onto Yugi's face-down monster.
"Dark Magician!" Yugi summoned a purple-robed spellcaster. For some reason, Kisara imagined an Egyptian priest, kind and strong, with a golden circular pendant around his neck. Why am I thinking about ancient Egypt now? Kisara pushed away her impressions and focused on the duel as Dark Magician destroyed the Judge Man, and Seto's LifePoints fell to 1000. "Your Judge Man falls," Yugi said.
"Oh, a sacrifice that doesn't even faze me," Seto sneered. "And though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A third dragon materialized on the field in front of the glowing swords. "Now, my dragon, attack!" Dark Magician was obliterated by the White Dragon's power. Yugi only had 400 LifePoints left, and the other dragons would be free on the next turn.
Kisara felt her temper rise; when did Seto become such a selfish jerk? She knew only three copies of a card could be in someone's deck. Seto didn't need Grandpa's card; he just wanted it so no one else could have it. Didn't he remember what it was like back then, before he and Mokuba were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba? Or did he finally succumb to his stepfather's influence. Either way, he wasn't the Seto she once knew.
Kisara saw the doubt in Yugi's eyes as he stared at his deck. Come on, Yugi! There's got to be something you can do! Kisara saw the ink on her hand, three lines across signifying the middle of the mouth of Tea's smiley face. We're here for you!
"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi," Seto remained confident in his victory as he taunted his opponent.
"My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba," Yugi smirked as he drew. He flipped around the card for Seto to see. "But it does contain the unstoppable Exodia!" He played five cards on his field. "I've assembled all five special cards, all five pieces of the puzzle!"
A large monster with an ancient Egyptian vibe passed through a multi-pointed star onto Yugi's field. Seto stepped back in horror from it. "Exodia? It's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!"
"Exodia, obliterate!" The large monster fired golden magic at the three dragons, completely destroying them. Seto's LifePoints dropped to zero.
"All right, Yugi! You did it!" Joey cheered for his best friend.
"This can't be!" Mokuba screamed in denial. "My brother never loses!"
"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost," Yugi was definitely acting differently than the guy she had been hanging out with over the last few weeks. Kisara first thought he was just rising to the challenge, but there was more to it. "But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."
"But how?" the defeated duelist stared at his console. "How could I lose to him?"
"Kaiba, if you truly want to know," a golden eye appeared on Yugi's forehead at the same time the Millennium Puzzle flashed with light, "open your mind!" Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Kisara could swear she saw some distortion travel from Yugi's extended hand to Seto. The distortion hit, and Seto sank to his knees. "Maybe now, you will begin to see," Yugi said before shifting back to his regular self. Kisara could tell from his stance that he was back to the Yugi she'd befriended. Why did he seem so different when he dueled Seto?
"That was awesome, Yuge!" Joey threw an arm around his friend, putting in a playful headlock. Kisara's phone rang: Tea called saying that Grandpa was awake and going to be okay. The three friends began to leave to go visit Grandpa. When they got to the door, Kisara gave one last look to her former friend—he still knelt where he had been defeated.
Even after everything he'd done, even with all the proof that her Seto was gone, Kisara couldn't bring herself to give up on him. "Seto!" she called to him. "I hope you can move forward and learn from this. Nothing good comes from just taking what you want. If you ever want to talk, I'm willing to listen." With that, she turned to rejoin Yugi and Joey.
"What was that about, Kisara?" Joey asked. "Why be nice to him after he was such a jerk?"
"I don't know," she answered. "I know it'll be a while before any of us can forgive him for what he did," she looked down at the torn pieces of Blue-Eyes White Dragon in her hands, "but I just can't hate him. He was so kind back when we were kids, and I just can't believe that person is gone."
"I understand," Yugi met her gaze. "You know him better than the rest of us, even if it has been a long time."
"Yeah, we get it," Joey grinned at her. "Now let's go see Gramps."
Kisara smiled and followed them out the door. All in all, it seemed like things turned out for the best. At least for the moment.