The sound of evening party-goers bubbled up from the street below, in through the open window and into the office. Shouts and laughter, off-key singing and drunken wails. All of them, mercifully, far away. Seto Kaiba's brow furrowed as he remained lying on the couch, finding it difficult to clear his mind with such noise.
Drilling, banging, the crunch of concrete disintegrating under the efforts of a team of workmen. It was the chorus of late morning in Domino City, roads under construction through destruction. Ishizu Ishtar absent-mindedly toyed with the fingers of her left hand, staring up from the couch at a particular spot on the office ceiling.
"I'm going to say a word," the Therapist, a young man, barely into his thirties said. "And I want you to say the first word that comes into your mind. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Seto replied.
"I'm ready." Ishizu said, quietly.
"Black."
"Tie."
"Night."
"Money."
"Work."
"Wealth."
"Car."
"Race."
"Travel."
"Noise."
"Outside."
The therapist chuckled, turning and closing the window. He turned over a page in his notebook and continued.
"Fear."
"Failure."
"Hope."
"Sky."
Standing atop the duelling platform on the Battle City blimp, wind hammering all around- "Cloud."
A rarity. Always kept on the far side of a thousand tons of stone and sand and secrecy- "Infinite."
"Home."
Moving from one to another. From orphanage to Kaiba family estate, neither one a home until- "Door."
The pressing weight of the stone above, air stale- "Roof"
"Family."
Father.
Father.
History.
Escape.
Death.
Death.
Future.
Past.
"It's really best to just say the first thing that comes to your mind. Don't worry. This is a safe place. You can say what you need-"
"Brother."