"Kyo!" Kisara greeted them at the door. The two attendants brought their umbrellas –one for Seto, one for Kyo– and walked them inside.

The bright, polished white marble floor was disorienting after the gloom of the storm outside. Kyo took two seconds to blink her eyes into adjusting before turning to follow Seto as he strode down the length of the giant lobby.

"Er, Mr. Kaiba…?" One of the attendants started nervously.

"Get lost. I'll call you if I need anything." He looked back. "Come, Kyo. Kisara, this is a discussion between Kyo and myself." He added when his daughter made to follow.

Kyo gave Kisara a reassuring smile, and after a moment, she nodded back and headed off in the direction of her room.

Kyo took a deep breath. I will not back down. She thought. I am worthy.

He took her up the stairs to a room where one wall was a giant window, exposed to the cliffs – and beyond it, the sea. The storm raged against the mansion walls, but like all else Seto created, it was virtually impregnable.

"Close doors." He commanded, and all the exits closed. He stood gazing out at the rain for a long moment, and Kyo took up a position behind him, watching his back silently. There were sofas set around, but she wouldn't sit down; not yet.

"Kisara said you were challenged by Sirius Wheeler." Seto said finally.

Kyo stiffened. She talked.

He probably asked. She would never blame Kisara for talking, even if things might have been easier if she hadn't.

"Yes, sir." She said calmly and clearly.

"You initially backed down from his challenge." He continued.

She twitched. Kisara must have told him everything. She thought. "I had homework." She said. Which was true. Ish.

"Uh huh. Where was that homework when he challenged my daughter?" He queried, still gazing out at the stormy sea.

Kyo snapped her mouth shut, thinking fast. If Kisara had told him everything… "He was… he wasn't leaving us alone." I have to make it sound like he wasn't worth her time. "I knew I could beat him quickly; he's a lame duelist–"

"Liar."

The word shot through the air like a laser, and she was instantly turned to stone.

He turned, his icy blue eyes freezing her to her core as if they could pierce her very soul. "Sirius Wheeler utilizes the Red-Eyes strategy, which has become one of the most powerful strategies in the world. But he hasn't earned a single one of the cards in his deck. He does not deserve to hold them." His eyes narrowed. "You have just proven to me that neither do you."

Kyo felt a nasty jolt of terror and humiliation. She wasn't a cheat – she had never cheated in her entire life. She was always careful to make sure her revenge on people who picked on Kisara suited the crime. But she had always been secretive and stealthy. She had to be careful, because the word 'cowardly' often tried to come to mind.

But the word 'liar' had shattered all her careful defenses, all her explanations, all her reasoning, and left her exposed. She had no facedown cards. Her Kuriboh was sitting out in the open, staring up at three Blue Eyes White Dragons, and she had no backup plan to protect herself.

"You had the nerve to think you could duel on my daughter's behalf." Seto went on. "As if she would need your help defeating Wheeler."

But she did. Her eyes were burning again. And if she'd accepted Sirius's challenge and lost–

"This deck was a gift from your father, am I correct?" Seto queried.

Kyo didn't have enough in her to speak. The tears were too close to the surface, and it was taking everything she had not to let them out. She nodded.

He flicked through the cards, then pulled one out and showed her. It was Winged Kuriboh LV10.

"If you want them back, you're going to have to earn them." He said coldly.

"But Mr. Kaiba–!" Kyo exclaimed in shock.

"Don't interrupt me or you'll lose your chance." He folded his arms. "I only agreed to give you a room if you didn't cause me any trouble or tarnish the Kaiba name. And you have."

Once in six years! She thought, fighting to hold her tears back and feeling her throat lock up with the effort. He can't take my deck!

"I'll return your deck on one condition." He looked up. "That you completely restructure it before summer begins."

Her eyes widened.

"To ensure your cooperation, I will take one card from your deck every day." He lifted the Kuriboh. "Starting with Winged Kuriboh LV10." He pocketed it. "If you want a deck by the end of the school year, you had better start dueling. I suggest using an ante system to win cards."

Kyo stared at the deck, which he handed back to her.

"Of course, if you get caught and you lose your cards, well then." He smirked. "You don't deserve them anyway. And I won't be bailing you out a second time."

Her fingers tightened. Her deck wasn't ruined, but his 'bargain' was almost guaranteed to finish the job. There were a lot of kids at school, but the end of the school year was a long ways away. Seto would have taken enough cards from her deck to make another full deck by the time it came around.

And she couldn't fight legally with only thirty-nine cards.

She was pretty sure if she told her father what was going on, he'd intervene. Maybe he would even come and take her with him on his tours, and she could learn from him how to be a good duelist, instead of having her deck torn to shreds.

"One last thing." Seto said, and she looked up. "If you can manage to pull together a halfway-decent deck by the end of the school year, I'll guarantee a spot for you in the Battle City tournament."

She blinked, distracted. Battle City was the most prestigious tournament in the world. On occasion, Pegasus might throw a 'Royalties' tournament, in which only tournament champions could enter, but Battle City happened every year during the beginning of summer. There was an age limit of sixteen and up… but Seto was the person in charge of the tournament. He could add or drop anyone as he chose.

During the first decade, only eight finalists were allowed, but as the number of competitors increased, Seto had upped the number of finalists to sixteen. Given how many people were showing up, it was still a desperate struggle to even qualify.

"Because it's the twentieth anniversary of Battle City, I'm upping the number of finalists to thirty-two. You might even have a shot at getting a spot in the finals if you build your deck well." He smirked at the stunned look on her face. "If you decide you want to aim for Battle City, I'll even let you be the one to choose which cards I take."

Kyo gave a start. She would have asked if he was serious, but she knew better. This was the chance of a lifetime, and if she could choose which cards he took… "I want to aim for Battle City." She said, tightening her grip on her deck.

"Good." He said. "Kisara will be doing the same."

Kyo gave him a surprised look. Kisara didn't do anything wrong, though!

"Of course, since she hasn't tarnished the Kaiba name, I'll only be taking a card from her every three days. And unlike you, she had a choice."

Yeah, right. Kyo thought, snorting mentally. Here's a once-in-a-lifetime offer, exclusively because you're my daughter. You can say no if you want to. Of course, if you don't, you'll be dishonoring my name.

"So prepare yourself, Kyo. You have a lot of duels to win between now and then."