Phantom: Hello everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I've updated this fic – I have been struggling to think of how to propel forward the next stage of the story (don't get me wrong, I have a lot written after this chapter, but it's gotten to a sticky point!). Keep the faith, though! I will finish this story, if it's the last thing I do! xD Enjoy my lovelies!
A Conflict of Interest
Chapter 6
Ambiguity
xXx
The next day – or maybe it was two days – went by in a haze. I had an indistinct recollection of being winded and then thrown into a dark, damp place with a very cold, hard cobblestoned floor. However many hours I was in there, I couldn't tell. I must have been drifting in and out of consciousness, as the second time I awoke long enough to remember what happened, I was being carried out on a gurney by men dressed in what looked like black military uniforms. The last thing I recalled after that, before waking up in a hospital bed, was the sound of chopper blades.
"Hey, look! She's waking up!"
As I came to, the first thing I noticed was my head – it was throbbing something terrible, and I had a laceration on one side near my temple that had been stitched. I also noticed that I had minor cuts and bruises around my wrists, indicating I might have been tied up at some point. I felt a little nauseous as I sat up, and then it was with slight confusion that I noticed four people standing around my bedside. They were the kids from the island! The only person missing from the group was Bakura. There was something strange about that one…
"What are you all doing here?" I slurred, surprised that my senses seemed to be so dulled. I was almost sure I had been the victim of some kind of date-rape drug.
"We wanted to see how you were doing, Reiko." Yuugi said. "It's thanks to you that Pegasus and his evil operations have been foiled!"
"Man, that was awesome!" Jounouchi hooted. "The way those guys swooped down from the helicopters and stormed the place like that – I felt like I was on an episode of Criminal Minds or something!"
"No one even knew you were wired!" Honda added, fist-pumping.
"Reiko, you kicked ass in there," Jounouchi confirmed with a nod.
"I don't remember…anything." I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Pegasus attacked you with his Sennen Eye," Anzu replied. "Yuugi tried to stop him, with the power of his puzzle, but then Shadi intervened!"
"Shadi?" I asked vacantly.
"Shadi is an ancient spirit that holds power over the Sennen Ankh and the Sennen Scales." Yuugi tried clarifying, to no avail. "He is the one who decides who are the chosen holders of the items."
I tried not to roll my eyes. "Okay…?"
"Shadi told Pegasus that he had gotten it all wrong, and that he had made a huge mistake in giving Pegasus the Sennen Eye." Yuugi went on, apparently ignoring my scepticism. "It was not in your destiny to become a part of Pegasus' hare-brained plan, so Shadi appeared to come and set things right. With the power of his items, and my puzzle combined, we were able to overcome the power of his Eye."
"Have I been on morphine?" I queried.
"I know it sounds far-fetched, Reiko, but you gotta believe us!" Jounouchi exclaimed.
"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad that we all got out of there alive, that's the main thing." This was met by a sudden silence. "Right?"
"Almost everybody." Yuugi replied quietly. "Reiko…I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Pegasus was found dead in the north tower of the castle, just before we left to come back to Domino."
"They think he commit suicide." Anzu added. "He even gouged his own eye out!"
I felt my body turn rigid. After all that I had gone through, putting my own life on the line and coming so close to bringing my sister to justice, the spineless snake goes and does that. "Bastard," I grumbled through grit teeth. "After all that! I can't believe he would do that… Actually, I can. He was a coward from the beginning."
"I'm sorry, Reiko. I know that you wanted to get revenge for what he did to your sister. But at least you can take solace now in knowing that Pegasus won't be able to hurt anyone else, ever again." Yuugi put a hand on my arm as if to console me.
I shook my head in disbelief. Then something occurred to me. "Is your Grandfather alright, Yuugi? What about the Kaiba brothers?"
"They're all fine." he smiled. "But they may not have gotten out of this unscathed if it wasn't for you."
"Eh, speak of the devil. It's His Royal Smugness himself!" Jounouchi sneered toward the doorway as a tall presence made itself known.
"His ears must have been burning." Anzu said in a tone of distain.
"What are you dweebs still doing here?" Kaiba asked flatly.
"My Grandpa hasn't been discharged yet, Kaiba."
"That's too bad. Why don't you go and see how he's doing, then?" Kaiba replied in about the most impassive tone I'd ever heard, with the implication that he wanted them to all clear the room. I figured it was a teenage thing, but maybe Kaiba was an exception to the rule.
"I don't think Reiko is up for any more visitors today, Kaiba!" Anzu huffed, getting up in his grill with her hands on her hips.
"It's okay, Anzu." I said. "He's right, though, you guys should go and be with Yuugi's Grandpa. Thank you for coming to see me."
As they went to leave, Yuugi asked, "What are you going to do when you get out of hospital?"
"Go back to Sapporo, I suppose. That wasn't really the plan, but then again, neither was Pegasus killing himself." I deadpanned.
"Why don't you hang out with us in Domino for a few days? Check out the sights? Beats going back to cold old Hokkaido." Jounouchi suggested.
"He's right, we can show you around!" Yuugi agreed brightly.
"That's kind of you, but I have a job I need to get back to." I smiled at them. If nothing else, these kids were sweet.
"If you insist, but don't be a stranger, alright?" Jounouchi said on his way out.
"Would you lot just go, already?" Kaiba was starting to sound irritated. "Lexus and I have business to attend to."
I cocked my head. "We do?"
"She's still in hospital, Kaiba!" Anzu sounded appalled as Kaiba shut the door behind her.
"Finally." he muttered, taking a seat in the chair next to the window.
I floated my gaze over Kaiba's iridescent eyes, which had turned a luminous indigo in the late evening sunlight, streaming through the slats of the hospital blinds. I paused for effect, admiring the colour.
"What?" he had caught me staring.
I was quiet for a moment. The last time I had seen him, he had been unconscious in a prison cell; a lot had transpired since then and now. "Are you alright, Kaiba?"
"I'm fine." he replied curtly. "Yuugi told me everything that happened after Pegasus rendered me unconscious. If it wasn't for you, I might not have my brother or my company back. I owe you my gratitude."
Oh, so that was it – wounded pride. I bet Kaiba hadn't had to thank many people in his life.
"Don't thank me, Kaiba, thank Yuugi. They were the ones that beat Pegasus in the duel, not me."
"That may be, but you negotiated with Yuugi in order to release Mokuba and I once the ordeal was over."
"Yes."
"Why would you do that?" he narrowed his eyes at me. "You had no reason, no obligation to do that. We are nothing, if not rivals."
I suddenly felt a little stilted. "Well, I… I couldn't just leave you there, while the rest of us went on our merry way, now, could I? That would have been…somewhat heartless."
Perhaps, I thought, Kaiba wasn't familiar with any kind of emotion, other than callousness. I wondered if, had the shoe been on the other foot, Kaiba would have left me there in such a vulnerable predicament. I chose not to voice that concern, figuring I already knew the answer.
"Ms. Sorenson?" the silence was broken by a nurse entering the room.
"Yes?"
"Your blood results have all come back clear. As soon as you're feeling up to it, you're free to go."
I frowned. "Clear? Did you run a toxicology report?"
She nodded. "Yes, of course. Everything came back perfectly normal. If you'll just sign this discharge form, you're free to go."
I glanced pointedly at Kaiba, and mouthed, "Nothing?"
"I was clear, too." Kaiba replied, after the nurse had left.
"That must have been some mighty strong hypnosis we were put under, then."
"So it would seem."
Suddenly, Mokuba burst into the room. "There you are, bro! I've been looking all over for you."
Kaiba glanced at me pointedly before standing up. "My work here is done. Come on Mokuba, let's go home."
"Wait, Seto," the boy said, and then turned to me. "Where are you going to stay tonight?"
Stupidly, I hadn't thought about that. I hadn't even given a thought as to what I would do once I reached Domino City, let alone expect to end up in hospital. My main intention had been getting Pegasus incarcerated – and look how that had ended. When was the last time I even ate?
"I'll find a hotel room."
"Don't be silly, you can stay with us!" Mokuba chirped. "Right, nii-sama?"
Well, this was about to get awkward.
"Uh…well…" Kaiba sounded unsure to say the least.
"That won't be necessary." I insisted. "I'll find somewhere in the city."
"Come on, Seto! She saved both of our lives, and your company. It's the least we can do to thank her!"
This was followed by an emphatic eye-roll from Kaiba. Somehow, I imagined that guilt-tripping was one among many of Mokuba's powers of persuasion used against his brother in times like this.
"Might as well make use of one of the guest rooms, then." he sighed dismissively. After signing his and Mokuba's hospital discharge forms, he motioned for his brother and I to follow.
"Yeah, alright!" Mokuba fist-pumped enthusiastically. "Come on Lex-senpai; let's get out of this stinky old place. Our driver will be waiting for us."
After changing out of the hospital gown and back into my own clothing, Mokuba grabbed my hand and all but dragged me down the hospital corridor, trailing his elder sibling. I couldn't help but wonder how the two were related; Mokuba seemed to be the polar opposite to Kaiba in terms of personality, but then again, he still possessed the untainted innocence of a child.
Without pondering on the topic too long, I figured that Kaiba had probably been subjected to a gruelling upbringing by Gozaburo, having usurped the man's status as CEO of his own company at the mere age of 16. It took a lot of time and study to understand the complexities of the commercial world, and given that Kaiba already had such knowledge of it, I liked to bet that he was just as ruthless in his pursuits in his personal life as he was in his professional.
When we got into the waiting limousine, Mokuba was still bouncing off the walls, asking me all sorts of questions about my dueling skills, my work, my family (or lack thereof), what life was like in America, and so forth. He was still too young and naïve to realise that it was impolite to be so nosey.
To the latter question, I responded, "I couldn't tell you, Mokuba; I haven't lived there since I was eighteen."
This evoked a quizzical look from him. "Eighteen? But you don't look–"
Followed by a curt, "Mokuba." from Kaiba.
"How long have you been here, then?"
It was not lost on me that this was another attempt at finding out my age. "A few years, now."
That didn't seem to satisfy him, but he had no comeback, so nothing more was said. Kaiba himself seemed pleased that that particular subject was now closed.
"Seto?"
"Yes, Mokuba?"
"I'm hungry."
"We've got plenty of food at home."
"Can we go to Monsieur Kwong's?"
Kaiba glanced at his wristwatch. "I suppose rush hour will be over by now," he mused, more to himself than anyone else.
This was met with great enthusiasm from the younger sibling as Kaiba asked the chauffeur to change course. Many coloured neon lights soon came into view; a sure indication that we had arrived in the Chinatown district of Domino. We parked down a narrow and discreet alleyway – to avoid paparazzi, I assumed – and entered through the back entrance of a nondescript, hole-in-the-wall restaurant, after first identifying ourselves to the bolshie bouncer. Monsieur Kwong's was what I assumed to be a Vietnamese restaurant styled to resemble Saigon in the French colonial era, presenting with a fusion of antique French and oriental décor.
There was a mildly strained silence after we sat down. A few months ago, back home in Sapporo, I could never have imagined actually coming face to face in a duel with Kaiba Seto, the teenage business tycoon, let alone be sitting down to dinner with him. I quickly glanced at the menu, but it seemed Kaiba was one step ahead of me, ordering what I presumed was his usual – both deep-fried and fresh spring rolls, octopus balls, prawn dumplings and three bowls of pho. This was all preceded by a steaming pot of jasmine tea, which the waiter kindly poured for us. Mokuba opted to have a bubble tea, instead.
"So, aren't you guys gonna fill me in on what happened?" Mokuba glanced enquiringly at us both, slurping loudly on his drink.
I looked to Kaiba, sure it was better off he that explain the whole state of affairs, than me.
"It's all been taken care of, Mokuba," Kaiba replied, elegantly sipping his tea. I found myself admiring his slender, yet masculine fingers. I turned away, feeling slightly odd for doing so.
"Oh, come on big bro, give me the dirt!" Mokuba looked appalled. "Has that Pegasus creep been taken down, or what?"
"Let's just say, he won't be bothering us too much, anymore." Kaiba responded. "But it couldn't have been done without Lex's help."
I was met with a cool azure gaze on me from across the table. I didn't think I had really helped Kaiba out that much. I had pulled him out of a sticky situation in terms of bargaining with Yuugi to release him if he won the match against Pegasus, sure. But apart from that, I had had my own agenda for being there. Kaiba was a plot device in my plan as much as I was in Pegasus's. I felt just as perplexed as Mokuba now looked.
"How do you fit into all of this anyway, Lex?" the boy enquired, and rightly so.
"I had my own score to settle with Pegasus," I replied, sparing him the grim details. "However, it seems obvious now that holding a tournament was just a thinly-veiled disguise to get us all on the island at the same time. He intended to destroy us all – you, me, your brother, Yuugi – everyone. Too bad it backfired on him."
"That's right! No one takes on the Kaiba brothers and gets away with it!" Mokuba couldn't look more proud of himself if he tried.
The remainder of the meal was spent mainly evading questions fired at me from Mokuba; the kid was just too damned inquisitive for his own good. Thankfully, I had mastered the art of deflecting direct hits – not only when it came to duelling, but in the courtroom also, and this skill sometimes flowed through into everyday life. I could see Kaiba was wryly amused at my counterattacks against his younger sibling and almost appeared to be purposely remaining silent. By the end of it, Mokuba appeared both frustrated and exhausted.
Shortly after dinner, we arrived at the Kaiba Estate, which I had expected to be something ostentatious, but perhaps a more refined adjective should have been used. The house – or should I say, mansion – appeared to have been built in the 1920's or 30's era (before the depression, at least) and was, in fact, exquisite in every way imaginable. It reminded me strongly of Jay Gatsby's residence in the cult film, "The Great Gatsby".
It was large – far too large for two boys to be living here alone, at least, but I presumed they would have a whole entourage of in-house staff that overlooked the estate, also. The chauffeur made a circle around the fountain at the end of the tree-lined driveway and let us out outside the grand front entrance. Even at night, up close it was spectacular.
This house is fit for a king, I thought, following the brothers up the steps, through the foyer and into the vast living room – what I suspected was one of many. Being the history buff that I was, I had to enquire. "Kaiba, when was this place built? And for what purpose?"
"1925," he replied. "I believe it was the summer residence of the monarch at that time."
"It's beautiful."
"I had it remodelled inside, but retained many of its' original features."
I glanced around, noting that indeed new carpet had been laid, where the floors were wood they had been re-lacquered, walls painted or wallpapered with contemporary oriental patterns, light fixtures had been replaced, and so forth. An impressive art collection hung about the walls, and I liked to bet that many of them were original works.
"Time for bed, kid."
The boy made a face at his brother. "But I'm not even tired!"
"No, you're overtired."
"I slept long enough while I was in a coma!"
"That's not funny, Mokuba." Kaiba was starting to get irritated now.
Mokuba grinned, knowing all too well how much he was riling his older brother up. He made a break for the stairs. "I can sleep when I'm dead!"
"Get to bed, now! I'll come and check on you soon."
Mokuba's laughter slowly faded as he disappeared down the upstairs corridor. I shuddered a little; there was something creepy about hearing a child's laughter echoing through a big old, empty manor like this. Kaiba hung up his coat and sauntered into what looked like some kind of sitting room. I needed no invitation to follow him. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined the walls and leather-studded couches and armchairs filled the space. They looked well-loved. I wondered if they were antique.
"Care for a nightcap?"
"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" I queried, gazing at the impressive collection of liqueurs in one of the cabinets.
"Courtesy of my late stepfather." Kaiba replied, stepping up behind me.
Of course, this estate had once belonged to Gozaburo Kaiba. I had heard about that a couple of years back. Suicide, apparently. It had been quite the scandal.
I gazed around the room, which was lit softly by lamps placed here and there, giving off what one might have almost said was a romantic ambience. Aside from that, it was very masculine, with mostly dark timber and leather furnishings. Few artworks adorned the walls in this particular room, and those that did were abstract in nature.
Kaiba reached into the cabinet and, selecting a crystal decanter filled with an amber liquid, he poured us each a drink. I took the tumbler from him, murmuring my thanks. There was nothing to toast to on such a sombre evening, so we merely nodded to each other and swilled. I decided to turn a blind eye to the fact that he was a minor, just this once. Having been kind enough to let me stay with him, it would have been rude to press the issue.
"So, what happens now?" Kaiba asked, making himself comfortable in one of the plush leather armchairs.
"Not much, I expect." I mused, feeling disappointed by the outcome. "If Pegasus hadn't topped himself, I would have had a chance at getting him to trial."
Kaiba exhaled slowly. "Would you have represented the prosecution?"
"No. As much as I would have liked to, criminal litigation is not my area of expertise." I replied. "Besides, it would have been a conflict of interest, being that I am one of the victim's relatives. The court wouldn't have allowed it, even if I wanted to."
"What is your area of expertise, then?"
"Counsel for child, mostly. Some commercial and contract, here and there."
"You act for children?" for some reason he seemed surprised by this.
"Children are the most vulnerable of us all. The innocent need the most protection," I said, thinking of my sister. "Cecelia was barely out of adolescence herself, when she died. She had nobody to protect her against him."
Kaiba was silent for a long moment, realising, perhaps for the first time, that I carried the burden of my sister's death on my shoulders. Many had told me that I was not to blame, that there was nothing anybody could have done. That her death had occurred under tragic circumstances. My parents probably blamed themselves even more, letting their sixteen-year-old child marry and then move to an isolated island on the other side of the world, not knowing anybody but her husband.
"She was so naïve," I thought out loud in a croaky voice, feeling the hot prick of tears well up in my eyes. "I begged her not to go. I begged and pleaded with my parents not to let him take her. But they said that since she was a married woman now, it was for her to decide. Cecelia reassured me that she was going to continue her schooling by correspondence on the island and begin her studies to become a florist after that, that everything would be fine.
"She was sixteen when she left, and seventeen when she died. She spent her last birthday on that island, alone and frightened, with nobody to run to, nobody to protect her from him."
By this time, tears were trailing down my face. I extracted a handkerchief from inside my suit pocket and dried them, feeling foolish for letting my emotions overcome me like this, especially in front of Kaiba. "I'm sorry," I sniffed. "I haven't spoken openly about her like this in a long time."
Blue eyes gazed at me studiously from across the room. I wondered what he was thinking. Kaiba was notoriously known to be a gifted young man and it was almost like I could see the cogs working in his head, like he wanted to solve this mystery as much as I did.
"Are you the only one who believes Pegasus murdered her?"
"I am the only one who admits it." I replied, grinding my jaw. "My family refuses to speak of the matter. They know as well as I do that she didn't get sick, like Pegasus claims. What could she have gotten sick from, living on an isolated island, that would kill her so quickly? If she had been feeling unwell, she would have told me in her letters. And why did he decide to have a private burial without inviting any of us? It seems obvious to me that he's trying to cover something up."
"What does her official death certificate state?"
I grimaced and looked away. "'Cause of death unknown'."
I could see now that Kaiba believed my theory had some merit, that I wasn't merely dreaming this scenario up in my head. "It seems that Pegasus got himself into more hot water than just company fraud, then."
"Not that any of it matters, now."
Kaiba was quiet for a while, so quiet that I thought our conversation had ended there. But then he said, "My mother died giving birth to Mokuba, when I was four."
I looked at him. "I'm very sorry to hear that."
"Then our father was killed when I was eight," he added quietly. "Car accident."
I said nothing. What could be said? Was he trying to make me feel better, somehow? Death was an ugly subject either which way.
"We could have used someone like you to represent us, before we were thrown into an orphanage."
Ah. So that's what he was getting at.
From what I had heard, Kaiba, at the tender age of 10, had taken it upon himself to challenge the business tycoon and chess champion, Gozaburo Kaiba, at his own game. If he came out as the victor – which he did – then Gozaburo was to adopt the two of them in return. Perhaps, in hindsight, it hadn't been such a wise idea. I can't imagine what the "guardians" at the orphanage had been thinking, allowing a ten year old to execute such a premeditated plan right under their noses. Kaiba was obviously gifted – or would that be cunning? – from a young age, but being so young he wouldn't have had any idea that he would have been able to have someone legally represent him.
"You were but a child," I replied. "You couldn't have known."
"Anything seemed like a better option than staying at that orphanage, at the time." he replied. "I just wanted a better life for Mokuba and I. I thought Gozaburo could provide that… I was naïve."
I wondered if perhaps this was one of those rare moments when Kaiba admitted he had been wrong about something. He didn't seem like the kind of person who admitted defeat so easily. "Do you ever wonder what your life might be like now, if you hadn't been adopted by him?"
"What would be the point in that?" he snapped, looking me square in the eye. "You can't change the past, so why bother fantasising about such things."
Ouch, raw nerve.
I gathered that, having said that, he would disclose nothing further about his childhood to me, and the conversation was deemed at an end. Perhaps he had told me too much already, although I couldn't think as to why he had seemingly become so defensive about it. Was it because he felt guilty for his choices way back then? That, maybe, if he hadn't been so intent on Gozaburo adopting them, that a more normal family might have come along, instead? Only Kaiba himself could have known.
After some time of silence – and what looked to be quiet contemplation on Kaiba's part – I could feel fatigue catching up on me. It had been both physically and emotionally draining having to play along in Pegasus' sick little game, and subsequently ensuring the safety of Kaiba, Mokuba and Yuugi's grandfather, once the nightmare was over. It was now after midnight, and my overtired brain was already onto the next event – dealing with my boss. It quite literally didn't bear thinking about.
I swished the dregs of my drink around in the glass and finished it off. Setting the tumbler back onto the side table, I came eye to eye with Kaiba, who had now come back from his time of reflection.
"I must get some rest. We've been through quite an ordeal, and I don't do late nights quite like I used to."
Kaiba gave me a wry smile. "How old are you, anyway?"
I touched the side of my nose. "That would be telling."
"25?"
I shot him a glare. "Let's not get carried away, now."
"23?"
"Getting warmer."
"I'm usually pretty good at guessing games."
"I'm sure there are plenty of things you're good at, Kaiba." I humoured him, thinking that flirting was certainly not one of them, if that was what he was trying to do. "But for now, the best thing you could really do is show me where I'm sleeping tonight, otherwise I will see myself to the door."
Kaiba beckoned me to follow him, and I reluctantly unfolded myself and got up from the luxurious recliner. As I walked behind him, I had to blink to remind myself of how tall he was, towering almost a foot over myself. He had picked up Mokuba – who had snuck back down at some point during our conversation – from the couch to take him back to bed.
Drowsily, Mokuba put his arms around his brother's neck and mumbled sleepily in that way that children do when they were too far gone into the land of nod. He was at that tender age, right before adolescence, where boys were still loving and clingy, before that overwhelming surge of testosterone hit and would change everything forever. In a way, it seemed like Kaiba was cherishing it while he still could.
I followed Kaiba up two flights of stairs to the third and top level of the house, and down a long, carpeted hallway. I stopped briefly outside Mokuba's room as I waited for Kaiba to put him into his bed. He re-emerged a few moments later, and we continued on.
"You can use the guest room down here." Kaiba stated, pushing open one of the closed cream doors. "If there's anything you need, I'm sure you'll be able to find it."
His room, I assumed, was behind the double doors at the end of the hallway, about 20 feet away.
"Thank you, Kaiba. This is kind of you."
As he turned to go, he turned and looked back over his shoulder. "That's not how most people like to describe me."
I laughed. "And what would they know?"
He turned around fully. "Not as much as you." he said, a wry smile gracing his lips.
I wondered what he meant by that. Perhaps he'd never talked about his past with anyone, until tonight. "Good night, Kaiba-san."
He nodded. "Goodnight, Sørensen-senpai." We bowed subtly to each other before I closed the door behind me with a soft click.
Inside, the guest room was just as breath-taking as the rest of the house, bedecked in neutral tones of sand and cream with a vintage French flavour to it. It had an outdoor balcony that overlooked the gardens, a study nook and its own ensuite bathroom. I almost felt like I was staying in a five-star hotel. This was most certainly better than any hotel I would have gotten into tonight – and it was free.
Feeling tired in my bones, I wasted no time in putting the plush, feather-stuffed bed to good use. Stripping off and climbing in, I closed my eyes and remembered nothing more.
xXx
