Chapter 14

Oh, hell…Seto thought and almost dropped Namiko the second he heard the voice. I'm living a nightmare, he thought.

He felt his face turning red. More than anything, he wanted to get Mokuba out of there. It was kind of embarrassing and not the sort of thing Seto liked talking about. But simply ordering his little brother away wouldn't have worked out. And, from the sound of his voice, Mokuba was clearly enjoying himself too much. The little brother smiled toothily at Namiko and then at him.

This is so good! Oh, I'm not letting him off the hook for this for a long, long time, Mokuba thought. He grinned with a full set of teeth.

"So," Mokuba said, "I guess I should start calling Namiko "sister," huh?" He grinned again.

Seto had his head in his hand. He'd been telling himself that Namiko was only a photographer and a temporary temptation. But there was something about her that he enjoyed. That, alone, was embarrassment enough. But, right now, there was no way that he was going to admit to Mokuba, in front of Namiko, that when he walked next to her, several times her shoulder brushed against him. And, well, it felt good.

Namiko stared back with a dark smile. Thanks to the light, her features were hard and her eyes were angled. Her body was thin and slight. Her top's low, low scooped neck in the front showed off her obvious assets. Yes, she was a big girl. And, as embarrassing as it was for him, there was something about the way that she carried herself that made Seto want to sweat harder.

"Okay, fine, we're all leaving. We'll meet up with the others now," Seto said with frustration…well, once he found his voice. How long had it taken him to do that? For a second, his imagination saw him kissing her again, as they had been a minute ago, and he knew it wasn't the friendly kind, either. Seto, still red faced, brushed the thoughts away, running his fingers through his brown hair. He looked down just in time to see Mokuba roll his eyes in a mostly Seto-ish fashion.

If she just doesn't say too much, I can explain the way my life—with no entanglements--- is to Mokuba later…much later. And, if that makes her mad, well...

"Frankly, I just don't want to hear anything you have to say," he told Mokuba who gave a toothy grin back.

Well, that was a bit strong. Mokuba says I'm an ass anyway…

He had a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, signaling that this was not up for debate.

"Really?" Namiko half-sighed. It was as though he could hear her breathe. In the shadows, defiance was creeping into her face, making her more beautiful with each second. Even though he didn't want to admit it, there was a kind of energy in her that Seto's soul found appealing.

Like a small child, she had her hand out. Her palm was stretched wide. Namiko's head was gently tilted to one side and she was smiling again. She was waiting. A black veil of hair caressed her angled face.

"The card, Kaiba-sama. The card, please. I know you have it. And it would be for the best if you just handed it over to me."

Seto felt as though he'd been splashed with cold water. Is that all she wanted? Damn…

Then, Seto's eyes widened. Card… You're the one who's after it? The "cursed," black card in my shirt pocket...

"But, it's a card that seems totally useless---black on both sides."

"My client wants it. Hand it over."

Why want it?, Seto thought, his mind racing now, There isn't an image or description or anything. What was it that Pegasus called it? Pyrrhic Victory? Yes, that was it.

"And just how would you know about it?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's the price."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes," she said, dark eyes drilling into him.

Seto forced Mokuba to turn and leave. But his brother was hesitating.

"Nii-sama, look…," Mokuba began.

"Yes, yes. I've seen her up close. Let's go."

"No, I mean… Look, she wants the cursed card. We can't let her have it!"

"Oh, I think you will," Namiko said sarcastically.

Still in the shadows, she walked, with her usual sexy slink, over to a corner of the room and tore off a blue tarp. With effort, she pulled a body by the waistband and dragged it across the floor. To do it with one hand meant that her strength was almost inhuman.

The room was filled with the sound of dragging against the dark wood floor—leaving a narrow red streak behind. Namiko brought it into the light and rolled it forward with both hands. It collapsed nine feet from Seto.

Namiko walked forward with purpose and pulled the man into a sitting position. She had her hand at his throat and hoisted him up higher. Behind him, she was kneeling. His head was now in the crook of her arm, and his body leaning back against her breasts.

"Jounouchi?!" Seto breathed, not believing what he was seeing, and watched with wide eyes as blood rained down in large droplets from blond hair. Oh, hell!

"Wha-?" Mokuba gaped.

"My guess was that you were not going to give me the card," she purred and pulled Jounouchi against herself harder. "And after all we meant to each other, too. So, I decided to be more …persuasive. And I am, though, wouldn't you say?" She slid out a small dagger with an ivory handle from her wide, red belt. Namiko rubbed the flat side of it lovingly against Jounouchi's cheek.

"He didn't struggle much. He did call out a name, though."

Namiko brushed her lips against Jounouchi's cheek, never taking her eyes off Seto for a moment. She quickly ran the sharp edge of the blade against it and watched a slash line of blood form.

"No!" Mokuba yelled, fists clinched.

Seto closed his eyes to shut the image out.

"He screams beautifully when he's awake," she sighed. "But you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Seto's eyes snapped open. What, the hell, is she implying? Seto thought venomously.

He could see warm blood was dripping down onto her arms and her low cut blouse.

"Who hired you?"

She smiled back.

"Do you want money?" If I can just pay her, then…

"Always the business man... Money solves everything, you once said. But, not this time..."

"Why do you need the card? What good is it? It's totally black."

She studied the masculine neck in front of her thoughtfully. "You should have given me the card when I asked for it, Kaiba-sama. This is all your fault, you know. You are so stubborn," she said in sexy whisper that, a few minutes ago, would have made him want her more. Now, he was sick at heart. She held Jounouchi closer. "You're making me do this…and I'm glad." She locked eyes with Seto again, took the dagger, and licked most of the blood off in one stroke. Her tongue was bright red now.

Somewhere inside of his soul, Seto screamed.

Helpless, Mokuba watched the dagger cut the neckline on Jou's blue shirt. She ripped the material further and peeked down. "Hmmm….nice…. You have good taste in 'friends,' Kaiba-sama."

I could take her now, Seto thought, but at what price?

Mokuba looked up at his older brother. He could feel the anger radiating, and he felt afraid. The card was cursed after all. Mokuba was sure of it now. And he had brought this all on Nii-sama and Jounouchi. He suddenly felt guilty for calling Jounouchi things like "Jōnouchi no yarō (Jonouchi the bastard)."

Mokuba looked up into his brother's face again. He seemed afraid, angry, and almost…brutal. Mokuba wasn't so sure anymore about anything. Nii-sama seemed to be doing nothing, allowing Jou to be sliced into pieces. He knew that the two of them had argued and that, somehow, there seemed to be something going on between them--unspoken. But, now, Namiko had given him other things to think about. But, right now, waiting changed nothing. So, Mokuba did the only thing that he could do. He lied.

"And just who, the hell, do you think you are?" Mokuba said, doing his best Seto impersonation. He knew all of his stock phrases from the years that Seto had been running Kaiba Corp. He must have heard them a million times. "You heard me, you bastard."

Seto was so surprised that it shocked him out of himself. Mokuba had cracked. That was it.

Pulling himself up to his full height, Mokuba glowered. "Do you really think you can tell us what to do? We are the Kaiba brothers, and we don't give in to anybody. We don't answer to anybody. So, go ahead and drop 'Jounouchi no yaro.' He bores the hell outta me."

Mokuba's mind was racing now. He had to think of a distraction. He needed a trick to get Jounouchi away from her. What line could he use? How could he bluff his way out of this one?

"So, the little one has a mouth," Namiko moved the dagger to the corner of Jounouchi's mouth. Seto clenched his fists as Namiko drew a faint, red line down with the tip of the blade. She kissed his shoulder and pressed the body so close that Seto thought he was becoming part of her. Moving the position of the handle in her hand, she took the dagger and pressed it slowly into Jounouchi's shoulder--- red stain suddenly appearing around the metal shaft. He gasped in agony and let out a feeble cry. She held him tightly in her arms and glared at Seto. The dagger was still stabbing into him.

"Why do you look so surprised, Kaiba-sama? Dead bodies don't bleed…the last time I checked anyway."

Seto's breathing was harsh. It was blind fury that shook him. But, he forced himself to look down at his brother. The child was standing defiantly with arms folded, but he looked haunted, eyes frightened.

Seto had heard his own words coming out of Mokuba, and it terrified him.

Mokuba, what have you done?

He took one of the small shoulders in his hand and forcibly turned his brother around to face him. Seto, in a savage whisper, "What are you saying?! Just leave! Walk out of this room and don't come back. Don'tcomeback!"

Mokuba looked up with tears in his eyes. At thirteen, he felt he was still a sobbing baby clinging to his big brother, and couldn't stop himself.

"You don't understand," Mokuba said softly back, a tear streaking down his cheek. "I had to try to do something. You wouldn't. I know you two fight all the time, but…."

End it now. I have to! But I hate this!

Defeated, he reached into his shirt pocket and fumbled for the card. If that was what the bitch wanted, he'd give it to her. She would leave, and he and Mokuba would take Jounouchi back, find the others and a hospital. Surely, they could get help. Money had its privileges after all.

Seto reached into his pocket and had his fingers on the edge of the card. Mokuba grabbed his sleeve and tugged hard. His voice on the verge of tears, "Nii-sama, Nii-sama… You still don't understand. Please listen…" Seto looked down at his brother. The child was shaking his head slowly.

"She never had any intention of letting him live."

For the briefest second, Seto's heart stopped.

" Pegasus called 'Pyrrhic Victory' a demon's card."

Seto's gaze turned from Mokuba to Jounouchi's face. Mokuba wanted to cry and hold on to his big brother, just like he did back in the orphanage. He struggled to get the words out. "To activate… the card… requires a sacrifice---a real one. Someone has to die. It's a part of the game. She's sending him to a graveyard. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Namiko pulled the dagger out of Jounouchi's shoulder and he jerked back from the pain. Blood seeped out of the shirt sleeve and onto the floor. Namiko laughed playfully in his ear while tears slid down Jounouchi's cheeks.

"It's over, Nii-sama." Mokuba leaned his head against Seto and whispered, "We're going to watch him die. We can't save him."

Seto stared at her--expressionless. His body was ice and his heart was colder.

Not entirely sure that he was serious, she took the medallion that Jou wore around his neck and slowly began to choke him with the leather strap---pressing the cord tighter and tighter into him. It's not enough to kill him, but I want to see a reaction.

Seto's gaze didn't break, his face set.

She took the dagger and cut the cord, throwing the metal charm onto the floor.

Seto stared back levelly. I want to watch you die. For a brief second, Namiko had the distinct feeling that she was looking at a dragon. And knowing that the dragon was serious, she broke into a winning smile. With the bloody blade still clutched in her grip, she tucked a black stand of hair behind her ear and looked admiringly. She knew what Seto was telling her, and she had his full attention. Now, she would twist the knife in another way.

"I'll do you a favor because you kiss so well, Kaiba-sama—but I'm sure you've had a lot of practice at it," she looked down into Jounouchi's pale face, "with many, many people." Then, with a red tongue, she licked the curve of his ear and glanced up. "I'll leave you a body to cremate. Pick out his bones. Put his ashes in a pauper's grave, not a family grave. But I'm sure you won't cry at his funeral. I can just see you standing there, dressed in black. Pretending to mourn. Pretending to pray. You should be thanking me right now because I'm sure you never wanted anyone to know about the kind of relationship you two had."

Mokuba's eyes shot open.

Namiko grinned at Mokuba darkly with slightly bloody teeth. "What? Were you trying to keep your desire a secret from your little brother?" She laughed sarcastically. "Now, that isn't kind at all." She licked the blade again while watching Mokuba. "You know, you treated Katsuya-san worse than I ever did. You see, with me, it's just business. It's nothing personal." She tossed her hair back and said, "You did more than neglect him, and your feelings were never genuine." A thought occurred to her and she said, "And just for the record, 'you're welcome'."

That's what Jounouchi said at the hotspring. I never thanked him for Mokuba's locket. Seto stared back defiantly, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes.

"You treated him so badly in life—'Jōnouchi no yarō,' 'Bonkotsu,' Mutt…' Your words, not mine" She looked at Mokuba. He blinked back tears and held onto his locket.

"Don't talk about him like he's dead!" Mokuba yelled.

"Then again, tell me you love me, and I might let him go," she said.

That's a lie, he thought coldly. Seto reached into his pocket and pulled out the black card. He held it between his thumb and forefinger. He watched with a flicker of satisfaction when her eyes lit up.

"You have my attention," she said.

Seto forced his body to obey him, to calm down. This was for Mokuba. This was for Jounouchi.

"I thought I would."

With the tip of the blade pressed against an artery, spilling a tiny pearl of blood, she held her other hand out again and Seto approached very slowly. He placed the card in her palm---and jerked it away.

"Nii-sama! No!" Mokuba's frightened voice echoed.

"It's just business. And we haven't finished negotiations, have we?" Seto said with a cold smile on his face. He wasn't a CEO for nothing, and he could channel all of his fear and hatred through that.

"First, Mokuba's too loud. He leaves the room."

Her eyes darted in his direction, but nothing more.

"Second, I need to discuss," he said moving the card nimbly through his fingers, "details."

She nodded. Seto leaned over to speak to him.

"I'm not going," his younger brother spat back before he could open his mouth.

"Someone has to watch you. Do you care about Jounouchi or not? Maybe you don't."

Seto felt a sudden flash of extreme anger. He really wanted to let his little brother have it. But now was not the time, and he was almost too angry to think clearly. "Leave this place!" For the briefest moment, he couldn't believe that he was hearing himself whisper, "and find Yugi."

A cruel grin flickered on Mokuba's face, his eyes cut to Namiko, and he whispered, "Nii-sama."

"Do as I say! Now, go!" Seto thundered and the boy walked away with his head down.

Namiko watched the scene with only a slight interest. She shifted her weight and moved Jounouchi's blond head into her lap, his body soft and lifeless. The dagger danced across his throat. "If we're going to negotiate, I'm going to get comfortable. But don't wait too long. That could be…bad."

Seto looked down at Jounouchi. His eyes were closed, lips were parted, skin was turning white, and arms limp at his sides. The wood floor was slick with a thin layer of his blood.

Seto approached the couple and kneeled down to be closer to them. He could feel his knees hurting immediately because the wood floor was hard and slick, not like being on a tatami mat. He wasn't even sure when it was that he picked up Jou's medallion from the floor. It just suddenly appeared in his hand and he closed his fingers around it.

"I could give you this card. But, in return, you'd have to do something for me."

She looked questioningly. She raised a black eyebrow.

He's so pale, Seto thought. If I do this wrong… If I make a mistake….

Seto took a shallow breath and said, "Take me…take me in his place. I'll be your sacrifice. I won't fight you." Instinctively, his hand moved to touch the body. He forced it back when the dagger dug in. "You almost made me cut him again, Kaiba-sama."

In his mind, Seto saw himself and Jou both on the motorcycle, trying to rescue Mokuba. He was full of determination. He wanted that feeling again. He wanted to hear Jou's voice again. And, when someone loves you, your life doesn't belong to you anymore.

She raised an eyebrow and thought about it. "Your life for his…" She brought Jounouchi's hand to her lips and tasted a finger very slowly. She pulled it out of her mouth slowly, too. He noticed, for the first time, bite marks on one wrist---savage and purple. He cringed inside.

"Finish soon," she sighed, "because he's starting to feel cold."

"Or," Seto said and anger edging into his voice, "I could just rip this thing into shreds. I've done it before with a Blue Eyes White Dragon card. And this card is a one of a kind. Your master wouldn't like that very much, would he? You'd be a failure. What would he do to you then?"

She flinched. Namiko actually flinched at the thought. Seto could feel his soul again for the first time in awhile.

Her smile faded into a dark look. Her true self, he thought. To Seto's relief, she took the dagger away and rotated the blade with force in one hand. The carved handle glistened slightly each turn from blood and sweat. With two fingers, she turned the hilt clockwise. A needle shot out of the hilt, and she shoved it into Seto's chest with a thrust so vicious it knocked him backwards. He didn't have time to cry out.

Seto felt himself fall. He felt numb. The world was shifting and his body was heavy. The card drifted from his hand and sailed briefly across the floor.

She said he didn't struggle. This is why. She drugged him like this. Damn!

He could feel the drug arc through his body painfully with a heavy pressure. He was lead now, and he could feel the woman straddling him—pressing his body against the floor. With the needle puncture in his chest, her weight hurt. Then, she stretched herself out on top of him. "Take me… in his place…?' she purred into Seto's ear. "Now noble. Does he know you love him?" She tilted Seto's face up. He could feel her long nails biting into his skin. "Did you ever kiss him like this?" Namiko, pressed her lips against Seto and forced his mouth open with her tongue. She tasted slightly salty.

She tastes like…like… Hell, it's Jounouchi's blood! Ugh, I'm going to be sick…

Seto struggled with himself again, but he just couldn't move.

"You know," she said conversationally, "you could be the best I've ever had. But, right now, I don't have time for pillowtalk. And I'm not as stupid as you think."

She brought her knee up against Seto's crotch.

"You just sent your little brother for help and that puts me on a tight schedule. The only reason why I let the brat go is because I wanted you all to myself. I thought we could have a little fun first. Remember when we were alone here, just the two of us, before we were…interrupted? You wanted to be alone with me. But do you really want me?" She patted his nose playfully with the dull edge of the blade. "I don't think you know the answer to that…because you're running away from yourself." She leaned in closer. "On the other hand, you could have shredded the card." She slammed her knee into him hard. Seto reeled from the blow and Namiko got off. He curled his knees up and found a way to roll onto his side.

On all fours, Namiko looked up when she heard the sound of running down the hall. "Kaiba-sama, the next one that I'll want will be Yugi. Just so that you know."

Yugi? Oh, no…

She twirled the blade in her hand. She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "We're out of time. Goodbye, lover." Her eyes searched for the ebony card that had landed near the door. Seto braced himself for the pain. It would be sharp and unforgiving. It would be what Jounouchi felt. He could bear it, too. Her hair tickled his face, and she was gone. A window slid open and there were footsteps on the roof.

It took several tries, but Seto forced his eyes open. Jounouchi was lying close to him. Blond hair matted with red. His blood was trailing away in tiny rills. His eyes were closed, lips parted slightly.

It looks like he's sleeping.

Seto's body wouldn't obey when he commanded his arm to move.

I can't touch him—no matter how hard I try.

As the darkness was claiming him, Seto could hear the sound of running.

But it's okay if his face is the last thing I'll ever see…

The echoes hammered down the hall, but they weren't important.

I want to follow you. Please, let me do that much.

The running stopped, and he heard gasps. Mokuba was screaming his name.

"Nii-sama!"