Disclaimer: If I owned "Yu-Gi-Oh!" I might trade it for hand lotion right now. Dang it, my hands burn from washing them so frequently. (But naw, I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!")
Author's Note: A very late chapter I know and apologize! This one took a while, both because my February was busy, work was busy, and then, you know COVID-19 shook everything up. (Hopefully you're all safe and well!) Aside for those reasons though… I really did want to make this chapter a good one and I ended up re-writing it a number of times with that goal in mind… so I do hope that you enjoy it now. And maybe this will provide you with some kind of distraction from the crazy world we woke up to this week. So, without further adieu… Chapter 29!
Terms -
None today I believe, save for our chapter title.
Today's chapter title means "Foolish" (or "stupid"). :/
-YGO-
"Baby here comes the rain. Today's rain feels… / Baby here comes the rain kyou no ame wa…
Do you feel the same pain? ...almost too cold / Do you feel the same pain tsumetasugiru,
I wonder why. Why can't I catch up to you… / I wonder why naze oikakenai,
I wonder why. ...despite the fact that I still love you? / I wonder why mada itoshii no ni...
"I wonder why. Why are we still hurting each other… / I wonder why naze kanashii no ni,
I wonder why. ...despite the fact that it's so painful? / I wonder why mata kizutsukete'ru,
Collecting pieces of my memory painful as burns, / Yakedo no you na omoidetachi,
I am now shattering them, / Tsumiagete kowashite iru,
Foolish foolish…"
- "Foolish Foolish" by Yuya Matsushita (松下優也)
Chapter Twenty-Nine: 愚か (Oroka)
Flicking on the light to the lab, Yugi was unsurprised that he was the only one there that early in the morning. Instead of heading for the broken remnants of the tablet in the middle of the room, he decided to go to the two off to the side. The Dark Magician and his apprentice.
Switching on the overhead light and pulling a rolling stool over, he sat down with a notebook and pen in hand. His eyes stared dully at the tablet. He wasn't really sure why he was analyzing the Dark Magician's tablet. He had scans of both it and the Blue Eyes. They had little to nothing in common, other than both describing the kind of beast on their respective stones. But in the back of his brain, the notion of analyzing and getting nothing out of the broken tablet just seemed to make him tired and aggrivated.
Sighing and placing his notebook on the table, he pulled out his deck and shuffled through it until he found both the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl. He bit his lip and looked around. At least he wouldn't look stupid in front of anyone. He went to the front bottom of the tablet and held out the matching card. Nothing. Walking over to the Dark Magician Girl's tablet, he did the same. Nothing.
He wasn't really sure why he was trying to recreate what Kaiba had done. But then again... What on earth had Kaiba done differently? Did he have to hold out three Dark Magicians? He supposed that could be part of it, but... the image of Mana beneath him penetrated his mind. Sure, she was blonde, looking the part of her respective Ka, but it had been her nonetheless. He wondered if Kaiba even understood how incredibly accurate, to the point where it was almost spooky, that his holograms were.
But what did he know about Mana? What about Mahad? He walked back over to the Master's tablet. Mahad had been a friend of Atem's and had ultimately sacrificed himself to merge with his Ka to protect his Pharaoh. Mana similarly had attempted and managed the same thing. Both were supposedly still technically guarding Atem. So then why couldn't he...
And then it hit him. Atem wasn't here. He might be a vessel of Atem's, but he was merely the reincarnation in the cycle. Without Atem's spirit, why would they appear? He looked over at the broken tablet.
Did that mean that Kaiba was currently a vessel for the priest? Somehow, he highly doubted it. If he was, Kaiba was either an extremely good actor or insane for being able to ignore a side of his mind to such a great measure. No... It couldn't be just because Atem wasn't there. There had to be something...
Something.
Both Mana and Mahad had fulfilled their duties. There was nothing left to do. What if the Blue Eyes also had something left to do? Perhaps that's why it had reacted to Kaiba who in essence was the other reincarnation. But what could... and that's when the connection was made. What if the Blue Eyes' goal had something to do with Kisara? What if she had to do something before it could be laid to rest? After all, it was a dragon, it wasn't human. Perhaps Kisara was to act on its behalf, like another body of sorts to function for the Blue Eyes in this world. Or no... what if the Blue Eyes was Kisara's Ka?
That last notion seemed to fit, mostly. It wasn't like he hadn't thought of it before though. The only problem was that both Mahad and Mana were well aware of their Kas. Kisara hadn't even heard of the Blue Eyes until she arrived here... So rather… maybe she really was a vessel? A messenger on the Dragon's behalf? But if that was the case, what message or goal did she have to achieve before-
The sound of a bag landing on a nearby table nearly made Yugi jump out of his skin. He looked up to see Bakura looking... less than one hundred percent to be nice about it.
"Bakura?" He asked, "What are you, are you-"
"I couldn't sleep," Bakura said, moving past Yugi and washing his hands at the sink.
"Why not?" Yugi asked, eyeing him intently.
"Stuff at home," Bakura explained, but it was so brief that Yugi would have done a double take, had he not been already keeping his eye on the room's new occupant.
"Family?" He prodded, his instincts telling him to do so.
"Kinda..." Bakura said, drying his hands with an odd smile.
What did 'kinda' mean? Yugi thought.
He watched as Bakura tied back his hair. His motions were smooth, unnervingly so.
"In any case..." Bakura started, "What are you doing here so early?"
It was a valid question. Yugi was never here this early. He should be, but he wasn't. And now it was biting him with a vengeance.
"Just... figured that I should be a little better at being here on time," He mumbled.
"Hmm..." Bakura bemused, "Well, I suppose, time is of the essence. After all, there's only so much time that we have while here. We can't just wait around when there's work to be done..."
His words somehow sliced through and interrupted Yugi's thought process, circling back to what he had come to try to figure out in the first place as a new startling idea entered his mind. What had once been the possibility of Kisara having to accomplish something was now almost completely overshadowed by the new prospect. A terrifying prospect.
Time.
What if they couldn't wait? What if they were running out of time? What if they had to figure out the whole mystery before something... bad happened. Like Kisara not being able to get home or... what if monsters, other monsters unlike the noble Blue Eyes came through the same way... After all, they still had no idea where the Blue Eyes that had been in that tablet actually was - and it could very well still be in this world. What if Bakura's initial fears... what if they could be justified after all?
Yugi swallowed, "I... I've got to go."
"What? But Yugi, you just got here."
But the archeologist didn't answer as he picked up his bag and ran out the door. Making his way to the outside world again, Yugi grabbed his bike, quickly slung his bag into the basket in front and peddled, slowly at first, but then he began to pick up speed as anxiety began to flood his mind. Not only because of the thought he had regarding Kisara but also… another train of thought that was also entering the back of his mind.
He thought back to Bakura, how eerie it had felt to be in the room with him. It was stupid really, but something about the methodicalness of Bakura's behavior... it was like the Thief King's and it gave Yugi chills. Not that the Thief King could be back. He had passed on, along with the rest of the spirits held back along with Atem… right? Right, there was no way. Bakura was likely just tired. But the very thought, the memory of the millennium world and the evil within it. If Kisara had come from that world, what was to say other things couldn't either? Maybe there was a time limit, or rather, only so much time until whatever was holding up that portal's doors became weak and then… who knew what could happen. Whether it was monsters that came through it or if it collapsed on itself with no way for Kisara to return, time was likely not on their side.
If that was the case, then they really had to figure out what was going on and fast. But then why wouldn't Shadi just tell him... He felt like he was grasping at strings and hated it.
Whatever though, at this point, maybe it was better to press on with what knowledge they had. Maybe waiting wasn't at all what they were supposed to do after all.
-YGO-
The door slamming open was nothing new for Joey at this point, but it didn't change the fact that he didn't like it, "Oi, a little respect for- Yug, what are you doing back so soon?"
Yugi panted, kicking off his shoes, "Where's Kisara?"
"Uh, she just went to lunch about thirty minutes ago," Joey said, "Why, something happen?"
"No... not yet, but... Bakura's acting really strange and I... I just, I don't think we should wait anymore," Yugi explained.
"Strange, what-"
"He just... I don't know how to explain it. But it got me thinking… And I just, I think we really need to act sooner rather than later with this whole thing with Kisara," Yugi explained, sinking his head into his hands and choosing to tell Joey later on about Bakura.
"Yug, that's a little..." Joey started, when he remembered the other night, "Wait, wasn't that what you were going to do when you spoke to Kaiba? Didn't you 'already' act on this?""
Yugi hesitated before shutting his eyes, "I know I was supposed to, but…. I... I couldn't. I couldn't talk to him."
"Well why not?" Joey demanded, slightly mad, a reaction Yugi hadn't expected.
"He wouldn't listen!" Yugi yelled back, annoyed.
"So how do you think Kisara's going to feel after coming back from lunch with him when you tell her that?" Joey snapped, thinking of his employee's predicament that Yugi had placed her in, "Come on man, you had the perfect-"
"Hey, you know how Kaiba can be. He didn't want to listen," Yugi argued back. Joey was supposed to get it, be on his side.
Joey looked at his friend. He did know. He really did. He knew how Kaiba was. It just annoyed him, this whole thing annoyed him. Seeing Kisara go off to see Kaiba everyday. He probably should have advised her more strongly against it. But what was he supposed to do though, tell her to live in a box? Still, maybe just not Kaiba...
He sighed and crossed his arms, leaning on the counter as he answered, "Well, yeah, I do know but... Yug, what are you suggesting we do then?"
"I think there's something Kisara needs to accomplish while here," Yugi said, "Like how the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl stayed behind to assist Atem. Maybe there's something that Kisara can do to help Kaiba..."
Outside and across the way, a familiar beeping sounded, indicating safety, and Kisara crossed the street, her head down. She had waited for an hour at Italiano's, but he hadn't come. To be fair, they'd never said they were meeting for sure today, it was just... that they always had. Tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear, she headed for the Game Shop. Maybe he was mad at her? After what Yugi had said to him? She hadn't actually had the chance to talk to Yugi yet and ask what had happened, but now she had a gurgling feeling in her gut that she should have. Opening the door to the shop however, she found herself inadvertently interrupting her employers in conversation.
"So now, what? You want her to just go up and do what you were going to talk about before?" She heard Joey respond, a hint of tenacious doubt in his voice.
As she opened the door to reveal Yugi and Joey, the talk all but seemed to vanish, leaving her with the distinct impression that they had been talking about her. She tensed as they both turned and looked at her, the conversation seeming to come to a screeching halt. If they had been talking about her though, maybe this was good. Maybe they could talk about what had happened last night. But then that last line that she had heard… made her uneasy.
"Um... hi," She said shyly, stepping inside, "Yugi, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be..."
"I left early," Yugi answered, cutting her off.
"Oh... um..." Kisara paused, her mind swimming with questions, "Uh... did you uh, sorry, but, did you get the chance to talk with Seto yesterday?"
"Huh?" Yugi asked, "Oh uh... no... I didn't."
Taking in the answer, Kisara wasn't sure if she felt relieved or annoyed. Relieved that Yugi apparently hadn't said anything to make Seto mad at her. Annoyed that he hadn't kept his word.
She supposed annoyance was the closer of the two feelings though, "Well... why not?"
"He wouldn't listen..."
"Oh..." Kisara started, an anxious feeling welling up inside of her, "But... Yugi, you promised you would!"
"Did you see him today?"
Kisara's eyes widened, surprised a bit by the question, "Huh? No, he... he didn't come to lunch... You really didn't say anything though?"
"No, well, not exactly," Yugi elaborated, "I mean, I tried, but I never actually mentioned you."
"Oh… Well… what exactly happened then?" Kisara questioned, worry beginning to bubble up inside her, the whole thing having consumed her mind since the time of the Duel Disk reveal to the whole of lunch to now.
"I tried, but he cut me off," Yugi said, "He just assumed it was about Atem and it's like we've said before, he just... he hates anything - anything - having to do with Egypt. You mention anything related to it and he blows his top and after he lost-"
"And who's fault was that?" Kisara snapped. The two boys looked at her, surprised. Kisara didn't 'snap' at people. They knew it and she knew it too. She looked down, stunned by her own reaction. But… it was, in her mind, a perfectly valid question. What good would beating Kaiba do if Yugi's goal was to talk to him after? She looked up at Yugi again, speaking her mind sharply, "You knew you had to talk to him, so why did you insist on beating him?"
"Whoa, whoa," Joey butted in, "Kisara, you and I both know that those hands were just unevenly matched. Even if Yugi had tried to lose-"
"Joey, stop," Yugi said, cutting off his friend's defense, knowing he did indeed have some explaining to do in regards to his actions last night, "It... it's true. I beat him and I knew it wasn't going to make it any easier to talk to him. But... Kisara, I don't think losing on purpose would have made Kaiba any happier. I respect him as a duelist and it would have been insulting anyway to 'go easy' on him."
Kisara eyed him suspiciously, something gnawing at her insides after listening to the answer, thinking back to Yugi's stance during the whole duel, "But... you weren't really thinking about that while you were dueling, were you?"
"What do you mean, of course he-"
Yugi held out a hand, pausing Joey again. Joey looked at Yugi in surprise and the two's eyes fell on the Game King. Yugi sighed. She'd caught onto it, what he had not wanted to admit, but… she deserved his honesty, "No... you're right, I wasn't. I was thinking about protecting Atem's legacy... and, I got angry. I saw Mana disappear and... I just didn't want to lose anything, not again."
The pause in the air felt heavy. Joey looked back and forth between the two, unsure as to how one, Kisara was going to react to that and two, what side he was going to have to support after hearing that himself. Yugi was his bud, but... that had been rather selfish.
Finally, Kisara spoke, "I... I get it. I understand, I mean, you're right, Seto wouldn't have wanted you to 'go easy' on him, but... where does that leave us now?"
Yugi sighed, a little relieved, deciding to continue "I think... well, I was in the lab today and I was thinking about the other two tablets. The ones of the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl and, I don't know if this sounds familiar or anything, but they were each the Kas of two of Atem's magicians. They became one with their Kas to protect Atem till the end of his journey. I can't summon them, but Kaiba could summon the Blue Eyes, I think... And then you showed up, which got me thinking... maybe there's something you have to do on behalf of the Blue Eyes, since it's a dragon, right? It can't just go walking up to Kaiba and ask him what it is he needs. But you can."
Kisara's face seemed blank and Joey seemed equally confused and blank to the statement. Finally, Kisara managed to speak, "But... why me?"
Yugi shrugged, "I don't know. But it's the only explanation I can come up with."
"But... Yugi, you were supposed to be the one to talk to him!" She insisted. Why did it have to be her? The whole situation was just upsetting to her.
"Well I tried that," Yugi said, "But-"
"So try again!" She argued.
Yugi looked to Joey and then back to Kisara. This was clearly not going to be easy.
-YGO-
He had started out on his route with purpose, heading swiftly for his car with the intent of driving straight to the Game Shop in five minutes flat.
The key phrase there was 'started out'.
As he had climbed into the Tesla Roadster though and slammed the door shut, all of his confidence seemed to escape him like a balloon that had been popped. Just exactly was he planning on doing? He couldn't just go up and say 'so I think I like you'. Where was he supposed to go from there? What was he supposed to say after that? What did he want to come of that? He bit his lip and gripped the steering wheel.
Maybe this time Mokuba was right, maybe having a plan of attack so to speak was better than going in empty handed... or rather empty headed.
To the surprise of the valet, Seto opened the door again and threw his keys at the staff and walked down the steps towards downtown Domino. Walking would allow him to think this through. What was the natural thing to do in a situation like this? It was such a bizarre... And then the word girlfriend came into his mind.
That, that could work.
His pace had heightened as though he was being followed or chased. He wasn't really sure why the idea of the status of having her as a 'girlfriend' gave him a slight sense of ease. It wasn't... it wasn't that big. Nothing much would change. They would just be... she would be... he would be... exclusively... He suddenly felt his stomach curl up in knots as a severe feeling of inadequacy filled him.
Alright, maybe Mokuba was right more often then he wanted to admit right now. Maybe a gift, a gesture would be a good idea.
As he passed by multiple window shops, the anxiety started to fill him up as nothing seemed to catch his attention. Why was this such a big deal? Why was he even... he'd never wanted to be in a relationship. He wasn't even quite sure if the word was an adequate representation of what he wanted. He just knew that being with her... it felt good. He paused at a window where a line of Rolex watches stood gleaming in the light. It reminded him of the watch he had given her before and their conversation in Kyoto over it. She had tried to give it back, but he had refused. Why had it been so important that she have it? Perhaps, as in comparison to the other watches in the window to the one he had given her... it was because he felt that she was one of a kind and things that were one of a kind belonged together...
Together. He paused in his steps.
That's it. That was what he desired. To constantly be with her. To be able to enjoy her laughter. Her smiles. Her beautiful self...
He felt rather sick with butterflies as the memory of her entered his head... and he realized that in order to achieve that... that togetherness, he'd have to say something. Do something. He was back to square one.
He was no good at this. Maybe it was just better to go and talk to her about it. Or at least try. Realizing he was now closer to the Game Shop than he was KaibaCorp, Seto decided to just keep walking towards the shop. Maybe the walking and exercise would get rid of some of the jitters. He looked at his phone. It was after 1. Briefly he wondered if she had been planning to meet him for lunch. He kicked himself mentally. Probably. But he'd been so wrapped up in trying to find something to buy her that he'd forgotten the time. Not that delaying until she might be in a better mood would be any better. They'd never set anything anyway, there was no reason to feel guilty… right?
Soon the Game Shop came into sight. He let out a deep breath through his nose and walked forward. Inside, he knew she'd most likely be there and if Wheeler made a big deal about him pulling her out, well, he could deal with it. He really didn't care so much what Wheeler thought of him. He was about to reach for the handle, to go all in on it, when he heard his name briefly inside from Yugi and stopped.
"Listen, Kisara, I don't know how you expect me to get Kaiba to cooperate with us…" Yugi said, walking over to Kisara, who was still by the door, "He already told me off."
Seto's eyes narrowed. 'Cooperate'?
"But you said you'd take care of it," came a second voice, an annoyed one, and then the sound of footsteps that were walking away from the door.
He froze. That… that was Kisara's voice. He moved to the side to listen before going in. What were they…
"Yeah Yug," Joey said with a sigh, walking over to the door and flipping the open sign to closed, "After all, what's she gonna do, show up naked at his house like she did for you? Get on his good side that way?"
Wait… naked?
Joey flung his arm around Yugi, who pushed him off, annoyed, but when they both looked over at Kisara, they were met with a livid glare and they both felt their stomachs drop.
"You know..." She said walking up to them and Seto heard her voice come into better range.
"Uh, we know what?" Joey said hesitantly to fill the void.
"I'm beginning to think that you two don't know 'Kaiba' at all," Kisara said, mimicking how they always said "Kaiba' as she did, with a slightly dark edge to it.
"Kisara, of course we-"
"No, you don't," She said, frustrated, "If you had, you would have managed to at least stay in his good graces and talk to him at least a quarter of the times I have. He doesn't see you as his friends, he sees you as nuisances!"
Seto swallowed. He'd never heard Kisara sound so angry before, even maybe… venomous. And while what she had said was true… it was the way she said it, like discussing a transaction in business… it was almost jarring. What were they talking about? He continued to listen intently.
Inside, Yugi swallowed. She'd said the thing that Kaiba had always said and for some reason, it hurt. He could tell she was mad. And why shouldn't she be? Joey had to go off and say something stupid like that, of course she'd be mad, if she wasn't already mad before that is.
"Kisara," Yugi started, "You're right, that's why it should be you. You've been seeing him at lunch almost daily-"
"And he didn't show up today! And it was probably your fault!" She interrupted, "If you're just going to make excuses, amazingly, I might have to agree with you!"
"Oh…" Yugi started, surprised, though he hesitantly continued, "Okay… well… if that's the case…"
The archeologist felt himself leaning against the door and his deck box hitting him in his back pocket, "Maybe…"
He walked away from the door and outside, Seto could feel the blood pumping through his fingers. Maybe? Maybe what? What were they trying to get him to 'cooperate' on? He listened as closely as he could, but Yugi was moving away from the door.
"Maybe when you see him next, try to pry out of him…"
Pry what out of him? Yugi's words became muffled and Seto mentally cursed, straining his ears to listen more closely, but to no avail.
"... what he really wants. Like, if there's anything he's secretly vying for," Yugi finished, his words spoken so that only Kisara and Joey could hear.
Joey rolled his eyes, his voice this time being the one to travel past the door, allowing Seto to hear something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, "Unlikely. The Blue Eyes is all he cares about Yug. You and I both know that."
Joey moved back to the counter, away from the door and out of Seto's earshot, "There's nothing else he wants."
Just beyond the door, the indiscernible sounds coming from inside felt grainy to Seto as he attempted to process what he was hearing. What did his Blue Eyes cards have to do with anything - and Kisara… what was she…what were they going on about?
Kisara watched them both, her eyes narrow, arms crossed. It angered her, the way they talked about him. Like Seto was just some tool or puppet they were trying to manipulate. Technically, they were trying to do that, but… he was human. He wasn't heartless. She'd seen that he wasn't. If they all had background, which she was seriously beginning to doubt with the way they were behaving, why did they always simplify Seto down into such a one dimensional person? It was infuriating.
"There's got to be," Yugi said, trailing off and, unbeknownst to him, out of Seto's earshot.
By the door, Kisara spoke up, "I think you're putting too much faith in the idea that I could get something like that from him. Seto's not about to give that kind of thing up easily."
Her words seeped under the door to Seto's ears. He felt himself going cold and not from the autumn air threatening the end of summer. He wasn't hearing what he thought he was hearing… was he? They couldn't be trying to take - why would they? Were they… what was Kisara… He pushed his ear as close as he could to the door, even though, inwardly, it felt like he was pushing it into broken glass, the words, without his consent, slowly stinging his ears.
Yugi rubbed the back of his neck and walked back towards the door, coming back into Seto's range, "Look, I'm not saying that he would. But you're right, you talk to him daily. He likes you now, more than he does Joey or I."
"Especially me," Joey added, though to Seto, it was nothing more than a simple pause in Yugi's words. Joey might as well have not spoken in the mind of the CEO.
Yugi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and continued, "This is good, it works to our advantage. All you need to do is…"
"Look Yug, not for nothing but-"
"But what Joey?" Yugi said, turning around, and again, he moved out of Seto's earshot.
"Well, how do you know this will work?" Joey said, again, muffled to Seto as he was so far from the door, "Why are we trying to pull something out of Kaiba that we don't know exists? And for that matter, why put her up to it? It's clearly making her uncomfortable."
Yugi looked back at Kisara, and sure enough, Joey was right. She looked very upset, and uncomfortable, not at ease in the slightest.
Yugi sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Look… Kisara, Joey, I don't make up the rules. Frankly, I'm just trying to figure them out. But Kisara… I can feel it in my gut. The Blue Eyes chose you for something, like destiny..."
He walked back to her so they were face to face… and once more he was back in Seto's earshot, "Kisara, you're the one supposed to do this. It has to be you. It's why you're here."
Kisara stared at Yugi. It was a bold statement. A really bold statement. So bold it almost hurt. Was she nothing more to Yugi than some puzzle to solve? But then again… he was trying to help her. He'd always been trying to help her. And despite her annoyance that he hadn't managed to succeed thus far, that shouldn't negate his attempts.
She sighed, "It's all about the Blue Eyes, isn't it?"
Yugi nodded, "It's got to be. You do this and you'll have your ticket back to Egypt, just like you wanted."
Kisara's eyes were hard. Why'd they both have to be like this? And… whoever said she wanted to go back to Egypt? She felt her stomach knot up, but resoundly, she sighed - what else could she do anyway… And in a voice as crisp as a new fall day, she answered, "Fine, whatever."
And with two words, everything shattered.
She reached down and picked up her bag and slipped her shoes back on. Joey's eyes widened, "Kisara, where-"
"Just, let me deal with this, Joey," Kisara said, opening the door quickly, an action that without her knowledge seemingly sucked all sound from the room. It was only when she looked up that she saw why.
Only the wind indicated any passage of time. The weight on her chest suddenly dissolved and a weight like lead sank into Kisara's stomach as though laced with poison. There was Seto. Outside. Had he... but the look on his face told her he'd heard. But what had he heard? Did he… He'd...
No...
"Seto..." She breathed, "I..."
"So... you're just trying to get my Blue Eyes?" Seto said slowly, his eyes glassy, like an invisible shield had over laid itself on top of them.
"Wha, no no, I, Seto, that's not-"
She reached out to touch his arm, which he yanked away, with a hoarse laugh, "I should have known."
"Oi, Kaiba, hear her out," Joey said stepping forward, "You sound like you only-"
"Can it, you dog," He spat, turning to go, "I've heard enough."
Almost mechanically, Seto found himself moving away from the shop, his ears pounding. He couldn't... how could he have been so deluded... Kisara, herself, was rooted in place, shaking. What had he heard? Did he think she was just using him? Wait... wait... come back. Slowly, she lifted her foot, then the other, even as the soles scraped the bottom of the hard cement walkway.
"Wait, Seto, please-" She called, but he didn't seem to hear her. She broke into a kind of run and reached out to grab the side of his arm, "Seto, let me explain-"
"Don't touch me!" He snapped, turning to her and Kisara found herself skidding to a halt in order to stop from bumping into him.
He looked furious. Enraged. She'd never seen him like that.
"I..."
"You what?" Seto filled in, "You think I don't get it? You were here all along to get the Blue Eyes cards, weren't you? That's the kind of person you really are, isn't it? Some tramp that Yugi picked out to get my prized cards? Yugi, I never knew you had such an interest! Going to use them to revive your old Pharoah somehow? And Kisara, are you really some loon like Yugi, or just some slut vying for a plane ticket to Egypt? Or maybe both?"
From behind, Yugi and Joey stood in the doorway and Yugi looked like he was going to respond, but Seto didn't care, "And what, the plan was to keep quiet about it? Worm your way into my good side with some sob story about not having any of your memories?!"
"I... I really don't remember anything though," Kisara said slowly, her lip beginning to tremble.
"Bull," Seto seethed, "You know well enough how to manipulate people as far as I can tell. And you know what? You do a pretty good job at it. Congrats. But you can drop the act now."
"Kaiba-"
"Stay out of this, Muto," Seto snapped, his eyes now focused on Kisara and Kisara alone.
This girl... she had been just like... all the others. Every other woman on earth who used their femininity to get what they needed. Money. Wealth. Status. It was one of the reasons he had avoided them all, in addition to the rest of the human race. Distrustful. Disloyal. Dishonest... And this, the one time... he'd been sucked into it from the start...
"Seto, please, that wasn't-"
"It wasn't like that?" Seto filled in, "You don't know when to quit do you? I can't believe I didn't see through your bluff. You weren't interested in Duel Monsters; you were just interested in getting ahead for your own benefit, even if it meant swindling me into believing you were just in an unfortunate situation. You're not some poor, helpless, amnesiac girl though. The truth is you're just a lying nobody that Yugi thought he could use to get me to buy into his fruitless saga of reviving some old mummy from the pits of Egypt's hell. A vagrant, vile wench!"
And he had almost... He looked into her eyes... they seemed to fill with a stinging, salt water... he had almost bought it... He felt his own chest hurt, ache even. How could he have ever been so foolish? Her lip trembled as if she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. He swallowed. He didn't want to talk anymore, to say anything anymore, but he felt that no one else would and it had to end... somehow. After all. She was just like all the rest of them.
"S..stay away from me," He finally managed.
With that, Seto turned away, refusing to look back, even though every single step away seemed to burn deep inside of him. He was so foolish… foolish.
Kisara stood, watching. It took a full spring of eye water to blur her vision before she finally found herself feeling as though she was choking on a thick, toxic air.
"Yeah, well, stay away from her, Kaiba!" She heard Joey call after him, but Seto didn't stop, "Come on, let's go inside Kisara."
But she didn't move. Joey came up from behind her and tried to look her in the eyes, when he saw two small streams forming down to her chin. It hurt to see her that way.
"Come on," He said, but when he put his arm around her shoulder, she suddenly shook.
"No, I... I want to be alone."
"Kisara, wait-"
But she couldn't. Her legs, as unstable as a liquid, moved without her knowledge, as if on instinct, away. Just away. Anywhere away from here.
Lying.
Nobody.
Vagrant.
Vile.
Slut.
Wench.
The words rang profusely in her head. She wasn't sure where she was going, but just anywhere but here... Not here.
"Kisara!" Joey called, as she ran off into the park, "Come on, Yug."
He started to run after her when he suddenly realized that he was alone in his pursuit.
"Yug?"
Yugi stood in front of the Game Shop, a stern, stoic expression on his face. It had happened, it seemed. They had lost. And at something much, much more valuable than any game. And it was his fault. His fault.
-YGO-
A/N: And just when you thought something happy was going to happen… I turn on it on ya all… sorry about that! But I hope to get the next chapter out much sooner. This chapter just took a bit longer than normal - I really wanted to get it right, make it feel more raw and well, hurtful to read almost, to convey our two leads' emotions. Hopefully that worked? In any case, I am already working on the next chapter for you all. In the meantime, tell me what you thought! Hopefully you'll stick with the story? Maybe? Please? I promise good things will come soon if you're willing to ride this out. Until then though, remember to wash your hands and stay healthy! Love you all!
Later,
~Rena
PS. Also, massive shout out to my beta-reader HiKari – her insight was SO incredibly helpful. Thank you, girl! -hugs-
