Ahoy hearties! As you can see, my multitasking skills have not progressed much. But waiting two months is better than waiting five, right? Unfortunately, I'm no time wizard. All I can do is apologize and hope you aren't fed up with me yet.
Get yourself some rum- I meant tea, a comfortable seat and enjoy your tardy chapter!
In the space of an instant, the world catches up to us. By the time I look up again, two battle ships that have emerged from the mist are surrounding the Millennium, ready to flank it. For the first time, there's visible confusion and panic in the eyes of the crew as they reach for their weapons. No one seems to pay attention to any of us anymore. All the shouting, the soreness still lingering in my body and having been sent to the ground for the tenth time today left my head spinning awfully. The commotion makes it even harder to refocus my attention.
There's no more canon fire. I hear voices shouting orders and the lieutenants trying to regroup the men… Flashes of blue and red are swarming the upper deck of the Millennium from both sides, swooping down like a flock of birds of prey. Everything's going too fast. Much too fast for my pounding head and pain-ridden body. Yet so slowly… Still, even through the blur I look for Atem. My ears try to discern his voice through the brouhaha but to no avail.
I stay on the ground paralyzed by the noise, my heart galloping in my chest, threatening to give out any moment… until a large hand closed on mine.
"Get up !" orders Seto, forcibly pulling me to my feet.
Quick as ever to react — as if he hadn't just tried to take his own life. My useless body lets him drag me closer to the mainmast where Mokuba is still wrestling with his bound wrists. With the same blade he was going to use to end his life, Seto severs them before giving his brother the same order as I.
He leads us to the edge of the ship, while I realize that the flashes of color were navy-men in uniform. They've completely surrounded the pirates, pointing their rifles and bayonets at them. Gathered back to back at the center of the deck, the crew seems hesitant. A reasonable explanation would be that the marines clearly outnumber them, but I know better. This particular band of pirates is more ferocious and determined than any other in the Caribbean. Even Joey whose eyes are glowing yellow seems hesitant to morph. Something else is stopping them… I just can't tell what.
"Hold your fire, soldiers," suddenly shouts a woman's voice. "Respond only to clear hostility!"
A plank has been placed between the Millennium and the ship nearest to us. On it, a woman in uniform with long flowing hair makes her way to the ship, holding a cutlass. The navy-men step out to give her access to the pirates. I'm too exhausted to even be surprised by the fact that a woman is in command.
She's quiet for a moment, eyeing the faces of the crew. Her eyes widen slightly when she stops on the Millennium's spy. She then frowns.
"Devlin," she states, as if saluting coldly.
The spy responds with a half smirk that does a poor job of hiding his nervousness. "Commodore. How lovely to see you here."
"This certainly explains a few things."
They know each other ? But as if the conversation hadn't happened, she goes back to eying the rest of the crew.
"I am the Commodore Kisara Pegasus. Which one of you is the captain ?" she asks.
That was too gentle of a tone to be coming from a high rank navy officer. Her eyes seem filled with compassion and pity. Not something one would expect from someone in her position. But though she hasn't raised her sword, her grip and posture are firm as need be.
After what seems to be an eternity, Atem pulls himself from the group and steps in front of the commodore, without uttering a word. As per usual, he stands tall, chin up and chest puffed out. But there's no smugness or arrogance to be seen. The mask has been left broken. And so did his smart mouth it seems.
"You must be Sennen," states the commodore, her tone unchanged. "I don't have to tell you that the odds are not in your favor, captain. I've seen my fair share of pirates who'd rather go down with a fight rather than face judgment. Only you decide if this becomes a bloodbath or not."
It always terrifies me when the eloquent captain stays silent like so. My insides tighten and my heart is restless, fearing my kin might chose to fight… No matter how skilled I know they are, even with Joey on their side, the sheer number of marines would overwhelm them swiftly should they choose violence. The casualties would be catastrophic. Hostility wouldn't be in their favor. Only bring death. But if Atem decides to fight, they all will. And they'd all die.
Suddenly, his eyes find mine. I can't read the ruby irises anymore. I've never seen this look on his face. I can only shake my head at him.
Don't. I'm begging you…
Another eternity goes by. Another timeless space where there's no one but us in the world sets in. Briefly, he closes his eyes. When they open again, the light in them has vanished. He then turns away and raises his blade… before dropping it to the ground.
The rest of the crew exchange a few looks among them before following suit, and letting go of their weapons. Something bitter pinches my heart. That decision doesn't satisfy me either.
The anger and hate have vanished from their eyes, leaving only a pit of emptiness and loss. What will become of them now? The punishment for any act of piracy is the rope…
"Wise choice," says Kisara without an ounce of mockery.
On the commodore's orders, some of the navy-men pick up the weapons while the other's keep the pirates at gunpoint. Kisara sheaths her sword before hurrying to us. She stops for a brief moment, staring in my direction. That is when I begin to notice the glances thrown my way by the nearby marines. It's been a while since anyone has looked at me like that. But quickly, the commodore regains her self-control and diverts her gaze to Seto.
"I didn't know you to be so reckless," she scolds, scanning him up and down. "What were you thinking?"
None of us answer. My head is still spinning. Thinking makes it worse, and I realize I've been leaning on Seto the whole time. My gaze keeps darting to Atem. My guardian is uncharacteristically tight-lipped but I feel his grip on me tighten slightly. Mokuba opens his mouth to answer only to sneeze. Without hesitation, Kisara takes off her coat and places it on his shoulders.
"Let's go on to my quarters," then says the commodore. "We can have your wounds—"
"It's not them," suddenly says Seto.
Kisara goes completely silent for a moment. "Excuse me?"
"They're not the ones who attacked my ship."
I look up at my guardian, unsure if I've heard correctly. He's disheveled, drench, wounded and looks as if he hasn't slept in months. But his exhausted eyes look unwaveringly into the blue-eyed woman's. Even the pirates exchange incredulous glares between them.
I don't believe it. He is. He's trying to save them.
Kisara's eyes are wide with incomprehension. She looks us up and down noticing every wound, every blood stain, every bruise… It's evident we've been injured recently. Atem is also covered in wounds and it's easy to tell she hasn't missed it either.
"You were looking for a ship called the Millennium, were you not?" Kisara says , frowning suspiciously. "With a captain named Senn—"
"I was wrong," he snaps. "They didn't hurt my family. I have no quarrel with them."
He's exhausted. Though he stands steady, I can feel his arm around me shaking. Aside from all the injuries, I finally notice the bags under his eyes. He's always been a light sleeper, but I don't want to think about how little he slept while searching for us.
But anyone who knows anything about him would know he'd never admit to being wrong in such a blatant way. And who would believe such a story? I wouldn't, neither would he. The commodore's face betrays that she does not either. We're clearly injured, riddled with pain and our exhaustion must show like a fire in the night. Despite everything, Seto is trying to save those who have wronged him.
"You must be exhausted," finally says Kisara. "There is a surgeon on my ship. We'll get you all patched up and speak of this again once you're rested—"
"Don't patronize me, Kisara," interrupts Seto. "A day ago you knew nothing of this affair. I believe I'm best placed to know. My head is clear enough. I'll repeat myself : I've no charges to press against these men."
"Is that right, dear Baron?"
At the sound of this new voice, Seto flinches against me. Another tall figure boards the Millennium. A man in a red coat with a far too fancy eyepatch and long silver hair approaches us. Another wave of discomfort twists my insides. The calm and satisfied look on his face doesn't serve to reassure me one bit.
Dear Lord, my head…
The man in red approaches us and just like Kisara, he comes to a stop upon noticing me. But unlike the commodore, his eyes stay on me. Something frightening lights up his one eye and shivers travel up my spine.
"Heaven," he lets out, unblinking. "So it is true."
He takes a step closer and extends a hand towards me. Everything in me screams to get away. Had I any strength left in me, I'd have jumped back to escape that untrustworthy hand. But before it can reach me, Seto takes a step forward and his hand closes on the admiral's wrist, pulling him away.
"What do you think you're doing?" growls out Seto with a murderous look in his eyes.
"Watch how you address the admiral," snaps a nearby navy men, ready to raise his gun.
Admiral? As in admiral Maximilion Pegasus?
"At ease, soldier," says the man in red, taking his hand back. "It's my fault. I was utterly mesmerized and forgot my manners. Please accept my apologies, baron."
Snorting in mistrust in very Seto-like fashion, my guardian releases the admiral's hand but without dropping the look of mistrust. Pegasus then turns to me again, removing his tricorn to bow politely.
"Forgive me, dear lady. It wasn't my intention to cause you any fright. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maximilion Pegasus. I know your guardian's family quite well. And may I add, it is an honor to meet a survivor of the Shayee."
I'm not sure what to answer. All I know is this stranger doesn't mean anything good for us or the Millennium crew. Indeed, he puts his hat back on and turns to Seto again, with a serious but nonetheless smug look.
"In any case, you look like you've been mauled by a bear, Kaiba. Surely, you don't expect us to believe you've done this to yourself."
After throwing a look at Atem —who is in similar shape—the admiral orders his men to bring him the captain's sword. I hold my breath when I see it still covered in blood. Pegasus traces his finger along the blade and his white glove stains with fresh red. His eyes then glance at the small blade in Seto's hand.
"Clearly, you three are victims here," concludes Pegasus. "Why in the name of the king would you defend them? If I didn't know better, I'd think you're all hiding something from me."
Seto remains tight-lipped. Lying his way out of this clearly wouldn't work. But staying quiet, only confirms the words of the admiral. This is bad. This is really bad. I try to find something to say. Something to do. But my thoughts scramble as soon as I try assembling them. I try to find Atem's eyes again, but it's getting so blurry… I open my mouth to speak, but the words die in my throat and the pounding in my head gets louder with every beat.
I have to say something. Anything! Why do I feel so light?
"Very well, then," finally says Pegasus after being faced with nothing but silence. "This certainly needs clearing up. Well discuss this once back on land. I'm sure you're exhausted and need some well-needed r—"
"They saved us!"
The words I was looking for came out of Mokuba's mouth who's stepped out of his brother's shadow to face the admira head on. He's shaking, perhaps from being drenched or perhaps from nervousness. But he speaks nonetheless.
"And what do you mean by that?" asks Pegasus, intrigued.
"It's the truth," continues the youngest Kaiba. "They saved us from the real pirates. Some of them even died protecting us!"
The admiral raises an eyebrow in surprise before smiling again. He lowers himself to Mokuba's level and grabs the youngest Kaiba's hand, pulling his sleeve up.
"Then would you care to explain why your newfound friends bound your wrists to the point of blood, young lord?" he then asks.
"That…doesn't concern the navy," retorts Mokuba, relentless. "But without them, we'd be dead for sure or worse!"
Finally, the smile fades from the admiral's face. He straightens up and scrutinizes the Kaiba brothers with a half-confused half-suspicious look before his single eye lands on me once again.
"What of you, dear Lady? What say you of this odd affair?"
I can't tell if the shivers are from being drenched or this piercing glare anymore. I hate it. It's as if he's cutting me apart with this look alone. Suddenly, an idea from nowhere appears in the mist of my foggy thoughts. Skipping the judgement phase of my reasoning, it escapes my lips.
"It was me. I attacked both of them."
Another silence sets in and one by one, I feel Seto, Mokuba and Atem's eyes on me, bewildered and speechless. Even the admiral and the commodore's widen as if I was a specter. I might as well be. My head still pounds like a drum and speaking those five words has me gasping for more air.
"I beg your pardon?" finally asks Pegasus.
"What are you doing?" asks Seto.
"Telling the truth," I reply, as loud as my breathless voice allows before turning back to the admiral. "I almost… strangled Seto and… I'm the one…who fought with At—with the captain."
Just speaking is suffocating. My lungs seem to shrink, and my body, get heavier with every word I say. It takes every once of my remaining will to stand on my feet and look the admiral in the eyes. But I have to stand. I have to. Pegasus frowns in mistrust but looks to Seto's neck where my hands have left their mark in the form of bruises.
"You, born of the Shayee, known for their pacifism, did this? Forgive me if I'm having trouble believing you, my Lady."
"You shouldn't. My people were called… the devils of the sea… for a reason."
Come on body, work with me!
"Let us say, hypothetically speaking, that you are telling the truth," replies the unconvinced admiral. "What reason could you possibly have to attack your own guardian and the man you claim is your benefactor?"
My head spins again and my eyes fall to my kin whose bewildered expression hasn't left him.
"They wanted… to take me home," I say, unable to remove my eyes from him. "But I'm… I'm already… ho…"
I believe I meant to take a step towards Atem. My vision suddenly shift on its side, and my body hits the wet wooden deck. Quickly, everything blurs beyond recognition.
"Yugi!" I hear Mokuba shout as he runs to my side, trying to hold me up by the shoulders. "What's wron—"
A gasp finishes his sentence as he raises his hands and finds them covered in red. I can't move, I can't speak. The pain is slowly fading. I'm lifted into the air but can't feel the arms holding me. Seto is shouting. Calling my name perhaps. I can't tell anymore.
"This way, quickly!" says Kisara's distant voice. "Fetch the surgeon, now!"
A black veil comes over me and before long, it engulfs me completely.
Liverand port town
An unfamiliar ceiling with carved wooden posts and golden paint is the first thing I see. I look around the unfamiliar bedroom that reminds me of my own in the Kaiba mansion. Too much decor, too rich and far too big for a single person. It smells too much of floral perfume and not enough of the sea. But while my eyes travel from one furniture to the other, my memory catches up to me, replaying the events that transpired aboard the Millennium.
Atem…Seto…Mokuba…Bakura…the navy and the admiral…
My mind suddenly awakens and I move to sit up. But instead of following my will, all the sore muscles in my body contract at once, sending waves upon waves of pain throughout all of me. The pain is bad enough to make me grunt and have tears escape my eyes. I gasp for air as if just doing that had exhausted me. It's no use.
While I wait for the pain to settle, a million questions swarm my mind. What happened? Where is everyone? Why did I pass out like that? I get no answer but that of my heart furiously pounding in my chest. Atem's face comes to mind. What was that look he'd given me, full of surrender and despair?
Come now, Yugi. One more time. Slowly.
I take a deep breath before slowly pushing myself up again. Every inch of me burns, especially the back of my shoulder. My arms shake as I force my weight on them and as soon as I manage to sit up, my head begins spinning like a top. Why do I feel so light and heavy at the same time? Worse, what I can I do in this useless state? Even my thoughts won't form properly…
I've been changed into a white nightgown. The cotton feels itchy against my skin and unlike my Shayee attire, it lacks the familiar salty scent. Large bandages have been wrapped around my arm, chest and shoulder…where Atem stabbed me. Or more accurately, when I kept Seto from being impaled.
I then and there realize the Stream's fatal flaw. A complete lack of pain dulls the perception of one's physical state. How long did I bleed out for before passing out? With the downpour washing away the blood, of course, no one noticed.
What in the world happened after that?
My panicked thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a turning doorknob. The tall white door that makes up the entrance opens and Mokuba walks in carrying a plate of fruits. He's dressed properly again but looks exhausted and stares at the ground as he walks in.
"Moki ?" I call out.
He stops in his tracks and his eyes shoot up, wide as the sky. He stares, jaw dropped as if seeing a ghost. A moment later, the plate shatters on the floor, the fruit scatter and he's by my side. But he stops just before throwing his arms around my neck and instead grips my hands like a vice.
"You're awake," he states, breathlessly as if to convince himself.
The youngest Kaiba falls to his knees and bringing my hands to his tear-filled eyes, begins sobbing. My heart shatters. I want to take him in my arms but it takes all my strength to stay sat up. I can only squeeze his hands back.
"The surgeon said the blade barely missed your lung," he manages to say through his tears. "But you lost so much blood… you were so white…and you slept for so long… I thought you were going to—"
Running footsteps and the door swinging open once more interrupts him, and Seto's tall figure steps into the room.
"What was that noi—"
Just like with Mokuba, our eyes meet and we stare. A weight lifts off of my heart. Seto says nothing but tumbles back until his back hits the door. A long sigh leaves him as he lowers his head into his large hand. Something along the lines of 'thank God' leaves his lips.
My brothers stay like this for a few long moments during which I can't bring myself to say anything. My thoughts still won't form. Knowing they're here with me means the world but there's so much I need to know…
I take a hand back and ruffle Mokuba's hair, waiting for him to calm down. Finally, he releases my hand and wipes his eyes. I open my mouth to speak but a wave of vertigo comes over me and I nearly fall back.
"You must be starving," says Moki, standing. "I'll go fetch you something to eat."
He springs up and runs out of the room, completely ignoring the fruits scattered on the ground, leaving Seto and I alone. My guardian straightens back up and eyes me from afar before closing the space between us. On the way, he picks up a cerise from the floor.
The bags under his eyes have deepened. He's been bandages as well, I can tell even under his clothes. His right hand and neck are also wrapped up like mummies. He'd clutched that naked blade too much. His face displays the same silent confession as yesterday, when I learned the truth.
"How are you feeling?" he finally asks.
He's Seto alright. Practical as ever. Speaking as if he hadn't been kidnapped by pirates and tried to kill himself not a day ago. My jaw tenses up at the dismissiveness. Something heats up in my blood and I can't find the words to answer.
"You should lie back down," he says, putting the prune-like fruit on the nightstand. "I'll call the doctor to change your bandages after you've eaten."
I don't move. The words can't escape my mouth, but my hands curl into fists as I stare back at him. I can't chase the image of him pointing the pistol at his head, getting ready to die. Ready to leave me behind. After some hesitation, he sits on the edge of the bed, still averting his eyes.
"I can imagine what you think of me right now. I'm sorr—"
The words barely leave his mouth when my hand flies into his face with as much strength as I can muster. I regret it instantly when a sharp pain shoots through my shoulder. It's as if I tried to rip my own arm off. I grunt and curl up in pain. But still, I force the words out.
"I have a lot of things to say to you," I say gritting my teeth, and rocking back and forth to contain the pain. "So many in fact, that it might take years to air all of our grievances. I don't even know where to begin."
Shunning the pain as best I can, I straighten up to look at him. He's silent, waiting for me to continue which I promptly do while tears of rage and pain escape leak on my cheeks.
"The one thing I will tell you now, is that if you ever try to take your life again, I will never forgive you. I lost everyone once. I won't lose anyone else. Not like this! Do you hear me?"
I don't have the will or strength to shout, so I stare at him as intensely as my exhausted self allows. He looks back with an unreadable expression. Here I thought I knew how to read him better than anyone. I don't know what to expect from him. I've seldom —if ever— seen Seto pushed to the brink like he was on the Millennium. At this point, I'm dreading that the word 'unsalvageable' will be part of his next sentence.
An eternity goes by before he sighs.
"Use your left hand next time," he finally lets out. "No point in slapping me if you're just going to pull your sutures in the process."
Just like that my anger vanishes. Knowing Seto, it most likely wasn't a joke. But I can't help the snort that escapes me. An artificial half smile pulls on the corner of his lips for a fraction of a moment, but his expression betrays that I've elevated none of his guilt.
Unfortunately, there's no time to address it. The door opens again and Mokuba walks in with fuming plate for me to which my stomach roars I delight. I realize how terribly hungry I am just as I swallow up the fish and potato soup. Every movement hurts but the hunger takes over. My brothers quietly wait for me to finish my meal, occasionally telling me to slow down.
Once finished, I set the plate aside and peek outside the window to my left. The sky is clear again, the sea is visible downhill and the afternoon sun is slowly descending. My thoughts are finally clearing up.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"The Crowley house in Liverand," replies Seto.
"Liverand?" I exclaim. "How long was I asleep?"
"Three days," they answer in unison.
The familiar grip of anguish suddenly grabs my insides , threatening to make the food I'd just ingested come back up. A million things could've occurred while I was asleep. But what did?
"What happened after I fainted? Tell me everything. Please."
The Kaiba brothers exchange a look filled with apprehension. Whatever I've slept through, it can't be good.
"The Millennium crew was arrested," explains Seto. "They're in the navy's custody and an investigation has been opened to find out what their involvement was in the coordinated attack of the Golden Whale."
"Did you…"
"I said nothing," he interrupts. "I dropped the charges against them under the pretense of them saving your lives. But piracy isn't the affair of civilians. My hands are tied."
I bite the inside of my lips. So this affair is unresolved in every sense of the word. If they're found guilty of piracy…they'll all be sentenced to hang. My mind gets swarmed by images of my kin at the gallows. The invisible hand moves from my insides to my throat and I began panting. A hand lands on my good shoulder.
"Calm down," says Seto. "Nothing's happened yet. For now, they're being held at the local prison."
He takes his hand back just as quickly. I take deep breaths to avoid passing out again. But his frown tells me that's not all I must worry about.
"I'm also currently under investigation for suspicion of complicity. I'm not rotting in a cell but I can't leave Liverand. The Blue Eyes is also stranded."
"What? But that's ridiculous! Why?"
This time, he makes a face I recognize. His eyes seem to sharpen as they stare into nothingness and his frown deepens.
"Pegasus may be insufferable but he's no fool. I wouldn't believe a story like ours and he certainly doesn't. I might have been able to work something out with Kisara but the admiral is another question."
"You speak as if you know them personally…"
"Pegasus and Gozaburo frequented the same social circle which means I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him often. They knew each other quite well. I never cared for him or his theatrics."
That's Seto's way of saying someone is nosy and exudes undeserved confidence. But just from our brief encounter, I can tell this man is far more complex than meets the eye. Just thinking about that one gray eyes on me revives the shudders. It wasn't just my hair it was staring at.
"Why would the admiral of the northern Caribbean fleet come hunt down a pirate ship himself?"
"I don't know what's going on in his mind, but he's always up to something. All I know is that he was quite eager to tag along once I told him you were a Shayee. But to be frank, I know fools who'd come from China just for a chance to catch a glance of you."
Marik comes to mind. He certainly fits that description. The admiral seems to be quite eccentric. Seeing how relatively relaxed he was on the Millennium tells me that much. Even if they had the upper hand, the commodore never let her guard down while he seemed to very much enjoy the tense situation. But Pegasus and his unsettling presence are that last thing I want to think about.
Instead, the ruby irises come to mind. Them and that pit of emptiness, caused by betrayal and hopelessness. What do I do now? What can I do now? My body can't move without shaking and torturing me. And he's locked up in a cell waiting for sentencing.
"So you choose the enemy of our people over your own kin?" screams the Atem of my memory.
Each of these words are like needles in my heart. What's going on through his head? Is he thinking about how unsalvageable he is? About how this is the punishment he deserves for his sins? Suddenly, an atrocious thought hits me.
"Does Atem know?" I nearly shout at Seto, making him jump. "Does he know I'm alright?"
He doesn't have to answer. His face says it all. Ignoring the pain, I throw off my covers and proceed to get up… only for my legs to give in instantly. Thankfully, my guardian catches me before my face gets acquainted with the floor.
"Are you mad? What are you trying to do?"
Despite that, I try to push him away to no avail. My limbs won't stop shaking. "I have to see him. I have to tell him—"
"Yugi! Enough!"
Everything hurts. My legs, my head, my chest… I want to scream but it just makes it hurt more. I grip Seto's arms as more helpless tears sting my eyes. Curse the Stream and its fickle nature. Curse the navy and curse this useless body of mine!
My fingers curl up on Seto's shirt and I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood. My brother pulls me up and helps me sit back down on the bed.
"You're too emotional," is the sad excuse for comfort words I receive.
The blood rushes to my face in anger and I open my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but he kneels in front of me to look me in the eyes. The odd gesture instantly silences the anger. The last time he did that, I was four and on the brink of death.
"You've only just woken up from a three day coma, you can barely stand on your own two legs and you're hurt," he enumerates.
His tone is harsh as usual, but his eyes are in no way condescending like I know them to be whenever I get lectured.
"First breathe," he says. "Then focus and think hard on what you need to do, what you can do and what you want to do."
My eyes widen in realization. Methodical, calculated and focused. What are the rules and what are the loopholes. That same method that saved my life more than once. He's not trying to stop me. He's only stopping me from foolishly rushing head first into trouble. I look down. My heart is pounding like canon-fire in my chest and the rest of me throbs in pain. What exactly do I have right now?
"Whatever it is you decide," continues Seto, as he stands up again. "I'll help you. No matter how incredibly foolish I'm expecting it to be."
"Seto…"
"Let me finish. No matter how you look at this, they're the victims of my company. You won't let me pay for what I did, fine. Then at the very least use me as much as possible."
Even though they're objective is to kill him? How very Seto and unSeto-like. My heart swells up in my chest. Of course I have something. I have my brothers their big brains and their even bigger hearts.
"Don't forget me!" adds Mokuba. "They saved me to. I owe them just as much."
"So, what do you want to do first?" asks the older brother, crossing his arms on his chest.
I don't even have to think about that one. "I need to see him."
Neither looks surprised at my answer.
"Given the charges I'm facing, being seen anywhere near the crew wouldn't be wise for us," Seto responds. "We'd easily be accused of conspiring with them. Luckily for you, there's someone here who owes me a favor. But we'll have to wait till nightfall. Until then, you have to eat and rest. Understood?"
I agree, albeit reluctantly. Those few hours are going to seem like a century. I begrudgingly get back in bed but my cotton nightgown feels even more uncomfortable than before. I can't say I've missed my wardrobe from the mansion.
"Mokuba," says Seto. "Go to the kitchen and have a proper meal prepared for her. As well as some ointment."
"Leave it to me."
Again, Moki leaves the room. But after the sound of the door closing behind him subsides, an uncomfortable silence settles between Seto and I. If I try to stop thinking about Atem, my thoughts differ to Seto and vice versa. As if he caught on to my dilemma — because he's Seto Kaiba— my guardian pulls up a chair and sits by my side.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Now's the time to ask them. There might be no time for them after."
Way to put me on the spot. I fiddle with my fingers, trying to find the right approach. This is oddly similar to my time with Atem in the cave of lucien moss. Only this time, I'm not as ignorant.
"What were they like? My people."
"Just like you. Kind, selfless, generous, peaceful and foolish. So damn foolish. Ready to sacrifice everything for a stranger they knew nothing of."
It's no insult. Only an accentuation of his own guilt. And I know the present Atem would agree with this statement wholeheartedly.
"Tell me about your time on the island," I then ask.
His posture in straight and exudes as much confidence as ever, but his eyes look into nothingness. A rare look for him. He takes a deep breath. For someone who always proclaims that the past is nothing but dead weight, looking back at it mustn't be pleasant. We share that in common.
"I was sent to scout the island. Report every single detail of their lives and find the source of the orichalcum. As you know, the plan was for me to pass as a amnesiac castaway."
I listen with scholar attention as he depicts his mission. He stays very factual, refusing to elaborate on the method used to gain the trust of my people. I wager he's doing everything he can to avoid giving himself excuses. But I can easily guess what those were. To pass as a castaway, he'd have to be both hurt and weak.
"For weeks, I could barely move," he confesses, as his voice becomes uncharacteristically soft. "I was as under the care of a shaman. Her name was Heba. She fed me, clothed me and tended to my wounds every day. She gave me the opportunity to ask a lot of questions."
He pauses for a moment, rubbing his hand on his face as if to chase away the exhaustion. "She was his mother."
Something bitter pinches my heart. How fitting and utterly improbable that fate kept the three of us alive. Something gets stuck in my throat and I try to keep the tears at bay.
"You're the one who told him about Atlantis, aren't you?"
"As soon as I was able to stay conscious, he wouldn't stop pestering me about it. So I told him about some books that I knew about that treated the subject. When I arrived, he didn't know how to read. I showed him the alphabet once. Two weeks after that, he asked me to teach him some latin basics."
I stare at him, speechless. Never have I imagined that they could've been… friends, for a lack of a better word. No, in fact, it's not quite so unbelievable. Though they are like fire and ice personality-wise, they also share many similarities. There cunningness, their determination, their tendency towards arrogance… Somehow it makes everything more morbid.
"In exchange, he told me everything I wanted to know about the Shayee," Seto concludes.
"The summer moon festival?" I mutter.
He nods. "After two months, I collected everything I possibly could, and pretended to recover my memory. You know the rest."
Silence sets in again. Seto's eyes are even more lost than before. Under normal circumstances, I'd assume he was falling ill. My heart feels heavier as more pieces of this tragic puzzle come together but one thing does relieve me. I still can't find it in me to blame him. I can be angry for a lot of things, but not that. This may be one of the only silver linings of our current predicament. Before I realize it, I reach for his hand resting on the armrest. He flinches at the contact.
"When Moki almost drowned, I felt a murderous rage in me," I say. "I was ready to kill everyone on that ship just to make sure he was safe. Given cause, I would've. So believe me when I say, I know what it's like to choose your family over everything else."
Despite my words, his expression doesn't change. I'm not sure my words have reached him in anyway. Just bounced off his shell of guilt. Another eerie similarity with my kin. But after a few moments, his long fingers close on mine softly, as if holding petals. Though he releases them soon after, he finally looks up at my face.
"There is one thing I've been meaning to ask you," he says, clearly changing the subject. "It's about him."
"He has a name, you know," I say.
I can see him frown in discomfort and holding back an annoyed eye-roll. "About Sennen."
"What is it?"
He hesitates for a moment. "Is he…Is he yours?"
The strange question takes me aback and my jumbled mind can't make sense of it. What does he mean?
"I don't understand," I reply frowning. "What do you mean 'mine'? My what?"
A spark of realization lights up in his eyes and he turns away again. "Never mind. There's no need to concern yourself with it."
But just as he says that, Atem's words ring in my head once more.
"The Stream is contagious. Whenever a Shayee awakens, any other who sees them can awaken as well. And this applies even more when it comes to kindred souls."
Any theories about kindred souls, hearties? Looks like our Shayee aren't out of the woods yet!
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