Standing at the office drink station, Satsuki slowly stirred her coffee while her mind stumbled back through the weekend's events: the texts, the date, the walk, the night. Then, the whirlwind morning — at first so warm and comforting, then abruptly cold and empty. She'd spent almost that entire day too embarrassed to even check her phone; by the time she did, she'd found herself somehow both perturbed and relieved to see not a single text from Yugi.

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon when she finally worked up the nerve to send off a few innocuous messages — "Hi :)" and "Hope your day is going well." Unfortunately she'd received no reply, and this only left her feeling even more confused. Half of her felt like she should apologize, but even if she did, she knew it would be insincere — to her, there didn't seem to be anything either of them should feel sorry for. And yet she still found herself replaying his words in her head at nearly every opportunity, trying to decipher some deeper meaning behind them.

"There you are!"

Satsuki nearly dumped her coffee all over the counter at the feel of a hand clamping down on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see Miho grinning at her like a cheshire cat.

"You've been avoiding me," Miho said, crossing her arms.

"Have not."

"Oh yeah? Then what was with all those one-word answers to my texts this weekend?" She lifted her phone and scrolled up a tick. "Literally all you said was 'Fine' when I asked how it went with Yugi."

Satsuki flinched and grabbed Miho by the arm, leading her away from the coffee bar to a more secluded table near the window. After they sat down across from each other, Miho was looking no less obstinate.

"Well?" she said, in only a slightly quieter tone.

"Well — it went … fine."

Miho rolled her eyes. "You're impossible, you know that?"

Satsuki grinned, even though she was panicking a bit on the inside. After taking a sip of her coffee, she cleared her throat. "What about you and Honda? You two seemed to be getting really cozy toward the end of the night."

Miho bit her lip, obviously unprepared for the diversion. "Oh my god, I was so drunk," she admitted, laughing. "But no — he was a perfect gentleman. Made sure I got home alright, and that was it."

Satsuki smiled over the rim of her mug. "Good, I'm glad. About time you went for the gentleman instead of the complete tool."

"Is it bad that I was kinda hoping he wouldn't be a gentleman?"

Mouth full of coffee, Satsuki laughed through her nose and nodded.

"Okay, alright, we get it — I have horrible taste in men," Miho grumbled, throwing her hands up. But a moment later, her cheshire smile was back. "So if you won't tell me what happened, can you at least tell me what's next? Do we like him, do we not? Date number two on the horizon or are we already thinking friends-with-benefits territory?"

"Miho!"

"What? You know if you give my imagination an inch, it'll take a mile!"

Satsuki sighed. "Yeah, well, unfortunately your imagination is going in the wrong direction," she said, cradling her mug in both hands. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to see me again."

"Really? That bad?"

"I think I spooked him a little," Satsuki said.

"Well, whatever. His loss." Miho leaned back and shrugged. "He seemed a little dull for you anyway."

Satsuki couldn't help but take offense to this, more for Yugi's sake than her own. Sure, he was no Seto Kaiba — no sleek suits, no private jets, no silver tongue. But despite her best efforts, she'd grown incredibly fond of his kind and gentle disposition, and after their night spent together, it would be a far reach to call him dull.

"Oh." Miho's voice snapped Satsuki out of her daydream; she looked up to see her friend peering knowingly at her. "You really like him, huh?"

Satsuki flushed and lowered her eyes back to her coffee. The cream was already separating, creating pale swirls on the surface.

"Well, just give it some time," Miho went on, her tone uncharacteristically soft. "Maybe he'll come around."

Satsuki forced a smile. "Yeah. Maybe."

...

When Satsuki stepped out onto the darkened streets after her long workday, the air was bitterly cold. She clutched her coat tight around her as she walked, cursing herself for forgetting her scarf at home that morning. It was unlike her to be unprepared for the weather, and again she was forced to look to her whirlwind weekend as the source of all this distraction. With an exasperated sigh, she drew to a sharp stop at a corner crossing.

As she watched the street lights blinking and the cars trundling by, her thoughts finally drifted away from Yugi, instead turning inward. It was easy to blame external forces for her confusion, but if she was honest with herself, the only reason it had gotten this bad was because she'd let it. What had started as a breezy fling had spiraled into a mess of flared emotions and deception, all because she'd failed to control herself when the time called for it.

As her mind meandered, she suddenly remembered the voice she'd heard in her head three nights prior — and how it had spoken almost separately from her own will. She searched her memories; tried to imagine what might have triggered such a distinct reaction from her subconscious. It was then she realized: the voice had only started speaking to her after Yugi's subtle change, from shy and reserved, to bold and intent. After that, it was as if that hidden part of her had completely taken over.

Her deep reverie was interrupted first by the blare of the crossing signal, then by a soft vibration in her pocket. With a jolt, she jogged across the street, stopping on the opposite corner to retrieve her phone. As she looked at the screen, her eyes went wide.

Yugi:
Hey. We should talk.

Instantly, she felt as though her heart might thump through her chest. She stared at the screen until a loud car horn woke her from her trance. She then straightened up and typed out the only answer she could manage:

Yeah.

An ellipsis appeared almost immediately after she hit send; a moment later, his reply followed:

Meet me at the natural history museum Saturday at noon.

Satsuki breathed deep, finding that first bite of winter suddenly more refreshing. A smile spread slowly across her face. It wasn't much, but it was something — an opportunity to get some answers and perhaps preserve an amicable relationship between them. But halfway to typing out her reply, a blur of black entered her periphery, followed by the familiar sound of a car window rolling down.

Then, panic struck.

Blue eyes pierced her deeper than any wind chill, thin lips already curled into a tell-tale smirk. Seto Kaiba lifted a hand and gestured lightly for her to approach. Satsuki hesitated. She stole a glance at her phone, just in time to see another ellipsis disappear. With a grit of her teeth, she stowed her phone and shuffled up beside the idling car.

"Care to get out of the cold?"

A shiver ran through her, bringing with it an unpleasant fight or flight instinct. But she knew even if she were to decline, it wasn't like she could avoid him forever. Sooner or later she'd have to deliver her latest 'report,' skeletal as it was. Perhaps it was better to rip the band-aid off now, in hopes that she could rid herself of yet another troublesome distraction.

She gave a shallow nod. "Thanks."

He reached over to unlock the doors, then rolled up his window while Satsuki made her way to the opposite side. After she slid inside and closed the door, the car took off again.

She cleared her throat and made a forward gesture. "You can turn around at the next intersection."

When she looked back at Seto, his eyes were glinting. "I was hoping you'd come back to my place."

The 'flight' instinct came back with a fiery vengeance. She breathed a nervous laugh. "I appreciate it, but I'm not far—"

"Please. I insist." He returned his gaze to the front of the car. "I'll make you some tea."

The words shocked her with another chill, rendering her unable to muster any more refusals. Swallowing to wet her parched mouth, she craned her neck to look out her window again. The skyscrapers she'd walked by only moments ago passed in a blur, as if she were rocketing backward through time. It disoriented her, almost to the point of thinking she might be dreaming. But she forced herself to return to the present moment when the towncar eased around a corner into the parking garage of the president's apartment building.

The car dropped them off just outside the VIP elevator, and Seto wasted not a moment ushering her inside it. Satsuki fidgeted while the elevator flew up the shaft, looking everywhere but at the president. She could tell he was staring at her, and it caused her to nearly lose her balance when the elevator finally bobbed to a stop. It opened directly into the entryway of his penthouse; again, he gestured her oneward. She obeyed, stopping to remove her shoes and place them beside the door.

As Satsuki straightened, she jolted at the feel of a hand brushing the back of her neck — Seto had slipped his hands beneath the collar of her coat and was easing it gently off her shoulders. Feeling heat creeping into her cheeks, she turned away and shrugged the garment the rest of the way off. He hung it on the wall beside his own, then gestured once more, this time to the nearby door leading to his office.

"I'll be right behind you."

She nodded sheepishly and made her way into the office, leaving the door ajar behind her. The room was dark, bathed in only a weak glow coming in from a wide window on the other side of the room. To distract herself, she meandered over to a small lounge area just inside the door. Two plush chairs sat facing one another in front of a wall of shelves, a small coffee table between them. Satsuki flipped on the lamp behind the foremost chair, washing the cozy space in warm yellow light.

Newly illuminated, Satsuki was able to make out some of the books lining the shelves: mainly academic journals on the topics of business and economics, but with a few classics scattered throughout. While she scanned the titles, she racked her brain for a way to calm her frayed nerves. Desperately, she reminded herself — all the president wanted was an update on her investigation. Nothing more, nothing less. But as slow moments ticked by, her mind continued to race with questions: How had he found her on the street? Had he been following her? Why had he taken her home, instead of approaching her at the office like before? What if he was displeased with her work? Would he let her remove herself from the project if she asked? Or would he push her for more, more, more—?

Satsuki froze as her eyes crossed a flash of gold, strangely out of place among the muted dust jackets and minimalist curios on the shelves. She blinked, then shifted a bit to bring the object into the light of the lamp. It was smooth and round, no bigger than a tennis ball, and with a strange, pitted carving visible on the surface. When she squinted closer, another shudder racked her body: the carving was almost identical to the one on Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.

The realization set off a chain reaction in her mind. She knew there were other Millennium Items — seven in total, if memory served — but never in a million years would Satsuki have taken Seto Kaiba as a collector of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The fact that there was one on display in his study was odd enough on its own, but combined with her newfound knowledge of his relationship to Yugi Muto, it struck her as particularly suspicious.

Staring at the object, Satsuki was once again beset with an urge to reach out and touch it — just as with the Puzzle three days prior. It was as if the Item were emitting a hidden aura, perfectly matching the wavelength of that elusive part of her — mystical, otherworldly … powerful.

"See something you like?"

Satsuki stood up board-straight, whipping her head around to see Seto standing in the doorway, bearing a single cup and saucer in his hands. When she failed to form a reply, a smirk crept back onto his face. Slowly, he glided into the room and set the teacup on the table.

"All I had was sencha," he said, motioning for Satsuki to sit. "Hope that's alright."

She nodded, lowering herself into the chair closest to the door. It sat facing the shelves, and even as Seto took a seat across from her, she could clearly see the glint of the Millennium Item over his shoulder. She forced herself to tear her eyes away, settling them on him with as brave a look as she could manage.

His smile softened. "How was your weekend?"

"Fine," she said. "We went to the arcade. I figured it would help build my cover."

He hissed a laugh; Satsuki couldn't tell if it was one of amusement or impatience. "Did they reveal any useful information?"

"Not really," she said, reaching out to take up the teacup. "They swear it's just the four of them working on it. Although…" After taking a sip of tea, she settled the cup and saucer into her lap and smoothed her lips together. She was truly grasping at straws now, but his expectant stare pushed her onward.

"Although?"

When Satsuki looked back up, her eyes were drawn conspicuously to the gold sphere. "It's just … something one of them mentioned. About there being 'two Yugis' working on it." She huffed incredulously at her own words, leaning forward to place the cup and saucer back on the table. "It's probably nothing."

But when she returned her eyes to Seto, he was looking strangely unperturbed. "Were you able to do as I asked?"

Her heart lurched; he didn't even have to say the word 'closer' to send Satsuki's mind into a tailspin. "I think so."

"Good," he said simply; coldly. "He'll be vulnerable now. Ready to tip his hand."

The glint in her periphery burned deeper, threatening to ignite anger within her. "Tip his hand about what?" She bit her tongue, but it was too late to dull the sharpness of her words. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm still not completely sure what I'm supposed to be doing here. As far as I can tell, there's nothing out of the ordinary about this guy or his friends. They're doing everything legit. Hell, they're actually nice people."

Seto said nothing. Any hint of a smile had faded completely away, leaving his face as blank as limestone.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Satsuki went on, her voice rising now. "That he and you had history? Honestly, that blindsided me. At first I thought we were doing this to improve the Aura project, but now it feels …" She gritted her teeth. "It feels personal."

His smile returned, more wicked than ever. "Come now, Miss Hidaka," he said, his tone dripping with disdain. "You of all people must understand that in this industry, business is personal."

A fire roared to life in her chest, turning flight into fight. "And what if I don't want to mix business with pleasure?" The words tasted foreign, bitter — gratifying. "What if I don't want to be your errand girl anymore?"

"Then I'd say it's a shame," he shot back. "I thought I saw a spark in you, Miss Hidaka. Maybe I was mistaken."

"Maybe you weren't."

His eyes narrowed to thin, glinting crystals. "If that's how it has to be, then fine. But I should warn you: if you don't tread carefully, it might just be the worst decision you ever make for your career."

"Oh, I highly doubt that." She stood abruptly, her eyes once again drawn to the artifact smoldering like a coal in the dim light. "If you have a bone to pick with Yugi Muto, pick it yourself. Until then, find someone else to stir up your old rivalries."

Without another thought, she turned and stormed out of the office. Her vision blurred with rage as she made her way back to the elevator and slammed the down arrow. Jaw clenched, she pulled on her coat and shoes again, then strode headlong into the elevator when the doors parted. She turned around and mashed the button for the lobby, her eyes catching sight of the doorway she'd come from. Empty.

As soon as the elevator slid closed, a choked sob fell from her mouth, hollowing her chest until she thought she might suffocate. When she finally inhaled, the rush of air snuffed out the flame that had been burning in her heart. She almost broke down and cried right there. Even though she'd effectively untethered herself from the president's machinations, she somehow still felt like a puppet — only this time, she had no idea who was pulling her strings. Where had those vicious words come from? And worse, why had it felt so good to utter them?

She pressed her hands into her stomach in an attempt to settle the thrashing and stirring. As she did, she felt the small lump of her phone in her pocket, and suddenly, her thoughts quelled. She pulled it out and unlocked it; her half-typed reply to Yugi was still sitting on the screen. Further up, she saw a new text had arrived only a few minutes prior.

Yugi:
Everything alright?

Just this simple arrangement of letters sent a wave of comfort washing over her again. With a quivering sigh, she edited her message and hit send.

Yeah. I'll be there.

Satsuki spent the rest of the work week in fear she might be fired at any moment. Everywhere she went, it felt like there was a shadow following her. It wasn't until almost the end of the week that she finally heard through Miho's gossip vine that the president had been away on business again. She breathed a sigh of relief, only for her worries to be stoked into a fury once more at the thought of her meeting with Yugi looming near.

She considered texting him some more throughout the week, but she knew everything she wanted to say would be best said in person. When Friday night finally rolled around, she slept fitfully, her dreams filled with flashes of rain-soaked streets, glinting gold, and veiled eyes of blue and violet. But as always, the morning broke grey and dim. She rose and washed away the haze of sleep in the shower, then readied herself as slowly as possible in an attempt to keep her mind from wandering.

Unfortunately, she was afforded no such distractions on the journey to Domino's natural history museum. On the metro, she tried to find a new podcast or album to listen to, but she ended up putting on the same droning instrumental playlist as always. The moody music only further entrenched her in her pensive thoughts, but when the train arrived at her stop, Satsuki was surprised to see the morning clouds had burned off to reveal a bright blue sky.

After a brisk walk through the gallery district, she arrived at the museum: an understated brick building with stark white columns dotting the front facade. She'd only been here once on a grade school field trip, and she remembered hating every moment of it: slouching through formless exhibits and uninteresting lectures from withering docents. Now, washed in angled autumn light and framed by the sky, it seemed a bit more welcoming.

Slowly, she trudged up the stairs to the main entrance. She was early by almost ten minutes, but when she passed through the first set of doors, she saw a familiar reedy figure with wild hair waiting on a bench just inside. She paused in the safety of the vestibule, peering cautiously at Yugi, who hadn't yet noticed her presence. He looked almost more nervous than she was, his hands folded together between his knees, one leg bouncing madly. Satsuki drew in a deep breath, then strode through the inner doors.

Almost instantly, Yugi snapped his head toward her and surged to his feet, shoving his fiddling hands in the pockets of his jacket. He flashed a gentle smile as she drew to a stop before him. Satsuki forced herself to mirror it.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey."

A thick, awkward silence passed between them, broken only by the soft echo of footsteps and the drone of voices coming from the reception desk nearby. Finally, before the guilt vaporized her willpower, Satsuki cleared her throat and spoke. "Listen, I … I'm sorry about—"

"Satsu." He lowered his eyes for a moment, shifting his weight uneasily. "Please don't apologize. That's not—" He sighed, and when he glanced back up, he was the one looking guilty. "Just … Come with me. There's something I want to show you."

He motioned with his head toward the reception desk, then set off toward it. Satsuki followed and prepared to retrieve her wallet, only to look up in surprise when one of the receptionists greeted Yugi by name.

"Hello Mr. Muto," the woman said brightly. "Two admissions today?"

He smiled and nodded, then accepted the two tickets handed to him. He gave one to Satsuki, who raised her eyebrows upon seeing the word 'DONOR' stamped at the top.

"You're a donor?" she asked, as he led the way through the turnstiles.

He laughed modestly. "Not that kind. Here, this way."

Satsuki followed close as he started down a hallway lined with wide windows on one side. The warmth of the sun sent a tingle over her scalp, magnified into a shiver by her sudden curiosity. They passed a multitude of exhibits branching off from the main path — towering replicas of dinosaur bones, intricate models of prehistoric societies, priceless ancient artifacts encased in thick glass boxes.

At last, toward the end of the hall, Yugi turned into a narrow chamber flanked with dozens of display cases. The dim lighting caught glimmers of brilliant gold and turquoise and other rich hues; Satsuki paused just inside the room to stare into one of the cases bearing a beautiful Egyptian pharaoh's mask. Rapt as she was, she almost didn't notice Yugi wasn't waiting for her. She hurried on behind him, sweeping her eyes from side to side as she walked.

All around were dozens more Egytpain artifacts: intricate jewelry, well-preserved clothing, small statuettes and effigies and slates carved with writing. Further on, the chamber widened to a spoked atrium with a tall display case in the center of four converging paths, illuminated by a skylight overhead. Yugi came to a stop before the case, then turned and offered a smile as Satsuki arrived at his side.

She regarded him for a moment before turning her attention to the case, wherein several gold artifacts drifted in slow circles on a carousel of pedestals and stands. As she focused on one — a large ring with five sharp tines dangling from the bottom — Satsuki's eyes went wide.

"Is this—?"

Yugi nodded. "The Millennium Items."

She inspected each of the five Items as they circled past: a set of scales, a small necklace, an imposing scepter, an ankh-shaped key, and finally, the ring. Each of them had the same molded eye carved into the surface of the otherwise pristine gold.

"It took us a long time to gather all of them," Yugi said, glancing at her with a sheepish smile. "Well, almost all of them."

Her mind raced back to her last encounter with Seto; to the small golden sphere on his shelf, its pitted eye staring blankly into her soul. If it indeed belonged to this collection, then it meant all seven Items were accounted for — a feat for which Yugi seemed to be humbly accepting credit.

"They're beautiful," she said softly. "But what does this have to do with me?"

He drew in an audible breath; when he exhaled, a thin mist appeared on the glass. "Most people don't believe it … but these Items are magical."

Under any other circumstances, Satsuki might have burst into laughter at these words. But just then, she felt it again — that powerful aura, radiating from the Items like warm sunlight.

"Not magical in the wand-waving or 'abracadabra' sort of way," he went on, chuckling to himself. "But in a spiritual way. They connect us to our ancient past … and to each other."

A ray of light sparked off one of the Items, drawing Satsuki's eyes back to the display case. Her heart fluttered to see not her own reflection in the polished glass, but another person completely: one of regal posture, adorned in threads of white and gold and blood-rich red, who could have easily been her twin. She smiled and nodded, and when Satsuki blinked, the woman was gone, leaving nothing but her own wide eyes staring back once again.

"Satsu … I hope I don't sound crazy for saying this. But I think our souls may be connected."