Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only accept constructive criticism.

10-10-2-Do-Me

Chapter 38

Operator Please

Isis forced the tears back and quickly wiped at her eyes. When the elevator doors opened, she rudely rushed out, cutting through a group of waiting people. Outside she found the same driver from before waiting with the limo.

The driver gave her a sympathetic look, "I'll get you home soon ma'am."

Isis wondered if the driver knew something was amiss based on Kaiba's request or her watery eyes. Regardless, she felt embarrassed by his pity. She fumbled with her purse as she tried to dig out her phone. "Um, no. Please take me somewhere else." The last thing she wanted was to go home. The driver looked like he wanted to deny her, but Isis quickly added a pitiful, "Please…"

The driver looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was within earshot. "OK, OK, get in ma'am."

Isis immediately got inside and once the driver entered, she rattled off the address. She considered rolling up the partition, but she didn't really want to be alone. She sat in silence as the car started to move. She felt incapable of reasoning through what just happened. Instead, her mind kept replaying every good and bad occasion from the night. The good could only temper the sting of how things ended.

'Come with me to Japan.'

Her hands had yet to stop shaking; now they were sweating. She could barely hold her smart-phone because of it. She clumsily got it back into her purse, forgetting why she pulled it out in the first place. She reached for the nearby tissues and pressed them firmly into her ruined makeup. She wanted to stop crying. She wanted to stop behaving in a way she thought was too dramatic for such a situation. In the grand scheme of things, she just had a bad date, right?

'What do you need to consider? If I'm worthy of you coming to Japan?'

"Ma'am?" The limo came to a slow roll, "We're here, yes?"

Isis had completely zoned out, not even realizing they were there. She looked out the window and spotted the familiar tan colored ranch style townhome with the white Acura RLX sitting in the driveway. The lights were on inside, thank goodness.

"Thank you." Isis got out the limo and walked on weak legs to the door. She rang the doorbell and listened as the limo continued to idle by the curb. She wondered if the driver cared about her safety or wanted to see who lived here, so he could report back. She didn't care either way.

No one had yet to come to the door. Despite the lights being on and the car being in the driveway, it didn't mean the occupant had to come to the door. Isis cursed herself for not calling ahead or even sending a courtesy text. She was completely beside herself from the tactless behavior. But she was already there, and she didn't want to get back in the limo. She rang the doorbell again. The sound of the locks clicking open immediately offered Isis relief.

The door swung back revealing Kisara with her long hair wrapped up in a towel. She was wearing what looked like the softest pink robe. In her arms was her fluffy white Turkish Angora cat. Anastasia had a habit of running out of an open door.

"Isis, I thought that was you."

Kisara was beyond surprised to find her friend on her doorstep so late at night. Better yet to find her dressed up, make up ruined by tears, and a limo dropping her off. She grabbed Isis' hand and gently pulled her inside, giving a polite wave to the driver as she closed the door. Kisara could hear the limo driving away as she reapplied her door locks.

"Are you OK?"

Isis sniffled and looked down at the cat in Kisara's arms. She was too ashamed to make eye contact. "…No…"

Kisara set the cat down and led Isis into the living room. She grabbed her cozy faux mink pink throw from the back of the couch and wrapped it around Isis' shoulders. She moved into the kitchen and immediately put a kettle on. "Is chamomile lavender tea, OK? I haven't been able to get to the store for more options."

Isis nodded, "Yes, that would be fine." Anastasia got to work brushing her clean fur against Isis, before settling into her lap. She purred loudly, kneading against Isis' thigh.

Kisara returned to the living room and sat down next to Isis. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry for not calling or messaging you before I came over. I just…I couldn't go home."

"We're friends." Kisara's face softened in empathy. "This is the first time in the two years I've known you to show up to my house unannounced. I'm happy I was here to answer the door."

Isis slumped over and rested her head on Kisara's soft chest. "Me too…"

Kisara held Isis as she quietly wept. When the kettle whistled, Isis moved so Kisara could stand. She prepared them both a cup of tea and returned, handing the warm teacup to Isis. "What happened tonight?" Kisara sat back down next to her friend.

Isis could hear the apprehension in Kisara's voice. Most likely she was bracing herself for the worst. Isis took a sip of the tea and inhaled the smooth smell of the lavender and chamomile. "It's a long story…"

Kisara gave her a patient smile, "I have time."

Isis took a deep breath and slowly began the odd tale of Dahlia and the Chairman, turned Isis and Kaiba. She recounted from their humble online beginnings to this very night. Kisara listened closely and only asked clarifying questions. Isis was grateful for Kisara not being pushy for the details and allowing Isis to state everything at her pace.

"I didn't want to go home after that, so I came here." Isis took another sip of her tea, finding she neglected it during her story telling. "I didn't mean to make you an emotional support tonight. I wasn't sure where to go."

"You don't have to apologize for coming here." Kisara set her empty cup down. "I feel like you and I got closer after my final show. I haven't seen you since then, so even under these circumstances, I'm glad to have you."

"Thank you…"

Kisara looked at Isis curiously. "Kaiba is asking quite a bit of you."

"In more ways than one."

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Isis stared down into her cup as she nodded. "Petrified," she whispered.

"But you want to go?"

Isis slowly looked up from the tea and into her friend's baby blue eyes, "Yes…does that make me a fool?"

Kisara shook her head, "Not at all."

Isis let out a long sigh. "Then why do I feel like a fool for wanting to go?"

"You and I have been hurt a lot in our lives." Kisara placed a comforting hand on Isis' knee. "We have a hard time going after what we really want, because our dreams are risky."

Isis felt like Kisara was reading a part of her mind she refused to acknowledge.

"Remember how you told me that school would always be here, but I had to chase my burlesque dream with my full focus?"

Isis nodded.

"Las Vegas will always be here."

"But—"

"—If your heart is telling you to go, even though you're scared, even though it doesn't seem logical, you should still give this your full focus."

"But what if I'm wrong?" Isis sounded and felt so small. "What if I go and things don't work out?"

Kisara squeezed her knee, "You don't have to stay and bear it."

A huge wave of relief washed over Isis. The terror and indecision were not based in how she felt for Kaiba, but in how he felt for her. Kisara was right: Isis could go to Japan and if things didn't work, she could leave. This wasn't answer situation where she had to stay if things weren't satisfactory. Sometimes hearing the obvious helped tremendously.

"Thank you for saying that—for reminding me of that."

Kisara gave her a firm hug before standing to gather up the dishes. "I'll go make up the spare room."

"Thank you."

Kisara gave her a sweet smile as she made her way out.

Isis remained on the couch, comforted by Anastasia's purrs. A part of her wanted to run back to the hotel and tell Kaiba what he wanted to hear, but Isis couldn't get so wrapped up in what he wanted, that she forgot who she was and what she wanted. She'd been there, done that, and it didn't work. But how could they both get what they wanted?

By the time Kisara returned, Isis had enough clarity to tell how tired Kisara was. "Did you have dance practice today?"

"I did. We added two new group acts, so practice ran over into tonight."

Here Kisara was no doubt exhausted and she was making time for Isis and her problems. "I can't wait to see the show."

Rather than keep Kisara up any longer, Isis excused herself to the spare room. After a shower, Isis found Kisara was kind enough to lay out a spare pajama set on the bed. The silk set was of shorts and a camisole colored in a warm champagne tone. The color looked lovely against Isis' skin and felt amazing. She found complimentary toiletries in the spare bathroom and took full advantage of them, brushing her teeth and removing her makeup.

Isis lay on clean sheets staring up at the ceiling. She could hear Kisara down the hall playing big band music on a low volume, while she sweetly spoke French in response to Anastasia's meows. Isis knew she made the right decision coming here. She felt at peace despite what she had to do come tomorrow. She and Kisara weren't close in a traditional way, but they were very dear to one another. Isis would forever be grateful for the quiet comfort she found in her friend.

No matter how Isis positioned herself in the bed, she couldn't fall asleep. She was exhausted – emotionally drained. She couldn't stop thinking about Kaiba and how hurt he was by her words. She tried her hardest not to feel guilty for what she said. She was being honest after all. Making that decision in real time was just not responsible to do. Why was she so into unreasonable men? She reached for her phone and checked her alerts. No missed calls or messages. She opened the D.O.T.M app to find it working just fine and wondered if Kaiba was still working.

She opened the clock app to check the time in Domino City and eyed the time she still had saved for Cairo. She pulled up her emails and went to a folder full of saved messages. She clicked on one she'd yet to revisit:

'Is salaam 'alaykum Isis,

I'm hoping you still have the same email address. It's been almost two years and I haven't heard from you or of you, from your family. I simply wanted to check in and see how you were. Feel free to ignore this message if you feel it's not in good taste, but I really do hope all is well and Allah has blessed you.

I wish I was contacting you simply to check in and wish blessings upon you, but there is more to this than just that. Whether you have or have not heard of this, I am here to confirm it: Shadi has remarried. I write this as me and my wife help in cleaning up after the celebrations. I…I wasn't sure if I should tell you. But even now, I feel the need to protect you from him and anything that could potentially be said based upon hearsay, which could hurt you. I am so sorry the first time I contact you, it comes with things attached. Please forgive me for this.

If you are ever back in town, always know you are welcome in my home and my wife shares the same sentiments.

Ma'is salaama,

Odion Rishid'

Since receiving that message in the mall that day, Isis had yet to process the news. Even now with Kaiba partially in the picture, she felt a pang of hurt in her chest over the nuptials. It took Shadi no time to remarry and here Isis sat questioning herself with every move she made. Perhaps this contributed to her fears and worries? What made Shadi more trustworthy to be with than Kaiba? The very man she'd known since she was a child treated her oh so poorly. Meanwhile Kaiba had only known her for a few weeks and while he'd stumbled along the way, he worked overtime to be with her. She felt an angry tear roll down her cheek at how messed up she felt from her divorce, while Shadi seemed unaffected and easily moved on. It just wasn't fair.

'Don't let Shadi be the only one to have that chance with you! It's fucking unfair!'

Isis rubbed her eyes. She wasn't sure if Kaiba felt like he had to compete with Shadi, but those words really hit her. Was Shadi still a factor? She forced herself to reread the email and to feel everything it stirred inside of her. It wasn't a visceral reaction: it was a calm storm. She could see the clouds and hear the thunder, but rain never came. She was emotionally distant which was a good sign. Isis had no more love for Shadi, romantic or platonic.

The grief she felt was for someone she once, was who would surely be crushed by the news. It was odd grieving for herself in another life, but also necessary. It all went back to not undermining her feelings or allowing herself to behave in a way that was always true to herself. Sometimes she felt that she put so much time in tangible goals, she felt like she neglected certain areas of self-growth. It's why it was so easy to get lost in her head. The self-doubt was palpable.

'Some of us aren't like you Seto. We can't be so bold and upfront when making decisions like this.'

'You're full of shit. You're the very one who challenged me back in Domino to prove what the fuck I wanted from you…'

Despite being her toughest critic, this experience with Kaiba accidentally uncovered something huge: she'd learned to put herself first. Shadi and his family worked so hard to make her a codependent wife but that's not who Isis was, or ever would be. She learned to set boundaries, stand by them, and not allow anyone (not even Kaiba) to push them down. And these boundaries were not made in bitterness or malice. They were made with preserving her happiness before bending over backwards for fake smiles.

Isis was strong, much stronger than she gave herself credit for. The tears that fell were those of pride—she was proud of herself. Kaiba challenged her in so many ways that it made him hard to trust – he was just so different from what she's used to. But in that different, it revealed not only the better sides of herself, but had the potential to reveal the best.

'What did you expect? That I could drop everything and run around with you in Las Vegas indefinitely?'

'No!'

'Then what's the real issue, Isis?'

Isis now understood exactly how she felt and what she needed to do. She set an alarm on her phone and closed her eyes. If everything fell around her tomorrow, at least she would have her self-respect with her broken heart.

Palm's Place

Kaiba glared out over Las Vegas. He wasn't appreciating anything about it, just using the bright lights, roaring voices, and speeding cars as a focal point for his senses. He wanted to leave right now. He didn't even want to be bothered with packing; just have his staff gather up his things and check him out. His Blue-Eyes jet could get him back to Domino in six hours flat. But he was in no condition to pilot anything. A bottle missing a considerable amount of whiskey was being clutched in his left hand. He was drunk and miserable.

He took another swig from the bottle and grimaced at the burn. He didn't want to waste further time brooding over his many, many failures when it came to Isis, but it was all he could think about. No matter what he did, she was immovable. What the fuck did she want? At this point, he was confident it wasn't him.

Kaiba knocked back the rest of the whiskey. "Stupid fucking—!" He threw the bottle down onto the patio floor. The bottle loudly shattered against the stone.

The brunet swayed as he maneuvered where his laptop and phone were sitting on the patio furniture. His computer was fine after he tossed it. He didn't expect anything less since he personally built it. The reinforced military grade steel that encased the important components was used for tech in the battlefield. He'd broken enough laptops in his youth to learn his lesson. He more fell into the chair than sat down and glared at the screen. The server issue was for sure something bigger and he'd narrowed it down to two possible causes: power issue at MGC or a personal attack. The power issue's probability was nearly nonexistent, so the hacker theory was in the forefront.

"Dammit." In the grand scheme of things, if this was a personal attack, it was a pretty weak one. It came off more as a warning, perhaps even a message of more to come. Like hell Kaiba was going to let that happen.

The loud buzzing of his phone had him rolling his eyes. Yami had already called him three times and he'd sent him to voicemail each time. But this time instead of seeing his cousin's name and number, it was someone else. He snatched up his phone and hit the green button but said nothing.

"Eeehhh, hello?" Joey was super confused to hear distant street noise but no Kaiba. "Ya there MB?"

"What do you want Wheeler? I'm an incredibly busy and important man."

"And ya forgot drunk. Very, very drunk." Joey chuckled at the slurred words. "You're havin' way too much fun over there."

Kaiba scoffed, "Fuck Las Vegas, fuck the United States of America, fuck Chrysler—"

"—Whoa, whoa, whoa! You leave my man Walter Chrysler out of this. What's got ya panties in a bunch to shit on my beautiful red, white, and blue?"

"Doesn't matter. What do you want?"

"I was just callin' to say thanks. Malik messaged me on social media to talk about dates for my tattoo." Joey's excitement would have been contagious had he been speaking to anyone else.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "And fuck your tattoo."

"You're such an asshole."

"Yeah, I know."

Joey immediately paused. Kaiba was agreeing? "Kaiba, ya good?"

"What the fuck do you think?"

Joey made a low humming sound. "Let's hash it out pal."

"No…and don't ever call me pal."

"Nah, before ya do somethin' stupid let's talk." Joey knew Kaiba and when he got pissed, he got reckless. "What did Isis do?"

"How do you know it's about her?"

"What else would have you on the rampage? A damn Chrysler? Fuck outta here."

Kaiba hated Joey so much in so many ways. "Fine. It is about Isis and she's a waste of time to even talk about."

"Why? She tell ya no?"

"How the fuck do you know?"

"The word 'no' always flips you over the edge. Remember when that pretty boy from Germany told you no?" Joey gave a low chuckle, "He got fully acquainted with ya briefcase real quick."

"Consult my legal team for that one."

Joey snorted in amusement. "Come on MB, what did ya ask ya lady?

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Stop bein' on that bullshit and be real with me." Joey sounded frustrated but still caring. "I'm not goin' to sit on the phone with one of my best buds and pretend that you're not upset. Keep it real or hang up – your choice."

Kaiba clutched his phone in an iron grip. He didn't like how firm Joey was speaking to him. Like he was some ornery toddler that needed to be reminded the importance of eating vegetables over cookies. He wanted to hang up so bad, but he felt like he was losing if he did. He also refused to be this miserable alone. At least that's the reason he convinced himself of.

"…I asked her to come to Japan with me…"

"Whoa." Joey was speechless which was an utter rarity for him.

"She said no."

"Did you ask her to have your little dragon babies too? Geez Kaiba."

His whole face went red. "Fuck you."

"I swear I'm not tryin' to roast ya. I've just never seen you so adamant about a girl since we were in high school." Joey's tone dropped, "That summer you crushed on my sister…"

Kaiba couldn't help it. Puberty punched Serenity very hard in the chest area. "We agreed to let that die."

"No, I agreed not to let you die by my fists!"

Kaiba snorted, "Grow up and get over it. Besides, I wasn't the only one briefly interested."

"True, but you were the only one who said my sister had giant cans."

"Giant melons."

Joey made an anguished disgusted sound that almost made Kaiba smile. "Enough about that shit. Let's back up: did she really say no or just not give an answer?"

Kaiba was annoyed Joey didn't just take his word for it but after rereviewing the conversation, he supposed Joey had the right to ask for clarification. "The second."

Joey gave a very nostalgic chuckle, "Maybe we were separated at birth Kaiba."

"Doubt it."

"Afraid that summer could be labeled as incest?"

"You're a waste of cells Wheeler."

"There's the asshole I know and love."

Kaiba shook his head in disbelief. Why did he keep Joey around again?

"I say that since you know, I kind of freaked out when I asked Mai to move to Japan and she couldn't give me an answer right then."

Kaiba furrowed his brow; he wasn't familiar with this story. "What happened?"

"I flew into Miami feelin' like an utter badass—a straight Casanova. I charmed the hell out of her. I'm talkin' a fancy dinner on a yacht, sunset boat ride, and then I dropped that nasty 'Wheeler weapon of mass destruction' on her back at the hotel."

Kaiba was having some crazy déjà vu and disgust Joey was still referring to his genitals as such.

"The next morning she's all over me and I just blurt it out: 'come back to Domino with me babe.' I said it so confidently, big stupid grin and all. Do you know the first thing Mai said after that?"

"What?"

"Estas loco – this broad asked me if I was crazy. I found a solution to keep this whole thing goin'. Like, how dare she."

"…Were you mad?"

"Pissed." Joey chuckled, "I flipped out. Told her she was crazy for thinkin' it was a bad idea. This turned into a full blow out. You know how Mai can get. I packed my shit and went to the airport in the middle of her yellin' at me."

Kaiba licked his lips at just how similar everything was.

"I'm sittin' at my terminal just fumin'. How dare she not get excited! I thought a woman like Mai would appreciated a guy like me showin' how committed I was to her. She doesn't have to question anythin' but I'm the crazy one. During that 16-hour flight I had a lot of time to think."

"You? Thinking? Must have been difficult." Kaiba's sarcasm was thoroughly heard.

"Laugh it up but it's what happened. I really thought about what I asked of her. As you know, my old man never asked me if I wanted to move to Japan. He just made me. I never got a say in the matter. Now I had to make new friends, learn a damn language—that shit wasn't fun."

Kaiba leaned back in his chair, thoroughly listening.

"Then I had to figure out why I was so pissed. That shit went a little deeper than I wanted it to..." Joey shook his head despite not being seen, "I couldn't deal with the idea of someone needin' time to consider bein' with me. I'd felt abandoned by my family so many times, hearin' no from Mai was too much for me to handle. 'Cause I chose her, I didn't choose the people that did me dirty, I just had to deal with 'em."

Kaiba felt like iceberg cold water was just dumped on him.

"So, if I choose her, she has to choose me. It was super immature and I felt like an idiot. As soon as I landed in Tokyo, I got right back on another 16-hour flight and went back to Miami. She said she was angry but relieved to see me. We spent all night talkin' – four months later she moved to Domino."

While Kaiba couldn't deny the glaring comparisons, Joey already got his answer. Kaiba had yet to. "That's your outcome Joey."

Joey let out a long sigh. Kaiba was so good at fighting the parallels between their mistakes. "I know you; I know you really well whether you agree or not. You're askin' a lot of her Kaiba. Take five minutes to pull ya head out of ya ass and see that."

Kaiba rubbed a hand down his face in utter confliction. One side of him wanted to continue to be angry and miserable, because angry and miserable were familiar. They were experiences he knew he could handle. But to allow himself to accept that Isis impacted him so strongly, and there was a chance she wouldn't be his, was too overwhelming.

"If you're tired of hearin' me talk, I'll go."

"Wait." Kaiba stood up and found himself pacing the patio. The last thing he wanted to do was be vulnerable with anyone but if he had to start, was best to start with someone he could trust. "How did you know Mai would come to Japan?"

"I didn't."

Kaiba felt his stomach drop to his feet.

"That's the thing about fallin' in love man, you have zero control over the other person. It blows ass. They make their own choices and in the beginnin' of things, you just cross your fingers and hope to God they make choices that are in the direction of stayin' together." Kaiba could hear Joey's smile through the phone. "But once that trust is there, you don't have to worry about that shit. It sounds dumb, but once your issues go from 'will I get dumped this week?' to 'I pissed her off because I bought the wrong brand paper towels', life is so much better."

Kaiba imagined buying the wrong paper towels and Isis giving him that look for doing so. No, improbable. That wasn't an error Kaiba would make, but there were plenty of others he had and would probably continue to do in the future, if Isis said yes. Suddenly he felt overwhelmed by the weight of such changes and—fuck.

Kaiba stopped in his tracks with his eyes wide. "I overwhelmed her."

"Houston, we have contact."

"I'm hanging up."

"You're a good kid under the tantrums, do the right thing."

OK, now Kaiba knew he was being patronized. "I hate you."

"Good luck MB."

The line went dead and Kaiba slowly fell back into the nearest seat. He overwhelmed Isis because he felt overwhelmed knowing there was a possibility, he couldn't have her. In fact, this was a problem and a pattern for him. Every time Isis wasn't overly black or white immediately, he got overwhelmed and did something rash. He didn't trust her kindness at the tower when she begged for him not to humiliate Duke; he didn't trust her interest in the hotel back in Domino. Kaiba didn't even trust Isis to show proper manners and thank him for the hoodie. What was about her that was so untrustworthy?

"I don't belong to anyone. I'm not property that can be shuffled from one man's hands to another."

It was simple: the lack of control. Up until this point, Kaiba had control over every aspect of his life. Whenever he wanted to do something, he did it. Whenever he wanted something, he never had to wait to get it. But with Isis that wasn't the case. She had her thoughts and needs. And every time she tried to present those, he steamrolled them under this crushing need to be in control. But Kaiba couldn't have Isis and be in control. But how could he let that go? The times in his life where he had zero control, things were never good and at times, unsafe for him. He looked over at one of the big windows facing the railing of the penthouse. Suddenly being outside on the patio made him antsy. He retrieved his laptop and went back inside.

"No, you're telling me to come to Japan or this isn't going to work!"

Back in the darkness of the bedroom he fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Kaiba still agreed with that. It was a fact that if he and Isis didn't occupy the same region, they weren't going to make it. He was far too busy, and Las Vegas was full of vultures just looking for a woman like Isis. They'd fall apart at the seams in mere weeks, and he wasn't too proud to admit he would be the catalyst for it. He couldn't even handle her putting him in his place, how would he deal with knowing they were together but not physically together?

"I just need time to think about it…it's a lot to consider…"

Kaiba thought back to when his father sent him to the States for his higher education. While he didn't doubt his ability to adapt or even communicate (he is a hyperpolyglot after all), the culture shock was still prevalent. Japan was still a very homogeneous society, and the States were the complete opposite. This meant that while one person went about things one way, someone else sharing the same space, didn't easily share the same cultural experiences. There were many learning curves and at least he had Yami. Even on their worst days they still depended on each other when they were both too prideful to admit they were homesick. Isis wouldn't have anyone but him and even his presence would be sparingly with work. She didn't even speak Japanese.

"You can't make such a large request and expect an instant answer!"

He considered if the roles were reversed. What if Isis asked him to move to Nevada? He would of course need time for processing the request. That wouldn't be based in ill-will, but self-preservation. This whole time he'd consistently backed her up into a corner, given her demands, and tried to force her to choose immediately. The same way Kaiba coined the 'beatdown deck' strategy, was the same way he'd tailored his approach with Isis. She was a challenge, and he only knew how to harshly attack challenges. But Isis was…delicate. She wasn't some high-powered monster standing between him and victory. She was the prize.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you."

He mumbled a curse and resisted the urge to drink more. A part of him felt like she was better off without him. What would she think of him now? Just another man coming in to wreck her life just like her ex-husband? Shadi. He remembered the name after the fact. He had no clue who this man was but while his pride begged him to run back to Domino, he refused to be viewed on the same level as him. Even if Isis never wanted to see him again, he would hear that answer in person.

He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. His head of security immediately answered. Kaiba could hear echoing voices and the whir of machinery from the hangar.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba sir!"

"My departure time has changed."

"Oh! Um, what time will it be now?"

"Unknown." Kaiba rolled his eyes at the confused sputtering noises on the other end. "Continue the preparations. I could leave at any time." He hung up the phone and got ready for the bed.

Following the monotony of brushing his teeth, washing his face, and putting on pajamas calmed him down and gave him something safe to focus on. He pulled back the sheets and got under the covers. He grabbed his phone and set an alarm before going through his emails from the IT department. One of his assistants had scheduled a meeting for later that week to discuss the error. It was awaiting his approval. He closed the email and instead opened a list:.

1. Go on a date

2. Be mine

Looking back on their 'do my list or no duel' ultimatums, he was grateful he never showed exactly what his two items were. Had he said these things there in her bedroom, she probably wouldn't have been too keen on doing what he wanted. However organically, these things fell into place. Isis wasn't unreasonable or as immovable as he thought, but he was and that was a very hard pill to swallow. Everything that made him extremely successful and garnered him praise, did the complete opposite when it came to her. Even the way he worded number two wasn't the best and showed exactly how his mind was working when he came to Nevada. He hit the backspace button and began updating his list:

1. Go on a date (black check mark emoji)

2. Be my girlfriend (red question mark emoji)

3. Don't hate me…

Kaiba deleted the third item and saved his note. He allowed the whiskey to finally take him.

PLEASE READ:

Considering the emotional cliffhanger I left you all with last chapter, I wanted to go ahead and kinda put you out of your misery with a quick update.

People, I have sad news: the next chapter will be the FINAL CHAPTER of this wild and amazing ride. Thank you all so much for all the love, support, and patience with this story. You all don't know how much it means to me to know that people enjoy what I love doing most.

People, I also have amazing news: there will be a SEQUEL. I will not be releasing any details as of now but keep your alerts ON because 2022 will have all our heads spinning with excitement. I. Can. Not. Wait!

Spanish Words:

Estas loco – Are you crazy?

Posted especially for:

serena..jones..585: I could not agree more that Kaiba came with the intention of bringing Isis back, whether he knew it or not. Yes he would feel like he lost if he doesn't come back with something, whether it's her or promise. The boy is thirty for a win-the angst is real. LOL. And I swear you've been using telepathy and poking around in my brain because your 'review part 2' were the many thoughts I had when brainstorming this chapter. Are you the new owner of the Millennium Necklace? Hahaha.

lovereading92: The babies are back on the struggle bus and there are times where I even battle with the 'character growth' because I'm tired of the miscommunications. And yeeesssss...Pegasus is still...out there...(Shifty eyes full of secrets)

jtdarkman: You are too, too, TOO kind. Your reviews are always so kind and keep me going. We've all been on this crazy ride and I'm just grateful you and so many others have thoroughly enjoyed it.

SetoRJK-Kaiba: We're all rooting for them to figure it out and keeping going. Fingers crossed they won't give up on each other.

franfangfan: I finished as quickly as I could with this chapter! Even I didn't want you all to wait for what's next. We're all rooting for the best with these two.

Serena Sempgo: The bubble was the best, but reality had to return at some point. The final decision is upon us!

Still stands: If I don't get one measly review, no new chapter, however if I do get one measly review, new chapter.

REVIEW!

Well I'm Out.