You've been summoned to headquarters. Be here by 3:00.
Reika exhaled slowly through her nose as her gaze flickered up to the time in the corner of her cell phone's screen. It was two-thirty, and she sat outside the meeting room she'd been led to. The wording of the text from Kenji was certainly… an interesting one. Summoned to headquarters instead of just needed at headquarters probably wasn't a good thing.
"Reika!" Akio called, running up to her and pulling her into a hug. "I was so worried about you! Well, I still am considering you're sitting outside of the meeting room but…"
"That damn newspaper let it all slip," she joked. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I didn't disobey orders. But – oh, can you watch my phone for me? I don't want it with me. Too distracting." She'd be fidgeting too much with it in her pocket.
Akio nodded. "Of course I will."
It wasn't long before Reika was sitting in front of the higher-ups in the organization. Looking around the room, she then started to feel nerves beginning to form. So this was why the wording of the text had been so ominous. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but still, the stares of the more-experienced adults that had taken her under their wing looking at her like she had committed the worst crime in the history of the organization, well, it was hard not to feel like a child who had done something wrong.
"Reika Mutou, do you know why you've been summoned here today?" Yume, the director of the organization in Domino, asked.
"Because you all believe that I snuck onboard the ship to Duelist Kingdom despite being ordered not to," she said calmly, despite the fluttering of her stomach. "However, I did not. Pegasus kidnapped me after I left the meeting."
The six pairs of eyes narrowed in confusion. Kenji finally broke the silence that had settled over the room. "That… explains the strange email I'd gotten this morning. I didn't think it had anything to do with this but… Reika, why did you tell him – "
"He already knew. That eye of his? It can see into other realms. He saw the Pirate Dimension, and then he found my key card in my purse. But why he even knew where to look I still don't know… but it was blackmail. He threatened to make everything public," she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, trying to think. "But I didn't tell Pegasus everything, and he couldn't see into my mind. My Millennium bracelet stopped him."
There was some murmured discussion among the older members at the table with her, before Yume spoke again.
"Miss Mutou, I know you aren't an employee of Kaiba Corporation or anything, but would you happen to know who – if anyone – was left behind after Gozaburo was removed from power?"
Well, that was a question Reika couldn't say she expected to answer today, and she cleared her throat before answering. "The Big Five. They're major shareholders in the company. Roland and Fuguta are two of the Kaiba brothers' closest bodyguards. And then there's Kemo. He was the one that kidnapped me. He was another bodyguard at Kaiba Corp but he was working with Pegasus and the Big Five."
Yume exchanged a look with Kenji, and as Reika opened her mouth to question it, Akio began pounding on the door, her voice muffled through the wood. "Yume, you have an urgent call from The Boss."
The Boss. Their mysterious figurehead of the organization. There had been many throughout the years, but this one seemed extra cautious to never show his face or name. Actually, Reika wasn't sure if they were a man or a woman.
"Very well. Miss Mutou, you're free to go. Make sure you get your reports done," Yume said, giving her a small smile before exiting the room, followed by some of the other big shots.
Reika let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and looked at Aiko with a smile. "Told you I'd be okay."
"You sure? Because your phone rang five times while you were in your little meeting," Akio said, sliding her phone over to her as her heart sank.
One missed call and a voicemail from Mokuba. One call from Grandpa. One from Yugi and two from a number she didn't recognize, plus a voicemail from the unfamiliar number. Frowning, she put the phone to her ear.
"Reika, it's Mokuba. The Big Five kidnapped Seto! He's locked in a video game. I hope you're home because I don't know where else to go!" Mokuba's voice whimpered from the other end of the line. Her blood went cold as she moved to the next voicemail.
"Hi Reika, this is Téa. Yugi gave me your number, I hope that's okay. Um. We're at Kaiba's secret testing facility and Joey, Yugi, and Mokuba went into the virtual world to rescue him. I'll keep calling you to update you on what's going on."
She tensed, waving Kenji over frantically. "The Big Five are trying to usurp Seto Kaiba again. They have him trapped in some virtual reality or something. Mokuba and Téa weren't very clear. I know there are at least four people there," she told the man. "I know this sort of thing is handled by the police usually but – "
"I need you and Akio to go to where Mokuba is. I'm sending the rest of your squad to take care of the Big Five," Kenji said immediately, cutting Reika's sentence off. "And keep us informed on what happens."
She didn't hesitate to move with Akio, rushing out of the building as fast as the elevator could take them.
"My car is this way," Akio said as they ran through the parking lot in the pouring rain. "What do you suppose they're having us doing this for? It's not like we can arrest them or anything."
"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with The Boss calling earlier… but I know I was going to take off anyway regardless of permission…" Reika replied with a shrug as her phone lit up again. "Téa! I was just about to call you. What the hell is going on? Where are you?"
Téa's voice was whispered as she spoke. "W-we're at this little research lab or something about a mile away from the docks. You can't miss it. A-and there are some guys trying to find us to Tristan and I are setting up a blockade on the door."
The color drained from her face as she muttered the directions to Akio as the car sped down the road. "Téa, listen to me. Stay where you are and don't let them find you. I'm on my way."
"Okay – "
The call was cut off suddenly as the car screeched to a halt in front of the building. Reika was halfway out the door before it came to a complete stop, bursting through the already opened gate as she heard Akio behind her.
"Ready for round three you pointy-haired bastard?" she called when she saw Kemo standing in the doorway of where she could only presume Téa and Tristan were. Kemo turned, startled, as Reika aimed a punch at his face, which connected with his cheek.
Kemo staggered back, Akio rushing into the room to help Tristan. "You again?" the disgraced bodyguard snarled, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.
"You keep trying to hurt people I care about so yeah, me again," she retorted, taking her fighting stance and narrowing her eyes. "But this time you're not escaping and neither are the Big Five."
They circled each other in the hallway, neither paying any attention as one of the other guards was thrust out of the room by Tristan, collapsing against the far wall with a groan.
She grunted in pain as Kemo managed to punch her shoulder as she tried to dodge his attack.
"Why are you so against the Big Five? Mr. Lechtier took you in like you were his own after your parents went missing. Is that any way to treat a man who acted like your father?" Kemo asked.
"That man has never been, nor will he ever be, a father figure to me. Not after what he's done!" she shouted, her foot colliding with Kemo's stomach.
"Kemo, we gotta go! The brats are awake!" one of the other men suddenly called, breaking the tension in the hallway.
Reika exhaled as the goons ran like hell back down the hallway and looked at her cousin and his friends with a smile. "Everyone okay?" she asked, trying to hold back the grimace of pain as her shoulder began to throb, frowning when she saw Mai walking out of the connecting room. "Mai?"
"Hey Reika. Turns out the Big Five weren't exactly happy that I helped you out back on Duelist Kingdom," the blonde explained, running a hand through her long hair and shaking it out.
"Oh my God. Mai, I'm so sorry. Iwould neverd have asked you to help if it meant you were going to end up kidnapped!" she groaned.
Mai waved her hand. "Don't worry about it Reika, really. I was happy to help you. I'm just glad Yugi, Joe, and Mokuba showed up to help me."
Reika wanted to protest this, but she had a feeling if she did, the argument would never end, so she simply nodded. "I'm just glad you're all okay."
Mokuba looked up at Reika with his big eyes. "Seto must be awake now too. We should go see, Reika!" he said, already making his way out the door as Reika trailed along behind him, pulling out her phone when she felt it go off in her pocket.
The Big Five escaped. We've called another meeting for tomorrow morning. You need to be here by nine o'clock, Kenji's text read. Her blood ran cold, but she forced what she hoped was a real-looking smile as she looked at Mokuba.
"I think that sounds like a great plan, Mokuba, but – "
"But I'm more than happy to give you guys a ride back to Kaiba Corp. We don't want you running around alone in case those goons come back, do we?" Akio interrupted as she caught up to the two of them as they reached the exit.
"See you later, Yugi!" she called to her cousin and his friends, watching as the group started making their way back to the game shop.
The drive to Kaiba Corp headquarters was a talkative one – Mokuba had always been the more outgoing of the two brothers, and Reika smiled as he filled her in on all of the things he and Seto had done while she'd been gone, even though Seto had told her about them when they'd happened.
Akio grinned as they stopped. "Okay Mokuba, we're here."
"Thanks, Akio," Reika said as Mokuba darted out of the car with a wave. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have a good night, Reika," Akio grinned, winking as Reika grabbed her back out of the back seat with a blush.
She put her bag on her shoulder as she moved into the building, waving at one of the receptionists that was getting ready to go home.
"Mr. Kaiba is in his office, Reika," the older woman said with a knowing glint in her eye that had Reika ducking her head and practically sprinting to the elevator.
She let out a puff of air as she was whisked up the elevator to the top floor of the building, knocking quickly on the door before entering.
"Reika."
He looked tired as he sat at his desk, and she didn't blame him. He probably hadn't slept well the night before, having been dealing with the Big Five, and she gave him a small smile as she walked over to him and hugged him. He pulled her onto his lap and exhaled into her hair.
"Thank you," he murmured. "For helping protect Mokuba."
"I didn't do much. Tristan and Téa were there longer than I was," she told him with a small smile. "And Yugi, Joey and – "
He let out a groan, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know."
"Where is Mokuba anyway?" she asked, only just realizing that the younger boy was gone. He hadn't gotten that much of a head start on her, had he?
Seto chuckled against her hair, sitting up slightly. "He went to go greet Roland. He just got back from a vacation with his wife."
Well, that explained how Seto had been captured by both Pegasus and the Big Five with little effort. If Roland had been there…
She forced those thoughts out of her head and smiled slightly in amusement as she leaned against his chest, fighting back a wince as pain shot through her shoulder. "How are you doing?"
"I'm so tired…" he admitted, and from her angle on his lap, she could see the circles that were beginning to form under his eyes.
"Then go home and get some rest."
"You sound like Mokuba. I can't. I have to figure out what I'm going to do about the vacancies the Big Five left, and then I have to finish the algorithms for the new duel disk system I designed," Seto said. Reika could see his jaw and throat muscles trying to fight back a yawn.
"Seto. .." she sighed, standing up and in front of his computer. "You need a break, or you're not going to make the right choice about who to pick for your shareholders and you're not going to figure out the right algorithms for your duel disk if you pass out at work. Believe me. I've seen it happen where people don't get enough sleep at night and they end up passing out at their desks and suddenly they fail an exam or a project…"
He exhaled. "I see your point. "
"I just think we could all use a night to decompress from everything, that's all."
Seto suddenly got a glint in his eye that Reika found… dangerously alluring. Her pulse quickened as he smirked at her and stood up, wrapping an arm around her and leaning over her, her back pressed against the desk.
"Decompress, hm? I'm sure you and I could think of a few ways to decompress…" he murmured against her ear before straightening up at the sound of the door handle turning. She kept her back to the door as Mokuba burst into the room, trying in desperation to control her flaming red cheeks and racing pulse.
The rest of the day was a blur, and before long she was resting against Seto's chest, shivering as his fingers danced along the skin of her back, feeling his heartbeat slow as they both drifted off to sleep.
She was on board the Going Merry, standing on the deck as the ship moved swiftly through the water, her crewmates milling about nearby in the bright, warm sunshine.
A perfect day at sea.
"How much longer until we reach the next island, Nami?" she asked, looking at the navigator with a smile.
"According to my calculations, it should only be another day. I expect if the weather holds, we should get there around this time tomorrow," the navigator said, spreading a map on the table in front of her. "We should start making lists on what supplies we're going to need."
"I know I'm going to need some more arrows. That last fight nearly drained my supplies," she said with a small frown as her stomach gurgled impatiently, knowing there was food cooking away in the kitchen, sure to be a perfect meal from Sanji again.
Usopp looked over at her. "Your arm feeling okay?"
"Yeah, it's feeling back to normal now. Chopper did amazing work as usual," she said with a smile, hand brushing against the bandages gently. "Thanks, Usopp."
"Okay!" Sanji called from the galley. "Lunch is ready!"
Captain Luffy nearly bowled the poor doctor over in his eagerness to get into the dining room; Reika shaking her head in amusement as she followed, but as she crossed the threshold, the galley fell away, twisting and warping until she was left standing in a familiar hallway.
"Hello…?" she called. "Anyone home?"
"Reika!"
Her blood ran cold at the voice, and she refused to turn around. This couldn't be happening.
Footsteps ran up to her, a hand grabbing hers and tugging her toward one of the rooms. Her feet automatically knew where despite her mind screaming at her to stop, to run.
"Come on, Reika! Father got me some new music books and I want you to accompany me!" the boy said as they went into the great room, where the instruments were stored.
She finally found her ability to speak, forcing herself to look at the boy. "I haven't played in years. I don't know if I can – "
"Sure you can! You did have the best teachers, didn't you? Just like me! It was father's pleasure to allow you to learn alongside his son," the boy said, picking up his violin as he shoved her toward the piano bench.
She took a seat, fingers hovering over the black and ivory keys as she looked at the music. "What's this piece called? There's no title on the page." Violet eyes lifted to the boy with the violin.
The boy tuned the violin, not meeting her gaze. "It's called Betrayal. Just like what you did to me."
Oh God.
He began to play, and after a brief moment, she followed, her fingers awkward and clunky against the keys. The melody was making her skin crawl, the air becoming colder.
"Why do you think I betrayed you?" she finally asked when the keys became too cold to touch.
"You replaced me! As soon as I died you were suddenly around those two orphans when you should have been sad about me!" the boy cried, the piano and violin fading away as they stood in the frigid, empty room.
"Noah – "
"You thought you could push me out of your mind after my death, but I'm not dead, Reika. I'll never be dead. Not as long as you're alive. You can't push me away anymore, Reika."
"I never pushed you away!" she protested. "I never stopped thinking about you! Your father told me not to – " she reached for the door handle, only for it to vanish.
"You can't escape me."
"Noah, let me go."
"Never," Noah replied, beginning a laugh too cold and too cruel for a twelve-year-old to have.
She shot up out of her sleep, hearing someone call her name and she clutched her ears, knees pulling toward her chest. "Go away, go away, go away!" she whispered as Noah's voice rang in her ears.
"Come back. Come back Reika…" a new voice cut through the laughter. This one warm and concerned.
"Seto…" she croaked, trembling as she looked up at her boyfriend's wide blue eyes, her violet ones filled with terror and dread. "Oh God…"
He sat next to her on the bed, pulling her close against his chest, rubbing circles into her back. "It's okay. It was just a dream. He can't hurt you."
Slowly, the tremors stopped, her flight-or-fight instinct settling as she leaned against him. "It feels like he can…" she whispered.
"It was an illusion, nothing more." He meant well, and she knew it, but that wasn't what she wanted to hear after a nightmare like that.
"He was so much more than that."
Seto's thumb stroked against her cheek. "Then tell me who he was…"
Her mind reeled. Gozaburo had warned her not to say anything. To never mention Noah Kaiba to Seto and Mokuba, under threat of being cut off from their friendship. But then again… Gozaburo was dead, right? Seto had more than taken care to make sure of that. So the threat that had hung over her was gone, wasn't it?
"His name was Noah. He was a friend of mine when I was a kid… but then he was hit by a car when we were twelve. He died."
Seto said nothing, but his brow was furrowed.
She sighed. "I tried not to think about it because it was too hard, and then I met you and Mokuba, and before long, six years passed… I guess everything with the Big Five rattled all of those memories." She glanced over at the clock, which read 6:00, and took in Seto's already dressed for work form. "I'm going to shower."
She stood, beginning to make her way toward his master bathroom when Seto stopped her again.
"What happened to your back?"
Reika paused at the door to the bathroom. "Remember when I told you about my friend that almost died?"
He blinked. "Yeah?"
"I was protecting him."
With that, she closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water relax her muscles and the bruised shoulder. The nightmare had rattled things she'd worked so hard to build up over the years, but in the end, she knew Seto was right. Noah was long dead, which meant he couldn't hurt her.
…Right?