"… Oh shit," she said quietly as she shoved herself up and out of Yugi's arms, hunching over in pain and looking in horror at his friends as they hovered nearby. "Oh no, no, no…"
"Reika, what was that? Where were we? Why do you have a wig?"
The wig, which had slipped from her grasp at on onset of pain from Crocodile's attack, was snatched back into her hands. Her carefully constructed world was falling apart and her mind was racing trying to think of a reasonable answer. "I – I… Yugi it's…"
But there was nothing she could say that would convince him otherwise. She knew it.
So, she sighed, running a hand along the wig's dark brown strands. "You saw the truth, Yugi. The truth of where I've been for the past year."
Yugi stared at her, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? What sort of school did you go to?!"
"I didn't go to school, Yugi," she admitted, stumbling in pain again as she tried to walk to a nearby truck. It would be faster to get to Kaiba Manor in a truck than walking. "I was working instead."
"Working? What the hell were you working on?"
She whirled around to face Yugi, her cloak fluttering behind her. "Finding my parents, okay?" she snapped, Yugi's eyes growing wide. " I got an opportunity when I was sixteen to try to find my parents and I took it, and it is very complicated so if you want to find out more I suggest you get in this truck and I'll tell you about it before it's too late to save my boyfriend from certain death!"
Yugi seemed a little stunned, but everyone ended up in the truck, with Reika speeding out of downtown Domino and into the neighborhoods beyond.
"Reika, what is going on? How are you even here?" Yugi asked after a moment of silence.
She sighed. "I got here thanks to a friend of mine. Have you guys heard the theory of the multiverse?"
Serenity raised her hand, looking up. "I do. It's the theory that there are multiple universes much like our own, right?"
"Yes. And it's true."
"So that place – with the guy with the hook for a hand – "
Reika gripped the steering wheel. "Is part of another world, yeah. It's a world with pirates and fruit that can transform your entire being. There's a man made out of sand, of smoke, of rubber. We're still investigating why exactly the worlds are connected, but…" she shrugged a little. "The organization I work for is researching the connections between our worlds. I'm a field agent. I was undercover there for the last year."
"You realize how insane this sounds, right?" Joey asked from the back seat.
"You're free to not believe me if you want, but it's up to you to figure out a plausible reason why I was wearing a wig with a bow in my hand and a quiver of arrows on my back, and why I have that same wig right now while I'm wearing a dark blue cloak that can conceal all of my features," she replied, staring at him through the mirror. "Oh, and why a man made out of sand exists."
The blonde went quiet, and Yugi spoke up again.
"Reika, you're searching for your parents? But I thought – "
She laughed bitterly. "They lied. They lied to us, Yugi. My parents are spies too. They work for the same organization I do now. They were never going to bring us Mickey Mouse ears from Disney. The worst part is… Kaiba Corporation had been selling weapons to the tyrannical government in the other world before Seto took it over and turned it into a gaming company."
"Does Kaiba know?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. He never mentioned anything before…"
"Could he be lying?"
"I… don't know. I'm not sure about anything anymore Yugi," she said with a sigh, before frowning. They should have seen the turn to the manor's drive by now. "Something's wrong."
"You're right. I think we passed that tree three times now," Mai said.
"Dammit! They're onto me," she hissed, bringing the truck to a halt and jumping out. "Leichter! Show your face you coward!"
"No need to shout, Miss Reika. I'm right here," came the drawl and sound of expensive shoes against the pavement.
Turning around, her boots ground against the pavement, facing the man who, at one point, had been like a father to her.
"Let me see Noah."
He smirked at her, the face a unrecognizable from her childhood. "I already told you, you can't. He's busy working on something else and you can see him when that is over with. It isn't my fault your cousin and his friends broke you out of your memories before it was time."
She felt sick at the thought of this being totally planned out. "So that's why you kept us in a loop on the road then. What do you want, Leichter?"
"A duel, between you and I. And your dear cousin can't help you. It wouldn't be fair, after all since he's the reigning King of Games."
Her eyebrow quirked. "A duel. That's it?"
"A friendly duel between two people who have been through so much together. What do you say, Miss Reika?"
She exhaled sharply through her nose. "Fine."
"Good. But as I said…" Leichter's hand waved, a small dome appearing over the two of them and blocking Yugi and the others from getting closer, "your cousin will not be helping you with this."
Reika locked eyes with Yugi, somewhat surprised to see the terror on his face given how angry he'd been at her, but she masked her surprise with a confident smile and a thumbs up to him to tell him she'd be okay as a duel disk appeared on her arm, and as she turned back around, cards appeared before her, scrolling in front of her face, and she chose her deck from home.
She stood across from him, turning on the duel disk and smirking.
"Let's duel."
From the start, it was obvious she hadn't dueled in a while, and Leichter got a few easy hits off on her, taking her life points down to 3250 in only a couple of turns, and she found herself flat on her back at the impact of the attack.
"What's the matter, Reika? Have you been gone from your home for so long that you've forgotten how to duel?" Leichter taunted with a smirk. "Oh, I forgot, dueling was more your cousin's thing, wasn't it?"
Reika's eyes narrowed as she pushed herself to her feet, but didn't dignify him with a response. She needed to focus. What was it that Grandpa and Yugi always told her about when it came to dueling? Concentrate. Focus. Monsters, Traps. Magic.
"It isn't about winning or losing, Reika. Not necessarily. But if you have something to fight for, you must never forget about it. Concentration is the most important thing in a duel. Concentrate… and believe in your cards and your heart."
"I'm not done, Leichter. Everyone has a shaky first few steps," she said with a glare as she drew a card and smiled. Her favorite card. She couldn't use it yet but… yes! She glanced at the other cards in her hand, and then at the cards she already had on the field, and smiled.
It was hard, but little by little Reika found herself wearing Leichter's life points down, and the smirk on his face dropped into horror, then anger.
"You can't beat me! You're not a duelist!"
"Neither are you," she said, before looking up at the dragons floating at her side. "Now, Tyrant Dragon, attack Leichter directly and take the rest of his life points!"
One tyrant being defeated by another. It seemed almost poetic.
"You're right, Leichter. I'm not a duelist," she said as the dust settled and the holograms disappeared. "Yugi is the King of Games, and deservedly so. He could probably kick my ass in a duel. But you forgot one important thing. When he was learning how duel… I was learning right alongside him."
Leichter glared up at her, his brow glistening with sweat. "It's too late Miss Reika. You aren't going to find Seto Kaiba alive. Master Noah's already put his plan into motion."
"You lied to me about Noah being dead. Why the hell should I believe you now? Now let. Us. Pass."
He glared, snapping his fingers, and the road fell away, leaving Kaiba Manor in front of them. "I'd wish you luck, Miss Reika, but as you refuse to accept, it's too late." And with that, Leichter disappeared.
"Reika, that was awesome! You're a natural at dueling just like Yugi!" Joey said as the group rushed to her side. "But, uh – that seemed sorta personal."
She frowned, looking at him. "You didn't hear any of that?"
"No, you were in some sort of bubble, or something," Yugi explained with a small frown. "We couldn't hear a thing. You were totally alone."
She began walking toward the manor, hearing the others follow. "It didn't feel that way. It was like… I could feel you cheering me on. I understand why you find dueling so exciting, Yugi. I just wish it didn't have to be so life-and-death with us. But Joey… as you were saying, you're right. That duel was personal. Very personal. Leichter was my mother's boss at Kaiba Corp, and he lied to me about something very important."
"What was that?"
She took a deep breath, approaching the large staircase to the front door. "He lied to me about my best friend being dead. He is in fact, not dead, and wound up apparently losing his mind and kidnapping a bunch of people I care about. And worse, wants to kill my boyfriend."
"Noah? Noah is your best friend?!"
"He was until Gozaburo told me he was dead and I believed it for six years of my life," she said. "And Leichter told me I was too late to save Seto. That Noah had already… I need to stop him."
"We will," Yugi suddenly said. "You shouldn't have to do this alone."
Reika's breath hitched. "Yugi… thank you. If we're too late… Noah will take Seto's body."
"What the hell?! That's messed up!"
She pushed the door open, and shivered at the emptiness inside. Cobwebs and dust coated the walls and furniture in the room.
And then, music began playing. A sad piano and violin duet, and the notes had her skin crawling.
"This is so creepy…" Téa whispered as they walked through the house, the music growing louder as they approached the music room, a ghostly voice joining in with the music.
"Dancing bears, painted wings…"
"Hey, I know this song! It's from Anastasia!" Serenity said with wide eyes.
"It was our favorite. Noah and I used to play it all the time when we had lessons…" Reika replied, rubbing at her arm nervously. Her fingers flexed, muscle memory gliding over invisible keys before she pulled the door to the room open.
"Lessons?"
"He was violin, I was piano," she replied, forcing herself not to think about the ghostly music filling her head as she opened the door and looked around. The room, unlike the rest of the house, was immaculate, left as if it had only been yesterday since the last time she'd been in here. "Nothing. We should check – "
"Oh Reika, you've gotten so much better at the piano! You and Noah were just wonderful!" Miaka's vice suddenly rang out.
Reika's hands shook as her parents materialized in the room, hovering near the piano as they looked at a younger version of herself, pride on their faces as younger Reika continued to play.
Yugi's breath seemed to hitch. "Uncle Genji… Aunt Miaka…"
She grabbed the door, slamming it closed with a heavy breath as tears stung her eyes.
"Reika – "
She didn't look at him, instead making her way to the grand staircase. "I don't have time for Leichter's mind games right now. Noah's not here. Let's check upstairs."
The others followed, unusually quiet.
"SETO!" Mokuba's voice suddenly cried into the silence.
THUD!
Sprinting up the rest of the stairs, she rushed in the direction of the cry, her hand brushing against the gun on her side and pushing the door open.
Seto and Noah stood, staring each other down as what must have been one of Noah's memories played in the background. It was clear there had been a duel going on, both covered in grime and streaked with sweat.
An imagine of Gozaburo stood with high-ranking Marine Admirals, doing a weapons demonstration. Reika felt her stomach lurch at the scene, and she slowly stepped forward.
"What sort of trick is this?" Seto snarled, pulling Mokuba tighter against his side, blue eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"It's no trick, Seto. These images are very real. And now… I'm going to show you just what this world can really do!"
Noah's hand suddenly lit up in flames, and Reika's eyes widened before she rushed into the fray, grabbing Seto and Mokuba out of the way as the fire licked at the back of her cloak, making her wince in surprise.
Seto's eyes were wide in surprise. "Reika – but how? How did you get here?"
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. He's the one I told you about. The one from my nightmare. There's so much I've been hiding from you."
"HEY! Who are you and how dare you interrupt me?!"
Reika pulled away from Seto and Mokuba, slowly turning to face Noah, slowly drawing her weapon, though not raising it.
"T.A.I.D.R. Don't move, Noah."
The rage on Noah's face was replaced with shock as he took in her form, slow realization forming. "Wh… what? You can't be…"
"I am. It's me, Noah. It's Reika."
"Reika…" his voice turned childish again, and in his eyes she saw the young boy she'd once been best friends with. "Y-you… you grew up…"
She nodded, her gaze sad as she slowly put her weapon away, her hand still raised in a protective stance. "I did… and you – you're here. You're alive…"
He frowned. "Alive? No, I'm not alive… that's why I need another body! So I can go back to the real world and claim what is mine!"
"He lied to you, Noah. He lied to me too. He told me you died in that accident. You don't have to claim anyone's body. You can go back to being you, and we can go back to Domino and figure all of this out."
Noah didn't seem fully convinced, continuing to look at her with a skeptical gaze. "You said T.A.I.D.R. Why do you know what that is?"
"Because I'm an agent. I've been there. I've fought the Marines. Fought against your father's weapons. Course, I didn't know it was your father's weapons until today when Leichter let it slip."
"Leichter? Weapons?" Seto suddenly asked. "You can't possibly mean – "
Noah smirked, the look making Reika's blood run cold. "That's right, Seto. I am the one true heir to Kaiba Corp because I am Gozaburo's biological son! And since you apparently know Reika… I also had her first!"
Reika's jaw tightened as she turned to look back at Seto, who was staring back at her in shock and betrayal.
"You never told me about him," Seto hissed dangerously.
"If I had, I never would have been able to meet you. Gozaburo threatened to cut me off from Kaiba Corp and the people that I knew. I was twelve and had only just been told my best friend was dead. How could I turn down the opportunity to have new friends?" she replied.
Noah's gaze hardened. "So they replaced me."
"It wasn't my choice, but I don't regret it. But we can fix that, Noah. You can come back with us and we can be friends again. It just isn't the same without my duet partner. What do you say?" she said gently, with a genuine smile on her face, holding her hand out encouragingly. "I promise, I'll help you."
"Why should I trust you?"
"If you couldn't trust me, I never would have told you that I'm a T.A.I.D.R. agent. I have been honest about everything I've kept secret for the last six years."
Mokuba suddenly stepped forward. "You must be scared. I understand. I was scared too, when Seto and I got adopted by Gozaburo. He was mean, he was horrible to Seto. But we have a chance to be brothers, without him. What do you say? Brothers?"
There was conflict on Noah's face, the boy looking between she and Mokuba.
"You don't have to be alone anymore Noah. We can all get out of here together," Mokuba said.
Another agonizing pause, but Noah relented, taking her hand and sinking into her embrace as Mokuba went back to Seto's side.
"I've got you Noah… I've got you…" she whispered, looking at Yugi as he and the others made their way over to her.
"So… can you get us out of here, Noah?" Serenity asked quietly.
Noah pulled away from Reika's embrace and looked at Serenity, opening his mouth to speak before a rumble startled the group.
The sky suddenly darkened, a menacing purple haze covering the bright blue, and Gozaburo Kaiba's laughter began to fill the air, before his face appeared from the clouds, a hologram staring at them with an evil smirk on his face.
Reika reacted immediately, drawing her gun and aiming it directly at the sky.
"Do you really think that can hurt me, little girl?" Gozaburo sneered, unfazed as he turned to Noah. "And you! You've failed me, yet again Noah. I'm taking over now."
Noah flinched. "But father - !"
"You always were a slacker. A spoiled slacker, Noah! I knew I couldn't count on you to take over Kaiba Corp after your accident. Especially dealing with the Marines."
"Gozaburo! How the hell did you survive?!"
Gozaburo's eyes turned to Seto, another smirk crossing his features. "I thought you knew better than by now, Seto. I'm always one step ahead of the competition… and you and I have some unfinished business. I will digitize the entire world, and then I shall be the one to rule! And you, boy, will be nothing more than a servant."
"Never. Whatever you plan, I am going to win, and we're going to get out of this godforsaken virtual world!"
Gozaburo laughed, slowly disappearing from view. "You say this as if you have a choice, Seto! You are never getting out of here, I'll make damn sure of that!"
And with that, Gozaburo was gone… but so was Seto.