Outside an expensive boutique, a limousine stops. The chauffer exits the vehicle and opens the back doors, waiting for his boss to come out.
Pegasus exits the car, along with Mai. 'Thank you, Icarus,' he says. 'Wait for us here.'
'Yes, sir,' Icarus responds, standing straight with his eyes closed and an unnecessarily formal military salute.
Mai chuckles. She can't believe how seriously some servants take their jobs. She could get used to being wealthy! However, right now, she must focus on the task she has assigned herself: to show Pegasus what living a normal life as a nameless person is like. Focus, girl!
As soon as they enter the shop, all workers leave whatever they're doing for later and run over to the two newcomers, gathering around them. The rest of the customers are whispering and pointing fingers, gobsmacked at the entrance of such a famous person.
'See?' Pegasus whispers to his female friend. 'That's what I've been telling you about. When you're someone like me, it's impossible to go anywhere without being noticed.'
Mai nods, flashing a sad smile. On one hand, she'd love that kind of attention. On the other hand, she acknowledges that getting that kind of attention 24/7 can be annoying at times. She feels sorry for that person, who has never experienced simple joys of life, such as carefreely enjoying an ice cream cone on the street with everyone else around minding their own business.
The shop manager pushes the workers aside and stands before what he assumes to be a couple. 'It's an honor, Mister Pegasus,' he bows. 'You have visited us to refresh your beautiful lady's wardrobe, I presume?'
Pegasus and Mai widen their eyes, exchange looks and blush. Their eyes back to the manager.
'Nonono, she's not my lady,' Pegasus chuckles in embarrassment.
'Why?' the blonde woman whispers, feigning offence, playfully raising an eyebrow. 'I'm not good enough for you?'
'Shut your mouth,' the tycoon whispers back, with a comically angry expression.
'Just kidding,' Mai winks.
Pegasus turns back to the manager, who is still waiting for orders without his expression having changed at all in the meantime. 'Umm, anyway,' the wealthy man continues. 'Actually, it's the other way around. This friend of mine (when speaking the word 'friend', he slightly raised his voice, as if he felt the need to emphasize it) will help me refresh my own wardrobe.'
'Just remember that you're still the one who's gonna pay,' Mai chuckles.
'Thanks for reminding me,' Pegasus replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
While the manager is showing no emotion, some whispers and giggles are heard among the rest of the staff as well as the customers. Mai thinks she heard someone saying: 'Friends, my ass.'
'As you wish, sir and ma'am,' the manager politely replies and beckons to them to follow him.
Mokuba is in his room, on his knees, on the floor, and talking to the Millenium Ring. 'Why are you doing this to me?' he asks the artifact, holding it in his hands, without taking it off nonetheless (the spirit of the ring has forbidden him to do so). 'I can't eat, I can't sleep. I have to be alert day and night, to keep you hidden, to make sure no one will see you. I can't even take you off when I'm having a bath. You have isolated me from my classmates, from my friends, even from my brother. Why don't you just leave me alone? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?'
The spirit chuckles with no compassion. 'What I want from you is something you'll find out when the time is right,' it answers. 'For the time being, follow my orders, unless you want something really bad to happen to your brother.'
'Whatever have I done to you?' the boy protests. 'Why don't you just let me return to my normal life?'
Kaiba stands outside Mokuba's room, undecided. To enter or not to enter? He can hear his younger brother's yells coming from the room. Again! Why does Mokuba talk to himself, moreover so often, lately. What is happening to him? Is it some sort of post trauma disorder caused to him because he was imprisoned by that Pegasus creep who did who knows what else to him?
Kaiba wishes he knew what is going on. He wishes Mokuba allowed him to help him, to take him to some clinic. But, ever since they got back from Pegasuses island, Mokuba barely talks to his brother at all anymore. And, even when Kaiba tries to initiate conversation, Mokuba will either leave without responding or yell at him to go away.
The tycoon bursts into the room. 'Mokuba, are you all right?' he asks with concern. 'I heard you crying and I thought you might need something.'
'Seto,' the preteen boy gasps, still sitting on the floor, and turns his head, shoving the ring underneath his clothes just in time.
He wants to fall in his brother's arms right now. He wants it so bad. However, the spirit possessing him has other ideas. 'Tell him to leave,' he orders Mokuba in the boy's head. 'He's interrupting our conversation.'
'But... but,' the boy stutters. 'Can't I at least spend five minutes with him? Then I'll be all yours again. I promise!'
'NO!' the spirit snaps, still in Mokuba's head. 'Tell him to leave now, or else I'll mind crush him.'
'Mokuba... whom are you talking to?' Kaiba asks, worried and confused.
'GET AWAY, SETO!' Mokuba screams, bursting into tears. 'I HATE YOU. DON'T COME HERE AGAIN.'
Kaiba's eyes bulge, in a manner that would be comical under different circumstances. Did... did he just say that he hates him? His brother? The only person in the world he cares about? Does the only person he cares about... hate him?
With a lost expression, the same one that he had when Yugi was about to beat him at the Duelist Kingdom (in that duel where Yugi finally gave the victory away), Kaiba turns around and leaves, walking like a ghost, not even bothering closing the door behind him.
Kaiba is sitting at his office, staring into space. On the desk, there is a heap of documents he is supposed to sign as soon as possible or even ones he should have signed yesterday. His empire will crumble if this goes on, but who cares? Who cares if he ever defeats Yugi? Who cares if he ever reclaims his former title as the no1 duelist on the planet? Who cares if he ends up homeless? A world where Mokuba hates him is not a world worth living in.
With a sigh, the tycoon takes out his deck and browses through his cards indifferently. He instinctively stops when he reaches the Blue Eyes White Dragon. This monster embodies so much: his pride, his honor, his drive to crush his opponents.
Kaiba used to be the best. But this feels like ancient history by now. Though, to be fair, he has lost only to Millenium Items wielders, which is kinda cheating if you think about it. I mean, all those tricks of theirs, all that hocus pocus nonsense they insist on calling magic, interfrered with the duels, giving them an unfair advantage.
Pegasus could see his cards. Kaiba still doesn't know how he did it, but it worked regardless.
As for Yugi, that 'Heart of the Cards' thing is not very fair either. Who needs to spend hours of hard thought to build a coherent deck with themes and strategy when you can do just that: Put together some random cards with no logic or coherence at all, preferably cards that no one ever uses because they're useless in 99% of the cases. Then, when your opponent has cornered you with their strategy and deck strength, the result of really hard work on their part, be like, 'Heart of the Cards, guide me' and draw the one and only card that can save you and would be totally useless in 99% of your duels. How is this different from Bandit Keith pulling cards out of his wristbands? (Well, if Yugi was here, he'd definitely raise his objections, but he's not!)
'Excuses, excuses, Seto,' Kaiba mumbles.
No excuse changes the fact that he lost. That he was unable to save his brother. Because, come to think of it, he was not the one who defeated Pegasus and saved Mokuba. Someone else did. That's why Mokuba is free now. Himself, he's useless. A good for nothing brother. No wonder Mokuba hates him.
Kaiba sees a vision of his kid self standing in front of his desk and glaring at him. 'You have failed your brother, Seto,' the kid yells, indignant. 'How can you still live?'
'SCRAM!' Kaiba yells and throws his cards at his past self, who, of course, is not physically here. The vision disappears and the cards are scattered on the floor.
Kaiba doesn't bother picking them up. He doesn't even bother checking whether his precious, rare, white dragons have been damaged.
Yugi and his main friends (Tea, Joey and Tristan) are walking back to their respective homes, after another school day has ended.
After the group talked a while about Kaiba, who seems kinda off lately (nobody knows why), Tea asks about Serenity: 'So, Joey, is everything going well with your sister's eye operation?'
'Yeah,' Joey sighs indifferently, looking at the pavement rather than at his female friend. 'She's already entered hospital. The surgery is scheduled to take place one of these days.'
'So everything is fine. Right?' Tristan asks for confirmation.
'Yup,' Joey sighs.
'I'm so happy about your sister, Joey,' Yugi gives his besty a radiant smile.
However, Tristan, who is somewhat less naive than Normal (non Yami) Yugi, eyes the blond male. 'Are you sure? You don't look happy.'
Joey abruptly stops, causing Tea, who was walking behind him, to almost accidentally bump into him. Everybody looks at him in shock. Joey glares at Tristan.
'I sure AM happy,' he states. 'Why not be happy? Just because Mai did not even bother saying goodbye? Just because Mai thinks that giving me the prize money can make up for her rudeness? Well, who cares about Mai? Who needs Mai? I'm happy and I don't care about Mai!'
After catching his breath, he turns his eyes back to Tristan, who is trying to repress a giggle. 'Why are you staring like that?' Joey yells.
'Because you spoke Mai's name five times within less than a minute,' Tristan answers.
'I SAID I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT MAI,' Joey screams, his head momentarily becoming larger and his teeth sharper, in a Japanese gag manner. He turns to his shorter friend: 'Yugi, tell him. You know I don't care about Mai. Don't you?'
Yugi blushes. 'Partner, what am I supposed to tell him?' he asks Yami Yugi in his head.
'Just tell him what he wants to hear, Yugi, or else he'll punch us,' Yami Yugi answers with a comically frightened expression.
'Can't you just mind crush him or something?' Yugi wonders. (Okay, obviously, he was not serious... maybe a little!)
'Yes, Joey, I know you're not interested in Mai,' the timid boy finally answers out loud.
The gang resumes walking, silently.
'Mai,' Joey says in his head. (How many times does this make?) 'I wonder what she's doing right now.'
'Wow, Max. You rock,' Mai commends Pegasus for the way he looks. She closes one eye, clicks her tongue and gives him a thumbs up.
The creator of duel monsters is standing in front of the mirror, in his room, gaping at his reflection. Who's that man in the mirror?
He's wearing a black, leather jacket, white, leather trousers and brown boots. His white hair is tied in a ponytail. (At first, Mai wanted to cut his hair shorter, but Maximillion did not even want to hear about it.)
'Are you sure I don't look ludicrous that way?' the man dares to ask.
'Nonsense,' Mai laughs. 'You may be the president of a multi billion company, but you're still young, Max. Stop trying to look older than you really are.'
'I don't know.' Pegasus keeps staring at his reflection, with a troubled expression.
Mai claps to draw his attention. 'So, are you ready for our night out?' she cheerfully asks.
'And what about this?' Pegasus points at the empty eye socket where his eye used to be, before he lost it in a horrific way... you know, the day the Millenium Eye was violently attached there by those tomb guardians. (He has taken the artifact off for the occasion, on Mai's instructions.) 'I thought the point was to look normal. Will I really look normal if I go around one eyed?'
'Sure you will,' Mai casually answers. 'You're not the only one eyed person in the world. Just relax and act cool.'
'And what if someone mocks me for that injury?' Pegasus asks with uncertainty.
'I'll kick their butt,' Mai winks. 'You're welcome!'
Before the man can further protest, the woman drags him along enthusiastically.
