Author's Note: This is the replacement for the original Chapter 25: "All I Ever Thought I Was." While some of the text remains the same, a vast majority has been rewritten, as well as I added at least 4k words to this chapter, entirely changing the path he story was originally on. I've decided not to rewrite Chapter 26: "Monster Reborn" as it will no longer be relevant to "Her Sapphire Sky."

There will be new chapters coming out soon in order to replace this, and the rewrite of Chapter 27: "All We Have" will be coming out soon as well. I'm not sure if Chapter 28: "Why Didn't I Tell Him?" will be scrapped or just held off for a future chapter with a rewrite. If the decision is made to repost it, I will make sure to let you all know, via the author's notes.

I appreciate you taking your time to read the updated chapters, and for sticking with me this long through the story. I hope you will enjoy this rewrite/ updated chapter as much as I do now.

-K.B.A.

"Wh—what are you saying?" I felt my body melt into numbness, as I swallow away the vision of a memory.

Mahad looked back at me through the corner of his eye, his body still turned to where he could see Mana. "That was the price I paid. I was accustomed to dealing with the dark magics. The shadows that most people pushed aside was something I walked closely by. But you..." He now turned fully to me, closing his eyes to remember. "You were a being a the purest light. The price you would have to pay… How could someone like you commit such an act?"

Was he purposefully keeping me in suspense? "Just… tell me. Please."

But… Mahad was surprisingly silent for a few before he answered in a whisper. "I can't."

His eye then caught the attention of a magician sitting further down the bar. He was waving him down to get a drink. Mahad rose a finger, letting him know it would be just a moment. I lowered my head, staring at the creases in wooden bar top. I didn't know if I wanted to try to figure it out anymore. Just what he said—it drained me. I felt exhausted, like I could just fall over and pass out.

"Bathroom's to the right, just on the other side of the fireplace." He pointed, directing me. "And… At one point, you were on the right track to finding the answer you truly want. But… you've strayed. For the better, might I add." And as he finally turned to start heading towards his next customer… Mahad spoke the words that were still fresh in my head from… that night.

"Your innocence. Your light. Your power. Your soul… You have no idea what a soul like yours is worth."

My eyes widened. It was as if he was whispering the words into my ears. The pit of my stomach felt like it had flipped… And I was running to the bathroom again to vomit.

"Kisara?" I couldn't figure out who's voice I was hearing from outside the stall as I sat on my knees, staring down the bowl. "Kisara, are you okay?"

I didn't want to speak though. I didn't want them hearing my voice shake. I didn't want anyone to try to understand what I was going through. I mean, how could they? How many other people in this world have memories from a past life, and know that they shouldn't exist? And even worse—how could they just act like everything is fine, knowing that they took the life of someone else to save themselves?!

Someone who shared the same soul… Someone like me? I can't imagine that ever being possible… And… what did Kojiro have to do with this? He's the one… He wanted my "light." My "soul."

What is my worth?

"Just… stressed." I manage to say with a sheepish voice. "I keep getting sick… After everything happened..."

"Like… PTSD?" I can make out now that it's Serenity, and I can hear her sneakers clacking against the granite floor until they halt just outside the stall.

I swallow nervously. "I—I wouldn't be surprised… if that were the case."

"Did that guy say something to trigger it?" She was sounding protective, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No!" I accidentally shouted. "No… It wasn't him..."

It was… just the memory of his voice.

I finally forced myself to stand, and flushed the toilet. I stood for a minute to gather my energy again before opening the stall door. Serenity stood there, her hands behind her back and a grin on her face that I couldn't understand. One that eerily reminded me of her brother. It was very obvious to me in this moment that they really were siblings.

"If you ever wanna talk, I'm here for you..." She smiled so big that her eyes shut tight. "Ya' know… I almost went blind once… Sometimes, I'm still scared that I'll open my eyes… And all that I'll see is darkness. That the world around me that once gave me comfort will disappear… And even though you know there's still a world of people around you… You still feel lonely, because you just can't see. Even when things used to be just a blur… It was still scary."

It might be Seto's personality rubbing off on me… But I didn't want to hear the speech of "You're not alone in this world. Even in the darkest place, there's always a light—" And all of that nonsense. At least, not right now. Part of me felt like I needed this; I need to be confused and mourn over my past. I need to get through this phase if I ever hope to make it out of it. Perhaps someday, I'll find meaning in her words.

But not today. Not now.

To be courteous, I smiled anyway. "Thank you, Serenity. I'm gonna wash up real fast… I'll be right out."

She opened her eyes, her smile more gentle now. With a nod, she left the bathroom, leaving me behind. It's not like me to be so dismissive to someone so kind… I should have told her that she could always vent to me too… But I don't feel stable enough as it is. Taking on the discord of someone else atop my own would most likely break me entirely.

After a few minutes of rinsing off my face, washing out my hair, and scrubbing down my hands and arms, I made my way back to the bar. The moment Seto saw me walking back in, and stood from the booth and met me half way.

"You alright?" He asked as he put his arm around my waist and walked with me to the booth.

I nodded. "I'm alright. Can we talk about it later though?"

I pull Seto to a detour, just to walk over and grab my coke that was left idly at the bar. Seto didn't answer me, but I got the feeling he was fine with my request. I grabbed the coke and then we headed back to the booth. Mokuba was sitting there, mumbling something to himself as he angrily was typing something into his phone.

As much as I wanted to continue the conversation I had been having with Mahad, I also didn't want to interrupt his work any more than I already had, and… Perhaps speaking to him in a public setting like this wasn't the best thing to do. All the stares made things… Odd to say the least. And even worse was having everyone here, noticing me being upset or suddenly running off to get sick. Maybe I needed to wait… Until I was past the trauma before I tried finding the answers. Maybe I should just focus on my work, my housing situation, and… My new romance.

As we sat down at the booth, I couldn't help but wonder if Seto and I had actually established if we were "going steady" or if it had started from the moment he kissed me during the car ride to his mansion from the hospital. As I sat beside him, I stared at him, though the corner of my eye. He looked as though he had something on his mind. I could guess a number of things, but I go through this back and forth of knowing exactly what he's thinking, and not knowing a thing at all about what's on his mind.

But at this moment in time, I wanted to fixate my mind on something else. "Mokuba?"

"Huh?" He looked up, not realizing we were back.

"You alright?" I looked down at my coke, popping the tab open and taking a swig.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry..." He sighed. "I'm just babbling to myself."

Set chuckled, "He's mad that Serenity came here with someone else."

Mokuba sat up fully in his seat, crossing his arms. "That's not the issue. It's not like we're a couple or anything. Plus… It's my fault for not getting back in touch with her after our first date."

He returned to messing with his phone.

"First date, huh?" Seto whispered to himself before picking up a half empty beer and knocked back a large gulp of it. He noticed me staring, and put the can down before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's my first one… I'm only planning on two so I don't get more than a buzz."

"You shouldn't worry about it tonight dude," Mokuba looked up from his phone. "Your redo-debut didn't exactly go as planned. So live it up!"

I was confused, until I caught a glimpse of how red Mokuba's eyes were. "You're not really one for the 'screw it' type of advise. You drink a bit too much already?"

"Eh…." He was avoiding the question as he scratched the side of his head and set his phone down. "I mean. Maybe. But I can hold my own better than Seto can.

Mokuba laughed as Seto rolled his eyes. "If you're mad that Serenity is here with Duke, tell her. And if you really feel bad about not taking her back out again, apologize."

Mokuba scowled, but knew that his brother was right. "Whatever… I'm a busy guy… She's the one moving on too fast."

"Uh…." I wanted to give my take on the situation, but I also didn't want to seem like I was taking sides. "I… Didn't… Uhm… You two aren't going 'steady' though. So… You shouldn't be mad if she's on a date with… someone else? And hey! It may not even be a date!"

I chuckled, feeling just as unease as I had made the atmosphere feel. I basically just repeated what he had said, but added that Duke and Serenity may or may not be on a "date." Did I make it worse by putting in my thoughts? Man, I could really have used that drink… As a defense mechanism, I take my coke and drink down a large sip.

"Yeah… I guess." Mokuba suddenly lets his face fall flat on the table with a bang.

It completely took me by surprise, and I started to choke on the sip I had just taken. Seto rubs my back as I start coughing and trying to regain my breath. Some eyes turn to us, to make sure everything is okay. I wave them off so that they return to whatever they were doing before our distraction.

And that's when she ran up to me. "Kisara! Come on!"

It was Miho, who had run almost all the way across the bar to get me to come up to sing with her. I tried to refuse, saying that I wasn't feeling up to it, but she insisted. Even as she was dragging me up to the stage, I went on saying I wasn't a good singer and that I get stage fright, and even reaching out for Seto to save me—but this was a fun thing for him, to watch me be embarrassed.

But at least it wasn't just Miho and I up on stage. Tea, Serenity, and even Mai were up with us. I made sure to stand on the side of Miho that Mai wasn't on, keeping some distance between us. Things were already awkward enough as it was, I didn't want to make things worse. As Tea and Miho were picking out a song, I stood, knock kneed as I held the microphone to my side. I watched all of them… Comparing them to myself.

I was just… stuck, thinking back to what Mahad had said, but twisting his words to fit myself into his shoes. "Someone like me?" That's all I could think about. Serenity had my figure. Miho had the same skin tone, eye color, and nearly the same hair color as me. Mai had relations with the man I was once engaged to… Tea was dating someone who once lived a past life, just as I am dating someone who existed in a past life. I look to the floor before looking around at the array of strangers in the pub. The magician who drew Mahad away from our conversation had a hair style like Mana's, but was silver like mine. Blue eyes. Snow white skin. Another had a face that looked like my own, with green eyes and blonde hair though.

What's wrong with me? Why am I looking for someone that won't exist? There won't be anyone who shares a soul with me… Because I took that from them. Right? Isn't that what Mahad was implying, that I, too, took their soul because my own loyalty to the one who I loved.

I made myself feel dizzy, and tried again to focus on the song that the girls were picking—but they had already picked one and were singing as I was standing here spacing out on my own. I side stepped behind the group and turned off my microphone. I set it on the table where the book of songs to choose from was, and snuck off the stage. I don't even know if anyone noticed…

But I left the pub. I just kept walking. I couldn't handle it like I thought that I would have been able to. I'm not strong enough to wear this type of mask. I kept walking, not paying attention to the roads I was taking. The air was brisk and I could see my breath, but I didn't care about how cold I was. Eventually, I came upon a bench and just took a seat, curling my legs up too much chest.

Why didn't I get Seto? Why didn't I just tell him I wanted to leave and go home?

I hold my hands out in front of me, tracing the lines of my palms with my eyes. I try to imagine them, covered with the blood of some innocent person who's life I had possibly stolen in order to be here. I tried to remember what I asked Mahad to keep blocked from my memory. I closed my eyes. I pressed them tightly together. I opened my eyes, and still saw pale, clean hands of the body I inhabited.

Is this soul my own? Is my mind my own? Is this body really meant for me?

"You have no idea what a soul like yours is worth…" It played in my head again.

That's when I slowly pulled out my phone… I looked at the screen as it lit up to show me the time. My background was a picture of the sky now, where it had once been a picture of him, his arm wrapped around me as he held the phone above us to take a picture of the two of us, the first day we had been engaged. I swiped my finger across the phone. I brought up my contacts, and scrolled down to him.

Kojiro… He had mentioned something about my past life on that retched day… He knew about some of my past. In fact, he told Seto to "thank him," that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been reborn into this life. He had to know something… Right? I was obsessed with me "light." Saying it was so powerful.

But there was also the fact… he called me his prisoner, and he had plans of extracting my soul. He knew about the stone tablet that trapped my soul prior to however I had been released in order to be able to reincarnate. He knew that it was limestone. He must know what happened to me… He has to know.

Pressing Fujiyama, Kojiro, I let the phone dial him, and listened to the tone of ringing.

"Kisara?" I hear from the other end.

But I sit in silence, just staring down at the screen.

"Don't tell me you have Stockholm syndrome"..." He tried to get me to answer him. "What do you want?"

Come to think of it… If he was in jail, how was he answering the phone? I'm sure his father got him out on parole. And I'm sure this was breaking that parole, even though I'm the one who called him.

"If you aren't going to say anything, I'm hanging up—" Fujiyama got angry.

"I..." I tried to start, but this was a lot harder now that I was hearing him speak. "I wanted… to ask you a few things."

He scoffed on his end. "And what makes you think I'll just answer any of your worthless questions?"

I shut my eyes tightly, trying not to fear the sound of his voice. "You're right. I don't know why you'd answer them… But it's eating me up and I… I didn't know who else I could ask. You… You know so much more about my past than I do..."

"Ah." Even with him miles away, I can tell he's deviously smiling. "I get where this is going."

"Please just… can you tell me about my soul?" I lean my head forward, holding it in my free hand as I rest my elbow on my knees. "You said you knew what it was worth… You knew why I'm alive today...You know why I'm able to be reincarnated… right?"

There was a pause, but before long, he was stifling back laughter. "Oh, that's precious. You think I know every detail of how things worked back then. Heh. Well, all I can say is that I wasn't the only person who wanted the soul you carried. Hell, I don't remember as much as you give me credit for. But if you keep this call off the record, I'll give you a small amount of info, got it?"

As much as I hated to make any kind of deal with him, I felt like I had to know. "You have my word."

"Cause that means much these days." He scoffed, but continued on. "There's someone that I struck a deal with. He's the one who was able to release your soul from it's stone prison. I don't know his name. He actually helped me in hunting for many people with powerful souls. I recall us making a trade, but everything after that is lost to the history lost in the sands of Egypt."

It was more than I thought he was going to to tell me. I didn't want to owe him anything, so I decided this was enough to keep me satisfied for the time being. And as I sat there listening… I also decided this would be the last time that I ever spoke to him.

"Thank you..." I opened my eyes back up, now pulling myself back to look up at the sky. "I promise, this call will have never happened..."

There was a moment of silence. I could hear him huff a small chuckle before his closing statement. "So this is it…."

"Yeah." I pull the phone away from my ear, holding it above me and staring at the screen with his name one last time. "Goodbye."

He didn't say anything. In fact, he waited on the line until I pressed the end button, watching my phone until in darkened into sleep mode. My head was spinning, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling as I shoved my phone back into my pocket and reburied my head onto my knees and hugging myself to hide my face from anyone who could potentially walk by me. I wasn't sobbing, but the tears just wouldn't stop flowing. This was all just so difficult. It was almost too hard to follow.

"I don't get it…." I didn't mean to say aloud. "I don't get any of this..."

I don't know how long I sat there like that. I just let time keep passing as I felt sorry for myself. I just kept telling myself that I didn't deserve to be where I was if it meant I had to take this life away from someone else.

"There you are!" I heard a slightly familiar voice approaching me.

Lazily, I lifted my head. The pharaoh's vessel was walking up to me. Tiredly, I rubbed my eyes, wiping away any left over tears and let my legs down, feet tapping the concrete of the sidewalk below.

"Yugi?" I said quietly. "What are you doing here?"

He gave me a look of concern. "You disappeared! Seto was so worried that he even asked us to help find you, and we all know he hates asking for help. Especially from me and even more so, Joey."

"Oh..." And here I was, acting like everything was fine. "Sorry Pharaoh..."

He stared at me with wide eyes, and I just realized what I called him. "You… Remember that life time?"

I didn't have the energy to hide it right now. "I've only recently begun to remember… Which I think is why I can't get my head straight right now."

"Well…" He was thinking before he spoke up. "I'm somewhat familiar with your situation. I can't personally say I remember the past as my own memories… But I walked along side the pharaoh, watching the life he lived, and the world he created around him. Is there anything I can answer for you?"

There was a part of me that wanted to ask him if he knew anything about my past… But as he just stated, he doesn't have the memories as his own. He walked along side his past self, watching in a way that I hadn't. I lived it over and over in my dreams. But… Perhaps he could understand, even somewhat. And also… He was once the pharaoh. His soul must be a million times more worthy. It only makes sense.

Perhaps he could understand… Maybe more than anyone, he could know. But… Maybe not. "If I died in the past… And my soul was sealed in the stone tablets that prevented me from living being reborn… Why am I here?"

And to my surprise… Yugi smiled. "If you think about it, the Pharaoh was sealed away in the millennium puzzle. It took him living in this world, losing his memories of the past before going back to be able to live his true life. It's a crazy time line to think about… But… Maybe you have to live your life here before you can truly live in your past?"

I tried to make sense of it, but his words seemed hopeless to me. "I… I don't get any of this..."

Yugi's smile seemed to fade. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in this situation… I'm not really even sure about your past, and the course it took. All I know is that Seto saved you from a mob of villagers. I had just assumed you stayed by his side. Honestly, after the pharaoh's war with Zorc, I know of nothing else past it. Nor the original way things went before he was trapped in the millennium puzzle. Everything changed after he locked himself in there."

"So… he lived an entirely different past, and after awaking in the future, he returned, and undid his wrong doings?" Saying out loud didn't clear up my thoughts at all. And I had no idea of the war. Who ever this "Zorc" was, I had no idea. There was still so much I had no idea about. "I think I'm going to give up for tonight..."

"I hope you don't mind me saying..." Yugi's expression was kind, "But, perhaps it's a good thing you don't remember every detail, ya' know? I can understand wanting to learn everything… But, if you're alive and well now, isn't that all that should matter?"

He truly was a sweet guy. I can understand why both Tea and Mana had their hearts set on him. He tried to be kind to everyone, and even still held the mentality of a modern day pharaoh, but without the diplomacy and politics.

"Than you, Yugi, for listening to me..." I felt a bit light headed after this drawn out night.

Actually… I felt heavy. Yet, light as a feather.

"Kisara?!" And without time to react, I hit his hands as he attempted to catch me as I started to lose my consciousness.

I gasp for breath, my face stained with tears. I stare to the ceiling above. It's the familiar ceiling I've grown accustomed to. I was back at the Kaiba mansion.

I feel as though I should be having a panic attack. I feel as though I should be screaming… But I'm calm. I can breathe normally. I can think straight for the first time in what felt like an eternity. I start taking some deep breaths, trying to figure out what happened between my departure from the pub last night and how I got home. My stomach felt queasy, and my head still felt pretty light.

I force myself to sit up. I'm in the room that the Kaiba's have given me during my stay. As I requested, the maids don't need to clean up after me, so my room is a little on the messy side. A pile of clothes started forming around the laundry hamper that I have in the corner of the room next to the closet door. There's books strewn about the room, stacks of them not fully put away onto the book shelf they lie near. There's papers on the night stand of notes I had been taking as I stayed up at night on my phone, studying the way of duel monsters. Pictures from my earlier years still sitting on the dresser that I meant to tape to the mirror's border. And lastly, I have a desk that I still haven't assembled. I refused to let anyone help me do it, but getting motivated to put it together was where I was lacking.

I sigh a sigh of relief. But stomach suddenly growls with the annoyance of hunger. How long had it been since I had eaten a decent meal? I feel so empty and drained. Instinctively, I press the back of my hand to my forehead to check my temperature. It felt normal, but that doesn't mean much in considering my hands have the same body temperature as the rest of me. So I throw my hands down to my lap, and sit there, trying to collect myself before I pull myself from the bed.

As I do so, I notice something taped to the bedroom door. It's a note that's been scribbled on. From where I stood, I couldn't read any of the words, so I approached the door, my legs feeling weaker than I had originally anticipated. Upon reaching it, I pluck it from the tape and start to read:

Kisara,

I had to get into work. If you wake up today, I'll be in a meeting between noon and 3pm. I don't know if you knew, but Mokuba is finished with his classes, and will be having his graduation ceremony coming up in the near future. Basically, he'll be home while you're resting, and offered to help you if you need anything.

Please send me a message when you're up so that I know you're okay… I'm sorry I didn't notice when you left out of there yesterday.

-Seto

There was an attempt at him drawing a heart next to his name, but he scribbled it out, an arrow pointing to the scribble with the text under it "ignore this abomination." That alone made me giggle.

I reach to my back pocket to feel for my phone before remembering that I wouldn't have it there due to the circumstances of last night. In fact, when did I get back into my sweats? I check out my attire. These were my "Domino" sweats, but the shirt was an old red on with a black pen pocket. I didn't match, but who would care with sweat pants anyway? No matter, I figured Seto probably changed me out of my outfit from yesterday.

So I look around for a moment, seeing it lying on the other nightstand. It was plugged into the charger, the screen showing the battery icon full. I walk over and disconnect it, turning my phone on. After it boots up, I get a few text notifications that come through. Pretty much everyone we had been out with at the Magician's Pub had texted me, asking me to let them know if I was okay and to let them know if I needed anything.

Two of the numbers I didn't have saved in my phone, but upon reading them, I learned that Mana now had my number. I'm not sure who gave her my number, but I need to ask them not to give our my number without my permission… Especially with incidents like Seto's number getting out. I'd hate to cause him more trouble than I already had. The other number, however, after reading the text from it… I realized it was from Mai.

Her text was rather lengthy… But to summarize, she wanted to apologize, but she would rather do so in person. While she worried about what happened to me last night, she didn't feel like she was allowed to wish me wellness without first patching up the trouble she assumed that she caused. She entirely blamed herself for ruing my engagement to Kojiro. Although she had done what she had, it wasn't directly her fault that I left him. She wasn't the first. She wouldn't have been the last. Mai was just the one that I happened to catch in the act, and in all honesty…. She woke me up from my blindness.

Yeah, it hurt. And yes, it caused me to take the steps to actually end things with Kojiro… But I can't say she ruined the engagement. Kojiro knew full and well what he was doing behind my back, even owning up to it before… Assaulting Mokuba and myself. Kojiro is fully to blame. And realizing this now made me think that much different of her. It doesn't change the fact that she did cheat on Joey though. And while I may not fully consider myself to be good friends with the group (yet…), I don't think I will have a good impression of her until she can prove she's not like Kojiro to me. And better yet… Faithful to Joey.

I sat down on the bed, continuing to read all my texts and check my notifications before finally going back through and replying to everyone. I made sure first to text Seto, letting him know that I was up, and thanking him for getting me home safely. I also apologized for running off, and asked if we could talk later, so that I can explain where my head is—which let's be honest, still isn't any better off than it was prior to last night. After sending his text, I went down the list and replied to everyone, including Mai. Hers was the hardest response, but I did inform her that I would also like to find a day to chat face to face sometime. And even aside from patching things up, I'd like to get to know her, to form an unbiased judgment that didn't include our unfortunate circumstances.

The last thing I did before relaxing was let Mokuba know that I was up. Since he'd be home, I had a feeling he would come to find me. I hadn't really gotten to talk to him, just the two of us, since the incident. He was so beat up… And I don't think I ever actually got the chance to thank him for everything he did that day.

And my thoughts again were interrupted by my growling stomach, that demanded I get food. So with a sigh, I stood from the bed once more, accepted that what I was wearing was decent enough for me to go to the kitchen, and headed out of my room. If the chance Mokuba had gotten my text, I would be passing his room in that direction anyway. I'm sure we'd bump into one another on my way there.

And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. I didn't actually run into him, but he was already rounding the corner to this hallway by the time I was just a few paces out the door.

"Morning star shine!" He smiled and waved. "How you feeling?"

"Star shine?" I wasn't sure if he was referencing something, but either way, I didn't follow. "What's that about?"

As we approached, he cocked his head to the side, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about it. "I don't remember where I heard it from. But the whole saying was 'Good morning star shine! The Earth says 'hello!'' Or something to that accord."

"Interesting." I didn't know what else to say, but chuckled a bit.

As I reached him in the hall, he turned to walk by my side, unknowing where I was headed anyway. "So what was with you ditching us the other night?"

"Other night…?" Why'd he say it like that? "It was just last night… right?"

He made a face like he was unnerved. "Actually… You've been out for like… 3 days?"

I stared at him with wide eyes, stopping and questioning why the hell I was in a coma?! "And you're just casually acting like everything is okay?! Should I go to the doctor or something?!"

Mokuba started laughing. "You're perfectly fine! Seto had a doctor out to make sure you were okay. Nothing weird. You didn't have any signs of anything being wrong. He just assumed that you were tired from the stress. Though, you're slightly anemic apparently. So we're supposed to make sure that you take an iron supplement until that's all better."

And again my stomach growled. Embarrassed, I grab my stomach and try not to blush. "S—sorry… I'm like… really hungry."

He laughed again. "And we're supposed to make sure that you're eating right, especially with all the stress you've been through."

I smiled, still feeling a bit flushed. "Thanks Mokuba… Not just for this normal conversation… But thank you for what you did for me, back when… When Kojiro did everything. And for keeping that secret the whole time too. Just… thanks for everything you've done for me up to this point..."

I was surprised to see his face light up red for a moment. He swallowed and turned forward. "It's nothing. The moment you became a part of the household, you became family. Whether it be a maid, an employee, or my brother's girlfriend, you are family to us."

"G—girlfriend huh?" The thought made me smile. "Did… Did he actually call me that?"

His expression completely fell. "Don't tell me he never even asked you out yet?!"

"I—I mean… He's asked me to stay with him, and… He's said things like he'd never lose me again..." But thinking about it now…. "But… I guess he never asked me?"

"He needs to do more than imply that you're a couple." He shook his head with a sigh. "Forgive him though. He's an idiot when it comes to anything romantic. But if you want, I can slyly talk to him about it. Like, asking when your anniversary will be and whatever."

The thought made me blush, and I put my hands on my cheeks to try to stifle the redness, even though I was fully aware that it didn't work that way. "Anniversary….?"

Mokuba just stood there dumbfounded. "You might be an idiot too."

"Hey!" I got defensive, but it just made him laugh.

"ANYWAY!" He tried to stop laughing, "Where were you headed before I caught ya'?"

I took in a deep breath, trying to get back on track. "To the kitchen. As you probably heard my stomach before, I'm rather famished."

Mokuba was giving me a weird stare now. "Why are you talking so formal all the sudden?"

"Haven't I always spoken like this?" Was my speech weird?

"Maybe I just never noticed it." He shook his head again, turning and waving me to follow. "Come on. Let's get you some food and I'll have someone bring you the iron pills that were prescribed for you."

I smiled again, following behind him. "Thank you, again."

"It's not a problem." I could hear the smile on his face. "Oh, and I have another question for you—actually, you never did answer my first question."

"R—right…" I was beginning to feel nervous. "About running out on everyone yesterday… I just wasn't feeling as okay as I thought I was… After what happened with Kojiro, and trying to mingle with everyone while my head isn't clear… I guess it was a bit overwhelming."

I didn't want to tell him about Mahad. I didn't want to talk to him about the conversation we had. So while I wasn't lying to him, I just wasn't telling him everything. I didn't even know how I was going to talk to Seto about it, and he is already aware of some things. And… Maybe I should keep the call between Kojiro and I to myself? But then again… I want to be honest with Seto, to the very end. I don't want to regret anything during the time I have with him.

"That's understandable..." His voice didn't sound convinced. "But next time, let us know. We could have left, and the others would have been fine… Seto was really worried about you. He may not look it, but he can be very paranoid and over protective. It doesn't help that I got kidnapped a lot when I was younger. I'm sure the moment he thought you disappeared that someone trying to take you away."

"O—oh... I didn't at all think about that." How heartless could I have been? "It… never occurred to me that he could have a mindset like that… I've always just seen the stronger side of him. Other than when he would… Well, ask me to stay, I've never seen any sign of weakness in him."

"He'll always hold up that front." Mokuba was honest. It was a nice pace for a conversation as we walked to the kitchen. "And it'll be really hard to get him to open up. Maybe it'll be easier because you're… Well, you. But behind that brick wall exterior, he's actually very human."

"I never thought of him as an alien." I chuckled, trying to lighten the conversation.

"Oooh. I like that one." He smirked, I'm sure thinking of some way to tell Seto that on the outside he's actually an alien.

"D—don't tell him I said that." I pleaded.

"But it's all the more fun to get under his skin." He chuckled. "It's a sibling thing. You gotta pester 'em."

"I'll take your word for it." I gave a nervous smile. "Anyway, there was something else you wanted to ask me?"

We were finally nearing the kitchen as we got to the last of his questions. "Right. Well… I was wondering if I could show you a project that I've been working on… But, it's hard to explain everything about how it came to be."

"I'd love to." I smiled brightly. "Was it something you did for school? Or something you've done on the side?"

"Something I've worked on on the side." He seemed to have difficulty finding exactly what he wanted to tell me. "But… I've never shared this project with anyone. So if you could… please keep it a secret? Seto only recently found out about it, but still hasn't actually asked me about it..."

"I swear on my life, I won't tell a soul." For some reason, saying it like that didn't settle well in me. "I mean… I promise..."

I think it also was unsettling for Mokuba, as his expression turned down again. "Right. Well. The project… It's called 'Noah.'"