Prelude to a Dream
Chapter Two
Makoto watched Usagi with utter fascination. She had managed to finish a burger combo while battling a kid and she was even winning for a change.
"Mamoru…how does the hime do it?" Makoto asked.
He shrugged. "Usagi…she's different…I still love her, but you'd think that after defeating Galaxia she would be more queen like."
She laughed. "Exactly what I was thinking…hey, where's everybody going?" Makoto asked. Convention attendees moved towards the stage as a mass.
"They're about to announce the winner of the contest they were having. I hope I won," Chibi-Usa said. "Usagi lets go! They're about to say who won!" she called out to her future mother. Usagi looked up from the game board.
"Mraaait…" she called out through a mouthful of fries.
"Usagi, you're such a pig. Let's just go!" Chibi-Usa said and began to drag her away from the game.
They waited in the large crowd around the stage. On the stage stood about ten men and women. They were the best duelists in the world and Makoto didn't recognize any of them.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's the moment you've all been waiting for!" The host said. Makoto laughed as it resembled a game show more then a contest. It was even complete with a beautiful air head model.
"The five winners are…drum roll please…Kurimoto, Yuki; Anami, Hitoshi; Yi, Goro; Kim, Naoko, and last but not least Kino, Makoto. Will you all come on down!"
Makoto suppressed a grin it sounded like a rerun of the Price is Right. 'Wait…did I hear the guy right? Did I win…Oh my god I won…what am I so excited about? I should just give the prize to Usagi or Chibi-Usa…where are they?' Makoto spun around and lost sight of her two friends. Mamoru was still by her side. "Where are-" she began but Mamoru motioned towards the stage.
The four contestants along with very giddy Usagi and Chibi-Usa were on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen our six contestants! Wait…six? Hey, you two aren't supposed to be up here," the model said to Usagi and Chibi-Usa.
Usagi snatched the microphone from the host. "Yeah about that…see one of the winners is my friend and she's going to give us two of the tickets so technically we're winners too. Isn't that right Mako-chan?" she said. The host looked confused. Chibi-Usa took the microphone away from Usagi.. "Mako-chan come on stage and bring Mamoru with you," she said.
All eyes in the room were on Makoto and Mamoru. Makoto looked like she'd rather be a million miles away. She began to back away slowly but Mamoru grabbed her arm, effectively preventing any escape. "If I have to go, you're going to come with me," he said with a smile.
He began to drag towards the stage and the crowd parted. "No, Mamoru-kun you baka, let go! I don't wanna go. You can't make me! Please let me go! I don't even like Duel Monsters that much. I changed my mind. Come on," she whined.
Mamoru ignored her protests and dragged her on stage. "Um…er…this hasn't happened before. Do you still want the prize then?" the host asked. Chibi-Usa jumped on Makoto's back and covered her mouth.
"Of course she does…don't you Mako-chan?" Usagi asked sweetly.
Makoto glared at Usagi. Chibi-Usa forced Makoto to nod her head. "Great. Who can possibly hate duel monsters? It's just impossible. Well there you have if folks, our five…um…yeah…five winners…" the hostess launched into a story of how Duel Monsters was created while the winners and the ten choices went backstage.
Makoto bit the twelve-year old girl's hand. "What do you think you are doing? Don't just volunteer me for this without my permission. I know you're my hime but-" Makoto stopped at the tears that were developing in Usagi and Chibi-Usa's eyes. The waterworks began and Makoto covered her hears to drown out the wails.
'Oh Kami, what did I do to deserve this?' Makoto thought.
Mamoru was trying in vain to calm them down and Makoto knew she had to give in. "Fine I'll do it! This is the last time, hime!" she yelled over the din of applause. Wait, applause? Makoto looked over at the left and sure enough, the curtain was up. "You will?" Chibi-Usa asked in a small voice. Makoto nodded and the hostess escorted Mamoru, Chibi-Usa and Usagi off stage.
She took a position on the end of the winners. "The prize of this contest was a weeks worth of lessons with one of our ten dueling masters on stage. To make it better, we've made it for you and four of your friends. Now we want this to be fair so we've decided to have the winners pick names out of a hat."
The hostess passed a hat around. Makoto picked a piece of paper out of it with a name. Seto Kaiba. "Now will the winners please announce the names on their cards?" The first lucky duelist recited the name on his paper and each of the others followed until it reached Makoto.
"Umm…Seto Kaiba." The audience applauded the winners, each wishing they were one of the lucky winners on stage.
"That's it folks. Have a good evening! Take care," the hostess said with her plastic smile.
'Evening? Kami, don't tell me I've been here that long,' Makoto groaned. The audience filed out of the convention center in good spirits. Her three friends rushed on stage. Makoto ignored them for the moment and looked around.
The hostess was getting drunk backstage and the elite duelists who didn't get their names picked out the hat were at the exit, signing autographs. The other winners were being introduced to their new teachers.
"Yay Mako-chan! You were great," Mamoru said.
"Thanks, I guess. I didn't really have to do anything"
"Do you know that Kaiba is the CEO of Kaiba Corp? He's loaded! Not to mention he's bishounen," Chibi-Usa said with hearts in her eyes. She was at the age where hormones started to kick in.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be thinking about guys yet!" Usagi said.
"Am too! You're not my mother…yet!" Chibi-Usa finished lamely.
"It doesn't matter, you still have to listen to me!"
"Do, not" "
Do too"
"Thhhhhhppppp!" Chibi-Usa stuck her tongue out.
"Oh, no. Not another tongue war. So who do you think is gonna win?" Makoto asked.
"They'll just tire themselves out. You know Makoto, aren't you supposed to be meeting your teacher?" Mamoru asked. Makoto sighed.
"I guess I have to look for him now. Bye Mamoru, I'll see you tomorrow. When they finish tell them I'll call them later with the details."
"Sure, but don't you need a ride home?"
"No, I have bus money. Don't worry I can take care of myself. You know all that we've been through better then anybody else. Well I've got to go now. Bye Mamoru-kun!" she called over her shoulder.
Makoto found Seto Kaiba forty minutes later in the parking lot. He was leaning against his limousine and looking at the night sky. 'Wow, Chibi-Usa's right. He's loaded and he doesn't even look that old and he's very bishounen. He looks familiar…' Makoto thought. She walked silently to the limo. Kaiba had medium length brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed casually in a blue trench coat, green shirt and blue pants.
She approached cautiously. Kaiba noticed her when she got within a couple feet. "Um…Kaiba-san, I'm Makoto Kino…your new student…I guess we're stuck with each other." Makoto smiled and looked up at his face…he looked really familiar. She couldn't quite remember where she knew him.
Kaiba shook Makoto's hand with a superior air. Makoto looked up to his serious face and remembered instantly who he was. "Seto boy," she said and jumped and gave him a hug, startling him.
"Bruce, Bruno, restrain her," Kaiba said, attempting to peel her arms off him.
Two men in black suits pulled Makoto away from Kaiba. "Seto, don't you remember me?" she asked.
"Look, miss, I don't know who the hell you are and I don't think we can do these lessons if you continue to act like this," Kaiba said.
Makoto grew angry. "Anata Baka!" she cursed. Kaiba looked at Makoto's face. She was familiar…the chestnut hair, those expressive emerald eyes…yes he knew who she was.
An eight-year-old Seto walked around the playroom of the MuugenCounty Orphanage. He and his two-year-old brother, Mokuba, were new at the orphanage. He had made no friends and many of the kids had taken to bullying him.
Seto tripped over a castle made of Lego's, sending the plastic pieces flying. He fought the urge to cry and stood, finding himself staring into emerald eyes…angry emerald eyes. He knew who she was. Makoto, Kino…a six-year-old orphan who was often teased and retaliated by fighting. He was in for it…
"Anata Baka! You ruined my castle," she screamed.
"Such language for a lady," he said.
"I'm not lady! I'm onee five. You're ate," she said in her six-year-old vocabulary. He laughed.
"What are you laughin at?" Makoto asked. Kaiba didn't answer, and made his escape. Makoto tackled him to the floor.
"You have to help me fix the castle!" she ordered imperiously. Seto tickled her until she fell off.
"Fine, but I get to be the King," he said and raced her to the castle.
"I want to be the King," she said
"Uggh, Makoto, girls can't be Kings, they have to be queens," he argued.
"Girls can be Kings if they want to!"
"Umm…"
"Ha, I get to be King then," Makoto said triumphantly.
"But-" Seto started but stopped when Makoto shook her small fist at him.
"Fine you can be King. I'll be...the Queen…Next time I get to be King," he said. That was the beginning of friendship between the two orphaned children.
Seto Kaiba smiled faintly at the memory then looked at the tall girl who was currently being restrained by his two bodyguards. She hadn't changed. He was just shocked that it took so long to remember her. A nod from Seto dismissed the two burly men. They reluctantly left, but remained within hearing distance. The girl already had proved herself a threat..
"Anata Baka!" she repeated, glaring at Seto. He struggled not to laugh at the indignant expression on her face.
"Such language for a lady."
Makoto's eyes widened in amazement. Kaiba remembered her!
"I'm not a lady. I'm only sixteen."
Seto Kaiba chuckled and Makoto joined in. "I'm glad you remembered me. It's been a long time, Kaiba-boy," she said. "The Dynamic Duo reunited."
"So did you ever get to become King?" Kaiba asked jokingly.
"Did you ever become Queen? I see you have, Mrs. Dueling Champion," she retorted.
He snorted and opened the limousine door just as the first drops of rain fell from the sky. "Let's take this conversation inside. It's starting to rain. I'll give you a ride home/"
The girl nodded and followed him inside the spacious limousine. She gave the driver instructions to her apartment then turned to the man seated across from her.
To say t was awkward was an understatement. Makoto lived nearby the convention center, but those ten minutes seemed live even longer. Kaiba wasn't very talkative and Makoto didn't feel quite so comfortable with this new Seto. Even though they were childhood friends, he had changed. He was the CEO of his own company while Makoto was an ordinary high school student (for the most part).
The limousine came to a halt in front of a high rise apartment complex. "You live here?" Kaiba asked. Makoto blushed. She knew he must have been used to better things since he was wealthy.
"Um…do you want to come up for dinner? It's not going to take long and I'm sure you're hungry," she said. Kaiba looked at her suspiciously.
"Since when can King Makoto cook?" he asked.
"Since Queen Makoto grew up. Come inside and we'll catch up Seto-boy."
Her childhood friend hesitated briefly before agreeing. He could postpone his video conference with the distributor from America. This was more important.
"Thank you, Bruce," Makoto said to the suited man. He had come around to open her limousine door. Still, he kept a weary look on her.
"Bruce and his twin over there can come up if they want to, but I wanted...I wanted this to be sort of private."
Kaiba didn't argue with the suggestion and so they found themselves standing at the front of her apartment door, minus Bruce and Bruno.
Makoto fumbled in her purse for her key ring. "Still as forgetful as ever I see," Kaiba said from over her shoulder. Startled, she jumped and her purse fell to the floor, spilling the contents.
"Don't scare me like that!"
He knelt down on the carpeted hall and helped clean the accident he caused. She had interesting things in her purse. Kaiba had half expected the usual feminine items like makeup and some other knickknacks. Instead, he found a recipe clipped from a newspaper, gum, a gym membership, money, dueling cards and something strange...
Curious, he picked it up and studied it while Makoto struggled to put her purse in some kind of order. It was a dueling card, but not one that he had ever seen, and he was the elite duelist. Megami no Jupiter.
Makoto stood and closed her purse securely. She looked at the man standing beside her. He held a card in his hand, her card. Before he could get more then a glance at it she, snatched it from him. "I didn't know that the great Seto Kaiba was so nosy! You're worse then Usagi. Come on let's go in."
Seto Kaiba wasn't nosy...he just wanted to ask what that card was. He'd never seen it before. But before he could even form the question, the door opened and Makoto dragged him in. It wasn't a very large apartment, but it was in a good neighborhood. Seto saw Makoto's personal touch in the furniture, which was mostly green, brown, and burgundy, all earth tones. It suited her.
He took a seat on the burgundy couch at Makoto's insistence. It was hard to say no to a girl who obviously was trying hard to please.
"I'll go get dinner started," she informed him, before disappearing behind the swinging kitchen door.
---
Thirty minutes later, a grinning Makoto stood in front of him. She managed to cook a meal and get dressed in a more formal outfit. Her idea of formal was a green blouse, long black skirt, and a pair of fuzzy pink house slippers. Kaiba smirked. Makoto matched the décor.
"Makoto, I didn't know you were so feminine."
"That's strike one, Kaiba. You never insult a girl in her own home, especially on her appearance." She wiggled her finger at him and took the other side of the loveseat.
There was a brief pause of awkward silence. Makoto was the one to break it. "So, how did you become the millionaire Seto Kaiba?"
"How did you grow up to be Makoto Kino…the feminine Makoto Kino?"
"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours. I've got to warn you, it's not that interesting."
"Miracles are always interesting, Makoto."
"10...9...8...7...6...5...4..."
"What are you doing?"
"Trying not to be convicted of homicide," she said calmly.
"I see you haven't changed much," he said, with his infamous smirk. Seto watched, amused while Makoto made the large effort to keep her temper. Finally she stopped counting backwards and spoke.
"When we met at the orphanage I was six and you were eight and Mokuba was two. We were the dynamic Duo, of course at that time your brother couldn't talk. We were the terror of the orphanage, little bad asses…You left on my eleventh birthday. I remember when that man in the limousine came and adopted you and your brother. I really hated you for leaving me like that you know."
She stopped and looked for a reaction. He wasn't even looking at her, much to her dismay. The young millionaire sat on the couch with his eyes closed. Only the rise and fall of his chest let her know that he wasn't dead. Seto was listening though. He always listened.
"That year right after you left really affected me. I took a turn for the worse. I became somebody I wasn't proud of…I got in to trouble a lot more then was normal. Eventually I was moved to another orphanage for my behavior problems. I tried to find you Seto but nobody would tell me who adopted you. I began to take karate classes at the suggestion of a therapist to hone my anger at something else. It worked but I was called the karate maniac at my new school. This time I wasn't a bully, I defended the underdog but people didn't see it as that…"
"…I was kicked out of that school and the orphanage was planning to move me again so I did the moving for them, I ran away. I lived on the streets for a week, trying to find somebody who would take me in, family. I found an uncle. He took me in, gave me my family inheritance, insurance money and he even sued the Airline Company. I took the money and moved here, to Juuban. I was fourteen then. I bought this apartment and enrolled at Juuban Junior High School. I had changed into what you see today then. You can say it was my new friends that helped me be myself. Two years later here I am. A sophomore, black belt and a better person."
Kaiba blinked open his blue eyes and looked at the tall girl with understanding. Makoto had expected pity. "I'm sorry, Makoto. I didn't know. It's all my fault. If I hadn't left the orphanage..."
Feminine laughter met Kaiba's admission. "Don't be so conceited Seto boy. The world doesn't revolve around you. You did leave me at Muugen, but it wasn't your fault. I was happy for you and Mokuba. You finally had a home...let's take a break now. I think the food is done. I'll be back and you better be seated at the table, ready to eat and tell me your story." Makoto gave him her best comforting smile before she left.
'She's changed a lot. I wonder how things would have turned out if I hadn't left Muugen. Would she have grown up into who she is now? I think I like this Makoto better. She doesn't terrorize me and she's managed to keep her temper in check.' He chuckled at the memory of Makoto, a girl half his height, chasing him at the orphanage. 'Big improvement. She even resembles a woman, not a tomboy like before. Kaiba snap out of it! Makoto's your friend. She's the one who taught you to climb trees and make paper airplanes. I can't think of her like that. Still, I can't help but wonder if it would have made a difference if I stayed…'
---
Makoto walked into the small dining room and found Kaiba staring off into space. Grinning mischievously, she waved a plate of pepper chicken in his face. The scent of the delicious food brought him out of the trance. He blinked and saw the place of chicken, wild rice, salad, and Jell-O. She his meal down and returned to her own plate at the chair across from him.
"I usually cook more but this was the best I could do on short notice. Go ahead, take a bite. I'm sorry that your food tasters aren't here, your highness," she teased. He gave her a scathing glare, but took a bite. It was good, much to his surprise. The Makoto he knew would rather give him wedgies then cook him a meal.
"So how is it?" Her serious emerald eyes were trained on his face. It was obvious that his opinion mattered to him. Seto felt strangely touched.
"Mrrrriiiits mrrood," he said between mouthfuls and he wasn't acting either.
Makoto's face brightened. "I'm glad you liked it. I should say lets eat but you already started. Don't they teach you manners in your castle?" she asked. Kaiba didn't answer; he was too busy eating.
They finished dinner in silence. Kaiba was genuinely sorry to see the food cleared away. It was delicious, but now he had to share his story. Makoto never forgot things.
"Now it's your turn to tell me a story. If its boring free to add intrigue and rivals, but at least keep the plot original," she joked. Kaiba didn't laugh. She began to wonder if some of what she said hit home.
"I was adopted as a sort of reward. When I was thirteen Gozaburo Kaiba challenged me to a game of chess. He was an old man and didn't have an heir to Kaiba Corporation. I guess he was getting pretty desperate because the reward was adoption. You know that I was into strategy and mind games at that age. I beat Gozaburo, but I have a feeling that he let me win. He was true to his word and Mokuba and I were adopted. The old man trained me to be his successor. He died last year and I became the new CEO of Kaiba Corp."
Makoto was shocked at the callous way that Seto said his father died. Even though it was an adopted father, he had said it with so little feeling or concern. 'Whatever training Seto was put through has changed him. He seems colder…more distant. If he's like this with an old friend I wonder how he would treat a complete stranger…how can he say somebody close to him died so casually?'
"Even though I'm the CEO of Kaiba Corp, I'd rather duel. Isn't that ironic? Hmph. That's my story. Yours was more interesting, Makoto."
"It's about 7:00, Seto. Shouldn't you get going?"
His face fell. "You want me out that badly, don't you?"
"No, it's just that..." Makoto struggled to think of an excuse. She couldn't just tell him that she was a guardian of the universe and her friends, who were also guardians, had planned to have their weekly meeting at her apartment at 7:30. "My friends are coming over and they wouldn't let me hear the end of it."
"The end of what?" he asked, suspicion in his sapphire eyes.
"Well they are very...nosy and me having a guy over...They'd blow it out of proportion. You don't want to be around them, especially Mina, when they sense a secret."
The suspicion in his eyes vanished, replaced by amusement. "Are we hiding something, Makoto? Do you have any confessions of love that you'd like to get off your chest?"
She blushed furiously. "Anata Baka! You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
He chuckled at her obvious discomfort as he rose from his seat. "What are the odds that we would have met this way after all these years? Well, you did win the contest and I suppose you want your prize although you didn't seem so happy on stage."
"Ah, to be honest, I'm not really into Duel Monsters. Even though I love to fight, I'd rather use my own strength. Those two girls on stage kind of forced me to claim the prize."
"So you don't want the lessons?" he asked, and stretched.
"I don't really mind, but Usagi and Chibi-Usa would probably kill me if I backed out now."
"Next week is winter break so how about Monday? I'll have my limo pick you up and take you to the airport to take you to my private island." Makoto paled at the word airplane. Her phobia of flying objects still hadn't faded.
"Air...plane?" she asked in a strained voice.
"Yes airplane…oh yeah, you're still afraid of them…how about you guys go in my yacht?"
"Showoff," she muttered. "A boat is fine, I guess. Airplanes, your own private island, a yacht? Seto-boy, I'm almost jealous."
"It's been fun, Makoto. I'll have my people call your people."
Makoto laughed as she showed Kaiba to the door. "My little invisible friends? Seto, you've changed…I guess I have to call you Kaiba now because everybody else does. Kaiba…it just rolls off the tongue. When you get back tell Mokuba that I said hello. Oh and I'll bring you some cupcakes."
She closed the door behind him and leaned on the wall. His expression as he left was serious, as if he wasn't happy with his lifestyle. 'Seto has changed. He seems sort of cruel. He didn't even laugh at my jokes like he used to when we were kids. I wish I could go back and time and tell that guy that adopted Seto to teach him some compassion. I bet with all that money that he has a lot of responsibility. That's probably why he seemed so distant as he left. I'm glad that he relaxed with me, but I'm going to have a hard time on that island of his trying to let him be himself. Kaiba…'
Author's Notes [7.19.04]
And that's the end of that chapter. Sorry, I've been watching the Simpsons. The next edited chapter should be up soon, but don't hold your breath. I have 2 more weeks of summer school left. Eh, I'll be nice and set my work aside. Come back in a day or two, ya?