Mokuba's eyes widened in horror. "No!" the boy cried. "He can't be!!"
"I'm sorry, Mokuba," Seto whispered, holding his brother comfortingly. He knew that ever since Marik had turned good, the Egyptian boy and Mokuba had become close. For Marik to actually be dead was a terrible blow for Seto's brother, and Seto hated relaying the news.
Now Mokuba buried his face in Seto's trenchcoat and sobbed. "Why?!" he wailed. "Why did he havta die?!"
Seto gently stroked the younger boy's hair. "He was very sick, Mokuba," he said softly.
Mokuba shook his head. "But he should've gotten better! Why didn't he?!"
"I don't know, kid." Seto wished desperately that this hadn't happened. "But he's free of the pain now," the older boy said quietly. "Wherever he is now, he's probably a lot happier than he was here."
"I know, but . . ." Mokuba looked up, his face tear-streaked. "I'm gonna miss him, Seto!" he cried.
"Of course you will," Seto said gently, brushing away the other boy's tears and looking into his deep gray eyes. "Come on," he said softly, "I'll take you to bed."
Mokuba nodded sadly, and Seto stood up with the younger boy in his arms.
After tucking his brother into bed and again waiting until he was asleep, Seto went back downstairs, outraged thoughts swirling through his mind. Vivalene was a murderess. Marik was dead because of her, and there was no telling what she might do next.
He reached idly for his briefcase, but it wasn't there. The boy's eyes narrowed in confusion. Where had it gone?
Wait a minute . . . could he have left it at the KETY building by accident when he had grabbed for Lila to restrain her from hurting Tea? That was it. It had to be there. Seto folded his arms in irritation. There were important papers in that briefcase. He would have to go retrieve it.
"Velma," he said as he turned to the door, "I have to go out."
"But sir . . ." the maid protested.
"I won't be long," Seto assured her. "But if Mokuba wakes up, be sure to go up and see if he's alright. Marik Ishtar died tonight and Mokuba isn't taking it well." Seto felt sad about it himself, but over the years he had gotten so that he didn't show his emotions openly—at least, certainly not very often.
Velma's eyes widened. "Poor Marik," she said softly.
Seto nodded and again turned to leave.
"But sir, where can I reach you if something else awful happens?" Velma asked suddenly.
Seto paused. "I'll be at the KETY building," he said as he walked out.
Neither Seto nor Velma knew that Mokuba had awakened and overheard the conversation. "Be careful, big brother," the little boy whispered, his eyes shining. "I can't lose you too!"
****
Joey followed Vivalene down the deserted hall nervously. "So, uh, what exactly are we doin'?" he asked.
Vivalene let the basement door creak open and clicked on a flashlight. "Come, darling," she purred, but then suddenly they both heard the sound of something falling over.
"What the heck was that?!" Joey exclaimed.
"It was probably another horrible ninja!" Vivalene replied, shuddering fearfully.
Joey immediately stood tall and clenched his fists. "Don't you worry, Vifa!" he cried. "I'll get 'em!" He ran off in the direction of the sound.
"A brave boy," Vivalene said to herself. "Brave, but foolish. Just perfect." A wicked smile crossed her face.
****
Seto muttered to himself as he fell over an end table and sprawled on the floor. He knew that hadn't been there before. Someone had put it there, probably to alert them if someone should come in—and that meant he very likely wasn't in here alone.
"Alright, who wants a beatin'?!" a familiar voice yelled.
Seto struggled to stand up. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Wheeler, what are you doing here?" he demanded, feeling for a light switch.
Joey's hand came out of the darkness and grabbed the other boy's wrist. "I might ask you the same question!" he said hotly, finding the light switch and clicking it on himself. "Do you know what time it is?!"
Seto didn't answer. "I'm assuming you're not here alone," he said darkly.
"I'm helpin' Vifa!" Joey replied, shoving Seto backwards, "and I don't wanna hear any more of your lies about her! Her twin sister . . ."
". . . Is dead," Seto finished, his eyes narrowed.
Joey backed up. "What?!"
"She died in a boating accident five years ago, Wheeler. It was all over the news." Seto stood up tall, facing the other boy defiantly. "She couldn't have hurt—killed—Marik Ishtar, because she was dead. And also because she was the good sister, the one who would never do something like that."
Joey's eyes narrowed. "Whoa, whoa. Back up! Marik's not dead!" he cried, choosing to ignore Seto's other remarks for the moment.
"He died tonight," Seto informed him, crossing his arms. "Your precious Vivalene murdered him."
"No!" Joey yelled. "That's not true!! You're a liar, Kaiba!! Everything you just told me is a sick lie!!"
Seto growled. "Prove it."
Joey stood firm. "I will! I'll prove that Vifa's an angel, and that you're lyin' to get me away from her!"
"Childish idiot," Seto muttered.
"What? What did you just call me?!" Joey grabbed Seto and yanked the other boy forward viciously. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists, huh?! I'll do anything to protect the woman I love, and that includes not lettin' jerks like you tell lies about her!!"
"She has you hypnotized, Joey," Seto replied angrily, prying the Brooklyn boy's hands away and holding them tightly so that he couldn't try any punching tricks. "If you don't come to your senses, you're going to wind up dead just like Marik!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Joey thundered, wrenching himself free. "I've had it with you, Kaiba! Just get outta here before I do somethin' we'll both regret!" He shoved the other boy again and stormed off.
"I regret what you've already done," Seto muttered in a voice so low only he could hear it. "But I will gladly get out of here once I retrieve my briefcase." He turned and disappeared down the corridor.
****
Joey, meanwhile, found Vivalene tapping on the basement wall, a look of concentration on her face. She looked up when Joey came in. "Oh, darling, was it a ninja?" she asked, shuddering at the thought.
Joey shook his head. "Naw. Just Kaiba wanderin' around."
Vivalene looked surprised. "Seto Kaiba is here in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah, and I wish he wasn't." Joey slammed his fist into his palm angrily, then blinked at Vivalene. "Eh, what exactly are you doin', anyway?" he asked curiously.
Vivalene smiled. "Help me, darling," she requested. "I just have to find the secret room."
"What secret room?!" Joey asked in confusion.
"The one leading to riches," Vivalene purred, running her finger down Joey's cheek. "I was running from a thief years ago and I hid them in here until I could return for them later. Unfortunately, that was so long ago that I can't quite remember where the secret panel is!"
Joey also began tapping on the wall. "Hey, sure I'll help you," he said resolutely, even though he had a strange feeling about it.
****
Yugi was awakened out of a deep sleep by the sharp jangling of the telephone. "Huh?" he said softly, blinking. "What time is it?"
"Much too early for the phone to ring," Yami Yugi replied from where he was looking out the window, his eyes narrowed.
Quickly Yugi grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"
"Um, Yugi?" It was Serenity, Joey's sister.
Instantly Yugi perked up. "Serenity!" he gasped. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Well . . ." The girl hesitated, sounding worried. "Well, I hate to bother you so late, but actually, I was hoping you could tell me where Joey is. I just got back into town and I know it's late and all, but Joey said to call him anytime, so I did . . . but he didn't answer." Serenity laughed weakly. "I know what a sound sleeper he is, so I decided just to go his house and surprise him—but when I got there, I found that Joey just wasn't around! It was like he'd just left in a big hurry or something."
Yugi blinked. Where would Joey go? He must be with Vivalene somewhere, the boy decided. "Don't worry, Serenity," he said comfortingly. "We'll find your brother. I'll call the others and we'll all meet at Joey's place in thirty minutes, okay?"
Serenity relaxed. "Thank you, Yugi," she said softly. "I just hope he's alright! I can't imagine where he'd go in the middle of the night!"
Yugi sighed inwardly. How would he explain to Serenity about the dangerous character her brother was mixed up with?
****
Before long, everyone had gathered in front of Joey's empty house worriedly.
"Hey, Serenity," Tristan said, coming over to the girl and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Are you doing okay?"
Serenity smiled at him, but her hazel eyes were full of concern. "Hi, Tristan," she replied. "I'm okay, but I'm worried about Joey. Why would he go off in the middle of the night?!"
"Maybe he thought Vivalene was in danger," Tea suggested softly.
"Vivalene?" Serenity repeated, blinking.
"Joey's girlfriend," Tristan explained, not able to keep the bitterness and disgust out of his voice.
"Joey has a girlfriend?" Serenity exclaimed. "Why didn't he tell me?!"
"I don't know," Yugi said slowly.
The next few minutes were spent explaining to Serenity the events of the past couple of days, with everyone trying to soften the news of what had happened to Marik and why.
"We're afraid that Joey may be in grave danger," Yugi finished solemnly.
"We have to find him!" Serenity cried in determination.
Everyone agreed.
"We'll meet back here in two hours," Yugi directed as everyone split up.
****
Vivalene smirked triumphantly when she tapped a hollow-sounding part of wall and it swung open. "Yes," she purred, seeing the many jewels and gold. "At last, they are in in my grasp!"
Joey stared as he watched the woman try on a bracelet and ring, and then begin gathering the items into her purse. "Vifa?" the boy asked slowly.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Vivalene exclaimed, a wild, greed-filled flash in her emerald eyes.
The uneasy feeling Joey had was getting more intense, but he nodded slowly. "Yeah, but not as beautiful as you," he said at last.
"Hey, what's going on in there?" a gruff voice yelled, and a flashlight shone into the room.
Before Joey could answer, Vivalene turned and headed for another door and pulled the boy with her. "Come on!" she ordered, her voice no longer dripping with sweetness.
"Vifa, what's happening?!" Joey cried. "Wasn't that the night watchman?!"
"Perhaps it was," Vivalene replied, running up one flight of stairs and then another.
"But why are we running?" Joey demanded. "I thought you said that stuff was yours!"
"Perhaps I lied," Vivalene purred. "Of course, it's the truth now."
Joey felt his heart climb into his throat as they ran out onto the roof. "Vifa, you can't mean what you're sayin'!" he exclaimed. "You couldn't have stolen those things . . . could you?"
"And why not?" Vivalene smirked at Joey, but before either of them could say more, the night watchman appeared.
"What are you two doing?!" he demanded.
"Taking what's rightfully mine," Vivalene replied fiercely. "And now, darling, you will take what fate has dealt you." She produced a revolver, and Joey felt frozen. What was Vivalene doing?!
****
Seto had just found his briefcase and was preparing to leave when the gunshot rang out through the building. The boy's head snapped up and he glared upward at the ceiling. "Joey, you moron!" he muttered. Was the Brooklyn boy . . . dead, shot down at the hands of the woman he loved?
Quickly the young businessman turned and ran up the stairs toward the source of the deadly sound. When he emerged onto the roof moments later, he stopped short in horror.
An unknown man was laying lifeless on the roof, apparently dead. Joey was standing to the side and seemed to be frozen to the spot, his brown eyes blank.
Vivalene sneered at him and suddenly cried out, "Murderer! Murderer!" and pointed at Joey.
Seto felt immensely disgusted and revolted. "Save it," he growled. "I know that Wheeler didn't do it."
Vivalene paid him no heed. "He stole the jewels from the secret compartment in the old bank and then killed the watchman so there wouldn't be any witnesses!" she screamed.
That snapped Joey out of his trance. He whirled on Vivalene, a wounded expression on his face. "You . . . you've been using me!" he said in disbelief. "All this time I've loved you, and you've just been playing with my emotions!" He stared at Vivalene's purse. "All you wanted were those rocks and that gold," he realized in horror. "You didn't care about me at all—you've just been planning how you'd set me up and frame me for your dastardly deeds!!!" He could hardly get the words out. This seemed so unreal! It couldn't be real; it must be a horrible nightmare! Vivalene wouldn't turn on him like this!
And yet she had. The woman smiled, baring her gleaming white teeth. "You know, darling, perhaps you should have listened to your friends," she remarked.
"You . . . you shot that guard just now," Joey continued in that same horrified, outraged, wounded tone. He paused, looking deeply into the eyes of the woman he had cared for. "And you . . . you *did* kill Marik, didn't you?" he said softly.
"Oh, is he dead?" Vivalene said flippantly. "Well, it's been fun, darling, but I'm afraid you'll have to join him." She pointed the revolver at Joey's heart and pulled the trigger.
Instantly Seto sprang out and jumped in front of the other boy. "I don't think so," he said firmly. "You're not going to kill him too, even if he did act moronic and desert his friends."
The shot rang out and Seto staggered back, stunned. He saw the blood flowing over his shirt and flesh, but for a moment it didn't register that it was his. Then his eyes glazed over and he knew. Vivalene had shot him.
"I'm sorry, Mokuba," Seto whispered, holding his brother comfortingly. He knew that ever since Marik had turned good, the Egyptian boy and Mokuba had become close. For Marik to actually be dead was a terrible blow for Seto's brother, and Seto hated relaying the news.
Now Mokuba buried his face in Seto's trenchcoat and sobbed. "Why?!" he wailed. "Why did he havta die?!"
Seto gently stroked the younger boy's hair. "He was very sick, Mokuba," he said softly.
Mokuba shook his head. "But he should've gotten better! Why didn't he?!"
"I don't know, kid." Seto wished desperately that this hadn't happened. "But he's free of the pain now," the older boy said quietly. "Wherever he is now, he's probably a lot happier than he was here."
"I know, but . . ." Mokuba looked up, his face tear-streaked. "I'm gonna miss him, Seto!" he cried.
"Of course you will," Seto said gently, brushing away the other boy's tears and looking into his deep gray eyes. "Come on," he said softly, "I'll take you to bed."
Mokuba nodded sadly, and Seto stood up with the younger boy in his arms.
After tucking his brother into bed and again waiting until he was asleep, Seto went back downstairs, outraged thoughts swirling through his mind. Vivalene was a murderess. Marik was dead because of her, and there was no telling what she might do next.
He reached idly for his briefcase, but it wasn't there. The boy's eyes narrowed in confusion. Where had it gone?
Wait a minute . . . could he have left it at the KETY building by accident when he had grabbed for Lila to restrain her from hurting Tea? That was it. It had to be there. Seto folded his arms in irritation. There were important papers in that briefcase. He would have to go retrieve it.
"Velma," he said as he turned to the door, "I have to go out."
"But sir . . ." the maid protested.
"I won't be long," Seto assured her. "But if Mokuba wakes up, be sure to go up and see if he's alright. Marik Ishtar died tonight and Mokuba isn't taking it well." Seto felt sad about it himself, but over the years he had gotten so that he didn't show his emotions openly—at least, certainly not very often.
Velma's eyes widened. "Poor Marik," she said softly.
Seto nodded and again turned to leave.
"But sir, where can I reach you if something else awful happens?" Velma asked suddenly.
Seto paused. "I'll be at the KETY building," he said as he walked out.
Neither Seto nor Velma knew that Mokuba had awakened and overheard the conversation. "Be careful, big brother," the little boy whispered, his eyes shining. "I can't lose you too!"
****
Joey followed Vivalene down the deserted hall nervously. "So, uh, what exactly are we doin'?" he asked.
Vivalene let the basement door creak open and clicked on a flashlight. "Come, darling," she purred, but then suddenly they both heard the sound of something falling over.
"What the heck was that?!" Joey exclaimed.
"It was probably another horrible ninja!" Vivalene replied, shuddering fearfully.
Joey immediately stood tall and clenched his fists. "Don't you worry, Vifa!" he cried. "I'll get 'em!" He ran off in the direction of the sound.
"A brave boy," Vivalene said to herself. "Brave, but foolish. Just perfect." A wicked smile crossed her face.
****
Seto muttered to himself as he fell over an end table and sprawled on the floor. He knew that hadn't been there before. Someone had put it there, probably to alert them if someone should come in—and that meant he very likely wasn't in here alone.
"Alright, who wants a beatin'?!" a familiar voice yelled.
Seto struggled to stand up. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Wheeler, what are you doing here?" he demanded, feeling for a light switch.
Joey's hand came out of the darkness and grabbed the other boy's wrist. "I might ask you the same question!" he said hotly, finding the light switch and clicking it on himself. "Do you know what time it is?!"
Seto didn't answer. "I'm assuming you're not here alone," he said darkly.
"I'm helpin' Vifa!" Joey replied, shoving Seto backwards, "and I don't wanna hear any more of your lies about her! Her twin sister . . ."
". . . Is dead," Seto finished, his eyes narrowed.
Joey backed up. "What?!"
"She died in a boating accident five years ago, Wheeler. It was all over the news." Seto stood up tall, facing the other boy defiantly. "She couldn't have hurt—killed—Marik Ishtar, because she was dead. And also because she was the good sister, the one who would never do something like that."
Joey's eyes narrowed. "Whoa, whoa. Back up! Marik's not dead!" he cried, choosing to ignore Seto's other remarks for the moment.
"He died tonight," Seto informed him, crossing his arms. "Your precious Vivalene murdered him."
"No!" Joey yelled. "That's not true!! You're a liar, Kaiba!! Everything you just told me is a sick lie!!"
Seto growled. "Prove it."
Joey stood firm. "I will! I'll prove that Vifa's an angel, and that you're lyin' to get me away from her!"
"Childish idiot," Seto muttered.
"What? What did you just call me?!" Joey grabbed Seto and yanked the other boy forward viciously. "Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists, huh?! I'll do anything to protect the woman I love, and that includes not lettin' jerks like you tell lies about her!!"
"She has you hypnotized, Joey," Seto replied angrily, prying the Brooklyn boy's hands away and holding them tightly so that he couldn't try any punching tricks. "If you don't come to your senses, you're going to wind up dead just like Marik!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Joey thundered, wrenching himself free. "I've had it with you, Kaiba! Just get outta here before I do somethin' we'll both regret!" He shoved the other boy again and stormed off.
"I regret what you've already done," Seto muttered in a voice so low only he could hear it. "But I will gladly get out of here once I retrieve my briefcase." He turned and disappeared down the corridor.
****
Joey, meanwhile, found Vivalene tapping on the basement wall, a look of concentration on her face. She looked up when Joey came in. "Oh, darling, was it a ninja?" she asked, shuddering at the thought.
Joey shook his head. "Naw. Just Kaiba wanderin' around."
Vivalene looked surprised. "Seto Kaiba is here in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah, and I wish he wasn't." Joey slammed his fist into his palm angrily, then blinked at Vivalene. "Eh, what exactly are you doin', anyway?" he asked curiously.
Vivalene smiled. "Help me, darling," she requested. "I just have to find the secret room."
"What secret room?!" Joey asked in confusion.
"The one leading to riches," Vivalene purred, running her finger down Joey's cheek. "I was running from a thief years ago and I hid them in here until I could return for them later. Unfortunately, that was so long ago that I can't quite remember where the secret panel is!"
Joey also began tapping on the wall. "Hey, sure I'll help you," he said resolutely, even though he had a strange feeling about it.
****
Yugi was awakened out of a deep sleep by the sharp jangling of the telephone. "Huh?" he said softly, blinking. "What time is it?"
"Much too early for the phone to ring," Yami Yugi replied from where he was looking out the window, his eyes narrowed.
Quickly Yugi grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"
"Um, Yugi?" It was Serenity, Joey's sister.
Instantly Yugi perked up. "Serenity!" he gasped. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Well . . ." The girl hesitated, sounding worried. "Well, I hate to bother you so late, but actually, I was hoping you could tell me where Joey is. I just got back into town and I know it's late and all, but Joey said to call him anytime, so I did . . . but he didn't answer." Serenity laughed weakly. "I know what a sound sleeper he is, so I decided just to go his house and surprise him—but when I got there, I found that Joey just wasn't around! It was like he'd just left in a big hurry or something."
Yugi blinked. Where would Joey go? He must be with Vivalene somewhere, the boy decided. "Don't worry, Serenity," he said comfortingly. "We'll find your brother. I'll call the others and we'll all meet at Joey's place in thirty minutes, okay?"
Serenity relaxed. "Thank you, Yugi," she said softly. "I just hope he's alright! I can't imagine where he'd go in the middle of the night!"
Yugi sighed inwardly. How would he explain to Serenity about the dangerous character her brother was mixed up with?
****
Before long, everyone had gathered in front of Joey's empty house worriedly.
"Hey, Serenity," Tristan said, coming over to the girl and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Are you doing okay?"
Serenity smiled at him, but her hazel eyes were full of concern. "Hi, Tristan," she replied. "I'm okay, but I'm worried about Joey. Why would he go off in the middle of the night?!"
"Maybe he thought Vivalene was in danger," Tea suggested softly.
"Vivalene?" Serenity repeated, blinking.
"Joey's girlfriend," Tristan explained, not able to keep the bitterness and disgust out of his voice.
"Joey has a girlfriend?" Serenity exclaimed. "Why didn't he tell me?!"
"I don't know," Yugi said slowly.
The next few minutes were spent explaining to Serenity the events of the past couple of days, with everyone trying to soften the news of what had happened to Marik and why.
"We're afraid that Joey may be in grave danger," Yugi finished solemnly.
"We have to find him!" Serenity cried in determination.
Everyone agreed.
"We'll meet back here in two hours," Yugi directed as everyone split up.
****
Vivalene smirked triumphantly when she tapped a hollow-sounding part of wall and it swung open. "Yes," she purred, seeing the many jewels and gold. "At last, they are in in my grasp!"
Joey stared as he watched the woman try on a bracelet and ring, and then begin gathering the items into her purse. "Vifa?" the boy asked slowly.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Vivalene exclaimed, a wild, greed-filled flash in her emerald eyes.
The uneasy feeling Joey had was getting more intense, but he nodded slowly. "Yeah, but not as beautiful as you," he said at last.
"Hey, what's going on in there?" a gruff voice yelled, and a flashlight shone into the room.
Before Joey could answer, Vivalene turned and headed for another door and pulled the boy with her. "Come on!" she ordered, her voice no longer dripping with sweetness.
"Vifa, what's happening?!" Joey cried. "Wasn't that the night watchman?!"
"Perhaps it was," Vivalene replied, running up one flight of stairs and then another.
"But why are we running?" Joey demanded. "I thought you said that stuff was yours!"
"Perhaps I lied," Vivalene purred. "Of course, it's the truth now."
Joey felt his heart climb into his throat as they ran out onto the roof. "Vifa, you can't mean what you're sayin'!" he exclaimed. "You couldn't have stolen those things . . . could you?"
"And why not?" Vivalene smirked at Joey, but before either of them could say more, the night watchman appeared.
"What are you two doing?!" he demanded.
"Taking what's rightfully mine," Vivalene replied fiercely. "And now, darling, you will take what fate has dealt you." She produced a revolver, and Joey felt frozen. What was Vivalene doing?!
****
Seto had just found his briefcase and was preparing to leave when the gunshot rang out through the building. The boy's head snapped up and he glared upward at the ceiling. "Joey, you moron!" he muttered. Was the Brooklyn boy . . . dead, shot down at the hands of the woman he loved?
Quickly the young businessman turned and ran up the stairs toward the source of the deadly sound. When he emerged onto the roof moments later, he stopped short in horror.
An unknown man was laying lifeless on the roof, apparently dead. Joey was standing to the side and seemed to be frozen to the spot, his brown eyes blank.
Vivalene sneered at him and suddenly cried out, "Murderer! Murderer!" and pointed at Joey.
Seto felt immensely disgusted and revolted. "Save it," he growled. "I know that Wheeler didn't do it."
Vivalene paid him no heed. "He stole the jewels from the secret compartment in the old bank and then killed the watchman so there wouldn't be any witnesses!" she screamed.
That snapped Joey out of his trance. He whirled on Vivalene, a wounded expression on his face. "You . . . you've been using me!" he said in disbelief. "All this time I've loved you, and you've just been playing with my emotions!" He stared at Vivalene's purse. "All you wanted were those rocks and that gold," he realized in horror. "You didn't care about me at all—you've just been planning how you'd set me up and frame me for your dastardly deeds!!!" He could hardly get the words out. This seemed so unreal! It couldn't be real; it must be a horrible nightmare! Vivalene wouldn't turn on him like this!
And yet she had. The woman smiled, baring her gleaming white teeth. "You know, darling, perhaps you should have listened to your friends," she remarked.
"You . . . you shot that guard just now," Joey continued in that same horrified, outraged, wounded tone. He paused, looking deeply into the eyes of the woman he had cared for. "And you . . . you *did* kill Marik, didn't you?" he said softly.
"Oh, is he dead?" Vivalene said flippantly. "Well, it's been fun, darling, but I'm afraid you'll have to join him." She pointed the revolver at Joey's heart and pulled the trigger.
Instantly Seto sprang out and jumped in front of the other boy. "I don't think so," he said firmly. "You're not going to kill him too, even if he did act moronic and desert his friends."
The shot rang out and Seto staggered back, stunned. He saw the blood flowing over his shirt and flesh, but for a moment it didn't register that it was his. Then his eyes glazed over and he knew. Vivalene had shot him.