She turned to the heroes (and heroine) as the crowd roared its approval. Mai bit her lip and Yami looked concerned. Jounouchi wasn't paying attention, but flirting with a pretty girl in the crowd. The others, though, obviously didn't like being trapped. There was a tense silence as they tried to decide, but Mai finally sighed. "Well," she said, curling a lock of golden hair around one manicured finger, "considering the treatment we've gotten, I wouldn't mind hanging out here for just a little while longer."

"Not to mention the great food," added Jounouchi, walking back over to them.

"It's settled then," said Adina with great delight.

She provided them all with beautiful, comfortable rooms in the castle, each with a view of the countryside below. Seto was the only one unimpressed. Horrified by this unexpected turn of events, he locked himself in his room and sat staring out the window. He did not emerge for lunch or dinner and only allowed Mokuba into the room. The younger Kaiba emerged minutes later, looking defeated. "He barely even talks to me," he told the others. "He just sits there, sort of in shock. I hope he'll be all right."

Adina nodded, worry written all over her face. "I'll have someone bring up some food for him later. I hope it's not our hospitality bothering him."

"It's nothin' like that," Jounouchi assured her. "Your food is great!"

"And it was very generous of you to give us rooms too," added Yuugi. "They're very nice."

"And the clothes! You guys have style here," put in Mai.

Adina smiled a little sadly. "Thank you all."

Mokuba followed them. I hope this doesn't mean Niisama won't be able to find any way to bring us back. That's what everyone is counting on; they're sure he'll come up with something.

Seto listened to their footfalls receding down the hallway and covered his face with his hands. This was all terribly wrong; it wasn't supposed to be this way at all. There was no way at all that everything could be suddenly real, but everything around seemed to have a life and breath of its own. He had wanted that, of course, to make the best virtual reality game mankind had ever known. But now…

A soft tap on the door made him jump. Caught off guard, he found himself automatically answering, "Come in," before he remembered he had been telling everyone to go away for the past three hours.

A girl of about his age peeped in timidly. She was dressed plainly and carried a steaming tray in her hands. "Excuse me," she apologized, "but her highness thought you might want some food."

"Not really," he sighed, "but bring it in."

She obeyed and put it on a small wooden table. "I wanted to thank you for defeating the dragon," she said softly. "We are all very grateful."

He looked at her, studying her gentle green eyes and dark reddish hair. "What is your name?" he asked, though he already knew. He could have answered his question with her.

"Nagusami."

A shiver ran through him. This had been one of the characters for a side quest. He had spent more time than usual on her, shaping her personality and history. She wasn't supposed to be a servant in the castle, though; he guessed that that had been altered with the rest of the game.

"I am, perhaps happier at the dragon's death than most," she confided. "Last year it took my older brother."

Seto remembered with a pang of almost guilt how he had created her and given her a broken family on purpose. He had wanted a character sort of like him, much the way Adina had been for Mokuba. He had softened her a little, though, instead of keeping her icy cold. And he hadn't given her his looks.

"Is it frightening," she asked, "to hang by your wrists, waiting for your death?"

Seto was surprised by the question. "It's not too bad," he said, bending the truth for her sake. "It's just very quiet."

"They usually choose the sacrifices by whomever they can get," she said. "My brother and his best friend were the ones taken last year." She wiped her eyes. "His friend looked a lot like you."

Seto stared. He hadn't gone that much into detail when he made her past, and he most certainly had not drawn up a face for the friend. "I'm…sorry," he said politely.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry to bother you. Such great heroes should not be bothered with a girl's trivial feelings."

He normally would have been inclined to agree, but he found he couldn't. There was something strangely intimate about being face to face with one's own creation, something personal about knowing their every facet. He was half in awe of her, simply because she was the work of his hands, living and breathing before him. "I understand," he replied quietly. "It's very hard to lose a brother."

She nodded and then busied herself pulling the cover off the tray. There was a bowl of steaming fragrant soup and a glass of some unfamiliar liquid, semi-sweet and refreshing. Seto suddenly realized her was hungry. "Eat," she said gently, bringing it all over. "It will do you good. It helps to calm nerves wonderfully."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Sure." She started heading for the door. "Oh, and if you want more or anything, ring for me. I'll probably be attending to you for at least the first week or so. The castle is in an uproar trying to prepare for the festivals."

"Festivals?"

"Of course. We have to celebrate the Mystic Dragon's downfall!"

She was gone, slipping noiselessly into the darkening hallway.