She studied his face, confused.
"It's all something I created, just a game, but I made it too well."
"I…I don't understand."
He took a sip of kuin and tried to decide how to explain it. "It's like…I'm from another world. In my world, we have the ability to create prototypes, so to speak, of other worlds that exist only in our imaginations."
"Magic?" she breathed, her eyes wide.
He shook his head. "No. Technology - but I see you're not familiar with that term," he added quickly, seeing her expression. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, nobody's really been able to walk through those worlds and have them react to anything that the explorer does. Not until now. Mine is the first." There was not a little pride in his voice.
"So," she said softly, "we are all part of that world, all of us who were here when you and your companions came."
"Yes."
"And therefore, you say we don't really exist."
"I…well, yes."
"Basically what happened is you played God and then found out that you aren't all-powerful. Is that right?"
Seto's eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher whether that comment had been meant to sting. He had always prided himself in the near omnipotence he had gained within a matter of mere years. Or, that he thought he had gained. This irked him, a nagging little irritation. He had created Nagusami to be intelligent, of course, but he had never realized how perceptive he had made her to be. Perhaps he had put too much of himself into her; he certainly had never expected to exchange banter with her.
Well, he'd show her exactly how much he could shoot back at her. He was her creator, after all. "At least," he said, "I have had success in whatever world I go. I'm not a servant." It was low, and he knew it, not the sophisticated rebuttals he usually used; but her barb had been so unexpected. He hadn't stopped to think what he sounded like.
Crimson flamed in her cheeks. He had given her his longing for power, and that had been the perfect comeback. "Success?" she snapped, completely forgetting her place. "If what your companion Jounouchi said was true, you'd have been eaten if it hadn't been for the help of the others."
That went deeper than anything she had said before. If there was anything he cherished more than power, it was independence. For a servant to point out that he had needed rescuing was nearly unthinkable. He opened his mouth to spit out something malicious, but her face stopped him.
She was biting her lip, blazing with fury, but tears spilled silently down her face. He had forgotten that while his losses had been glazed over and hidden away, her grief was still relatively fresh. She hadn't had time to build the icy shell around her heart to hide and block pain, making her highly vulnerable.
For a moment, emotionless Kaiba Seto felt regret and more than a little guilt. But he would never admit that. Turning his gaze out the window, he waved her away. "You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir." The reply was bitter and overly formal. He heard her turn and walk silently out.
*
The light breeze stirred Jounouchi's thick blond hair as he stepped softly out onto the balcony. "Mai?"
She turned around quickly, startled, and then relaxed. "Oh, it's you, Jounouchi."
"What're you doin' out here? It's late."
"I could ask you the same question."
He scuffed his toe on the tile a little. "Well, I was here earlier today, and I thought it would give a real pretty view of the stars."
"Why, Jounouchi, I'm surprised. I didn't know you were part romantic."
He blushed. "I-I'm not."
"Whatever. As for me," she shot him an impish glance, "I don't have a set bedtime, and I felt like staying up tonight."
He nodded. "I like the castle."
"Me too," she agreed. "I can't wait for the festival."
"Yeah. Kaiba don't seem so excited, though."
"You're right." She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, but her face said clearly that she was enjoying the breeze.
"Maybe he don't like it here. Maybe he likes where we used to be better," Jounouchi hypothesized.
Mai's eyes went distant. "That's right," she murmured. "We used to be somewhere else."
"Yeah…I had a sister, I think."
Mai cocked her head, trying to remember. "It was so long ago," she sighed. "It all feels like it was a dream."
"Was it long ago?" asked Jounouchi.
"It might have been yesterday."
"Maybe. But it does feel like it was a dream."
"Maybe it was. Look around, Jounouchi. How can this not be reality?"
He ran his hand along the railing. "It feels solid. Maybe we did imagine all that stuff before."
"So many maybes," commented Mai, stepping closer. "I know for sure that I like this life, though."
"Me too." Jounouchi realized suddenly that his shoulder was nearly brushing Mai's as they stood side by side. He didn't mind.