*~*Disclaimer*~* you know the drill, I don't own Yugioh! I give credit where it is due, yadda yadda yadda... and I'm beginning to use those lil bracket things for people's thoughts since I have no clue how to do italics just yet. So, whenever you see something enclosed with these things: then that's what someone is thinking, k? ANYWAY, I DID add two of my friend's names in here (if you both read my fan ficcie stuff anyway, you know who you are!) see if you guys can catch it! ^_^ *~*Sarah*~*
"WHAT!?!? I owe a WHAT?!?" shrieked a frantic Marita, her eyes wide with shock.
"Well take a look peabrain, it's written right here!" shouted her masculine roommate, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "If you can READ, you'd know what it says."
A low, guttural growl was his only reply. Nearly ripping the piece of mail in half, his female companion snapped, "I can READ, Elephant Butt, but it's a bit HARD to do that when I don't even have the PIECE OF FLIPPIN' MAIL IN FRONT OF ME! And while we're on that subject," her eyes, crystal blue, narrowed. "Just WHAT in the WORLD are you doing reading my mail ANYWAY?"
He shrugged, "It was there Rita. How was I supposed to NOT read it?"
"Ian Christopher, I swear, I will KICK YOUR BUTT if you ever read my mail again, do you HEAR ME? Can I make it ANY clearer?"
"No," he retorted, amusement flashing in his eyes, "I think you made it clear as crystal, or crystal clear for those of you 'vocabulary challenged' people."
"GOOD!" Marita snapped, and then had second thoughts. "Wait, no, that's bad...AUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! You are the most FRUSTRATING MAN I have EVER MET!"
Ian laughed, grinning from ear to ear, "Rita, jus' quit while you're behind."
Seething at these one liners and cheap shots, Marita turned her attention to the piece of paper in its already ripped envelope, courtesy of Ian. She yanked out the long rectangle of paper, and began to read aloud, more so to herself than to her roommate. "Dear Ms. Shindou... due to past investments... yadda, yadda, yadda... Kaiba Corp...." she trailed off. "Wait a sec, KAIBA? As in, SETO KAIBA?"
Ian smirked, "Nooooo, Yakamoru Kaiba. OFCOURSE SETO KAIBA!" he lounged on the corduroy couch, the cushions slowly sagging under his 150 pounds of weight (or muscle as Ian liked to call it). "He's the Prez Rita, and his little brother Mokuba is the Vice Prez."
"I didn't even know Kaiba HAD a brother..." wondered the young woman aloud, "but even the sweetest child doesn't deserve the kind of creep for a brother as Seto Kaiba..." anger snarled and arose in her voice, as Marita continued. "I STILL haven't forgiven him for what he did to Dawn..."
"Oh please, are you STILL on that Rita? When did that happen, like, when you were two? I'm surprised your memory goes that far back, especially when you can't even remember what you had yesterday for lunch. Are you ALWAYS this obsessive over guys?"
"HEY!" Marita scowled at her roommate, who casually grinned back at her, a piece of his fiery, red streaked, spiky black hair falling across his face.
She huffed at him, uber pissed at him for his unwanted, 'peanut gallery' jokes. "You jus' keep makin' fun of me, dontcha? Get a clue Moo-ron, you got no style! You're just a wacked up, anime luver who doesn't know when to quit and likes to snoop around in my business. Why don't you make like a magician and DISAPPEAR?!"
THAT did it. Furious, Ian snapped, "Well, it beats being HERE. Sometimes I wish I COULD just disappear just so I don't have to her you WHINING."
He seethed with rage, his minor teasing being taken too far, too seriously. WHAT has gotten into Rita? he wondered, fixating an attentive stare her way. She's been so uptight, so edgy these last couple of months. Seems like she's spooked or something. I don't know... He stopped, anger momentarily forgotten. Something must really be wrong, I worry about her.
"Rita, are you ok?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you've been acting really weird for awhile now."
"It's... nothing Ian. Really. I'll be all right, ok? I'm FINE."
He frowned, and said, "all right Rita" even though he knew she was hiding something. Something's up with her, but I better not press. Who knows how much she'll blow up at me... He sighed, something still on his mind. "Hey Rita? Don't you think that that thing with Kaiba is a little childish? I mean, why have you held onto a grudge for over 14 years? WHY not just drop it and let it go?"
For a moment, Marita paused, thinking over the wisdom and reasoning in Ian's questions. She considered them for a bit, and then replied, "So what if it's childish I KNOW what I saw at the time, and what Seto did to her describes what kind of a creep he is. I bet he's never changed since then!"
Her friend rolled his brown eyes, giving up on the subject. "Fine. Believe what you want, I don't care," he shifted to his left side so he was facing the back of the couch and away from his feminine roommate. "And, oh, by he way, a package came for you in the mail."
"WHAT?!? You tell me this NOW?!?"
"Yeah, look on the porch." Ian closed his eyes, and eventually, after all of Marita's scowling and complaining, drifted off to sleep.
"You know, I WISH he would tell me these things," the raven-haired young woman mumbled, giving Ian's back a death glare. Ian, still asleep, slightly squirmed, and possibly from the glare, but otherwise, he showed no other signs of hearing her, and took no notice.
Sighing, Marita sauntered from the living room and to the space in front of the door, still with the Kaiba Corp letter in hand. Gripping the golden door handle, she gave it a quick turn and opened the mahogany door, taking a couple steps from the modern day condo, to the beautiful outdoors.
It was a most glorious day, that was for sure. The sky was crystal clear, with only a few 'cotton candy' clouds floating along the breeze. The masses of water and dust looked big and puffy, snow white against the cerulean blue backdrop of the sky. The shared condo between Ian and Marita faced eastward, the golden sun already overhead and half way across the sky. Birds of all sizes and shapes began to sing their merry little tunes, tweeting and chirping in all directions.
Not even trying to resist, Marita walked onto the enclosed porch, breathing in the sweet smell of sunflowers and marigolds, enjoying the summer day.
I think I'll stay out here a little while. she thought, curling up on a decorated, floral lounger chair that festively adorned the back corner of the porch. As she sank into it, she sighed, for once in this hectic day content with the world and how peaceful it was. The day seemed like the flip side of a coin, with her nightmares on the other side. Banishing the thought of her strange, 'lost lover' dreams from her mind, she lazily let her hand fall over the end of the chair, which brushed up against something smooth. Curious, she leaned over and pulled whatever it was from underneath the lounger.
It was as big as one of those department store clothes boxes, and almost that shape too, only slightly smaller in width. In the middle of the brown papered, top of the box, it said, "To: Ms. Marita Shindou" and her address. There was no return address, only a stamp at the top left corner that read, "Kaiba Corp".
Scowling, Marita placed the box on her lap, and began to rip off all the brown paper. It took awhile to get all the invisible tape off, because the tape was not all that easy to rip off, but eventually, she was able to throw that away. Three broken nails and 2 minutes of gritting her teeth later, Marita finally tore the box open, and threw the tissue paper contained inside of it away.
Suddenly... BBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! Snapping her gaze away from the box and what gift was contained inside, the raven haired woman, annoyed, got up, placed the box on the lounger, and looked outward towards the iron gate in the front yard of the condo, where a FedEx delivery boy was checking the address on a small, rectangle letter-sized package. HE had been the one to push the button on the Buzz Box, and disturb Marita from seeing what was inside the big brown box.
Opening the door to the porch, she leaned out and yelled, "HEY! Is that for 1555 Kisaragi Lane?"
"Uhh..." the young man, barely in his twenties and in his traditional short shorts and short sleeve shirt uniform, glanced at the package in his right hand, checking the address once more. "Umm...yeah! Are you Mrs...?"
"Oh! NO! Not Mrs! I'm not married!" she laughed, "It's Miss!"
"OH! So you're Ms...?" he stumbled on her name, not sure how to pronounce it.
In the end, it was Marita who said it for him, "'Marita Shindou'?"
"Y-yeah, that's it! I guess this is yours then." the FedEx boy made his way up the stone walkway that connected the porch doorway with the gate, his heavy work boots clomping and clacking against the hard stone. Delivering his package to its rightful owner, he said, "Sign here please" and pointed to a line on the paper tacked to his clipboard. When Marita did as she was instructed, the FedEx boy smiled wide, his green eyes sparkling with kindness. "Hope you get something good," he said, and strolled back down the walkway to his truck. Starting up the motor, he revved it up, and drove purposefully away.
Her gave never leaving the young man until he was driving halfway down the block; Marita shook her head, laughing out loud. "MAN, he was CUTE!" She giggled at the thought as she walked back to her seat on the porch, moving the box to her right side as she picked up the dropped Kaiba Corp letter with her left hand. Determined to finish what she started, she began to read the bold print:
"Dear Ms. Shindou,
Due to past investments and current debts found one year over due, Kaiba Corp has no choice but to demand the return of $100.00 to Mr. Seto Kaiba. This is equal to the amount of fines you have owed Mr. Kaiba for over one year, or 18 months..."
"WHAT! Wait a sec! I don't owe Kaiba anything!" shrieked Marita, twisting a lock of ebony black hair between two fingers. "Unless..." she groaned, "Ugh, that NO GOOD ROTTEN! UGH! He's going to fine me? FOR A STUPID BET!?!!?!? A bet we made LAST YEAR when I was down and out of money!?!?! WHAAAT........" She stamped her foot, shaking her head from side to side, lips pursed and taught. WHY did I make a bet with Seto Kaiba? Marita moaned, realizing just how deeply she had dug her hole of debt with this corporate tycoon. And WHY did we make a bet on something so idiotic as whether or not he was going to become Duel Monsters Champion!?
Sighing, she continued reading:
"If the quota you owe is not returned within 10 days of the time we contacted you with this letter, you will be sued for theft of money over $20 and will most likely receive jail time for the amount of money you stole from Mr. Kaiba, as well as receive heavy fines..."
"WHAT!? I don't believe this!!! Over a hundred dollars?!" she fumed, outraged at the unfair charges that she would face. "I have to pay Seto $100.00 or else go to JAIL!?!"
Enraged, Marita was just about to crumple up the fine notice, stomp on it and set it ablaze with a couple matches when she glanced at the next line of the letter; it stopped her cold, dead in her tracks. Handwritten, it said as follows:
"However, there is an alternate route to your fate, Marita."
The rest of the letter was written informally, the masculine handwriting evident by the lack of originality with the letters. Intrigued, the raven-haired beauty squinted, trying to decipher the next bunch of Seto's messy scrawl:
"In the past several days, I've been holding a duel tournament for the game of Duel Monsters. As I understand it, you are also very skilled with the game, and it would be nice to 'catch up' with old friends. For holding this tournament, my reasons are my own, but this tournament may be the only other option you have to either get thrown in jail or pay up.
The same day you get this letter, you should also get a package in the mail. Inside, is a creation of my own..."
Marita directed her gaze towards the box next to her, folding back the flaps and taking a look at Seto's little surprise for her. She could make out the bright, ruby reds, sapphire blues, and metallic grays of one of the new and improved Dueling Decks, design and functions courtesy of Kaiba Corp. Intrigued with this master piece of practical craftsmanship and efficiency, Marita scanned over it, pressing the release button to see it fold out into its usual boomerang shaped deck. She took note of its dueling deck compartment, the turbo power meter at maximum power capacity, and the over all beauty that was a part of her favorite game. Although she didn't like Seto that much, she still admired his craftsmanship in creating such a masterpiece.
Putting it on, the Dueling Deck fit her right wrist perfectly, and contrasted to the ancient Egyptian armlet on her left wrist.
Glancing back to the note, the rest read as follows:
"Transport will be provided to you to Tokyo Town, and then to Battle City, prior to the 10 day time limit. By pressing the 'on' button on your Dueling Deck, I can send a helicopter immediately via the tracking device in the Dueling Deck. As soon as you are ready Marita. I'll consider your debt to me repaid if you can last long enough in the duelist competition, and make it to the finals as one of the top eight duelists. I will even include a bonus. Defeat this year's 'King of Games' and I will personally pay YOU double the amount you owe me, and forget the bet we made ever happened. I will be looking forward to seeing you again, Marita.
Sincerely,
Seto Kaiba "
WHOA, thought Marita, her blue eyes widening, Seto's really serious about this, isn't he? Let me think: Compete in his competition, or pay $100. Compete, or pay? A wide grin spread across her face. Hehehehe, for once in his life, Seto finally did something good for someone for a change.
However, there was still something nagging in the back of Marita's mind, something about why Seto wanted her in his tournament in the first place. Why would he ask me to come if the competition had already started? Why me? Why NOW? She sighed, resorting to find out as soon as she got to Battle City. The thoughts of winning that competition, or at least trying her hardest to play the best game in the world, spun around in her mind, like honey bees around their hive when she grabbed the last of her surprises and began to rip open the envelope. The envelope itself was labeled, "Late Delivery" and piqued Marita's interest about who could have sent it. Looking at the return address, she smiled slightly, and murmured, "well I'll be...Max finally got around to sending me my prize."
When the last of the pasty seal broke on the envelope, a manila folder slipped out into her open left hand, marked with her name. Opening it and turning it upside-down, a thin, plastic rectangle fluttered to the floor, landing face down. The gold border around it with the black oval in the center against a background of crimson red marked it as a Duel Monsters card. Picking it up, still faced down, the raven haired young duelist put it on her lap, determined to read the letter that came with it first. Sliding the white piece of stationery from the manila envelope, she began to read the handwritten letter:
"Dearest Marita,
I am so sorry for not writing to you sooner. I have been preoccupied with my Duelist Tournament, and finding a way to restore my beloved Cecelia. I was amazed at your quick wit and skill with Duel Monsters, even though it was your first time paying, and had beaten me in a game of my own creation! Do you remember those days? I cherish them, just as I do my Funny Bunny cartoons...Aye, those were the days. Anyway, when we dueled for the first time, you won against all odds; even with the stack weighed against you, you still managed to succeed, and for that, I am proud of you. You not only beat me, but you also cheated me out of your company at dinnertime for a week. Although you did so anyway, I still owed you something for showing me how amazing a woman can be. In time, I grew to confide in you my loving thoughts for my Cecelia, and although you were not her, in your company, I felt closer to her than ever. For giving me that time and strength to carry on, I thank you.
Enclosed is my end of our dueling bargain. It is the last part of a set of four cards I made a long time ago, but the other three I'm afraid, are lost. One is in the ownership of one Ishizu Ishtar, the curator of the Egyptian Exhibit that tours the world. The other two, I am afraid, are lost. I held on to this one, hid it where no one could find it because, well, I was first waiting to find my loving wife. Aye, with time and coaching, she would have loved the game of Duel Monsters, and she would have made a marvelous duelist! It was to be her first card, the one you are probably holding now. I know now that unless all my plans fail and I somehow disappear that I will never see my beloved again. I fear for her, Marita; even though the bonds of love cannot be broken, I fear that death is the only thing that can make anything worse: it can keep me away from my love, just the same.
So, in conclusion, it is with the greatest of pleasures that I keep my word, since I regarded you as a friend, and one thing a friendship should always have is loyalty. It is with great honor that I declare you the owner of the last of the Egyptian God cards, Angel Hydra, Spirit of Isis. Use it well and wisely, Marita. I trust you with it, for this card holds unbelievable power, power I know you will use responsibly. Not even the Egyptian queen, who used this same power, could do any better.
With the Best of Wishes,
Maximillion Pegasus "
This was written three days before the duelist finals, and three days before he disappeared, reasoned Marita, her light, ocean blue eyes softening at the thought of her friend. Although his intentions were noble to restore his wife, Marita knew that the way he was going to go about it were not. As she understood it, his schemes had something to do with stealing something from someone, and a life hanging in the balance, but other than that, she just had a bad feeling over the whole thing.
She remembered Maximillion very well; his boyish nature, the gleaming Eye piece he always wore that seemed to look into her very soul, the way he loved Duel Monsters with a passion. It was hard to believe that the two of them met when she had her hand in his pocket, trying to fish out his wallet to steal. Marita laughed at the thought, taking herself back to those days. To think, instead of a handful of cash and wondering where my next meal was going to be, I ended up with a friend and a passion for the game of Duel Monsters. I ended up with something better than I thought.
Coming back to reality, the black haired, blue-eyed duelist diverted her eyes to the card in hand. The back of the small rectangle was nothing to shout about, but the other side of it was a whole different story. The monster was not grotesque, as she had known some cards were, and in a way, some people would have seen it as an ugly, horrid creature. But there was something about this card, something... different about this card that was both mysterious and whimsical. Isis was a beauty of a duel monster, as far as Marita was concerned. Besides the fact that she had three dragon-like looking heads and scaly wings that spread out wide, and also the fact that it had two sets of legs with also another pair of long arms, with scythe like claws on each of its ten fingers, it was also a purplish-silver color, a contrast to its emerald, green eyes.
"She's... she's BEAUTIFUL," raved Marita, her blue eyes shining with delight. "Isis... she looks graceful, fast... if anything like that was possible for a duel monster..."
The card held POWER, that was crystal clear. Just by touching that small, little rectangle, Marita could feel the power it contained, this phenomenal gift where there was only one of its kind in existence... It came to a surprise to her, but also Marita felt something inside of her... Something seemed to react to it, like the card was the key to open the hidden doors of her soul. She felt empowered by it, and knew that the power Isis contained was not from its own power, but from Marita herself.
Feeling one with the card, Marita placed it inside her Dueling Deck, and began to walk to the front door of the condo and into her room beyond. She needed to tell Ian that she would be leaving within the hour, and she needed to pack.
IN the daylight, it masked the glory and the power of it, but in the twilight, all would have been revealed. If it were the darkest of nights, maybe Marita wouldn't have failed to notice the soft, golden glow of her armlet. The trinket had awakened, the power and spirit within was reborn.
"WHAT!?!? I owe a WHAT?!?" shrieked a frantic Marita, her eyes wide with shock.
"Well take a look peabrain, it's written right here!" shouted her masculine roommate, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "If you can READ, you'd know what it says."
A low, guttural growl was his only reply. Nearly ripping the piece of mail in half, his female companion snapped, "I can READ, Elephant Butt, but it's a bit HARD to do that when I don't even have the PIECE OF FLIPPIN' MAIL IN FRONT OF ME! And while we're on that subject," her eyes, crystal blue, narrowed. "Just WHAT in the WORLD are you doing reading my mail ANYWAY?"
He shrugged, "It was there Rita. How was I supposed to NOT read it?"
"Ian Christopher, I swear, I will KICK YOUR BUTT if you ever read my mail again, do you HEAR ME? Can I make it ANY clearer?"
"No," he retorted, amusement flashing in his eyes, "I think you made it clear as crystal, or crystal clear for those of you 'vocabulary challenged' people."
"GOOD!" Marita snapped, and then had second thoughts. "Wait, no, that's bad...AUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! You are the most FRUSTRATING MAN I have EVER MET!"
Ian laughed, grinning from ear to ear, "Rita, jus' quit while you're behind."
Seething at these one liners and cheap shots, Marita turned her attention to the piece of paper in its already ripped envelope, courtesy of Ian. She yanked out the long rectangle of paper, and began to read aloud, more so to herself than to her roommate. "Dear Ms. Shindou... due to past investments... yadda, yadda, yadda... Kaiba Corp...." she trailed off. "Wait a sec, KAIBA? As in, SETO KAIBA?"
Ian smirked, "Nooooo, Yakamoru Kaiba. OFCOURSE SETO KAIBA!" he lounged on the corduroy couch, the cushions slowly sagging under his 150 pounds of weight (or muscle as Ian liked to call it). "He's the Prez Rita, and his little brother Mokuba is the Vice Prez."
"I didn't even know Kaiba HAD a brother..." wondered the young woman aloud, "but even the sweetest child doesn't deserve the kind of creep for a brother as Seto Kaiba..." anger snarled and arose in her voice, as Marita continued. "I STILL haven't forgiven him for what he did to Dawn..."
"Oh please, are you STILL on that Rita? When did that happen, like, when you were two? I'm surprised your memory goes that far back, especially when you can't even remember what you had yesterday for lunch. Are you ALWAYS this obsessive over guys?"
"HEY!" Marita scowled at her roommate, who casually grinned back at her, a piece of his fiery, red streaked, spiky black hair falling across his face.
She huffed at him, uber pissed at him for his unwanted, 'peanut gallery' jokes. "You jus' keep makin' fun of me, dontcha? Get a clue Moo-ron, you got no style! You're just a wacked up, anime luver who doesn't know when to quit and likes to snoop around in my business. Why don't you make like a magician and DISAPPEAR?!"
THAT did it. Furious, Ian snapped, "Well, it beats being HERE. Sometimes I wish I COULD just disappear just so I don't have to her you WHINING."
He seethed with rage, his minor teasing being taken too far, too seriously. WHAT has gotten into Rita? he wondered, fixating an attentive stare her way. She's been so uptight, so edgy these last couple of months. Seems like she's spooked or something. I don't know... He stopped, anger momentarily forgotten. Something must really be wrong, I worry about her.
"Rita, are you ok?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you've been acting really weird for awhile now."
"It's... nothing Ian. Really. I'll be all right, ok? I'm FINE."
He frowned, and said, "all right Rita" even though he knew she was hiding something. Something's up with her, but I better not press. Who knows how much she'll blow up at me... He sighed, something still on his mind. "Hey Rita? Don't you think that that thing with Kaiba is a little childish? I mean, why have you held onto a grudge for over 14 years? WHY not just drop it and let it go?"
For a moment, Marita paused, thinking over the wisdom and reasoning in Ian's questions. She considered them for a bit, and then replied, "So what if it's childish I KNOW what I saw at the time, and what Seto did to her describes what kind of a creep he is. I bet he's never changed since then!"
Her friend rolled his brown eyes, giving up on the subject. "Fine. Believe what you want, I don't care," he shifted to his left side so he was facing the back of the couch and away from his feminine roommate. "And, oh, by he way, a package came for you in the mail."
"WHAT?!? You tell me this NOW?!?"
"Yeah, look on the porch." Ian closed his eyes, and eventually, after all of Marita's scowling and complaining, drifted off to sleep.
"You know, I WISH he would tell me these things," the raven-haired young woman mumbled, giving Ian's back a death glare. Ian, still asleep, slightly squirmed, and possibly from the glare, but otherwise, he showed no other signs of hearing her, and took no notice.
Sighing, Marita sauntered from the living room and to the space in front of the door, still with the Kaiba Corp letter in hand. Gripping the golden door handle, she gave it a quick turn and opened the mahogany door, taking a couple steps from the modern day condo, to the beautiful outdoors.
It was a most glorious day, that was for sure. The sky was crystal clear, with only a few 'cotton candy' clouds floating along the breeze. The masses of water and dust looked big and puffy, snow white against the cerulean blue backdrop of the sky. The shared condo between Ian and Marita faced eastward, the golden sun already overhead and half way across the sky. Birds of all sizes and shapes began to sing their merry little tunes, tweeting and chirping in all directions.
Not even trying to resist, Marita walked onto the enclosed porch, breathing in the sweet smell of sunflowers and marigolds, enjoying the summer day.
I think I'll stay out here a little while. she thought, curling up on a decorated, floral lounger chair that festively adorned the back corner of the porch. As she sank into it, she sighed, for once in this hectic day content with the world and how peaceful it was. The day seemed like the flip side of a coin, with her nightmares on the other side. Banishing the thought of her strange, 'lost lover' dreams from her mind, she lazily let her hand fall over the end of the chair, which brushed up against something smooth. Curious, she leaned over and pulled whatever it was from underneath the lounger.
It was as big as one of those department store clothes boxes, and almost that shape too, only slightly smaller in width. In the middle of the brown papered, top of the box, it said, "To: Ms. Marita Shindou" and her address. There was no return address, only a stamp at the top left corner that read, "Kaiba Corp".
Scowling, Marita placed the box on her lap, and began to rip off all the brown paper. It took awhile to get all the invisible tape off, because the tape was not all that easy to rip off, but eventually, she was able to throw that away. Three broken nails and 2 minutes of gritting her teeth later, Marita finally tore the box open, and threw the tissue paper contained inside of it away.
Suddenly... BBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! Snapping her gaze away from the box and what gift was contained inside, the raven haired woman, annoyed, got up, placed the box on the lounger, and looked outward towards the iron gate in the front yard of the condo, where a FedEx delivery boy was checking the address on a small, rectangle letter-sized package. HE had been the one to push the button on the Buzz Box, and disturb Marita from seeing what was inside the big brown box.
Opening the door to the porch, she leaned out and yelled, "HEY! Is that for 1555 Kisaragi Lane?"
"Uhh..." the young man, barely in his twenties and in his traditional short shorts and short sleeve shirt uniform, glanced at the package in his right hand, checking the address once more. "Umm...yeah! Are you Mrs...?"
"Oh! NO! Not Mrs! I'm not married!" she laughed, "It's Miss!"
"OH! So you're Ms...?" he stumbled on her name, not sure how to pronounce it.
In the end, it was Marita who said it for him, "'Marita Shindou'?"
"Y-yeah, that's it! I guess this is yours then." the FedEx boy made his way up the stone walkway that connected the porch doorway with the gate, his heavy work boots clomping and clacking against the hard stone. Delivering his package to its rightful owner, he said, "Sign here please" and pointed to a line on the paper tacked to his clipboard. When Marita did as she was instructed, the FedEx boy smiled wide, his green eyes sparkling with kindness. "Hope you get something good," he said, and strolled back down the walkway to his truck. Starting up the motor, he revved it up, and drove purposefully away.
Her gave never leaving the young man until he was driving halfway down the block; Marita shook her head, laughing out loud. "MAN, he was CUTE!" She giggled at the thought as she walked back to her seat on the porch, moving the box to her right side as she picked up the dropped Kaiba Corp letter with her left hand. Determined to finish what she started, she began to read the bold print:
"Dear Ms. Shindou,
Due to past investments and current debts found one year over due, Kaiba Corp has no choice but to demand the return of $100.00 to Mr. Seto Kaiba. This is equal to the amount of fines you have owed Mr. Kaiba for over one year, or 18 months..."
"WHAT! Wait a sec! I don't owe Kaiba anything!" shrieked Marita, twisting a lock of ebony black hair between two fingers. "Unless..." she groaned, "Ugh, that NO GOOD ROTTEN! UGH! He's going to fine me? FOR A STUPID BET!?!!?!? A bet we made LAST YEAR when I was down and out of money!?!?! WHAAAT........" She stamped her foot, shaking her head from side to side, lips pursed and taught. WHY did I make a bet with Seto Kaiba? Marita moaned, realizing just how deeply she had dug her hole of debt with this corporate tycoon. And WHY did we make a bet on something so idiotic as whether or not he was going to become Duel Monsters Champion!?
Sighing, she continued reading:
"If the quota you owe is not returned within 10 days of the time we contacted you with this letter, you will be sued for theft of money over $20 and will most likely receive jail time for the amount of money you stole from Mr. Kaiba, as well as receive heavy fines..."
"WHAT!? I don't believe this!!! Over a hundred dollars?!" she fumed, outraged at the unfair charges that she would face. "I have to pay Seto $100.00 or else go to JAIL!?!"
Enraged, Marita was just about to crumple up the fine notice, stomp on it and set it ablaze with a couple matches when she glanced at the next line of the letter; it stopped her cold, dead in her tracks. Handwritten, it said as follows:
"However, there is an alternate route to your fate, Marita."
The rest of the letter was written informally, the masculine handwriting evident by the lack of originality with the letters. Intrigued, the raven-haired beauty squinted, trying to decipher the next bunch of Seto's messy scrawl:
"In the past several days, I've been holding a duel tournament for the game of Duel Monsters. As I understand it, you are also very skilled with the game, and it would be nice to 'catch up' with old friends. For holding this tournament, my reasons are my own, but this tournament may be the only other option you have to either get thrown in jail or pay up.
The same day you get this letter, you should also get a package in the mail. Inside, is a creation of my own..."
Marita directed her gaze towards the box next to her, folding back the flaps and taking a look at Seto's little surprise for her. She could make out the bright, ruby reds, sapphire blues, and metallic grays of one of the new and improved Dueling Decks, design and functions courtesy of Kaiba Corp. Intrigued with this master piece of practical craftsmanship and efficiency, Marita scanned over it, pressing the release button to see it fold out into its usual boomerang shaped deck. She took note of its dueling deck compartment, the turbo power meter at maximum power capacity, and the over all beauty that was a part of her favorite game. Although she didn't like Seto that much, she still admired his craftsmanship in creating such a masterpiece.
Putting it on, the Dueling Deck fit her right wrist perfectly, and contrasted to the ancient Egyptian armlet on her left wrist.
Glancing back to the note, the rest read as follows:
"Transport will be provided to you to Tokyo Town, and then to Battle City, prior to the 10 day time limit. By pressing the 'on' button on your Dueling Deck, I can send a helicopter immediately via the tracking device in the Dueling Deck. As soon as you are ready Marita. I'll consider your debt to me repaid if you can last long enough in the duelist competition, and make it to the finals as one of the top eight duelists. I will even include a bonus. Defeat this year's 'King of Games' and I will personally pay YOU double the amount you owe me, and forget the bet we made ever happened. I will be looking forward to seeing you again, Marita.
Sincerely,
Seto Kaiba "
WHOA, thought Marita, her blue eyes widening, Seto's really serious about this, isn't he? Let me think: Compete in his competition, or pay $100. Compete, or pay? A wide grin spread across her face. Hehehehe, for once in his life, Seto finally did something good for someone for a change.
However, there was still something nagging in the back of Marita's mind, something about why Seto wanted her in his tournament in the first place. Why would he ask me to come if the competition had already started? Why me? Why NOW? She sighed, resorting to find out as soon as she got to Battle City. The thoughts of winning that competition, or at least trying her hardest to play the best game in the world, spun around in her mind, like honey bees around their hive when she grabbed the last of her surprises and began to rip open the envelope. The envelope itself was labeled, "Late Delivery" and piqued Marita's interest about who could have sent it. Looking at the return address, she smiled slightly, and murmured, "well I'll be...Max finally got around to sending me my prize."
When the last of the pasty seal broke on the envelope, a manila folder slipped out into her open left hand, marked with her name. Opening it and turning it upside-down, a thin, plastic rectangle fluttered to the floor, landing face down. The gold border around it with the black oval in the center against a background of crimson red marked it as a Duel Monsters card. Picking it up, still faced down, the raven haired young duelist put it on her lap, determined to read the letter that came with it first. Sliding the white piece of stationery from the manila envelope, she began to read the handwritten letter:
"Dearest Marita,
I am so sorry for not writing to you sooner. I have been preoccupied with my Duelist Tournament, and finding a way to restore my beloved Cecelia. I was amazed at your quick wit and skill with Duel Monsters, even though it was your first time paying, and had beaten me in a game of my own creation! Do you remember those days? I cherish them, just as I do my Funny Bunny cartoons...Aye, those were the days. Anyway, when we dueled for the first time, you won against all odds; even with the stack weighed against you, you still managed to succeed, and for that, I am proud of you. You not only beat me, but you also cheated me out of your company at dinnertime for a week. Although you did so anyway, I still owed you something for showing me how amazing a woman can be. In time, I grew to confide in you my loving thoughts for my Cecelia, and although you were not her, in your company, I felt closer to her than ever. For giving me that time and strength to carry on, I thank you.
Enclosed is my end of our dueling bargain. It is the last part of a set of four cards I made a long time ago, but the other three I'm afraid, are lost. One is in the ownership of one Ishizu Ishtar, the curator of the Egyptian Exhibit that tours the world. The other two, I am afraid, are lost. I held on to this one, hid it where no one could find it because, well, I was first waiting to find my loving wife. Aye, with time and coaching, she would have loved the game of Duel Monsters, and she would have made a marvelous duelist! It was to be her first card, the one you are probably holding now. I know now that unless all my plans fail and I somehow disappear that I will never see my beloved again. I fear for her, Marita; even though the bonds of love cannot be broken, I fear that death is the only thing that can make anything worse: it can keep me away from my love, just the same.
So, in conclusion, it is with the greatest of pleasures that I keep my word, since I regarded you as a friend, and one thing a friendship should always have is loyalty. It is with great honor that I declare you the owner of the last of the Egyptian God cards, Angel Hydra, Spirit of Isis. Use it well and wisely, Marita. I trust you with it, for this card holds unbelievable power, power I know you will use responsibly. Not even the Egyptian queen, who used this same power, could do any better.
With the Best of Wishes,
Maximillion Pegasus "
This was written three days before the duelist finals, and three days before he disappeared, reasoned Marita, her light, ocean blue eyes softening at the thought of her friend. Although his intentions were noble to restore his wife, Marita knew that the way he was going to go about it were not. As she understood it, his schemes had something to do with stealing something from someone, and a life hanging in the balance, but other than that, she just had a bad feeling over the whole thing.
She remembered Maximillion very well; his boyish nature, the gleaming Eye piece he always wore that seemed to look into her very soul, the way he loved Duel Monsters with a passion. It was hard to believe that the two of them met when she had her hand in his pocket, trying to fish out his wallet to steal. Marita laughed at the thought, taking herself back to those days. To think, instead of a handful of cash and wondering where my next meal was going to be, I ended up with a friend and a passion for the game of Duel Monsters. I ended up with something better than I thought.
Coming back to reality, the black haired, blue-eyed duelist diverted her eyes to the card in hand. The back of the small rectangle was nothing to shout about, but the other side of it was a whole different story. The monster was not grotesque, as she had known some cards were, and in a way, some people would have seen it as an ugly, horrid creature. But there was something about this card, something... different about this card that was both mysterious and whimsical. Isis was a beauty of a duel monster, as far as Marita was concerned. Besides the fact that she had three dragon-like looking heads and scaly wings that spread out wide, and also the fact that it had two sets of legs with also another pair of long arms, with scythe like claws on each of its ten fingers, it was also a purplish-silver color, a contrast to its emerald, green eyes.
"She's... she's BEAUTIFUL," raved Marita, her blue eyes shining with delight. "Isis... she looks graceful, fast... if anything like that was possible for a duel monster..."
The card held POWER, that was crystal clear. Just by touching that small, little rectangle, Marita could feel the power it contained, this phenomenal gift where there was only one of its kind in existence... It came to a surprise to her, but also Marita felt something inside of her... Something seemed to react to it, like the card was the key to open the hidden doors of her soul. She felt empowered by it, and knew that the power Isis contained was not from its own power, but from Marita herself.
Feeling one with the card, Marita placed it inside her Dueling Deck, and began to walk to the front door of the condo and into her room beyond. She needed to tell Ian that she would be leaving within the hour, and she needed to pack.
IN the daylight, it masked the glory and the power of it, but in the twilight, all would have been revealed. If it were the darkest of nights, maybe Marita wouldn't have failed to notice the soft, golden glow of her armlet. The trinket had awakened, the power and spirit within was reborn.