Hey everybody- GG here! Yeah yeah yeah- the last chapter was kinda, I'm not sure, (thinks for a second before finding the right word) pathetic? Ney or yah? I thought it was one of the less popular chapters I have ever written, almost as bad as the first part of the story of sydney...lol... I'm not sure but the chapter did not come out the way I had wanted it to but regardless of that, the story must press onward! Oh and I considered some things about this story....1- the length. I've decided to lengthen the number of chapters I am going to include because there's no way I will be finished by 20.... 2- I need to add more than the three characters I'm focusing on now. I will include more characters- including some of my own... but you will all have to wait to see! So on with the show! Please, Read and Review!
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Chapter Fifteen: The Midnight Torch
Kaiba stirred and Sydney raised her brows as the young brunette groaned in his sleep. She sighed heavily, knowing that it'd take time for him to finally wake from his troubled sleep. She lowered her hands into the basin of water she had gotten Mokuba to fill and pulled out a drenched cloth, squeezing the excess water from it and carefully placing the cloth along her lover's brow. He occasionally let out muffled groans and spoke a slurr of nonsense words but that had been all.
She leaned back on her heels and studied the man that lay upon the couch. She had fallen so deeply in love with this cold, caustic ego maniac and yet, she still held the deepest affections for the young pharoah she contained history with. She and Yami had too, professed their love for one another, when she had finally gained her eighteenth year and was sure she was ready for such intimacy. It had been beautiful, like she had hoped it would be, but than she had been with Kaiba and it had been much more than just beautiful.
It had been perfect.
The way his body had molded into hers had been almost- frightening. It had felt as though their bodies had been made for eachother, perfectly sculpted to fit together, as though god had claimed them to be soul mates even though the obvious obstacle kept them apart. She sighed and leaned forward, placing a kiss upon the sleeping figure's lips, recieving no response. He had been this way for a little over three hours and it continued to worry her the more she thought about it.
"Sydney...."
Her thoughts were interrupted by the moan that left his lips. Did he just say her name? She turned her head to look at his face and realized he was still deep in the prongs of sleep. His face contorted slightly and he let out another groan, this one more throaty and deep.
"Don't...leave..me..."
Sydney took his hand into hers as he continued to mumble in his sleep. She raised it to touch her face as he continued to whisper her name. He didn't need to tell her - by the way he said her name, Sydney knew he still loved her as much as she still loved him. He was only angry with her and it must have finally gotten to him.
"Uhhhh...."
Sydney watched as the hand she was holding suddenly turned over and grabbed her wrist. She yelped and fell back onto her behind as Kaiba's eyes snapped open and he sat up, his free hand gripping his forehead. The cloth fell onto his lap and he let go of her wrist to pick it up, turning his head to notice her presence. He eyed her rather oddly, showing no indication if he was still angry or finally ready to forgive her.
Sydney slowly sighed and sat on her knees again, this time she lifted a hand to his forehead as he continued to eye her wearily.
"No fever....." She noted outloud to him.
She opened his right eye wide to examine it,"No signs of shock or fatigue."
Kaiba just let her touch him and watched her recoil after her examination. She slumped down into her seated position and simply stared at him in the same fashion he was staring at her.
"Well?"
Kaiba continued to stare at her.
She frowned and looked away from him,"I assume you either passed out from exhaustion or lack of sleep. I don't know which but you gave Mokuba quite a scare. The poor child was in tears when we got here."
He was about to say something but picked up the key word in her last words,"We?"
She faced him again and slowly stood, taking the cloth from his hands and placing it back into the basin beside him on the coffee table. He watched her move gracefully as she sat down once again in front of him.
"Yes, we. Both Joey and Yugi are here. Mokuba called us as soon as he saw you collapse."
"I see," He responded slowly, still staring at her,"I assume you just let them in here."
"Yes, yes I did," She said steadily as he continued to eye her,"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
He shrugged,"I had alot of things to think about when I was out."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"Like what?"
"You," He said without hesitation as he took her hand suddenly and brought her up onto the couch and onto her lap. The action not only surprised her but shocked her. He placed a soft light feather kiss upon her forehead and held both sides of her face with his hands as her eyes watched him do so. He leaned his forehead against hers as she shifted slightly against him and let his hands wander down to her waist.
"I've never felt this way before," He confessed,"I can honestly say I've never loved anyone before besides Mokuba."
She didn't fight him as he touched her but responded by placing her arms around his neck as he continued to let their foreheads touch as he talked.
"It seriously scared me to feel this way," Kaiba whispered to her as his lips grazed over her cheek,"I love you Sydney but I couldn't deal with having to be soft. I'm not a soft man and we both know that."
"People change...Seto.."
He placed a finger upon her lips before she could speak again,"Please, let me speak."
She nodded and He let his finger drop from her mouth and return to the softness of her sides.
"I will probably never turn soft," He told her with strong stubborness,"I can't change the way that I am. I have been this way for years. I will never be able to get along with Yugi and his friends, or be able to express to you how much I love you as often as you would like. But I can say that you are one of the few weaknesses I have. You've filled the void that I always knew existed but refused to recognize. I can't be the type of man you want me to be. I can't speak romantically or be able to touch you like this all the time. I'm not a sensitive man, Sydney, but please tell me you understand that."
She blinked and than shook her head with a slight laugh,"I understand- I've always have. I'm not blind Seto, I know how you can be. I know this is as much as you can give me and that's why I love these moments. I love you and I don't care how cold you turn- as long as you still love me in return."
Kaiba let out a satisfied sigh as she suddenly turned her head to nuzzle his ear with her mouth. She always knew how to comfort him. Regardless of his colder half, she still loved him none the less- maybe even more. He buried his hands into her hair when she left his ear and slid her hands down to pull his shirt up to plant kisses against his chest. He groaned loudly than realized that if she kept this up, he'd likely take her where they were sitting and he couldn't do that knowing that there were others in his home. He reluctantly and gently pushed her away and pulled her up to his level again.
"I have to tell you something," Kaiba breathed as she looked at him curiously,"I didn't pass out from exhaustion."
"Than from what?"
"I kept seeing all these-"
"Images?" She put in as Kaiba's face contorted in disbelief.
"How'd you know?"
Sydney slowly drew back and stood again, looking down at him as he watched her closely, his eyes drifting down so often to the soft curves of her slender body.
"I knew you'd eventually find out," She replied as she turned her head toward the other room.
"Yugi, Joey!" She called as Kaiba continued to study her,"He's awake!"
It only took a couple moments before they both arrived in the room, their eyes shifting to the figure seated on the couch. He was definitely awake because the scowl he held was unable to be possessed by someone asleep.
Sydney looked to see Kaiba's unsatisfied face and poked his nose suddenly,"Be civil."
His eyebrows rose than fell suddenly and he pushed her hand away,"I am being civil."
Yugi's eyebrows rose and he looked to Sydney,"Yami keeps tugging at me, Sydney. I think he wants to talk to Kaiba."
Kaiba looked at Yugi strangely,"Yami? Who the heck is that? And he's what? Tugging at you?"
Sydney placed a hand on Kaiba's shoulder to silence his questions and looked to Yugi,"It's okay. Let him."
Yugi nodded and Kaiba's eyes widened as light engulfed Yugi than a much more taller, slimmed version of Yugi stood before him. He knew he acted more confident during duels but he never REALLY studied his appearance before, during or after a duel. He had been completely oblivous, but now he could see the differences. There was definitely two different Yugis.
Yami lifted his head and immediately caught the sight of Sydney's hand upon Kaiba's shoulder. Sydney knew what he was looking at and removed her hand slowly, seating herself beside the brunette as he eyed them both wearily.
'So they truly are together,' Yami's thoughts whirled,'I don't believe it.'
"Kaiba was just telling me he was seeing images," Sydney ripped him from his thoughts, and she turned to Kaiba,"What you were seeing was a peek at your power, Seto."
"What?" Kaiba asked her in a mocked voice,"Power? You're joking right?"
Sydney's eyebrows lowered into a frown,"Far from it, Seto. What you were experiencing was a premonition."
"Like a vision of the future?"
She nodded at him,"The future indeed. So tell us, what did you see?"
Kaiba's eyes drifted down to his lap as he tried to remember,"There were alot of images I was seeing. I saw a man, dressed in black killing men after men, than a group of religious people worshipping him, than a shrewd of locations....it went so fast.. I can't remember it all."
Yami's eyes drifted to over his figure,"This power can be very dangerous Kaiba. Since you are not used to such power, you're body will go through terrible amounts of pain."
Kaiba's eyes snapped upward and he hissed,"Like you care.."
"Seto.." Sydney trailed from behind him, her hand placing itself in the crook of his elbow on his arm. He raised a hand, placing it on top of hers and relaxed immediately. He had no idea her touch could do this to him, but he didn't care- his temper needed to be controlled. Both Yami and Joey took note of his sudden relaxed state and exchanged glances.
Kaiba looked away from Yami and snorted,"Than what do you suggest I do than?"
Joey slowly came to join Yami's side,"We were talkin' it ova before. We thought maybe if ya stay wit me and Tea, we can keep a close eye on ya while Yami and Sydney go afta that Tskusa guy."
Sydney was the one to protest this time,"We can't leave him here!"
Yami's brow furrowed,"But-"
She rose and raised a hand to Yami's face, pressing a finger to his nose,"You're forgetting.... Seto can not only see visions but he can read the scriptures. You know as well as I do that he needs to come along with us."
Yami raised his hands in defense,"I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind."
Her eyebrow twitched slightly,"This is not the time to be jealous, Yami!"
"Jealous?" The boys all said in unison as Sydney lowered her hand and assumed Kaiba's trade mark position. Kaiba smirked at how she stood with her arms crossed, knowing very well that he was the influence of it, but his smirk faded when he rethought about her accusation.
"I'm not jealous, Sydney," Yami told her sternly,"I am doing what you asked. I'm caring for you from afar- including Kaiba as well. He could become injured during our journey."
Her gaze softened and her arms slowly lowered. Kaiba watched her eyes and recognized the look. That's the exact look she gave him! The lightbulb went off and Kaiba knew the two had been lovers- he could tell by the way they were staring at eachother at the very moment. He growled angrily to himself at the thought of Yami being her past affection and she turned her head to see him balling his fists and staring daggers at Yami.
"Seto-"
"So...," Kaiba commented slyly,"When were you planning on telling me about this little love affair, Sydney?"
Sydney placed her hands upon her hips and narrowed her eyes at him,"If you're speaking about my past with Yami, Seto, than I suggest you drop it. I never pushed you to reveal anything about your past experiences, so don't ask about mine."
'Damn it she's right.' Kaiba's mind told him.
"Fine."
Yami looked between the two than settled his gaze upon Kaiba,"Kaiba, you said that you saw a bunch of images of places, did any of them look familar to you?"
All heads turned to Yami than back to Kaiba as the young CEO slowly stood up, his form towering over all of them. He raised a hand to his chin, his face forming a pensive expression.
"Now that I think about it," Kaiba told him,"One of the places looked like the Tavern down the street."
"Tavern?" They all asked and Kaiba shrugged in response.
"You're telling me he's hiding one of his items at a...a...," Sydney blushed at having to say such a nasty thing but it was the truth. Everyone knew what went on in the Tavern that opened only during the middle of the night.
"Whore house?" Kaiba offered as she blushed more.
He liked seeing the rose hue upon her cheeks but was even more surprising was that she was becoming embarassed by such a known fact. It was indeed what Kaiba had called it. The place was filled with prostitutes- a low budget operation that happened only in the darkest hours of the night down the street in the back of the alleyway. Kaiba had never went there, but had passed it many times.
"Well put," Joey said sarcastically,"Ya guys aren't really gonna go there are ya?"
Yami let out a deep troubled sigh,"We have no choice- we need the mystical items in order to vanquish him. It's in the scriptures. 'To seal the gate one must contain all three relics'. Each item is being hidden in three distinct locations and Kaiba is the only one who knows."
Joey nodded and rubbed the back of his neck,"But a place like dat?"
Sydney let out a slight laugh,"Suits him doesn't it, Yami? Tskusa puts one of his relics in a house of prostitution?"
Yami smirked and nodded,"He was always well.... acquainted with the female gender."
Kaiba's eyebrow raised slightly,"Was this guy a pervert or something?"
Sydney waved her hand about,"We'll explain to you on the way. We might as well get this over with as soon as possible. I don't want to have to stay any longer than I have to in THAT place."
Kaiba smirked evily,"You know, they might actually be looking for employment and suggest you apply, Sydney."
Sydney blushed and slapped him hard on his arm, causing him to flinch. He raised a hand, rubbing the area she had slapped as she fumed about his comment. He couldn't help it, but he laughed anyway. He liked seeing her get to so flustered over small things. The only thing he didn't like - was her violent reactions.
'Damn she's strong.'
"Well than," Yami cut in with a grin as Kaiba continued to rub his sore upper arm,"Shall we go?"
Sydney huffed,"If we must."
"This place is absolutely filthy."
Kaiba raised his brow,"We haven't even gone inside yet."
Yami raised his gaze to the two walking in front of him and let out a depressed sigh as they continued to talk. His feelings for Sydney were definitely making it hard for him to concentrate on their mission and Kaiba made it worse. They were alot more affectionate around him than he had thought they were originally going to be.
"I don't care," Sydney said to him as she continued to hold onto his arm,"It's still filthy anyway."
"I'm surprised the city council hasn't even shut this place down yet," Kaiba said to no one in particular as they neared the open doors of the house of sin,"You'd think someone would notice this in the middle of the night."
They reached the large building that looked to be about two stories high. It was of a dark brown color with a bright sign that flashed 'The Midnight Torch' in vibrant colors along the top floor. There was a man standing outside the door, his arms crossed. They didn't need to ask who the man was, for they knew it was the security guard. He was large and bulky but his face seemed rather friendly for a man of his stature.
'They need a security guard for this place?' Kaiba said to himself, 'This is truly sickening.'
"Do you think he will let us in?" Sydney asked as she let her hand fall free from Kaiba's arm.
Kaiba smirked,"When he realizes who I am he will."
Yami cocked his eyebrow at his comment and Sydney did the same, but her mouth formed a tight line as well. They walked up to the man and tried to walk through. As they had anticipated, the man rose a hand and haulted them before they reached the inside of the door. He held a hard yet friendly gaze as he examined those that stood in front of him.
"May I see your I.D.'s please?"
Kaiba let his face fall into a scowl,"You don't need to- now step aside."
Sydney and Yami both examined him as he tried to intimidate the man like he had done to others many times before. The man however, just kept his same expression and raised his eyebrow at the brunette's attempt to get past him so easily. It was obvious that the man wasn't going to have it.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," The man slowly pulled a small clipboard from his back pocket and flipped through a couple sheets,"Give me your name, son."
"Seto Kaiba," Kaiba sneered for emphasis,"And don't call me son. I shouldn't even be standing here wasting my time. I own the damn company down the road from here. Hell, I pay for your freakin' salary and probably-"
"Go ahead in."
All three of them were shocked as the man marked his name on the clipboard in front of him. He than slipped it away into his back pocket and returned to crossing his arms.
"What?" Kaiba asked as though he heard him wrong.
"I said go ahead in," The man replied looking up at the brunette,"Turns out your father paid a hefty amount to help this place get started, young man. I'm surprised you haven't stopped by before - your father was a regular here."
Kaiba's face darkened into anger at his stepfather's disgusting hobby,"My STEP-father was an idiot."
Kaiba said no more as he walked past the man and into the door of the place that his stepfather had supported financially. He didn't bother to look back to see if the other two were following him. He wanted to get in and get the relic and get out as fast as possible. He walked down a thin hallway than stood at the end of the door, noticing that the inside was a deep shade of red.
'Figures...'
His stepfather visited this place often? The thought disgusted him and it disgusted him even more that he would allow his son to have privileges to come into this sinful place. He began to walk into the room, his eyes darting around trying to find anything that looked unusual. He didn't walk far and soon felt a hand upon his chest. He turned slightly see a tall slender blonde smile at him widely.
"Hello there," She said seductively,"So you're Seto Kaiba..."
It was obvious the woman had overheard him outside. Kaiba couldn't help but to let his eyes run over the woman's body, than up to her gaze again. He mentally slapped himself for doing so for now the blonde was leaning into him, pressing her surpine body against the front of him. He could feel the pressure of her large breasts and the touch of her wandering hand as it traveled farther and farther down toward the junction between his legs.
"....you're just as handsome in person.."
Kaiba's mind wondered slightly as she pressed against him but he came crashing into reality. He fought against his sudden weft of desire. He didn't want to have anything to do with a woman who degraded herself for a bit of cash. He loved Sydney and that's all he needed to renew his thoughts.
"I'm not here for service," He replied firmly, slowly removing her from him,"I'm here to inspect."
The woman replied with a bubbly laugh,"Care to inspect me?"
Kaiba's eyebrow raised slightly at her rebuke. Prostitutes sure knew how to reword the conversation. Oddly enough it always returned to the obvious offer of sex she was giving him - and now her hands were touching him again. He frowned and removed them quickly, voicing a growl of obvious disgust. She was sure pushy for a prostitute.
"No," He responded, beginning to walk away,"I don't sleep with sluts."
Luckily he caught sight of Sydney and let out a relieved sigh. Maybe if he kept her on his arm, the women would take him as being involved and they'd stop their advances. He placed a hand upon her shoulder and she shoved it off quickly, spinning to him and raising a hand to slap him.
"Whoa!" Kaiba said raising his arm to intercept,"I'm a good guy!"
She gasped then smiled, letting out a soft satisfied sigh,"Thank goodness! I thought you were another escort. It seems they service women as well as men here. I can't go three steps without some guy hitting on me."
Kiaba grinned,"Can you blame them? Your outfit is very hard to steer clear of. You look as though you were wanting to be serviced, but than again- that's my job."
He tried to work his hands onto her waist to pull her closer but she slapped at his hands disgusted. He smirked and let out a soft laugh. He liked seeing her so frustrated and angry especially when he made suggestive remarks. It made her eyes stand out and the blush across her cheeks made his heart skip.
"You're absolutely disgusting, Seto Kaiba."
He grinned again,"I'm well aware of that. So tell me, where's Yami? Or did you throw him to the wolves?"
"I haven't seen him actually. We walked into together but than we got separated," Sydney told him,"The poor guy's probably chained to a wall already."
Kaiba's face paled at the thought,"Please, spare me here."
"Alright ya big baby," She teased,"We better find him and the relic and get the heck out of here."
"Sounds like a plan."
"How did I even get myself into this?" Yami said aloud as he walked through the room filled with women. They all eyed him hungrily, as though he were an item on a menu at a resturaunt. He could just see Yugi's expression from inside the soul room as he walked through but he was here for a reason and it was far from the objectives of the place.
'Why'd Sydney and Kaiba go and abandon me for? All these women look at me like they're ready to attack.'
He sweatdropped as more women eyed him, licking their lips. He was becoming frightened. He had never been around such provacative behavior - especially involving women. He didn't understand how these women could degrade themselves this way for money. He felt a tug on his arm and turned to see a slender brunette who looked nothing more than his age. He was shocked to see someone the same age as him would actually consider working in a place like this. She smiled at him, a bright warm smile.
"Hello," She said cooly,"Your hair is very attractive.... it suits you well.."
Yami nodded,"Thank you."
He jumped slightly when he felt where her hand was. He was no older than she was and she was certainly acting as a woman with much more experience than he initially had thought. He stepped back from her touch and blushed slightly, raising an arm to keep her at her distance. She looked at him rather confused.
"Do you not find me attractive?"
Yami was flustered,"No miss, that's not it all - I'm just... I'm not here to seek....service....from you.."
The girl's brows touched,"Oh. My apologies."
"Yami!"
He turned his head and let out a relieved sigh when Sydney and Kaiba headed towards them,"Sydney. Kaiba. Thank the heavens!"
Kaiba saw the young woman and grinned,"I see you get your fair share as well, pharoah."
Yami sweatdropped as Kaiba nudged him slightly as Sydney kept her distance from them and the young prostitute. It wasn't long before the girl pressed her attention onto Kaiba.
"Aren't you Seto Kaiba?!" The girl mewed as she placed a hand upon his chest,"I've seen you in so many magazines! You have the most gorgeous eyes!"
Sydney's eyebrow began to twitch but she said nothing. The girl leaned into Kaiba more, her hand now rubbing his chest. Kaiba's eyebrows raised in curiousity. The girl was too young to be in a place like this let alone working here. Her hand suddenly slid downward and touched the wrong area.
"Hey! Get your filthy hand-" Sydney shouted angrily before her plea was muffled.
Yami clamped a hand over her mouth as people turned their heads to her sudden shout. He fought against a thrashing Sydney but managed to get everyone to look away from them.
"What are you even doing in a place like this?" Kaiba said sharply as he removed her hands and giving Sydney a look that instantly dwindled her anger,"You're no older than I am."
The girl leaned into him again, placing her hand upon his chest again,"Why do you think?"
Her hand slid down again and Kaiba caught it before it reached it's destination,"I will ask you nicely to stop touching me."
"Why?" The girl asked hurt,"Don't you find me attractive? Don't you want to touch me?"
She rubbed up against him for emphasis and Kaiba's eyes widened in shock. Sydney's anger flared again and Yami was quick to raise a hand to her mouth and hold her back. He slowly began to pull her away from the scene.
"Let Kaiba handle this," Yami whispered into her ear,"He's obviously up to something. He must be trying to get information."
Sydney's thrashing suddenly stopped and she nodded, allowing Yami to remove his hand. That had to be the explanation to why Kaiba was allowing the girl to touch him the way she was. He wasn't interested in her- he was trying to find out about the relic! She had gotten jealous over nothing. The best way to find out about the relic was to ask someone who worked there and she was around their age - so Kaiba must assume she'd eventually leak out information to him.
'Thank god! I was beginning to worry!'
She turned to watch the scene again, knowing this time that what was going on was merely harmless. Kaiba wouldn't allow himself to be suckered in to this girl's advances- she knew Kaiba too well and he never wanted what he could get so easily.
'He better know what he's doing.'
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Chapter Fifteen: The Midnight Torch
Kaiba stirred and Sydney raised her brows as the young brunette groaned in his sleep. She sighed heavily, knowing that it'd take time for him to finally wake from his troubled sleep. She lowered her hands into the basin of water she had gotten Mokuba to fill and pulled out a drenched cloth, squeezing the excess water from it and carefully placing the cloth along her lover's brow. He occasionally let out muffled groans and spoke a slurr of nonsense words but that had been all.
She leaned back on her heels and studied the man that lay upon the couch. She had fallen so deeply in love with this cold, caustic ego maniac and yet, she still held the deepest affections for the young pharoah she contained history with. She and Yami had too, professed their love for one another, when she had finally gained her eighteenth year and was sure she was ready for such intimacy. It had been beautiful, like she had hoped it would be, but than she had been with Kaiba and it had been much more than just beautiful.
It had been perfect.
The way his body had molded into hers had been almost- frightening. It had felt as though their bodies had been made for eachother, perfectly sculpted to fit together, as though god had claimed them to be soul mates even though the obvious obstacle kept them apart. She sighed and leaned forward, placing a kiss upon the sleeping figure's lips, recieving no response. He had been this way for a little over three hours and it continued to worry her the more she thought about it.
"Sydney...."
Her thoughts were interrupted by the moan that left his lips. Did he just say her name? She turned her head to look at his face and realized he was still deep in the prongs of sleep. His face contorted slightly and he let out another groan, this one more throaty and deep.
"Don't...leave..me..."
Sydney took his hand into hers as he continued to mumble in his sleep. She raised it to touch her face as he continued to whisper her name. He didn't need to tell her - by the way he said her name, Sydney knew he still loved her as much as she still loved him. He was only angry with her and it must have finally gotten to him.
"Uhhhh...."
Sydney watched as the hand she was holding suddenly turned over and grabbed her wrist. She yelped and fell back onto her behind as Kaiba's eyes snapped open and he sat up, his free hand gripping his forehead. The cloth fell onto his lap and he let go of her wrist to pick it up, turning his head to notice her presence. He eyed her rather oddly, showing no indication if he was still angry or finally ready to forgive her.
Sydney slowly sighed and sat on her knees again, this time she lifted a hand to his forehead as he continued to eye her wearily.
"No fever....." She noted outloud to him.
She opened his right eye wide to examine it,"No signs of shock or fatigue."
Kaiba just let her touch him and watched her recoil after her examination. She slumped down into her seated position and simply stared at him in the same fashion he was staring at her.
"Well?"
Kaiba continued to stare at her.
She frowned and looked away from him,"I assume you either passed out from exhaustion or lack of sleep. I don't know which but you gave Mokuba quite a scare. The poor child was in tears when we got here."
He was about to say something but picked up the key word in her last words,"We?"
She faced him again and slowly stood, taking the cloth from his hands and placing it back into the basin beside him on the coffee table. He watched her move gracefully as she sat down once again in front of him.
"Yes, we. Both Joey and Yugi are here. Mokuba called us as soon as he saw you collapse."
"I see," He responded slowly, still staring at her,"I assume you just let them in here."
"Yes, yes I did," She said steadily as he continued to eye her,"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
He shrugged,"I had alot of things to think about when I was out."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"Like what?"
"You," He said without hesitation as he took her hand suddenly and brought her up onto the couch and onto her lap. The action not only surprised her but shocked her. He placed a soft light feather kiss upon her forehead and held both sides of her face with his hands as her eyes watched him do so. He leaned his forehead against hers as she shifted slightly against him and let his hands wander down to her waist.
"I've never felt this way before," He confessed,"I can honestly say I've never loved anyone before besides Mokuba."
She didn't fight him as he touched her but responded by placing her arms around his neck as he continued to let their foreheads touch as he talked.
"It seriously scared me to feel this way," Kaiba whispered to her as his lips grazed over her cheek,"I love you Sydney but I couldn't deal with having to be soft. I'm not a soft man and we both know that."
"People change...Seto.."
He placed a finger upon her lips before she could speak again,"Please, let me speak."
She nodded and He let his finger drop from her mouth and return to the softness of her sides.
"I will probably never turn soft," He told her with strong stubborness,"I can't change the way that I am. I have been this way for years. I will never be able to get along with Yugi and his friends, or be able to express to you how much I love you as often as you would like. But I can say that you are one of the few weaknesses I have. You've filled the void that I always knew existed but refused to recognize. I can't be the type of man you want me to be. I can't speak romantically or be able to touch you like this all the time. I'm not a sensitive man, Sydney, but please tell me you understand that."
She blinked and than shook her head with a slight laugh,"I understand- I've always have. I'm not blind Seto, I know how you can be. I know this is as much as you can give me and that's why I love these moments. I love you and I don't care how cold you turn- as long as you still love me in return."
Kaiba let out a satisfied sigh as she suddenly turned her head to nuzzle his ear with her mouth. She always knew how to comfort him. Regardless of his colder half, she still loved him none the less- maybe even more. He buried his hands into her hair when she left his ear and slid her hands down to pull his shirt up to plant kisses against his chest. He groaned loudly than realized that if she kept this up, he'd likely take her where they were sitting and he couldn't do that knowing that there were others in his home. He reluctantly and gently pushed her away and pulled her up to his level again.
"I have to tell you something," Kaiba breathed as she looked at him curiously,"I didn't pass out from exhaustion."
"Than from what?"
"I kept seeing all these-"
"Images?" She put in as Kaiba's face contorted in disbelief.
"How'd you know?"
Sydney slowly drew back and stood again, looking down at him as he watched her closely, his eyes drifting down so often to the soft curves of her slender body.
"I knew you'd eventually find out," She replied as she turned her head toward the other room.
"Yugi, Joey!" She called as Kaiba continued to study her,"He's awake!"
It only took a couple moments before they both arrived in the room, their eyes shifting to the figure seated on the couch. He was definitely awake because the scowl he held was unable to be possessed by someone asleep.
Sydney looked to see Kaiba's unsatisfied face and poked his nose suddenly,"Be civil."
His eyebrows rose than fell suddenly and he pushed her hand away,"I am being civil."
Yugi's eyebrows rose and he looked to Sydney,"Yami keeps tugging at me, Sydney. I think he wants to talk to Kaiba."
Kaiba looked at Yugi strangely,"Yami? Who the heck is that? And he's what? Tugging at you?"
Sydney placed a hand on Kaiba's shoulder to silence his questions and looked to Yugi,"It's okay. Let him."
Yugi nodded and Kaiba's eyes widened as light engulfed Yugi than a much more taller, slimmed version of Yugi stood before him. He knew he acted more confident during duels but he never REALLY studied his appearance before, during or after a duel. He had been completely oblivous, but now he could see the differences. There was definitely two different Yugis.
Yami lifted his head and immediately caught the sight of Sydney's hand upon Kaiba's shoulder. Sydney knew what he was looking at and removed her hand slowly, seating herself beside the brunette as he eyed them both wearily.
'So they truly are together,' Yami's thoughts whirled,'I don't believe it.'
"Kaiba was just telling me he was seeing images," Sydney ripped him from his thoughts, and she turned to Kaiba,"What you were seeing was a peek at your power, Seto."
"What?" Kaiba asked her in a mocked voice,"Power? You're joking right?"
Sydney's eyebrows lowered into a frown,"Far from it, Seto. What you were experiencing was a premonition."
"Like a vision of the future?"
She nodded at him,"The future indeed. So tell us, what did you see?"
Kaiba's eyes drifted down to his lap as he tried to remember,"There were alot of images I was seeing. I saw a man, dressed in black killing men after men, than a group of religious people worshipping him, than a shrewd of locations....it went so fast.. I can't remember it all."
Yami's eyes drifted to over his figure,"This power can be very dangerous Kaiba. Since you are not used to such power, you're body will go through terrible amounts of pain."
Kaiba's eyes snapped upward and he hissed,"Like you care.."
"Seto.." Sydney trailed from behind him, her hand placing itself in the crook of his elbow on his arm. He raised a hand, placing it on top of hers and relaxed immediately. He had no idea her touch could do this to him, but he didn't care- his temper needed to be controlled. Both Yami and Joey took note of his sudden relaxed state and exchanged glances.
Kaiba looked away from Yami and snorted,"Than what do you suggest I do than?"
Joey slowly came to join Yami's side,"We were talkin' it ova before. We thought maybe if ya stay wit me and Tea, we can keep a close eye on ya while Yami and Sydney go afta that Tskusa guy."
Sydney was the one to protest this time,"We can't leave him here!"
Yami's brow furrowed,"But-"
She rose and raised a hand to Yami's face, pressing a finger to his nose,"You're forgetting.... Seto can not only see visions but he can read the scriptures. You know as well as I do that he needs to come along with us."
Yami raised his hands in defense,"I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind."
Her eyebrow twitched slightly,"This is not the time to be jealous, Yami!"
"Jealous?" The boys all said in unison as Sydney lowered her hand and assumed Kaiba's trade mark position. Kaiba smirked at how she stood with her arms crossed, knowing very well that he was the influence of it, but his smirk faded when he rethought about her accusation.
"I'm not jealous, Sydney," Yami told her sternly,"I am doing what you asked. I'm caring for you from afar- including Kaiba as well. He could become injured during our journey."
Her gaze softened and her arms slowly lowered. Kaiba watched her eyes and recognized the look. That's the exact look she gave him! The lightbulb went off and Kaiba knew the two had been lovers- he could tell by the way they were staring at eachother at the very moment. He growled angrily to himself at the thought of Yami being her past affection and she turned her head to see him balling his fists and staring daggers at Yami.
"Seto-"
"So...," Kaiba commented slyly,"When were you planning on telling me about this little love affair, Sydney?"
Sydney placed her hands upon her hips and narrowed her eyes at him,"If you're speaking about my past with Yami, Seto, than I suggest you drop it. I never pushed you to reveal anything about your past experiences, so don't ask about mine."
'Damn it she's right.' Kaiba's mind told him.
"Fine."
Yami looked between the two than settled his gaze upon Kaiba,"Kaiba, you said that you saw a bunch of images of places, did any of them look familar to you?"
All heads turned to Yami than back to Kaiba as the young CEO slowly stood up, his form towering over all of them. He raised a hand to his chin, his face forming a pensive expression.
"Now that I think about it," Kaiba told him,"One of the places looked like the Tavern down the street."
"Tavern?" They all asked and Kaiba shrugged in response.
"You're telling me he's hiding one of his items at a...a...," Sydney blushed at having to say such a nasty thing but it was the truth. Everyone knew what went on in the Tavern that opened only during the middle of the night.
"Whore house?" Kaiba offered as she blushed more.
He liked seeing the rose hue upon her cheeks but was even more surprising was that she was becoming embarassed by such a known fact. It was indeed what Kaiba had called it. The place was filled with prostitutes- a low budget operation that happened only in the darkest hours of the night down the street in the back of the alleyway. Kaiba had never went there, but had passed it many times.
"Well put," Joey said sarcastically,"Ya guys aren't really gonna go there are ya?"
Yami let out a deep troubled sigh,"We have no choice- we need the mystical items in order to vanquish him. It's in the scriptures. 'To seal the gate one must contain all three relics'. Each item is being hidden in three distinct locations and Kaiba is the only one who knows."
Joey nodded and rubbed the back of his neck,"But a place like dat?"
Sydney let out a slight laugh,"Suits him doesn't it, Yami? Tskusa puts one of his relics in a house of prostitution?"
Yami smirked and nodded,"He was always well.... acquainted with the female gender."
Kaiba's eyebrow raised slightly,"Was this guy a pervert or something?"
Sydney waved her hand about,"We'll explain to you on the way. We might as well get this over with as soon as possible. I don't want to have to stay any longer than I have to in THAT place."
Kaiba smirked evily,"You know, they might actually be looking for employment and suggest you apply, Sydney."
Sydney blushed and slapped him hard on his arm, causing him to flinch. He raised a hand, rubbing the area she had slapped as she fumed about his comment. He couldn't help it, but he laughed anyway. He liked seeing her get to so flustered over small things. The only thing he didn't like - was her violent reactions.
'Damn she's strong.'
"Well than," Yami cut in with a grin as Kaiba continued to rub his sore upper arm,"Shall we go?"
Sydney huffed,"If we must."
"This place is absolutely filthy."
Kaiba raised his brow,"We haven't even gone inside yet."
Yami raised his gaze to the two walking in front of him and let out a depressed sigh as they continued to talk. His feelings for Sydney were definitely making it hard for him to concentrate on their mission and Kaiba made it worse. They were alot more affectionate around him than he had thought they were originally going to be.
"I don't care," Sydney said to him as she continued to hold onto his arm,"It's still filthy anyway."
"I'm surprised the city council hasn't even shut this place down yet," Kaiba said to no one in particular as they neared the open doors of the house of sin,"You'd think someone would notice this in the middle of the night."
They reached the large building that looked to be about two stories high. It was of a dark brown color with a bright sign that flashed 'The Midnight Torch' in vibrant colors along the top floor. There was a man standing outside the door, his arms crossed. They didn't need to ask who the man was, for they knew it was the security guard. He was large and bulky but his face seemed rather friendly for a man of his stature.
'They need a security guard for this place?' Kaiba said to himself, 'This is truly sickening.'
"Do you think he will let us in?" Sydney asked as she let her hand fall free from Kaiba's arm.
Kaiba smirked,"When he realizes who I am he will."
Yami cocked his eyebrow at his comment and Sydney did the same, but her mouth formed a tight line as well. They walked up to the man and tried to walk through. As they had anticipated, the man rose a hand and haulted them before they reached the inside of the door. He held a hard yet friendly gaze as he examined those that stood in front of him.
"May I see your I.D.'s please?"
Kaiba let his face fall into a scowl,"You don't need to- now step aside."
Sydney and Yami both examined him as he tried to intimidate the man like he had done to others many times before. The man however, just kept his same expression and raised his eyebrow at the brunette's attempt to get past him so easily. It was obvious that the man wasn't going to have it.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," The man slowly pulled a small clipboard from his back pocket and flipped through a couple sheets,"Give me your name, son."
"Seto Kaiba," Kaiba sneered for emphasis,"And don't call me son. I shouldn't even be standing here wasting my time. I own the damn company down the road from here. Hell, I pay for your freakin' salary and probably-"
"Go ahead in."
All three of them were shocked as the man marked his name on the clipboard in front of him. He than slipped it away into his back pocket and returned to crossing his arms.
"What?" Kaiba asked as though he heard him wrong.
"I said go ahead in," The man replied looking up at the brunette,"Turns out your father paid a hefty amount to help this place get started, young man. I'm surprised you haven't stopped by before - your father was a regular here."
Kaiba's face darkened into anger at his stepfather's disgusting hobby,"My STEP-father was an idiot."
Kaiba said no more as he walked past the man and into the door of the place that his stepfather had supported financially. He didn't bother to look back to see if the other two were following him. He wanted to get in and get the relic and get out as fast as possible. He walked down a thin hallway than stood at the end of the door, noticing that the inside was a deep shade of red.
'Figures...'
His stepfather visited this place often? The thought disgusted him and it disgusted him even more that he would allow his son to have privileges to come into this sinful place. He began to walk into the room, his eyes darting around trying to find anything that looked unusual. He didn't walk far and soon felt a hand upon his chest. He turned slightly see a tall slender blonde smile at him widely.
"Hello there," She said seductively,"So you're Seto Kaiba..."
It was obvious the woman had overheard him outside. Kaiba couldn't help but to let his eyes run over the woman's body, than up to her gaze again. He mentally slapped himself for doing so for now the blonde was leaning into him, pressing her surpine body against the front of him. He could feel the pressure of her large breasts and the touch of her wandering hand as it traveled farther and farther down toward the junction between his legs.
"....you're just as handsome in person.."
Kaiba's mind wondered slightly as she pressed against him but he came crashing into reality. He fought against his sudden weft of desire. He didn't want to have anything to do with a woman who degraded herself for a bit of cash. He loved Sydney and that's all he needed to renew his thoughts.
"I'm not here for service," He replied firmly, slowly removing her from him,"I'm here to inspect."
The woman replied with a bubbly laugh,"Care to inspect me?"
Kaiba's eyebrow raised slightly at her rebuke. Prostitutes sure knew how to reword the conversation. Oddly enough it always returned to the obvious offer of sex she was giving him - and now her hands were touching him again. He frowned and removed them quickly, voicing a growl of obvious disgust. She was sure pushy for a prostitute.
"No," He responded, beginning to walk away,"I don't sleep with sluts."
Luckily he caught sight of Sydney and let out a relieved sigh. Maybe if he kept her on his arm, the women would take him as being involved and they'd stop their advances. He placed a hand upon her shoulder and she shoved it off quickly, spinning to him and raising a hand to slap him.
"Whoa!" Kaiba said raising his arm to intercept,"I'm a good guy!"
She gasped then smiled, letting out a soft satisfied sigh,"Thank goodness! I thought you were another escort. It seems they service women as well as men here. I can't go three steps without some guy hitting on me."
Kiaba grinned,"Can you blame them? Your outfit is very hard to steer clear of. You look as though you were wanting to be serviced, but than again- that's my job."
He tried to work his hands onto her waist to pull her closer but she slapped at his hands disgusted. He smirked and let out a soft laugh. He liked seeing her so frustrated and angry especially when he made suggestive remarks. It made her eyes stand out and the blush across her cheeks made his heart skip.
"You're absolutely disgusting, Seto Kaiba."
He grinned again,"I'm well aware of that. So tell me, where's Yami? Or did you throw him to the wolves?"
"I haven't seen him actually. We walked into together but than we got separated," Sydney told him,"The poor guy's probably chained to a wall already."
Kaiba's face paled at the thought,"Please, spare me here."
"Alright ya big baby," She teased,"We better find him and the relic and get the heck out of here."
"Sounds like a plan."
"How did I even get myself into this?" Yami said aloud as he walked through the room filled with women. They all eyed him hungrily, as though he were an item on a menu at a resturaunt. He could just see Yugi's expression from inside the soul room as he walked through but he was here for a reason and it was far from the objectives of the place.
'Why'd Sydney and Kaiba go and abandon me for? All these women look at me like they're ready to attack.'
He sweatdropped as more women eyed him, licking their lips. He was becoming frightened. He had never been around such provacative behavior - especially involving women. He didn't understand how these women could degrade themselves this way for money. He felt a tug on his arm and turned to see a slender brunette who looked nothing more than his age. He was shocked to see someone the same age as him would actually consider working in a place like this. She smiled at him, a bright warm smile.
"Hello," She said cooly,"Your hair is very attractive.... it suits you well.."
Yami nodded,"Thank you."
He jumped slightly when he felt where her hand was. He was no older than she was and she was certainly acting as a woman with much more experience than he initially had thought. He stepped back from her touch and blushed slightly, raising an arm to keep her at her distance. She looked at him rather confused.
"Do you not find me attractive?"
Yami was flustered,"No miss, that's not it all - I'm just... I'm not here to seek....service....from you.."
The girl's brows touched,"Oh. My apologies."
"Yami!"
He turned his head and let out a relieved sigh when Sydney and Kaiba headed towards them,"Sydney. Kaiba. Thank the heavens!"
Kaiba saw the young woman and grinned,"I see you get your fair share as well, pharoah."
Yami sweatdropped as Kaiba nudged him slightly as Sydney kept her distance from them and the young prostitute. It wasn't long before the girl pressed her attention onto Kaiba.
"Aren't you Seto Kaiba?!" The girl mewed as she placed a hand upon his chest,"I've seen you in so many magazines! You have the most gorgeous eyes!"
Sydney's eyebrow began to twitch but she said nothing. The girl leaned into Kaiba more, her hand now rubbing his chest. Kaiba's eyebrows raised in curiousity. The girl was too young to be in a place like this let alone working here. Her hand suddenly slid downward and touched the wrong area.
"Hey! Get your filthy hand-" Sydney shouted angrily before her plea was muffled.
Yami clamped a hand over her mouth as people turned their heads to her sudden shout. He fought against a thrashing Sydney but managed to get everyone to look away from them.
"What are you even doing in a place like this?" Kaiba said sharply as he removed her hands and giving Sydney a look that instantly dwindled her anger,"You're no older than I am."
The girl leaned into him again, placing her hand upon his chest again,"Why do you think?"
Her hand slid down again and Kaiba caught it before it reached it's destination,"I will ask you nicely to stop touching me."
"Why?" The girl asked hurt,"Don't you find me attractive? Don't you want to touch me?"
She rubbed up against him for emphasis and Kaiba's eyes widened in shock. Sydney's anger flared again and Yami was quick to raise a hand to her mouth and hold her back. He slowly began to pull her away from the scene.
"Let Kaiba handle this," Yami whispered into her ear,"He's obviously up to something. He must be trying to get information."
Sydney's thrashing suddenly stopped and she nodded, allowing Yami to remove his hand. That had to be the explanation to why Kaiba was allowing the girl to touch him the way she was. He wasn't interested in her- he was trying to find out about the relic! She had gotten jealous over nothing. The best way to find out about the relic was to ask someone who worked there and she was around their age - so Kaiba must assume she'd eventually leak out information to him.
'Thank god! I was beginning to worry!'
She turned to watch the scene again, knowing this time that what was going on was merely harmless. Kaiba wouldn't allow himself to be suckered in to this girl's advances- she knew Kaiba too well and he never wanted what he could get so easily.
'He better know what he's doing.'
