Chapter Thirteen
Promise of a Pegasus
When Kaiba returned to the mansion he was feeling overly testy and irritated. Now only had things been so annoying at the office, where nothing seemed to go right, but he had the dark memory of the earlier incident in the trading shop with Wheeler and the girl he was with, hanging over his head all day.
As he was in the limo on his way home, he was gritting his teeth, trying to calm himself just a little bit, he had felt all this tolerability build up. If he had to take anything more, he was certain he would explode with frustration.
What was worse was that throughout the day he couldn't be rid of the memory of Joey and the girl in the card shop. Something about that girl disgusted him deeply. He couldn't put his finger on it, and that had upset him greatly. The fact that something was bothering him and he couldn't figure out what it was.
It wasn't at all appearance that disgusted him, as he acknowledged her to be a very beautiful young woman, even though he would never admit it aloud. It was more the idea that of her being with Joey Wheeler that sickened him so much. And the fact that she stood up for Wheeler made his lip curl in detest.
And since she had been in a trading shop for Duel Monster cards, Kaiba had no doubt in his mind that she was going to compete in the Battle City tournament. Kaiba smirked softly to himself. If she were hanging out with Joey a lot, he wouldn't be surprised if her dueling skills, if indeed she had any, had decreased by listening to Joey's strategies.
When Kaiba arrived at his mansion he went straight to his office to check out the files based upon the Battle City Tournament. The house was a little livelier that night. A few maids were walking around when Kaiba came in. He didn't pay too much attention to them. He went directly to his office.
Kaiba sat at his desk and began to type into the Battle City Tournament files. With his eyes glued to the screen and his mind thinking of one person in particular, he clicked to open the folder that was titled, "duelist profiles".
The infinite list went on and on, and his icy blue eyes scanned the names intently. He remembered Duke calling her "Roux" back at the card shop, thus he kept his eyes open for a Roux in the list.
He stopped after a little while as a name caught his eye. Marik Ishtar. Kaiba raised an eyebrow questionably, and double-clicked on the file. He recognized the name, but from where? The profile popped up instantly.
Marik's picture was on the right of the profile, and on the left were all his qualifications. Kaiba frowned. "Marik?" he whispered to himself. Kaiba stared into Marik's amethyst eyes as the picture glared at him menacingly, as though they knew something Kaiba didn't. His taunting smile almost laughed at him through the screen.
Kaiba frowned. He didn't remember accepting a profile, let alone Marik's, into his tournament. Kaiba didn't even remember seeing his name before in the profile list.
~ Mokuba must have accepted him, but it's just as well. ~ Kaiba grinned devilishly to himself. ~ What is he doing in the Battle City Tournament? Oh, I remember that dream with Ishizu. Once I am free to duel him and win I'll be able to take his Egyptian god card, and then with the millennium stone I could easy attain the rod as well! ~
Kaiba clicked the button to go back to the profile list, and he smiled to himself. He didn't know who to thank for accepting Marik into the tournament, whether it had been Ishizu who had someone entered him into the tournament, or Mokuba who had no clue who he was.
Kaiba continued to scan down the list, keeping his eyes wide open for Roux's name. He stopped when he finally saw her name, Roux Matuko, in among the scattered names. He opened her profile swiftly.
There was her picture, it was the first to greet him. She didn't look a day older or different from her picture to when he saw her that afternoon. Kaiba studied her, her golden river of hair, her fine features and her sweet gray-blue eyes, smiling at him with her red lips pulled into a matching smile.
Kaiba looked over her qualifications. He was rather curious about this girl. Whether she disgusted him or not, whether she was a friend to Wheeler or not, he was rather curious as to why she was in the tournament. They stated her full name, her age (17), her marital status (Married to Kale Tori, divorced), her occupation (Female Fashion Model).
~ Ah, so that's it. ~ Kaiba said nodding to himself. ~ That's where I've recognized her from, those pathetic magazines in the shops, all those specials on the news. She's a model, a typical airhead. That's probably the reason why she acted like she did back at the card shop. ~
Kaiba didn't need to see anymore. He already knew why he didn't like her, and now he had the proof. Another one of those showbiz girls, who cared about clothes and money and make-up. Kaiba hated those girls, all of them. They all made him sick. And she was just a mere addition to his list.
He did, however, quickly look over her history. He wondered if she possessed any interesting cards, or if her strategies were celebrated in the art of Duel Monsters. His icy eyes scanned through the written work immensely.
It read, "Roux Matuko, famous fashion model for the city of Osaka and for the world, was once a passionate duelist as a child when she lived in Domino City. Through her career, she no longer had time for such hobbies, but now her passion is reborn, and consequently she has chosen to compete in the Battle City Tournament hosted by Kaiba Corporation of Domino City. One of her goals, she claims, is to get to the Battle City Finals, just for the thrill, and to meet new people and get some new interesting cards for her growing deck."
Kaiba shook his head. He'd had enough. He stood up from his desk and stared down at the computer, thinking about what he had read on her profile. "What an amateur." He whispered to himself, staring at her picture and sneering. "You won't last until the finals, I can promise you that!" he said, and angrily he pressed the button to turn off the computer and stomped out of his office.
~*~
Roux's heart seemed to stop, frozen in her body, all her juices turning to ice. She felt the colour leave her skin altogether, and she was shaking with mercy. She stared at Pegasus, who sat across from her with his hands folded in his lap. He looked deeply sullen. "Max are you sure?"
Pegasus gave her a solemn look, and he nodded without hesitation. "Yes Roux." He told her softly.
Roux bit down on her lip. She felt tears begin to wallow in her soft blue eyes, but she would not let them fall no matter what happened. She had to be strong. Pegasus told her that himself.
Pegasus had just told her, there in the limo, the news that he had learned that afternoon. Roux learned that her ex-husband was now dead murdered without mercy in his own home. She had lost her only love once, and now she had lost her best friend. All for what? She didn't understand. Nobody would want to murder Kale Tori. He was the nicest guy in the fashion industry.
Before she could gather all her thoughts into one, straighten them out and make some sense of them all, she found herself in Pegasus' arms; her tears fell onto his deep red suit. She let out deep sad sobs as she felt Pegasus comfort her soothingly, wrapping his arms about her and holding her to him, like the good friend he was.
"Why?" Roux sobbed to Pegasus, as though he were God himself who held the decision whether Kale would die or not. "Why Kale? He never hurt anyone, he never did anything!" she demanded through her sobs. "Who would possibly want to murder him? And why?"
Pegasus then remembered why he asked to meet with her in the first place. True he could have told her that Kale had died over the phone, but he couldn't tell her why. She could have gone into shock. He was lucky she hadn't done anything that awful yet.
"Roux," he whispered to her, and softly he let her go. She stared up at him, her eyes stinging from the salty rain, full of trust and sadness. Pegasus sighed softly and hesitated. He wouldn't lie to her, not to those eyes. Not to this frail creature who he had known for a long time as a fashion model and as a friend. Not now, not ever. "I know why he was murdered."
Her eyes filled with alarm and she gasped. "You knew?" she placed a hand over her heart, and the other over her mouth to redeem the shock. "Max.you know all along and you didn't stop it?"
"No, Roux!" Pegasus told her. "I didn't say I knew it would happen," he told her sternly. "I would never do that to Kale.or to you." He assured her. "I said I knew why it had happened."
Roux let out a deep sigh, and then she nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought that." She choked. "Please Max, tell me why he was murdered, if you can."
Pegasus didn't want to tell her now. She was far too upset. How would she take the news that her ex-husband died because of the ring she wore, and that she could very well be next? He rain his hands over his face. He had to tell her. If he didn't Roux could meet with the same fate as Kale. Pegasus wouldn't let that happen.
"Okay, I will tell you." He said and he placed both his hands on her shoulders. "But you must promise me that you will not panic, okay?"
She stifled a nod.
Pegasus sat back and breathed in very deeply. He watched Roux try to settle herself down. Once he was certain she was relaxed enough, and comfortable, he decided it was a good time to tell her. Before speaking his eyes caught her ring again, and he nodded.
"All right," he said, sitting back. "Roux, the people who murdered Kale." he sighed deeply. "They did it for the ring."
Roux's eyes wrought in confusion. She frowned. "What ring?"
Pegasus sighed. "The ring on your finger."
Her red lips parted in shock, and a tiny horrified gasp came from her lips. She looked down at the ring on her finger and her jaw began to shake. "Are you sure?"
Pegasus sighed and nodded. "I'm certain. You see Roux," he held her hand in his. "When one is in possession of a millennium item you are basically a moving target for anyone trying to get their hands on it."
Roux frowned. "Millennium item?" she questioned and looked down at the ring on her finger, and shook her head. "No.no it couldn't be!" she demanded softly.
"It is," Pegasus started. "And I'm very sure that the people who killed Kale, who were looking for the ring, know that you have it."
Her eyes went blank and a startled gasp came from her lips. She was shaking, Pegasus tried to calm her. "It was only the best that you didn't stay in Osaka." He told her.
Roux burst into tears once again. Not only did she just realize that her ex- husband was dead, but also that her life was in danger now as well. This was too much for her to handle.
"Roux." Pegasus whispered as he held her to him. "Please, don't worry. Mark my words I will find out who killed Kale and if they are indeed after you and the ring, I will not let them touch you! I promise!"
Roux believed him. Afterall he had been a good friend to Kale, and he told her that he suspected her life was in danger. If he didn't care about her safety he wouldn't have told her all this.
"But until I find out who is responsible for all this masquerading murders," Pegasus said in a cautious manner, looking down at Roux with a gaze of caution. "I want you to be aware. Stay with a friend for a few nights, stay out of the obvious."
Roux nodded. "Okay."
"Do you know anyone you can stay with for a few days?" then like he had forgotten altogether he added. "I would of course have you stay with me, but I must away for a few days on business. I'll have my team find out who the murderer is." He declared.
Roux breathed in and nodded. "I understand. Um, I suppose I could ask Joey if I could stay with him," then she remembered. "Oh! I was going to go to Tea's movie party!" she glanced at the digital clock. "And they were expecting me an hour and a half ago!" she said, suddenly alarmed at the time that had flown by.
Pegasus nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take you to Tea's house and I will talk to Joey myself, and Yugi if he is there." Pegasus assured her. He then told his driver to go to Tea's house with the address Roux gave him.
Roux huddled into the seat of the limo with Pegasus' arm around her, comforting her. She stared out the windows and noticed it was growing dark out. She sighed deeply.
~ Kale, ~ she thought as a single tear rolled down her cheek, in memory of him. ~ I'll miss you. ~
Promise of a Pegasus
When Kaiba returned to the mansion he was feeling overly testy and irritated. Now only had things been so annoying at the office, where nothing seemed to go right, but he had the dark memory of the earlier incident in the trading shop with Wheeler and the girl he was with, hanging over his head all day.
As he was in the limo on his way home, he was gritting his teeth, trying to calm himself just a little bit, he had felt all this tolerability build up. If he had to take anything more, he was certain he would explode with frustration.
What was worse was that throughout the day he couldn't be rid of the memory of Joey and the girl in the card shop. Something about that girl disgusted him deeply. He couldn't put his finger on it, and that had upset him greatly. The fact that something was bothering him and he couldn't figure out what it was.
It wasn't at all appearance that disgusted him, as he acknowledged her to be a very beautiful young woman, even though he would never admit it aloud. It was more the idea that of her being with Joey Wheeler that sickened him so much. And the fact that she stood up for Wheeler made his lip curl in detest.
And since she had been in a trading shop for Duel Monster cards, Kaiba had no doubt in his mind that she was going to compete in the Battle City tournament. Kaiba smirked softly to himself. If she were hanging out with Joey a lot, he wouldn't be surprised if her dueling skills, if indeed she had any, had decreased by listening to Joey's strategies.
When Kaiba arrived at his mansion he went straight to his office to check out the files based upon the Battle City Tournament. The house was a little livelier that night. A few maids were walking around when Kaiba came in. He didn't pay too much attention to them. He went directly to his office.
Kaiba sat at his desk and began to type into the Battle City Tournament files. With his eyes glued to the screen and his mind thinking of one person in particular, he clicked to open the folder that was titled, "duelist profiles".
The infinite list went on and on, and his icy blue eyes scanned the names intently. He remembered Duke calling her "Roux" back at the card shop, thus he kept his eyes open for a Roux in the list.
He stopped after a little while as a name caught his eye. Marik Ishtar. Kaiba raised an eyebrow questionably, and double-clicked on the file. He recognized the name, but from where? The profile popped up instantly.
Marik's picture was on the right of the profile, and on the left were all his qualifications. Kaiba frowned. "Marik?" he whispered to himself. Kaiba stared into Marik's amethyst eyes as the picture glared at him menacingly, as though they knew something Kaiba didn't. His taunting smile almost laughed at him through the screen.
Kaiba frowned. He didn't remember accepting a profile, let alone Marik's, into his tournament. Kaiba didn't even remember seeing his name before in the profile list.
~ Mokuba must have accepted him, but it's just as well. ~ Kaiba grinned devilishly to himself. ~ What is he doing in the Battle City Tournament? Oh, I remember that dream with Ishizu. Once I am free to duel him and win I'll be able to take his Egyptian god card, and then with the millennium stone I could easy attain the rod as well! ~
Kaiba clicked the button to go back to the profile list, and he smiled to himself. He didn't know who to thank for accepting Marik into the tournament, whether it had been Ishizu who had someone entered him into the tournament, or Mokuba who had no clue who he was.
Kaiba continued to scan down the list, keeping his eyes wide open for Roux's name. He stopped when he finally saw her name, Roux Matuko, in among the scattered names. He opened her profile swiftly.
There was her picture, it was the first to greet him. She didn't look a day older or different from her picture to when he saw her that afternoon. Kaiba studied her, her golden river of hair, her fine features and her sweet gray-blue eyes, smiling at him with her red lips pulled into a matching smile.
Kaiba looked over her qualifications. He was rather curious about this girl. Whether she disgusted him or not, whether she was a friend to Wheeler or not, he was rather curious as to why she was in the tournament. They stated her full name, her age (17), her marital status (Married to Kale Tori, divorced), her occupation (Female Fashion Model).
~ Ah, so that's it. ~ Kaiba said nodding to himself. ~ That's where I've recognized her from, those pathetic magazines in the shops, all those specials on the news. She's a model, a typical airhead. That's probably the reason why she acted like she did back at the card shop. ~
Kaiba didn't need to see anymore. He already knew why he didn't like her, and now he had the proof. Another one of those showbiz girls, who cared about clothes and money and make-up. Kaiba hated those girls, all of them. They all made him sick. And she was just a mere addition to his list.
He did, however, quickly look over her history. He wondered if she possessed any interesting cards, or if her strategies were celebrated in the art of Duel Monsters. His icy eyes scanned through the written work immensely.
It read, "Roux Matuko, famous fashion model for the city of Osaka and for the world, was once a passionate duelist as a child when she lived in Domino City. Through her career, she no longer had time for such hobbies, but now her passion is reborn, and consequently she has chosen to compete in the Battle City Tournament hosted by Kaiba Corporation of Domino City. One of her goals, she claims, is to get to the Battle City Finals, just for the thrill, and to meet new people and get some new interesting cards for her growing deck."
Kaiba shook his head. He'd had enough. He stood up from his desk and stared down at the computer, thinking about what he had read on her profile. "What an amateur." He whispered to himself, staring at her picture and sneering. "You won't last until the finals, I can promise you that!" he said, and angrily he pressed the button to turn off the computer and stomped out of his office.
~*~
Roux's heart seemed to stop, frozen in her body, all her juices turning to ice. She felt the colour leave her skin altogether, and she was shaking with mercy. She stared at Pegasus, who sat across from her with his hands folded in his lap. He looked deeply sullen. "Max are you sure?"
Pegasus gave her a solemn look, and he nodded without hesitation. "Yes Roux." He told her softly.
Roux bit down on her lip. She felt tears begin to wallow in her soft blue eyes, but she would not let them fall no matter what happened. She had to be strong. Pegasus told her that himself.
Pegasus had just told her, there in the limo, the news that he had learned that afternoon. Roux learned that her ex-husband was now dead murdered without mercy in his own home. She had lost her only love once, and now she had lost her best friend. All for what? She didn't understand. Nobody would want to murder Kale Tori. He was the nicest guy in the fashion industry.
Before she could gather all her thoughts into one, straighten them out and make some sense of them all, she found herself in Pegasus' arms; her tears fell onto his deep red suit. She let out deep sad sobs as she felt Pegasus comfort her soothingly, wrapping his arms about her and holding her to him, like the good friend he was.
"Why?" Roux sobbed to Pegasus, as though he were God himself who held the decision whether Kale would die or not. "Why Kale? He never hurt anyone, he never did anything!" she demanded through her sobs. "Who would possibly want to murder him? And why?"
Pegasus then remembered why he asked to meet with her in the first place. True he could have told her that Kale had died over the phone, but he couldn't tell her why. She could have gone into shock. He was lucky she hadn't done anything that awful yet.
"Roux," he whispered to her, and softly he let her go. She stared up at him, her eyes stinging from the salty rain, full of trust and sadness. Pegasus sighed softly and hesitated. He wouldn't lie to her, not to those eyes. Not to this frail creature who he had known for a long time as a fashion model and as a friend. Not now, not ever. "I know why he was murdered."
Her eyes filled with alarm and she gasped. "You knew?" she placed a hand over her heart, and the other over her mouth to redeem the shock. "Max.you know all along and you didn't stop it?"
"No, Roux!" Pegasus told her. "I didn't say I knew it would happen," he told her sternly. "I would never do that to Kale.or to you." He assured her. "I said I knew why it had happened."
Roux let out a deep sigh, and then she nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought that." She choked. "Please Max, tell me why he was murdered, if you can."
Pegasus didn't want to tell her now. She was far too upset. How would she take the news that her ex-husband died because of the ring she wore, and that she could very well be next? He rain his hands over his face. He had to tell her. If he didn't Roux could meet with the same fate as Kale. Pegasus wouldn't let that happen.
"Okay, I will tell you." He said and he placed both his hands on her shoulders. "But you must promise me that you will not panic, okay?"
She stifled a nod.
Pegasus sat back and breathed in very deeply. He watched Roux try to settle herself down. Once he was certain she was relaxed enough, and comfortable, he decided it was a good time to tell her. Before speaking his eyes caught her ring again, and he nodded.
"All right," he said, sitting back. "Roux, the people who murdered Kale." he sighed deeply. "They did it for the ring."
Roux's eyes wrought in confusion. She frowned. "What ring?"
Pegasus sighed. "The ring on your finger."
Her red lips parted in shock, and a tiny horrified gasp came from her lips. She looked down at the ring on her finger and her jaw began to shake. "Are you sure?"
Pegasus sighed and nodded. "I'm certain. You see Roux," he held her hand in his. "When one is in possession of a millennium item you are basically a moving target for anyone trying to get their hands on it."
Roux frowned. "Millennium item?" she questioned and looked down at the ring on her finger, and shook her head. "No.no it couldn't be!" she demanded softly.
"It is," Pegasus started. "And I'm very sure that the people who killed Kale, who were looking for the ring, know that you have it."
Her eyes went blank and a startled gasp came from her lips. She was shaking, Pegasus tried to calm her. "It was only the best that you didn't stay in Osaka." He told her.
Roux burst into tears once again. Not only did she just realize that her ex- husband was dead, but also that her life was in danger now as well. This was too much for her to handle.
"Roux." Pegasus whispered as he held her to him. "Please, don't worry. Mark my words I will find out who killed Kale and if they are indeed after you and the ring, I will not let them touch you! I promise!"
Roux believed him. Afterall he had been a good friend to Kale, and he told her that he suspected her life was in danger. If he didn't care about her safety he wouldn't have told her all this.
"But until I find out who is responsible for all this masquerading murders," Pegasus said in a cautious manner, looking down at Roux with a gaze of caution. "I want you to be aware. Stay with a friend for a few nights, stay out of the obvious."
Roux nodded. "Okay."
"Do you know anyone you can stay with for a few days?" then like he had forgotten altogether he added. "I would of course have you stay with me, but I must away for a few days on business. I'll have my team find out who the murderer is." He declared.
Roux breathed in and nodded. "I understand. Um, I suppose I could ask Joey if I could stay with him," then she remembered. "Oh! I was going to go to Tea's movie party!" she glanced at the digital clock. "And they were expecting me an hour and a half ago!" she said, suddenly alarmed at the time that had flown by.
Pegasus nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take you to Tea's house and I will talk to Joey myself, and Yugi if he is there." Pegasus assured her. He then told his driver to go to Tea's house with the address Roux gave him.
Roux huddled into the seat of the limo with Pegasus' arm around her, comforting her. She stared out the windows and noticed it was growing dark out. She sighed deeply.
~ Kale, ~ she thought as a single tear rolled down her cheek, in memory of him. ~ I'll miss you. ~