Chapter Seventeen
Empty Threat
Kaiba sat at his desk in his office and clacked ominously at the keyboard. His sapphire eyes seemed entranced to the screen, almost glued. Nothing stirred him and the only part of his body that moved was his fingers. He was updating some things that had to deal with the tournament and other things that had to deal with his company.
It was almost noon. The sun was hot against the back of his chair, and as far as Seto Kaiba was concerned, the sooner this day was over the better. It had been a terrible day for him, and when he thought about it, his teeth clenched in anger when he remembered what had happened about mid-morning that day.
The girl, Roux Matuko, who had been with Joey, who nonetheless ran directly into him and spilling coffee all over one of his best designer shirts, but then threw the rest of it directly into his face without a care or a second thought. The entire ordeal upset him greatly.
That had been the worst event of the day, and it was enough to ruin absolutely everything else that could have lightened up his mood. Kaiba thought about how awful it had been since he had met that stupid girl, how each day seemed like a bad dream over and over, and the only way to escape it was to let it play itself out. It was an intolerable cruelty.
He smirked at the thought that she would be gone very soon, however. He had disqualified her earlier from the tournament in regards to the coffee incident. He grinned to himself at the thought of it. That would teach her, if nothing else, that no one openly humiliated Seto Kaiba, and if they did, they would gravely pay for it.
That lightened his mood a little bit. The thought of her not participating in the tournament and going back to Osaka was enough good news to last him for a lifetime. Finally he wouldn't have to remember any bad memories that she brought to mind, nor would he have to live with the fact that a beautiful famous girl was hanging out with Joey Wheeler.
To him she was a problem, and now that problem was gone.
So now he sat at his desk and with a happier mood he continued on with his work. She was pretty much gone from his mind and he was able to concentrate on more important matters, such as the tournament that was starting in a week.
Outside his window he heard a car pull up to the driveway. In curiosity Kaiba spun around in his chair and peered out the large window to his office. He looked down to the ground floor at the driveway. There was the limo.
Kaiba smiled. ~ Mokuba's back. Good. I'd like to see how little miss model took the news that she's no longer in my tournament. ~
The driver opened the door and Mokuba stepped off casually, but he looked rather sullen. The driver talked to him for a minute, but since the office building was a very tall one Kaiba couldn't even hope to know what they were saying.
Mokuba had finished talking to the driver and proceeded into the building's entrance.
Kaiba smirked and then turned around again to type at his computer some more. He remembered the look that Mokuba had given him when Kaiba told him what had happened with the coffee, and how he wanted the girl responsible for the action disqualified from the tournament. Mokuba hadn't looked very convinced.
But that didn't matter. It seemed as though everything was set now.
Kaiba continued working for awhile. He expected Mokuba any second to come up. Finally his secretary buzzed on the intercom, and Kaiba looked over at it, and pressed the button firmly with his fingertip.
"What?" he asked sternly.
"Sir your brother is here to see you." She said in a droll voice.
"Send him in." Kaiba replied, and took his finger off the button.
He could hardly contain his excitement. He wanted to know how Roux reacted to the news that she was disqualified from the tournament.
The door opened, and Mokuba's little figure came inside, and then closed the door behind him. Kaiba looked up and gave a smile, even though his eyes wrought in confusion as he saw the sad look on his little brother's face.
"Well?" Kaiba asked Mokuba, as he stopped typing. "Did you send the message?"
Mokuba sniffed and rubbed his nose. "She wasn't at the hotel but the man said that she was staying at the Wheeler residence for a little while, so I went there." He said.
"And was she there?" Kaiba asked patiently. He wouldn't dare sound interested when talking about a girl. Especially one he despised as much as Roux.
"She was, Seto." Mokuba said, and he gave a nod.
Kaiba grinned. "And I assume you told her?"
"I did."
"How did she react?" Kaiba asked, and then waited anxiously for a reply to the question he had been longing to ask for a long time.
Mokuba looked up at Kaiba with a hurtful look buried in his gray eyes. "She cried, Seto."
Kaiba couldn't help but grin. Aw, he made the poor little model cry. Well he would feel no remorse or pity. How she deserved it, the ignorant little thing, acting so prissy and stuck-up every time he saw her. The rest of the day would be a breeze now that he had received that news.
Kaiba resumed his typing. "Well done, Mokuba." He told his little brother, still smiling. "You can go down to the playroom if you wish now." Kaiba wasn't anxious to get rid of his little brother, but he was awfully busy.
Mokuba stood perfectly still, his eyes set on his older brother. He wouldn't react to a single word that Kaiba said. In a minute Kaiba looked up and gave a confused look.
"Mokuba? Didn't you hear me?" Kaiba asked.
Mokuba frowned tightly. "That wasn't nice, Seto." He stated.
Kaiba blinked absent-mindedly. What had he said? "What wasn't nice, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, as he stopped clacking at the keyboard to his computer.
"What you did to Roux." Mokuba said quietly.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and let out a deep groan. "Oh Mokuba, must I go over this story with you again?" he asked temperamentally. "I told you, she doesn't belong in my tournament, and it was a good thing that she was disqualified."
"You said you did it on an act of revenge." Mokuba reminded Kaiba. "We don't disqualify people for revenge, Seto. You made up the rules yourself and you broke them."
Kaiba gave his brother a very stern look. "So what are you suggesting Mokuba?"
"I think you should apologize to Roux, and let her stay in the tournament." Mokuba told him rather bravely. One would have to be brave with the look Kaiba had just given him.
"What?" Kaiba rose from his desk. "Mokuba, are you insane? That girl openly humiliated me and it's quite obvious that she has no clue whatsoever about the game of Duel Monsters! Couldn't you see that from meeting her?" Kaiba was down-right angry. "And apologize to her? Never! If anything, she should be the one apologizing to me!"
Mokuba frowned even more. He looked cute when he was angry. "She's really nice, Kaiba, and she's smart and pretty and she loves duel monsters. And she came all the way from Osaka to participate in the tournament. It was a really big thing for her, she was looking forward to it more than anything."
Kaiba eyed his brother suspiciously. "How would you know that, Mokuba?"
Mokuba swallowed. "Well, I talked to her for a little while and-"
"Ha!" Kaiba laughed. "She's brainwashed you, that's all she's done. She's a model, that's basically all they do. Brainwash you until you're a slave at their feet!"
Mokuba scowled very tightly. "That's a mean assumption, Seto. And I think your wrong!"
Kaiba breathed in. His nostrils were flared and his eyes were burning with irritation and anger. Allowing Roux back into the tournament was out of the question. Nothing would make him do it. Absolutely nothing.
Mokuba seemed to read his mind, because at that moment he said. "Seto if you don't re-enter her into the tournament, I'll never speak to you again."
Kaiba looked at his brother. It was such an empty threat. All Mokuba had was Seto. If it hadn't been for Seto Mokuba probably wouldn't be where he was today. They were lucky they were even still together after the tragic past they both encountered.
But then again there was a certain determination in Mokuba's eyes. Perhaps his little brother was making a clear decision. A decision more than a threat and that was one threat that Kaiba didn't want to have to deal with.
Kaiba clenched his hands to fists. "Why Mokuba, why are you doing this to me?"
"It's not fair to her, Seto." Mokuba demanded. "You know it isn't. Just because she threw a coffee in your face after you openly insulted her is no good reason to kick her out of the tournament. Besides, you wouldn't have to talk to her really, unless she made the finals."
"She would never make the finals, Mokuba. I can promise you that." Kaiba snarled through his clenched teeth.
Mokuba sighed softly. "Please Seto? Just give her a chance, I know you'll grow to like her if you give her a chance." Mokuba smiled. "I liked her, and I think she's a great duelist."
Kaiba smirked. "Well we'll see about that." He tapped his fingers on the desk's surface and thought to himself impatiently. There was absolutely no way that he was letting her back into the tournament. He didn't even know why they were still arguing about it. Kaiba was the one in charge of the tournament, not Mokuba.
"I'm going down to the playroom." Mokuba said, giving his brother a hopeful look. "I hope you'll allow her back into the tournament, it meant a lot to her." And then in a moment Mokuba was gone out of the office.
Once Kaiba heard the bell of the elevator and the doors shut, he bit down on his lower lip and slammed his fists on the desk. He let out a frustrated cry and clenched his teeth. He couldn't believe the frustration! Kicking this girl out of the tournament, then being told to allowing her back in. Who's side was Mokuba on anyway?
But this wasn't about Mokuba anymore. Kaiba sat back down and sighed deeply to himself. He would have to think about letting her back in, but there wasn't a good chance he would reconsider his decision at all.
Without a further thought on it, Kaiba continued his work.
~*~
Back at the Wheeler apartment, instead of going out for lunch, the four of them, Joey Serenity Yugi and Roux stayed in the apartment, left with compassion and anger. By now Roux's tears had died and her skin resumed to its ivory tone. She was sitting in the living room, Serenity was comforting her as Joey and Yugi paced the floor in mindless fury.
Roux had just been disqualified from the Battle City Tournament. Roux felt absolutely terrible. She buried her face in her hands, thinking about everything. This had all been the work of Set Kaiba. He hated her. Now Roux truly regretted what she had done earlier that day.
~ I brought this upon myself, ~ she thought to herself, shaking her head and staring down at her shoes. ~ If only I had paid attention.if only I hadn't run into him. ~
"I gotta good mind to go down to Kaiba Corp and teach Kaiba a few things about how to treat a lady!" Joey threatened angrily as he punched his hand. "He can't just disqualify ya for throwing a coffee in his face." Joey paused and looked at Yugi and his sister in question. "Can he?"
Roux sighed. "Well I suppose it's back to Osaka for me." She said sorrowfully.
"No way!" Joey told her anxiously. "You're gonna play in the Battle City Tournament, Roux! I promise ya! All we need to do is persuade Kaiba to let cha back in."
"How would we do that, Joey?" Serenity asked, looking over her shoulder at her big brother.
Yugi was curious as well. "Yeah Joey, I mean how are you going to ever negotiate with Kaiba? He's a businessman, you know he is, and I think that once his mind is made up about something, it's not a good chance that it'll go back."
Joey crossed his arms. "Yeah well if it's business Kaiba wants to talk about he can talk to the business end of my fist!" Joey scorned and brought out his fist.
"Joey, no." Roux told him, turning around and facing him. "Let it all go, perhaps I deserved this." She said softly.
"Roux, no." Serenity said gently. "You can't think that way. You have to be brave. Joey can get you back into the tournament, can't you Joey? Both Joey and Yugi."
"That's right, Roux." Joey said confidently. "We'll make sure you get back into that tournament."
Yugi nodded. "Yes, even if we have to give Kaiba all our duel monster cards, we'll make sure that you get back into the tournament."
Roux smiled for the first time in awhile. She was so happy to have friends like them, who were brave and supported her through tough times and hard feelings. "Thank you, you guys. Although I don't think it'll be easy. I mean, well, Kaiba hates me."
There was a sudden knock at the door, and they all jumped basically out of their skins when it happened. Yugi walked over to the door cautiously, turned the knob and opened the door. In an instant the living room was filled with voices of constant bickering.
"See, I told you they'd be here, you moron!"
"Well of course they'd be here, we waited at that stupid pizza place for about an hour or so!"
"Holy cow, you can tell time! I'm so astonished!"
It was Tristan and Duke, and Tea was with them, but she stepped in and allowed the two boys to continue their argument outside the door. Roux was relieved to see them. She would have found it especially awkward if it had been that little boy, Kaiba's little brother, at the door again.
"Hi guys." Tea said, grinning as she waved to them all. Then she noticed something. She gave a look of confusion. "Hey.you guys all look like merry balls of sunshine. What's wrong with you?"
They all exchanged glances, wondering who would tell them what had happened. They all decided that Roux should tell, even though Joey thought it would be too painful for her to recall the entire incident. But she had calmed down quite a bit, and they all sat at the dining room table and Roux explained what had happened in a commonly fashion.
Tristan, Duke, Tea and even Joey laughed hard when Roux told them about the coffee incident with Kaiba, but then their moods had grown sullen as she continued her story to the part of a little less than an hour ago, when Mokuba was here to tell her she was disqualified.
"Who does that guy think he is?" Duke asked angrily, rising from his chair. "Geez, if I didn't have anything in my stomach right now I'd go down there and teach that guy a lesson!"
"Yeah," Tristan said, agreeing with Duke. "Kaiba's gone too far this time. He should know from which he crosses the line!"
Roux tried to calm them down. "No you guys, don't do anything. If anyone's going to do something about this, it's going to be me." She consulted them, but they all could see the truth lingering in her careful jeweled eyes.
Things had gone too wrong for her in Domino City, and she looked as though her faith and courage was slipping from her, a little piece at a time. First her husband was murdered, and then she found out that her life could be in danger, and now the fact that she was kicked out of the tournament. She seemed weak now, more than ever, and she was sad. The tournament was all that really mattered now more than anything, but now that had been stolen from her too.
Yugi couldn't bear to see Roux like this. He liked her a lot, she was a great friend, and he knew that Joey was very attached to her, and he wouldn't want to see her sad either. Yugi hung his head in shame. What could he do alone to help her out?
~ Yugi! ~
~ Yami? ~
~ I think I have a solution to your problem, Yugi. ~ Yami's deep voice echoed inside Yugi's head. ~ You must let me face Seto Kaiba and discuss the negotiation of Roux's acceptance to the tournament. ~
~ What's the point, Yami? Kaiba hardly ever changes his mind about anything. ~
~ That is true, but if we give Kaiba the detailed version of Roux's entire story to him, he could change his mind. ~
Yugi thought about that. Though he would be rather surprised if Kaiba changed his mind because of a sad story, he thought it was at least worth a try.
"And what about Pegasus?" Joey pointed out, which brought a whole new ray of light to the situation, catching Yugi's attention instantly.
"What about Pegasus, Joey?" Yugi asked, blinking his large eyes, wide with curiosity.
"Well he wanted us to take good care of Roux, and maybe if we tell him what's going on with Kaiba, he'll have a little chat with Kaiba to ensure that she gets back in the duel tournament." Joey pointed out, and was literally on his toes with excitement. It was the most important thing he had said all day.
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Yugi exclaimed happily. "Kaiba would listen to Pegasus for sure!" he knew that Joey had the smarts when he really put his mind to it.
~ Yugi, wait! ~
~ What is it, Yami? ~
~ You mustn't contact Pegasus. Not yet, anyway. You must let me deal with Kaiba. I feel I can persuade him easily and without threatening him. ~
Yugi thought about it for awhile. Even though Joey's plan to talk to Pegasus about this entire ordeal, Yugi trusted Yami, as Yami had never once let him down. The decision would be a tough one to make, but by the time they were all hungry, and decided to put aside their troubles and get some dinner, Yugi had already made the decision.
Empty Threat
Kaiba sat at his desk in his office and clacked ominously at the keyboard. His sapphire eyes seemed entranced to the screen, almost glued. Nothing stirred him and the only part of his body that moved was his fingers. He was updating some things that had to deal with the tournament and other things that had to deal with his company.
It was almost noon. The sun was hot against the back of his chair, and as far as Seto Kaiba was concerned, the sooner this day was over the better. It had been a terrible day for him, and when he thought about it, his teeth clenched in anger when he remembered what had happened about mid-morning that day.
The girl, Roux Matuko, who had been with Joey, who nonetheless ran directly into him and spilling coffee all over one of his best designer shirts, but then threw the rest of it directly into his face without a care or a second thought. The entire ordeal upset him greatly.
That had been the worst event of the day, and it was enough to ruin absolutely everything else that could have lightened up his mood. Kaiba thought about how awful it had been since he had met that stupid girl, how each day seemed like a bad dream over and over, and the only way to escape it was to let it play itself out. It was an intolerable cruelty.
He smirked at the thought that she would be gone very soon, however. He had disqualified her earlier from the tournament in regards to the coffee incident. He grinned to himself at the thought of it. That would teach her, if nothing else, that no one openly humiliated Seto Kaiba, and if they did, they would gravely pay for it.
That lightened his mood a little bit. The thought of her not participating in the tournament and going back to Osaka was enough good news to last him for a lifetime. Finally he wouldn't have to remember any bad memories that she brought to mind, nor would he have to live with the fact that a beautiful famous girl was hanging out with Joey Wheeler.
To him she was a problem, and now that problem was gone.
So now he sat at his desk and with a happier mood he continued on with his work. She was pretty much gone from his mind and he was able to concentrate on more important matters, such as the tournament that was starting in a week.
Outside his window he heard a car pull up to the driveway. In curiosity Kaiba spun around in his chair and peered out the large window to his office. He looked down to the ground floor at the driveway. There was the limo.
Kaiba smiled. ~ Mokuba's back. Good. I'd like to see how little miss model took the news that she's no longer in my tournament. ~
The driver opened the door and Mokuba stepped off casually, but he looked rather sullen. The driver talked to him for a minute, but since the office building was a very tall one Kaiba couldn't even hope to know what they were saying.
Mokuba had finished talking to the driver and proceeded into the building's entrance.
Kaiba smirked and then turned around again to type at his computer some more. He remembered the look that Mokuba had given him when Kaiba told him what had happened with the coffee, and how he wanted the girl responsible for the action disqualified from the tournament. Mokuba hadn't looked very convinced.
But that didn't matter. It seemed as though everything was set now.
Kaiba continued working for awhile. He expected Mokuba any second to come up. Finally his secretary buzzed on the intercom, and Kaiba looked over at it, and pressed the button firmly with his fingertip.
"What?" he asked sternly.
"Sir your brother is here to see you." She said in a droll voice.
"Send him in." Kaiba replied, and took his finger off the button.
He could hardly contain his excitement. He wanted to know how Roux reacted to the news that she was disqualified from the tournament.
The door opened, and Mokuba's little figure came inside, and then closed the door behind him. Kaiba looked up and gave a smile, even though his eyes wrought in confusion as he saw the sad look on his little brother's face.
"Well?" Kaiba asked Mokuba, as he stopped typing. "Did you send the message?"
Mokuba sniffed and rubbed his nose. "She wasn't at the hotel but the man said that she was staying at the Wheeler residence for a little while, so I went there." He said.
"And was she there?" Kaiba asked patiently. He wouldn't dare sound interested when talking about a girl. Especially one he despised as much as Roux.
"She was, Seto." Mokuba said, and he gave a nod.
Kaiba grinned. "And I assume you told her?"
"I did."
"How did she react?" Kaiba asked, and then waited anxiously for a reply to the question he had been longing to ask for a long time.
Mokuba looked up at Kaiba with a hurtful look buried in his gray eyes. "She cried, Seto."
Kaiba couldn't help but grin. Aw, he made the poor little model cry. Well he would feel no remorse or pity. How she deserved it, the ignorant little thing, acting so prissy and stuck-up every time he saw her. The rest of the day would be a breeze now that he had received that news.
Kaiba resumed his typing. "Well done, Mokuba." He told his little brother, still smiling. "You can go down to the playroom if you wish now." Kaiba wasn't anxious to get rid of his little brother, but he was awfully busy.
Mokuba stood perfectly still, his eyes set on his older brother. He wouldn't react to a single word that Kaiba said. In a minute Kaiba looked up and gave a confused look.
"Mokuba? Didn't you hear me?" Kaiba asked.
Mokuba frowned tightly. "That wasn't nice, Seto." He stated.
Kaiba blinked absent-mindedly. What had he said? "What wasn't nice, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, as he stopped clacking at the keyboard to his computer.
"What you did to Roux." Mokuba said quietly.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and let out a deep groan. "Oh Mokuba, must I go over this story with you again?" he asked temperamentally. "I told you, she doesn't belong in my tournament, and it was a good thing that she was disqualified."
"You said you did it on an act of revenge." Mokuba reminded Kaiba. "We don't disqualify people for revenge, Seto. You made up the rules yourself and you broke them."
Kaiba gave his brother a very stern look. "So what are you suggesting Mokuba?"
"I think you should apologize to Roux, and let her stay in the tournament." Mokuba told him rather bravely. One would have to be brave with the look Kaiba had just given him.
"What?" Kaiba rose from his desk. "Mokuba, are you insane? That girl openly humiliated me and it's quite obvious that she has no clue whatsoever about the game of Duel Monsters! Couldn't you see that from meeting her?" Kaiba was down-right angry. "And apologize to her? Never! If anything, she should be the one apologizing to me!"
Mokuba frowned even more. He looked cute when he was angry. "She's really nice, Kaiba, and she's smart and pretty and she loves duel monsters. And she came all the way from Osaka to participate in the tournament. It was a really big thing for her, she was looking forward to it more than anything."
Kaiba eyed his brother suspiciously. "How would you know that, Mokuba?"
Mokuba swallowed. "Well, I talked to her for a little while and-"
"Ha!" Kaiba laughed. "She's brainwashed you, that's all she's done. She's a model, that's basically all they do. Brainwash you until you're a slave at their feet!"
Mokuba scowled very tightly. "That's a mean assumption, Seto. And I think your wrong!"
Kaiba breathed in. His nostrils were flared and his eyes were burning with irritation and anger. Allowing Roux back into the tournament was out of the question. Nothing would make him do it. Absolutely nothing.
Mokuba seemed to read his mind, because at that moment he said. "Seto if you don't re-enter her into the tournament, I'll never speak to you again."
Kaiba looked at his brother. It was such an empty threat. All Mokuba had was Seto. If it hadn't been for Seto Mokuba probably wouldn't be where he was today. They were lucky they were even still together after the tragic past they both encountered.
But then again there was a certain determination in Mokuba's eyes. Perhaps his little brother was making a clear decision. A decision more than a threat and that was one threat that Kaiba didn't want to have to deal with.
Kaiba clenched his hands to fists. "Why Mokuba, why are you doing this to me?"
"It's not fair to her, Seto." Mokuba demanded. "You know it isn't. Just because she threw a coffee in your face after you openly insulted her is no good reason to kick her out of the tournament. Besides, you wouldn't have to talk to her really, unless she made the finals."
"She would never make the finals, Mokuba. I can promise you that." Kaiba snarled through his clenched teeth.
Mokuba sighed softly. "Please Seto? Just give her a chance, I know you'll grow to like her if you give her a chance." Mokuba smiled. "I liked her, and I think she's a great duelist."
Kaiba smirked. "Well we'll see about that." He tapped his fingers on the desk's surface and thought to himself impatiently. There was absolutely no way that he was letting her back into the tournament. He didn't even know why they were still arguing about it. Kaiba was the one in charge of the tournament, not Mokuba.
"I'm going down to the playroom." Mokuba said, giving his brother a hopeful look. "I hope you'll allow her back into the tournament, it meant a lot to her." And then in a moment Mokuba was gone out of the office.
Once Kaiba heard the bell of the elevator and the doors shut, he bit down on his lower lip and slammed his fists on the desk. He let out a frustrated cry and clenched his teeth. He couldn't believe the frustration! Kicking this girl out of the tournament, then being told to allowing her back in. Who's side was Mokuba on anyway?
But this wasn't about Mokuba anymore. Kaiba sat back down and sighed deeply to himself. He would have to think about letting her back in, but there wasn't a good chance he would reconsider his decision at all.
Without a further thought on it, Kaiba continued his work.
~*~
Back at the Wheeler apartment, instead of going out for lunch, the four of them, Joey Serenity Yugi and Roux stayed in the apartment, left with compassion and anger. By now Roux's tears had died and her skin resumed to its ivory tone. She was sitting in the living room, Serenity was comforting her as Joey and Yugi paced the floor in mindless fury.
Roux had just been disqualified from the Battle City Tournament. Roux felt absolutely terrible. She buried her face in her hands, thinking about everything. This had all been the work of Set Kaiba. He hated her. Now Roux truly regretted what she had done earlier that day.
~ I brought this upon myself, ~ she thought to herself, shaking her head and staring down at her shoes. ~ If only I had paid attention.if only I hadn't run into him. ~
"I gotta good mind to go down to Kaiba Corp and teach Kaiba a few things about how to treat a lady!" Joey threatened angrily as he punched his hand. "He can't just disqualify ya for throwing a coffee in his face." Joey paused and looked at Yugi and his sister in question. "Can he?"
Roux sighed. "Well I suppose it's back to Osaka for me." She said sorrowfully.
"No way!" Joey told her anxiously. "You're gonna play in the Battle City Tournament, Roux! I promise ya! All we need to do is persuade Kaiba to let cha back in."
"How would we do that, Joey?" Serenity asked, looking over her shoulder at her big brother.
Yugi was curious as well. "Yeah Joey, I mean how are you going to ever negotiate with Kaiba? He's a businessman, you know he is, and I think that once his mind is made up about something, it's not a good chance that it'll go back."
Joey crossed his arms. "Yeah well if it's business Kaiba wants to talk about he can talk to the business end of my fist!" Joey scorned and brought out his fist.
"Joey, no." Roux told him, turning around and facing him. "Let it all go, perhaps I deserved this." She said softly.
"Roux, no." Serenity said gently. "You can't think that way. You have to be brave. Joey can get you back into the tournament, can't you Joey? Both Joey and Yugi."
"That's right, Roux." Joey said confidently. "We'll make sure you get back into that tournament."
Yugi nodded. "Yes, even if we have to give Kaiba all our duel monster cards, we'll make sure that you get back into the tournament."
Roux smiled for the first time in awhile. She was so happy to have friends like them, who were brave and supported her through tough times and hard feelings. "Thank you, you guys. Although I don't think it'll be easy. I mean, well, Kaiba hates me."
There was a sudden knock at the door, and they all jumped basically out of their skins when it happened. Yugi walked over to the door cautiously, turned the knob and opened the door. In an instant the living room was filled with voices of constant bickering.
"See, I told you they'd be here, you moron!"
"Well of course they'd be here, we waited at that stupid pizza place for about an hour or so!"
"Holy cow, you can tell time! I'm so astonished!"
It was Tristan and Duke, and Tea was with them, but she stepped in and allowed the two boys to continue their argument outside the door. Roux was relieved to see them. She would have found it especially awkward if it had been that little boy, Kaiba's little brother, at the door again.
"Hi guys." Tea said, grinning as she waved to them all. Then she noticed something. She gave a look of confusion. "Hey.you guys all look like merry balls of sunshine. What's wrong with you?"
They all exchanged glances, wondering who would tell them what had happened. They all decided that Roux should tell, even though Joey thought it would be too painful for her to recall the entire incident. But she had calmed down quite a bit, and they all sat at the dining room table and Roux explained what had happened in a commonly fashion.
Tristan, Duke, Tea and even Joey laughed hard when Roux told them about the coffee incident with Kaiba, but then their moods had grown sullen as she continued her story to the part of a little less than an hour ago, when Mokuba was here to tell her she was disqualified.
"Who does that guy think he is?" Duke asked angrily, rising from his chair. "Geez, if I didn't have anything in my stomach right now I'd go down there and teach that guy a lesson!"
"Yeah," Tristan said, agreeing with Duke. "Kaiba's gone too far this time. He should know from which he crosses the line!"
Roux tried to calm them down. "No you guys, don't do anything. If anyone's going to do something about this, it's going to be me." She consulted them, but they all could see the truth lingering in her careful jeweled eyes.
Things had gone too wrong for her in Domino City, and she looked as though her faith and courage was slipping from her, a little piece at a time. First her husband was murdered, and then she found out that her life could be in danger, and now the fact that she was kicked out of the tournament. She seemed weak now, more than ever, and she was sad. The tournament was all that really mattered now more than anything, but now that had been stolen from her too.
Yugi couldn't bear to see Roux like this. He liked her a lot, she was a great friend, and he knew that Joey was very attached to her, and he wouldn't want to see her sad either. Yugi hung his head in shame. What could he do alone to help her out?
~ Yugi! ~
~ Yami? ~
~ I think I have a solution to your problem, Yugi. ~ Yami's deep voice echoed inside Yugi's head. ~ You must let me face Seto Kaiba and discuss the negotiation of Roux's acceptance to the tournament. ~
~ What's the point, Yami? Kaiba hardly ever changes his mind about anything. ~
~ That is true, but if we give Kaiba the detailed version of Roux's entire story to him, he could change his mind. ~
Yugi thought about that. Though he would be rather surprised if Kaiba changed his mind because of a sad story, he thought it was at least worth a try.
"And what about Pegasus?" Joey pointed out, which brought a whole new ray of light to the situation, catching Yugi's attention instantly.
"What about Pegasus, Joey?" Yugi asked, blinking his large eyes, wide with curiosity.
"Well he wanted us to take good care of Roux, and maybe if we tell him what's going on with Kaiba, he'll have a little chat with Kaiba to ensure that she gets back in the duel tournament." Joey pointed out, and was literally on his toes with excitement. It was the most important thing he had said all day.
"Hey, that's a great idea!" Yugi exclaimed happily. "Kaiba would listen to Pegasus for sure!" he knew that Joey had the smarts when he really put his mind to it.
~ Yugi, wait! ~
~ What is it, Yami? ~
~ You mustn't contact Pegasus. Not yet, anyway. You must let me deal with Kaiba. I feel I can persuade him easily and without threatening him. ~
Yugi thought about it for awhile. Even though Joey's plan to talk to Pegasus about this entire ordeal, Yugi trusted Yami, as Yami had never once let him down. The decision would be a tough one to make, but by the time they were all hungry, and decided to put aside their troubles and get some dinner, Yugi had already made the decision.