So, this is an adventure of words, as my teacher would say. I am writing this story for your pleasure, and my ultimate fun. How's it coming out so far? Nice? Thank you to everyone who reviewed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Response:

Evilchristy: Ah yes, Honeydukes from Harry Potter. You know I haven't read those books in so long I totally forgot about the whole thing, anyway thanks for clearing that up for me, (and yes in my little world they do taste good!). So, you like blindfics? ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I probably will write another one after this, (maybe, if this one keeps doing well and if I don't get killed with the homework!). I just had to keep Kaiba In Character for this story; it wouldn't be cool if he was all weak!

Disclaimer: Yes, yes, just in case you missed it the first nine times, here it is again, No I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Oh, and there are some book references in this chapter, too, I don't own any of those either.

Chapter 10: The Honor of Dueling a Blind Man

So it was that I went to Lock's home every day of my life after that. I got better, more and more, little by little, each time. Soon, I was doing things I never thought possible; pouring drinks, walking through the town by myself, cooking—(that was particularly hard, but I managed)—and all such things.

Needless to say I was proud of myself, but still hesitant. Whenever someone asked me to do when of my skills, (don't think they're anything special, the skills are just normal things people who can see do every day and take for granted, but that I had to train to accomplish), or if I had to, I always stopped before just doing it. It was habit. My mind told me, "No, you can't do that," but when I stopped to thin about it, there was a dawning that suddenly proclaimed, "Yes, yes you were taught that. Go do it." As was the way with me for a long time after.

Still, in spite of all the "skills" Lock taught, duel monsters was acutely, and almost ironically, left out. I remember it was many weeks before Lock ever mentioned the very subject again. It was on a Saturday—a very unique Saturday indeed; one with much significance in my life for more than one reason.

"Kaiba," (he dropped the "Mr." after we got to know each other, and it was apparent that this had happened long ago, I think on the fourth time I went there when he finished his life-story, but I'll mention that more later), "I have taught most of everything there is to be taught to one such as you. Except for one thing. Your passion, duel monsters."

"I've noticed that." We were sitting in his "dark room", the room with no lights that Mokuba was afraid of. Mokuba was not there that day; I had begun going by myself because it just came to me one day that I could.

"Well, do you have your deck with you today?" He knew the answer, but still he had to ask.

"Yes, I do."

"Then take it out." I reached into my trench-coat's upper-left-inside-pocket and rummaged for the plastic case I kept my deck in. "It's in my hand now," I told Lock, (I guess some people will think it's weird, but we often had to narrate our actions to each other because, the both of us being blind, we couldn't see what the other was doing).

"Good." I heard him get up off his chair and move toward me. He asked for my deck, I slowly felt around for his hand and placed it in there. He walked away.

"What are you doing?" I stood up immediately. I couldn't help it—I trusted Lock, yes, I had known him for so long. But, I was still very protective over my deck. Who knew where he was going with it?

Lock did not answer me, so I followed him, or the sound of his footsteps, to another room. I knew this room. It was the room in which he had given me my cane, the cane that I still used and didn't think I would ever get rid of.

"Do you know how to read the Braille system, Kaiba?"

"...No." Oh, how I missed reading. Poe, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, Thoreau, Tolkein, King, Bradbury, Orwell, Twain, Iliad and the Odyssey, Bronte sisters, To Kill a Mockingbird....oh there were so many books I wanted to search over the seas of words that drew, with inky fingers, pictures—either elegant or not, depending on the story—in my mind's eye. Oh well.

"No? Don't you like to read?"

What could I say? I settled on, "Yes."

"Well, then why don't you know how to read Braille?"

"If you can find time in my schedule to learn a different language, I'd be happy to listen."

"Fine. You're only making it more difficult on yourself." I waited. Surely he did not want to lecture me on how I should learn Braille instead of teaching me...something. He continued after a little bit, "Now, I can feel how your cards are almost immaculately clean. That's very good, but it will have to change."

"What?" No force, in hell, heaven or earth, could make me purposely dirty my cards. A long time ago, they were all I had. My children, my life. No, I would not willfully harm them.

"You'll have to mark these up a little."

"Hmm....no." No. Umm...no.

"Well, you'll have to, if you want to play again. What's the big deal?"

"It's a very big deal, Lock. These cards are important to me."

"I'm not saying ruin them! I'm just saying you will need to make a few marks on them."

"Finish your explanation." Sometimes he only gave me half of what needed to be said—"a little shock treatment", he had called it. It was annoying.

"If we make a system of marks on your cards, and you can memorize which marks match which card, you can play with ease. The marks would have to be on the front side, of course to allow no cheating."

"So you're saying we can make our own system of Braille and use that as a way of identifying the cards?"

"We wouldn't have to make-up our own system, if you had the patience—no I'm sorry the time—to learn the real system."

"Whatever. This could work, but identifying the cards isn't the only problem. What happens if I want to get new cards? What if my opponent lies when he says he plays a weak card, and really played a powerful card, or something of the sort?"

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, but, really, you can always choose an honorable opponent who WON'T lie and have someone as a witness if you are not sure. Mokuba could help you if you wanted to mark some other cards or something, this is not difficult. Actually, I guess it is for you. In order to do this, you have to trust someone." He was right. Being blind meant having to rely on someone else for the things you just couldn't do anymore.

Suddenly, and rather inexplicably, I was reminded of Serenity's old words. "...if you could only see that maybe you would be a nicer person to hang around." Still, even though it was SO long ago that I had talked to her, her imprint was embedded in my mind. What she said was irrelevant, I hadn't forgotten or changed my mind about that, but maybe—just maybe, now—she had meant to say what Lock just said: In order to do this, you have to trust someone. Maybe she had known that trust was essential to living in blindness, maybe she didn't, but I understood her a little better now.

To remain on track, (a task so hard to do when I began thinking of Serenity), Lock called me over and we called for Mokuba's help in figuring out which card was which, (neither of us could see what the cards were, and Mokuba was the only one I trusted so he had to help). It took a while for him to get there, and even longer for him to understand why Lock was about to take a carving knife to my duel monsters cards, but eventually we got it.

As Lock and Mokuba set to the notching, I set to the rather difficult job of memorizing which marks went with which card. I was to have a test when they were all finished, so I had to do well on this. I thought I was doing fairly well, until, of course, Lock came to my Blue Eyes. My protest was inevitable. No one, nothing, not a soul in this world could mark my Blue Eyes. No.

"Seto, it's ok. It's only a way to duel again," Mokuba attempted to persuade me.

"No, you're not carving into my Blue Eyes. There are only three whole ones in the world left and you are not touching them."

"That's fine, Kaiba." This was a surprise.

"What?" Mokuba asked, (just as daunted as I was).

"If the Blue Eyes are the only cards in your deck that are not marked, you can easily recognize them, no?" Of course he was right. It was the embodiment of perfection for my precious cards. Blue Eyes White Dragons weren't meant to be cut up just so you could use them. I understood that—more than anyone after I had destroyed that one when I was still the World Champion. They would remain unmarked so as to remind me of what they were—a clean slate for a blind man to read unaltered. I think I loved that most of all.

I did well on the test of the cards, as I calculated I would, but just not on the first attempt. It took several tries to fully memorize all those imperfect scratches, but I did get it eventually.

After everyone's patience had been thoroughly tested along with my memorization skills, I was "ready". "Ready to duel?" Lock asked. My mind was physically unable to comprehend if he was asking me a question or telling me I was. Surely, I couldn't duel yet...it was too soon...but maybe...

"Well, are you ready to duel?" Now I was sure: It was a question. But....really I wasn't ready...No I was. I had to be. I could never be more ready now. Mokuba was by my side as witness, Lock would be there, Serenity and the cards, (the two most lingering thoughts of mine), were still fresh in my mind.

"Yes."

"Ok, let's go."

The first person I dueled was a novice. A true novice. Second rate and truly inconsequential: Joey Wheeler. I believe it started somehow like this:

I was walking with Lock and Mokuba searching for a good duelist, (a beginner to challenge me, as I was a beginner in all actuality just then), when suddenly we heard, "Hey, Kaiba!" I knew the voice.

"What, Wheeler?"

"Isn't this tournament for people who can duel?"

"I guess you noticed I'm wearing a duel disk. Very perceptive."

"Yeah, why are you?"

"Well, it's my model, Wheeler. I can wear it whenever I want to, remember that. But, I think it always looks better if the person who does decide to put it on can duel, so I figured it was right for me."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry was that too confusing for you? Let me explain: I can duel, now, Wheeler." Never would I be humble to one such as him.

"You think you still have the skill to challenge me?"

"Of course." Why couldn't I?

"Fine let's go!"

"Ok." So we dueled. Mokuba and Lock had sworn to stay out of who I choose to duel, so that was no problem, and they had promised that if anyone tried any funny stuff, they would be on them like white on rice—(or, well, that was Mokuba who said that. Lock just kind of grunted in confirmation). But, it seemed that their skills as far as the former were not needed: Wheeler dueled pretty honestly. This helped me, but, as sorry as it is to say, not him.

I won the duel.

"No...I lost..." He took it pretty hard. I guess anyone would, as far as loosing to a blind man who has been your worst enemy for a while before he was blind. Oh well.

But, I had to admit something. There was a time, while we were dueling, that I truly thought I would loose. I couldn't let him just go on believing that a blind man had beaten him with ease. "Hey, Wheeler," I said, moving toward his direction. "You put up a fight. Thank you for opting to teach me how to do this again."

"Huh?"

"Thanks for dueling me. I needed to learn this thing one more time."

He stood up. "Yeah, how did you even know what cards you were playing?" I told him. "Wow, that's pretty smart."

"Yes I know. For further detail talk to that man over there." I pointed in Lock's direction. I knew he could hear us talking, though we were far away and Mokuba was jumping for joy. His hearing was accelerated, too. It turns out that not only could he hear us, but he wanted to be involved. He waved at Wheeler and said, "Yep." I assume Wheeler waved back, but I don't know.

"Hey, Kaiba, why are you being so nice to me? I mean usually when you beat me you throw it all up in my face, but...not this time...why?"

"I don't know. Just take advantage of it, will you?" But I did know. I knew that I had trusted him with something, loosing to me, and he did loose. Not purposely, of course, but I doubted whether Wheeler did anything purposely. So, I thanked him and the unexpected happened.

Serenity showed up.