A/N: I'm back with another chapter. Obviously. Or this A/N wouldn't be here, would it?
Willowwind: Explantion on the way… kinda. In Chapter Eight. Buuuuuuut, if you're more perceptive then my OTHER reader (Who doesn't review, dangit!) You may guess… Speaking of being perceptive, spot the quote from your fic! (It's really not Hard…) Shall I get on with it now?
Disclaimer: Nada. Zilch. Diddly-squat. Zero. Términal. Except Azreal. She's MINE! (Um…Of course, I mean that in the least gay way possible…Ahem. Moving on…)
Chapter Seven: Hope and Logic
"Seto…?" Mokuba stuck his head cautiously round his brother's bedroom door. It was still dark in there. Mokuba knew it was the half term holiday, but it was after eight in the morning and Seto was usually up way before then. Maybe he was sick, or something… But then, that had never really stopped him getting up before either.
Mokuba turned quickly at a sound on the stairs behind him, and found himself looking directly into deep, blue-green eyes a few steps below. Realising that this time Mokuba was looking at her, not through her, Azreal stopped her ascent and stood, mind whirling.
She must have accidentally materialised without noticing again. And in front of Mokuba! It had been happening more and more often of late, she couldn't keep it up for long, if she didn't get back soon, she'd have to… Oh shift, she thought shift shift shift! Oh, CTRL ALT DELETE, in fact! This can't be happening! Not now! Not when I was finally… If mom hadn't…If I hadn't…
"Who're you?" Mokuba demanded suspiciously. Although, it wasn't as harsh as it could have been. He just couldn't take a teenage girl standing on his stairs hyperventilating as a serious threat. She looked about as threatening as a marshmallow. "Hey…Are you alright?"
"Fine!" Azreal replied shrilly, getting hold of herself "You just made me jump." She regained composture and went up the last couple of steps to join him by Seto's door. "Isn't he awake yet…? Strange." Her sleep spell must have been more powerful then usual. Maybe that's why I couldn't control when I materialised this morning… Her optimistic side thought. Liar, the pessimist side replied that's not true and you know it.
"Look, just who are you?" Mokuba asked again. Azreal realised she'd need a cover story.
"Oh, excuse me." She replied. "My name is Az- Anna Mitsan, I work with your brother." She couldn't help but smiling a little sadly to herself. Anna Mitsan. Now there's a name she hadn't expected to use again.
Mokuba looked 'Anna' up and down. She certainly did not look the part, with scruffy, long brown hair tied back with a hairband that seemed to know it was fighting a loosing battle, jeans that were wearing into huge holes at the knees, and a very loud multi-coloured, slightly misshapen jumper. She was short, very short, standing perhaps a head taller then Mokuba. Thick glasses perched on her nose, but not very well, because every few seconds she had to push them back up. Behind those glasses were those amazing eyes Mokuba has seen earlier. They were a deep, dark, blue but it looked like someone had got a paintbrush and flicked a splatter of emerald green over the top. They met his eyes without a flinch or annoyance, and stared back at him with hawk like intensity, but he could see a definite sparkle there, a love of life, a need for fun… He blinked and dragged his gaze away, resisting the urge to shake his head to clear it. There was something weird about this girl, besides the way she dressed. She couldn't have been more then fifteen, so all in all, she did not look like someone Seto would work with. Mokuba wondered vaguely how long it would take security to get her if he called them now and also how this girl had got into the house in the first place. Not that they weren't used to girls trying to get in, Seto was very popular, but few actually got this far…
Azreal reeled a little to as Mokuba broke free. Not even her hypnosis would work for her anymore. Only to be used in the direst of circumstances of course, (Not that she hadn't broken practically every rule already) but it was the one aspect of musing she actually excelled at. The one thing the papers fawning after her mother hadn't been able to pick apart when discussing her shortcomings. And now even that had betrayed her. Azreal rubbed her forehead worriedly. Maybe she really was getting sick. Or maybe her sub-conscious was trying to tell her something... Azreal pushed these thoughts back to there customary place at the back of her mind, the excuse being that she needed to deal with the most immediate problem first.
"What? Don't say he hasn't told you about me." Azreal said, quirking a brow at Mokuba's disbelieving expression. "Well, that's his choice, I guess. Listen, when he wakes up, tell him I called round and that I'll be back later. There's something… something I just have to do." Even though she added mentally given the circumstances, it's an even worse idea than usual.
"Wait a minute." Mokuba said suspiciously "I'm not buying this. Who are you and what do you want?"
"I already said, silly." Azreal laughed nervously. She went to rub her elbow- an instinctive movement when she was nervous- and noticed her hand had a mind of it's own again and was dematerialising.
Oh Crud.
Azreal shoved the hand hastily into her pocket. "Well, it's been real, Mokuba, but I really have to go now…!"
Azreal ran off down stairs at a speed Mokuba would have been punished for, and rounded the corner in them. Mokuba followed only slightly more sedately, but as he turned there was no sign of the mysterious girl. Even an hour later, after a through search of the mansion, he saw nor hide nor hair of her. Mokuba shrugged as he entered the kitchen. It was obvious this girl was not a business partner.
Oh well. Mokuba thought, pouring some cereal. I guess it's better that Seto has a secret girlfriend then that argues with himself in his room.
Yeah, better to be a liar then completely nuts.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
You may be wondering what happened to Téa and Ryou the previous day at the park.
After Téa and Ryou had been locked in for a few hours, Joey looked lazily at his watch and said "Do you think they've had enough now?"
"Yeah," Yugi replied, slightly worried "They've been in there for ages…"
"Alright, fine." Duke said "But first, let's get our stories straight- they're gonna wonder why we didn't come and let them out sooner, especially as Mai and I last saw them in there. You'd think that would be the first place we'd look…"
"Well, Ryou said someone came after his Ring." Tristan shrugged. "We can tell them we were going to look for them and then the same guy came after Yugi's Puzzle. And that Yugi beat the crud outta him." Yugi shuffled uncomfortably.
"Guys…" He groaned "I don't want to be the focus for all these lies, you know I don't…"
"He's right." Mai conceded "Yugi's a terrible liar. He could blow all this for us."
"That wasn't what I meant, Mai…"
"Well, what else do you suggest?" Duke asked, arms folded "We need some excuse for why we didn't find them hours ago. So, when we get there, act worried, okay?"
They began to make their way towards the temporary prison, but a hundred metres from it, Duke stopped them again.
"Hold up." He grinned mischievously "Act like we're in the middle of a conversation. You know, worrying and stuff." He headed off again.
"I don't like this plan…" Yugi groaned. He seemed to be doing a lot of groaning recently. "It's so vague!"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"…his plan…so vague!" Ryou looked up.
"Did you hear that, Téa?"
"What? No, I didn't hear anything. Why, what-"
"Shh!" Téa complied in time to hear part of Duke's reply.
"… be around here somewhere. Cheer up!"
"That's louder then Yugi's." Ryou noted "They must be getting close."
"Then it's time." Téa said gleefully. "C'mon Ryou, just like we planned!"
"Alright."
"Remember, they deserve this."
"Believe me, I know."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Mokuba cocked his ear at the loud curse echoing down from upstairs. Evidently Seto had just woken up.
He got up, finished the last of his cereal, checked his watch, paused, and shoved some bread into the toaster. Then he sat back down, and waited.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Seto woke up, though he didn't remember going to bed. Well, he can't have done, seeing as his computer had just gone onto Standby and he was still fully clothed. Plus the fact he never deliberately slept in a chair. He must have fallen asleep when he was working. And he didn't get to finish either. Azreal knew he wanted to finish his document! She could've woken him up-
Seto remembered his argument with Azreal the previous night. There was defiantly something wrong with her. She had been so laid back at first, but now she was crying and yelling and screaming like a toddler. Maybe it was that time of the month or something. Not that he knew if muses had that time of the month. He supposed they must do or-
Seto stood up, cutting off his own thought trains for the second time in as many minutes. He didn't want to go any further down that road… Then he saw his alarm clock. Or, more specifically, the time on it. He closed his eyes and reopened them, but the glowing red numbers continued to blink impetuously back at him.
9:34 AM
Seto cursed loudly, no time for anything else, he had a meeting at ten, and ran down the stairs.
"Morning Seto…" Mokuba said wearily, as Seto practically inhaled a glass of orange juice. Good job his brother didn't oversleep often. "You should really eat breakfast, that's what you tell me."
"No time!" Seto yelled, but right on que the toast popped up. Seto grabbed the slices in one hand and his briefcase from the kitchen table with the other, balanced an umbrella under his arm for it was starting to rain, and ran out.
"Oh, Seto!" Mokuba remembered something "Anna Mitsan came round. Said she'd probably be back later."
"Okay, thanks Mokuba!" He shouted back, not even thinking about the message at that point. "What would I do without you? I'll be back by one!" He went out the front door and slammed it behind him.
"What would you do without me?" Mokuba wondered "You probably would have rotted in that stinking orphanage. Or you'd be suicidal by now."
When their parents had died, Seto had lost more then a mom and dad. He'd lost his childhood to. They'd both had to grow up fast.
But Mokuba was never one to stay depressed for long. Between him and Seto's suspected girlfriend, they were sure to get him back to his original self!
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Well, this is the last place to look," Joey said, a little louder then necessary as he unlocked the bolt on the locker room door. "Let's just hope they're in here."
As the door swung open, it revealed Ryou and Téa sitting close together on the table. Very close together. Almost as if they had been-
Ryou and Téa sprang apart, and shuffled a little embarrassedly. They stood in silence for a while. Ryou coughed a little, then Téa spoke.
"It's about time!" She yelled "We've been here all afternoon! Now I know how Yugi felt on Valentines Day!"
"Why does everyone keep bringing that up…?" Yugi wondered quietly.
"C'mon! Let's get outta here!" Téa shouted, and marched out the door. Ryou shrugged and followed after her. Behind them, Mai, Duke, Joey and Tristan grinned at each other.
It had worked.
But Yugi, on the other hand, did not smile. He had a feeling the madness wasn't over yet.
And, the next day, the same day Seto had his meeting and the day that Azreal went off somewhere, (though Yugi had no way of knowing that), he still felt exactly the same.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Azreal groaned aloud, which wasn't a good idea, because this just caused her upturned face to get even wetter. Not that she'd admit this storm was her fault. If she couldn't control any of her other 'powers' then why would the weather be reacting to her emotions? It had never paid her any heed before.
Azreal stopped, and looked at the house before her. If three years old memory served, it was still exactly the same. The honey suckle trellis up the door. The peeling paint by the window she'd helped on it's way by picking at it. The door was even the same bright red colour.
But it was not exactly the same. The house showed signs of age, as everything else on the planet did. The red door was fading now- it was fresh paint when she'd last seen it- the honeysuckle was bushy and overgrown, the apple tree she'd played in as a child stunted and dying.
But her swing was still there. Azreal could see it, a little rusted, but still hanging firmly onto it's branch and swinging listlessly in the breeze just behind the fence.
It demanded to be sat on. One last time.
Without conscious thought, Azreal jumped over the waist-high fence and sat on what she still thought of as her swing. She gently pushed herself, but the swing was as well oiled as ever despite it's appearance, and it swung as silently as before.
Azreal was so drowned in half-buried half-forgotten memories that she didn't notice when a man came to the door of the house.
"Hey you!" He said, though not in an unfriendly way "Stay right there!" He began to walk down the path towards her. Azreal had that sinking feeling she'd accidentally become solid again.
Against her better judgement and screaming instincts, Azreal stayed put. She just had to see… She knew it wouldn't be him, and even if it was he wouldn't recognise her, but she had to see. Just had to.
"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked incredibly politely, considering it was his house and his garden and she was a seemingly random stranger.
"Um, no, I…" Azreal said, trying to swallow down tears. It was him. So now she had got what she had come for. She looked away, back down to the house and saw a woman holding a small boy's hand in the doorway.
"Doug?" The woman called "Who is it?"
"No-one." Doug called back. "Just take James back inside, okay? Tell him daddy will be in in a minute." Azreal swallowed. He was happy. And he had a new family. There was no other reason for her to be here. She shouldn't have come in the first place.
"I… I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Azreal finished lamely, and began to walk away. Then she felt a catch on her arm. She turned around, but kept her eyes focused on the floor.
"Hold on a second." Doug said, sounding confused. Not daring to hope, Azreal lifted her head and met his eyes for the first time. "I know you, don't I?" Doug said slowly "But where from…?"
Azreal held her breath. It wasn't possible.
But then, she had seen quite a few impossible things recently.
She stopped those thoughts. Hope, she reminded herself, Destroys logic.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: Now you've finished the chapter, you can go read 9E:D Just in case you don't already… See, if she can show her publishers that 9E has a big enough fanbase, it'll be released in Print! But, the comic's worth your while, I swear. Plus, seeing as the fic is an INCREADIBLE knock-off (I feel so ashamed admitting that…) You can find the address on the previous chapter, I think...
One last thing… Sneak Previews will now be posted on my bio. If you miss one, the next chapter'll be up anyways, so it won't matter! I'll be back on Saturday… Mwhahahaha….
