Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
Aida started to walk home. Her face was flushed and her breathing was staggered. She could not believe what had just happened. Did this change everything now? How was she supposed to feel? She thought once she finally found him and was with him once again, she would be filled with uninhibited happiness. Yet as she walked down the dark paths toward home, she felt nothing but blank. She could not feel happy. Was what he said truly his feelings? She could not feel sad. The man she loved had kissed her for the first time in 5000 years. She was torn between the two emotions unable to sway herself in any certain direction, so she walked home in the blank, empty middle of sentiment. She let out a sigh of frustration, and continued her way home. She would have to wait things out and see what happened. She had done it for thousands of years. What was another few days?
"I would stop where you are," a voice came from behind her. She stopped immediately and slowly turned around. A man dressed in a black suit and tie stood with three other men of the same attire.
"What do you want," she asked becoming angry for being interrupted from her thoughts.
"Mr. Kagamira calls for you," he replied and gazed at her hard.
She nodded and immediately changed her direction to follow the three suits. A limo came from an alleyway and pulled up beside her. She got inside, and it took off down the quiet, dark street.
Yami stood outside Aida's apartment building. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He could hear the sweet sounds of the dead night air. Even though most people can only hear what they believe is true, he could hear things that were not of the same world. He looked out over the darkening, concrete landscape where the streets were baren, yet they were filled with life. There are many people who believe that ghosts, spirits, or apparitions of people long since dead roam the earth for all of eternity. Whether it may be from life tasks never accomplished or a life cut short, no one knows. The spirits just live on in their own dimension of the world. He could see people from all previous centuries that had walked those paths before him now. They were transparent and barely visible, but he could see them. No, he knew they were not ghosts or spirits. They were merely imprints. The human body creates its own electric charge, and it is this charge that leaves a permanent imprint. Yami, with his keen, discerning eyes could see all the imprints. All the people who had ever crossed the area left one. The human soul leaves those tracks everywhere it goes. It leaves feelings, thoughts, emotions, and even images if one is looking hard enough. He was searching for one in particular. He wanted to see her, even if it were only her imprint. Finally, one stood out to him among the rest. Aida walked up the steps and stopped directly in front of him. Her head dropped as she tensed suddenly, and with a shrill scream threw her fist into the wall. Below her translucent fist was a dent in the wall. She then quickly turned and went through the closed door where she disappeared.
His ancient eyes had seen many things in many years, and it was his perception of the world around him that had let him realize many things faster than others. He could piece scenarios together faster than any mortal. His intelligence was infathomable, yet there was one thing he had always had control of, and in all his years he had never had the ability to predict that he would lose his hold on his emotions. His head was spinning with questions and thoughts that he did not know how to deal with. This is very unlike him, but there he stood. He was waiting to talk to Aida. He had things to say, and their abrupt departure from their last meeting did not put any closure on what had happened.
"Yami," a voice came.
He jumped slightly and turned to see who had jarred him from his thoughts. All the transparent images of people were gone. The only transparent person before him was a smaller version of himself.
"Yugi," he said calming down a bit, "You startled me."
"Sorry, Yami," he replied looking sheepish, "I just wanted to ask you why you decided to come here."
"There are things Aida and I must discuss," Yami said looking at the ground.
"Oh," Yugi replied quietly looking down at the ground as well. He knew something serious was on Yami's mind, but he did not want to be rude and ask. Yami was always thoughtful and kind when it came to Yugi. Yugi knew that if he ever asked Yami a question, Yami would always feel an obligation to answer it somehow. This was one of those times when he did not want to use that gift.
After a short car ride, Aida stepped out of the car and walked inside a large building in downtown Domino. She walked through the large, marbled lobby to the elevator. All was dark and quiet. It was too late for the building to be open for "common" business. The elevator ride was tense and silent. She did not know what Kagamira wanted with her, but when he called, she always went. She had worked with him – he would say worked for him – many times, and had earned herself respect with upper-class criminals and mafia. Whether they were involved with the Yakuza or not, she did not know, nor did she care.
The elevator stopped on the top floor. The door opened to reveal a very small walkway that lead to a very large door. It was flanked by several guards who immediately came to attention at seeing her arrive with a sword dangling at her side. She merely looked up and glared. They knew her, and let her pass.
"I didn't know you would be here, Yugi," came Anzu's voice from the staircase. Yami looked over in shock as Anzu slowly came into view as she climbed to the top, "I was hoping to catch Aida at home. I heard she had returned, but I guess I was wrong."
Yami faked a kind smile, "Yes. I saw her today. She has returned, but I guess she has just not arrived at home. I have begun to worry."
"You don't think she's hurt, do you," Anzu said suddenly with fear shaking her voice.
"With her skills, it would take quite a foe to harm her," Yami replied then turned to look up at the sky, "I have just been worrying that something pressing has detained her."
"Oh," Anzu said turning red from her quickness to fear, "I came by to see her. It has been so long since she has been around. We have all begun to miss her. I really like her. . . Yami? Can I ask you a question?"
He looked up in an amused curiosity.
She looked down as if deep in thought, "If everything about Aida is true, then she must be your soul mate. She doesn't have a millennium item like you or Bakura. So, do you think her link to you has anything to do with her constant rebirth?"
Yami looked over with wide eyes. He was astonished that such an educated guess came from her. Usually she cheered him on, and occasionally gave him a pep talk – whether he wanted it or not – but never did she come to a conclusion as abstract and meaningful as that. He gave her a genuine smile this time, "I don't know, Anzu, but you may just be right."
She blushed a bit and smiled back. Whether Yami liked her or not, her intentions were not for the worse. She was a bright girl when she wanted to be, and would be a loyal friend even in the depths of hell.
Aida stood at a large desk at the very end of the long, large room. There was a man of about thirty sitting in a high back chair seated at the beautiful mahogany colored desk. He had a strong build with his hair neatly combed back and a thing goatee to give him a very groomed look. He wore an immaculate business suit of charcoal grey with white pinstripes. He gazed at her presenting his proposition. He snapped his fingers and two men propped a suitcase in front of her and opened it. As she peered inside, one of her eyebrows slightly raised. The man smiled and nodded.
"Will you take us up on our offer now," he replied with a confident smile.
Yami took one last look at her doorway and up and down the street. She was not coming home. He slowly made his way down the staircase and made his way back to the game shop.
The Kaiba household was sleeping peacefully. All was quiet. The servants were finishing up the chores for the day and prepared for tomorrow. They locked all the doors and windows not that the highly advanced security system was not already enough to keep out air itself. No one had ever attempted to break into the Kaiba mansion; not since Seto took it over. However, this night that would all change. Everything outside was dark with the new moon overhead. A figure draped in black was stooped on the wall that lined the estate.
"Ra, be my guide on this path I'm about to take," Aida said as she adjusted the black katana around her waist. She was covered from head to toe in close-fitting black, thick nylon. A black, steel mask covered nose and mouth which was tied around her head using ebony silk. A sash tied around her waist held fast the long, thin katana dangling at her side. She had designed the outfit herself after Japanese ninjas. She made modifications to suite her and made the outfit lighter, and with less "ornaments" as she called them. She was confident in her skills, and did not need all the extra equipment they normally carried.
The night had a crisp chill that almost crackled in her ears. There was not a single breeze or movement in the atmosphere. It was a truly silent night. These were indeed rare. It was nights like this that it felt as if someone might have been watching. The world was so cold and dead one was sure that the whole world has stopped to listen for death. No one walked the streets at this time. They were all scared they would be targeted. All should have rested assure that night, because there would only be one fatality that hour of black. Death was surely coming, and it would come for one in the Kaiba household.
She leapt off the wall and landed on one hand in the grass below. She pressed a button inside the mask with her lips, and then blew through the holes to release a micro-fine powder. There was a laser directly in front of her face. There was a netting of them criss crossing across the entire lawn. She frowned seeing the hazy red line. This was no ordinary laser. Not only would an unsuspecting intruder set off an alarm when crossing this barrier, but they would also loose a limb. She huffed at it. It made her job that much longer, but it was a small hinderance she could handle.
First thing she need to do was get across the lawn. One false move, and she would be an amputee. The way the lasers were strategically placed, she would only be able to have one hand or foot on the ground at once. She lowered her body slowly toward the ground, and in one quick movement, she launched herself toward the house and landed balanced on her right foot. She had to stand on the ball of her foot as not to graze a laser she had come within centimeters of hitting. Her breathing staggered for a moment while she tried to calm herself. She could do it. She had to do it. Once again she leapt into the air. This time she was close enough to grab the branch of a tree. She felt the slick bark collide with her palm. The freshly laid dew was just present on enough to make the surface slippery enough that she immediately lost her grip. The top part of her body started to make its decent to the ground. If she hit the ground, she would not only be decapitated, but she would surely land on the entire grid of lasers and be cut in to neatly sized chunks of black corpse. With what little leverage and control she had in midair, she kicked her foot toward the branch and sunk it a few inches into the thick wood. She violently swung back and forth for a few moments just inches above the lasers feeling the intense pain in her foot. She bet she had broken every bone in it, but at that moment, it was the only thing that was holding her above the ground. She bit her lip and took a few deep breaths. If that was the only injury she received this night, she would be lucky. She knew what skill she possessed, but she knew even more so what skill Kaiba possessed. She fought with her fists and sword. He fought with his electronics and security system. It was a battle whether Kaiba knew what was going on at the moment or not.
"Ok, Kaiba," she whispered maintaining her balance in the branch of the tree, "You may have got a jab in that round, but in the end, I will have your head."
She slowly pulled herself back up to the branch and got a firm grip. With a sickening crunch, she wrenched her foot from the branch. She gritted her teeth and held back the urge to scream. Taking a few deep breaths and regaining control of herself, she lifted herself into the tree. The hardest part was over. She jumped from branch to branch to reach the very top. She peered in the windows to see black. Maybe that was not the hardest part. She tiptoed slowly down the tree branch toward the window and gazed inside. She saw a brief green flash. That was it. She quickly pulled a slender black tube from her sash and blew one end. It cut cleanly through the glass and hit its direct target. She got closer to the window and examined the lock. The mansion was older since it was Kaiba's father that had had it built many years ago. She let out an amused laugh. It was a standard flip lock. Instead of using a glass cutter and risking someone hearing the spare glass piece break, she pulled a small black cube from her pocket. She turned the dial on it and set it next to the lock on the other side of the pane. It used high magnetic currents to turn the lock toward her. She watched it move and heard it click. She quietly slid the window open, and pulled herself inside.
Her new environment was just as quiet as the last. She reached over and pulled her dart from the security box on the wall. She had only disabled the system in this area, but it would not be long before someone noticed. She needed to work quickly. She slipped silkily down the hallway toward a pair of large, white double doors trimmed in gold. This was no doubt the master bedroom. She slowly turned the handle to open the door. She lowered herself to the floor where she crawled just a few centimeters from it across the bedroom. She crept toward the bed, gliding across the floor like a black widow. Another button clicked inside her mask, and she blew a bit of sleeping dust toward Kaiba. She climbed up on top of the bed and stood above him. She wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the katana. This was it. She would finally bring an end to him. She pulled the cold steel from its case and raised it high into the air with both hands. The blade was pointed down at its victim. Finally, it would all end.
Yugi rampaged down the staircase the next morning to his awaiting cereal bowl. He had to get his breakfast down as fast as possible. He could not wait to get back to dueling again. He was halfway through devouring his Lucky Charms when he noticed a transparent form of himself sitting beside him. He usually had a look of deep thought and concern, yet this was the first time he had ever seen Yami have the aura of a daydream about him. Yugi almost choked on purple horseshoe as he stopped to stare at the almost mirror image of himself look as if he were enamored with something on the wall. What had gotten into him? Did it have something to do with Aida? He remembered seeing her standing by shop window the day before, but after that Yami had blocked him off and forced him into his soul room.
"What is going on, Yami," Yugi said sitting with his knees on his chair staring directly at his other half.
The spirit stirred and looked shocked to see extremely large eyes peering at him, "Huh? What? Did you say something Yugi?"
Yugi leered at him, "Something is up. You are never this inattentive."
Yami cleared his throat for a moment, "It's nothing, aibou. I was just thinking."
"Daydreaming is more like it," Yugi said still not satisfied, "I think I know what it is," he turned back to give his full attention to his cereal, "You saw Aida yesterday. Something happened."
Yami choked for a moment, "What ever gave you that idea? I saw her yesterday, but I just asked her where she had been. That's all."
"Did you kiss her?"
"Aibou!"
"Come on, Yami. I'm your other half, am I not? We have a link through our minds, do we not? You can tell me. It's not like I couldn't tell what kind of emotions you had."
Yami's eyes were wide, "Drop it, aibou."
Yugi gave him a malicious grin, "Never!"
Yami gave him a quizzical look, "What has gotten into you?"
"I just think it is about time you had some fun," Yugi said with a small grin on his face as he slowly drank the sugary milk from his bowl, "Besides, this is payback for teasing me about Anzu."
Yami snorted, "You have to admit that Anzu is pathetic."
Yugi was at the sink running water through the bowl, "I know you don't like her Yami, but she is my friend."
"Didn't you feel a little more than just friendship for her about a year ago?"
"At least I'm not denying it like your little rendezvous with Aida."
"Let's just go," Yami said heaving a whimsical sigh, but before he could continue, there was a rap at the front door.
"We're closed," Yugi shouted as the ran to the front of the store, "We don't open for another. . ." Aida stood at his door with adorned in a sickening blood spatter.
I know this was a short chapter, but I felt you guys needed an update.
